You can not beat a classic bowl of hot cauliflower cheese soup and pancetta on cold, rainy days to warm your heart.
Whilst it's not the number one choice of veg to be consumed in its natural form in my home, cooked and blended is a great disguise and always goes down a treat, combine it with a few favourites cheese, more cheese and did I mention cheese, with some tasty salty crispy pancetta it's happiness all around.
This creamy and cosy soup is the perfect form of comfort from shielding from the rain, so pop your fashionable umbrellas, leave your new high waisted bikini in its carrier bag down head on home armed with a few ingredients your favourite people and a nice bottle of red wine and prepare to have your mind blown.
Ingredients
25g butter - or a glug of rapeseed oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 medium cauliflowers, broken into florets
1 large baking potato, cut into chunks
450 ml hot vegetable stock
70ml carton single cream
50g mature Cheddar, grated
60g mozzarella, grated
80g of cubbed/copped pancetta
Handful roughly chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, to garnish
Directions
1.Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, until softened. Add the cauliflower, all the potato and the stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat slightly and simmer for 20 minutes, until very soft. Cool slightly.
2.Whizz the soup in a blender until smooth. Return to the rinsed-out saucepan. Add the cream and season to taste, then gently reheat, until hot but not boiling. Add cheese and stir until melted.
3. Fry the pancetta in a small frying pan until brown and crisp, pour on to a tea towel or kitchen paper and remove excess grease and scatter on top of your soup with the parsley to serve.
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I've finally done it, I took the plunge and finally bought a slow cooker, god knows what I was playing at I could have been making these tasty slow roasted brisket tacos years ago!
Now I am not a vegetarian and I know I made these veggie tacos first, but if I am honest I can not live without meat and after eating these dreamy brisket tacos you will know why. I have never cooked this particular meat so was a little anxious, but god knows why I was worried it turns out delicious every single time. It was probably a fear of not using or having a slow cooker before and worried that if I did not need much interaction with the dish once placed inside, that it would not turn out as I wanted, but as I said I am glad I went for it's one of the tastiest and easiest of dishes I've ever made.
I have cooked my slow roasted beef brisket a few times now, I look to cook it when I have family and friends over as it makes a for a great sharing dish where everyone can come together and build their own tacos, or on a Saturday evening when Leanora who I am extremely surprised loves these tacos and us girls can have a proper pig out session whilst watching our favourite Saturday night programmes.
Thanks to Kitchenwithcumbers and winning his amazing giveaway a trunk filled with amazing goodies, I had most of my ingredients to reach at hand. With a little forward planning, this dish does take between 8-10 hours to cook, after all, it is best to plan this from the night before in order for it to be ready for supper.
With this beef, you can use it not just for tacos, but a variety of dishes which I am sure I will make with my soft, melt in the mouth leftovers, ranging from tacos. Burritos. Nachos. Salads. Tostadas. Whatever you want really, even a late night snack!!!
Ingredients
Beef brisket (about a kilo/2lbs)
Spice mix
5 1/2 tbsp of cajun spice (has most of your ingredients needed, paprika, dried oregano, garlic powder, onion powder salt, black pepper)
Beef
2 tbsp of olive oil
3 garlic cloves chopped
1 onion diced
185 ml orange juice
juice of half a lime
1 can of chopped tomatoes
500ml beef stock
water
1. rub spice mix over beef and leave to marinade for 3-4 hours.
2. heat the olive oil in a large deep dish and add the beef and brown on all sides. Once done set aside on a plate.
3. Add some more olive oil if needed to your deep dish and fry off your garlic and onion for 3-5 minutes until soft.
4. Add your orange juice, chopped tomatoes and stock to the dish with the garlic and onions in and heat up for a few minutes.
5. Switch on your slow cooker and add a touch of oil and whack in your beef brisket, then pour over all your stock from the deep dish over the brisket, pop the lid on and leave to cook for 8-10 hours.
6. Once all tender, shred the beef in its juice and decant into a large sharing plate.
Heat up your tacos, shred some lettuce, grate some cheese, dice up a few avocados, squeeze out a few gem nuggets of pomegranates and tuck in!
That's what I'm taco-about...
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London Mumma xx
With the first half term hijinks of the year here, that can mean only one thing, pancake day and there is no better day than pancakes day, am I right!? And in this household, we love nothing more than some ..........pancakes with orange maple syrup.
