Baked Vegetable Rice

Rice.  The staple of life for many people across the world.  It's usually steamed or boiled in its purest form, possibly fried in a wok with some beaten egg or made unctuous by lots of stock, plenty of stirring and grated cheese in my Risotto - all made on a hob or hotplate.  Rice cooks brilliantly in the oven too.  I know, that's mad.  But I promise it's true.  Admittedly, you do start the cooking process on the hob but that's a relatively quick process before it goes into the oven to bake and soak up lots of stock.  Baked rice is one of the best dishes to use up the last few vegetables in the basket or fridge, making it a lot healthier and better for you than any of those packet reconstituted rice mixes that haunt the supermarket aisles.

Kitchen Sink Brownie Cake

Brownies.  Squares of chocolately squidgy heaven.  I haven't made them in ages seeing as I was a tad preoccupied with the day job and only got my baking mojo back last week.  There's a birthday in work tomorrow and I decided that the birthday girl was going to get a giant brownie.  But why stop at a brownie, why not make a cake out of it, and throw everything into it as well...

I started off with some really nice 74% dark chocolate in my standard brownie recipe, added a grownup touch by channelling my inner Ina Garten and adding a shot of really strong espresso.  And a bag of chocolate chips.  And half a bag of marshmallows.  Oh, and I liberally adorned the top of it with salted caramel. Chocolate, sugar, more chocolate and salted caramel... Happy Birthday Adrienne!

*CLOSED* Win a bloomin’ great prize thanks to Ocean Spray

This summer, Ocean Spray has teamed up with Gardens Now to create the ‘Wellbeing Wetlands, inspired by Ocean Spray from Gardens Now’ which will be showcased at Bord Bia’s Bloom. Taking place from Thursday 29th May until Monday 2nd June, in Phoenix Park, Dublin, Bloom will be home to over 20 show gardens and the ‘Wellbeing Wetlands, inspired by Ocean Spray from Gardens Now’ is set to be one of the most uplifting and vibrant gardens on display. 

Dinner in 10 : Prawn Fried Rice

Takeaways are lovely.  Especially when you're absolutely knackered after a hard day in work and want something quick and easy.  But they're a wee bit expensive, especially if you get into the habit of ordering them - say goodbye to the guts of €20 for two people.  A lovely treat but you can do something yourself for a fraction of the price and in half of the time.  Let's face it, it takes at least half an hour from making the call to hearing the doorbell.  You can cook this lazy, easy Prawn Fried Rice in less than half of the time and be curled up in front of the tellybox watching Emily Thorne plot more ridiculous Revenge scenarios (me) or watching a really intellectual documentary on Def Leppard (him).

Citrus Coconut Sponge Cake

You're right, I have been a bit remiss on the old baking front for the past few months.  I think I lost my baking mojo to be quite honest as the day job has been a bit manic and has sapped my energy.  I do have a very highly developed sense of guilt and when one of my new colleagues remarked that she had never eaten anything I had made, the guilt went into overdrive.  Ever since, I've had ideas whirling around in my head of things to bake.  Should it be biscuits, should it be a tart, should it be muffins?  By chatting to her, I discovered that she loves coconut and lemons so it was time to bake something she'd really enjoy.  Karen, this cake is for you!  What sealed the deal for me was a trip into Fallon & Byrne last week where I found the most amazing unwaxed lemons with leaves and stalks still attached.  Little Sis used to bring me home smuggled lemons straight from the tree when she returned from trips to Spain, and one of my happiest memories of our trip to Napa Valley was picking limes from a tree in a sunny courtyard and using them the same evening to brighten up some Vietnamese takeout food and Mexican beer.  As it happens, I have some limes in my fridge, so added the zest to the mix.

A Weekend in Lille

Lille is probably the best kept secret in France.  It's the gateway between France and Belgium and is a fantastic weekend destination, offering the best of both cultures.  We visited Lille to celebrate our wedding anniversary and were very pleasantly surprised by all that the city has to offer.  It's small but packed full of decadent patisseries, vibrant restaurants and more culture than you could possibly hope to encounter.

