Browsing Tag

chocolate

Dessert

Titanic Eclairs

April 15, 2012

Last week, I started to make these éclairs as I have a book at home called ‘Last dinner on the Titanic’. I used the éclair recipe from the book, as April 14th is the 100th year anniversary of the Titanic hitting an iceberg. I thought it would make an interesting  blog post that would reflect a bit on the last meal eaten by those poor souls that were lost that night. I was just about to pipe the éclairs, when I realised I couldn’t find my cloth piping bag. The best piping bag I have is this old cloth piping bag. I was delighted when I finally found it. This isn’t just any piping bag. This is my Mum’s piping bag. It’s the one she used to use when she made éclairs when we were kids. My Mum passed away last year, so now everything belonging to her is so full of history. I don’t think I’ve ever used this piping bag without smiling or crying and remembering and reflecting on her life. I love the way these types of benign artefacts take you away from the banal to a moment in time. I guess history is always around us, we just need to take a step back and tune into it.Other than the Titanic, there is another reason why April 14th is an historical day of sorts. Yesterday, the OH and I finally got married and had a beautiful marraige at my home. There was alot of cheese, and even the bride and groom wore aprons. It was so much fun 🙂 I promise to post some photos soon. Continue Reading…

Dessert

Tartan Tart

April 5, 2012

You may not know it, but, the 6th of April is in fact Tartan Day. It’s a day to celebrate Scottish heritage and a day for the Scottish diaspora all over the world to celebrate tartan and Scottish culture. April 6th marks the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath which confirmed Scotland’s status as an independent sovereign state. During the 18th century there was an attempt to ban tartan in an effort to bring warrior clans under control. Thankfully it never happened and tartan remains as popular as ever today. As a McDonald, I feel I should pay some attention to my roots and wanted to celebrate this quirky feast day with some food.  I think Tartan Day is a great way to wear some beautiful colours, cook up some Scottish food and celebrate our ancestors. So what better way to celebrate tartan day, than with a tart. A wee tartan tart *to be said in a Scottish accent*.
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Cake

Double LEGO® Cupcakes

March 1, 2012

It all started with a brown piece of LEGO®. To me it looked like a shiny cube of delicious milk chocolate. Wouldn’t it be great if it actually was chocolate? The cream coloured pieces could be sweet white chocolate and the glossy black pieces a rich dark chocolate. If only that were possible, I thought. Well, with the help of some magic blue stuff, I made my chocolate LEGO® dream come true. It was pretty simple to make them too. Continue Reading…

Treats

Chocolate Toffee Crisp Squares

November 10, 2011

These delicious treats are kind of a cross between a chocolate rice crispy cake and a toffee chocolate square. I use two types of chocolate as I think the dark chocolate offsets the sugary sweetness of the toffee. These treats are light ,crispy and fantastically moreish. They will keep for a few days in an airtight tin – that’s if you can resist eating them. Continue Reading…

Treats

Bickies, Bickies, Bickies

September 1, 2011


Sometimes I feel like a little homemade treat, and these biscuits always hit the spot. Sable biscuits take a bit of time to make, but are definitely worth the effort. They are feather light, buttery and perfectly crisp. I use this recipe a lot and you can create so many different biscuit flavours and shapes with it. I sometimes cover sables with lemon curd and a swirl of meringue on top, sort of a miniature lemon meringue biscuit. I also used them in this recipe to create mini banoffee pies. On this occasion, I cut them in different shapes and dipped them in melted chocolate with a light sprinkling of toasted nuts and desiccated coconut. If this recipe seems like just a bit too much work, check out my friend Caitriona’s review of  a small Irish company, Kooky Dough, that produce readymade cookie dough, which might just save you in a biscuit emergency. Continue Reading…

Dessert

Retro Recipe Revival

June 16, 2011

 

So, I finally dusted down the old recipe book, donned my 1950’s style apron, put on some Frank Sinatra and began my journey back in time. Wouldn’t this dish look very impressive at a dinner party in the 1950’s?  I chose this particular recipe for Chocolate Meringue Tart, because it looked so decadent and delicious. I was also kind of intrigued by the concept. Chocolate, meringue and pastry, I wasn’t too sure if it would turn out to be yucky or yummy. As I read the recipe I realised I would have to change a few little things. I just couldn’t bring myself to use margarine, so I used lovely Irish butter instead. And that chocolate filling looked a little bland, so I jazzed it up with some Cointreau. I also used real cherries on top instead of sticky glace ones and garnished with some fresh fragrant mint. The rest of the recipe is pretty much as is and I even used Bourneville chocolate.

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I'm Vicky and Stasty is my simple and tasty food recipe blog. I love to cook and I love to talk about food, so this blog is really my ramblings and thoughts about cooking and eating. Some of the recipes are my own and some are ones that I found on the net or picked up from my favorite cookbooks. I cook everything in our little kitchen in beautiful Washington. I am aided and abetted by my I.T guru/tantrum-trouble-shooter/editor and chief-taster otherwise known as the OH or Nelius.