Piled up high, with lashings of orange syrup it the perfect sweet way to start your day, well actually not just for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner too, these golden brown goodness stacked on your plate can be consumed any time of the day.
In all my 30 years I've always struggled to make pancakes and get the consistency of the ingredients right, I'm the type of gal who just throws it all into a bowl, whisks it all up and pray for the best, once flipped and fried up! No surprise, it didn't always work out to as planned, but now I've got a sure fire way to always make sure you get pancakes just right with my nifty new gadget from Cookut.
Cookut, have created MIAM, a Shaker to give you Homemade pancakes in an instant! Simply add flour, milk, eggs and sugar as per the measurements on the Miam pancake maker and shake! No lump, no mess, simply pours straight into your pan and fry. Makes up to 10 pancakes, plus if you turn it around on the other side it gives you instructions to make crepes, everyone is a winner. Plus for those that are Vegan, they even have a Vegan shaker too, how great is that.
Everyone is a winner this pancake day, so for those that are like me and need assistance on making the best pancakes ever, you can pick up a normal one from here or the vegan one here.
To make 10 pancakes:
110g plain flour
2 large eggs
300ml oat milk - you can use cows milk or milk of choice
1tsp of baking powder
1. Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl, then transfer into a jug, as it is much easier to pour when frying.
2. heat a frying pan & add a blob of butter. Swish it around your pan & when it’s bubbling, pour in your batter.
3. Cook for about a minute or until you see your pancake starts bubbling, that time it means your pancake is ready to be flipped over and cooked on the other side, repeat until complete.
To make orange maple syrup (enough for 10 - 15 pancakes)
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 large orange
1. In a small saucepan heat maple syrup and juice from your orange, grate the orange and place shavings into the saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then decant into a small jug and pour over your pancakes.
If you are in the mood for some more fluffy pancakes, topped with loads of fruit, then this recipe is for you.
So let me know what you think or how you like to top off your pancakes.
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London Mumma xx
I'm not going to lie to you, there is nothing better than the smell of warm banana bread wafting in your home, the aromas are simply heavenly and truly inviting.
This Bitchin Banana bread is rich in flavour and tasty as hell. I am a firm believer in spoiling yourself and this is certainly a big tasty treat, I mean a bitchin one at that!
I have found a new found love in baking, especially with Leanora, I'm not a clean baker I have to confess, the kitchen looks like a bomb site after, but oh boy it is so worth it once it's ready. We normally grab a few forks, sit on the floor with Milo purring at our feet and us in a fit of giggles enjoying our spoils.
This requires next to no work at all, especially if you have little helpers at hand, as soon as we wake up we like to make this first thing in the morning, as we find the whole house smells warm and comforting from the get-go and gently reminds us when we are back from running errands that there may, just maybe, a few slices left over to tuck into.
Leanora and I will certainly be getting a little bit more creative with our baking, we are actually making something just in time for Chinese New Year, which we are super excited about next week, but until then why not try out our Chinese sweet sticky wings until then.
Ingredients
100 grams of softened butter
175 grams of caster sugar
225 self raising flour
1 tbsp of baking powder
2 tbsp of oat milk (or any)
2 eggs
2 ripe bananas
Directions
1. Lightly grease your tin and line with non-stick parchment paper, pre heat oven 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.
2. Mash bananas in a bowl and set to one side. With the remainder of the ingredients whisk together with a wooden spoon add in your bananas until well blended.
3. Pour into your greased tin and pop into the oven for about an hour until well risen and golden brown.
4. Pop out of the oven and set to one side to cool for a few minutes.
5. Slide out of the tin and slice up the bad boy largely and enjoy.
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Bon appetit.
London Mumma xx
When it comes to Sunday lunch, you can not beat a good roast with family and friends, it goes hand in hand, like prosecco and my hand, so when we were invited to a The Sipping Room which is part of the Drake & Morgan family, it would have been rude to of not accept, especially as I've heard there Sunday roast is big deal!
Sunday's can be hard to find a decent location for food, service and family entertainment especially if you have children.
Sundays are about enjoying good food and your family and friends company and that can be hard to find in a restaurant, but a little further into the city, Canary Wharf, just on the riverfront, there you will find The Sipping Room, a perfect family affair. Yes, you may be thinking oh she is just saying that but truly, I don't just look at how I am being served, but others around us. The staff were great and embraced those with family, of children and babies of all ages with open arms!
The Sipping Room is quite rustic on the side with a modern twist of decor, it is dark and moody but well lit to give you that dark romance feel.
