by VioletLeBeaux | Oct 14, 2011 | Baking, Cooking-Tutorials, Tutorial
I’ve been pretty obsessed with Pinterest these last few weeks, it’s a really fun way to find new ideas and collect things you want to do together. I’ve even got a board for recipes I want to try out now 😀 Woo motivation!
So one of the recipes I collected was an awesome looking strawberry hot chocolate thingy made from melted icecream. I fell in love with how adorable it looked but the ingredients seemed a bit rich for my taste. You can see the original photos and recipe here.
Anyway, we had a movie night the other day and marathoned awesomely terrible 90’s teen movies, what better to do than try my own version: lazy bunny strawberry hot chocolate ^_^
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What you need:
- Fancy glass to put it in (seriously this is what makes it that much more awesome)
- Strawberry milk, or strawberry Nesquick etc, something pink and milky 😀
- Chocolate
- Cream to whip (or whipped cream in a can for extra lazy points)
- Something to make the bunny ears, I used thick shards of honey comb from a failed attempt to make crumbly honey comb
- Sprinkles
Get your ingredients ready or if needed run to the 7/11 because you’re silly and you didn’t plan this ahead 😉
Put the cream in a bowl and whip. If you have no clean bowls and your kitchen is totally dirty because you have done any washing up for days then tupperware will do nicely.
I can’t believe I actually whipped my own cream, that’s like the only part of this entire recipe which isn’t lazy XD
Break up some chocolate and microwave it 30 sec at a time until it’s all melty.
Mix it well so it’s consistant and easy to pour.
Get your fancy cup and dip the top in the melted chocolate.
Use a spoon to eat the rest of the chocolate drip more of the chocolate inside the glass. This makes the drink super yummy and chocolatey 😀
Pour some of the pink milk into a mug and microwave it for 30sec at a time, stirring until it’s hot. Be careful not to boil it! Fancy people would probably do this on a stove… but it’s hard to be fancy when you’re about to sit down and watch Clueless and the original version of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie… and Can’t Hardly Wait 😀 😀 😀
Pur the hot pink milk into the glass, the chocolate should have set a bit by now so it won’t just run everywhere. If you were smart you would have realised that it’s hard to pour from a mug into the tiny mouth of a mini wine glass so you would have transferred the milk into a milk jug BEFORE spilling it all over the counter… apparently I’m not that clever.
So now you’ve got something like this:
Fill the top with whipped cream. Don’t over fill it or you’ll make an even bigger mess on the bench >_<
Decoration time! Sprinkles first…
Then ears out of failed honey comb, you could use shortbread or flakes or anything vaguely pointy.
Use a little bit of melted chocolate and a finger to draw the bunny’s eyes and nose. Mine looks kind of evil…
He’s probably mad because I spilled half of the melted whipped cream all over the counter too >_< This cooking thing is messy business!
Do you guys have special movie night food? We usually just pile as much junk food as possible on to the couch and go nuts 😀 I’m running out of 90’s comedies to watch though, do you guys have any recommendations?
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by VioletLeBeaux | Oct 7, 2011 | Baking
Mmm time for food friday and today I visit the new frozen yoghurt place in QV- Tutti Frutti
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I looooooove frozen yoghurt. No really I looooooooooooove frozen yoghurt. Every time a new store opens down here I want to check it out! I’ve walked past the new place in QV quite a few times wanting to go in because it’s the first one I’ve seen here which is self serve and is charged by weight.
So meeting up with Celeste was a good excuse to try it out XD
The idea is you get a cup…
Fill it with whatever flavors you like, I tried green tea, taro and chocolate.
They had 6 flavors total to choose from: plain, chocolate, raspberry, mango, taro, green tea.
Then you add as many toppings as you want.
And take it to the counter to be weighed and paid for.
Between the three of us I think we tried all the flavours other than plain and they were really good. This was my first time trying taro yoghurt and it was surprisingly yummy. I’ve only had taro pancakes before and they were terrible so I was surprised how much I actually liked this.
The prices are about average for frozen yoghurt here with all of ours being around the $7 mark. You get more for your money though because you get to decide how many toppings you want and can mix flavours. Unlimited mochi? Yes please hahaha!
There was a good range of toppings both sweet things and healthier fruit options.
The yoghurt itself was yummy and quite flavoured without having the sourness that some frozen yoghurts get.
I will definitely be going back sometime soon 😀 I’m really glad to live somewhere with so many yummy food choices!
