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The Lifestyle Lady
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    • Skin Care
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Category:

Food

BakingFoodRecipe

Delicious & Easy Weeknight Dessert

by thelifestylelady August 23, 2017

DessertBreakDownHowdy Y’all,

Today I wanted to share with you a LL little secret a dessert I have up my sleeve for those weeknights when guests are coming or your family demands or deserves a little treat. I love a dessert which tastes scrummy, can be adapted and is a little healthier than a slice of cake. I got inspiration from Mr. Jamie Oliver (thank you) and modified it to suit what I have in my pantry at the said time. The idea can also made healthier if necessary. I love cheesecake and find the biscuit base the best bit (never understood NY cheesecake.) I do however in the week want to eradicate the butter required to make that crumbly bottom, so I thought what would work as an alternative and granola sprang to mind. Granola is so versatile, perfect for breakie or as a snack but this provides a great base, plus depending on the granola you bake or buy you can use one with nuts, seeds, and dry fruit. Next, I add a dollop of heavenly curd, and this can be of your choosing, this time I chose lemon, but lime, raspberry, rhubarb or any other fruit curd would be delicious. Curd works well with the granola and is also scrumptious with yogurt. Then I add fruit, this again is personal preference, but I would recommend something which compliments the curd of choice. The piece de resistance is the topping which I use mascarpone, but you could use crème fraiche. I place in a bowl add a teaspoon of vanilla essence, and a teaspoon of icing sugar give it a good mix and voila a yummy topping. If you were looking to lighten things up reduce the amount of topping or use yogurt. If mascarpone is not your desire, you could use clotted cream, cream or ice cream. The versatility of this dessert is what makes this a winner. It always feels more sophisticated to present these in martini glasses, it also means you have greater portion control, and if you have dietary requirements, you can make to specific desires. I have also made this in sundae glasses or mason jars; they always look super cute! You can make these ahead, and they can last in the fridge for several days. All which make them a Lifestyle Lady Love.

 

Do you have a recipe I need to try?

Ta Ta For Now

Kx

Yummy and how cute are the floral spoons
Close up
Always scrummy from above.

 

 

August 23, 2017 17 comments
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FoodMeal Planning

Blue Apron Review

by thelifestylelady November 9, 2016

Howdy Y’all,

Happy hump day! So todays post is a review of a new service I have tried last week called Blue Apron. I love to cook, I like trying new recipes and producing home cooked meals, I don’t always enjoy meal planning, list making, shopping etc. I often thought how nice would it be to have a service who took some of the hardwork out of it and voila we have Blue Apron. I had been meaning to try this for a while but with moving etc the time had never been right. When I got my hands on a coupon I thought lets give this a try. Now I am aware that Blue Apron is not the only place that provides this service but from what I have read to date Blue Apron has good feedback. It is a service which sends you in refrigerated boxes with fresh produce to provide meals for your family. You have two basic options 2 meals for 2 covers (2 person plan) or 4 meals for 4 covers (family plan.) I went with the latter because I need leftovers to send with Mr L for his lunch. Blue Apron explain that the meals are farm-fresh, seasonal produce, meat and poultry with no added hormones and sustainably-sourced seafood. So if like my family you are conscious about where your food comes from this is for you. As well as the fresh produce you are provided with extensive recipe cards which guide you in producing each meal.

A Photo Diary Of My Blue Apron Experience

Blue Apron Delivery

Here waiting on my doorstep as described was my first delivery

Blue Apron Box Open

When I opened the box, everything was well packed and very cold from the efficient ice packs provided, these can be reused by you if you want to. I was also impressed with the small brochure with seasonal ideas and the menu cards provided.

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Inside the boxes, you can see how cold the products are kept, which is a deep concern for people like me who live in a warm climate.

img_7406

The first meal I prepared was Lemongrass Roasted Pork . This had the thumbs up. Mr L loves pork so I knew it would be a hit.

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Please don’t judge my messy plate, I should have wiped it. But this is a view from above.

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This is Pan-Seared Barramundi with Prince of Orange Potatoes & Spinach. This was also delicious, I perhaps chopped the potatoes a little small, I enjoyed cooking with Barramundi, I love to cook fish but had never cooked this. I love extending my repertoire.

img_7412

An overview and the plate is a little cleaner.

img_7414

This was the vegetarian option Broccoli & Cheese Enchiladas with Tomatillos & Sour Cream, now a veg dish has to be good to get Mr L’s approval and this did. It was delicious. Plus it got Little L eating lots of veggies.

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These were yummy.

img_7417

Seared chicken with brown rice and glazed carrots. This was yummy and the purple carrots were different.

I have Blue Apron delivering this week, mainly because I have been so impressed. The app and website have a great interface, clear and easy to use. The service is first class, every time I have emailed the response has been prompt and effective. I will add, this service is not for someone who has little or no interest in cooking, it does require prep. If you are looking for a prepared meal service this is not for you. If you are a family or couple pushed for time who like wholesome good food and enjoy eating around the table this is for you. If you are in a meal rut and like some insipiration this also may help. The meal cards, provide extensive photographic and written method so if your wanting to improve your cooking this would also help. I really wish they had this service when my husband and I were both working. This would be a great gift idea for new parents or a family or couple on the go. I have been so impressed I intend to keep the service up, I will use in weeks where we have lots going on. If you wish to cancel or miss a week to do so is very easy and straightforward.

