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Monthly Archives: January 2014

Scrumptious Savouries for the Clandestine Cake Club

30 Thursday Jan 2014

Posted by Fiona in Food, Recipes

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

cake and bake, cake clubs, cake group, chat about cake, clandestine cake club, devil's food cheesecake, juniors cheesecake, new york, polenta cakes, roasted vegetable cake, savoury cake recipes, scrumptious savouries

Polenta, Ricotta, Prosciutto & Tomato CakePolenta, Ricotta, Prosciutto & Tomato CakeOn Monday night I went to my first Clandestine Cake Club event and it was such a fun evening! I first came across the Clandestine cake club when I attended the cake and bake show back in September. I thought it was a fantastic idea and couldn’t wait to attend one. The Club was founded in the summer of 2010 by Lynn Hill who thought there needed to be more events out there which involve a chance to meet and talk with others and eat cake! The club has proved to be a great success and what started as one club has now led to over a hundred clubs being formed.

To take part in a cake club event you need to register on their website http://clandestinecakeclub.co.uk/ and then can look and see what club is in your area or if there isn’t one you can set one up! The idea is that each individual must bake a cake and bring it to the event so that everyone can meet, mingle and share a slice of each other’s delicious cakes. The events are held monthly and each event is held in a different venue and has a different theme.Scrumptious Savouries In light of over indulging over the festive period, the theme for January’s Cake club was Scrumptious Savories’. I had never made a savoury cake before and it took me a while to find a cake that I fancied making. When it comes to sweet cake I spend far too long deciding which one I want to make because I have too much choice but for savoury cakes I was a little stuck. I thought of a sweet potato pie but as it’s a cake club, rules are you can only make cakes, no muffins, no pies, just cakes.019

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Find the right exercise for you!

25 Saturday Jan 2014

Posted by Fiona in Thoughts

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

beat january blues, dancing and exercise, fun exercise, healthy body and weight, healthy mentality, hobbies, latin soul academy, lose weight in a fun way, my fitness pal, ravercise

So it’s getting closer to the end of January and has there been any progress in my goals? Hmm well the healthy eating has improved. I haven’t yet managed to try out the 5.2, ok that’s I lie I did try it but found it quite difficult. 500 calories for a whole day, I have at least 300 in my porridge and that’s only for breakfast, never mind my constant snacking for granola and fruit, I’ve already gone over 500 before it hits 11a.m. So with the lack of willpower for the 5.2 I’ve been using an app on my phone called  My Fitness Pal. It’s a great way to keep track of what you’re eating every day and allows you to see how long it will take for you to reach your goal weight taking in the amount you eat on a particular day.

To begin you register and type in your current weight and then the weight you want to be. The app calculates how many calories you can consume each day in order to reach that weight in a particular time. Say for example you wanted to lose 7 pounds in two weeks it would calculate that you probably need to eat 350 calories a day so it’s important to be sensible in trying to achieve your target weight. I have given myself 6 weeks to lose 7 pounds which means I am allowed 1,200 calories per day.

The first week went really well, however there have been some days where I have clearly gone over, Rum Kitchen, accounting for one and other nights out that involved alcohol. I must admit it has been hard because I simply love food and going out however the real factor for why I haven’t lost any weight is because I’m not eating three substantial meals rather I pick quite a lot throughout the day. Therefore from this week I am going to aim to have three substantial healthy meals per day and try not to pick at other things, especially granola, at certain times, usually when I’m bored or craving something sweet.

On the other hand, I have been exercising more, in fact I ordered some snazzy pair of crazy bright pink  Nike trainers online the other day that magically fit and last Thursday I went to my first Ravercise class. If you haven’t tried this, it’s a must! A high intensity workout accompanied by a live DJ, Ravercise takes place every Monday and Thursday night on the second floor of Mother Bar in Shoreditch. My friend Leah saw an offer for two ravercise classes for £10 on living social and bought them straight away. We had been looking to get involved in a fun exercise class for the New Year that wasn’t too expensive so this worked out perfectly. Without the living social deal the classes are normally £11 so it’s definitely worth looking out for the offers.  The moves aren’t too hard to follow, it’s mainly a lot of jumping around with moves like running man and punching which definitely get your heart beat racing. The highlight for me was when Joe, the dance instructor shouted out at the end, “Get ready for the freestyle” and suddenly a smoke machine went into full blast hazing up the room and one of the djs picked up the microphone and started MCing. It was brilliant; everyone was just going a bit mental and pulling all sorts of moves out for show! The one downfall about the place, not the class, high ratings for the class, rather we decided to go for a diet coke (keeping in with the ‘healthy’ theme) and were absolutely shocked to be given a can of diet coke in a plastic cup for £2.20! 2.20?! I think I might just pop to Sainsbury’s next time.

