Delicious Pull Apart Bread

This delicious recipe for pull apart bread has been tried and tested by us twice now and it worked perfectly each time! (And it's always gone within 1 day!) There are plenty of similar recipes and depending on your herb collection you can add whatever you would like.

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 + 1/3 cups warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
3 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 cloves garlic, grated
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:Using a stand mixer add yeast and water and mix using a dough hook.

Mix until the yeast mixture becomes foamy then let it stand for 5 minutes. Add the olive oil, salt, and flour, and mix on low speed until everything is combined.

Increase the mixing speed to medium and knead dough for 5-6 minutes, or until it is elastic or slightly sticky. 

If you’re not using a stand mixer- poor you J, we got lucky with the wedding presents, you can mix the ingredients in a large bowl, then knead the dough by hand. You will want to lightly flour the surface you are using until the mixture is elastic to touch it should take no longer than 10 minutes.

Transfer the dough, however you made it, into a lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl with or a kitchen towel or a tea towel, then let it rise in a warm place for 1 1/2-2 hours, until doubled in size. 

In a small bowl, combine melted butter, rosemary, and garlic.

Lightly oil your hands and make small balls out of the dough. Dip the balls in the butter mixture, and place on them in a circle round the edge of the bottom of the cake tin (we put a small ceramic dish in the middle to make it a bundt tin). 

Once you have placed one layer of dough balls in the cake tin sprinkle on 1/3 of the Parmesan cheese. Continue layering the dough balls and cheese until you have used the mixture. Cover the cake tin and allow the dough to rise again until doubled in size; this will take around 30 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 175 degrees C then bake the bread for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. 

We added marinara sauce for this, but at different times have also dipped in the leftover butter/garlic mixture, olive oil with vinaigrette, and a nice chutney.

Laura's Very Keto Weekend

As you probably know, I am following the keto diet during Project Wedding Dress, introduced to me by Bridesmaid Julia, and I am loving it. Because I can eat hella cheese.

This past weekend, I decided to try out some keto-tastic recipes, and have not been able to get them out of my head. Delicious!! So I thought I'd share with you.

Saturday night I made keto pizza. Because what is Saturday night without junk food, anyway? Or at least pseudo junk food! Check this baby out:

It was so hot it steamed up my camera

Julia gave me the recipe for the crust - I translated it to the following.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups mozzarella or similar
• 2 tablespoons cream cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup coconut flour (though Julia used 3/4 cup almond flour and 1 egg, works just as well!)
• seasonings (I used garlic powder and salt)
• 1 dash of water

1. Microwave the mozzarella and cream cheese until melty and pliable
2. Mix the egg and flour with seasonings
3. Mix it all together (you may need to microwave it a bit to get it to mix better)
4. Spread on parchment paper pretty thin, bake at 190 C until a nice light brown

I wouldn't bother with a proper crust, I tried to do it but then got out more sauce to cover it, as it was a bit different of a texture to regular pizza.

Once you've got the base, cover with sauce, cheese and your favourite toppings!

It was delicious, and I could only eat half of it, perfect for Sunday leftovers!

Then, on Sunday I made some breakfast muffins for the week. They are so delicious, and even with broccoli and olives in them, Sarah requested some for her to eat! That, my friends, is saying something.

I found the recipe on Pinterest, and changed it according to what I had in the cupboards. I'll put that recipe in here, but obv put whatever you'd like in it!

Makes 8 muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 slices of salami, sliced into small bits
• 1 cup broccoli florets (or other veggie)
• 4 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons of cream cheese
• 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 10 or so olives, sliced
• salt & pepper to taste
• half a cup of cheddar cheese, grated

Boil the broccoli until soft, cut into smaller pieces

Mix everything together

Spray non-stick onto a muffin tray, and fill as many as you can until about 1 cm from the top of each

Cook at 190 C (I cook everything pretty much at 190) for 10 minutes, or until slightly toasted

Just seriously amazing. And only like 75 cals / 0.5 carbs per muffin! Go on, have 3.