If you were thinking of giving this service a try I urge you to do so.
Enjoy the rest of your week.
Ta ta for now
TLLx
November 9, 2016 10 comments
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DecorFamilyFoodLifestyle

Birthday Party – Daniel Tiger Neighborhood

by thelifestylelady October 10, 2016

Howdy Y’all,

Happy Monday. I hope your weekend was great, mine was interesting as Mr L is away on business and I have been flying solo with Little L for the last week, she has been pretty good except for night waking. I have to tell you this mama does not do well on little sleep. I did try my first hip-hop class this weekend, yes you read this right and Beyoncé I am not although I had great fun. On Sunday evening my friend and I took our daughters to see Daniel Tigers Neighborhood which was performing in Houston and that inspired me for todays post. It was wonderful to see so many parents appreciating the value in taking their preschoolers to the theatre. I secretly hope Little L shares my passion for theatre, it is one of the things I miss most about my British life, I was spoilt with the West End on my doorstep. I was blessed with the variety of theatre I saw in my formative years, so whenever their is anything suitable for Little L I pounce. I was touched to see her actively participating in the audience, she was so upset when we left as she wanted more “Dan Dan.”

I have been meaning to share this post for a long while, but better late than never -right? Now Little L has started pre-school I find myself nostalgic about where the last (almost 3 years have gone -wth?)  A wise person said “the days are long but the years short.” They definitely had toddlers. She turned two in the latter part of last year and Mr L and I decided to celebrate this milestone with a party at Gymboree. If you are not familiar with this establishment it is a program of classes for children from 0-5 available across the world. Little L had been attending our local classes since she was 8 weeks old and I have never underestimated how much she has benefited from attending. Like so many of the children’s facilities they offer parties, after all who wants to entertain a group of toddlers?

Gymboree do offer an excellent range of themes for their parties, at that time she had one great love and he came in the form of an animated tiger called Daniel or as she calls him Dan Dan. This is based on Mister Rogers Neighborhood. I appreciate my European readers will not be familiar with this cartoon but if you see it on Netflix or Amazon Prime and you have a toddler, download. If you need further convincing I was reading over the summer of some research by Texas Tech on preschoolers who watch Daniel Tiger and its affect on social skills development. (I link article here.) Little did I know when I purchased some very cute electronic invites of Daniel Tiger on Etsy, how little party merchandise there was. Disney and Nick Jnr seem to have all their characters covered but the PBS characters have a less commercial presence.(Although I think this is improving.) So this means that TLL had to spring into Pintrestmom and make and create things that would fit the theme. Below I wanted to share with you some of the photos of things that I made to give it the Daniel Tiger party it’s feel and make it a party for Little L to remember.

The majority of the party was a class of fun games and activities on the equipment and I knew that it was during snack time and home time is where I could create the theme feel.

 

The birthday girl. I purchased her adorable t-shirt from etsy.
Getting stuck into playtime
cakestand

I opted for cupcakes this year, since the focus was on the toddlers, these are much easier to portion and don’t require a sharp knife. Little L also loves pink and insisted on pink frosting (didn’t she get the yellow and red Dan Dan theme – kids!) The cupcake topers I purchased from Etsy, I printed cutout, stuck to card both sides and attached to cocktail sticks. Each little one could choose which character they wanted to be.

RosePartyTable

This was the toddler tea, pre-toddlers, I made sure I took a photo. It is difficult to see but I bought small red paper plates and then stuck a Daniel Tiger images on each, I followed suit on the plastic cups. I even went more mad by making water labels with Daniel Tiger, I am insane. I made sure all food was finger related so it did not require silverware. (Less washing up.) I kept the table decorations simple with little Daniel Tiger figurines which you might be able to see. You will see at the back I made larger trollies for extra decoration.

FoodRoom

I am really pleased I ordered the yellow and red ballon arrangement, they were relatively inexpensive and I think they added impact. I also seperated them and gave each friend a ballon with their favor/party bag at the end of the party. If you have super eyes you may also notice another large trolly I made on the gift table.

RoseGiftTable

In this picture you can see the garlands I made to help decorate, I printed out, punched holes and thread string through. They looked great. You can see the larger trolley again. I keep mentioning these because they were the most difficult to make. I love these red table cloths that I bought from Dollar Tree. They hide a multitude of sins, under the table was boxes and bags which carried all these things from home to the venue.

Gift Table

I also printed these posters which I scattered around the venue.

DTGoodieBags

These are the favor boxes. I made them individual trollies. You may see that better on the photo below. I used red favor boxes I found at Dollar Tree but all party places carry something similar.

closeupgoodybags

You can see closer up in this photo, the face masks which the children loved I attached to straws, and they match the character on the trolley. Think I might be a little obsessive.

Goodiebag

Here is a final photo of the favor boxes with the balloons attached. I was thrilled with how it all turned out.

Food Ideas

As I was serving a simple tea, I wanted the food to be light, relatively healthy and easy to transport. I made these pizza bites which I found through Pinterest. The kids loved them. I kept them veggie as I had vegetarian, they all went. I also made fruit salad and portioned them into small pots, similar to this, they were perfect to transport and the right size for toddler tummies whose eyes were on cupcakes. I also served raisins and veggie sticks. I was pleased as I was left with very little food and all the kids seemed to eat and enjoy. They sat for 20 mins eating and chatting which was super.