Other than Ravercise, I’ve got back into going zumba a bit. The best Zumba class I have ever come across is Latin Soul Academy. The music is amazing, there are three main dance teachers but on a Saturday it is normally run by Freddie who is an incredible dancer and super fun. He encourages all the 50 women in the big hall at Compton School to shake their butts like crazy and sing along to the songs. Whenever I go to his classes, I am always smiling because although quite tough at times, his classes are more fun than hard work and I love seeing so many women all together just busting their moves and having some time to themselves on a Saturday morning. Zumba Fitness run several classes throughout the week and in two weeks’ time are doing a 3 hours dance extravaganza which will definitely work up a sweat.

zumba card gift

So despite not losing the weight, yet, I have not giving up hope. My main focus is to feel fit and healthy and I think I’m on a good road towards that.

With regards to reading, I’ve been getting inspired by other blogs, particular food ones, I especially like Ren Behan’s blog  who has had several recipes published in magazines such as BBC Good Food and Delicious and  I’ve also downloaded a couple of books on my kindle which I will make sure I read.

So despite last Monday being pinpointed Blue Monday and the most depressing day of the year, it really doesn’t have to be.  Tomorrow is another day and a brand new day to start get inspired with exciting things. I’ve got pizza on the agenda for dinner tonight and a few drinks to follow, might not exactly tie in with healthy eating plans but as I said one day off won’t hurt, just get back on track tomorrow.

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Coq au Vin for the family

21 Tuesday Jan 2014

Posted by Fiona in Food, Recipes

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Tags

chicken recipes, coq au vin, easy coq au vin recipe, family meals, wine in food

 

Coq Au VInIMG_0642 (800x600)

So as you can see from my blog I do tend do to a lot more baking than savoury cooking however I actually really love cooking. I think I take after my mum in that respect because she’s always in the kitchen trying out new recipes  whether it be soup or a new mediterreanean cusine she came across in one of her many cookery magazines. Last Saturday I  volunteered to cook for the family and decided to make coq au vin. Although in total ti takes over an hour to cook, it really is quite easy to prepare and cook. The Ingredients you need are:

Ingredients

  • 1½ tbsp olive oil
  • 3 rashers (100g) dry-cured, smoked back bacon, fat trimmed, chopped
  • 12 small shallots, peeled
  • 2 free-range chicken legs (460g), skin removed
  • 4 free-range chicken thighs with bone and skin (650g), skin removed
  • 2 free-range, skinless, boneless chicken breasts (280g)
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 3 tbsp brandy or Cognac
  • 600ml red wine
  • 150ml chicken stock
  • 2 tsp tomato purée
  • 3 thyme sprigs, 2 rosemary sprigs and 2 bay leaves, to make a bouquet garni
  • small handful chopped flat-leaf parsley, to garnish

For the mushrooms

  • 1½ tbsp olive oil
  • 250g chestnut mushrooms, halved if large

For the thickener

  • 2 tbsp plain flour
  • 1½ tsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp softened butter

    IMG_0612 (800x600)Method

 

  1. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan or flameproof dish. Tip in the bacon and fry until crisp. Remove and drain on kitchen paper. Add the shallots to the pan and fry, stirring or shaking the pan often, for 5-8 mins until well browned all over. Remove and set aside with the bacon.IMG_0621 (800x600)2. Pat the chicken pieces dry with kitchen paper. Pour the remaining oil into the pan, then fry half the chicken pieces, turning regularly, for 5-8 mins until well browned. Remove, then repeat with the remaining chicken. Remove and set aside.

IMG_0622 (800x600)3. Scatter in the garlic and fry briefly, then, with the heat medium-high, pour in the brandy or Cognac, stirring the bottom of the pan to deglaze. The alcohol should sizzle and start to evaporate so there is not much left.IMG_0617 (800x600)

IMG_0626 (800x600)

IMG_0627 (800x600)4. Return the chicken to the pan along with any juices, then pour in a little of the wine, stirring the bottom of the pan again. Stir in the rest of the wine, the stock and tomato purée, drop in the bouquet garni, season with pepper and a pinch of salt, then return the bacon and shallots to the pan. Cover, lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 50 mins-1hr.

