Carnival Cookies

For Mardi Gras / Shrove Tuesday, I prepared these amazing Carnival Cookies and why the hell not! It's all about being the last night of eating richer foods before Lent isn't it? But actually if the truth be told, these little bundles of delight aren't all that bad, in fact they're butterless, flourless, eggless and virtually sugarless, all thanks to Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks! That just meant we had to make up for really letting our hair down in another way... Hastings Fat Tuesday!

If you're interested in making your own Carnival Cookies you will need;

3 large ripe bananas, well mashed up

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

60ml extra-virgin coconut oil, warmed (not solid)

120g rolled oats

60g ground almonds

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

100g shelled peanuts

170g dark chocolate, chopped up

20g popped corn

Preheat the oven to 180C with racks in the top and bottom thirds. Line two baking sheets with parchment.

In a large bowl combine the bananas, vanilla and coconut oil. In another bowl, whisk together the oats, ground almonds, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.  

 

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in the chopped chocolate, then the peanuts and lastly the popped corn. 

Firmly shape into balls with your hands, about 1 heaped tablespoon in each, and place on the baking sheets about 1 inch apart.

Bake for 14-17 minutes, swapping the baking sheets from top to bottom once along the way, until the bottoms are deeply golden. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on a wire rack. 

Wow! These really are like a carnival on the tip of your tongue! They are delicious eaten warm when the chocolate is all soft and gooey. Mmm mmm.

Hastings Seafood and Wine Festival 2012

This weekend the 15th/16th September was the Hastings Seafood and Wine Festival. The festival is now in its seventh year, however it was our first time to visit and I have to say we got rather over excited about all the delicious fresh locally caught seafood, locally made wines and locally brewed ales and ciders on offer and wanted to try everything! 

We managed a rather decadent 4 delectable lunches; fish soup with bread, hot smoked salmon with bread and salad, Pollock goujons with samphire and home made chilli jam and Caribbean barbecue jerk fish with jollof rice each washed down with tasty local tipples from Battle Cider, F.I.L.O, Dark Star and Sedlescombe Wine. Simon then got hungry again later on and finished up with one of Tush & Pat's Famous Fishermen's Rolls.

Phwoar. Looking forward to doing it all over again next year!

Jack-in-the-Green, photos

Jack-in-the-Green Festival, Hastings

I'm so excited for this May Bank Holiday the Jack-in-the-green festival takes place in Hastings! It'll be the first one I've been to!

This time of year has long been an important part of the annual calendar because it marks the beginning of summer and as such has always been a day for celebration.

In the 16th and 17th centuries in England people would make garlands of flowers and leaves for the May Day celebration and they became increasingly elaborate. By the 18th century, decorations had become a matter for competition, milkmaids in London carried garlands on their heads with silver objects on them, but the crown had to go to the chimney sweeps... Their garland was so big it covered the entire man!! It became known as Jack in the Green.

The Grand Procession takes place in Hastings Old Town on Monday 7th May.

Happy Spring!!

Ah, 20th March, it's now officially here... Spring! Bringing all the excitement of longer and warmer days...

It's also Persian New Year today, Nowruz, meaning 'New Day', I'm not Persian but my colleague who sits opposite me at work is and she bought these delicious treats in for us all! Mmm, cinnamon and pistachio treats!