http://scrambledmegs.com/2011/12/20/frozen-banana-dark-choc-peanut-butter-bites/

Click here to subscribe to my blog. These are frozen dark chocolate and peanut butter banana bites. Amazing!

Blackberry, cranberry, strawberry, blueberry and raspberry apple jam.

This is my second attempt at making jam. I was quite disappointed with the results of my first attempt and this one seems to have come out really nice this time around which is exciting.

Here is the recipe:

500g berries or stone fruit of your choice
2 green apples, cored and sliced very thinly
1/2 cup  apple juice or water
1/3 cup lemon juice  
3 cups white sugar

Putting it together:

1. Place all the ingredients into a saucepan. Stir over a low heat until sugar has dissolved and mixture is boiling. Continue to boil for 20 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and stand for 10 minutes.
2. Spoon hot jam into hot sterilised jars. Seal and leave to cool. Store in a cool dry place.

So easy!

Olive loaf - a white crusty loaf with kalamata olives through it. 

I was watching Masterchef the other night and they were baking bread. It inspired me to try my hand at making home made bread. I could have done better with this. It’s a bit too crunchy on the outside and I didn’t get the result I would have liked, but it tastes nice either way. I will probably attempt another loaf next week to see if I can get it looking really good.

This one is soy, linseed and rye loaf.

I’ve been baking since this morning. I thought I might share some photos of my finished products here.
This one is a ‘healthy carrot cake’, taken from my favourite foodie blog, Green Kitchen Stories. This was made with banana & date cream, fresh carrot, raisins, cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, fresh coconut flakes and a whole lot of love.
The frosting is made of creamed cheese whipped with honey, lime juice and topped with lime zest and hazelnuts.
I’m really happy with how it looks. Looking forward to tasting it!

Guinness and Bailey’s Irish Cream Cupcakes
recipe from Annie’s Eats
*makes 24 cupcakes


Ingredients:
For the cupcakes-
-1 cup Guinness
-2 sticks unsalted butter
-3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
-2 cups all-purpose flour
-2 cups sugar
-1 1/2 tsp baking soda
-3/4 tsp salt
-2 large eggs
-2/3 cup sour cream

For the Bailey’s ganache filling-
-8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
-2/3 cup heavy cream
-2 tbsp room temperature butter
-2 tsp Bailey’s Irish cream

For the Bailey’s buttercream frosting-
-1 stick butter, room temperature
-3-4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
-4-8 tbsp Bailey’s Irish cream

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Fill 2 cupcake tins (24 total) with paper liners. Heat Guinness and 2 sticks of butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Once butter is melted, whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat eggs and sour cream until well combined. Add the Guinness-butter mixture and mix to combine. Slowly add the dry ingredients, mixing on low until just combined.
3. Divide batter evenly among muffin tins (so each is 3/4 full). Bake for approximately 17 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool for 5-10 minutes before removing from tins and cooling completely on a wire rack.
4. To make the ganache, heat cream in a small saucepan until simmering. Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl and pour simmering cream over it. Allow to sit for 1 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Stir in the butter and Bailey’s until well combined.
5. Once the ganache has cooled (stir occasionally while cooling) and the cupcakes are cooled completely, cut out a small cone from the center of each cupcake using a paring knife. Set cone aside. Using a piping bag with a wide tip, pipe a bit of ganache into the center of each cupcake. Lightly press cone back into cupcake to cover ganache.
6. To make the frosting, beat butter in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar and beat until frosting is smooth. Add Bailey’s and continue to beat until smooth. Add more powdered sugar or Bailey’s, depending on preferred taste and texture.
7. Frost cupcakes as desired. Refrigerate finished cupcakes until serving.

Taken from The Sweet’s Life