Make your own basil pesto

Make your own basil pesto
Pesto is very versatile and tasty. Add it in your tomatoe based sauce, on top of yoru pizza, mix in with your pasta to add that little extra something.

Pesto Genovese

1. Pop 50g basil leaves into a food processor and pulse to a pulp.

2. Add 1 small garlic clove and 50g toasted pine nuts and whizz until mixed through.

3. Stir in 125ml extra virgin olive oil and 25g grated Parmesan.

4. Store leftovers in a sterile jar, topped up with a little olive oil to seal. Will keep for up to 3 weeks in the fridge. You can also use your freshly made pesto to make pesto focaccia bread which goes really well with my tasty tomato soup.

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New York - the big cosmopolitan apple

Population: 8.3 million
New York is a cosmopolitan, financial and cultural centre. Like Paris, NYC's characteristics of constrained space, little new development and burgeoning global demand has saved the City from the fate of continued falls but, although international purchasers are a growing presence, they are not on the scale of some cities such as London. 
The Big Apple is a rental town, and largely an American one. Overseas buyers are often looking for good student accommodation for their children.
Movie Moments in NYC
NYC, one of the top USA cities to visit
Read about other major cities:
Paris - an international and cultural centre
London - a forward thinking historial city
Hong Kong - a global financial centre
Tokyo - a new city with old traditions

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Bread Pudding Recipe

Knowling my passion for my blog and of good food my mate Dave has provided me with this recipe to share with you all. Can I point out that if any of you lovely ladies try this recipe and love it Dave is also single....So, without further ado I proudly present Dave's Bread Pudding Recipe. Thanks Dave.

Dave's Bread Pudding

Ingredients: 1 egg
 8oz bread
 ½ pint water
 2oz butter (melted)
 3oz sugar
 1 tsps cinnamon
 1 tsps nutmeg
 6oz fruit Method:1. Break up the bread into small pieces and soak in the water for half an hour. 
2. Add the beaten egg, melted butter, sugar and spice and mash together with a fork. 
3. Mix in the fruit and put in a medium oven (approx. 150°C in a fan assisted oven) for 1¼ hours.
"This is a simple classic pudding. It is delicious hot with a little sugar sprinkled over the top or you can leave to get cold when you and slice it and eat it like a cake. I like to use cinnamon and nutmeg but you can use different spices if you prefer. I also like to be a little heavy handed with the measurements of the spice." Dave

City Escapes

Many of us start the New year with a full year of annual leave. I am always a little wary of spending my annual leave so early on in the year just in case I miss out on a fabulous opportunity later on in the year. A city break is my solution and maybe it's one for you too?A short flight away
Barcelona, Spain
Berlin, Germany
Budapest, Hungary
Copenhagen, Denmark
Galway, Ireland
Istanbul, Turkey
Krakow, Poland
Madrid, Spain
Marrakech, Morocco
Paris, France
Reykjavik, Iceland
Stockholm, Sweden
Oslo, Norway
A longer flight
Las Vegas
Los Angeles, USA
Miami
New York City
San Fransisco
No flight at all
Don't forget you can go on holiday in Britain. Stafford, is a lovely town with plenty to see including the Ancient High House. Tixall Gatehouse is a short drive away through the rural countryside. The National Trust property Wightwick Manor & Gardens is very worth visiting while in the area. Lichfield had a fabulous medieval cathedral as well as a lovely tearoom called Tudor of Lichfield which also sells chocolates made on the premises.
Other UK options include:
Blackpool
Edinburgh
Cardiff
Brighton
Southampton
London

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Tokyo - a new city with old traditions

Population: 13 million.Tokyo residential real estate is perhaps one of the most different of the World City markets in that it is the land that is valued, not the building. Think if it like buying a new car; the value will depreciate almost as soon as it's built. Housing is assumed to have a limited lifespan and generally replaced after 20 to 40 years. The recent earthquake cooled demand for housing property, particularly the luxury market, although the mid-market seems to be stable.
The types of properties rented are very different to the types of those for sale. Rental properties are purpose-built, located in and around the central business districts, targeted at employees of those areas, and command the higher prices. For purchase, inhabitants are more likely to choose detached houses in the suburbs.
Tokyo -  An alternate honeymoon destination 
Tokyo - 4 of the Best laces to Visit in North East Asia 

Read about other major cities:
Paris - an international and cultural centre

London - a forward thinking historial city
Hong Kong - a global financial centre
New York - the big cosmopolitan apple

Seeking some sun for your next holiday?