But, I also had an epic Pinterest fail this weekend. I tried to make 'Better than Goldfish' keto crackers, and... well, I'm not sure what I did wrong, except potentially not put the batter in the fridge long enough?

Anyway, here's what it is supposed to look like, and what it ended up looking like.

It's just too ugly not to laugh, really.

I'm 29.8 pounds down again, and am hoping to break into the 30s this week. Only 8 weeks to go until the dress fitting. Feeling and looking better than I have in ages, and am generally loving it. 

Have a happy Tuesday night!

Butterscotch White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Woah, I haven't posted a recipe in a long time! Last week at work, people LOVED my Butterscotch White Chocolate Chip Cookies, so I thought I'd post it on the blog! It's pretty simple really, just a take off regular Choc-Chip, but my lovely Cookie Monster (Sarah) loved them despite not being a Butterscotch/Caramel/Toffee fan.

NOMNOMNOM

To make 20 proper American sized cookies, you'll need:

• 2 x eggs
• 1 cup softened butter
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 2 x packets of butterscotch Angel Delight (or if you are in the USA, 3.5 ounces butterscotch/caramel instant pudding mix!)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2.25 cups plain flour
• 1 pack of white chocolate chips 

Step 1: Preheat oven to 190 degrees C (375 degrees F)

Step 2: In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars together. Add Angel Delight, eggs and vanilla. Combine flour and baking soda; add and mix well. Fold in chocolate chips.

Step 3: Drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Step 4: EAT ALL THE COOKIES!!

Yum, now I really want to make some more!

Tips & Recipes From The UN-Domestic Goddess: Hasselback Potatoes

Wow, I promised to put this up a loooooong time ago - sorry about that! But as the cold weather is closing in (is everyone going to hate me if I hope for this to happen really soon?), I'm gifting you with the perfect accompaniment to every autumn/winter dish you want to cook this year.

They are simple, look fancy and are stunningly delicious - without further ado, here's my recipe for Swedish roast hasselback potatoes.

What you'll need:

• 1 medium-sized potato per person
• A small amount of the following:

1. Olive oil
2. Butter
3. Garlic cloves
4. Pepper

See, easy enough, right? You can add on lots of different things, but I'll talk about that at the end.

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C (425 degrees F). Wash the potatoes thoroughly, but do not peel. Place on a chopping board flat side down, and make incisions from one end of the potato to the other, almost the whole way through, but so the potato holds together at the bottom. These cuts should be about half a thumbnail apart (we use really scientific measurements here in Laura's kitchen).

Step 2: Slice the garlic thinly, and scatter them between the potato slits. Spread butter on top of the potatoes, drizzle olive oil on them, season with salt and pepper, and stick them on a baking tray in the oven.

Step 3: Bake for 40 minutes, or until they are golden brown on the outside, and soft on the inside.

You can eat these on their own, with melted cheese and bacon, or with pretty much anything you'd put in a normal baked potato!

(Seen here with Laura's gorganzola stuffed, bacon wrapped chicken)

Bon appetit!!

What We Love Wednesday - Date Days in London!!

It's Wednesday, we are feeling happy and in love (as always) so what better time to do a What We Love Wednesday post?! This week we decided to share our 'Ultimate Date Day in London', it's our guide to what you should do to woo the person of your choice when in the city we LOVE, London!

Having introduced the post in this way we should also say that this is generally a great way to spend any day in London, date or not. In fact the day this post is about we were actually wooing (if that's the right word) Alison as we wanted her to fall in love with London. 

Alison is a school friend of Laura's from Idaho and is here studying at the School of Tropical Diseases. We were lucky enough to have her stay with us when she got to London but due to the pesky thing called work we hadn't had an opportunity to do the 'tourist' day out.