Favor Boxes/ Party Bags 

You can see the favor boxes above, they did take a while to make but once you have made a few you can speed up. I think they look pretty effective and the kids loved them. Inside was a face mask as you can see. I also included a Daniel tiger crayon pack which I made, I bought sets of crayons placed them in a clear gift bag very similar to this. I added some coloring pages, a ball and a free pass to try a Gymboree class (thanks Gymboree.) Honestly it is a while since I packed them and I had none spare after delivering to some guests who couldn’t make it. I think there might have been one or two extra items.

Decorations

I will be honest and say I would have been “up a creek without a paddle” if I did not have access to this PBS site, they helped with printouts and inspiration. I did adapt and change some of the ideas but generally a super resource. Little L’s party invites came from NineLivesNotEnough via Etsy. They were perfect and set the tone. I also bought her thank you cards at the same time which matched. Looked super. The same shop provided many of the printouts I used to decorate everything. I urge you to take a look.  Little L’s T-shirt came from littlemacboutique via Etsy, again this was great for the party gal.

We really had a super time and it created many happy memories. I was very impressed with Gymboree and how professional and fun they made the whole event (I am fussy.) In  conclusion I want to thank my brother who helped me prepare some of the decorations when he was over visiting (who knew you needed to be an Engineer to make trolleys?!) TLL knows how to treat her guests well. I would urge you to check out dollar/pound shops for party supplies (I never thought I would write that!!) I was impressed with what was available and you don’t mind trashing after the event. The party also reinforced to me that the party is for the kids and not the adults who attend. Little L’s first birthday we had lots of adults and we catered more for them, this time we made the right decision with a Gymboree style option. We had a great time, lets hope we can make some new friends in this new location before November so I can plan another party, but Little L if you are reading this lets have a more commercial theme next time? Princess’ Frozen, Sophia the First, Thomas, any of those would be great!

Hope this was useful, I had fun.

Ta Ta for now.

TLL x

October 10, 2016 5 comments
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BakingFood

Best Dessert Brownies Ever -FACT!

by thelifestylelady September 7, 2016

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Howdy Y’all,

Happy Wednesday, I hope your week is treating you well. If you have been following my blog for a while you will know that I am on a personal crusade to make sure that Little L feels culturally comfortable living in the US. For those of you who don’t know, she is a dual US and UK citizen, but born and raised here in America. With Mr L and myself both being fully fledged Brits, freckles and all, I wanted to ensure that I didn’t make Little L feel ostracized by cultural differences. Now I say this very tongue in cheek, we are different, as George Bernard Shaw said: “England and America are two countries separated by a common language.” I can do little to change this, and as her teacher has already pointed out, Little L has informed her classmates that we “play in the garden, not outside” lol. One way I am trying to become a more American mom (please note spelling for emphasis of point) is trying to learn some popular local dishes. Mr L would say that I have the pulled pork and ribs down (please let me know if these are recipes you would like me to share on the blog.)  I can’t say that I will ever be one to cook macaroni and cheese or pb and jelly (no, neither of these are popular UK dishes much to the surprise of my US mom friends.) I do however wish to become a connoisseur of the brownie. You may know that a while back I wrote this post, The best brownie ever challenge.  I stand by these brownies – they are remarkably good – but not one to become complacent in my pursuit of perfection, I have discovered another recipe which I think is outstanding.

A blogger I follow TheAnnaEdit mentioned her favorite recipe by Anna Jones called Salted Caramel Brownies (no you don’t have to be called Anna to make these.)  I love salted caramel and, with friends coming for dinner, I had the perfect excuse to give them a try. Now like The Anna Edit, I cheated and bought caramel sauce: I used Trader Joe’s Caramel Sauce and it worked a treat.

Ingredients

150g 70% dark chocolate

150g unsalted butter

250g caster sugar (If you find caster sugar hard to find in US, use regular sugar but blitz in a food processor first to get the correct consistency. This I have found to work well – LL top tip.)

3 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

100g plain flour.

Method

Heat oven to 180C or 365F.

Grease and line a brownie tin approximately 20x20cm.

Place a bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water (make sure bowl bottom does not hit the water! That’s important!)

Add chocolate and butter to bowl and allow to melt stirring together so as not to burn.

Once they have melted and combined together, remove bowl from heat.

Stir in sugar (be careful the mix is hot.)

Then add the eggs one at a time, stirring throughout.

After well combined, add the vanilla essence and flour.

Stir until mixture is well combined.

This is where I did not follow the exact instructions and being pushed for time followed The Anna Edit method.

Place mixture in prepared tin.

Then take your bought caramel sauce and spoon several teaspoons into the prepared mixture, I used about 5 oz.

Then use a wooden skewer to feather the caramel through the mixture so it leaves a pretty pattern on the top.

If you like salted caramel, grind a little sea salt on top.

Place in oven on middle shelf for about 25mins.

It will be done when a crust appears on the top (mine took about 30 mins.)

Then take out of oven and let Brownies cool.

I made these in the morning, and reheated in the evening. Ladies and Gents these brownies were to die for. I would say they are more a dessert brownie, especially heated, because as you cut into them out oozes golden caramel. The amount I added was about right because they didn’t become too rich and the fact they are made with dark chocolate doesn’t make them too sweet. They are delicious served warm with homemade vanilla ice-cream (future post.) They are also a marvelous hangover cure but that is another story.

