tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90880262251259073052009-12-22T21:12:15.862ZNicismehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11843118087690038577cherrapeno@googlemail.comBlogger154125Cherrapenohttp://feedburner.google.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9088026225125907305.post-91544721287944554512009-12-19T13:53:00.002Z2009-12-19T14:13:39.302Z2009-12-19T14:13:39.302Z

My snowmen even got to play in some real snow, as we had a huge dump of magical, beautiful flakes.Ok, don't laugh when I tell you that these didn't start out as snowmen. I had planned to make little decorated Christmas trees, but when it came to the decorating bit, I discovered that most of the 'trees' had been eaten by a certain someone. The few remaining ones ended up as snowmen as I had lost

Nicismehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11843118087690038577cherrapeno@googlemail.com22http://cherrapeno.blogspot.com/2009/12/chocolate-snowmen-krispies.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9088026225125907305.post-65599595892400291312009-12-15T15:43:00.001Z2009-12-15T15:44:42.974Z2009-12-15T15:44:42.974Z

Davina and Mowie doing what food bloggers do best!You might have heard about Food Blogger Connect, a conference held in London especially for food bloggers. It was the first one to be held here in the UK and another one is in the planning.The event was organised and hosted by Beth from Dirty Kitchen Secrets, Jamie from Life’s a Feast, Hilda from Saffron & Blueberry and Mowie from Mowielicious,

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Did you know that it's Christmas in TWO weeks time??? I've had so much going on this past month that I'm struggling to fit it all in!I adore macarons, and two of my favourite bloggers, Deeba and Jamie, have started Mac Tweets, a blog for macaron lovers. It's a place where you can find macaron recipes, inspiration, ideas and join the Mac Attack challenge. If you want, you can also tweet about your

Nicismehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11843118087690038577cherrapeno@googlemail.com35http://cherrapeno.blogspot.com/2009/12/christmas-macarons.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9088026225125907305.post-52724651746564488222009-12-02T22:04:00.000Z2009-12-02T22:06:41.138Z2009-12-02T22:06:41.138Z

Last Thursday I went to the BBC Good Food Show in Birmingham, courtesy of Miele who are one of the big sponsors of the show.Once again, the show didn't disappoint. You would think that it would become boring and the stands would be the same each year, but no! There are new foods to be discovered, new appliances and fantastic gadgets - and this year MasterChef Live was bought to the show.

Nicismehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11843118087690038577cherrapeno@googlemail.com16http://cherrapeno.blogspot.com/2009/12/november-bbc-good-food-show-with-miele.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9088026225125907305.post-6312171844196530742009-12-01T23:13:00.004Z2009-12-12T12:26:20.614Z2009-12-12T12:26:20.614Z

It's December!! It's the party season - that time of year when we can go to town on our desserts - and I want YOU to join in!I'm hosting December's edition of Sugar High Friday (SHF), a blogging event created by Jennifer of The Domestic Goddess, where the participants create, cook and photograph something sweet within a theme. This is SHF no. 60 - wow, has it really been going that long?!

Nicismehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11843118087690038577cherrapeno@googlemail.com10http://cherrapeno.blogspot.com/2009/12/announcing-shf-60-holiday-edition.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9088026225125907305.post-45884383245135247942009-11-23T22:14:00.000Z2009-11-23T22:23:01.997Z2009-11-23T22:23:01.997Z

Thank you to everyone who entered the snowflake cutters giveaway.The winner of the random drawing is No 28 - The Cooking NinjaSend me an email with your address on and I'll get the cutters in the post to you!Quite a few people asked where they could buy the cutters, if you are in the UK you can buy them from cake decorating shops or Hobbycraft. You can also order them from http://

Nicismehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11843118087690038577cherrapeno@googlemail.com4http://cherrapeno.blogspot.com/2009/11/snowflake-cutters-winner.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9088026225125907305.post-79191050360784353892009-11-17T22:30:00.002Z2009-11-17T23:13:54.285Z2009-11-17T23:13:54.285Z

