Grilled BBQ lemon shrimp skewers

Shrimp skewers are the perfect thing to have on a summer BBQ! Marinated in a lemon and herb mixture from frozen, for as little as an hour up to overnight these shrimp are prefect to have on salad, I wraps or even on their own!

 

INGREDIENTS

1 pack of frozen king prawns

2tbsp olive oil

1tsp chopped or minced garlic (paste can also be used)

1tbsp of mixed herbs

The juice and zest of one lemon

 

METHOD

Combine all of he ingredients above and pour over the prawns, you can marinade them in a bowl covered with cling film in the fridge, or in a zip lock bag!

Leave to marinade for 1 hour- overnight!

Place onto skewers and grill on the BBQ until pink and juicy!

Add to salad, in a wrap or enjoy on their own!

 

Lemon and Peppercorn fish

This Recipe is great for a fast, low fat, easy meal for 2. Perfect for students or busy adults! It takes hardly any time to prepare and can be pre prepared the night before and kept in the fridge!

 

2       White fish fillets (Smoked or unsmoked)

1 lemon, Zested and sliced

1 Clove garlic, chopped

3       tsp herbs, fresh or dried

1 tsp cracked black pepper

1 tsp sea salt

 

Method:

1)    Lay out 1 meter or so of tinfoil and place the fish fillets a third of the way along.

2)    Add the zest of one lemon, one clove of garlic and herbs before thinly slicing the lemon and laying on top of the fish fillets.

3)   Fold the tinfoil in half and fold down the sides to form a secure “bag”

4)   Bake in the oven on a tray on gas mark 6 for 15-25 minutes or until done.

 

WHAT YOU CAN SERVE IT WITH

I always like to serve fish with a green salad or green beans! You may also choose to include a carbohydrate side too for example a jacket potato or new potatoes fried in garlic. For the best results try to mix and match with your sides and  have fun experimenting with them too!

You and even microwave half of tin of butterbeans mixed with about 2 TBSP of milk for 1 minute then mash with a fork and season to taste. Its a great alternative to fit in with a lower carb diet and tastes amazing!

Chocolate chunk brownies

I have been looking for a perfect brownie recipe for ages now! I wanted one that was rather lght and fluffy but still dense enough to count as a brownie. This seemed to be nearly impossible so I had to make up my own! You can add your own variations of ingredients to this recpie like walnuts, marshmallows and dried fruit!

175g butter
175g sugar
175g self raising flour
2 eggs
1 ½ tsp of bicarbonate of soda
60g cocoa powder
200g white chocolate chunks or chips

Melt the butter and whisk in the sugar until the mixture is a pale colour. Next whisk in the eggs before adding the bicarb. Fold in both the flour and cocoa powder until well combined. Finally mix in the chocolate chunks before adding to a lined square baking tin and baking in the over at gas mark 5 for around 17 to 20 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting up into bites or bars and eat!

15 things to do this Autumn

15 things to do this Autumn
We all know to well that the mix of weather throughout the autumn is somewhat tempermental. One minute we are predicted an `Indian summer` and the next you have to batten down the hatches and prepare for the worst storm that the UK has seem since 1987! So this list of things that you can do includes activities for all sorts of weather, family size, ages and are relatively cheap too!

1) DIY spa day
Have a relaxing day with some homemade facemasks and bath salts! You could also pamper yourself by doing your nails, restyling your hair and sitting back and relaxing with a glass of wine… or a bottle!

2) Rearrange the furniture in your room
Move around the furniture to make more space in your bedroom. Think of it as a MASSIVE game of tetris!

3) Try your hand at salt dough ornaments in time for Christmas
Salt dough,cookie cutters and paint makes for some really pretty editions around the home or on the christmas tree. Just remember to leave a hole for the ribbon if you intend to hang it anywhere.

4) Start carving those Pumpkins
Find a pretty design online and print out to pin to your pumpkin and carve around or create your own cool design to put infront of your house or add a candle which makes your house smell of pumpkin!

5) Try one of my recipes!
This one is self explanitory really…

6) Create a Bullet Journal
Create a bullet journal ahead of the new year, you can add in a budget guide, list of birthdays and even mood trackers! This is a brilliant way for students to keep a track of their pending work and how much money they’re spending.

7) Go out for a walk and collect pinecones and leaves which you can use for painting or decorating parts of the house
Make your own pine scented decor for your livingroom, bathroom and even bedroom.

8) Go on a ghost walk/hunt
Find a local ghost walk and tag along like Anthony house in Cornwall!

9) Sort through your wardrobe and donate what you haven’t worn in the last 8-12 months
Sell, donate or chuck those old clothes that no longer fit, fix what needs to be fixed if they are salvageable and pass down any clothes you can to other family members.

10) Binge watch a series or two
There are many series that I can recommend such as Doctor who, Torchwood, Victoria, Call the midwife, Sherlock, New tricks and … or if they aret your thing have a look on websites such as BBC iplayer, ITV hub and Channel 4 catch up. Some people have said that there are some great series on Netflix too!

11) Try out an Audiobook
Download free audiobooks from youtube or other online sources but for both Torchwood and Doctor who audios i would definately recommend buying them from the Big Finish website!

12) Throw yourself a tea party or picnic on the living room floor
Thrown down the blanket, whip some pizzas in the oven and put on a film for the ultimate indoor picnic which will keep you entertained atleast until the film is over!

