CRACKIN' CORNFLAKE FRIED CHICKEN

I think I've finally cracked it when it comes to making the perfect deep fried chicken. With the most delicious meat I've ever eaten on a chicken thanks to it having been in a bath of buttermilk overnight, I bring you my crackin' cornflake fried chicken. Not only does the crispy coating of the chicken taste delicious thanks to the combination of herbs and spices in the flour mix but there is also the best crunch ever to them thanks to the addition of oodles of crushed cornflakes. Perfect weekend comfort food after a long week in work!

"SWEET AS" CORN AND PEA FRITTERS

I love using frozen peas and sweetcorn at dinner time. They taste great and only take a few minutes to cook. One thing that I'm always  looking for is new ways to serve up vegetables to make them a bit more interesting and so one weekend  I decided to jazz up some frozen peas and sweetcorn by mixing them together in egg based mixture with some fresh spring onion and spicy cayenne pepper. I was surprised at how simple it was to transform them into something incredibly delicious.

THE RETURN OF THE GUILT FREE CHOCOLATE FUDGE CAKE

This chocolate fudge cake was the first cake recipe I posted on my blog. That was over three years ago now (thank you for everyone who's read the blog over the years!) so when I had some Greek yogurt in my fridge to be used up I thought it was a great time to revisit the recipe and give it another bash. I'm pleased to tell you that it's still the sticky and sweet chocolate based piece of loveliness that I remembered. Plus as it's made with yogurt instead of butter, it has less calories which makes it guilt free! Hooray!  

PROPER DIRTY LEFTOVER CHILI ENCHILADAS

Whenever we make a chili con carne we always have loads leftover. A batch we make can last three days sometimes if we go all out! Just having chili and rice for three days straight would be boring though so you need to think of ways to breath life into it each evening. Enchiladas are a perfect way to do this. Wrap your leftovers in tortillas, cover in a tomato based sauce, cheese and fresh herbs and voilà, your chili is transformed into something new right before your very eyes. It's proper dirty but proper delicious!

REFUGE MANCHESTER (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

It's funny how you can walk past somewhere fairly regularly and not even notice it's there. When we travel up to Manchester for concerts and theatre visits we often get off at Oxford Road and we'd never noticed Refuge before. We spied this offshoot of "Volta", a successful Manchester restaurant by chefs Justin Crawford and Luke Cowdrey (also know as the Unabombers - according to their website anyway!) online when planning a birthday meal in the city and we loved the sound of the menu so we decided to give them a try. Off we popped on the train to Manchester once more ready for a delicious celebration meal.

BOOZY THAI FRIED HALLOUMI

When you're living with a (mostly) vegetarian person it can be quite difficult sometimes to make meals were you can enjoy a bit of meat whilst being able to make a meat free version to satisfy the veggies as well. You may of seen my recipe recently for Boozy Thai Red Curry Fried Chicken I posted on here earlier in the month but here is a vegetarian version I made using 8 batons of halloumi. It works just as well as my chicken drumstick version and more importantly, is equally as fragrant, spicy and tasty!

LULLY LEMON AND GINGER SHORTBREAD

I was feeling a little under the weather for most of the last week and so on the weekend I decided that I wanted to make something that was super quick and simple to prepare using lemon and ginger, two ingredients that always make me feel a little better when I'm run down. Shortbread was the answer to my prayers, a simple bake that only uses a few ingredients but the result is a deliciously buttery biscuit that is the perfect accompaniment to your medicinal pot of piping hot tea.

BOOZY THAI FRIED CHICKEN

Thai fried chicken is something you may not of come across before and that is because I don't think it exists! This creation came about as I was trying to make some Korean fried chicken but couldn't find any Gochujang paste so I decided to use some red Thai curry paste instead and you know what, it really worked. Add this newly created sauce to some chicken, battered and deep fried in a vodka based batter and you have a proper homemade version of a Saturday night takeaway that's 10 times better than going the chippy! 

BOOZY BBQ BEER CAN BIRD

Beer can chicken is not something I have invented but it's certainly a craze that has been going around on the foodie scene for a while now that I hadn't tried yet. I tried it this weekend just gone for the first time and I'm so glad that I did because it's absolutely phenomenal. I mean what could go be wrong with the combination of beer and chicken? Add to this boozy bird a lully BBQ butter rub made with paprika and cayenne pepper and applied to the skin before roasting and you are in for the best Sunday roast of your life. 

MINI EGG EASTER BROWNIES

Last year I made a delicious Easter Eggstravaganza Cake that was one of the highlights of my baking year. This year I wanted to celebrate Easter with a new bake and so, ready for the holidays here are my Mini Egg Easter Brownies! A gorgeously gooey, sticky and fudgy brownies with oodles of Cadburys Mini Eggs and Mini Creme Eggs baked into them to basically create a brownie that is perfect for anyone who can't wait to dig into the Easter Eggs on Easter Sunday. It's soooo naughty but oh so nice!