We allowed ourselves a lay-in so that we were ready and raring for a day of activity. Our first stop was    Borough Market. It was just after lunch and the crowds were thinning so we could wander around and taste-test what the stalls had to offer. Laura and Ali decided that pate'd Wood Pigeon and Pheasant would be the best idea!!! Erm with the description of 'crunchy' and 'not that bad' it might not be for everyone.

To really get the taste-buds going we couldn't resist the Creme Brulee pots - so good and at only £1 we could have bought so many more, but resisted.

The thing with Borough Market is knowing what food to commit yourself to, the nibbling and taste-tests are all good but with the delicious smells and so many option it would be a waste not to eat something more substantial. Our choice was 'the sandwich', not just any sandwich, in our world 'the sandwich' is turkey breast with stuffing and cranberry sauce in a warmed baguette. AMAZING!

Now that's commitment!!

Now you have your date/mate/other half well fed, you can continue to explore the City. Depending on the time you have and your inclination to walk you have a number of choices. From Borough Market you can stroll for 40 or so minutes back to the Southbank (a stunning walk if you have the time) or use the tube.

We opted for the tube, as it was cold, we were on a schedule, and we're kinda lazy :)

On arrival at the Southbank you can admire the view of Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and the river and enjoy the street entertainment that is often going on. 

If you have planned your day in advance you can get discount tickets for the London Eye. We had booked the 6pm flight on the London Eye, and when we arrived to pick up our tickets we could see the sun just beginning to set - our timing was perfect!

The new attraction that comes free when you are doing the London Eye is a 4D experience. Not a great fan of heights, this was not Sarah's cup of tea, but gripping the hand rail we enjoyed a birds-eye view of London. Higher than you could go on the Eye, this short film had you soaring over buildings with wind in your hair, has you attending a party with bubbles appearing in the air and really provides a unique look at the city. (As Laura's Dad would say '4D - its like 3D... WITH ONE MORE D!!!')
Plus you get to look like this for 15 minutes:

Well maybe you won't look like this!

 The queue for the Eye moves quickly and before you know it you're ushered into a capsule with 20 other people. This was actually the first time we'd been on the flight together and the first time we had down it at sunset, it adds an air of romance, it has to be said. As the sun is setting you and your date/mate/other half are rising into the air.

It is still our favourite London attraction and really does provide the best view of London, as long as you're not too scared of heights. Sarah isn't a fan of heights but still managed to smile in every photo proving that sometimes you just have to go with it and the result is always worth it on the Eye!

As the sun set around us we could see the moon appearing by the Shard (the triangle building in the distance of the bottom left hand corner) and who doesn't love the colours that appear as the sun sets?!

After enjoying the view it was time to refuel - you know there is only one logical place for us to take someone if we want to impress them - Nando's! In this instance we opted for Nando's at London Bridge and we were lucky to get a window seat so we could see St Paul's Cathedral. Ah London, there is so much to love.

The great thing about the Southbank is that it's hard to get lost and if you keep walking one way you get to Houses of Parliament, and if you head the other you get to Tower Bridge. We can't remember if we've mentioned this before but Tower Bridge has actually played a part in both our dating history.

Way before we knew one another, The Horniman (no pun intended) was our date pub. Just over the road from London Bridge Station and through the beautiful fairy-lit Hay's Galleria (where ships used to dock) the pub gives you the perfect view of Tower Bridge. Its oh so romantic! And where we both used to end the night with dates we liked. Guaranteed first kiss territory!

We digress. The pub actually has a really nice riverside beer garden type area to sit and talk in so it's perfect for any occasion, and in this instance we wanted to round off our tourist day with Alison in a very London location.

With easy access to get home, what better way to spend a day/evening. And that is why this Wednesday we wanted to share why we love date days in London. We hope you enjoyed it - and please let us know if our date day helps you get your 'woo' on!

Tips & Recipes From the UN-Domestic Goddess: Delectable Sweet Potato Chips!

