Be Right Back.......

Hello! No, I haven't fallen down a hole, or been kidnapped ~ I'm just in hibernation (it happens every now and again and I just can't fight it!). But I'm absolutely fine, well and happy. All is good.

I'll be back soon, and might make a few changes to the blog on my my return too.

In the meantime why not check out River's awesome blog series, E.A.T World! (Eating Around The World). It's fun and educational, so why not broaden your culinary horizons and join in? Every one is welcome and your taste buds will thank you :-P

And the best thing about River's E.A.T World blog series? The rules are: There are no rules! It's all about having fun and trying new things. Check out River's blog for more details, guidelines and inspiration.

See You Laters, Alligators.

Cookies For Santy Claws

I had big plans for all sorts of nommables this festive season, but I've got a serious case of the *Food Fails* right now, so nothing has turned out as well as I'd like.

Yesterday I even *failed* at frying an egg, and managed to set fire to the sleeve of my new, snuggly warm, Gap jumper :(
But I didn't burn myself (which makes a nice change! I still have the scars from the baking I did last Festivus), so I guess I should look on the bright side. But enough about my sketchy baking skills.....

......I did manage to whip up a batch of Nigella Lawson's 'Totally Chocolatey Chocolate Chip Cookies' without any too much drama! 
 

Chocolate Cookies deserve Chocolate Milk.

I even bought an ice-cream scoop (we don't have cookie scoops here in the UK) so that I could make them just like Nigella does. I didn't, however, procure a Kitchenaid stand mixer (more's the pity!) like Nigella's so I had to use a lot of elbow grease to cream the butter (straight from the fridge because I'm far too impulsive to plan ahead and get it to room temperature in advance) and sugar. I'm calling that my exercise for the day.

I only put 200g of chocolate chips into my mixture (a little over half what the recipe calls for), because that looked like more than enough to me. Famous last words........ 

 Pile 'em high!

The finished cookies were big, thick, crackled, pure chocolatey goodness. Did I mention they were big? Each cookie was 1/4 cup worth of dough (I told you we don't have cookie scoops over here! I checked on Nigella's forum and was assured that Nigella's scoop was also 1/4 cup sized).

They tasted deeply chocolatey, slightly cakey and almost like a brownie. But where were my chocolate chips? I put loads in there, and my cookies seem to have absorbed or eaten them all! I should have trusted the recipe and added the full 350g. When will I learn?

 Mmm, Festive.

Why not leave a few of these out for the Big Guy on Festivus Eve? He might like them enough to leave an extra present in your stocking ;)

Give them a try!

Linkage again:
'Totally Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies' Recipe.
Or why not watch the video of Nigella making them?

And I'm curious - do you peeps like using cookie scoops to make cookies or do you do it the old fashioned way? Let me know in the comments, please! :) 

And finally, a quick and simple seasonal sweet treat:

 Coco-Pop Festive Puddings

This is a picture of last years batch, as I totally failed to make this years puddings look quite as pretty (they were just as tasty though!). These are made of Coco Pops, dark chocolate, icing (just icing sugar and water), marzipan holly leaves, and red Jelly Tots for berries. They are totally vegan friendly :)

I think it's wise that I hang up my apron now until next year. I will order pizza and stay out of trouble until my losing streak in the kitchen has passed. It's for my own safety!

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season. Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it, 'Mewey Catmas' to all kitties, and Happy Festivus to the rest of us! See you peeps soon.

Now, let it snow! :)

PS ~ This post is dedicated to the memory of my Gap jumper. May it rest in peace :(