Since we are exactly halfway through the 30 Days of Gratitude Challenge over on Snapchat, I want to continue to show some appreciation. Today it is the You Tube Vloggers who are getting the LOVE! Continue reading →

As the calendar rolls on to November and Autumn is in full swing, today brings with it the joy of Woman Crush Wednesday.  Since we are in that period post Halloween sugar coma and pre Thanksgiving turkey triptophan sleepiness, this week’s honoree is a perfect panacea. Vani Hari, better known around the world as The Food Babe is ready to get us all on track through healthy eating. Vani may be one of the most controversial WCW chefs as she has been known to shake a few food conglomerate trees.  But she has a passion for wanting people to have the best possible options for their food.  But first we need to be not only informed, but have access to the information!

And I am happy to fill you in on what I know about this gorgeous gourmet gal. She was born in North Carolina and got her university degree in computer science. But after an illness found her in the hospital, she decided to change her life for the better. It didn’t happen over night.  But today, Vani is the picture of health. Yet she isn’t modeling bathing suits.  She is pounding the pavement trying to encourage food businesses to improve their food so we can all benefit from toxic free meals!   Thank goodness for me, a massive sweets eater, that she hasn’t cut out treats!   And for my WCW cooking tutorial live on Snapchat (username:  blissbakery) I will be demonstrating her amazing Chocolate Goji Sea Salt Drops!

Ingredients:

2 bags or 20 ounces (569 g) of organic chocolate chips
4 (114 g) of goji berries
8 ounces (228 g) of almonds chopped in half
¼ tsp sea salt + additional for sprinkling
Instructions
Fill a small pot with ¼ water and heat to simmer
Place large bowl on top of pot (creating a double boiler)
Fill bowl with chocolate chips and slowly melt
Once all chocolate is melted, stir in sea salt, goji berries and almonds
Use a 1 tablespoon sized ice cream scooper or spoon to drop mixture onto wax paper
Top each drop with a small sprinkle of sea salt
Refrigerate to allow chocolate drops to cool

This is quite possibly the easiest recipe I have ever demonstrated.  Literally all you have to know how to do is boil water.  But don’t let that fool you.  It is the most delicious little treat you’ll ever taste.  It is sweet and salty, crunchy and chewy.  All the textures and flavors you want in a goodie!  It would make a wonderful gift for the holidays or for the hostess of a dinner party you attend.  Besides the fact that chocolate tastes good, high quality chocolate is good for you!  And goji berries are proven to have many health benefits.   As well as the fact that almonds are packed with nutrients.  So this is like a multivitamin dessert!  Okay maybe I’ve gone a bit over the top on that description but you won’t regret making these yummy delights!

I first heard about “The Food Babe” from my daughter.  She is always on the look out for Woman Crush Wednesday chefs for me.  And while some might be a bit skeptical because of Vani’s media exposure, I love that she speaks her mind.  We don’t have to agree with everything a person says to respect them.  She is thinking about the common good and is willing to risk personal opinions of some, for the service she is doing for public at large.

So I take my chef’s hat off to you Vani!  I wish you continued success on your quest to investigate what is in the food we eat!  After five years of blogging and sharing your journey I am sure there are more discoveries to be revealed from under your microscope!

Magnified LOVE,

YDP

 

Each Tuesday eve brings me the same excitement that some might have on December 24th. I can’t stop thinking of the joy that is bursting through my heart (and this screen from which you’re reading) about my Woman Crush Wednesday. And this week was even more so than ever. Because today I am going to be crushing on a lady so dear to my heart. The amazing chef Fiona Dillon is more than a foodie she is a proper Renaissance lady!  She is a wife, mother, broadcaster, blogger, and business woman as well.

Fiona not only cooks, but grows her own food, keeps chickens and pigs on her farm. There are also bees for honey, and she has a famous goose called Mahatma Gander that lives with the family.  But what I really admire is Fiona’s talent as a writer.  Not just a food writer for hire sharing her talents with magazines and online publications, but her own  books.  I first met her at the Dream It, Do It event which she created with one of my Sunday Spotlight Snap Sistas Nicola Curran of the Naked Blondie. These events help inspire Irish women to achieve their dreams.  She was so welcoming and open with her knowledge.  How on earth does she do it all and keep up with her popular social media channels?   It must be her delish food.