January is the time where we sit at our desks and dream of exotic lands with warm sundrenched days on the beach or besides the pool. And with the first pay day of the year looming turn your daydream to reality this weekend. Here are a few options you could consider for your escape.

By the pool in South Morocco

Sunseekers look no further!
Acapulco, Mexico - resort
Antigua
Australia
Barcelona, Spain
Cancun, Mexico - resort
Costa Rica
Dominica
Cairo, Egypt - Giza pyramids
Italy - the Top 6 most picturesque places in Italy
Jamaica
Jordan
Madrid, Spain
Morocco - henna hand painting, atlantic ocean, fesh fish
Puero Vallarta, Mexico - resort
Turkey
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Other useful posts:
Things you need to consider when going on holiday
Don't let sunburn ruin your holiday

Spelt with Onions & Tomatoes - low in Gluten

Spelt is an ancient type of wheat which is making a come back. It's a highly nutritious grain which is lower in gluten than many others and is very versatile making it a great accompaniment to any meal. I also like to add it to soups to bulk it out a bit.

Add a little colour with a wedge of lemon or feta cheese

Spelt with Onion & Tomatoes - a super speedy supper
This is a great emergency supper. I have a couple of these pouches in my cupboard as a food staple the same as the dried herbs and canned tomatoes and puree. The only thing I may be missing is a fresh lemon but a little bit of Jif lemon can come in handy! It may not look much in he bowl but by heck it's tasty and healthy - double win!
Serves 2
Ingredients:
225g spelt (I use The Food Doctor pouch)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 225g (71/2oz) can chopped tomatoes
1 tsp tomato puree
1 teasp dried mixed herbs
juice of 1/2 lemon
Method:
1. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened and golden. 
2. Add the spelt, tomatoes, puree and herbs to the pan. Mix well and allow to simmer.
3. Stir in the lemon juice and serve. 
For an extra treat I like to add a few cubes of marinated feta cheese.
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Make Vegetable Sushi

With us all trying our best to keep those New Years resolutions about being healthy and all that jazz. Vegetable sushi is a really great lunchtime recipe. I like to do these on a Sunday ready for work the next day. Sometimes I prefer to pack it with vegetables rather than using rice as you can see from the pic below.

Ingredients:

Sushi Nori (seaweed sheets)

Reed map for wrapping

Avacado

Smoked Salmon
Grated Carrot
Sprouts

It's really super easy.

1. Lay a nori sheet shiny side down on top of the mat

2. Place the smoked salmon onto the nori sheet.
3. Slice the avocado into even slices and place horizontally onto the nori sheet
4. Add on top the grated carrot and then the sprouts 

12. Slowly and firmly roll the edge of your filled nori roll over to using the map to keep the tension even. Keep rolling until there is 1 inch left. Dampen the edge of the nori with a fingertip of water to seal the nori. Hold in place for 30 secs.

13. With a sharpe knife dipped in water slice the the roll into even chunks and Bob's your uncle!

I like to use a little tamari sauce instead of soya as its wheat and gluten free.

Chocolate Mud Cupcakes

Chocolate Mud Cupcakes
Makes 12
7oz (1 cup) dark chocolate
6oz unsalted butter
5 medium eggs
5oz caster sugar
6oz SR flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
Method:1. Preheat oven to 160oC (325oF). Place paper cases into muffin tray.
2. Melt chocolate in a glass bowl over simmering water. Melt the butter in also, stir well. Leave to cool a little.
3. Beat the eggs and sugar in a large bowl until pale in colour and thickly set. Fold the SR flour into this mixture and then stir in the melted butter and chocolate until well blended.
4. Spoon the mixture evenly into the cups & bake for c.20 mins. The cupcakes should be soft and gooey in texture and appearance so don’t worry! Remove the muffin tray from the oven and cool for 5 mins. Remove the cupcakes from the tray serve swiftly, dusted with cocoa powder. You can store the cupcakes (once fully cooled) in the fridge for up to 3 days so you don’t have to eat them alllll in one go (sorry about that!).
Other variationsOnce you have found a cupcake sponge recipe that works really well it’s worth looking at other ways of vamping up your favourite. For these chocolate mud cupcakes you could…..
Add 4oz of raspberries, washed and lightly crushed to the mixture to make Raspberry & Chocolate Mud cupcakes. You could use a few raspberries to decorate the cooled cupcakes too.
Or you could…..
Add 4oz toasted and chopped macademia nuts (my absolute favourite nut) to the mixture making macademia mud cakes. Yum yum
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Pesto Focaccia Recipe

This bread is great with my homemade tomato soup recipe, perfect to warm up those dark cold evenings.