So yes, if you’re ever near QV and in the mood for some frozen yoghurt check out Tutti Frutti ^_^ Do you guys like frozen yoghurt? What are your favorite flavours? I’m liking green tea with chocolate and mochi for toppings at the moment. Have any of you ever tried to make it at home? I’ve always wanted to so I’ll have to think about stealing borrowing Celeste’s icecream maker XD
Have a great weekend!
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by VioletLeBeaux | Sep 30, 2011 | Baking, Life
I’ve been really sick this week, thus the lack of posts 🙁 Every time I go to one of these gigantic events I always come back home with whatever bug is floating around. This time it’s some kind of nasty flu-ish thing that involved me laying next to a bowl for a long time with a cloth trying to break the fever. Very icky.
So what are your favorite foods when you’re sick? I like tea (obviously) and James has started making these frozen juice pop things because I can’t stand drinking the stuff.
Other than that I keep it simple with plain crackers and lots and lots of water. I hate chicken soup so tell me your favorites so I can get James to make for me XD
Anyway I’m going back to bed again now, will be back on top soon to show you all the fun we had at ABBW last weekend!
by VioletLeBeaux | Sep 22, 2011 | Baking
Seeing as I’ll be at IMATS this Friday, I won’t be able to do a Food Friday as per usual so here’s Food Ffffthursday!
So tea, I love tea. Sometimes I love tea more than James… or maybe not because James brings me tea so I’ll keep loving him more 😀 My favorite teas change depending on mood and temperature but here is my current top 5.
This is my tea shelf, it’s not very impressive at the moment and the only way I’ve been able to store them all is to stack everything. Do you guys have a fun way to store tea? I want a special shelf set one day just for tea 😀
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Lupicia Grenada Described as:
A tropical black tea flavoured with guava and papaya. Blended with real fruit pieces and the petals of southern flowers, Grenada is sure to transport you to the tropics.
I think: |
Kim turned me on to Lupicia teas, the man that works there is so friendly and helpful. He really knows his stuff too so I love going there! This is a great tea with breakfast, it’s light and refreshing and smells great 😀 Super fruity and delicious!
Twinings Traditional Afternoon
Described as:
This tea has intense flavours and is a perfect pick-me-up to get you through the remainder of the day, no matter what you are doing.
I think:
This is my ultimate brain fuzz removing tea. In the morning or the afternoon… or any time when I’m not focusing as much as I should be XD Stroooong and delicious with several sugars and milk. My favorite way to have black tea is with 3 sugars and a tiny bit of milk. James doesn’t even drink tea, in fact he hates it unless it’s ice tea but he’s so good at making it now!
T2 Sleep Tight
Described as:
This light, soft and soothing herb blend is for when the day is done and sweet dreams are all that is left. Gentle lemony mintiness from lemon balm combines with the sweet perfume of rose, lavender and jasmine. Calming and quiet, warming, mild and muted, this is a glorious way to say goodnight.
I think:
This tea is some kind of magic, I don’t know what it is that makes it so relaxing to sip but a cup of this will put me right into sleep mode at the end of the night. I like this one plane and non-sugary for maximum effect 😀
Zesta Jasmine Green Tea
Described as:
… no clue actually, their website appears to be non-functional XD
I think:
This is perfect for Winter, I like jasmine/green blends even more when they have mint in them but this one is pretty yummy too! Last Winter I practically had this stuff on tap, such a nice way to keep warm when it’s freezing outside.
Madam Flavour Green Jasmine and Pear
Described as:
For me, the scent of Jasmine evokes memories of the exotic tea salon tucked away in the Marais district of Paris where I had my first cup of this classic tea with my mother. We’d been happily wandering the streets of her childhood all day…
Green tea brings me back to earth. A smooth Chinese green, full of health-giving properties.I think:
The lovely Stef turned me on to this one. My tea shelf is a mix of fancy stuff and grocery store stuff. I can tell the difference but this one is so nice it doesn’t taste like supermarket tea even though it is. With a tiny bit of sugar added it’s absolutely delicious so thank you for the awesome recommendation Stef!
What about you guys? Do you have all time favorite teas or are you totally obsessed with a particular one right now? Send me your recommendations so I can give them a try!