If you are lucky enough to get your hands on Anna Jones’ cookbook “A Modern Way to Eat” (highly recommended), you will note that she provides alternative/healthier ways to prepare the brownies which I want to try. Who is with me? She also gives you details on how to make the caramel yourself which I want to attempt next time. However, if you are stuck for time or baking is not your thing, this method was outstanding. Best dessert brownies I have ever had and my guests agreed. I am well on the way to doing Little L proud on the brownie stakes, it is muffins next! (A mummy’s work is never done!) So my previous post The best brownie ever challenge  produces the best brownies for everyday baked goods and these brownies are best for dessert!

This is so shinny and yummy I want to jump in!
This picture does not do them justice. Its got a beautiful crust.
This picture shows how goey and yummy they are

Enjoy the rest of your week folks. Have you tried this recipe before? Have I inspired you to try? If so send me a pic! I would love to see them.

Ta Ta for now

TLL x

 

September 7, 2016 4 comments
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FamilyFood

What’s For Dinner LL? April 11-15 2016

by thelifestylelady April 17, 2016

Howdy Y’all,

I wanted to introduce a new post idea, perhaps you could give me some feedback if you like it. I love to cook. I have to cook. I have a family to feed, to stop this becoming a monotonous chore I like to have variety and I like to be organized. I am not the sort of person who can  stand in a grocery store and be inspired, I often find that I would forget an item. I am a planner and a list maker and I do meal plan. This works for my family and I wanted to share with you some of the recipes we love or not. So I introduce What’s For Dinner Lifestyle Lady? This will be pictures and links to recipes we ate the previous weeks, some will be family favorite recipes and others new recipes where I will be giving feedback.

Last week was a relatively quiet one, we were getting over one set of visitors and waiting for the next guests. Just to prove that my household and I are totally normal last Monday I was not feeling totally on par and when Mr L came home I had prepared nothing, so we had an Eatzis Chicken Pie and frozen veg. We did not take any pictures as this did not require cooking just heating up.

Tuesday

Salmon1

Sweet and sour salmon caponata salad This is a Lifestyle household regular. We love fish and this is a great way of incorporating it in a more interesting way, than a simple fillet. Little L is a great eater and what is fantastic is I can get some different vegetables like eggplant, celery, olives and capers down her as well as good fish. If you find fish a little expensive it doesn’t need to be fresh, you could use frozen. I also like it because there is always left overs and it is great for lunch the next day reheated.

Salmon

Wednesday

Greek Chicken 1

Skillet Chicken with Orzo and Olives I am a massive fan of one pot dinners, mainly because I don’t have lots of time to produce a banquet and it saves on washing up (enough said.) This is another family hit especially with Little L she loves Greek flavors. I also like this recipe because it hides vegies and flavors which Little L might screw her nose up at if I served alone. Give this a try.

Greek Chicken

Thursday

Black Bean 1

Black Bean Burgers and Southwestern Potato Salad I do try where possible to eat at least one vegetarian meal a week. I also challenge myself to produce something that will fill Mr L up. This is a yummy recipe. Little L is less keen she doesn’t seem to like black beans, she is such a good eater so perhaps I should try and cut my losses and accept the fact rather than serving it in different ways. (But a Texan who doesn’t eat black beans?) The potato salad has a great bite to it, if heat/spice is not your thing cut back on it. Try its yummy.

Friday

Meatballs

Skillet Meatballs and Marinara Sauce Another family hit, you can vary the pasta to what you have in your pantry, which is great for me who is working her pantry down. You might tell from my pictures I combined the ends of two boxes of different pasta. I also find it produces too much pasta so I keep the rest in the fridge to reheat with a sauce for lunch of another meal. You also have meatballs spare which will produce another meal or are yummy in sandwiches. Fabulous taste and value recipe. A family fav.

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Do you have recipe’s you recommend I try? Are there any here you would like me to do a demo of? What things do your family eat?

Thanks for dropping by.

Ta ta for now.

TLL x

April 17, 2016 13 comments
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BakingFamilyFood

Happy Easter – Making Memories

by thelifestylelady March 23, 2016

Howdy Y’all,

Happy hump day! Hope you are all doing well. It is Easter week which I can not really get my head around as it is so early. I feel it has crept upon me, that might be because I have my brain full of other things. If you have been following the blog for a while you will know that I can be a  bit sanctimonious about making memories. I am not sure if it is  because I live far away from family or I am simply a traditionalist but I want to create traditions and memories that Little L can carry into adulthood. I am not sure if it is a British thing but every Easter particularly when I was small I remember making egg nests, this is a very easy tradition I wanted to pass onto Little L. We love to bake, Little L and I. Tbh many of the recipes we have tried to date have relied on me being a hawk eye, mainly because they contain eggs and Little L has a wonderful habit of trying the recipe at every stage. (Although I grew up licking the bowl of raw cake batter which contained eggs and have lived to tell the tale- just!) This recipe contains none of those challenges and is so easy I followed no recipe just created by eye.

Ingredients

Chocolate, I used two bars, one milk and one white, mainly because that is what I had and like.

Butter, about two tablespoons.

Syrup, if in UK you could use golden syrup if in US I used Blue Agave.

Cereal, I used frosted flakes, you could use rice crispies, whatever you and your littlie like.

Cupcake cases, roughly a dozen.