Pesto Focaccia

Pesto Focaccia Ingredients:
500g strong white bread flour, plus some for dusting
1 ½ tsp salt
7g sachet fast-action yeast
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus some extra for drizzling
125g ball mozzarella , drained
5 tbsp pesto (from jar or make your own - see recipe below)
sea salt , to serve (optional)

1. Put the flour into a bowl and mix in the salt. 

2. Mix the yeast into 325ml tepid water. Add the water and oil to the flour, then mix well with a plastic scraper or your hands. When most of the liquid is incorporated, use your hands to bring all the ingredients together into a ball of dough.

3. Tip the dough out onto a worktop lightly dusted with flour and work it by pulling and stretching for at least 10 mins. Try to get as much air into it as possible. Put the ball of worked dough into a well-oiled bowl, cover with a little more oil and a tea towel or cling film. 

4. Leave to rest for 1 hr or so in a non-draughty warm spot, until doubled in size.
5. Stretch the dough out onto a baking sheet until it's about 20 x 30cm. Leave the dough to rise again to about half as high again, about 30-40 mins in a warm draught-free place, loosely covered with a tea towel.
6. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. When the dough has risen, press your fingers into it gently to make some holes. Bake for about 15 mins, then remove from the oven. 

7. Tear over the mozzarella, then bake for another 5-10 mins until golden and cooked through. 8. Drizzle over the pesto and scatter with sea salt, if you like. Serve straight away.
This bread is great with my homemade tomato soup recipe, perfect to warm up those dark cold evenings.

Make your own pesto
Pesto Genovese
1. Put 50g basil leaves into a food processor and pulse to a pulp. 

2. Add 1 small garlic clove and 50g toasted pine nuts and whizz until mixed through. 

3. Stir in 125ml extra virgin olive oil and 25g grated Parmesan. 

4. Store leftovers in a sterile jar, topped up with a little olive oil to seal. Will keep for up to 3 weeks in the fridge.

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Paris, an international and cultural centre

Thinking of moving to Paris? Here are a few interesting things to learn about the property market out there. Paris has a population: 6.6 million and is an international and cultural centre. Paris rivals London and is currently seeing almost as much overseas investor activity. It is, however, a very different real estate market. Residential stock in prime central Paris is largely historic, with very few new developments and very few houses.
There is strong international demand at the top end of the Paris market, and increasing investment from BRIC economies, particularly while the Euro remains weak. 
Price growth across the whole Ile de France region is being led by central Paris, in much the same way as central London is leading growth in Greater London and Home Counties.
Paris with its historic fabric and bounded by the inner suburbs has very constrained land supply and expansion potential. Like many 'old world' cities it will rely on the regeneration of old industrial and deprived areas to create new C21st living quarters.
Read:
Top Things to do in Paris
Read about other major cities:
Paris - an international and cultural centre

London - a forward thinking historial city
Hong Kong - a global financial centre
Tokyo - a new city with old traditions
New York - a big cosmopolitan apple

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London - A forward thinking historical city

St. Paul's Cathedral

London has a population of 7.5million, 1 million more than Paris, France. If you are looking to move to London as I did 8 years ago next week here are a few interesting property facts. London is no longer the most expensive place to buy property in the world, bricks and mortar is still expensive. The purchase of a London house or flat is viewed by many global players as a safe store of  wealth. As an established global city and major financial centre, London attracts business and residents from every part of the world as well as a strong investor market, currently buoyed by sterling's weak exchange rate.
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Read:
Things to do when visiting London, England
Kensington - A Royal Village - walk
The Printers of Fleet Street, London - walk
Traitors Executed in the Tower of London
The Princes in the Tower of London
Other major cities:
Paris - an international and cultural centre

Hong Kong - a global financial centre
Tokyo - a new city with old traditions
New York - a big cosmopolitan apple