Tuesday 29 January 2013

Tuesday Tunes.

 
Song of the Week: P.O.D - Alive.
 
This song is incredible. P.O.D always write really honest, powerful and meaningful lyrics and turn them into amazing, memorable rock songs. Youth Of The Nation by P.O.D is literally one of my favourite songs ever, it is so emotional and hard-hitting and I love it. I also love Alive as in contrast it's very uplifting and inspirational so, here it is and I hope you enjoy it too. I'm also quite proud that this is what I was listening to when I was 7, thank goodness for older brothers and sisters. Although, lets be honest, a little bit of S Club 7, Blue and Five were all thrown in there too. I know, just a bit different. I guess we all have to be a little bit embarrased by our 7 year old selves don't we.
 
Thankyou for listening!
Love Courts x

Monday 28 January 2013

Raspberry Amaretti Cupcakes.


 


 
 
These little Raspberry Amaretti Cupcakes are lovely and tasty. They are very cute and girly with the pretty pink raspberries and velvety, white mascarpone icing on top and the sponge has a delicious almondy, marzipan essence to it from the addition of amaretti biscuits which, makes these cupcakes feel a bit special. They are also very light and refreshing cupcakes with the addition of the fresh raspberries and the mascarpone topping which, is quite nice as some cupcakes can be a bit heavy with a dense sponge and a hefty dollop of frosting, don't get me wrong though, either's fine by me :P.
 
I really really enjoyed these cupcakes and they were actually very easy and quick to make and decorate too which, is always nice. I hope you enjoy them too!
 
 
Recipe
75g (3 oz) amaretti biscuits
75g (3 oz) light muscovado sugar
100g (3 1/2 oz) lightly salted butter, softened
2 eggs
75g (3 oz) self-raising flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
 
Topping
200g (7 oz) mascarpone
8 tablespoons icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
250g (8 oz) fresh raspberries
 
Method
 
Line a 12-section bun tray with paper cake cases. Put the amaretti biscuits in a polythene bag and crush with a rolling pin.
 
Tip the crushed biscuits into a bowl and add the muscovado sugar, butter, eggs, flour and baking powder. Beat with a hand-held electric whisk for about a minute until pale and creamy. Divide the cake mixture between the paper cases.
 
Bake in a preheated oven, 180C, Gas Mark 4, for 20 minutes or until risen and just firm to touch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
 
Beat the mascarpone with a wooden spoon in a bowl to soften, then beat in the icing sugar. Spread over the cakes with a small palette knife. Arrange a layer of raspberries on top and dust with icing sugar.
 
Voilaa!
 
 

Thankyou for reading!
Love Courts x

Thursday 24 January 2013

Puy Lentil, Spiced Roast Carrot & Feta Salad.

 
The other day I came across another rather yummy sounding salad recipe and as I had a packet of Puy lentils left over from my last recipe I thought I'd give it a try. I was a bit worried plating it up that it would be a bit boring as it didn't seem to have much to it but, it actually tasted lovely and refreshing and I really enjoyed it. The carrots tasted lovely and sweet after being roasted in the honey, the lemon juice caramelised the red onion and tasted delicious and finally the mint came through amazingly and tased perfect with the feta.
 
I originally planned to serve my salad with some garlic bread but, as I am planning to make Gnocchi this weekend I thought I would whip up some scones to serve with it instead and I love this scone recipe.
 
