Free Fruit!

This month I have been taking advantage of all the wonderful fruits nature has to offer...and best of all they are free! I've braved brambles for fresh juicy blackberries all for the price of a few scratches. I've picked the tastiest plums from my grans back garden as well as lots of delicious apples and pears. I even took a few photos for you lovely people.

(seen outside a neighbours house - free cooking apples!)

If you are interested in picking free fruit of your own and learning more then go here to read about Abundance.

"Abundance is a project to harvest the seasonal glut of local fruit like apples, pear and plums. Each year hundreds of fruit trees go unpicked either because people don’t notice them, may not be physically able to harvest them or there are just too many fruits at one time. Abundance is a team of volunteers who have been helping harvest city fruit and redistributing the surplus to the community on a non-profit basis - to community cafes, nurseries, Surestarts and individuals."

Cocoa - The Most Gorgeous Chocolate Shop Ever!

Today me and my sister went into the amazing cocoa on ecclesall road.
I don't often make the journey up there as its pretty far from where I live but when I do I make sure I pay this lovely shop a visit.

It's so beautiful inside with 3 different rooms that I saw.

The first room you step into is filled with the best chocolate in the world, shelves stacked high with goodies and walls lined with jars full of the magical stuff.
The lovely lady hidden behind this pile of sweet stuff was kind enough to let me take some photos and so I did but the shop is even more beautiful when you see it for yourself.

We entered the second room and it's like a dining room of a dolls house with teapots, pastel coloured things and chairs and hot chocolate and other drinks so you can have a nice sit down.
The third room upstairs was heavenly. Stunning cushions atop wooden benches, curtains draped across the ceiling and a shelf with more lovely things to buy.

We went back downstairs and I treated myself to some of the gorgeous and rich rococo chocolate and another beautifully wrapped bar and my little sister chose a few cute little chocolates from another shelf.

I pick up a leaflet that informs me of their very tempting chocolate tasting evenings..!
They also have a book club too which is a great idea! If only I lived closer!

(Sweeties and chocolate)

(Jars and jars of the stuff)

(The lovely lady behind some hand made chocolates)

(The tea room)

(Rococo chocolate)

(Upstairs)

(Beautiful)

(My 12 year old sister tells me she wants to live here)

(Butterflies)

(Cushions)

(My sisters chocolates)

(My treats)

Real People's Recipes - Dave's Nachos

Today Dave made me his famous delicious nachos. I've had them before when he's brought them to parties. They make great party food and I must have the recipe. He invites me over for lunch and as I arrive he's halfway through making them...

Me - So Dave tell me how you've made the nachos.


Dave - I make it in layers and the first layer is just the plain nacho...nacho..you know, corn nacho. Then I layer in some avocado, some boiled egg, today I'm putting in something special from the garden - courgettes because they are available now so I steam them a bit then put them in with some mushrooms oh and I put some spring onion in and some olives, the pimento olives I've used today. I put some pine nuts in as well.

(Some of the ingredients)

Then I top it with some salsa mix then add an orange cheese, Leicester cheese. So I put two layers of that down then it all goes in the oven. You can put in different types of olives if you like but today I'm using pimento.
This one I'm making more tastier.

(Dave sprinkles on the pine nuts)

Its nice when you serve it with something else so today I'm serving some corn and some garlic bread with cheese. Since I don't eat cheese I put a special cheese on the garlic bread so I can eat that, and that's it!

Me - Looks tasty!

Dave - So it becomes almost like a meal. It can be seen as a meal.

Me - So many layers.

Dave - its two layers. You gotta use a good nacho. I tried the cheaper ones but they get too soggy so I switched back to the more expensive ones. If you wanna add spice to it you can but you gotta be careful with how it will mix with the other ingredients. The cheese is important you don't want to use one that won't fit in with salsa.

(Layering the cheese and salsa)

Me- so how long are you going to cook it for?

Dave - til the cheese melts. It goes in the oven.

Me - So whilst that's cooking why don't you tell me a bit about yourself?

Dave - I used to watch my mother cook all the time and so that's where I picked up my interest in cooking. I enjoy it. I eat better if I cook for other people as well.

Me - Where were you born?

Dave - I was born in Chicago, Illinois. I grew up here, came here to study.

Me - What year did you move here?

Dave - 1980 I studied psychotherapy and developed teaching methods for teaching science and other subjects

Me - When was the first time you made nachos?

Dave - Oh for my kids with my family






The nachos come out with the cheese melting through the layers and looking delicious and Dave cuts into it like a pie and gives me a 'slice'. It's delicious! What I love about this recipe is its versatility. You can use pretty much whatever you have in your cupboard/ fridge and everyone loves them. Plus there's lots of healthy veggies in there so it makes a very good lunch alongside salad or corn on the cob as I had today. Its wonderful party food. I think I might make it for a movie night in with friends. Thank you Dave for the recipe, interview and for cooking for me!

Exciting News!