Today’s recipe is going to be a good one.  It’s tasty and healthy and it comes from one of her most special creations, her Freddy Buttons children’s book series.  I LOVE these books.  I received one in my goodie bag at the IBA this Spring.  I gave it to my granddaughter who adores it.  The books are so well written, funny and informative. The illustrations are warm and friendly.  And I love that at the end of the books there is a section with interesting food facts and a recipe as well.  Kids need easy to follow healthy recipes to teach them about food. And Freddy Buttons is the man!  I am so proud of this important venture of Fiona’s and my hope is that Freddy Buttons will travel the world sharing adventures and recipes to all children.  Until then I need to start cooking today’s recipe for Mahatma Muffins.  That is right, it’s an egg muffin. Just the perfect start to the day!

Mahatama’s Muffins

Ingredients:

4 medium eggs

1 generous TBSP Glenisk plain yogurt

3 cherry tomatoes chopped finely (optional)

1 slice cooked ham chopped finely (optional)

50 g (1/2 cup) grated cheese

Pinch of mixed herbs (optional)

Salt and pepper

Method:

Preheat the oven to 190c/375 f

Rub a cupcake tray with a little oil

Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk

Add all the other ingredients and mix well

Pour the batter into the cupcake tin and bake for about 20 minutes

Allow to cool slightly and release from tin with a plastic spatula

Mahatma’s Muffins are great for breakfast, lunch, tea and picnics

Well, I’d have to agree with Fiona, these are tasty little treats that are also wholesome and nutritious. What is great is the flexibility and adaptability.  If you have a child that might not like tomatoes than you could omit them all together.  And if I didn’t have ham on hand today I could have used chorizo which would also be lovely.  These egg muffins are delicious hot, but also just as nice cold. Since Hubby isn’t a big breakfast eater during the work week, I could make these in advance and he could take to work for his “elevensies” as the mid morning break is called over here.

I absolutely love all the recipes in the Freddie Buttons book and could have re-created any of them for my live Snapchat cooking tutorial (my username is blissbakery).  However, since Hubby and I are headed out for a little adventure like Freddy Buttons himself, we thought a nice substantial snack for the car ride would fit the bill.

But what I would recommend to anyone reading this that has small children, is to get your hands on a set of Fiona’s books.  Her writing style in the Freddy Buttons series is whimsical and engaging.  They would make a fabulous gift too.  And if you aren’t inclined for the young ins yet, get her book, Food From An Irish Garden.  Fiona doesn’t pretend to have the perfect life, but as the subtitle says, “the good life” and that is what it is.  Good food enjoyed with her family and friends. Fiona knows how to  savor the important things such as back to basics cooking.  And that is why she is my Woman Crush Wednesday. We can all learn a few tricks from her books!

A big button of LOVE,

YDP

 

 

 

 

Today is my favorite day as it is Wednesday!  The day I spread some love in the culinary world by honoring a female chef.  But today is another significant day.  It is my mother’s birthday and every day on this date since 1990, the day she disappeared, it has been a strange experience . A sad moment of course, but also a day of unresolved emotions. I shared a bit about it last year and you can click here to read it. But in spite of all these mixed emotions, I was also given a gift or shall I say miracle into my life.  This year on October 19th, my mother’s 78th birthday, I was asked to speak at the #NWED (National Women’s Enterprise Day) here in Ireland.

With seven events around the country it is a massive initiative put on by the Local Enterprise Offices. What a great way to support, encourage, and inspire women in business or those wishing to start one. How awesome to have been asked to speak at such an event, which is only because of the courage of Loretta Gavin. But I was on the stage today at the ghotel in Galway with so many formidable women of all facets of business and media. And for me all I had to do share was a story. Though not so easy to tell. However it all  boiled down to one word. LOVE! And that is what got me through it all.

So while many of you might have signed on here today to see which gourmet gal got crushed on and which recipe I cooked (while doing the bad singing and dancing) today you’re getting a story. But it is a story of the Hero’s Challenge that the awesome keynote speaker Natasha Fennel (of Stillwater Communications) shared this afternoon. It is a journey we all take from our first adventure into the world, with all its twists and turns, until we arrive back home.

I will share with you all the lovely details of the event, the ghotel, and all sorts of fabulous women I met for another post.   But for now I thank you! It was the day that is still marinating in my soul. And all I can say is this day has forever been morphed into something a bit more positive than before. Life is wonderful, life is strange, life is  LOVE!