IMG_0632 (800x600)5. Lift the chicken, shallots and bacon from the pan and transfer to a warmed serving dish. Remove the bouquet garni. To make the thickener, mix the flour, olive oil and butter in a small bowl using the back of a teaspoon. Bring the wine mixture to a gentle boil, then gradually drop in small pieces of the thickener, whisking each piece in using a wire whisk. Simmer for 1-2 mins. Pour over the wine sauce and serve with your choice of side dish.

Coq Au VIn

Coq Au VIn

IMG_0641 (600x800)

The Coq au vin was delicious and extremely moreish. We made enough for two days by doubling the portion of chicken. The first day we had it with rice and the second I just had it with some vegetables. It didn’t lose its flavour having it two days in a row, rather it tasted just as good, I had been looking forward to eating it again and as not disappointed!

It was really fun cooking with mum and she gave me some tips along the way such as the best way to chop garlic and how to hold my knife. We didn’t follow the recipe completely by the book, rather just used chicken thighs (as they were on offer) and used cornmeal to make the juice thicker. The original recipe also says to add the mushrooms a bit later but we just threw it all in together and left it to simmer. So if you’re looking for a dish that will please all your family, give this a go, it’s simple and deliciously flavoursome. Next time I’m going to give Julia Child’s recipe a go as I’ve just come across it now and it looks amazing!

 

 

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Feeling the food love at The Rum Kitchen

18 Saturday Jan 2014

Posted by Fiona in Food

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Carnaby Street, chocolate rum cake, cornbread, hurrican, jerk chicken supreme, KIngly Court, mama's seafood gumbo, restaurants in Carnaby Street, ribs, Rum cocktails, The Rum Kitchen

The Rum Kitchen103

Wednesday was the press night for The Rum Kitchen in Carnaby Street and after having a quick glance over the menu I couldn’t wait to get down and sample the Caribbean cuisine. Located in Kingly court just off Carnaby Street, The Rum Kitchen invites you in with their chill out music, low lighting rum shack and inviting door host Carmen.

As you enter the restaurant there is a bar on the right with wine glasses dangling down from the shelves. The decor was relaxed and colourful, with sign posts saying ‘One love’ and ‘Rum Stop’ just in front of the kitchen, which was slightly open to allow you to see the food being prepared.The Rum Kitchen- Carnaby StreetAlthough busy and soon after 7.30 all the tables were filled the service was not short of attentive at all, rather our waitress made sure to check up on us, make recommendations as well as ask our opinion on the place and the food.

We started the night in a great way, with cocktails! I opted for one of the several rum cocktails on offer, which was a take on the hurricane. When I was in New Orleans, the hurricane was the most incredible drink. I described it to my boyfriend explaining that it came in a huge plastic shoot when I was over there so when the two cocktails arrived and one was in a short glass and one was in a long I automatically assumed the long one belonged to me. However I was wrong and it actually came in a short glass.

This wasn’t a problem as the rum and fresh fruity flavour was delicious. The only problem was I had it finished within 5 minutes!Cocktails at The Rum KitchenCocktails at The Rum KitchenTo start I had the Saltfish fritters with chilli jam and lime and Craig opted for the ribs. The fritters which consisted of potato and swordfish deep fried were absolutely delicious especially mixed with the chilli jam. I would happily buy them again. Craig wanted to try one so I gave him one of the three in exchange for his rib but I must admit I much preferred the fritters!Ribs at The Rum KitchenFor the main I went for Mamas Seafood Gumbo and corn bread. I love fish and cornbread but debated whether to get it as the chicken options on the menu were all extremely tempting from the jerk chicken burger served in brioche buns to the jerk fried chicken thighs, however I was interested to see what it would be like. I have to admit it was good but I think chicken would have been a better choice. 