13) Decorate your house in time for Halloween
Try some of those pintrest DIYs you’ve been saving since last October and decorate the house so that its the most haunted in the street in time for halloween!

14) Research your family tree
Ask members of your family about great grandparents and other family members to find out what they were like and what they did for a living, copy photos and make up your family tree.

15) Volunteer at a nearby homeless shelter
Help the most vulnerable in the community as the weather begins to get colder and see if you can put some good into someones life who needs it!

Social media update :)

In a recent post I mentioned that I wold be setting up an Instagram page for you to go and follow; the links are at the bottom of this post. If you have tried any of the recipes that I have posted feel free to post your pictures of what you have made using the hashtag #aspoonfulofme and tag the account below on Instagram and I will reply as soon as possible!
I`d like to thank you all for sticking with me throughout the last year or so when I started this blog as I am aware that the posts have been all over the place with being across the stress of exam periods but hopefully all of that hard work will pay off as I get my results on the 23rd!
INSTAGRAM @SPOONSOFCHLOE

Review 1: Joe’s Ice cream

Made and sold only in Wales, Joe’s Ice cream is by far the best I’ve ever tasted! Established in 1922 Joe’s chocolate ice cream, Joe’s gives a combination of Italy and Wales together to form magic! With flavours such as mint chocolate chip, chocolate, cherry and strawberry there is a lot to choose from in their shops in Swansea or Cardiff!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Joe’s sacred recipe remains unchanged and safe in the 💓 of his family who make the same ice cream almost a century on. Using select ingredients of the highest quality, Joe’s remains an ice cream of finesse. We experiment with our aromas, offering a blend of Welsh and Italian fancy flavours to our loyal Joe’s following, but our ingredients will always retain the Joe’s stamp of quality. That’s what makes Joe’s ice cream JOE’S. After all…Everything else is just ice cream!”
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Taste

(4.5/5)

🌕🌕🌕🌕🌓

Price(3 1/4 /5)

🌕🌕🌕🌘

Quality(4.5/5)

🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗

Overall score(12 1/4 / 15)

🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌘

I would definitely recommend this ice cream, after you’ve tried this..

Everything else is just ice cream…

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

DIY sweetie sleigh (and gift card holder)

Being just 3 days away from Christmas there isn’t a better way to wrap up a gift card or to present name places at the dinner table that this Sweet sleigh! and it’s so easy to make!

For this, all you will need is:

• a hot glue gun
• 2 candy canes per sleigh
• 1 large kit kat
• ribbon and bows
• small stackable sweets to look like presents on top of the sleigh
• a chocolate Santa (optional)

Name place, gift card holder or just a simple present this so how to make these amazing sleighs…

1. Use the hot glue to stick the two candy canes parallel on the underside of your Kit Kat.
2. Next, on the upside of the sleigh base stack your sweets and use the hot glue to secure them in place.
3. If you do want to use a chocolate Santa, glue him at the front of the sleigh before wrapping vertically with ribbon.
4. Add your name tag or gift car (optional) and you have a simple and easy sweetie sleigh made!

Leek and Potato Soup

This soup is a brilliant winter warmer and perfect just in time for the colder weather to set in! This simple, little effort soup tastes amazing and serves 3-6 people! (depending on portion sizes)

Ingredients:

2 large leeks

2-3 large potatoes

3-4 carrots

2 beef or vegetable stock cubes

2-3 L of boiled water

A splash of Henderson’s relish or Worcester sauce

Method;

1)Chop all of the veg and place in a large saucepan or pot. (It is optional to keep the skins of the potatoes on in order to increase the amount of fibre in this dish however you can peel the potatoes before cutting into medium sized chunks)

2) Sweat down the vegetables on a high heat for 3-4 minutes mixing in a one- two minute interval to avoid burning.

3)Next you can dissolve the stock cubes in boiling water and add them and the remaining water into the pan with the vegetables.

4) Boil for around 20 minute then add the Worcester sauce or Henderson’s relish before seasoning to taste with salt and pepper then serve.

** you can blend this soup to make it thicker if you want to or fry off some Smokey bacon to serve it with.

Poppy seed bread

All you need for this simple read recipe is:

• 750g Strong white bread flour
• around 400 – 500ml of warm water
• 10 g of dried yeast
• a shot glass full of poppy seeds
• 1 tbsp oil

Combine all of the ingredients above and knead to 10 minutes or so. Leave to proof for upto 90 minutes before re-kneading and separating into upto 8 rolls and baking after brushing oil over the top and sprinkling poppy seeds over it too. ENJOY warm or cold, as a sandwich or with soup too!

Lemon and Poppy seed cupcakes

At first I wasn’t sure about poppy seeds in cupcakes, but I ended  trying it and they turned out ALOT better than I thought! These cupcakes are light, fluffy, lemony and have a brilliant crunch with the poppy seeds too!

To make these amazing cupcakes all you need is:

• 235g butter
• 235g sugar
• 235g self raising flour
• 2 eggs
• 1tbsp yogurt
• 70ml milk
• 1lemons zest and juice
• 1 tbsp poppy seeds

luckily this is an all in one mixture so you can do what it says on the . Stick it all in a bowl and MIX!

This recipe should be baked at gas mark 5 until the tops are golden brown, t tuck in and ENJOY!