Mini Eggs, tis the season and they are yummy.

Method

Brake the chocolate into small pieces, I let Little L do this in a zip lock bag with a rolling pin. (She was in heaven.)

Place the chocolate and butter in a glass bowl over a saucepan and let it simmer and melt. (Make sure that the bottom of the bowl is not touching the top of the water.)

While the chocolate is melting, place the cereal in a separate bowl, I measured by eye. You want enough cereal so that chocolate covers it when mixed. I don’t like the mix too rich so I added a little more cereal.

I then told Little L that the most important part of the recipe was to mix the cereal with a spoon continually, this is a great way to keep them busy and if a sneaky hand peeks in for a taste, what trouble can they get in to?

Once the chocolate mixture is melted, I added about one tablespoon of syrup, this helps the mixture stick. I then mixed.

While the syrup is warming in the mixture I asked Little L to place twelve cupcake cases into a muffin tin. (Great way to test number skills!)

Once the syrup/choc mix is well combined, remove bowl from heat and pour into cereal mix. Obviously this requires an adult but once the mix is added Little L loved mixing.

Once well mixed, you then spoon the mixture into the cases, pressing down hard, if possible press harder in the center so the sides are slightly raised (like a nest.) Then place three mini eggs in the center. Your littlie may insist on spoon licking.

Then place the tray into the fridge for about 20 mins. The trick is to get the tray into the fridge before your littlie gobbles all the mini eggs.

After twenty minutes, serve and enjoy. They look so cute and kids love them.

 

chopped choc

Preparing the chocolate, the self-discipline required not to nibble I don’t have – sorry!

Head Chef

The head chef – she is a hard task master

Melting

Choc and butter melting

Melting pot

Side profile

Preping the nests

Head Chef skillful mixing

Yummy mix

Personally I don’t like the mixture too chocolaty because it can be a little rich. This for us was perfect.

Tasting

Essential taste testing

Nests

Product pre eggs and fridge

Yummy

The final result – so cute

Final

Happy Easter

Got to love Target and their Easter décor

Love Her

Call me a proud sous chef, but how cute is my head chef? Plus who wouldn’t want to make memories with a happy smiling face like that?

This is such a simple but fun afternoon activity why not give it a try?

From the Lifestyle household to yours, Happy Easter!

Ta ta for now.

TLL x

March 23, 2016 2 comments
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BakingFamilyFood

Baking Wednesday – Caramel Slice

by thelifestylelady March 9, 2016

Howdy Y’all,

Happy Hump Day! So yesterday was rainy and I was trapped inside with Little L (argh!!) One thing she loves and often asks to do is bake. I read recently in a blog about an app I have been meaning to try called Hippy Lane. The app is recipe-based but only contains health-conscious recipes. They promote that the sweet treat recipes are gluten free, vegan, dairy free, and contain no refined sugar. Trying to find recipes that have these bases covered but still taste delicious is a challenge. This app is very sophisticated and styish and the photographs are beautiful.  I had a very quick gander through my pantry to see what ingredients I had and Little L and I selected the recipe for  Caramel Slices. Where I am from it is referred to as millionaire’s shortbread and  it is delicious and I thought this would be a great introduction to its yumminess for Little L. So here is how it went:-

Recipe

Summary

Creamy, delicious bars of gold. These caramel slice bars are just like the real thing with a crumbly biscuit base, smooth caramel center and silky chocolate top, you will be taken to choc caramel heaven with each bite. Free of dairy, gluten and sugar, you can enjoy them guilt-free.

Ingredients

Base

1 1/2 cups (225g) cashews

1/2 cup (40g) desiccated coconut

8-10 medjool dates, pitted

3tbsp rice malt

Caramel

1 cup (150g) medjool dates, pitted

1/4 cup (60ml) coconut oil

1/2 cup (125ml) tahini or almond butter

1/2 cup (120ml) rice malt syrup

1 tsp vanilla powder

Pinch salt

Chocolate

1/3 cup (36g) cacao powder

1/2 cup (120ml) coconut oil, liquid

1/4 cup (60ml) maple syrup

1/2 tsp carob powder (optional)

Steps

  1. To make base, reduce cashews to small pieces in the food processor.
  2. Add coconut and pulse.
  3. Add dates and rice malt, and process until combined and sticky.
  4. Press base into tin lined with baking powder and freeze.
  5. Making caramel by processing all ingredients until smooth.
  6. Spread caramel over base and freeze.
  7. For the chocolate, whisk the ingredients until well incorporated.
  8. Spread chocolate evenly over slice and freeze.
  9. Remove from freezer 30 minutes before serving.