Until next week, Slan! LOVE

YDP

P.S. If you’d like to check out the 45 previous awesome Woman Crush Wednesday honorees click here. Lots of inspiration and fab recipes to be found!

I’m back in London and on fire to honor another gorgeous gourmet gal for Woman Crush Wednesday. After a break last week (though I did a comprehensive round up of the amazing chefs honored so far, which you can read here) I am ready to bust out some bad singing and dancing.  Of course only to compliment the awesome recipe on the docket. Today’s honoree is the talented chef, blogger and now a first time published cookery book writer Ayesha Curry.

Ayesha is a dual citizen like myself, though she is an American/Canadian citizen. She lives in San Francisco with her husband (basketball player Stephen Curry) and their two beautiful little girls Riley and Ryan.  She grew up with a mom who loved to cook and those culinary skills obviously rubbed off. Especially this recipe for Roasted Brown Sugar Chicken which I will re-create live on Snapchat . As usual, this is a recipe I have never made before. So you will see every step if you watch (my username is blissbakery) and I’ll post the photos below. So let’s get cooking!

Ingredients
4 Chicken Quarters
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chopped shallots
3 cloves chopped garlic
3/4 cup (177 ml) chicken stock/broth
1 cup (236 ml) low sodium soy sauce
2 cups (372 g) brown sugar
1 heaping tbsp freshly chopped ginger
Directions
Preheat oven to 350F/180c degrees. Heat a dutch pot on med high to high heat with your butter and olive oil. Generously salt and pepper your chicken quarters. Brown the skin of your chicken in the pot for about 2 mins on each side until it’s crisp and golden brown. Remove the chicken quarters and reduce the heat to medium. Add in the shallots and garlic. Deglaze the pot with the chicken stock. Scrape down all of the sides to make sure you get all of the delicious seasonings and flavors into the broth (I’m hungry already!). Add in the soy sauce, brown sugar and ginger. Simmer the sauce for about 5-10 mins. Add the chicken quarters back into the pot, place the lid on and bake for 45min to an hour. The chicken will be flavorful and falling off the bone. Mmm mmm mmmm!

Okay, for real, you have to make this recipe. It was so delicious and mouth watering. Literally the chicken fell off the bone it was so tender and  just melts in your mouth!  Hubby ate his and started in on mine too when I left the table for a moment. And the rice cooked in coconut milk was the perfect side dish. Even the broccolini was nice and sharp, crisp and a healthy green side. I’d make this whole dinner again in a heart beat!  LOVE!

Speaking of hearts, Ayesha is such a giving and kind hearted person. Even though busy with her cooking career and family (she was an actress and model before she had children) she makes time for philanthropic endeavors. Such as her wonderful  Little Lights of Mine in which she donates to the to No Kid Hungry campaign to feed hungry children for every bottle of her olive oil that is sold. It is refreshing that she is open about her Christian faith. So many celebrities feel the need to hide their religious beliefs for fear of alienating any of their followers. But Ayesha and her husband actually met as teenagers at their church. This foundation has kept their relationship rooted and grounded and they are delighted to share that with the world.

I so loved doing a #WCW for Ayesha. I hope she enjoys it as much as Hubby and I enjoyed her delish chicken.  And with two girls of her own ( I have one daughter and two granddaughters) having some #girlpower is a good thing!

Yummy LOVE!

YDP

 

It’s Wednesday, my fav day of the week, yippee!  It is also the last day before I say goodbye to America and my daughter and family. My least fav day of my life! Whenever I have been unable to do a Woman Crush Wednesday due to travel and not having a kitchen I post a recap of several of the most recent recipients. And though tomorrow I will have a kitchen, my daughter’s which she’s kindly let me use these past two weeks, I decided to post a recap. Yep, I am gonna take the day to enjoy their company, pack my things and wipe some tears. However, I’m going to post a roundup of the last nine fabulous foodie females that have received the love from me on my weekly episodes. And they have provided fantastic recipes that we have all enjoyed!  I’ll be back next week with another installment of this awesome celebration of gorgeous gourmet gals out there setting the culinary world on fire!