 
Recipe
 
2 tbsp olive oil                                                                   
1 tbsp. cumin seeds  (I made the mistake of only adding 1 tsp. the actual recipe called for 1 tbsp. so feel free to add 1 tbsp if you like it spicy.) 
500g carrots , peeled, halved and cut into batons
1 tbsp clear honey
250g pouch cooked Puy lentils (or canned, drained and rinsed)
1 red onion , finely sliced
½ lemon , juiced
large handful mint leaves, roughly chopped
100g lamb's lettuces
85g feta cheese , crumbled

For the scones -
60g Butter
250g self-raising flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 egg
about 150ml milk
125g grated mature cheddar
1/2 tsp. mustard powder
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 onion, diced
3 rashers of bacon (or veggie bacon)


Method
  1. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. In a shallow roasting tin, toss together half the oil, the cumin, carrots and some seasoning. Roast for 25 mins, turning halfway through cooking. Drizzle over the honey, stir and roast for 5 mins more.
  2. Meanwhile, gently heat the lentils with the onion, lemon juice, remaining oil and some salt and pepper. Allow to cool slightly while the carrots finish cooking.
  3. Toss the dressed lentils with mint and lamb's lettuce. Lay warm spiced carrots on top and scatter with feta. Serve alongside a warm scone spread with butter.
(To make the scones - Lightly grease a large baking tray. Cook the bacon and fry the onion in 1 tbsp. olive oil until soft. Chop the bacon into small pieces. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Rub in the butter with the fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the grated cheese, mustard powder and dried basil. Stir in the onion and bacon. Break the egg into a measuring jug and make up to 150ml with milk. Beat lightly to mix. Add to the bowl and mix to a soft dough. Lightly knead the dough until smooth. Roll out until 1cm thick, cut into rounds with a pastry cutter, and put on the baking tray. Brush with milk. Bake in pre-heated oven at 220C for about 10 minutes until risen and golden. Serve warm with butter.) 

Enjoy!
 
 
Thankyou for reading!
Love Courts x

Tuesday 22 January 2013

Outfit of The Day- Wonder Sleeps Here.

 
 
 
Outfit of the day:
Dress - Topshop.
Boots - Ebay.
Tights - Tesco.
Denim Jacket - New Look.
Scarf - H&M.
 
I'm currently in the process of feeling really sad that I have to do overtime at work tonight
:( however, as I don't actually start for around another 10 hours I feel I should probably get up, stop moping and try to have a fairly productive day in a minute. I emphasise the fairly as in all honesty I really have nothing to do today. This morning I downloaded PhotoScape which, is a free photo editor and I really like it. I feel I may have got a litte bit carried away with editing these photos as they are all a bit bright and perhaps not very clear which, I guess isn't great for an outfit post but, I really enjoyed editing them none the less and it was really nice to be able to combine my photos into one picture rather than having them dotted all over the place in my blog post.
 
I also ordered a tripod last week to help me take better photos but, I still feel I haven't quite got the knack yet so, I will keep practising and hopefully I can take better outfit pictures in the future. I just thought that as I woke up yesterday to the surprise of snow covering the ground, it would provide a really nice background to some pictures.
 
I got this dress from Topshop a couple of months ago now but, I rarely ever wear it as 1. It is quite formal and 2. I really was not actually even sure about whether I really liked it or not when it arrived. I originally wanted a plainer dress so that I could dress smartly for things such as, interviews without having to feel awkward dressed up in a suit which, I would never normally wear. This way I figured I could remain girly whilst, looking smart. However, when it arrived I was worried that it was too plain and a bit dull. I also find it a bit tight on the chest which, restricts arm movement which, isn't too handy. I find that alot of people have also been saying the same about Topshop dresses recently and I really want to buy the Topshop Oxblood Polka dot dress in the same style as this one as it's very cute and keeps popping up on ebay at the moment but, alot of people have said that it is also very tight on the chest so, I'm not sure what to do yet. Still, I popped this on yesterday to take some pictures and I actually really liked it. The fit was fine and no way near as bad as I remembered and I thought the simplicity of the dress was actually very pretty and cute. The skirt flares out a bit too like a skater skirt which makes the dress a bit more cute, fun and girly and I love the swallow and chain detailing to the collar as that was originally what drew me to the dress in the first place.
 
I think it goes great with the denim jacket too and my studded boots and I like the dash of colour my tartan scarf brings to the outfit too. I love this scarf but, I always find it awkward to pair with things as it seems to clash if there's any form of colour to my outfit so I think the answer to that is to dress mainly in black. When I came back inside to defrost I also just chucked my red American Apparel hoody on over the top of my dress and I actually think it worked really well and managed to make the dress look surprisingly casual so, there we go, both of my problems solved.
 
