Brie, Courgette and Red Pepper Muffins

J took the bacon, blue cheese and polenta muffins to work and it went down well in his office. However, the vegetarians were disappointed as they didn't get a look in. I felt I had to bake a vegetarian muffin to compensate and as I still had a lot of cheese leftover from the cheese box I decided it had to be a cheesy one. I found this recipe on BBC Good Food and decided to give it a go. The recipe says to skin the peppers which I've never done before and it worked! It was a little messy so I might try using the grill next time. The website said to blacken the whole pepper on an open flame or under a grill. Place in a bowl and cover with cling film. The peppers will shrink at this point. When it's cool, the skin comes off easily with the help of a small knife. 

These muffins were really tasty. I loved the mix of courgette, peppers and cheese and even though I am a bacon addict, I have to say that these were better than the bacon ones! It was well worth the effort of preparing the peppers (which I was tempted to skip) and pre cooking the courgettes. 

I'm sending this to a few blog challenges this month. 

AlphaBakes hosted by Caroline from Caroline Makes and co hosted by myself on alternate months. The letter this month is Z for Zucchini also known as courgette. 

Simply Eggcellent hosted by Dom from Belleau Kitchen. The theme this month is anything goes.

Extra Veg challenge hosted by Jen from Jen's Food this month. The challenge is run by Helen from Fuss Free Flavours and Michelle from Utterly Scrummy. These muffins are a great way to incorporate extra veg into your diet.

Simple and in Season hosted by Ren as courgettes are currently in season. 

Love Cake hosted by Ness from Jibber Jabber UK as the theme this month is 'Pack me a Picnic' These muffins are perfect for picnics as they are easy to bake and easy to transport. 

 pre cooking the courgettes 

 multi tasking! 

 lovely buttery courgettes 

 blackened pepper - cover with cling film and when it's cool, scrape the skin off. If there's a little left, just rinse it under a tap and it comes off easily. 

 look at the colourful ingredients! You will spy that there is a little bit of red leicester cheese with the brie as I didn't have enough brie 

 generous sprinkling of applewood cheddar on top before baking 

Recipe from BBC Good Food

2 small or 1 large courgette, cut into small cubes
approximately 25g butter
250g self raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs (or just oregano)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
100mls milk
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 red peppers, skinned and cubed
85g cheddar cheese, grated (I used applewood cheddar as that was what I had in the fridge)
100g brie, cubed

• Melt butter in a medium sized saucepan and cook the courgettes for about 5 minutes until soft and lightly brown. Set aside.
• Place 2 red peppers over an open flame or under the grill until the skin is charred. You will need to turn the pepper with heat resistant tongs.
• Once the pepper is completely charred, place in a bowl and cover with cling film. Leave to cool for a few minutes.
• Use a small knife to scrape away the skin. You may need to rinse the pepper under a tap if the skin does not come off easily.
• Cut the top of the pepper and remove the seeds and inner membrane.
• Slice the pepper into large chunks.
• In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, dried mixed herbs and salt and pepper to taste. 
• Make a well in the centre and add in the eggs, oil and milk.
• Give it a quick stir. 
• Add the courgettes, red peppers, 2/3 of grated cheddar and brie. 
• Stir until just mixed.
• Divide the batter between 12 muffin cases.
• Sprinkle the remaining grated cheese on top of each muffin and bake for approximately 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. 

Bacon, Blue Cheese and Polenta Muffins

We had a BBQ party at home recently and ended up with quite a lot of leftover food. Amongst them was a whole box of cheese as there was too much food and we didn't get round to eating it on the day. We ate some of the cheese but there was so much and I didn't want to waste it so I thought I'd bake with it. I found a pack of bacon in the fridge and immediately decided on bacon and blue cheese muffins. I spied some polenta which has been in my cupboard for a while so I added them in as well. The result was a delicious, crumbly savoury muffin. You can definitely taste the bacon and depending on which bit you get you also get a hit of the blue cheese. The basil was very subtle and almost undetectable but added a lovely fragrance and hint of sweetness to the muffin. The polenta made them quite crumbly but I thought that was the best bit. 

I'm sending this to the No Waste Food Challenge hosted by Elizabeth from Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary. This recipe is made from leftovers - blue cheese, bacon and polenta. 

It's also perfect for Love Cake hosted by Ness from Jibber Jabber UK as the theme this month is 'Pack me a Picnic' These muffins are perfect for picnics as they are easy to bake and easy to transport. 

 I added a bit of brie as I didnt have enough blue cheese 

 adding blue cheese, basil and bacon

 top with a small piece of bacon

 I put them under the grill for a minute or two just to brown the tops. 

