Not so sweet (and sour)

Most people's eating habits change as they get older; taste buds develop and you're probably a little more aware of what you're eating. That said, I sometimes like travelling back down memory lane to sample the 'delights' of my childhood, tucking into the comfort food that reminds me of the 'good old days', and when having a healthy diet was not on the top of my agenda. However, my recent 'trip' did not whip up that sense of nostalgia I was hoping for when I decided that it would be a great idea to have Uncle Ben's Sweet & Sour chicken. I was immensely looking forward to tucking into the sticky orange sauce and tender chicken (with a side of plain rice, of course) but my excitement soon turned into 'what the hell was I thinking' as attempted to eat it. The sauce was of course unnaturally sweet and rather sickly, and the limp peppers floaty around confirmed to me that vegetables are most definitely not at their best when they've been stuck in a jar for a considerable amount of time.


As you can see by the picture below, I should have known it was not going to go down well. 


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Travelling along the rocky road

It feels like a bit of a cheat to say this is my speciality as it only involves melting mounds of chocolate, stirring in an array of goodies and waiting for it to set, but Rocky Road is what I get the most requests for out of my (relatively limited) culinary repertoire. Its a fail-safe if you fancy knocking up something sweet and home-made but can't be bothered to bake and its rather quick to boot. I tend to go for Cadbury's but you go for any brand you prefer and I usually pick up a whole nut bar too so that I don't have to buy nuts. You need about four family-size bars to make a decent amount, a few handfuls of mini marshmallows, as many or as little glacier cherries as you like and one or two crushed-up crunchies. You can obviously add whatever you like but I always find that the classics tend to be crowd-pleasers! However, in my most recent batch I decided to mix things up a bit and added some peanut butter to the mix! I melted it along with some white chocolate and drizzled it over the rest of the mix! It was a definite winner and I'd definitely recommend! 

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the kings of falafel

I usually look upon kebab shops with disgust, and if I do find myself inevitably loitering in one after a night on the tiles, I almost always settle upon what I see as the only safe option - chips. However, this changed when I moved up the road to Stoke Newington and happened to be conveniently situated by The Best Turkish Kebab (http://www.bestturkishkebab.com/index3.html) a Stokey institution situated on the main high street. I knew it was a winner as soon as I moved in and saw a bundle of people spilling out of the doorway and onto the pavement at all hours of the day and night! I can't say I ever try the donor meat as its never appealed (and don't honestly know why anyone would order it, but each to their own and all) but falafel in a wrap is my fail-safe choice. Full of chickpea goodness, oozing houmous, tonnes of salad and a generous smattering of chilli sauce - truly amazing! You can even buy vine leaves and rice pudding, which to me is a sign of a superior kebab house. Their chicken shish looks good too - cooked fresh when you order! I could watch the men behind the counter for ages, seamlessly moving around preparing the orders without forgetting a thing and not a dot of grease anywhere on their brilliant white t-shirts. I love them, as does my sister who had a falafel wrap two days in a row and they now wave at her when she walks past. God knows what I will do if I move as I don't feel any kebab house can compare. 


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From TV cook to reality

Despite watching countless cooking shows, even repeats, I very rarely cook the recipes I "ooh" and "ahh" over and say "I'll definitely try that soon!". However, I recently broke my habit and tried not one but TWO TV recipes. For main, I was inspired by my new favourite TV chef Simon Hopkinson's Tandoori Chicken. Not only was the recipe delightfully simple and summery, I loved the vibrant orange of the marinade and it satisfied my boyfriend meat cravings! The only challenge was attempting to chop off the ends of the chicken legs that he demonstrated with ease for two reasons: 1. I do not own super sharp meat knives 2. I felt slightly queasy at the sound of crunching bones. That said, I was ecstatic with the end result and it tasted exactly as it should! I even made the cooling mint and chilli dip and sambles for the side. If you fancy trying it, check out the recipe here - http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/homemade_tandoori_63396

For desert, I turned to Nigella, the Domestic Goddess herself and her EGG-FREE chocolate mousse! Egg-free you say? Why yes, because you use marshmallows instead! I loved this as it appealed to my child-like nature for soft and squidy pastel sweets and it sets almost immediately! Plus, its good for pregnant ladies (not that I know any) and those with an egg intolerance (I do know one of those). It was lovely, rich and velvety and I topped it off with some raspberry's to cut through the sweetness! 

All in all it was scrumptious! 


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