It was great to wake up to some snow yesterday as we never really get to see the snow down here in Cornwall. Me and my Mum walked my nephew Charlie to nursery school and you can see how much he enjoyed it. He was almost as excited as me. I also managed to take some nice snowy pictures which, was really lovely as since I got my new camera for Christmas I have only really used it to take pictures of food so, it was nice to get out and about with it. We had a lovely snowy day walk but, no sooner had we got back in the house had it started to rain and the snow was gone again. Nevermind though, I'm glad we at least got to see a bit of white on the ground for a few hours.
 
 

 
Thankyou for reading!
Love Courts x
 

 

Monday 21 January 2013

Spicy Mexican Stew.

 
Another yummy low-fat meal to help me on my way to shedding the pounds for my summer bikini body although, I must admit that yesterday I more than put those calories straight back on by enjoying a lovely fry up for tea. I then also had a quorn carbonara earlier in the day for dinner, not to mention the box of chocolates I kept helping myself to throughout the day :/. Okay, so it's safe to say the health kick hasn't really kicked in just yet.
 
Tonight I am also having a baked potato which, could be seen as relatively healthy but, I am more than likely going to slather it with a big dollop of coleslaw and an excessive amount of grated cheese and then eat a rather hefty piece of cheese and caramelised onion quiche alongside it. Yes, pastry probably isn't the best food choice on a diet but, it sure tastes good.
 
On Saturday night I did manage to be a bit healthier though by whipping up this lovely Mexican Stew. It was very different to the meals I usually make which, was actually really nice and I really enjoyed it. Pretty much every meal I usually make seems to include a lot of cheese I find, cheese is incredible though. Anyway, the chipotle chilli paste does make this dish very spicy but, not too overpoweringly so and I am a major wuss when it comes to spice aswell so that is really saying something. Even a Tikka gets my eyes watering and I almost died eating a Green Thai Curry out once, it took 4 glasses of cold Pineapple Juice to get me through only half of the plate. This dish also doesn't really have a huge list of ingredients to it but, it still has alot of flavour and it made my quorn have a lovely tender texture to it too which, was really yummy and my family said it did the same to the chicken I popped in theirs too. 
 
I served it alongside some natural yoghurt which, was really refreshing and helped to soften the spice too, some rice as I could not find the quinoa the recipe called for anywhere (come on Cornwall branch out a bit, we can't just live on scones, clotted cream and pasties although boy would I like too) and a naan bread which, went great with the stew and was really lovely to dip in to the spicy tomato sauce.
 
I would deffinately reccommend trying this dish if like me your idea of healthy eating involves eating endless bowls of dull salad. It's nice to find some other more exciting healthy options and this lovely Mexican flavoured dish is deffinately one of them.
 
 
Recipe
 
1 tbsp. olive oil                                                                        
1 onion , sliced                                           
2 red peppers , deseeded and chopped into largish chunks                                
3 tsps. chipotle paste                                                                                                
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes                                                                                             
4 skinless chicken breasts (or a large bag of quorn)   
1 tbsp. sugar                                                                                                                                  natural yogurt and a naan bread, to serve                                  
If serving with quinoa -140g quinoa                                                                       
2 vegetable stock cubes                                                                                                
1 x 400g can pinto beans , drained
small bunch coriander, most chopped, a few leaves left whole                                           
the juice of 1 lime

Method
  
  1. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan and fry the onions and peppers for a few mins until softened. Stir in the chipotle paste for a minute, followed by the tomatoes. Add up to a tomato can-full of water to cover the chicken and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the chicken breasts and gently simmer, turning the chicken occasionally, for 20 mins until the chicken is cooked through.
  2. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil with the stock cubes. Add the quinoa and cook for 15 mins until tender, adding the beans for the final min. Drain well and stir in the coriander and lime juice, then check for seasoning before covering to keep warm.
  3. Lift the chicken out onto a board and shred each breast using two forks. Stir back into the tomato sauce with the sugar and season. Serve with the quinoa (or chips or rice), scattering the stew with some coriander leaves just before dishing up and eating with a piece of naan bread and a dollop of yogurt on the side.                                                                              


 
(How did I miss that stray grain of rice.)
Thankyou for reading!
Love Courts x

Sunday 20 January 2013

Almond Praline Cupcakes.