I was first introduced to corn bread when I was in Byron Bay and it was a complete food revelation. How had I never tried it before, savoury and sweet at the same time it is almost like a cake but because it has corn you can pretend you’re being somewhat healthy with it. Since then I have made it a handful of times using the same recipe and it’s just so addictive. I found the cornbread at The Rum Kitchen a little bland and the gumbo lacking flavour. There was a great selection of fish including prawns, squid, mussels but it didn’t whet my appetite enough. Craig’s jerk chicken supreme beat it hands down with its sweet potato mash and spicy sauce.The Rum KItchen- Mama's Seafood GumboBy this point and after another cocktail I was ready for bed, my tummy was stuffed to the brim, however we still had dessert to get through. We both wanted the chocolate cake but decided to opt for two different ones so we could try each others. Craig went for the chocolate rum cake and I went for banana cake with the butterscotch sauce. I actually found myself eating more of the banana cake, the texture was light and mixed with the sweet sauce and ice cream, it was too good not to eat.  The Rum Kitchen- Chocolate Rum CakeOverall The Rum Kitchen is definitely worth a visit. We had a really fun night and tried some amazing food. The atmosphere and service really made the evening for me and I would definitely go back again.

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It might be called Frozen but it will warm your heart!

14 Tuesday Jan 2014

Posted by Fiona in Film

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Tags

animation, Disney, Frozen, hans christian anderson, heartwarming film, ice adventure, idina menzal, josh gad, kristen bell, The snow queen

If there’s one thing I love, and I’m sure over half the population would agree on this, it’s a good Disney film! The moral story, catchy tunes and saucy moments, whether you’re two years old or 92 years old you can always find a place in your heart or time in the day to watch some Disney. Therefore after seeing the trailer for the new Disney film Frozen, I could not wait to get down to the cinema and see it.Disney's Frozen

Voiced by Kristen Bell and Wicked’s Idina Menzel, Frozen, loosely based on Hans Christian Anderson’s tale, The Snow Queen, tells the story of a fearless princess, Anna, who sets off on a journey to find her sister, whose hidden icy powers have left their kingdom frozen over. With the help of Kristoff, a thrill seeking mountain man, his best friend who is also his pet reindeer and Olaf, the scene stealing snowman, Anna finds herself on an epic adventure that will change her life forever.FrozenFrozen is Disney’s best animated feature since Tangled. The songs stay with you long after you have left the cinema and the character Olaf is brought to life to leave you in hysterics. His song about Summer is one of the highlights of cinematic experience for anyone who sees it this year. A beautiful, encapsulating story that puts sisterly love at the heart of it, Frozen is definitely not one to be missed this winter.Olaf from Frozen

Watch the trailer here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2294629/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Make sure to check this out to brighten up your day! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnEB2F_v_cE

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Would you ever try quitting sugar?

06 Monday Jan 2014

Posted by Fiona in Food, Thoughts

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

couch to 5k, food journalism, good running shoes, healthy deserts, healthy eating plan, jogging, Quit sugar, sarah wilson

Aunt Helen's delicious boozy desert!

Aunt Helen’s delicious boozy desert!

God I just looked over my last blog post to remind myself of my goals and now I really fancy chocolate (note to self- do not post pictures of chocolate when trying to give up the stuff!) We all do it though don’t we? We get drawn most to the things we try to resist, therefore I don’t think I’m going to go cold turkey with chocolate- how can I when I love baking with it so much?! However I will aim to cut down on it.

The first week of the New year hasn’t been super successful in healthy eating since New Years Day started egg muffins followed by a three course meal at my auntie’s house (Thank you Helen, it was very delicious!) However although my eating hasn’t improved drastically, I have started doing more exercise and this has come in the form of jogging!

I still need to get good running trainers but I really would like to try and improve at jogging. My brother has completed three marathons this year which is a bit mental but it’s also an inspiration so on Saturday after quite a heavy night of drinking (again this needs to be limited) and 20 minutes after Ed had just eaten his breakfast I made him come out for a run with me. I do not advise anyone to run after just eating, however I suggested him joining me and he wanted to get out so he came along. Despite the rain and me wearing the wrong sort of jacket for running, my dad’s big rain jacket, I still managed to jog with him for 25 minutes and felt good for it after. Just getting out in the fresh air whether it’s a run or a walk makes all the difference.

My friends also informed me about the couch to 5k podcast which you can download for free from the NHS website http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/c25k/Pages/couch-to-5k.aspx First this then it will be on to 10k!

