Friday feels and forest fruits...

Recipe of the week is...
... a Forest Fruits Smoothie

Ingredients: 1 frozen banana, 2 handfuls of frozen forest fruits, 1 mugful of milk, and a tablespoon of honey.

Time taken: 5-10 mins (if you’ve already frozen your fruit).

Serves: Either one big meal-sized smoothie or two smaller snack-sized smoothies.


Hi readers,

Happy Easter everyone and welcome to our four day weekend!! Isn’t it great?! For any readers not living in the UK, I’m really sorry you’re missing out this treat. Here, we get Friday off work as a Good Friday Bank Holiday.. and then we get Monday off work, too! (For Easter Monday.. and that is ???). Sorrry if you don’t share in the glory of our four day weekend.

It's this level of glorious... Turkish sunset glorious
@sert_mehmet

But, wherever you may be, I hope you’re having a terrific Friday, readers. Here in the ChefBeHere household.. things are very leisurely. I woke up without an alarm today. Bliss. And did I have to spring out of bed? Noo. I flicked through the news on my phone in a warm duvet cocoon. Finally got up, made it out on a run (and did a really fast sprint!) and then Spring cleaned the house. So, everything’s looking brighter and shinier now.

And I am DONE with achieving things. That’s me over and our for attainment this weekend. Thoroughly intend to spend the rest of my days reading and sleeping, eating and drinking, and enjoying some quality time with the friends and famalam. Easter eggs and hot cross buns will, of course, feature heavily throughout my weekend.. but how about you, readers? What do you have planned for your Bank Holiday break?

Munching lots of these?
@thedepotbakery

Or maybe you’re still making plans? If you’re looking for ideas for healing things you could do over the next four days, while your head takes and break from work and routine, maybe a little yoga would be fine idea? Have a good stretch out and unwind. Or, if the suns out, perhaps you could venture outdoors and head off on a walk? Get those legs moving and some fresh air in your lungs.

Wherever this weekend may take you, readers, I hope it has you feeling refreshed and upbeat. With the warmer weather to enjoy and with so many Spring colours around at the moment, from blossom on the trees to daffodils by the roadside and bluebells in the grass, I find it inspiring at this time of year to have a real look around. Without the rush of routine and the pressures of work, maybe this weekend will be your first chance in a while to take stock of your surroundings? And see that Spring has sprung.

Our pinkest time of the year
@maepress

I was reading a blog post just now called ‘23 Mantras To Live By’, by Jessica Sletmo, (which you can read here) and – though I’m not a big believer in token phrases and kind of bland sayings – I did find a quote amongst these mantras that struck a chord…

… perhaps this is the time, readers, to let someone off the hook for a small fault? Let it be gone and forgotten, and enjoy their wonderfulness again now. Or possibly, readers, this four days off work gives you more time than normal to surprise someone with a small act of kindness? Maybe a loved one, or even someone you never met before. All you have to do is be kind and – who knows – you just might make their day. Or their weekend. Or their April.

I’m heading out for drinks later with some of the girls and I’ve made it my intention to be filled with compliments tonight.. as they’ll all have made an effort with their hair and their make up and their outfit, and everyone deserves to feel good and be told just how great they look. So, I’m on it! Meanwhile, readers, I’ve been charging my batteries ready for tonight with a super new smoothie recipe. One I invented on the spot!

There’s very little in my fridge at the moment, but I was fancying something fruity on this Spring afternoon. And, as luck would have it, I thought ahead a while back and bought in loads of frozen fruit – perfect for occasions just like today. I really recommend this as a handy way to save money and also save on food waste, as frozen fruits cost less I find and they're good to eat for a really long time.