 
The other day I decided to make these Almond Praline cupcakes, another great recipe from my favourite 200 Cupcakes cookbook. I loved how simple they sounded and the lovely addition of the Almond Brittle to the top so, I thought I'd give them a go as I already had most of the ingredients in the cupboard anyway and I am also a big fan of nutty flavoured things and absoloutely love buttercream frosting so I thought nothing could really go wrong with these lovely little cupcakes.
 
Now, I can honestly say, despite having to have two attempts at making the caramel :/, the almond brittle is actually very simple to make and it kind of makes you feel like you are working in a sweet shop too which, is a nice feeling you don't get to experience everyday. My mistake though was assuming that nothing could go wrong with using golden caster sugar to make caramel... ofcourse when making caramel though, you are looking for a lovely golden brown colour to know when your caramel is done but, my caramel was golden from the very begginning so I had no idea when it was actually ready. Anyway, my poor first attempt at making the caramel left me with a sticky, soggy mess, and after a stint in the fridge, a crumbly, grainy praline which, tasted a bit odd and sort of irony :/, I'm not sure how I managed that either. However, on my far more successful second attempt at making caramel I made sure I used white caster sugar and managed to make a much more appealing glossy praline which, had a really yummy candyfloss type flavour to it. Much nicer!
 
As my first attempt at making praline went... well, very... very wrong, I wasn't able to include any in my actual cupcakes as I had already made the mixture so I didn't really want to leave it for too long before baking the cupcakes so, I just made them and they are so yummy. They are the perfect vanilla cupcake for me and together with, the delicious buttercream frosting create a gorgeous, simple, tasty little cupcake. Add in the almond praline and you have cupcake perfection.
 
They look rather sweet too I think with their fluffy frosting and shiny praline topping. I hope you enjoy them too if you decide to try them!




Recipe

Makes 12

sunflower oil, for brushing
250g (8oz) caster sugar
100 ml water
75g (3 oz) flaked almonds
125g lightly salted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
150g (5 oz) self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Frosting
75g (3 oz) unsalted butter, softened
125g (4 oz) icing sugar
1 teaspoon hot water

Method

Line a 12-section bun tray with paper cake cases. Brush a baking sheet lightly with oil. Put 150g (5 oz) of the caster sugar in a small saucepan with the water and heat gently until it has dissolved. Bring to the boil and boil rapidly until the syrup has turned to a pale golden caramel. Immediately stir in the flaked almonds. When coated, turn out on to the prepared baking sheet, spread in a thin layer and leave until cold and brittle.

Snap half the praline into jagged pieces and reserve. Process the remainder in a food processor until ground.

Put the butter, remaining caster sugar, vanilla extract, eggs, flour and baking powder in a bowl and beat with a hand-held electric whisk for about a minute until light and creamy. Stir in the ground praline. Divide the cake mixture between the paper cases.

Bake in a preheated oven, at 180C, Gas Mark 4, for 18-20 minutes or until risen and just firm to touch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Beat together the butter and icing sugar with the hot water in a bowl until pale and creamy. Spread over the cakes using a small palette knife. Decorate with the praline pieces and enjoy!

 
Thankyou for reading!
Love Courts x
 
 

Tuesday 15 January 2013

Tuesday Tunes.

 
Song Of The Week : Madina Lake - One Last Kiss.