Have you guys seen those magic Breville tea making contraptions? Michael from Craving Tech wrote about them a while ago and ever since I’ve totally wanted one, they look so cool! James said that it made my tea automatically he’d have no use anymore though hahaha XD
by VioletLeBeaux | Sep 16, 2011 | Baking, Cooking-Tutorials, Tutorial
Fooooood Friday 😀 And it’s time to use the chocolate left over from last week’s decoration ^_^ To do so I’m going to make little presents for my friends… ok maybe I’m just going to eat it but we’ll see!
This idea was another one from a Japanese magazine a bajillion years ago. Cute little disposable spoons filled with chocolate fudge or chocolate something, I did mine with chocolate ganache. And I did it the laziest way possible which makes it even more awesome 😉
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You need:
- Chocolate
- Microwave
- Sprinkles/decorations/icing
- Disposable spoons
- Thickened cream
Step one, get chocolate.
Step two, try not to eat chocolate.
Step three, buy more chocolate.
Break the chocolate into small pieces in a bowl.
If you’re really into it you could use a double boiler system to melt the chocolate but like I said, I’m lazy. I used the microwave. Put it in for 15sec at a time until it’s around 2/3rds melted.
Let the hot bowl melt it the rest of the way, this way you won’t burn it.
To turn it to ganache you need thickened cream.
Add a spoon full…
Mix it very thoroughly, it looks pretty gross.
Keep mixing until it gets much darker and really shiny. At this point you’re forgiven if you want to eat a few spoon fulls ;P
Grab yourself some pretty spoons…
And put the ganache in! If you want to be anal about it you could pipe it in but that just dirties something else.
Once they’ve cooled down a bit you can decorate them. I used left overs from the last lot so I added a bunch of sprinkles.
And piped a heart and a V so it’s like saying “Love Violet”.
Let them cool in the fridge and you’ve got some delicious spoons. That’s it! These are great to take to parties or as gifts etc.
So now you just have to give them to your friend… yeah of course… definitely don’t just eat them all. I mean that would mean you have pretty much no self control huh? Oh… right.
Yeah, sorry friends who I said would get these.
by VioletLeBeaux | Sep 9, 2011 | Baking, Cooking-Tutorials, Tutorial
Foooood Friday! Today I show you my attempts at a yummy idea I saw in a Japanese magazine like 1 years ago XD Basically the idea was for people strapped for time who wanted to make presents for friends/whatever that were personalised you could take a block of chocolate and decorate the flat side. Easy done 😀
My attempts? Well baking is not my strong point but I’ll be damned if I don’t give it a go XD
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What you need:
- Chocolate block
- Icing powder
- Water
- Peppermint essence
- Sprinkles
- Mini marshmallows
- Food colouring
- Freezer bag
First make up some icing, you probably won’t need very much so just stick some icing powder into a bowl, measuring is for suckers 😉
Add a little peppermint essence:
I really wish these stupid bottles came with dropper tops, it’s quite hard to get the right amount out *_*
Add a few drops of food colouring if you want.
Mix together and if needed add a few drops of water at a time until it’s a consistency you can pipe.
Mine was a bit too runny so watch out for that!
Take a break and have a cup of tea because you’ve worked hard so far 😛
Now you need to cut a piece of chocolate to use as the canvas. If you’re like me you probably cheaped out and bought the home brand chocolate so don’t expect too much quality-wise 😉
Decide how much chocolate you will use based on how much you love the person you’re giving it to. I’m giving mine to James… this much?
Hell no I’m not giving away that much chocolate! Realistic:
I love him but I also love chocolate! Unrepentant!
Pour the icing into a corner of the freezer bag.
Snip a tiny corner off so it becomes a make shift piping bag… or you could just use a real one.
Now pipe on a pretty design 😀 I wrote “James” and drew a heart… unfortunately I was a little over ambitious with the S so it looks more like “Jimmy”…
…then it melted a bit so it looked more like Jsmnay.
I piped around the outside too as a border.
While the icing is still wet add sprinkles all over it.
And brush off any extras.
He loves little marshmallows so using some more icing like glue I made a border of them.
Taadaa…
And because it already looked pretty hilarious I added some more icing on top. I’m deleting all of the inappropriate comments James keeps trying to add in here about what it really looks like.
So stick it in the fridge to set and add a cute bag!
Present for you!
Taaadaaaa! I love you Jsmnay! Even if sometimes I’m not sure why…
-_-‘
So I’m sure if you were better at baking/decorating you would be able to draw something actually cute on there! And hopefully the person you give yours to won’t be silly enough to try and eat the cute bag. Happy Food Friday!
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