When I wasn’t out running which took up 1% of my day I was reading magazines! There’s always so much publicity for which diet is best as soon as it hits the new year but one article I did find quite interesting was Sarah Wilson’s article about how she quit sugar. http://www.sarahwilson.com.au/

I quit Sugar

My sister lives in Australia and mentioned how one of her friends only eats natural products, no low fat products and although she eats often and enough, she eats healthily and therefore is in great shape. Sarah Wilson is an Australian journalist who has been on yo yo diets back and forth throughout her whole life. The effect of this caused her big health problems and it was only after quitting sugar three years ago that she managed to get her healthy eating plan on track and feels the best she ever has.  It’s a great read and even if the thought of giving up sugar is a no no in your book, I’d still recommend reading it to learn about hidden sugars and how these are probably ones that can be avoided at times.

It can be a challenge being at work all day and then wanting to see friends for dinner and socialising but a lot of restaurants do provide some delicious healthy options too and then if you do get that sugar craving later you’ll have some room room for something sweet! I’m going to try out some of Sarah Wilson’s recipes this weekend and will let you know how I get on!

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New Year, New Goals and New Adventures! Happy 2014!

01 Wednesday Jan 2014

Posted by Fiona in Thoughts

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

5.2 plan, goals for 2014, healthy eating plan, New year resolutions, novelicious, sherlock holmes, tastemade, tastemade app

Happy New Year everyone!!

It’s the start of a brand new year and the chance to start afresh and set new goals! As I’m sitting here watching Sherlock Holmes and finishing off the last bits of chocolate in our house I’m looking forward to the year ahead and there’s definitely some goals I want to focus on, number one being- get fit!

I’m normally quite a healthy eater but I do have an absolutely huge sweet tooth and simply, as this blog shows, love food but this Christmas, as most of the population does, I have definitely indulged myself and now is the time to start eating well again.

My goals for 2014 are:

Healthy eating and a good fitness plan!

Exercise is really important to me, I always love the feeling afterwards but struggle sometimes to get the motivation to get up and start it! Yesterday after eating a huge meal out and desert I thought right I need to get off my butt and do something so started dancing around my room and today I have no idea what I’ve done to my leg but it feels like I’ve pulled a muscle! Therefore sensible eating and exercise for 2014 is definitely in order! I’m quite tempted to give the 5.2 diet a go but I don’t know how I would manage on 500 calories a day! I might try it on Monday and will document it to see how I get on! I still believe that everything in moderation is key to being healthy.

caramel

No more of these delicious treats!

Read more

first last kiss

The First Last KIss

I studied English and American Literature with Film at university and absolutely love reading but never seem to do it enough! I was very much against the kindle to begin with as I do love having a book in my hand but my brother was very sweet and bought me a kindle and in all honesty I love it. In fact I’ve been getting a bit too carried away with Amazon’s one click button and may have purchased a few too many books than I need. It’s getting the time sometimes or letting my mind relax enough to sit down and read a book but I think learning and reading is so important so I will try and dedicate more time to this in 2014. I found an amazing website dedicated to Women’s fiction readers and writers called Novelicious so I will be checking that out for recommendations too!

Guitar

I’ve had my guitar for a year now and still only know how to play four chords so some more practicing is needed! In six months’ time you might just find me doing some open mic sessions, watch this space- ok let’s make that 12 months!

Food

I’ve been working on a really fun food project this past month with Tastemade, whose mission is to connect the world through food.  The project involves using their app to film reviews of restaurants and food places around London. I’ve completed five so far and have 15 to go so January is going to be a busy month. My first few were terrible as one of the places I went to was Gaucho which was so dark I couldn’t see a thing. If I’d been a bit more creative and patient from the beginning I probably could have made a better video but practice makes perfect so I’m sure the next videos will be better! I will post a link to them soon!

tastemade

Tastemade

I also want to do lots more cooking, not just baking but learn how to cook more savory dishes from scratch. This isn’t always easy when working late but I will just have to try and make time or start doing more cooking events!

And finally…

Writing

I hope to make many more blog entries, visit some exciting places, hopefully some abroad, and document them here on TeaandTakes.

Anything can happen this year so let’s look forward to it and make it the best one yet!

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About Me

Hi I’m Fiona, a twenty something foodie living in London who loves nothing more than cooking, eating, listening to stories and exploring. I created Tea and Takes as a way of bringing my two loves together: food and film.
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