Got a large group of 6-8 that's great, as they have large booths in their glorious rustic restaurant.
Whilst the kids play, drawn and gave balloons made out of there favourite characters, why not order yourself a nice ice cold bottle of wine.
Whilst sipping on your wine, why not tuck into the tastiest of sourdough bread's still warm from the oven.
Once devoured, mostly by Leanora, as we were only allowed one slice as apparently this was HER bread, let the main course commence!
Now, this was, no IS the Sunday Roasts of dreams, this is literally food from the gods, sent down to grace us.
Leanora went for the sausage and mash from the Little Drake menu, which she totally devoured, before I could ask for a bite of her sausage and when I did, if looks could kill, I'd be 6 feet under right now!
Nannie, went for the whole roast chicken, and it was a mouth-wateringly good, so good we all ended up attacking it!
I went for the succulent beef accompanied by monstrous towering Yorkshire pudding, which I wolfed down with lashings of gravy and roast vegetables.
All pleasantly stuffed and ready for a kip, we finished off with coffee for me a good ol cuppa tea for Nannie and orange juice for Leanora, before we headed off for a delightful nighttime stroll around Canary Wharf before we departed for home.
Truly an amazing lunch at an amazing restaurant, perfect for those with families or just a good old feast with a few of your favourite people.
A firm new favourite restaurant for us and trust me it will be yours too.
A massive thank you to The Sipping Room for having us three little piggies, we left feeling like happy bunnies.
London Mumma xxx
Sweet baby cheesus, I have gone in to comfort heaven this Autumn and I am not gonna lie, I am loving it, bring on all the comfort dishes I say. The cold chill has finally reached us and all I am looking for at night, is some cuddles and a little tlc from a bowl of my new autumn dish, butternut squash man n cheese, whilst wrapped up in my new mermaid blanket.
A little twist on a classic and boy is it a good twist. Of late, my dad has been coming round every week, with butternut squash, god knows what that is all about, you would think he has opened up a squash shop, but not one for wasting food I gotta cook it up before it spoils, but trust me, I am not moaning about my squash drop off's, as I am sure to be making a big batch of this every week.
For the past few weeks I've been feeling shattered and tired and a little over worked and now I am currently poorly, so stuck at home, feeling groggy there is nothing better on a cold sick day, than this to cheer you up and warm up your cockles, plus it is great for the kids and is always a big hit in my home.
Ingredients
1 butternut squash
1 small onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 1/4 cup vegetable stock
4 oz. shredded cheddar or a mix of cheese
2 oz. cream cheese
Directions1. First, peel the butternut squash, remove the fleshy insides along with the seeds. Dice remaining squash in to small cubes, peel and roughly chop ur onion, followed by your garlic, place in your deep pot and top with stock mixture and bring all to the boil, then turn down, place your lid on top, the aim of the game is to cook until so soft that when forked the vegetables (squash) falls off, so for around 20-30 minutes.
2. Boil some fresh water in another pot and cook your macaroni as per instructions of the packet. You will notic I do not use salt, as my stock, I used bouillon is quite salty, so no need to add! Once macaroni cooked, drain and place to one side.
3. Vegetables all nice and soft, grab your blender, pour in vegetables with stock into your blender whizz up for a minute, you are after the consistency of a soup. Pour back soupy squash in to your pot, place over a low heat. Pour in your cooked macaroni, bung in your cream cheese, your mountain of glorious cheese, I go for a mix of shredded mozzarella and cheddar. Give it all a stir and serve immediately!
Fantastically tasty, comforting and oh so good for you and perfectly winter warming!
Any left over, makes for a great work lunch.
Tuck in!
London Mumma xx
With the kids returning back to school or for those eagerly starting, we are going to need to wind back into our routines and what better way than with a tasty treat for the mornings for breakfast on the run, but with little sticky fingers and faces and you in work gear, don't forget to bring those trusty wet wipes along!
I've teamed up with Contact Numbers UK to share with you some handy tips on how to maximise the savings out of your club cards and helping you to utilise their service with family favourite supermarkets such as Sainsbury's, Tesco's and Morrisons.
