Author Archives: deansdiva

The cup(cake) that cheers

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Earlier today, you may have heard the Girls Around Town talking about the latest episode of GBBO and celebrating National Cupcake Week (which runs from Monday 19 to Sunday 25 September) by sampling June’s Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Avocado Frosting.

Admittedly baking isn’t exactly her forte but they did get the thumbs up from Sue – although it has to be said they didn’t look quite like the one above!

Here’s the recipe so, if you fancy a Chocolate Moment with a bit of a twist, why not print it off and give it a go?

Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Avocado Frosting

  • Servings: Makes 12 small or 9 larger cupcakes
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

For the cupcakes

  • 110g butter or margarine, softened at room temperature
  • 110g caster sugar
  • 2 free range eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 110g self raising flour
  • 1-2 tbsp milk

For the frosting

  • 1 ripe avocado
  • 3-5 tbsp maple syrup (adjust quantity to suit your taste for sweetness!)
  • 4 tbsp cacao powder
  • 3 tbsp almond butter
  • 2 tbsp softened raw coconut oil

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.
  2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale. Beat in the eggs a little at a time and stir in the vanilla extract.
  3. Fold in the flour using a large metal spoon, adding a little milk until the mixture is of a dropping consistency. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until they are half full.
  4. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until golden-brown on top and a skewer inserted into one of the cakes comes out clean. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack.
  5. Blend all of the frosting ingredients in a food processor until the mixture is creamy, glossy and completely combined.
  6. Spoon the frosting into a piping bag with a star nozzle and, using a spiralling motion, pipe onto the cupcakes in a large swirl. You’ll have more than enough to frost the 12 cupcakes from the ingredients above – halve the quantities if you like or just keep what’s left in the fridge in a jar or covered tub to spread on other cakes or biscuits!

Bake my day

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Three episodes in, seven to go and the heat is on in the Great British Bake Off tent…

Whose showstopper will capture the star baker crown this week? Who’ll be making a final appearance on the show? And of course the burning question – what colour lippy will Candice be sporting on Wednesday?!

As if all this hasn’t been enough to inspire bakers everywhere to head for the kitchen, from Monday 19 to Sunday 25 September it’s National Cupcake Week. No surprise then that the Girls Around Town couldn’t resist combining cupcakes and chocolate in next Sunday’s show.

Join June and Sue between 10am and 12 noon, when they’ll be giving their verdict on GBBO so far and on a Chocolate Moment with a bit of a twist. Cupcakes topped with chocolate and avocado frosting – what would Paul and Mary think and, more to the point, will they be a hit or a miss with the girls?

Tune in or listen online to find out and watch this space after the show if you fancy checking out the recipe yourself…

Autumn advice

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A reminder of Fiona’s hints, tips and treats for autumn from this morning’s show…

Rainbow eating

Eating the rainbow is based on eating as widely as possible from the coloured fruits and veg we have to choose from – apply that seasonally as new fruits come into season.

So add in blackberries (rich in B vitamins as well as the anthocyanins that give them their glorious purple colour), pears (rich in potassium and vit C) and vibrant orange pumpkins and squash as well as zinc-packed  pumpkin seeds.  Use fresh carrots and other roots to make healthy soups.

Eating in harmony with the seasons is a part of many health and spiritual practices, including yoga. A yoga perspective encourages eating with the seasons, adding more warming and stimulating foods in autumn such as spices, garlic and ginger (carrot soup is wonderful with ginger added for some extra zing).

At the same time yoga advises cutting down on cooling foods such as leafy greens and cucumber. So move away from the salads as the weather gets chillier and focus on warming foods with small numbers of ingredients cooked slowly, especially stews and soups.

You may find it helpful to add in more protein from nuts, seeds, cheese and eggs (useful to substitute this for some meat so you can reduce your intake) to help balance the unpredictable weather at this time of year. Consider adding in more protein at breakfast – see below.

Back to school

The summer holidays are over, school days start this week and that means getting back into a routine.

One key aspect of routine vital for children at school is getting enough sleep (six to 12 year-olds are reckoned to need 10 hours a night). After holidays and lie-ins, you’ll need to take charge of this important aspect and re-establish times for bed and getting up.

Talk about how important it is to have a good night’s sleep. Encourage them to take part by creating a night routine they enjoy, such as that special book time or a five-minute cuddle before turning in. Restrict screen time to at least 30 minutes before bedtime so they don’t go to bed over-stimulated and don’t give sugary drinks and juices at teatime. Encourage your children to be comfortable in the dark if at all possible.

After a refreshing night’s sleep, what we need is a nutritious breakfast. Although cereals have long been a favourite, protein helps us stay feeling fuller for longer.

An old-fashioned boiled egg with soldiers makes a great breakfast – and if you make the kids a boiled egg, remember to have one yourself!

Feet treats

Our feet do an amazing job but wearing shoes often cramps the toes and stops them being as flexible as they should be. Look after your feet and toes – your legs and back will thank you for it.

Go barefoot whenever you can, especially after a day at work. And give your feet a workout – you can do this in front of the TV or when you’re relaxing.

  • With both feet flat on the floor, lift and spread your toes as wide as you can. If you do this every day, you’ll notice a big difference in how much space you can see between your toes! One foot may need a bit more help than the other – you can always separate the toes with your fingers to start with.
  • Put your feet on the floor with your toes splayed out. Try to lift your big toes only away from the floor. Do this every day to wake up your feet.
  • Then put your big toes down, lift the other toes and give them a good wiggle!
  • Use a tennis ball to massage the bottom of your feet – put the ball on the floor and roll your feet on it one at a time. You need to do it quite firmly and you may experience a little discomfort but, done regularly, this is good for keeping your feet responsive and supple.

Face Time

Here’s how to do a simple face massage.

  • Have a bath so you’re nice and relaxed.
  • Lie down and put a pillow beneath your head.
  • Relax your face – try to imagine that your skin sliding off your face it’s so relaxed. Then say the vowel sounds to stretch your face: AEIOU. Repeat slowly three times.
  • If you can, bend your head back for a count of 10 while opening your eyes as wide as you can and lifting your eyebrows. If bending is not advised, just open your eyes and lift your eyebrows.
  • Place two fingertips on each ear lobe and press gently with your thumb for a count of five, then slide fingers up to your temples and press gently for a count of five.
  • Finish by making gentle circles over your temples. Then have a nice glass of water.

If you want to find out about using remedies to look after the family, why not go along to Fiona’s next Homeopathy at Home between 10am and 12 noon on Friday 23 September? For more information, just give her a call on 01636 679290 or visit her Facebook page…