Cadburys Mini Eggs

Oh Cadburys, you are always a constant in my life. Guys come and go, fashions change, but you are always delicious.

Easter has been and gone, and here in the US they do it a little differently. At home in England, we get big Easter eggs with chocolate bars and such; but here they have Easter candy, like pastel coloured m&ms, chocolate bunnies and weird marshmallow monstrosities called peeps.

What I like to do, the day after a big holiday like Valentines or Easter, is go to Walmart or CVS and pick up the candy half off. This Monday, I went to my local CVS and what do I find? Cadburys mini eggs! They have very little Cadburys chocolate over here, and it doesn’t taste quite right, but it’s better than eating Hershey’s which tastes like sick, literally.

I was overjoyed. A taste of home, with 75% off! I bought three large bags and they’re all gone. There’s nothing better than that sugar shell wrapped around a little egg of chocolate heaven.

Thanks Cadburys for being there for me, yet again.

Flipz

Now I’m temporarily living in the US, there will be many entries relating to food on here. The first I dedicate to Flipz:

When I was a young scamp of about fourteen, these chocolate covered pretzel snacks launched in the UK. I remember our school vending machines stocked them and I fell in love. Then they disappeared, never to be seen again in our Island nation.

But wait; I have been reunited with the Flipz and let us never be apart again! The salty pretzel and the sweet chocolate make a union of awesomeness to create a snack so more-ish, I’m surely going to double in weight while I’m living over here.

Posted By: Cat

Cupcakes Pt II

A while ago, I blogged about cupcakes.I'm doing it again because last week my friends and I got together and had a cupcake-athon of which these were the result.

We made chocolate chip and vanilla cupcakes and then went crazy with the decoration. I think everyone will agree that it’s the icing part that’s fun.

What I love about baking is that it can be a social activity. We spent a few hours hanging out, dancing to music and making delicious treats that we all got to take home. If everyone brings something different, it’s cheap and your imagination is the only limit.

Posted By: Cat

Peanut Butter M&Ms

You can't get these beauties in the UK, so every time any of my friends or relatives visit the States, they always bring some peanut butter m&ms back for me to enjoy. I recently came home from a holiday in Florida with two large bags of them in my suitcase.

The slightly bitter, peanut buttery goodness is a great contrast with the sweet chocolate and crispy shell and it all combines to create a taste sensation! They are so moreish that once you open a pack, you're hard pressed to be good and limit your intake - i.e. portion control is a problem.

I have no idea why these aren't sold here in the UK, but it makes every trip to the US worthwhile.

Posted By: Cat

Double Choc Muffins

I love baking. Its fun, its cathartic and you get to eat the finished product. My new favourite creations are these double chocolate muffins:

I found the recipe by chance last week. I was staying with a friend in Poland and I was looking through one of her baking books (it was in English, I’m not that awesome). Folded in between two pages was a photocopy of this recipe, and I have no idea where it was originally from, but it was as though fate meant for us to find one another.

To make your own, here’s the breakdown:
(apologies to any American’s, but in the UK we deal in ounces and grams, none of this cup business)

9oz (255g) plain flour
2 tsps baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp salt
5oz (140g) caster sugar
4 tblsp cocoa powder
1 egg
250ml milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
90ml vegetable oil
Choc chips/chunks

Pre-heat oven to 375-400F (190-200°C [I have a fan oven so I set it to about 170°C], gas mark 5-6). Prepare a muffin tray with cases; this amount of mixture should comfortably make 12 muffins. 

Sieve the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Beat the egg in a separate bowl and add the milk and oil. Poor the wet mixture into the dry and mix, don’t beat it - it’s okay if it’s lumpy as long as it’s all mixed in. Divide into muffin cases so each case is two thirds full with mixture. Take your chocolate chips (I just buy a bar and cut it into chunks) and push into the top of each case, put at least four chunks. If you want them super chocolatey, mix some in when you add the milk, egg and oil.