Wow, it has been a really long time since I have done a recipe! However, I made some fantastically amazing sweet potato chips yesterday, so I thought - you should definitely make them!

What you'll need:

• Sweet potatoes - 1 small one per person
• Garlic, about 1/2 clove per person 
• Olive oil, drizzle
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Step 1: Wash and peel the sweet potato, and cut into chip shapes (however you'd like) - place the chips into a bowl.

Step 2: Drizzle olive oil over the potatoes, and mix to cover.

Step 3: Microwave garlic for 10 seconds (to soften and bring out flavour) then chop into small slices. Add to the potatoes, sprinkle salt and pepper, mix well to coat.

Step 4: Place on a baking tray, heat on 200 degrees Celsius (395 degrees Fahrenheit) for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Step 5: Eat. And make more. Because they are delicious!!! Maybe put them with a main dish.

Bon appetit!

Tips & Recipes from an UN-Domestic Goddess: The scrummiest sandwich

The scrummiest sandwich - Chicken Burger with Camembert & Cranberry Sauce on toasted baguette!

This isn't really a recipe it's more the tale of how to make a simply scrumptious sandwich!

What you need:

• Chicken burger (breaded or naked)
• Cranberry Sauce
• Camembert Cheese
• Baguettes (our choice is the half-baked)

Step 1:

Cook the chicken breast until ready 

Step 2:

Warm or cook the baguette

Step 3:

Cut the chicken breast in half and place side by side in the baguette - place slices of Camembert cheese along the burger and grill until the cheese is suitably melted.

Step 4:

After your cheese is suitably melted take out the grill and add as much or as little cranberry sauce as you want.

Viola!! Simples!!

Bon Appetite

Sarah

xoxo

Tips & Recipes from the UN-Domestic Goddess: Cottage Pie!!

Happy April!! By request :) I have a cottage pie recipe for you today – an old English classic, and perfect for Easter weekend!!

Interestingly, a cottage pie is with beef, but the same recipe with lamb is shepherd’s pie! So if you’d prefer to make a shepherd’s pie for Easter, you can follow the same recipe!

The beauty of this dish is that veggie wise, you can add pretty much anything you have in the fridge! I’m doing the recipe the way I have done it before, but feel free to improvise! Making and baking will take about 1 hour.

**Apparently I didn't take any pictures of this, so I'll do it when I make it this week and add them in for you! Oops!!**

What you’ll need to make a dish for 3/4 people:

• ·         3 medium/large potatoes, quartered
• ·         Milk and butter to taste
• ·         Mince meat
• ·         1 large chopped brown onion
• ·        4 large carrots, chopped
• ·         1 can of green beans
• ·         1 clove garlic, chopped finely
• ·         1 pint of beef stock
• ·         1 tbsp all purpose flour
• ·         1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
• ·         A touch of red wine if you have some open (I know I usually do! ;D )

 1.       Pre-heat the oven to 190 degrees C/395 degrees F. First, we’ll make the mash. Boil the potatoes until soft, then drain. Mash the potatoes, then add milk and butter to taste.

 2.     In a large, deep pan, fry the onion, and carrot for 5 minutes, or until soft. For the last minute, add garlic. Put in the beef with one quarter of the stock, and cook, stirring constantly until the meat is browned. Add the remaining stock with the green beans and the red wine, season with salt and pepper and leave covered to cook for 10 minutes.

3.    3.  Put the flour into the pan, and stir until it has evenly dissolved and sauce has thickened slightly (approx. 5 minutes)

4.     4.   Place the mixture into an ovenproof dish (mine is 7’’ x 5’’ I believe) and cover with the mashed potato. Sprinkle cheese on the top, and bake for 30 – 35 minutes until the top is brown and crisp. Serve hot.

So there you have it! Simple, delicious, hearty, and you can make it as healthy as you want with more veggies!! And some say it tastes even better as leftovers, so it’s a great mid-week dish.