WIN with Kerrygold (twice!) *CLOSED*

However you pronounce it (buhher, botter, budder), the fact is that as a nation, Irish people love eating real butter.  I am firmly in the camp of butter lovers and use it in baking and cooking on a very regular basis.  I'm not as bad as my VBF Mrs. T who is in the habit of using inches of butter on her bread - in fact I think the ratio is about 3 : 1 in favour of butter!  When you think of Irish butter, Kerrygold is the name that comes to mind and it's recognised as a symbol of Irish food worldwide.

Spring Things I Love

Spring has finally sprung.  The tulips and daffodils are brightening up our garden and the grass has received its first cut of the year. As the days are growing longer, so is the list of great things that I've heard about recently.  Here's a few I think you'll like.

Purple Pantry

For a young lad, Adam Hoban is a very busy boy.  He started writing a food blog, then developed his love for food into a business making preserves, chutneys and condiment.  And he's in college too.  With 16 products in his range, including a delicious whisky & ginger marmalade and an Eastern inspired Apple & Pear chutney, there's a flavour to suit every palate.  The Purple Pantry is at the Honest2Goodness market in Finglas every Saturday or you can order online.  Prices start at €2.80.

Cinnamon Hill

Cinnamon Hill's Original Cinnamon Lover's Pack arrived on the desk recently and it's a far cry from the usual three little sticks in a jar format we're used to.  A beautiful honey oak grater with a ceramic cup holder and two packets of fresh cinnamon sticks from Ceylon and Saigon have transformed my humdrum morning porridge, added warmth and depth to roasted butternut squash and brought fresh life to my carrot cake.  £52 for the pack or £6 for the cinnamon sticks alone.

The Westin Dublin Takeaway Afternoon Tea

This has to be one of the cutest ideas I've seen in ages. An afternoon tea to takeaway and enjoy as a picnic in the park or a treat at home. I'd probably eat it in the car on the way home! With 24 hours notice, you can enjoy homemade roast Spiced Beef sandwiches, Cucumber and Dill Cream Cheese on soft white bread, Lemon Sponge Loaf, Pistachio Macarons, Red Velvet cupcakes with Vanilla Cream icing and White Chocolate and Strawberry Tarts.  And the cost?  €19.95 per person.

Caffe Cagliari

With the demise of Nespresso's stranglehold on the coffee capsule market, there's now lots of choice.  Caffe Cagliari are an Italian coffee company from Modena and with over 100 years experience, have really good coffee.  I was very pleasantly surprised by the Deca espresso which was rich with a great crema and indistinguishable from the real thing.  The range of 5 capsules costs £2.99 per box of 10.

Bonjour French Food

It's no surprise to anybody who reads Babaduck that I am a Francophile.  Last year was my all time record with three trips - one for work and two for fun and this year there (very sadly) looks like none.  When the March box from Bonjour French Food full of delights from Brittany landed on my desk, I was instantly transported to the land of the crepe and cidre.  First out was a Kouign Amann, a cake which is mainly butter and a bit of flour to hold it together.  Oh, the smell!  Next was a trio of jars containing pork rilettes, sardine rilettes and lamb pate.  The perfect lunch with a baguette and salad.  Finally, more sweet treats - a jar of Fleur du Sel caramel and Sable biscuits with more caramel.  Bonjour French Food is a monthly subscription box of gourmet delights for you or to share as a gift from £29 per month.

So, do any of these ideas appeal to you?  Do tell...

Review : Lunch at Pizza e Porchetta

Many years ago, I worked on Grand Canal Quay in a temp job - parking was at a premium and it was a regular occurrence to play chicken with the traffic wardens, sometimes winning, sometimes losing.  There was also nowhere to eat in the area - our sole source of food was a guy who delivered sandwiches at 11am, miss him and you'd go hungry for the afternoon.  Thankfully, the area has a lot more going for it now with the arrival of Ronan Ryan's Pizza e Porchetta at The Malting Tower.

Ethan's Minecraft Cake

It's that time of year again - the Handsome Nephew Ethan's birthday and this year, he reached the ripe old age of eleven.  Where has that time gone?  Anyway, with age comes changing tastes in birthday cake requests and this was was an absolute beauty.  Along with his sister and cousin, he's pretty much obsessed with Minecraft and wanted a suitably appropriate cake.  But he didn't tell me this, instead his cousin Lulu mentioned it in passing and then produced a photo of what he had selected.  So, I had to get on with it and create a masterpiece.