Contact Numbers UK have a vast directory of customer service numbers for Sainsbury's, Tesco's, Morr
With school uniforms, lunches, stationary to buy you want to make sure you watch the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves, so my dear old Ma says. For me what I like to do is use my club card rewards points to go towards Leanora's nursery clothes, so each new term all the points that I have collected and saved in Sainsbury's will go to some much-needed essentials, which consists of mostly socks and underwear. With a few additional points left over, I decided to buy a few tasty treats and make these tasty Yoghurt lollipops. A great way on scoring more points and some that they do not tell you about in store, is by checking Sainsbury's Nectar card app, a few weeks ago I managed scoring extra points, just by logging back into the app.
So quick and super easy to make only a few essentials needed and perfect for the whole family before and after school.
Ingredients
Yoghurt - Any flavour of your choice
Blueberries
Granola
Method
1. Pour in half of your yoghurt into your lollipop moulds, drop a few blueberries a sprinkle of granola and repeat until filled to the top then freeze.
That is it, how quick and simple is that, little fuss, little mess, just what Mumma needed and the kitchen too. By making your own yoghurt lollipops, you will be saving your self a whole lotta dosh, plus you know what is actually going into it.
A massive thank you to Contact Numbers UK for collaborating with me on this tasty post.
London Mumma xx
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But on a summers day, we are going to need a tasty dish which packs a punch at the same time as tickling our taste buds, all whilst dreaming and wishing we were right back by the sea and what better dish to eat on a summers day than a chilli crab linguine and I promise you, after just one bite, you will be wanting to it this dish all summer long.
This is the perfect meal be it for lunch or dinner to enjoy with family and friends with a nice ice cold bottle of plonk (you know me Prosecco or Sancerre) and an elderflower cordial for the kiddies (Leanora loves the stuff, thinking of making my own, is it hard, or do you have any good family recipes?).
Now I must say, I did make this with both white and dark crab meat as I wanted to really taste the salty sea (makes sense in my mind) but you can opt just for the white glorious fatty flesh of crab if you wish.
Ingredients (serves 4)
400g Linguine
A handful of cherry tomatoes, chopped
300g Fresh white crab meat
4 Stems of parsley finely chopped
1 Green and red chilli chopped
Half a lemon
50ml of olive oil
1 Garlic clove finely chopped
Directions
1. Cook linguine in boiling water (you can add salt, but I don't) for 8-9 minutes.
2. Whilst linguine is cooking away nicely, in a pan, through in your olive oil, crab, chilli (as much as you like), tomatoes, and garlic and lemon juice and cook over a medium heat until all warmed through.
3. drain pasta, but save a little of the water for your sauce and pop back into your pan, pour in your warmed through ingredients and gently toss together.
4. serve amongst 4 dishes and sprinkle over your chopped parsley and serve.
Do you have a tasty summery dish that you and your friends and family like to enjoy?
London Mumma xx
I'm currently on route to the office for a few
short hours and I've just realised it's half term. Mother and Auntie duties
will certainly be taking up my whole week, but it's dawned on me, what on earth
are we going to do, but don't worry I realised I planned for this weeks ago and
made a little to-do list for this halftime term.
Flip Out
Flip Out quite literally you will flip out! A
few weeks ago Leanora, my nephews & I were invited to try out the new FlipOut branch in Brent Cross, what is it may I ask! Think old school Gladiators,
just minus the tackling the warriors but an indoor bouncy
castle-trampoline-assault course for kids and us big kids too! You get to spend
90 minutes jumping for joy, all whilst leaving you in a fit of giggles trying
to get out of the foam pit.
Get crafty
Nothing like a little creativity with the
kiddos, not sure on what to create don't worry I've got loads of ideas over on
my Pinterest page.
Movies
All week, the majority of the cinemas have
kids am screening, showcasing not the latest movies, but recently released ones
at a fraction of the cost from £2.00, that's for adult tickets too, so why not
check out your local cinema to see what is on offer.
Eat out
We love to eat out and try new foods, being in
London there is so much to offer, with the weather nicely warmed up, why not
get something to eat out and dine alfresco. Dining out for dinner try going
before the mad rush of dinner service, so maybe try a 5/5:30 pm slot or if out
and about and in the Clapham area I certainly recommend Baba Boom, they have an
awesome menu loads of tasty meats and veggie options for you to try, plus they
have a great kids menu. I did do a post about them, but deleted it like a
muppet, but trust me, it’s good!
Bike Rides
You can not be cooped up all day, so get some
fresh clean air into your lungs, head down to the park and go for a leisurely
bike ride with the kids, a great source of exercise for the whole family.
What do you have planned this half term?
London Mumma xx
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