Ice Cream Dreams

 

In early Spring (if you can call it that) Phil and I like to take a short city break. Not only do we get some foodie time away from home but it also gives the kids a break from us and Grandparents to indulge them! It is also a time of the year when My Secret Kitchen is in full swing and so we can take some time 'off' knowing that the business is in the very capable hands of our leaders and support team.

 

Last year we went to Marrakesh (hence our inspiration for Saffron Tagine Paste) and this year we have just come back from Barcelona.

 

In true style Phil researched some fabulous foodie haunts before we went (thank-you Trip Advisor) and I just have to share with you our ice cream experience. In the photo above you can see the range of amazing flavours we found at Gelaaati! and specifically we tried the flavours below - Parmesan Reggiano Ice Cream, Fig & Ricotta and my favourite, a caramel and biscuit concoction.

 

 

So I thought I'd have a go myself - Maple Caramel Ice Cream with extra Maple Caramel Sauce and crunchy caramel studded with Secret Honeycomb Spices...

 

 

Of course if you are short on time then some good vanilla ice cream with a healthy dollop of Maple Caramel Sauce and a sprinking of Secret Honeycomb Spices will have the desired effect.

 

Maybe there is an ice cream dream in all of us? What flavours inspire you? We certainly started daydreaming about Willy Wonka-esque ice cream flavours with a little help from My Secret Kitchen....

 

Apple Butter Ice Cream with Maple Caramel Sauce

Coconut Mango Mojito Ice Cream

Fig Pudding Pickle & Chocolate Truffle Ice Cream

Double Chocolate Brownie with macadamia nut Ice Cream



Strawberry Ice Cream with Balsamic Reduction

Hibiscus & Rose Pistachio Ice Cream

White Chocolate Ice Cream with Mochaccino Biscotti

 

And if you don't have an ice cream maker be sure to try our recipe for Chocaberry Semi-Freddo using our Chocaberry Cheese Ball Mix

 

Happy Dreaming!

 

Clare

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Easy Easter

 

I love baking but freely admit I'm rubbish at it. (Enter the 'boob cake' that I made for my daughter's 6th birthday party - it was actually a pale pink crown with a jewel on the top but as my darling husband pointed out was more mammary than majestic).

I can spend hours drooling at bakery windows and at this time of the year we get to see Easter biscuits in all sorts of seasonal shapes, iced to perfection in pastel colours - cute little chicks and fluffy bunnies it seems a shame to eat them (but head first is best).

Our efforts are a little more rustic here at My Secret Kitchen but still as scrumptious and always reliable. I thought I'd share with you a really simple idea using our Mochaccino Cookie Mix. There is no shame here on using 'packet mixes' especially when our packet mixes are simply perfect ingredients, perfectly weighed and measured to take the time, stress and worry out of baking. Just add the eggs and butter for perfectly crumbly melt-in-the-mouth cookies every time.

You can find the recipe for Mochaccino Easter Nests here and more about our Mochaccino Cookie Mix here.

So as we count down to Easer, you'll find me daydreaming about egg custard tarts, Simnel cake, hot cross buns and all things sugar and spice thanks to all you inspirational bakers out there (and not a boob in sight!).

Clare
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Magical Mums

Mothering Sunday is the fourth Sunday in Lent when servants were given the day off to return home to their families and their ‘mother church’. Food was often central to the celebrations and it is likely that the rules of Lent were relaxed for this week-end, so that simnel cake and the lesser known ‘mothering bun’ (a simple yeast risen bun with icing originating in Bristol) could be enjoyed.

Whatever your spiritual beliefs, this coming Sunday will be a chance to celebrate all kinds of mothering. Being a strong female orientated business, we relish the thought of getting in touch with our feminine side at My Secret Kitchen and since today is also International Women’s Day I’ve been chatting to some inspirational mums…

Nerys is our consultant in North Wales, who is a wonderful Mum to her two children aged 14 and 10. She has been a My Secret Kitchen consultant since February 2011 and like many Mums, is multi-talented since she also works full time as well as supporting her husband and the children is their active lives. She uses week-ends and school holidays to conduct her MSK business and it is often a family affair with her daughter helping out to earn extra pocket money and both kids are happy to be tasters after product launches or if she tries out one of our new recipes.

In Nerys’ words, “Being a My Secret Kitchen consultant gives me the chance to meet new people with a common interest in trying new foods - one of the best feelings is helping customers restock with the products they had enjoyed previously.”

Nerys came to join us because she loved the idea of hosting a tasting; she instantly saw that food tasting parties was a great way of combining an evening at home with friends enjoying amazing foods and flavours. It is through Nerys that I got to chat with her host Claire, another magical mum who loved the tasting that Nerys ran at her sister’s house and wanted to host a tasting for her own friends.

Having never hosted a party plan event before there were the initial nerves about promoting My Secret Kitchen but having met Nerys and seen our way for herself she knew the evening had the “wow factor”. Claire has now hosted several tastings and likes supporting Nerys as mums often do. Claire works part time too but found inviting friends and colleagues to her tasting a breeze as they were intrigued to come along and find out more about our foods. Claire’s daughter Hannah also helped by handing out the invites and was a keen taster on the night too.