 You can see the crumbly texture 

Makes 10 large muffins

Recipe adapted from Fold in the Flour



6 rashers of smoked bacon (you need 5 for the recipe and 1 for the decoration)
200g plain flour
150g fine polenta
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
80g caster sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
5 tablespoons water
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
175mls milk
20 fresh small basil leaves, finely chopped

90g blue cheese, crumbled (I used about 70g of blue cheese and 20g of brie as that was all I had) 

• Preheat the oven to 180C. 
• Cook the bacon under a grill or on a frying pan and drain the excess oil. Cut into small bite size pieces.
• In a large bowl, mix the flour, polenta, salt and sugar. 
• In another bowl, mix the egg, oil, water and milk.
• Tip the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix gently.
• Add in the blue cheese, chopped bacon and chopped basil leaves.
• Stir again until just mixed. 
• Divide the batter evenly between 10 muffin cases.
• Place a small strip of bacon on top of each muffin.
• Bake in the pre heated oven for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• Mine were only slightly browned but cooked so I placed them under the grill for a minute or two until the tops were browned. 

Peanut Butter and Golden Oreo No Bake Squares

I love Oreo cookies and there are quite a few recipes using Oreo cookies on my blog. My favourites are the mint oreos and peanut butter oreos which I can only buy in America or at a huge cost and effort in UK. I was ecstatic to find out that Oreo have launched 2 new flavours in the UK and they are available in most major supermarkets. The flavours are Peanut Butter and Golden Oreo. I saw them at Asda recently and they are only 50p a pack! I couldn't help myself and bought a few packets so look out for more recipes!

I was sent 2 packs each of Peanut Butter Oreos and Golden Oreos to try. The Peanut Butter ones have the classic chocolate biscuit and a peanut butter filling whereas the Golden Oreos have a sweet golden biscuit and a vanilla creme filling. I love peanut butter but I actually prefer the golden oreos to the peanut butter oreos. Go figure! 

 Golden Oreos and Peanut Butter Oreos 

I decided to make a quick and easy no bake recipe with the oreo cookies. I'ts based on my mini peanut butter oreo cheesecake recipe which I said was the best dessert I've eaten! The base is made of peanut butter oreos which is filled with a cream cheese, peanut butter and cream filling and topped with a Golden Oreo. It's absolutely delicious particularly if you like peanut butter. It's really simple to put together and only requires 6 ingredients. 

 I used my individual brownie pain and placed strips of parchment paper in a cross fashion so it's easier to remove the squares later. 

 This recipe only makes 10 squares - this is the peanut butter oreo biscuit base 

 Fill with peanut butter filling 

 Top with a Golden Oreo

Makes 10 squares as shown

1 pack peanut butter oreos (14 biscuits)

10 golden oreo biscuits

50g butter, melted 

180g cream cheese

90g smooth peanut butter

70g caster sugar

90mls double cream

• Prepare the individual brownie pan as shown. Alternatively you can use a large rectangle pan and cut into squares. 
• Blitz the peanut butter oreos into crumbs or place in a sealed bag and bash with a rolling pin.
• Mix the cookie crumbs with 50g melted butter. 
• Place 1 - 2 tablespoons of cookie crumbs into each square and press down. 
• Place in the fridge to set whilst you make the filling. You can also put it in the freezer if you are in a hurry.
• To make the filling, beat the cream until stiff and set aside.
• Next, beat the peanut butter, cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
• Add in the beaten cream and stir. 
• Spread an even layer of the filling on top of each cookie base. 
• Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
• Before serving, place a golden oreo on top of each square. 

Disclaimer:  I was sent Peanut Butter Oreos and Golden Oreos for review purposes. A positive review was not required and all opinions are my own. This is not a sponsored post. 

Chocolate Courgette Loaf with Nutella and Dried Cranberries

I love eating courgettes but baking with them is even better! I've been patiently waiting for courgette season to try a horde of recipes that I've been saving. Top of the list is a double chocolate chunk courgette loaf cake bookmarked from Laura from I'd Much Rather Bake Than... Initially, I couln't decide between muffins and a loaf cake and in the end the loaf cake won out. I decided to change things up a little and added dried cranberries for extra sweetness and colour and my favourite nutella for the chocolate flavouring. I baked this twice as the first time was a FAIL! I didnt squeeze the water out of the courgette and the loaf was really moist but tasted good. The second time I drained all the water out and it turned out beautifully. The nutella added a hint of nuttiness to the loaf and the dried cranberries worked well with the flavours. I can't wait to bake this again and try different variations but I'm definitely trying the original recipe next. 

I'm sending this to AlphaBakes hosted by Caroline from Caroline Makes and co hosted by myself on alternate months. The letter this month is Z for Zucchini also known as courgette. 

It's also going to the Extra Veg challenge hosted by Jen from Jen's Food this month. The challenge is run by Helen from Fuss Free Flavours and Michelle from Utterly Scrummy. This is a great way to incorporate extra veg into your diet.

For the same reason it's also suitable for Eat Your Greens challenge hosted by Shaheen from A2K- A Seasonal Veg Table. 

As courgettes are in season, I'm sending it to Simple and in Season hosted by Ren. 