 

Lifestyle Lady Findings

  • Firstly I could not find rice malt so I substituted agave syrup.
  • I used almond oil instead of tahini.
  • I did not have vanilla powder so I substituted for vanilla essence.
  • As you know I am yet to buy a brownie tin, but that would be the ideal size to make these in.
  • Call me lazy but I loved the ease of the prep and that it needed no baking. It was an ideal recipe to do with a toddler. They can lick the spoon and not get poisoned!
Prepping the base
The base is so yum and took 15 min in freezer to cool
This is delicious. It did get very sticky and cause my processor to stop
Use a cold spoon to spread on base
Sorry about the light reflection but this was so glossy
So yummy
So suprised how good they looked and fantastic they tasted
Close up time
Little L and I really enjoyed making these, it was a great rainy day activity. It is seldom that I get excited about an app and this one has me very eager to try more. It is well worth the $2.99 price tag. When it is raining and half way through the week who wouldn’t want a slice of chocolate gold?
Enjoy,
Ta ta for now,
TLL x
PS. message from Mr L: TLL had to lock these away to stop me eating the whole lot! :@)  Will be taking them to work to dilute the waistline expansion.
March 9, 2016 5 comments
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BeautyEditorialFood

Monday Links and Loves

by thelifestylelady March 7, 2016

imageHowdy Y’all,

Hope you are all doing well and that your weekend was super. TBH last week was not great in the L household, nothing went as it was meant and on Wednesday I declared to a friend that I was hibernating till today. Unfortunately that is not possible with a toddler, but I dug deep and continued. Little L has been teething with her molars which is horrid for her, painful and very tiring. I do feel that I can face anything if I can get a good nights kip. Today is a new week.

Last week I did finally push my posterior into implementing one of my NYR. This was using outstanding gift cards and being more efficient with coupons. Please don’t tell me that I’m alone when I stand in line to buy something which I have a coupon for, only to learn that I changed purses and did not transfer the coupon. With a screaming toddler and standing in line for an eternity you make the decision you need the item regardless of the coupon and you could not be bothered to do this again. This is why I need a better system.

If you have followed the blog for a while you will know I adore candles. I love the higher end candles like Diptyque, Tom Dixon or Jo Malone, but I do often find myself not burning them regularly and “keeping the for best.” I have to date been impressed with the candles at Bed,Bath and Bodyworks. Everyday we have one burning as a way to mask the smells of daily life. I will preface I do not like every fragrance but I do love Fresh Cut Lilacs, White Gardenia and Endless Weekend at the moment. I had a 10$ off $30 and I had wanted to use it. I had been waiting for the 3 wick candles which are usually $22.50 to drop in price and then I would pounce. When the email arrived on Friday that said candles were $12.50 I did a sneaky order. Ssh do not tell Mr L, I did get $10 off and wait for a sale, so it is a bargain – right?

Keeping with the gift card theme I had one for Sephora . I treated myself to a Sunday Riley Power Couple Transformation Kit which included her Good Genes and Luna Oil. I have heard so much buzz surrounding this brand and these products in particular. I have just started using so I will report back in a separate post. I also purchased the Clinique Bottom Lash mascara, again I have heard great things so will report back.

Tis the season for the spring/summer catalogues to arrive in the mail! The weather has been so beautiful here I feel spring like already. When Mini Boden dropped on the doorstep I jumped on one or two of the items for Little L. Although it is a slightly higher price point, the quality is fantastic, plus I think they are current, age appropriate and use color beautifully. I hate to see little people in drab colors. If you are not familiar with this British brand, take a look online, they are also sold at Nordstrom.

Food wise it was a harder week. I was not in my cooking mojo.  I always like to return to a classic family pleaser when I am like this. A recipe I know and know works. For those of you not familiar with the UK cook Mary Berry you should. She is a national treasure and her family recipes and cook books work. This week I made this lasagna which Mr L and Little L love and devour. Plus Little L eats spinach and mushroom in this, no problems. I urge you to give it a try. Thanks to Mary for producing some of my fav recipes.

Mr L hit a home run this week when he purchased a Google cardboard D-scope Pro, what is that I hear you say? It is a virtual reality headset which allows you to turn your Iphone into a 3D viewer. Which for our dinosaur loving toddler has been such a hit especially for those potty training tantrums. It is a great price point and great fun. I just do not know where he gets these ideas?!

This weekend I found a new place to get a mani and pedi, which was so overdue, my last one was pre christmas (how embarrassing.) I could have gone earlier but I have been trying out a foot peel (more on that in another post.) I will say the place was fantastic and it was showing Fixer Upper on the TV screens, win win. This is now my fav place to escape.

This week the weather is to turn bad and rain the whole time, it is also Spring Break which means all kiddies are off school so everywhere will be packed. I will be trying to entertain Little L with crafts and baking otherwise the two of us caged inside will be fatal.

Have a happy week.

Ta ta for now.

TLL x

 

March 7, 2016 0 comment
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BakingFood

Best Brownies Ever Challenge!!!

by thelifestylelady March 2, 2016

imageHowdy Y’all,

Happy hump day! Who needs a pick-me-up to see them through till Friday? I feel I do this week in particular, after Super Tuesday I think we could all do with a sugary treat. (Who is with me?) I am well aware that I am raising an American daughter and although we try to help her identify with her British culture I do try to learn more about American culture.  One thing I am trying to do is find a recipe to bake the perfect brownie. When home at Christmas a dear friend of ours had us over for lunch and she had the children help make the dessert of brownies and the recipe was called the Best-ever brownies. Could this be the recipe to end all recipe’s which would mean I could serve them to my American friends.  Here is what happened :- 

Prep Notes

  • It was in this post where I made delicious Moroccan Orange cake that I wrote about one of my top tips in making caster sugar, it does make a difference to the texture of the bake.
  • It was when making my famous carrot cake that I wrote about using a whisk instead of a sieve, it makes much less mess!!!
  •  I did not have a 20cm square tin, my tin was nearer 23cm and I rounded up the ingredients but it still worked. If I was looking into investing in a brownie tin – any recommendations?
  • I also did not quite enough dark chocolate so I substituted the difference for white chocolate.