Now here's a nice blast from the past or at least a little look back at the sort of songs I was listening to back in 2007. My goodness I was only 13. How time flies. 2007 doesn't even seem that long ago. Also, whatever happened to Madina Lake? With my ipod breaking recently :( I have had to go back to the good old ipod nano and as such I have rediscovered some songs I used to love including this amazing song. I love it and I have been listening to it non-stop over the last couple of weeks. I was never a big fan of their first single; House Of Cards which, everyone else seemed to love but, One Last Kiss and Here I Stand were both amazing and I am loving them all over again. Maybe I should look into some of their other songs. They might actually still be going, who knows?

Thankyou for listening!
Love Courts x

Puy Lentil, Cherry Tomato and Haloumi Salad.

 

For a vegetarian who adores pretty much all vegetables, for some reason I have never been a big fan of salads. I think it's because I've never really been fond of raw vegetables in general, I love cooked carrots for example, but can't stand them raw (unless they are in coleslaw ofcourse). I've decided to try and start being a bit healthier though as I'd really like to lose a bit of weight before the summer so, I thought I would start looking for some tasty low fat recipes including some more interesting sounding salads.

I stumbled across this lovely recipe last week and thought it sounded really nice and tasty and very different to the usual bag of lettuce leaves topped with slices of cucumber and pieces of pepper. It got really good reviews on the website too so I thought I would give it a go and I'm very glad I did as I love it! I was a bit worried incase it was going to be a bit bland as some of the reviews said it was and that in needed a bit of chorizo or something added to it to liven it up. Ofcourse I can't have chorizo but, I considered popping some in for my Mum and Dad as I wanted to make sure they enjoyed it but, in the end I didn't and it really didn't matter as this salad had lots of lovely flavour to it.

It was so quick and easy to make too with very few ingredients needed and it turned out to be a really great dish which, I will now be making time and time again. The haloumi was also gorgeous so, I am now a big haloumi fan! I had only ever had it once before and it had been cut thinly and fried which, had made it quite tough whereas, this time I grilled it in chunks so it was still nice and soft. The dish looked great too with lots of vibrant colours which, was nice. The first time I made this salad I served it with a poached egg which, went nicely with the flavour but, it wasn't too necessary and Mum and Dad had it with some fish which, they said tasted delicious with it too. Recently I made this salad again though and took some better pictures of the dish which, I have now added to the post, replacing the old ones and this time I served the puy lentil salad with some tasty homemade Garlic and Basil Ciabatta which, I will soon upload the recipe for and also some delicious homemade Caramelised Red Onion Quiche and Veggie Bacon and Roast Red Pepper Quiche. If you decide to give the Puy Lentil, Cherry Tomato and Haloumi salad a go, I hope you really enjoy it too!

 
Recipe
                       250g cherry tomatoes, halved                 
½ red onion , finely sliced
½ garlic clove , crushed
½ lemon , juiced
                                  1 tbsp. olive oil                                  
                                          150g Puy Lentils                                          
250g pack haloumi cheese , cut into chunks
a small bunch coriander , roughly chopped

Method
  1. Toss the tomatoes, red onion, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil in a bowl. Cook the Puy lentils until just tender, drain and add to the bowl. Season well and toss.
  2. Grill the haloumi until golden. Stir the coriander through the lentils and serve with the haloumi. Eat as it is or serve with whatever you like; fish, slices of chorizo, quiche, pizza or some warm crusty bread and butter etc.
 
Thankyou for reading!
Love Courts x
 




 
 

Wednesday 9 January 2013

She's Just Waiting For That One To Take Her Hand And Shake Her Up.