Good value and good for the planet

So, I dug out a freezer pack out forest fruits and turned this into a smoothie success. Fancy following in my fabulous footsteps, readers? Yeahhh?? Well, you definitely can. This is a really simple recipe, readers, with only five steps and no kitchen skills required. Very do-able. All you need is a smoothie maker or blender, and a thirst for something thick and fruity!! Here’s how to prepare a Forest Fruits Smoothie…

1.     Peel a banana, cut it up into a few bits, and leave in the freezer overnight.
2.     The next day, take your frozen banana out of the freezer and pop this in a smoothie maker or a blender.
3.     Add a couple of handfuls of berries and cherries from your pack of frozen forest fruits.
ChefBeHere Top Tip: Whenever I’m at Boost Smoothie and they ask if I want to ‘double my fruit?’ I always say no as it costs more.. sadly! If like me, you do the same, then when you add your second handful of forest fruits you can think of this as doubling your fruit.. it pleased me to no end!

Alll the fruit for meee

4.     Fill a mug with milk and then pour this into the smoothie maker, too.
5.     Add a tablespoon of honey to sweeten the deal, and blend until smooth. Then find a straw and slurp away!
ChefBeHere Top Tip: This smoothie is soo thick that my normal-width straws struggled with it. I don’t have any of the chunky ones like you get at Boost, so I tried using two regular straws at once.. and this still didn’t work! In the end, I got out a spoon. If you have any chunky straws, then this is there time to SHINE.

This straw was NO MATCH
for my smoothie

And that’s all there is to it, readers! You have a berry and cherry-filled beauty of a smoothie to enjoy, hopefully in the sunshine, and this will give you lots of energy to fuel you on for a powerful afternoon.. and potentially for dancing all night long! What do you think, readers? Has anyone tried a similar recipe in the past? How did it go?

I thought this smoothie came out really well, it was thick and colourful, and tasted lovely and fruity! A hit with me.. but would you agree? Let me know your thoughts, readers! Are you a fan of a Forest Fruits Smoothie? Where would be your favourite place to drink this fruity treat? Do you have any ideas to make this taste even better??

Fire away, readers. Let me know what you think. And I’m wishing you all a wonderful long Easter weekend away from work. Remember, if there’s a fault that could be forgotten or some act of kindness you can share with another, then perhaps this the weekend is the right time? I’m sure you have something in mind and I’m sure you can do it, readers.

Smoothie safely,

Hayley

Be bold
@awaisha_art

SLURPING, BOUNCING, DUNKING... ADULTING.

Recipe of the week...
... Spicy peach pineapple smoothie!

Ingredients: 1 frozen banana, half a mug of tinned peaches, half a mug of tinned pineapple, 1 mugful of milk, a shake of ground nutmeg, and a big shake of ground cinnamon.

Time taken: 5-10 mins (if you’ve already frozen a banana).

Serves: Either one huge meal-sized smoothie or two more modest snack-sized smoothies.

Hi readers,

How are you this evening? Are you home from work? Out of the clothes you’ve been wearing all day? Feeling fresh and comfortable now? I hope you are, readers, and I hope today’s been a good one for you. A day of bold moves and memorable occurrences.

Just saving the day

As I write, readers, it’s a Tuesday evening in April and I’m away on a work trip to Milton Keynes. We’ve checked into our hotel, after a full day with a client, and I’ve enough sanity left to have put the kettle on for a strong brew. I’m adulting! Read: I’m watching Couples Come Dine With Me and dunking my way through all the free biscuits. There are a lot of free biscuits but I need to recover strength (spent a while bouncing from one twin bed to the other) before dining with my boss. Will drink modestly and speak intelligently. As adults do.

At the moment, readers, it’s a slow news day in the UK (launched search for missing boy… found missing boy hiding under his bed). Hmm. But there are a few noteworthy stories from around the world. There’s steady reporting on the aftermath of the terrorist attack in Russia yesterday. Ongoing coverage of the search for survivors following the massive mudslide that occurred in Colombia over the weekend. And continuing bafflement about the humongous South Korean ship (a VLOC.. Very Large Ore Carrier) that disappeared in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean a few days ago, and is presumed to have sunk with most of its crew aboard.

A VLOC... look how big it is!

