Fold in the Flour ...

I'm not sure if we are in the middle of autumn, or we have skipped it entirely and headed straight into winter. The weather has been so gloomy that my thoughts have definitely turned towards comfort food. This is a rich, dark chocolate tart, sweetened with hazelnut praline. I thought that it would be a lovely autumnal recipe and it's an idea that was floating around in my head for a while before I actually got around to try making it. If you're a Nutella fan, you'll love it (as Josh, my eldest, did). It'd be great though, for a special occasion or party - you only need a small slice as it's so rich, so it will serve loads. It's funny though, as when I was researching the various elements I wanted to use for this, I then discovered that there was a similar tart on the Good Food website, albeit with a baked filling. This one is a creamy chocolate ganache, set overnight in the fridge. I also used pastry made with ground hazelnuts to up the 'nutty...

I had one of those moments the other day. The boys and I were out shopping and popped into our local Cadbury shop. We hadn't been in there for a while, and usually buy a treat when we do go, so had a good look around. I was absolutely amazed to see a blast from my past there. Jameson's Raspberry Ruffles. I hadn't seen these anywhere for years . They are, if you don't know, little chocolates made from raspberry-flavoured coconut fondant enrobed in dark chocolate. They taste (to me, anyway), sublime. One of my grandfather's favourite sweets, too, a fond childhood memory of mine is of him and I going on expeditions to his allotment, and returning, his bike laden with home grown veggies for tea. Of course, what he didn't tell my nan, was that we had had a brief detour via his bookies, and my reward for silence was a few of his treasured raspberry ruffles. Not that I'm easily bought, of course ... Aanyways, I hadn't seen them in ages and so just ...

These little cookies may not look much, but be warned, they are addictive and so easy to make they could form the start of a serious addiction (Mike take note!). They are packed full of dried blueberries, rolled oats and chocolate chips, which give a lovely chewy texture alongside an intense hit of chocolate cookie dough. I can only say 'Yum!' They are adapted from a recipe in Marian Keyes' book, ' Saved by Cake '. I didn't have all the ingredients so played around a little. I also like my cookies chunky, so altered the method slightly.   This is the first recipe I've tried from the book - but there are lots to tempt you. I'm a big fan of Marian Keyes' novels ('Anybody Out There' is one of my favourites) so it was interesting seeing how she tackled a recipe book detailing a love of baking which developed from her own personal battle with depression. Her writing style is very comfortable and comforting, and this would be a great book f...

Last Wednesday was a bit warmer than it has been of late, so I took Sam for a walk to the village in his pushchair. We stopped at our local deli ( Deli a Go Go ), ordered a coffee and a hazelnut brownie, and sat in the window watching the world go by. Sam and I did a bit of pondering. We pondered how we were going to feel when I return to work at the end of my maternity leave. The weeks are going by fast, and I am now able to count on one hand the weeks I have left. It's not so much the going back to work, more the having to entrust Sam to some one else's care. Sam thought that it wouldn't be so bad, as he has some lovely people taking care of him. They make funny noises and faces and make him laugh. They give him cuddles when he's sad, and they play when he wants to have fun. They feed him and soothe him to sleep when it's nap time. While it makes me happy knowing that he will be well looked after, it breaks my heart that it won't be me doi...