Ingredients 

  • 185g unsalted butter
  • 185g best dark chocolate
  • 85g plain flour
  • 40g cocoa powder
  • 50g white chocolate
  • 50g milk chocolate
  • 3 large egg
  • 275g golden caster sugar Cut 185g unsalted butter into smallish cubes and tip into a medium bowl. Break 185g best dark chocolate into small pieces and drop into the bowl. Fill a small saucepan about a quarter full with hot water, then sit the bowl on top so it rests on the rim of the pan, not touching the water. Put over a low heat until the butter and chocolate have melted, stirring occasionally to mix them. Now remove the bowl from the pan. Alternatively, cover the bowl loosely with cling film and put in the microwave for 2 minutes on High. Leave the melted mixture to cool to room temperature.
  1. While you wait for the chocolate to cool, position a shelf in the middle of your oven and turn the oven on to fan 160C/conventional 180C/gas 4 (most ovens take 10-15 minutes to heat up). Using a shallow 20cm square tin, cut out a square of non-stick baking parchment to line the base. Now tip 85g plain flour and 40g cocoa powder into a sieve held over a medium bowl, and tap and shake the sieve so they run through together and you get rid of any lumps.
  2. With a large sharp knife, chop 50g white chocolate and 50g milk chocolate into chunks on a board. The slabs of chocolate will be quite hard, so the safest way to do this is to hold the knife over the chocolate and press the tip down on the board, then bring the rest of the blade down across the chocolate. Keep on doing this, moving the knife across the chocolate to chop it into pieces, then turn the board round 90 degrees and again work across the chocolate so you end up with rough squares.
  3. Break 3 large eggs into a large bowl and tip in 275g golden caster sugar. With an electric mixer on maximum speed, whisk the eggs and sugar until they look thick and creamy, like a milk shake. This can take 3-8 minutes, depending on how powerful your mixer is, so don’t lose heart. You’ll know it’s ready when the mixture becomes really pale and about double its original volume. Another check is to turn off the mixer, lift out the beaters and wiggle them from side to side. If the mixture that runs off the beaters leaves a trail on the surface of the mixture in the bowl for a second or two, you’re there.
  4. Pour the cooled chocolate mixture over the eggy mousse, then gently fold together with a rubber spatula. Plunge the spatula in at one side, take it underneath and bring it up the opposite side and in again at the middle. Continue going under and over in a figure of eight, moving the bowl round after each folding so you can get at it from all sides, until the two mixtures are one and the colour is a mottled dark brown. The idea is to marry them without knocking out the air, so be as gentle and slow as you like – you don’t want to undo all the work you did in step 4.
  5. Hold the sieve over the bowl of eggy chocolate mixture and resift the cocoa and flour mixture, shaking the sieve from side to side, to cover the top evenly. Gently fold in this powder using the same figure of eight action as before. The mixture will look dry and dusty at first, and a bit unpromising, but if you keep going very gently and patiently, it will end up looking gungy and fudgy. Stop just before you feel you should, as you don’t want to overdo this mixing. Finally, stir in the white and milk chocolate chunks until they’re dotted throughout. Now your mixing is done and the oven can take over.
  6. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, scraping every bit out of the bowl with the spatula. Gently ease the mixture into the corners of the tin and paddle the spatula from side to side across the top to level it. Put in the oven and set your timer for 25 minutes. When the buzzer goes, open the oven, pull the shelf out a bit and gently shake the tin. If the brownie wobbles in the middle, it’s not quite done, so slide it back in and bake for another 5 minutes until the top has a shiny, papery crust and the sides are just beginning to come away from the tin. Take out of the oven.
  7. Leave the whole thing in the tin until completely cold, then, if you’re using the brownie tin, lift up the protruding rim slightly and slide the uncut brownie out on its base. If you’re using a normal tin, lift out the brownie with the foil. Cut into quarters, then cut each quarter into four squares and finally into triangles. These brownies are so addictive you’ll want to make a second batch before the first is finished, but if you want to make some to hide away for a special occasion, it’s useful to know that they’ll keep in an airtight container for a good two weeks and in the freezer for up to a month.
Ingredients

The amount of ingredients required is relatively few.

Caster Sugar

TLL quick spin of turning regular sugar into caster sugar

cjoc

The smaller the lumps of butter and chocolate the quicker it is to melt.

melting choc

Melting- smells so yummy

MeltChoc

All melted and so glossy

Sugarandeggs

This is the sugar and eggs after 7 mins on high in my Kitchen Aid mixer

ChoppedChoc

So hard to resist a little nibble! I love white chocolate

Sieve

Another LL top tip using a whisk instead of a sieve

Mix

Adding the melted choc to the aired mixture, such a marbled beauty

Folding In

I used the figure of eight method as I did not want to loose air in the mixture, it took a while to mix in but it does come together I promise

Before Oven

The finished mixture so pretty and glossy

Yummy

The finished brownie served warm with ice-cream. Is there another way??

Tastetester

My cute chief taste tester giving her verdict, what is she thinking?

I think this recipe was a real hit, the brownies are simply delicious. Gooey and fudgy on the inside and crisp and hard on the outside. I loved them and served warm with yummy ice cream. How do you like yours? I urge you to give this a try they are well worth it. I now need to test on an American audience for verdicts. Who wants to volunteer?