Interesting stuff. Not inspiring exactly, a lot of lives have been lost these last few days, but lives have also been saved. Due to the bravery and determine of others.. which is a positive thought. Wish me luck, readers, dining with my boss tonight and trying to maintain the ruse that I’m an intelligent, responsible member of staff! I can do this!! I’m sure some of you can relate and I’m sure – like me – you too are intelligent, responsible people most of the time.. it’s just convincing colleagues that you are 100% of the time! When that’s a BLATANT lie.

Tonight, I write to share with you a fab fruit smoothie recipe that I tried out this weekend. This recipe comes straight from the Primavera Kitchen blog and you can read the original post here. I happened upon this recipe, readers, as I had an abundance of tinned pineapple and peaches in, along with one very neglected smoothie maker… and I thought there must be some way to turn this into a tasty smoothie?!

Where there's a will...
... there's a way

And there is! A quick google led me to this simple recipe, which spices up the fruits with a little added nutmeg and cinnamon. The result is a warm, tropical smoothie… with 3 of your 5-a-day inside! Whether you’re still feeling hungover from the weekend, readers, and in need of a vitamin kick, or you’re feeling a little unwell maybe and need something to boost your system, or you could just generally do with an energy burst to power you ahead with the working week??

Whatever the reason (perhaps you just want a fruity bev), I recommend a spicy peach pineapple smoothie! This drinks tastes like summer loving and the sun on your face, salty sea air and warm sand between your toes, like you’re sipping in a hammock under a blue blue sky, with tropical tunes drifting over from the bar, and the sound of crickets in the bushes… with only a little imagination required.

Just close your eyes...
... and you're there

 SOLD? Want to blend your own spicy peach pineapple smoothie?? Yeahhh you do. This is a very straightforward recipe, readers, with only five steps and absolutely no culinary skill required. Any idiot could do it, I promise. Even you. I’m kidding! So, all you need to do is…

1.     Peel a banana, cut it up into a few bits, and leave in the freezer overnight.

2.     The next day, take your frozen banana out of the freezer and pop this in a smoothie maker or a blender.

3.     Half fill a mug with tinned peach slices, then fill the second half with tinned pineapple pieces and tip into the smoothie maker.

4.     Fill your mug with milk and then pour this into the smoothie maker, too.

5.     Shake a little nutmeg and quite a bit of cinnamon in there, and blend for a minute or so until smooth. Then find a straw and slurp away!

SLUUURP

Et voila! What do you think?? Do you think this sounds a tempting recipe to try out, readers? And, if you’ve given it a go, did it go well? And did you like the taste of your smoothie? Did it taste how summer tastes to you??

I think, to me, summer tastes like barbecued grub (burned to a crisp) and fresh fruit, melting ice cream and aperol spritz! This smoothie recipe will be perfect for sunny afternoons on summer weekends, to drink out in the garden, sunbathing with a good book… bring it on! I cannot wait for summer, readers, and I hope this smoothie inspires you the same way it has me. Summer will be with us soon.

Until then.. slurp safely,

Hayley

See you there!

SUMMER SUN PORRIDGE FUN DREAMS

6 Porridges for Summer

Time Taken: Ten minutes max

Ingredients: Half a mug of oats, a glug of milk, 2 tablespoons of flaxseed (optional) & then exciting summer toppings SEE BELOW.

Hi readers,

What is it right now? It’s Monday evening. And so, if you’re reading this, you’ve survived Monday oncemore! Whoooooo! Take a hearty pat on the back. Good job! Well done, indeed. I think, every week, that it’s a minor miracle when so many people battle through Monday with any kind of gusto. On Monday, it’s not the weekend anymore. You miss the weekend just gone, really a lot, and the next weekend seems so distant. Despair’s a regular feature of Mondays. But high five, readers, for your continuing survival! Today, you have achieved.

And today, readers, I’m feeling in between. On the one hand, we’re almost done with March and summer doesn’t seem all that far away. But AT THE SAME TIME it’s still not Easter. Still. Not. Lent continues and the weather’s cold and shit. Spring feels tired today. Or maybe that’s just me. For sure though, Sheffield’s not looking it’s best. The city has a strong tendency towards miserable drizzle and today the drizzle is just RAINING DOWN.