Hello readers!
I have decided on a new section to this blog. Its something I've never come across on a food blog before. It will be called real people's recipes.
Basically I'm going to find people with a passion for cooking and ask them about their signature dish, get the recipe, take some photos and of course eat some delicious food too!
There's nothing better than home made food and this new adventure will give me and you readers a chance to see some brand new recipes from home cooks which you can then try at home.

Thanks for reading my blog. I hope you enjoy whats to come!

Pho 68 Review

I had a day off work today so decided to go for lunch somewhere as on my days off the last thing I want to do is cook!

I actually was planning on going to wasabisabi but its closed from 2:30 til 5:30 and it was just after 3 o clock so I walked a bit further down the road and came to pho 68. I've visited here before once on valentine's day and it was delicious and fresh so I was looking forward to it. They have a lunchtime deal on where you can get a drink, a main and dessert for £5.50 which sounds good so I go inside.

Its lovely inside, light green and white with photos and many lights. I sit in the window and there is two other tables in but pretty soon after I get my food they leave and I have the whole place to myself.

I choose honey ribs and aubergine and tofu in black bean sauce, honey ribs being one of my favourite dishes and the aubergine dish is one I had a few times whilst in china and was curious to whether or not it would be similar to this. I also order some plain rice and tap water.

There's free prawn crackers which I am not really that bothered about but they are crunchy and fresh which is good because they haven't been sitting out all day!

My ribs arrive and they look lovely, I attempt to eat them with my chopsticks which proves a challenge and the waiter who must have noticed my struggle brings out a bowl of water with lemon slices so I can use my fingers and wash them afterwards. I get stuck in to the ribs - quite literally they are very sticky with a rich caramel sauce that coated my teeth but in a good way, and tender pork within. I leave three which the waiter kindly puts in a little takeaway box for me.

My main arrives and the smell instantly reminds me of china and the waiter scoops some of the rice out of its little wooden holder into my bowl. I realise the honey coating from the ribs is now set hard around my chopsticks and try to lick it off and the taste kind of reminds me of those red dummy shaped lollipops you get sometimes when you are young on the beach.

I try the aubergine and its so good, silky slices of aubergine with crunchy green pepper and spongy tofu all in a rich dark sauce with spring onions, fresh coriander and those delicious salty black beans. The rice is perfectly cooked too. I can't manage it all so it gets boxed up and joins my ribs which will make a lovely dinner for me tomorrow.

The bill comes to £11. Great value. I'll be back.

Yo! Sushi

I first tried sushi five years ago and really didn't enjoy it but that was back then so tonight I thought I'd give it another go to see if my taste buds have changed.
My friend invited me along to Yo! sushi in meadowhall and I have to admit, I was pretty excited about the idea of just picking your food from a conveyor belt full of different dishes.
My friend warns me that its very easy to get carried away and just keep eating and get a nasty shock when the bill arrives and its £60!

For anyone who has never been the way it works is there are six different colour plates, each is a different price from £1.70 to £5.00 and you just pick the ones you like the look of off the conveyor belt or choose hot dishes from the menu. The waitress counts up your empty plates at the end to work out your bill.

We try many different dishes, its a great place to go if you love to share your food which I do.
I think we tried about 15 different plates all of which I won't list on here but my favourites were the spicy chicken, crispy salmon skin roll, spicy pepper squid, chicken gyoza and the crunchy prawn.
I'm not such a big fan of the thick pieces of raw fish which is why I was pleased to see that they had so many other dishes to offer.

The food was delicious. Theres pickled ginger and wasabi for free as well as your own tap for still or sparkling water so you can help yourself to these, theres also a button for you to call the waiting staff with.
I have rediscovered sushi and Japanese food and I am a fan, such fresh clean flavours that leave you satisfied but not bloated. Hard to believe its a chain restaurant.

I had a voucher for a third off for registering on the website and our bill for three of us came to just under £40!
So if you are in meadowhall be sure to give this place a try for something different, fun and delicious.

Fagans...

...The best full English in Sheffield?

My friend recommended this place to me for their full English breakfasts so I had to go try it.
We step inside and its very cosy. A traditional pub with friendly chatty staff, old photographs on the walls, newspapers, fireplace and dixie chicks quietly playing on the cd player.

The blackboard menu has some very tasty food at great prices most of which are 5.50 including ploughmans lunch, monkfish in bacon and a very impressive looking steak pie that I caught a glimpse of someone eating.
The most expensive item is the rib eye steak at 8.50 now that aint bad at all!

We both order the English breakfast and I decide against chips which I'm sure would have been lovely but a bit too much.
I also order a mug of tea and an orange juice.

The food arrives and its wonderful. A salty tasty mushroom, smoked bacon, proper porky sausages with sage, a grilled tomato, lovely beans, rich, peppery black pudding, brown bread toasted AND fried and a perfectly cooked egg to top it all off.

It was exactly how all full English breakfasts should be, home made and delicious!
I couldn't manage all of it and after stuffing myself I was ready for a kip.
I wish this place wasn't so out of town because it has a lovely selection of ales and ciders too as well as being so welcoming and comfortable but this definitely won't be my last visit.