Please let me know how yours turned out, and I’ll post a picture of yours on this blog!

Bon appétit, 

Laura xo

Tips & Recipes From An UN-Domestic Goddess: Ape-tastic Banana Bread!!

Last week you’ll remember I promised my scrumptious banana bread recipe this week – so here it is!! Your friends and family will go ‘ape’ over this snack/dessert! 

What you’ll need to make one loaf:

• ·         1 egg
• ·         2 very ripe bananas (mashed)
• ·         4 ounces sour cream
• ·         ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ·         4 tablespoons butter
• ·         1 cup white sugar
• ·         1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ·         1/8 teaspoon salt
• ·         1 teaspoon baking soda
• ·         1 1/3 cups plain flour

1.  Preheat oven to 150 degrees C (300 F) and grease one loaf tin (mine was about 7x4 inches). In a small bowl, mix 1.5 tablespoons sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, then dust the pan lightly with the mixture.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and the rest of the sugar. Mix in eggs, bananas, sour cream, vanilla and the rest of the cinnamon. Finally, mix in the flour, baking soda, and salt.
3. Finally, pour the mixture into the pan, and bake for 1 hour. It is finished when a toothpick comes out clean in the centre.

I hope you enjoy this banana bread as much as I did. It’s been tried and tested, and the consensus was that the dish will drive you ‘bananas’!

OMG yum

Yes, I’m terribly cheesy, but I’m actually craving banana bread now! Off to make some more…

Bon appétit!

Laura xo

Tales & Recipes from an UN-Domestic Goddess: Spaghetti & Meatballs!!

Happy Monday, Sprezzatura readers!! 

Because Monday's stresses call for some warm, filling comfort food, I hope you'll try my spaghetti and meatballs! With Valentine's Day coming up tomorrow, what better way to recreate that scene from Lady and the Tramp than by making your very own scrumptious dish? 

What You'll Need (for 2 Large Portions): 

• Ground beef 
• Marinara Sauce 
• 1 Medium onion, chopped finely 
• 2 Garlic cloves 
• 2 Tablespoons Basil 
• 1 Teaspoon Sugar 
• 2 Slices worth White Bread crumbs 
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese 
• 1 Egg 
• Flour 

And, here we go. It's important to note that, thought the measurements are pretty accurate, I don't measure the above when making this - so if you think there is too little or too much of something for your liking - then change it! 

1. Put some olive oil in the base of a saucepan and place the onion in - heat up and stir until onion is brown, and then add the garlic to cook for one more minute or so. Divide mixture in half, and put one half to cool in a large bowl. Pour the marinara sauce into the saucepan on top of the mixture, stir to distribute, and bring to the boil, then to simmer. Add half the basil and all of the sugar, and leave simmering. *Tip (which may be obvious but I didn't realise: Cover the pan, or your entire kitchen will be turned orange!!) 

2. On top of the onion/garlic in the large bowl, place your meat, breadcrumbs, cracked egg, Parmesan, and the other half of basil. Mix it all together so evenly distributed. Put spaghetti on to boil at this point. 

3. Put flour on a clean surface, and roll the mixture into evenly sized balls of your preference. I usually end up with 6 or so large meatballs. Roll the balls in flour. Put oil into a heated skillet and brown the meatballs on all sides. 

4. Add the sauce to the pan, covering the meatballs. Let it simmer for 5-7 minutes, until the meatballs are brown the whole way through. 

Now all that's left to do is add the meatballs and sauce to the spaghetti (and more parmesan cheese, of course), round up your lover, family or flatmate, and eat a warm and yummy meal!! 

Thiiiiiis is the night, such a beauuuuutiful night, and they caaaall it Beeeeeella Noche

Bon apetit! 

Chef Laura xo 

Next week I'll be baking banana bread - it got great reviews from my colleagues at work today, and from Sarah, who doesn't even really like bananas! I can't wait to share it with you! 

Like a boss.