Ta ta for now,

TLLx

March 2, 2016 5 comments
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BakingFamilyFood

A Family Cake – Moroccan Orange Cake

by thelifestylelady February 24, 2016

 

Howdy Y’all,

Happy Hump Day, you are close to the weekend! Yay!  So I have not done a baking post for a long while (sorry) and this one is special. This is the cake that Mr L asks for each year for his birthday. (Yes I make a vague attempt to make a cake for family – who doesn’t want to blow out a candle and feel old?!) This is not only special because Mr L loves it but it is one of his family recipes. It is a cake that his mother makes (no pressure!!!!  I do not make it as good as her- end of.) It comes from his family cookbook (so you see they are good cooks!)  Many of you may not know but my husband is half Algerian and although this recipe is from Morocco and no my Geography is not that bad! I still think of it as a nod to my husbands heritage and therefore to me it is important. It is also yummy, and does not require lots of icing and decoration which is a win win for me. So I must thank my mother in law for taking the time to document all these family recipe’s it will be lovely for Little L to have a collection of recipes that generations of her family members have made before her, what a lucky little lady she is. Now onto the baking …

 

caster sugar making

Love my Kitchen Aid processor!

Lifestyle Lady Top Tip

Before I start, you will see below the recipe asks for  caster sugar. This is something I have struggled to find in the US, and it does definitely make a difference to the texture of the cake. To combat I use regular granulated sugar and measure the amount required, I then place it in my food processor for about 2 mins and Voila a consistency similar to caster sugar! This might sound like a time consuming faff but it is worth it. Makes for a lighter cake.

Other Information – US readers

  •  I cheated and used dried breadcrumbs and it worked fine. I am sure that it would taste better with fresh.
  • I could not find Star Anise, the seeds worked well.
  • Could not find Orange Flower Water so I used Orange essence.
  • Ground Almonds or Almond Flour is a little more expensive but can often be found on special, grab it then. It is usually found on the health aisles of most major grocery stores.
  • I use this microplane zester, one of the best purchases ever. Makes it so easy and I keep the skin on my knuckles. Win win.
  • This can be made ahead and actually tastes better the next day.
  • As my mother in law suggests it would make a super dessert.

 

Recipe

Moroccan Orange Cake – Courtesy of my mother-in-law

This cake is fragrant with spices and citrus aromas. The syrup makes it moist and soft. It can be served for dessert with a little whipped cream or Greek yoghurt.

Ingredients

For the cake:

5 large eggs, separated

300g caster sugar

350g ground almonds

4 tablespoons fresh white breadcrumbs

3 teaspoons baking powder

400ml sunflower oil

½ teaspoon almond essence

Finely grated zest of 2 oranges

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

For the syrup:

2 star anise

2 small cinnamon sticks

4 cardamom pods, lightly crushed

4 tablespoons runny honey

2 tablespoons Orange Flower Water

Juice of 2 oranges

Juice of 1 lemon

Method

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4 (180˚C). Grease and line a 23cm springform cake tin. In a large mixing bowl, combine the caster sugar, ground almonds, breadcrumbs and baking powder. Add the citrus zests. In a jug, beat the eggs with the oil and add the almond essence. Now pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well.

Spoon the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 50 – 60 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Meanwhile, make the syrup: gently heat the citrus juices, honey and spices in a small saucepan. Simmer for 3 minutes, then reserve, covered, for the flavours to infuse. Stir in the orange flower water just before using.

When the cake is cooked, remove it from the oven and pierce the top with a skewer all over. Remove the spices from the syrup and pour it over the hot cake, a little at a time, waiting for the cake to absorb the liquid as you do so. Leave the cake to cool in the tin, then remove, using the baking paper to help you, and place on a serving plate. You can use the whole spices to decorate the top.

It will keep well for up to 3 days, stored in cling film or foil in the fridge.

Pictures 

Ground Almonds

Love love love these scales, I received them as a wedding gift and I think of that person every time. I love that about gifts – don’t you? All the dry ingredients.

dryingredients

I make sure I buy the biggest lemons and oranges I can find to get plenty of zest.

wetanddryingredients

Adding the wet ingredients to dry, the mix will look a little curdled/split that is totally fine.

mixedingredients

The split look but trust me it will come out yummy

cakeinoven

I forgot to take a picture before it went into the oven. Another note I usually have a baking tray underneath the tin, so its easy to get in and out of oven, this was the second one I had made in the week and I was in a hurry, I had to get to Peppa Pig theatre show – mummy problems.

syrup

While the cake is baking in the oven I make the lovely syrup. The smell is divine, another tip is place the fruit in the microwave for 20 seconds, the heat will help you squeeze more juice out.

finalcake

The finished article. Before you think its burnt it is not. It is saturated in syrup and the light makes the edges look black. It is so delicious please give it a try.

We all love this and I served it to Mr L’s office as cake of the month, it was different to anything they had before and not one slice was left, which is tribute to the taste of the cake. If you fancy something different give this a try.

Ta ta for now

TLL x

February 24, 2016 3 comments
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ABOUT ME

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Hi I'm Kate, Thanks for stopping by my small corner of the web, here at TLL I indulge my love of all things lifestyle, from cooking to travel and fashion to interiors, all served with a healthy dose of British sarcasm. So pour yourself a glass of something delicious, put your feet up and take a nose about. Enjoy Kx

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