Hannah loves baking and so our Beer Bread Mix is a favourite and of course Maple Caramel Sauce. The Cheese Ball Mixes are also useful standbys which they often use as dips for entertaining. Claire keeps a keen eye on the kitchen activity but loves our products for the reliability and ease they give to the whole family. It was also great to buy her husband the Jumping Jack Chilli Jam with her host credit.


In our client newsletter last week we ran a fun competition for all mums out there – 10 Mango Mojitos to give away to 10 Magic Mums. All the entries were amazing to read and it was really tough to pick just 10. Thank-you to everyone who took part and here are the winning entries (please have tissues to hand for laughing and crying!)

My mum is magical because she manages to find everything I have 'lost' straight away!

My mum is magical because she knows when I'm upset or worried even when I don’t realise I am. Whenever I have a problem, she is always the first one there for me and always sorts things out for me. She always puts everyone else first and deserves a little treat.

My mum is magical because she is always there with the most amazing home cooked meals when a "food hug" is the only cure Xx love you mummy.

My mum is magical because... she is always there for me and my children, e.g chicken pox this week and she looked after them for me whilst I went to my new job!

My mum is magical because she gave me a fantastic childhood full of happy memories and experiences, which has made me the best mum I can be to her beautiful grandchildren.

My Mum is magical because: She still hides and jumps out at me in the middle of the night, then laughs! I'm 22!

My mum is magical because.... she always knows when something is wrong just by looking at me or even just talking on the phone!

My mum is magical because she always makes me a sausage sarnie when I visit her. Blood is thicker than vegetarianism.

My mum was magical because...she taught me how to cook. As she has now died I now use those skills to teach my dad to cook! (Dad would get the present as I no longer have a mum)

My mum is magical because she can create the illusion that she is fine when she's actually in a huge mood about something.

So a huge happy mother’s day and thank-you for all your magical mothering, have a lovely day,

Best Wishes

Clare
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Ultimate Brownie Bliss

March is here and it feels kind of good to have January and February under our belts. If you have been literally watching your belts perhaps you are also looking forward to Easter and saying yes instead of no! Traditionally at My Secret Kitchen we celebrate chocolate in March and with Easter and Mother's Day around the corner I have some brownie based inspiration for you.

Our Ultimate Chocolate Brownie Mix was the first product I developed several years ago for what was then, a developing dream of our own food tasting business. My philosophy was simple, to create recipes and products that I would make at home in a way for everyone to taste and use in their homes.  The values that were built into every recipe are as true and relevant today as they were back then and are what I believe also make our brownie mix the ultimate and here's why....

1. SECRET INGREDIENTS.
We only use naturally processed cocoa, and we're careful not to add too much sugar. We also use just enough flour to hold the brownies together. Belgian chocolate chunks and natural vanilla add the finishing touches. It’s also about what you will not find in our mix – there are none of the synthetic diglycerides, fillers or artificial flavours you might come across elsewhere. I also believe that adding real fresh eggs and natural butter are what makes a brownie and brownie so no water, oil or dried egg here!

2. PACKING A PUNCH
Many brownie mixes are on the small side, but we have purposefully made ours a large 500g pack. This lets you make 16 thick, squidgy, fudgey browines, or split the mix between two pans for 32 thinner squares; the photo below illustrates this point when compared to other brownie mixes.

3. RECIPES FOR SUCCESS
Inside each box is a set of recipes to help you create a whole host of blissful brownie creations – including a low fat version which substitutes the melted butter for apple puree and the whole egg for whipped egg whites, which results in a really intense chocolate flavour and 70% less fat. Don't forget our recipe site too with White Chocolate Macadamia Brownies, Cheesecake Brownies and my favourite, Brownie Nut Torte, perfect for Easter Sunday entertaining.

4. EACH PACKET IS KIND TO YOUR POCKET
The finished brownies work out at around 54p each – which is a fraction of what you can pay in certain coffee shops and cafes - see our recent taste testing below where we discovered you can pay up to £2 for a brownie in a coffee shop!

5. FREEZEY DOES IT
Our brownies also freeze brilliantly, so if you can resist the temptation to scoff the lot, you can save some for another day!

So here you can see some of our research in action and just a selection of the browine mixes we have been benchmarking our own recipe with. The white flags are all brownies made with other packet mixes (made according to the instructions). Each range in size from 35g to 60g per portion. The dark blue flag is our very own Ultimate Chocolate Brownie Mix and you will have to take my word for it that the taste test was no contest!

With the brownies below, the light blue flags are from well-known coffee shops as well as a local independent cafe. You certainly get more in a pre-prepared brownie (70g - 80g portion) but also be prepared to pay £1.45 - £2.00 for sadly, a very dry and grainy product. The dark blue flag at the end is again, our very own fudgy squidy amazingly chocolaty brownie!

So when time doesn't allow to bake brownies from scratch I am more than confident that our mix is worth every chocolaty penny.
Happy March, I hope its a fabulously chocolaty one for you too,

Clare
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