Sunshine Treats!

Jun 24, 2017
4 min read

The weather this summer so far has just been spectacular. Just look around you and admire the farmers tans...the scalded shoulders... the freckly faces.... the gingers hiding in the shadows.. Does it get much better than this!? Add some edible treats to your sunshine bliss and we're flying.

My family and I have been enjoying all of our meals in the back garden the past couple of weeks. Getting great use of the garden furniture this year indeed. I feel it like it would be sinful eating inside, particularly during the long bright evenings that we've been having. After all, we did just have our summer solstice a few days ago, longest day of the year. That only means one thing....."Winter is coming"... I totally just went there, but only because Game of Thrones is nearly here and I'm a tad obsessed... Anywho.... so treats in the sun...what do they involve!? They include ice cream on the beach, fresh citrus desserts and comfort food suitable for the high temperatures.

So I invited the girlies out to mine to have a couple of drinks and some dinner to celebrate the group's collective success with new jobs, finishing masters, getting interviews etc etc. Stir Fry is one of them dishes I feel you can have no matter what the weather. Now, don't be worrying that wasn't the "treat". Although it was pretty darn tasty. I made the usual veg noodle stir fry mix but decided to marinade some turkey steaks in soy sauce, lime zest & juice, grated ginger, mango chutney, sesame seeds and oh me oh my was it good. Was very pleased with how they turned out. But dessert is what it was all about. When the weather is hot you want something either cold or fresh. I had an abundance of lemons in my kitchen for some unknown reason. They were probably on sale in Aldi or somewhere. So that was the deciding factor for me...lemon cake. But not just any lemon cake. Lemon Bar Cake inspired by Ina Garten's Lemon Bars recipe. The Queen of Barefoot Contessa has this great lemon bar recipe. I twerked it every so slightly to make a Lemon Bar cake purely for my own greed. I am obsessed with lemon curd, so I will always opt for the option of more... The expression "less is more" does not apply here. So I halved the crust recipe and made it in a smaller tin. However I made loads more lemon curd, giving it a generous thick layer in the cake itself. This cake was just perfect after the stir fry. Like you know its bad but you had a healthy dinner so no guilt here when enjoying this. I seriously could not recommend this recipe anymore than I already do from Ina. I tell everyone to try it because it's so easy and sooooo delicious! If you love lemon, give it a go!

Treats don't technically have to be sweet...just bite sized and delicious. Scones are those little treat you like to have with your cup of tea or coffee. A significant component of the popular Afternoon Tea we all love to indulge in from time to time. Scones come in all shapes and sizes. I had milk coming up to it's sell by date in the fridge and was thinking what on earth will I make with it? A large batch of scones should do the trick. Plus, I can freeze any of the extra ones that don't get devoured for another occasion. So I rummaged through the cupboards and found self raising wholemeal flour. This was my deciding factor that I was going to make savoury scones. But what flavour? Another scavenging hunt around my little kitchen and I found Thyme and Manchego Cheese leftover from making antipasti and cheese boards for my sister's birthday party. So that was it, Wholemeal Manchego Cheese & Thyme Scones. Served warm with a dollop of Irish butter, simply scrumptious. Quick and easy to make, ready in no time. However, one of my least favourite jobs when cooking is rubbing the flour and butter together to make a "breadcrumb" consistency. I do it all the same, cause the end result is always worth it, I just absolutely hate doing it. I think I may need to invest in one of them pastry cutter things.

So the last "treat" I will talk about is no way least. My mum came home with a little booklet from the Taste of Ireland from Neven Maguire. We're a big fan of Neven's food in our house. Particularly Christmas time using his Buttermilk marinade recipe for our Turkey Crown. Delish. However.... in this little magical booklet he gave some amazing recipes for absolute stunning desserts. One in particular took our liking. Raspberry & Pecan Chocolate Brownies..... Now Neven made a salted caramel sauce with his. No need. They're fecking wonderful without it. Just have it with a bit of cheeky vanilla ice cream. You can find the recipe online. I only know this because I forgot the bloody booklet with the recipe for the list of ingredients when I went shopping. How did people honestly function before without phones?! I'm disastrously too reliant on mine. Anyways. His recipe reads like a dream. Only thing I didn't put in was the cocoa powder (controversial I know). I just don't like such a bitter taste of chocolate from brownies. The dark chocolate I was using for making the brownies was definitely enough chocolate for me. Plus no one noticed so delira with life at how they turned out. Even better when you have an unlimited supply of raspberries kindly grown by your next door neighbour. Has been a great year for Raspberries and this recipe makes great use of them needing 200g of them. Go find the recipe online....go make them.... eat them warm with vanilla ice cream....thank Neven and then you can thank me later for telling you to do so!

So they're just a few of the sneaky treats we've been enjoying in the Shortt Household. Think we've eaten everyone of them out the back garden having the banter with a cuppa or a few drinks. Enjoy the summer! God only knows how long it'll last so treat yourself to something nice and homemade. You'll feel great after doing it!

Happy Eating! xx