Madeleine Shaw is a not only a chef but also a breath of fresh air. She glows for a reason as she cooks delicious food that is also good for your insides. It isn’t a surprise that this Londoner (who made the conversion to a healthier lifestyle while living abroad in Australia) has a successful blog and other popular social media. But her best selling cookbooks speak for themselves. And they say, “go ahead and lick my pages” because each recipe is that good! I made two of her recipes, her “Life Changing” Spicy Tomato Soup and her Spinach Bread, for my Snapchat cooking tutorial on the day (my username is blissbakery).  You can make them yourself if you click here for the recipe and story about her.

I had the absolute best time recreating Irish chef Sharon Hearne Smith’s totally mouth watering no bake Chocolate Date and Peanut Butter Bars. In fact if you click here for the story and recipe and choose not to make them, I think I might have to make them for you, but will probably eat the whole batch myself!  They are very simple and yet impressive at the same time.  And Sharon herself is actually beyond impressive. She is so genuine, sweet and quite humble about her culinary prowess. I love her whole retro vibe and even tried the look out when I recreated her recipe live for the Snapchat tutorial. It made me appreciate her even more! I’m used to my comfy chefs clothes yet her effortless style just makes me love her even more.

Ching He Huang is one of the most knowledgable chefs on Asian cuisine. Born in Taiwan but now makes London her home, this powerhouse has written numerous successful cookery books and is a household name in the U.K. due to her television appearances. She a wonderful person and involved in so many charitable causes. I recreated her Shredded Duck Lettuce Wraps which my hubby devoured in no time. I must make them again soon, just thinking about them makes me hungry. If you too want to be transported to Asia through your palate, click here for the recipe and the story about this amazing chef!

Sarit Packer is one half of the founding team of the London restaurant Honey and Co. But since my series is about crushing on the women, her lovely husband Itamar will have to bask in the glow of his gorgeous wife and fantastic chef. I visited their restaurant twice now and can hardly wait to go again. They are expanding and the cookbooks keep rolling in too. The success is so well deserved and I’m delighted that Middle Eastern cuisine is gaining mainstream popularity due in part to Sarit’s fabulous recipes. And one of my all time favs is her Pomegranate Molasses Chicken. Click here to check out the deliciousness and learn more about this inspirational woman!

I just love Paula Deen. A true Southern Belle who is shares her family and her recipes generously. I baked her scrumptious Hummingbird Cake recipe, which you can click here if you’d like to give it a go yourself. It really is a showstopper dessert that is a proud centerpiece at any event. I had the pleasure of visiting Paula’s restaurant in Savannah, Georgia and with a line around the block, along with her best selling books and television shows, this woman is a real role model for women achieving their dreams. Especially since she hasn’t had the easiest time of things in life. But that’s why I love her as she tries her best to carry on and certainly cooking is one way (of which I can relate) that healing can be attained.

New York born chef Ruth Rodgers has lived in the U.K. for many years and is one of the founders of the Michelin Star restaurant River Cafe. Hubby and I enjoyed a fabulous meal there a few years ago and I can agree this place deserves all the accolades. And the number of chefs that have worked there and gone on to their own success is astounding. In large part due to Ruth’s skills in the kitchen and management. It’s no wonder she was awarded the MBE from Queen Elizabeth II in 2010. For my Snapchat cooking tutorial I made Ruth’s outstanding Pasta with Asparagus and Herbs. Click here if you’d like to recreate this dish or just read about the amazing achievements of this most worthy WCW honoree.

Mary Berry is a British national treasure. She has done more for home cooking than most anyone else. Her recipes are easy to recreate yet are still very impressive. In her 81 years old she has written over 70 cook books besides numerous television shows. Of course the most popular of late is the Great British Bake Off. So with that show in full swing on television this season I decided to make one of her desserts. Though funny enough when I saw her at the BBC Good Food Show she actually demonstrated a savory dish. But since I love Banoffi Pie, I recreated her recipe and was so glad I did. It is so delicious! Please click here and give it a go yourself. You’ll be happy you did! We owe Mary Berry a debt of gratitude for her contribution to the culinary world.

Marina Delio is the author of the popular blog The Yummy Mummy Kitchen and recipe book of the same name. Her food is as beautiful as she is. And it is delicious too. I recreated her Protein Nice Cream Pies which are dairy, gluten and sugar free and they were a big hit here at my daughter’s house with my granddaughter. Harper is dairy free so finding treats for her can be a challenge. In fact it was my daughter who told me about Marina as she knew  of her from when she and my son in law lived in Santa Barbara where Marina lives. If you’d like to try some healthy recipes yet still want to feel like you’re splurging, then click here!