 I got a lovely fresh courgette from a colleague's garden - look at the size of it!

 adding in all the lovely ingredients 

 a nutella swirl on top 

 

 Love the burst of colour from the cranberries 

 This is the failed loaf - it didn't hold it's texture and sunk in the middle 

Makes 1 large loaf

2 eggs

150g brown sugar

120mls vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

250g plain flour

120g dried cranberries

130g nutella plus extra for topping

2 small courgettes or 1 large courgette- grated and drained. I put mine in a clean tea towel and squezzed the water out. Worked really well. 

• Preheat the oven to 180C. 
• Prepare the courgettes - grate then drain the excess water out. 
• In a large bowl, mix the sugar, flour, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder together.
• In a smaller bowl, beat the eggs and add in the vegetable oil.
• Pour the egg and oil mixture into the dry ingredients and give it a brief stir.
• Add in the courgette, dried cranberries and nutella.
• Mix well.
• Pour into a loaf tin and level the top. Add swirls of nutella on top. 
• Bake for approximately 60 minutes but check at 45 minutes for doneness. You may need to to put a piece of foil on top to prevent the top from burning after the 45 minute mark.
• The cake is done when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. 

Madeira Loaf Cake

The Great British Bake Off is back! Wednesday nights are now strictly reserved for watching the Bake Off. I've always wanted to bake along with the bake off but never really found the time. I will try my best this year but I will probably only manage cake and biscuits! Sadly, my oven has died so I'm not even sure if I can bake biscuits next week. I do have a top oven/grill but it's nowhere as good as my regular oven. Anyway this loaf is inspired by the first episode of the Bake Off. Can you believe this is only the second time in my life that I've baked a madeira cake? I used a Mary Berry recipe (of course) and the cake turned out beautifully. It has two cracks and a dome! Hurrah! However, I didn't have time to make a glaze or any fancy decorations but the cake held it's own. It had a light, lovely crumb and the hint of lemon really lifts the cake. 

 ready to go in the oven 

 two cracks and a dome!

175g butter
175g caster sugar
225g self raising flour
3 eggs
finely grated rind of 1 lemon

• Preheat the oven to 180C.
• Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until smooth.
• Pour into a large loaf tin and level the top.
• Bake in the pre heated oven for about an hour. The cake is done when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. 

Foxcroft & Ginger Review

Last month I was invited to Foxcroft & Ginger in Whitechapel, London for an evening meal. Foxcroft & Ginger is a husband and wife team owned by Quintin and Georgina. They met whilst working in restaurants together and were united by their love for food and drink. The concept is simple - a relaxed all day dining spot where there's no pressure to spend a fortune or to move on quickly. The menu is also simple with locally sourced ingredients and house baked goods. Their specialty is their bread, sourdough pizzas and cruffins. They have 3 branches - Soho, Whitechapel and Dalston. 

 The main entrance 

 View from the top of the stairs inside the restaurant so the main door is to the left of the picture 

 View from inside 

 Our table was to the right of this so this was our view 

The interior has a very modern, post industrial look. It has stripped back walls with pipes and ducts visible. It was a very hot day when we visited but there were fans going and it felt quite cool due to the high ceilings and minimal furnishings. We each had a pizza which is made from their own sourdough base. The base is light and crisp and the sourdough makes it tastes even better. I recently had a pizza at Franco Manca which is supposed to be the best sourdough pizzas in town but I think Foxcroft & Ginger can give them a run for their money! The menu is not extensive which I like and the ingredients are fresh and locally sourced. I had the smoked streaky bacon, mozzarella, artichoke and tomato sauce pizza and J had the house made sausage, red pepper, onion jam and smoked mozzarella pizza.  The pizzas were absolutely delicious. They were a good size with just the right amount of toppings and they were very filling. They are also reasonably priced at £9 each. The pizzas are all between £7-9 each. Personally, I preferred the tomato base pizza (my pizza) but they were both good. 

 Nice and simple menu 

 This is my pizza (description above) 

 J's pizza (description above)

A visit would not be complete without trying something from their house baked bakery section. It was really difficult to make a choice as everything looked good. I particularly liked the look of the carrot cake, chocolate truffle brownie and muffins. However, I felt I had to try their cruffin which is their very own croissant/muffin hybrid. It's a croissant pastry baked in a muffin tray and has different flavours. I tried the salted caramel flavour. J chose a mini Victoria sponge as that's his favourite cake. 

 Victoria Sponge

 Cruffin

I really enjoyed the cruffin. It had soft, flaky pastry which was also spongey in the middle and had hits of salted caramel. The Victoria Sponge was a little on the dry side but it was the end of the day and it was the hottest day of the year. I would definitely go back to try some of their other baked goods and the brunch which looks particularly good. Service was friendly, attentive and efficient without being too obtrusive. Overall a very enjoyable evening out with good food and a pleasant atmosphere. 

Disclaimer: I was offered a meal, drink and pastry for 2 in exchange for a review on my blog. A positive review was not required and all opinions are my own.