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Outfit of the Day:
Grey T-shirt Dress: Topshop
Studded Boots : Ebay (similar here.)
Socks: Topshop
Hat: New Look
 
A nice simple outfit unlike my very hectic room, sorry about that! I need a good clear out. I attempted one in the Summer but, I clearly didn't get rid of alot, if anything by the looks of it :/. This is the dress I bought the other day and I love it. It's very simple which I think is really nice as often I find myself wearing outfits that have a lot going on which, sometimes doesn't always look great or pay off. I think this dress is really cute too and I love the charcoal colour and speckle t-shirt style and it is also really comfy and can be just thrown on to provide a complete outfit which, for £26 isn't too shabby. I think it looks really sweet with my studded boots as well. I wanted these boots for ages but, now I find myself not wearing them anywhere near as much as I should do. I'm still very unsure about them but, I think they go quite nicely with this dress. These Topshop socks are adorable too with the little lace frill and I really like how they look poking out the top of my boots.
 
Also how cute is this song? I love a good love song. I only heard it for the first time yesterday although I do have this vague memory of hearing it somewhere in the past without properly listening to it. Anyway, now I can't stop listening to it. I've also downloaded We The King's whole first album which, sounds really good and nice and cheerful and upbeat which, is always good. It's always nice to find a new band you really like.
 
Thankyou for reading!
Love Courts x
  
 

Wednesday Wish-list.


Hearts & Bows Light Wash Vintage Levi Shorts
 
Todays Wednesday wish-list is basically a complete outfit I would really like to own. I think it would look great in the Summer.  Very retro and casual. I love love love this Gene Simmons top. It's so cool and creepy and rock 'n' roll and I also really love baseball tops at the moment which, makes me like it even more. The only thing is I was just watching one on ebay but, chose not to buy it yet as I am supposed to be saving and now I can't find another one anywhere. Just my luck. If only I'd been my usual 'buy now, regret later' self and been willing to spend the not so steep £12 on it. Hopefully I'll be able to find another one at some point though. Then I love this pair of Levi shorts from Ark. I already have two pairs of Levi shorts in black and a sort of medium blue but, I really like the pale colour of these ones and the frayed bottom style as both of my pairs are rolled up at the bottom. These are still available at Ark at the moment so, hopefully I'll be able to get myself a pair as I am in love with Levi's and they are my wardrobe essential in the Summer. I'm just a little worried as the picture is only an example so my pair might arrive and be completely different and I don't want them to be the same colour as the pair I already own.
 
I really want a pair of white converse too. Originally, I wanted the off-white, cream colour but, I can't find them anywhere in a size 4 so, I think I've decided I'm going to go for the white. I think they'll look great in the summer, I just hope I actually wear them as I own a classic black pair and they barely ever touch my feet as I pretty much only ever leave the house wearing my beloved vans. Still, I really like them so, I think I will probably invest in some at somepoint so, fingers crossed I don't regret it. Finally, I adore these sunglasses from Topshop and I have had them saved in my favourites list for weeks but, I just went on the website and noticed that they are now out of stock so, getting my dream summer outfit is going really well at the moment. Hopefully though they will be back in stock soon as it is only January so not really sunglasses weather yet and also they are very on trend at the moment with the oversized, round, 60s style which, I am loving.
 
Now, another item I would really like for the Summer is a Clippy Photo Beach Bag. (I am aware I am sounding far too eager for the Summer when we've barely even started January, sorry about that, it just seems like every item I find at the moment is far more suited to the Summer than it is to now.) I think it's a really lovely concept to be able to decorate your own bag and to fill it with your own pictures. It makes it very personal and creates a really nice bag which, perfectly suits you. It is quite expensive though at £25 so, I may look to see if you can get cheaper altenatives anywhere else but, I do really like the concept of it so knowing me I will probably eventually splash out on one if my funds haven't become too low. For now there is no more spending for me until the next payday though so we'll see if any of these items are still available or back in stock in a few weeks time. There are also other bags, wash bags and make-up cases etc. available on the website for a cheaper price if you also like the idea of having your own special photo bag.
Thankyou for reading!
Love Courts x

Tuesday 8 January 2013

Tuesday Tunes.

 
Song of The Week : My Chemical Romance - The World Is Ugly.
 