If you read any of the UK food blogs, you might have seen a few posts popping up featuring Matthew Walker Christmas Puddings, who kindly sent out their puddings in the hope that we would come up with some new ways to serve it.I've never bought a Christmas pudding before as I really don't like all that dried fruit business going on in them (and anyway my mum has made my husband one for the last

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Pop them on cupcakes, large cakes & cookies etcRecently I made a chocolate Christmas fruit cake, decorated with some cute fondant snowflakes. They were made from snowflake cutters and I've got one pack (containing 3 different sized cutters) to give away. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post, by midnight Saturday 21st November 2009, to be entered into the random drawing, and you

Nicismehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11843118087690038577cherrapeno@googlemail.com59http://cherrapeno.blogspot.com/2009/11/snowflake-cutters-giveaway.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9088026225125907305.post-29967121960630726632009-11-10T14:58:00.001Z2009-11-10T15:03:43.464Z2009-11-10T15:03:43.464Z

A while back, Duckworth Publishers, an independent publisher, kindly sent me a review copy of 'My Life in France', by Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme. With Christmas coming, it's just the sort of reading book that would be ideal for a foodie. I had been going to put it on my own Christmas list as an idea for one of my kids to buy for me.Most of us know Julia Child as the author of the book, '

Nicismehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11843118087690038577cherrapeno@googlemail.com6http://cherrapeno.blogspot.com/2009/11/my-life-in-france-by-julia-child-with.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9088026225125907305.post-73916093952398083392009-11-05T15:42:00.002Z2009-11-05T22:56:39.279Z2009-11-05T22:56:39.279Z

Happy Bonfire Night!Hope everyone in the UK enjoyes the fireworks tonight or at the weekend, and stay safe if you are having your own fireworks party!Parkin is a soft cake that is traditionally made using oats and treacle and is eaten on Bonfire Night. It originates from the north of England and can vary from being soft and sticky, to a drier type in texture. If you can't get black treacle, you

Nicismehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11843118087690038577cherrapeno@googlemail.com14http://cherrapeno.blogspot.com/2009/11/parkin-for-bonfire-night.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9088026225125907305.post-87870913103141677772009-10-30T14:03:00.001Z2009-10-30T15:27:55.535Z2009-10-30T15:27:55.535Z

I'm getting a bit fed up with our tomatoes taking over the kitchen, but the end is in sight!The freezer is my friend during the winter months and slow roasting the tomatoes before freezing them is one way of making sure they don't go to waste. It's like taking a little bit of summer out of the freezer every time you use a few.I've perked them up with some red chillies (surprise, surprise) just to

Nicismehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11843118087690038577cherrapeno@googlemail.com18http://cherrapeno.blogspot.com/2009/10/roasted-plum-tomatoes-with-garlic-basil.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9088026225125907305.post-21720966066890569852009-10-16T10:56:00.002+01:002009-10-16T11:11:33.819+01:002009-10-16T11:11:33.819+01:00

It's here - another World Bread Day!To celebrate I've made some French bread, using French bread flour. My trusty bread machine was used for the kneading process, but you can get stuck in and knead by hand - very therapeutic! I use one of those special bread tins which give a lovely authentic dimply effect on the bottom of the bread.French BreadRecipe adapted from the Panasonic booklet that came

Nicismehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11843118087690038577cherrapeno@googlemail.com27http://cherrapeno.blogspot.com/2009/10/french-bread-for-world-bread-day.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9088026225125907305.post-31198530561473591992009-10-10T12:20:00.001+01:002009-10-10T12:27:53.604+01:002009-10-10T12:27:53.604+01:00

Things are changing for me at home. My dessert partner in crime has headed off for his first year at University, leaving me at a loss of what to do with my chocolate! A good friend told me that just when you get used to them being away, they come home and take over again.So, I'm going to wean myself off of the chocolate for a few posts, starting with some tomatoes and chillies.A few of the chilli

Nicismehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11843118087690038577cherrapeno@googlemail.com18http://cherrapeno.blogspot.com/2009/10/chilli-bomb-tomato-chutney.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9088026225125907305.post-89887541243310719752009-09-30T12:02:00.005+01:002009-12-04T20:06:15.591Z2009-12-04T20:06:15.591Z

As we head into October, it's time to start thinking about.... I can't bear to say the word.... yep, Christmas!I'm one of those who truly does leave everything to the last minute, shopping, baking and menus. But this year, I was contacted by Morrisons - the large supermarket chain - asking if I would like to join other bloggers and make a Christmas cake. The idea is to encourage their customers

Nicismehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11843118087690038577cherrapeno@googlemail.com28http://cherrapeno.blogspot.com/2009/09/chocolate-fruit-cake-for-christmas.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9088026225125907305.post-10268309365067009542009-09-16T22:15:00.004+01:002009-09-16T22:41:46.135+01:002009-09-16T22:41:46.135+01:00

One of the easiest ways to enjoy the last of the summer berries is to plonk them onto a pavlova. The meringue in this recipe is for softer, chewy, melting meringues, rather than the crisp dry ones that you would use for something like frozen meringue creams.Summer Berry PavlovaAdapted from The Best of Sainsbury's DessertsMakes one large or 6 mini pavlovas4 large egg whites250g/8oz caster sugar1

Nicismehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11843118087690038577cherrapeno@googlemail.com31http://cherrapeno.blogspot.com/2009/09/goodbye-to-summer-with-mini-pavlovas.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9088026225125907305.post-27067459403869140772009-09-12T14:02:00.002+01:002009-09-12T14:06:54.451+01:002009-09-12T14:06:54.451+01:00

Serve with scones and clotted creamI'm pleased to be participating in A Taste of Yellow, an event where food bloggers from around the world are invited to contribute a yellow dish, or drink, to raise awareness of cancer issues worldwide. The event is being hosted by Barbara of Winos and Foodies, in support for the Lance Armstrong Foundation.This year, I've made some jam using the glut of fresh

Nicismehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11843118087690038577cherrapeno@googlemail.com17http://cherrapeno.blogspot.com/2009/09/mirabelle-jam-for-taste-of-yellow.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9088026225125907305.post-81230264240168804062009-09-02T22:38:00.007+01:002009-09-10T15:05:16.445+01:002009-09-10T15:05:16.445+01:00

Recently, when I was on holiday in Norway, the weather was gorgeous - so warm that I bought a Daim ice cream cone. I've not seen them over here, which is a pity because they are fabulous. I couldn't get that cone out of my head, chocolatey and creamy - with a crunch. Was it delicious just because I was on holiday?I remembered that I had bought back a couple of packets of Daim crunchy bits (I'm

Nicismehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11843118087690038577cherrapeno@googlemail.com18http://cherrapeno.blogspot.com/2009/09/recreating-chocolate-daim-ice-cream.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9088026225125907305.post-89701848451752050152009-08-24T10:31:00.001+01:002009-08-24T10:39:13.436+01:002009-08-24T10:39:13.436+01:00

When my mum moved to be closer to her daughters, she had a big clear-out and I became the owner of some old pieces of kitchen equipment that she no longer wanted. One item was a round flan tin for baking sponge cakes, with an indent in the middle for the filling. I had good intentions of using it but ended up shoving it into the back of a deep cupboard.The other day I fished out that tin and used

Nicismehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11843118087690038577cherrapeno@googlemail.com37http://cherrapeno.blogspot.com/2009/08/strawberry-and-lemon-cream-sponge-cake.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9088026225125907305.post-8466381617431490242009-08-18T16:05:00.002+01:002009-08-18T16:57:38.358+01:002009-08-18T16:57:38.358+01:00

