Chicken Wontons

I know, I know, traditional Chinese wontons should be made of minced (ground) pork. My mother always makes wontons with minced (ground) pork and prawns (shrimp). However, I wanted to try with chicken. Why? It’s not that we don’t dig on swine, it’s just because we don’t eat much pork these days.

The filling consists of minced (ground) chicken thighs, shiitake mushrooms, spring (green) onions, water chestnuts, Chinese leaf (napa cabbage) and seasonings. In essence, they are closer to jiaozi than the classic wonton.

Panforte di Siena

Ahh… our Christmas cake… I’m not sure if we can really call it a cake, it’s more like a piece of chewy confectionery. It originates from Italy and is packed full of dried fruit, nuts and honey.

This cake is traditionally baked in a round cake tin (pan). However, I broke out of the norm this year and baked it in a loaf tin (pan). The cake was cut into 2.5 cm (1 inch) pieces, making them easier to enjoy, instead of gnawing a huge slice.

100% Whole Wheat Stollen with Almond Paste

The traditional German Christmas bread just got a little healthier! This version is made with 100% whole wheat flour, studded with plump fruit, and stuffed with almond paste. It’s perfect for breakfast or with a cup of tea or coffee.

Dutch Honey Cake (Honingkoek)

This delicious loaf is also known as breakfast cake. It’s suitable for dairy-free individuals. The texture is somewhat closer to bread than a cake, and is typically enjoyed with lashings of butter. It’s easy to make, chewy, lightly spiced, low in fat, and the flavor only gets better with time.

It was J (not surprisingly) who introduced me to this cake. It’s easily available in Europe (again, not surprisingly), and there are many variants in the shops, including one with stem ginger. We loved them all!

Saucy Lemon Souffle Pudding

Saucy lemon soufflé pudding you say? Yep! I've been planning to blog about this delicious dessert for months! I tried it almost a year ago, but it was so good, that I didn’t get a chance to take any photographs.

The pudding is packed full of flavor and absolutely delicious. It's light and fluffy on the top with a creamy lemon custard base. It’s a true delight for lemon lovers.

Dairy-Free Fruit Trifles

Ashamedly, the only homemade trifles I grew up with were made from the Bird’s strawberry trifle mix. The box contained a packet of jelly (jello) granules, custard powder, sponge fingers, instant “cream” and sprinkles. Believe it or not, it was a treat! The other trifles I enjoyed were from the locally run, East Midlands confectioner’s, known ironically as Bird’s. I miss that place – they sell the best cream cakes ever! We’re talking meringues, cream slices, apple puffs, cream buns, elephant feet, éclairs and more… ok, now I’m drooling.

Buttery Palmiers with Cinnamon Sugar

I had a batch of puff pastry I made a while back, and it was time I needed to use it up. I decided to make delicious buttery palmiers with cinnamon sugar. They are quick and easy to make and everyone will love them.

Use store-bought, ready-rolled, butter puff pastry for a quick cheat. They are perfect for general snacking or afternoon tea.

Jammy Angel Food Cupcakes

I'm pretty sure that everyone has heard of devil’s food cake. It’s rich, chocolatey, and packed full of all the naughty stuff. Angel food cake on the other hand, is light and fat-free. Before I made these cupcakes, I’ve never made either, which must mean that I was in purgatory or something!

I had bags of frozen egg whites that needed to be used up. Instead of making the obvious choice of meringues or macaroons, I decided to try my hand at angel food cake. Instead of making it in a tube cake (Bundt) tin (pan), I decided to make them into cupcakes, and add a little strawberry jam on the bottom. You can of course, leave them plain or use your favorite jam or even apple sauce.

Chicken, Pumpkin and Potato Coconut Curry Soup

One of the best things about the passing of summer is the availability of pumpkins! I use the term pumpkins loosely here, I also mean winter squash. We love winter squash; we love homemade soup; we love coconut milk and we love Thai curry... so, this soup was born! It’s the perfect winter warmer.

Chicken is simmered with delicata squash (or kabocha) and potatoes (or rice) in a coconut curry soup base. It’s creamy, well-flavored and has all the major food groups. If you’re vegetarian, feel free to substitute the chicken for tofu.

Honey Peanut Clusters

When we lived in London, there was this place we’d pick up honey peanuts in the weekend whilst walking through town. Those honey peanuts were darn tasty. No matter how much we’d buy, they’d always be gone by the end of the weekend! They were just so deliciously moreish!

Since I live 5,000 miles away from London, I thought I’d try and make my own version. They only contain 1 tablespoon of honey, so calling them honey peanut clusters seems a little wrong, but what the hell? Although they are nothing like the ones we used to scoff, these are pretty damn good. I ate a lot quite a few, whilst they were cooling. When they had fully set, we scoffed the remainder!

Whole Wheat Soda Farls - Vegan

There are the stupidest things that I miss from the UK… the availability of soda farls being one of them. Although the ones we used to buy were factory made, I knew no better. I wasn't into baking/making bread then. They used to be a treat for us in the weekend - I'd often grill them with REAL Cheddar cheese (made in Cheddar).

Since working with allrecipes.com, I thought it was in my best interest to try out some of the UK/Ireland recipes. The farls were quick and easy to make and tasted wonderful!

Dark Chocolate & Banana Ice-Lollies

These babies are gluten-free, vegan-friendly and super-delicious! Frozen bananas are enrobed in a high-quality dark chocolate and then rolled in roasted hazelnuts.

When you bite into these frozen treats, there’s a wonderful crack from the chocolate, which reveals the sweet, semi-frozen flesh of the banana. It’s a beautiful combination of flavors and textures, one that needs to be celebrated!