I figured it was about time I featured a My Chemical Romance song on my blog as they are my favourite band. This is one of their new songs from the new Conventional Weapons album which, is being released as a series of five records each with two songs on. I think it's a really cool, unusual idea and concept and I love this song in particular as it's very emotional with it's theme of heartbreak but the lyrics are also really sweet and romantic. I found that the Danger Days album had alot more softer, more romantic, mature songs on too than any of My Chem's previous albums which, I actually really love. It's a really nice side to them. I heard this song quite a while ago now actually as there was a live version of it on youtube however, I'm ashamed to say that I have only just listened to the other singles on the Conventional Weapons album which, is terrible for a big My Chem fan. This song is featured on the third record and I also love the other song on the record too, The Light Behind Your Eyes which, is very emotional and hard hitting. It's about finding strength and never giving up. My Chem always put great meaning into their songs which, is what I love about them. They are also just a really lovely, normal, down to earth bunch of guys too which, is great and Frank Iero is also the most beautiful man alive which, is another rather pleasing thing about them. I got to see them on the Black Parade Tour when I was 13 and they were incredible, hopefully soon I'll be able to see them again! I hope you enjoy this song if you haven't heard it before and take a listen to some of the others on the album too!
 
Thankyou for listening!
Love Courts x

Monday 7 January 2013

Pistachio Cream Cupcakes.


 
 
These cupcakes are so cute and delicious. They are actually pretty simple and quick to make too and don't really have too many ingredients to them either which, is always a bonus. Again I found this lovely recipe in my 200 cupcakes cookbook which, is brilliant and has some really lovely, unique recipes in it. If you are a fan of making cupcakes or just baking in general I would deffinately reccommend getting it. Only £3.74 on Amazon, you can't really go wrong. It's a bargain.
 
 
I decided to make these little cupcakes yesterday as I have always been a fan of pistachios and I really liked the sound of the whole recipe. They taste really lovely but, my favourite thing about them is actually how sweet they look. I love the pistachio dusting around the base of the cakes, it's a really sweet idea and I love the colour pairing of the snow white icing and the pastel green chunks of pistachio, it makes the cupcakes look quite elegant and girly.
 

As I said though, more importantly, the taste is really lovely too. In the book the recipe calls for the use of Almond liqueur however, to save money and because I already had some in the house, I just used some almond essence which, worked really well. Obviously though, if you do have the pennies to spare or maybe already have some almond liqueur in the house I would deffinately use it as I bet it tastes delicious! Still, almond essence works well though for the baker on a budget!
Sometimes I feel a bit like an 18 year old going on 80 with my baking addiction and love of making cupcakes, then there are days like today when I wake up with a huge smile on my face and hurry downtairs purely to watch the first episode of the new series of Glee which, makes me feel like I'm a 12 year old again. One of these days I will work out how to act my age.
 
Recipe
 
Makes 12.
 
150g (5 oz) Pistachio nuts
125g (4 oz) lightly salted butter, softened
125g (4 oz) caster sugar
2 eggs
150g (5 oz) self-raising flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
 
To decorate:
300ml (1/2 pint) double cream
2 tablespoons icing sugar
2 tablespoons almond or orange flavoured liqueur or 2 teaspoons of almond essence.
 
 
Line a 12-section bun tray with paper cake cases. Process the pistachio nuts in a food processor until finely chopped (remove the shells and skins to the best of your ability first if necessary).
 
Beat the butter, caster sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder and 50g (2 oz) of the ground pistachio nuts with a hand-held electric whisk in a bowl for about a minute until light and creamy. Divide the mixture between the paper cases.
 
Bake in a preheated oven, 180C, Gas Mark 4, for 20 minutes or until risen and just firm to touch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
 
Peel away the paper cake cases. Whip the cream with the icing sugar and liqueur in the bowl until only just holding its shape. Transfer half to a separate bowl and reserve. Spread the remainder around the cakes and roll in the remaining ground pistachio nuts to coat the sides. Spoon the reserved flavoured cream on top and decorate with a few pieces of pistachio.
 
Enjoy!
 
 
Thankyou for reading!
 
Love Courts x