Bake for 20-25 minutes [again, our fan oven only takes about 10 minutes]. Test by breaking the surface with a sharp knife, if the knife comes out clear, they’re ready.

Enjoy!

Posted by: Cat

Cookies and Cream KitKat

Many of my posts on this blog are regarding food which, while incredibly unhealthy, tastes heavenly. Fear not, for change will not come soon! Step forward Cookies and Cream KitKat.

In London, there is a store of dreams called cyber candy (visit online here). Anytime we find ourselves near Covent Garden, my friends and I will visit and spend ridiculous amounts of money on imported candy and foodstuffs from foreign countries. It was my birthday recently, which coincided with my friend Caff’s trip to the capital. She returned with the aforementioned KitKat for me.

I have previously blogged about my love of the KitKat, but I had never heard of the cookies and cream variety. I have since learned this beauty is sold in Australia and New Zealand. Turns out it’s a treat which will live on in memory as a perfect blend of gluttony and awesomeness.

The cookies and cream KitKat resembles a KitKat chunky, but instead of the line of wafer, it has a base of Oreo cookie. Sleeping on top of this layer, like the hottest boyfriend you ever had, is a delicious creamy paste that tastes like the white inside part of a kinder egg. Inside this paste are sporadic moments of loveliness conveyed in the form of Oreo cookie chunks. Basically, its perfection. Almost.

Because there is no ying without yang, there must be a downside and the KitKat is no exception. The combo of chocolate, cookie, weird white paste and more cookies, is a devastating sugar overload that can fell even the most seasoned KitKat consumer. It took me about an hour to actually eat the whole bar, having to rest between bites and allow the sugar wave to subside before launching in for the next beautiful mouthful of goodness. This ‘downside’ has a silver lining however. It makes the bar last, which when you’re paying four times the cost of a normal kitkat, can only be a good thing.

Posted By: Cat

Cupcakes

There are so many things to love about cupcakes.

1. They are delicious.

2. They are pretty.

3. They are fun to make.

4. They make great party treats.

5. A gift of a cupcake is never unappreciated.

Posted By: Cat

Fish Finger Sandwiches

The staple of any student diet, the fish finger sandwich is a delicacy. It’s quick to make - ten minutes under the grill and you have a lunch which is warm, nutritious and covers a multitude of food groups. If you’re feeling wild, throw a slice of cheese in there and watch it melt to perfection.

Posted By: Cat

Dark Chocolate Kit Kats

I have a new obsession. I’ve always been a huge milk chocolate fan (namely Cadbury’s), but recently my allegiance has shifted to that ebony temptress, dark chocolate. Kit Kats are the best; the mix of slightly bitter chocolate with wafer is too much. I look to be putting on at least half a stone in the next few weeks due solely to Kit Kat consumption. And the best part? Dark chocolate is actually good for you! It contains anti-oxidents and can help to lower blood pressure. Crazy!

Posted By Cat 

Curly Fries

My friends and I spend a lot of time at a pub/restaurant in town called The Greengage. It’s a Hungry Horse pub which means the food is cheap and probably microwaved, but for some reason I love it. What I love the most though, are their curly fries. Why do they taste so much better than straight chips? How do they even make them curly? They must be coated in crack because I cannot get enough of them.

I asked Wikipedia my questions regarding the curly fry. Here is what it said: ‘Curly Fries are a kind of french fry characterized by their unique spring-like shape. They are generally made from whole potatoes that are cut using a specialised spiral slicer.’

More worryingly, it also said: Depending on the size of the order and any additional toppings, Curly Fries (which are frequently cooked in partially hydrogenated oil) may have between 300 and 700 calories per serving. Much of the caloric total is derived from fats and oils, making Curly Fries an exceedingly unhealthy food if intake is not moderated. In addition, the salt content in Curly Fries is generally greater than that of regular fries.

What does this mean for me if I am unable to moderate my intake? Check back in six months time when this blog is renamed ‘how I reached 350 pounds’.

Posted By: Cat