Cliodhna Prednergast was my most recent Woman Crush Wednesday. If you missed my Snapchat cooking tutorial last week then you missed a fabulous recipe for Orange Cranberry Cookies. You also missed the usual bad singing and dancing I do when I am doing my love fest for the chefs. But I am sure you aren’t sorry about skipping that. But you can still click here to read my love story to Cliodhna, get the recipe and also learn more about this inspirational woman. She is not only a chef, but also the creator of the Lens and Larder workshops (along with another WCW recipient Imen McDonnell). Cliodhna is also the founder of Breaking Eggs a blog and video series to help teach children to cook.

So there you have it, a full recap of the last nine Woman Crush Wednesday chefs! If you’d like a recap of the previous ones you can click here, here, here, here,  and here.  Forty four amazing human beings who just so happen to be women working in the world of food. But I am sure even if they were in another industry, they’d be shining lights. They are all creative, hard working and inspiring. And thanks for all your support of this fun and educational weekly segment. Hope to see you back next week. I’ve already got the honoree, recipe and of course the infamous songs all lined up for the Snapchat tutorial and also a post for this blog.

Girl Power and Love,

YDP

As we near the end of September and autumn is indeed here, it’s another weekly opportunity to shower a female chef with some foodie love. I look forward to Woman Crush Wednesday as it’s such a joy for me to honor these inspirational ladies making a difference in a male dominated profession. Today I am delighted to share with you a most wonderful Irish woman and mommy of three.  The fact that she is an amazing talent in the kitchen is just part of the story. She has combined her culinary wizardry with her passion for teaching children to cook into a website and video series called Breaking Eggs. Even if you don’t have children, it is a must watch. The stunning footage of the best Ireland has to offer, along with wonderful recipes, make Cliondhna Prendergast a goddess of the gourmet world!

I had the wonderful fortune of meeting beautiful and friendly Cliondhna on two occasions. Once at the London book signing for Imen McDonnell (another of my Woman Crush Wednesday honorees) and a second time at the Ballymaloe Lit Fest at a presentation the two were giving. They are the creators of the popular Lens and Larder workshops. It is my dream to attend one day, but until then I will continue to drool over their otherworldly photos of foodie scenes. I suppose it is all about telling a story. And I could stay mesmerized for days with their stories!  But as I do each week, I recreate a recipe from the WCW recipient’s arsenal. So I’d better get to it! I am going to be baking Cliodhna’s Christmas Cranberry and Orange Stars. Because let’s get real, Christmas is only 87 days away! These look simple but delightfully unique with the orange zest and cranberry combo. I’ll be doing the demo live on Snapchat (username blissbakery) so try to come see it if you can as it will only be available to view for 24 hours.

Ingredients:
8oz (1 and 3/4 cups or 210 g)  Self -raising Flour
5oz (141 g) butter
4oz (1/2 cup or 100 g) caster sugar
1 egg
4oz (112 g)  Dried Cranberries ( chopped a little for easy cookie cutting)
Finely grated zest of 1 ½ oranges
Method
Rub the Flour and butter together to a rough breadcrumb texture.
Add the sugar and mix in.
Add the grated orange zest and the dried cranberries and mix in.
Beat the egg and add to the dry ingredients and mix together.
Wash your hands and turn the dough onto a floured surface and flatten a little.
If you have time rest it in the fridge for 30 min, it makes it easier to deal with when its not so soft.
Roll out to about ¼ “ thick and with a star cookie cutter, cut and place on a lined oven tray ½ “ apart.
Bake at 350f/180c/gas mark 4 for approx. 7 minutes.
All ovens are different, these do not need to brown very much, there should just be a slight color at the edges.

Myself a mommy of two (and granny of two as well) I admire Cliodhna’s ethos on feeding her family, by not only nourishing their bodies but also their souls. Her children are blessed to be reared by someone so in touch with food from its very essence. Her experience chefing at numerous popular restaurants along with her experience at Ballymaloe (my alma mater) has certainly given her credibility. But she has earned the respect from so many in the field beyond the kitchen. Her campaign to help fight childhood obesity and her emphasis on highlighting artisan food producers and eating locally sourced food has helped Ireland see these issues from a different vantage point. With her new writing assignment with the Sunday Times even more folks will glean wisdom from this amazing chef!

Cookie LOVE,

YDP