Readers, I hope hope hope that the sun is shining where you are. That you’re wearing shorts and flipslops and shades. That it’s warm enough for a Cornetto without risking hypothermia. That your life today has been a vision of summer. I hope! However, as this really isn’t the case for anyone in England at least, my blog today is going to CHEER. PEOPLE. UP.

Readers STEP ONE… I want you to think of 5 things that have been good today, which you’re grateful for.

Mine

(1)

Brands.

At home today there’s been Alpen…. Nescafe… Quorn… treats galore!

(2)

Headphones.

Mine are new and with them I can HEAR music again. Life is good.

(3)

Shut-in.

I didn’t have to go anywhere today or spend time with people.

(4)

Shower.

The water at home is consistently warm and I don’t pay for it.

And (5)

Family.

I’m at home and spending time with the fam is making me very happy.

And only after you have a proper 5 (give it a think!) STEP TWO is to play a song that reminds you of summer. I think we all have one! Am I right? C’mon now! There has to be a song that followed you last summer? One your foot tapped to from your deck chair? Soundtrack to last year’s barbecues? Your festival highlight?? Stick it on!

Finally, readers, STEP THREE is to check out the following recipe. Here I’m to share with you once more, readers, my ultimate recipe for a bear-sized bowl of porridge BUT this time with suggestions on how you can carry porridge through to summer. It isn’t just for winter! Oh no no. Porridge, for me, is to be enjoyed all year round. ERRRRRRR damn month.

And the key to enjoying porridge even when it’s summer, readers? IS FRUIT. Here’s how you make fruity porridge in summer, readers, in just ten easy steps…

1. Shuffle about and gather together your milk, your porridge oats, a bowl, a tablespoon and a mug.

2. Half fill your mug with oats.

3. Tip the oats into your bowl.

ChefBeHere Top Tip: If you have any flaxseed, add a couple of tablespoons now. This is a power ingredients which helps with digestion! Also, it makes porridge super thick.

4. Pour milk into your bowl until the bowl is two thirds full and your oats are swimming.

5. Stir your oats and milk together. Stay awake.

ChefBeHere Top Tip: When you aren't using it, rest your spoon in your mug so that you don’t get milk on the kitchen side.

6. Pop your bowl into the microwave and heat for 2 minutes.

PLAN 1: Raisin

7. When the microwave pings, take out your bowl and spoon 1 tablespoon of brown sugar over your porridge.

8. Next, spoon 2 tablespoons of raisins over your porridge.

9. Stir it up! Pop your porridge back in the microwave for 1 minute. Pour yourself an OJ and keep an eye on the porridge in the microwave.

10. When either the microwave pings or you see your porridge expanding to the top of the bowl, take out your porridge. Stir it up! Get your porridge and your juice. Shuffle towards a comfy seat.

PLAN 2: Strawberry

7. Sit a few strawberries on a square of kitchen towel. Chop their tops off and then cut into quarters.

8. When the microwave pings, take out your bowl and spoon a few blobs of strawberry jam on top of your porridge.

9. Stir it up! Pop your porridge back in the microwave for 1 minute. Pour yourself an OJ and keep an eye on the porridge in the microwave.

10. When either the microwave pings or you see your porridge expanding to the top of the bowl, take out your porridge. Stir it up! Top with your bits of strawberry. Get your porridge and your juice. Shuffle towards a comfy seat.

PLAN 3: Apricot

7. Sit a few dried apricots on a square of kitchen towel. Cut them into quarters.

8. When the microwave pings, take out your bowl and spoon a few blobs of apricot jam on top of your porridge. Tip your pieces of dried apricot into the bowl.

9. Stir it up! Pop your porridge back in the microwave for 1 minute. Pour yourself an OJ and keep an eye on the porridge in the microwave.

10. When either the microwave pings or you see your porridge expanding to the top of the bowl, take out your porridge. Get your porridge and your juice. Shuffle towards a comfy seat.

