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Cooking, Recipe and Food Blog

Melt-in-the-Mouth Truffles

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A treat for anyone – these are great as an easy desert, and a treat for with coffees and in the evenings.

Melt in the Middle Truffle

You can make in large numbers in advance, store them in the freezer for up to a month and then pull them out when they’re needed.

To Make 40
150g Caramel Toffee
50g Chopped Dark Chocolate
400g Chopped Milk Chocolate
142ml Double Cream
1tsp Vanilla Extract
85g Cocoa Powder
Butter

1.       Make the middle of the truffles first. Heat the Caramel Toffee in a bowl above a pan of hot water for a minute until it is melted, warm and runny, before stirring in the chopped up Dark Chocolate, and stirring until mixed in properly and smooth.

2.       Cover a dinner plate with cling film, and cover with butter, then pour the mixture out onto it. Allow it to cool, and then freeze for two hours or until very firm.

3.       Put the milk chocolate into a boil, and then bring the cream to boiling in a different pan. Pour it over the chocolate, the leave for two minutes. Stir in the Vanilla Essence and mix until smooth. Allow to cool and chill until set.

4.       Peel the Caramel off of the cling-film, and cut into thumbnail size pieces. Spread the cocoa powder over a large baking tray, and split the truffle mixture (stage three) into plenty of even sized parcels. Place a piece of the Caramel into the middle of the parcel and squash it around the caramel, roll in the Cocoa powder and then chill.

Photo Courtesy of: Chocolate Reviews

Melon and Pineapple crush

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A picture paints a thousand words…and look how beautiful the drink above looks, that is, if you can draw yourself away from the beautiful sea and sun in the background!

This little taste of summer will warm you up on even the coldest of Winter evenings, and it’s great for when you’re searching for the elusive Winter Sun break!

Serves 2
100ml pineapple juice
4 tbsp orange juice
125g galia melon, cut into chunks
140g frozen pineapple chunks
4 ice cubes

1. Pour the Pineapple juice and orange juice into a blender and process gently
2. Add the melon, pineapple chunks and ice cubes and process until it’s a nice slushy consistency
3. Pour into glasses, decorate with slices of melon, pineapple or mint.
4. Serve as soon as possible, to make sure the ice cubes aren’t too watery.

Photo Courtesy of: davidnofish

Ideas for Adult Halloween Parties

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You never outgrow Halloween. You just change the trick and treats.

Adult Halloween Party

Decorations

Decorating the venue is a big area to make the difference. Make it spookier, rather than cute like you would for a childs party. Try to get enough small tea-light candles, and not use the main electric lights. Of course, be careful with these, you don’t want to burn it down though!

You can get Candle Holders with spaces for Plastic to give the lights a spooky orange or red glow – these are great for different events throughout the year – blue and white around Christmas, and all sorts of bright colours at New Years and Birthdays.

Of course, decorations will look out of place if the music isn’t right. Some spooky organ music would fit in perfectly, but a quick online search comes up with plenty of free results.

Food

Let loose your creative side. Turn donut holes into Eyeballs, decorated with Jam and icing sugar, Pumpkin Pies can easily be made into spiderwebs or pumpkins, Pizzas can be made using French breads and transformed into broken-off arms or legs! You could have bowls of popcorn or crisps with small suprises in them (but not too small people wouldn’t realise if they ate a big handful!)

Drinks

The main part for an Adult Halloween Party. Create a range of different cocktails, which are easy and quick to make, or have a dedicated bar-person for the night!

You could try some of these, or create something completely random:

White Witch

½ cup Vanilla Ice Cream
30ml Vodka
30ml White Crème de Cacao

Add all of the ingredients into a blender, and blend for at least ten seconds, until they’re smooth and creamy. Serve in a tall glass, with a spooky straw.

Black Cat

30ml Vodka
30ml Cherry Brandy
Cranberry juice
Ccola

Pour the Vodka and Brandy into a highball glass filled with ice and gently stir together, before topping the glass up with Cranberry Juice and Cola.

Bull Frog

30ml Vodka
12.5ml Crème de Menthe (Mint Liquer)
1½ Shots of Cream
1½ Shots of Milk

Shake all the ingredients together over Ice. Strain into a fresh Glass over fresh Ice.

Photo courtesy of Rusty BoxCars

Gluvine

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As if a bottle of red didn’t taste good enough on a cool Autumn Evening, try it in this traditional German style. Warm, with such a wide infusion of flavours and smells, served in warmed mugs. A very simple, easy to make drink, which is an immediate favourite at many parties as something different.

Hugely popular at many German Christmas Markets, where you see huge kettles constantly being served from the ornately decorated Stalls.

Serves 6 people

Bottle of German Red Wine

250ml Water

Juice of 1 Lemon (or orange)

1 Cinnamon stick

Cloves

1.       Pour the water and wine into a large pan, and start to heat

2.       Add the cloves, cinnamon and lemon slowly and to taste, making sure the pan doesn’t boil.

3.       Remove the Cinnamon stick and cloves before serving.

4.       Ladle into mugs and serve hot.

Photo Courtesy of Gluemoon

Fruit Orchard Smoothie

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Takes a bit more preparation than other smoothies, but perfect for those Autumn evenings!

Serves 2
1 ripe Pear, peeled and quartered
1 Apple, peeled and quartered
2 large Red or Dark Plums, halved and stoned
4 ripe Damsons, halved and stoned

200ml water

1. Put the pear, apple, plums, damsons and water into a small saucepan. Cover tightly and slowly bring to the boil over a medium heat.
2. Take from the heat, and allow to cool before chilling
3. Put the fruit and water mixture into a blender, and process until smooth

Photo courtesy of WxMom

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wxmo

Beetroot, Carrot and Pear Energizer

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Not the most appealing sounding ingredients, but as most strange mixes go, this is a very good one!

The mix of the different tastes and the variety of colours is a great treat to the eyes, and an definite boost to the body

Serves 1-2
2 small beetroots
1 carrot
1 pear
½ lime
2.5cm piece of fresh ginger

1. Slice the Beetroots, Carrot, Pear and Lime into 1cm thick chunks
2. Blend the beetroot and carrot together.
3. Slowly add the pear, lime and ginger.
4. Mix together, and serve

Vodka Refresher

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Serve it ice cold, and a great drink to have ready at a party

To serve 1
Handful of Basil Leaves
½ Lime, cut into wedges
1 tsp Sugar
25ml Vodka
150ml Tonic Water
Crushed Ice

1. Mash the Basil leaves, lime wedges and sugar into the bottom of a glass
2. Add the Vodka and Tonic Water
3. Top up with Crushed Ice, stir and serve

Virgin Mojito

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The drivers version of a quality drink

virgin mojito

Serves 2
2 tbsp caster Sugar
2 limes
Handful of mint sprigs
Enough Ice cubes to fill 3 glasses
Chilled Water

1. Rip the mint leaves into small pieces, and cut the wedges into small wedges
2. Add 1 spoon of the sugar, water, limes and mint into a shaker, and mix thoroughly
3. Add in the ice cubes, and shake again.
4. Rim the glasses with the Sugar, and pour in the mixed drink, and enjoy!

Pink Zinger Smoothie

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A nice zing to this smoothy, great for giving that energy boost that you occasionally need!

Citrus Fruits

Serves 2
1 pink grapefruit
1 orange
½ lemon
½ lime

1. Peel the fruit, leaving on the white pith (the stringy stuff under the skin, above the fleshy fruit)
2. Blend together, and serve!!