"BISCUIT AND BOOZE" "FRUIT AND NUT" NO BAKE CHOCOLATE BARS

Sometimes you need a recipe for a sweet treat that is quick and simple to make when you have a last minute gift making emergency. When I decided to make something as a thank you present for the superstars at my dad's care home which he was leaving this week I needed something that I could rustle up quickly after work ready to take the next day. These no bake chocolate bars were the answer to my prayers. They contain all my favorite things; ginger nut biscuits, chopped pecans and best of all, booze soaked dried fruit. Brilliant!

MATTY'S VEGGIE "BB" CURRY

One of the food based highlights of our holiday to Bali recently was our meal at Skai Beach Club and the chef's signature chicken "Too-Too". This was a twist on the traditional Balinese be tutu dish, a fragrant and spicy yellow curry that is absolutely to die for. I've tried to recreate a vegetarian version here using Quorn pieces instead of chicken which I toss into my own slow cooked take on this yummy sauce along with some vegetables, which I'm calling my "BB" curry (see what I did there!).

SUPER SPECIAL SPICED SPECULAAS

Last December we were really lucky to go on a free trip to Amsterdam thanks to a prize that I won at work. We went around St Nicholas Day, a festival to mark the arrival of Sinterklass (Santa Claus!) and all over the capital you could see traditional Speculaas biscuits being baked and sold as part of the celebrations. I adored them so and I vouched to try and recreate them when I got home. 6 months later, I finally got round to doing just that. I'll be honest, they weren't exactly the same but I still think they are still super special!

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.

CHICKEN "NOODLE DOODLE" SOUP

As I had two chickens brought home for me the other day (chicken based presents are the best!) I decided to go all out and not waste a thing so, I digged out my old chicken stock recipe and made a big batch of delicious stock which I then used to make some homemade chicken noodle soup (maybe I was inspired by seeing Fiddler On The Roof at the theatre over the weekend!). Making a soup right from scratch (stock and all!) is totally satisfying and you can really taste the difference compared to a shop bought version.

CHINESE VEGGIE SLOW COOKED "YEAR OF THE" ROOSTER

Saturday 28th January 2017 was the start of the Chinese Year of the Rooster and so to celebrate I decided to rustle up an Asian inspired dish but as it was a Saturday, I wanted to make something that would require a minimal amount of effort (well the weekend is a time for chilling isn't it?). This dish of five spice Quorn chicken slow cooked in a soy, ginger, garlic and chili broth was the answer to my prayers. All you need to do is add the ingredients into your slower cooker in stages and you'll build up a dinner that is defiantly going to get you in the mood for a party.