PLAN 4: Raspberry

7. When the microwave pings, take out your bowl and spoon a few blobs of raspberry jam on top of your porridge.

8. Stir it up! Pop your porridge back in the microwave for 1 minute. Pour yourself an OJ and keep an eye on the porridge in the microwave.

9. When either the microwave pings or you see your porridge expanding to the top of the bowl, take out your porridge. Stir it up!

10. Take a handful of raspberries and dot them about on top of your porridge. Get your porridge and your juice. Shuffle towards a comfy seat.

PLAN 5: Banana

7. Peel a banana and sit it on a square of kitchen towel. Slice your banana up.

8. When the microwave pings, take out your bowl and spoon a tablespoon of honey over your porridge.

9. Stir it up! Pop your porridge back in the microwave for 1 minute. Pour yourself an OJ and keep an eye on the porridge in the microwave.

10. When either the microwave pings or you see your porridge expanding to the top of the bowl, take out your porridge. Chuck your banana into the bowl. Stir it up! Get your porridge and your juice. Shuffle towards a comfy seat.

AND PLAN 6: Chocolate Orange

7. Sit an orange on a square of kitchen towel and slice it in half.

8. When the microwave pings, take out your bowl and spoon a few blobs of chocolate spread on top of your porridge. Squeeze both halves of your orange so that the juice goes into the bowl.

9. Stir it up! Pop your porridge back in the microwave for 1 minute. Pour yourself an OJ and keep an eye on the porridge in the microwave.

10. When either the microwave pings or you see your porridge expanding to the top of the bowl, take out your porridge. Stir it up! Get your porridge and your juice. Shuffle towards a comfy seat.

And readers… that’s it. Porridge. With fruit. For summer.

Here’s some strawberry porridge of mine (SEE PLAN 2) …

And I think, even if it’s sub zero and raining sideways outside, that adding a little colour and fruit to your bowl at breakfast… makes the day feel just a little bit summery. Do you, readers? What do you think? I hope that you’re inspired by my recipes and that you have a go at jazzing up your bowls of porridge. Remember, to always start the day right! And then the sun will be shining inside you, at least.

Readers, share your thoughts with me about these summer recipes. Please do. And send your recipes my way, too! What should I try next with my porridge?? Exciting times.

 

Breakfast safely,

Hayley

TRIUMPHANT TEABREAD

Bara Brith

Time taken: Ten minutes, then ten minutes, then a long bake in the oven.

Ingredients: 175g currants, 175g sultanas, 225g light brown sugar, 300ml strong hot tea & an egg.

Hi Readers,

It’s Friday time! At last, Friday has come!! Everything is going to be A-OK now. A few hours left at work for most… and then you’re free. :) The sun’s shining outside and you could do anything with your weekend! The world is your oyster!

Is it just me or has everyone been incredibly productive this week?? It seems like everyone has been getting things done… and then more and more things! There’s been no stopping people! So, this week, my flatmate Godica journeyed down to London for a big interview aaaaaand… she’s scored herself an offer to study for a postgrad nursing diploma at South Bank Uni! Which she can defer for a year so that she can travel around Australia with my flatmate Brummanie!! Such great news! She was really nervous and so we’re all really proud of her. :) Also, Godica found out today that she's got a summer job at Buckingham Palace to help her save some cash for travels! Rubbing shoulders with royalty! Best news EVER.

ALSO my flatmate Dr Davies took a trip to London too (apparently, it’s the THING to have been doing this week). She also had big interviews for further study after uni… and she’s been invited to join a lab down in the capital city to study for her PhD!!! Dr Davies is ACTUALLY going to be a doctor. It’s terrifying! I don’t know quite where she’s been made an offer, and don’t at all understand what it is she’ll be doing her PhD on, but she’s doing one!

Such an exciting time. In Newcastle, me and Brummanie and Tiddy, we haven’t exactly been scoring ourselves big career offers this week. Not quite. BUT we battled through 2 ½ days without hot water for showers after Northumbria Water had a bloody disaster with a pipe nearby, which is achievement enough for me.