The view of Bergen from the top of the Fløibanen funicularBergen was one of the first places we visited in Norway, a beautiful city with a wonderful fish market that I want to share with you.Bergen fish market - you can see the famous buildings of Bryggen in the backgroundEverything packed on ice to keep it freshDried fishDelicious salmonFresh shrimp, crab and lobsterAnyone for caviar?Reindeer

Nicismehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11843118087690038577cherrapeno@googlemail.com27http://cherrapeno.blogspot.com/2009/08/bergen-fish-market-norway.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9088026225125907305.post-20780055572290212562009-08-11T15:46:00.002+01:002009-08-11T16:30:18.162+01:002009-08-11T16:30:18.162+01:00

Eidfjord, NorwayI've just come back from Norway, where we spent two wonderful weeks cruising the beautiful fjords, going right up into the Arctic Circle to the North Cape - home of the midnight sun.Leknes, Lofoten Islands, NorwayI won't bore you with too much of the amazing scenery, on to a few of the sweet treats that I had - it's tough having to force down desserts like this every day! I

Nicismehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11843118087690038577cherrapeno@googlemail.com38http://cherrapeno.blogspot.com/2009/08/beautiful-norway.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9088026225125907305.post-75126496478427244612009-08-03T14:00:00.000+01:002009-08-03T14:00:03.487+01:002009-08-03T14:00:03.487+01:00

I don't eat that many crisps, but when I do, I always go for the folded ones first.You have to shake the bag to find 'them'So, so - a broken one with an air pocketFolded and with an air pocket!This is a perfect one, ahhhhh!Oh yeah baby, I've hit the jackpot - double the pleasure with this one!!And this one should be in the Tate ModernSo, what do you have an obsession with???♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Nicismehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11843118087690038577cherrapeno@googlemail.com27http://cherrapeno.blogspot.com/2009/08/just-for-fun-my-crisp-obsession.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9088026225125907305.post-76026184034130632762009-07-29T14:00:00.000+01:002009-07-29T14:00:02.102+01:002009-07-29T14:00:02.102+01:00

It's a fantastic feeling when you pick that first ripe tomato or courgette etc. All the sunshine we had a few weeks ago has done wonders for the garden, and here are a few things we are picking now.The first sweet baby tomatoCourgettes/zucchini Herbs including rosemary and sageMirabelles ready to dropReady for cookingI've saved the best until last - artichokes!For many years, the only vegetable

Nicismehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11843118087690038577cherrapeno@googlemail.com18http://cherrapeno.blogspot.com/2009/07/garden-update-our-artichokes.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9088026225125907305.post-9644670118306366512009-07-23T21:37:00.001+01:002009-07-23T21:44:20.094+01:002009-07-23T21:44:20.094+01:00

If you want to try something sweet and a little different, these salted caramel tarts might be just the thing. I clipped the recipe from a Delicious Magazine when they had a chocolate special a while back, and the recipe was courtesy of Hannah Miles - a Masterchef runner up from a few years ago.I didn't particularly care for the chocolate pastry and the second time around I used Dorie's sweet

Nicismehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11843118087690038577cherrapeno@googlemail.com29http://cherrapeno.blogspot.com/2009/07/swirled-chocolate-and-salted-caramel.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9088026225125907305.post-45538910657412595012009-07-17T11:39:00.003+01:002009-07-17T11:59:42.025+01:002009-07-17T11:59:42.025+01:00

As soon as this sign appears in our village, you know that the cherry season is with us. Even though the season is short, we try to make the most of the cherries, and this year they are really big and juicy.Some left-over chocolate cake can be made into a simple Black Forest trifle, no recipe as it's one of those things you just throw together.In the bottom of a serving glass, or dish, I spooned

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We have more raspberries than we know what to do with lately, and one easy way to use them up is to make a raspberry cordial - a sweet, non-alcoholic fruit concentrate that is diluted down with water/lemonade to taste.This went down a treat in the mini-heatwave we had last week, and is a great way to use up the smaller, softer, more manky raspberries that you might not want in your

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