And this week I wrote a full draft of my dissertation. I actually wrote it. And yesterday I printed it. All 126 pages of it, complete with 97 figures and 107 references. My baby. So, this weekend, I’m taking a few days off to clear my mind and have a rest. Then on Monday I’m whipping the dissertation back out again for a big read through, and after final edits I can have it bound and submitted! This is very scary.

But the prospect of a few days break from my work is wonderful. It’s all winding down now. On Wednesday night, Woody took me out for pizza and to see Kingsmen (definitely a lads film) at the cinema, complete with back row seats and vegetarian sweets! Then, last night, I had my geography friends Floss and Fizz over for a dinner party. Two glasses of wine went straight to my head! But I still managed to pull together a veggie Thai green curry, with fruit salad for dessert. The girls were most complimentary. :)

And today… my Father Bear is driving up to Newcastle to visit! I’m so excited! Especially, to see me my dad’s taken a day off work and he’s embarking on a long drive up the country to Newcastle. I’m so lucky! Today, if the sunshine holds on, we’re going to take a big walk around the Quayside of Newcastle and hopefully find some cask ale bars to pay a visit to. And, for my dad’s arrival, I’ve got my bake on!

This morning, I’ve baked a Bara Brith Teabread. Mmm. Bara Brith is a reeeally fruity, traditionally Welsh teabread. My flatmate Dr Davies is half-Welsh and so she has introduced us to this! To make Bara Brith you soak fruit overnight in tea, before you bake this bread, and so it’s suuuper moist. Some fruit cakes can be quite dry and tough – this is not one of them.

Hopefully, this will be a good reward for my dad when he gets here after his long drive! I wanted to bake something for him coming up and, for once, give something other than banana bread a whirl. I’m not eating chocolate due to Lent and so my options were limited. But Bara Brith was the perfect solution! I can report that the teabread has baked superbly and now the house smells like a DREAM. Sooo homely.

To make your Bara Brith, which EVERYONE needs to do, follow these 10 easy steps…

1. Boil the kettle and then pour 300ml hot water into a measuring jug.

2. Chuck 3 teabags into your water and leave your tea to brew for 5 minutes or so.

3. Meanwhile, measure 175g sultanas, 175g currants and 225g light brown sugar into a mixing bowl.

ChefBeHere Top Tip: This recipe comes from my Mary Berry ‘100 Cakes and Bakes’ book. In the book, Mary calls for you to use light muscovado sugar. I found some of this sugar in the baking cupboard, but there was only about 50g of it left. So, the rest I made up with just light brown sugar. I have to report that both sugars look EXACTLY THE SAME to me. And the teabread seems to have turned out fine without all of the muscovado sugar that was requested. So I don’t think it’s all that essential. Just any light brown sugar you can find, that should do the job.

4. Remove your teabags from your tea and then pour it over your fruit and sugar. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and leave your fruit to soak overnight.

5. The next day, heat your oven to 150˚C.

6. Measure out 275g self-raising flour. Sift this over your bowl of fruit and then crack an egg into the bowl, too.

7. Mix it up!

8. Grease a loaf tin and line this with baking paper. Then spoon your mix into the prepared tin.

9. Safely transport into the oven to bake for 90 minutes.

ChefBeHere Top Tip: Leave your kitchen door open and the smell of this lovely bread should seep through your whole house. Literally, it’s like you’ve lit ten scented candles.

10. When your bread is well-risen, firm to touch and a knife jabbed in the middle comes out clean, then your teabread has baked! Leave it to cool in its tin for ten minutes, before you tip your teabread out onto a cooling rack. Job done!

ChefBeHere Top Tip: Slice and butter your teabread, and serve warm or when cooled. Enjoy!

Here’s my wonderful Bara Brith…

So, this recipe is wonderfully simple. There are only six ingredients! And one of them is a brew! It’s very easy to bake. Plus, you can bake this recipe at incredibly little cost, and it only really requires twenty minutes of your time in the kitchen, so you don’t have to dedicate heaps of your work/study/relaxation hours to your teabread.

ALSO there’s fruit in Bara Brith. So it scores points for health in my books! And your house will smell, and your bread will taste, as if you’re in a country cottage in rural Wales. It’s the best.

I feel that everyone, each and every one of you, deserves Bara Brith this weekend. We’ve all worked hard this week and so a light spot of baking is most deserved. I hope you have a chilled, sunny weekend, readers. And that you have a wonderful start to March. And that my dad likes Bara Brith!!

Brew safely,

Hayley

LEMONY LOVE

Lemon Drizzle Muffins

 

Time taken: An hour

Ingredients: 350g of self-raising flour, half a teaspoon of baking powder, a pinch of salt, 75g of light brown sugar, a lemon, 75g of butter, 2 eggs, 300ml of milk and 75g of icing sugar.

 

 

 

Hi readers,

We’ve made it through another Monday! Hurray!! Every week, I feel that this shouldn’t be taken for granted. I would like to know if more people die on Mondays than on other days of the week. It can’t be just me that feels like this could actually be true?? Mondays are tough going!

 

Today, I’ve had a rubbish one. There’s a mystery illness brewing within and it’s threatening to take me down. Symptoms: dry throat, feeling hot/cold and I have a bit of a headache. Nothing awful. But I sense a storm brewing. This definitely does not bode well.

 

But I’ve been proactive! I shuffled to the shop this morning for foods full of vitamins. Ate well. Then I holed up inside out of the cold and decided today was to be a restful day. I baked and invited Woody over with the promise of a muffin. He cheered me up!

 

As someone that panics when I’m not doing ten things at once, it’s good to speak to someone who takes a more relaxed approach to how to fill their days… this makes me feel ok about taking a day off uni work. Sort of.

 

And my muffins seem to have made lots of other people feel good! These are Lemon Drizzle Muffins and the recipe for them I found on the shift calendar at work this weekend, of all places. The calendar has a recipe for each month of the year, and this January at the airport we’re being urged to bake Lemon Drizzle Muffins. To which I say… alright!

 

Here’s how you go about baking your very own Lemon Drizzle Muffins. Of course, in ten easy steps…

1. Heat your oven to 200˚C.

2. Line a muffin tray with 12 muffin cases, and melt your butter in a small saucepan.

3. In a large mixing bowl, add your flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.

4. Grate the rind of your lemon into the bowl. And mix it all up!

ChefBeHere Top Tip: Don’t throw away your lemon! You need this later on.

5. Add your melted butter, eggs and milk to the bowl, then fold the mix together until it is smooth.

 

 

6. Spoon your mix evenly out into the muffin cases you’ve prepared and transport the tray safely into the oven, to bake for twenty minutes. 

ChefBeHere Top Tip: I filled my cases almost to the top and then some of my muffins rose so much that they overtopped their cases a little, while they baked in the oven. It was dramatic. When the muffins had baked, I had to chop off the overspill bits of muffin and feed them to my flatmates. To avoid this happening: only fill your cases until they’re about two-thirds full.

 

7. Take your muffins out of the oven when they're well-risen and golden brown.

 

8. Sift your icing sugar into a bowl and add the juice of your lemon.

9. Stir this briskly until you have a smooth, lemony mix.

10. Drizzle it over your muffins and serve them up!

Like these babies here

 

And, hey presto, you have before you a wonderful batch of muffins. These are your weapons with which to spread happiness! For you and your loved ones. These muffins are lemony gifts of love. They’re delicious!

 

So, I lost patience somewhat with my sieving and, as a result, the drizzle on my muffins is a little lumpy. Also, I don’t really know why, but my batch of muffins all seem to be very attached to their muffin cases. They don’t come out of them very easily! My flatmates have all been licking out their cases to get the last bits of muffin. And me too!

 

Does anyone out there know how to stop this from happening? It’s no real hardship having a muffin stuck to its case, of course, but you do end up with sticky fingers and crumbs on your nose!

 

If anyone has any suggestions for how to avoid this, please send them over. And do enjoy your muffins, everyone. Ready… set… BAKE!!!

Sift safely,

Hayley