How To ... Make Sticky Toffee Pudding

Sticky Toffee Pudding is one of my all-time favourite desserts. Desserts are something I love and this one with its combination of cake, hot toffee sauce and ice-cream is one of the best.

After making this dessert a couple of years ago from a Rachel Allen recipe, I was on the hunt for a new recipe as Rachel Allen's one hadn't gone down too well with the rest of my family. After a quick Google search, I came across what was described as an easy and simple recipe from Nigella Lawson. With the only change being that I left out the dates, I would definitely recommend this recipe as it's so quick and easy and resulted in one of the best Sticky Toffee Puddings I've ever tasted. 

Here is how to make it ...

Ingredients : 

For the cake :

100 grams of dark brown muscovado sugar

175 grams of self-raising flour 

125ml of milk

1 large egg

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

50 grams of melted unsalted butter

For the sauce :

200 grams of dark brown muscovado sugar

25 grams of unsalted butter, cut into little pieces

500ml of boiling water

Directions :

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/gas mark 5/375°F and butter a 1.5 litre capacity dish.

2. Combine the 100 grams of dark brown muscovado sugar with the 175 grams of flour in a large mixing bowl.

3. Pour the 125ml of milk into a measuring jug and beat in the egg, teaspoon of vanilla and 50 grams of melted butter.

4. Pour this mixture over the sugar and flour and stir with a wooden spoon.

5. Scrape the mixture into your prepared pudding dish. 

6. Sprinkle over the 200 grams of dark brown muscovado sugar.

7. Dot the butter on top of the sugar.

8. Pour over the 500ml of boiling water and place in the oven. The pudding is going to look like the MOST DISGUSTING THING EVER at this stage but don't worry ... it'll all work out brilliantly!

eeewwww.....

9. Set your timer for 45 minutes once you've placed the Sticky Toffee Pudding in the oven. You may find that it needs 5 or 10 minutes more. Check that the top of the pudding is springy and spongy when you take it out. The butter, dark brown muscovado sugar and boiling water will have produced a rich, sticky toffee sauce underneath.

Sticky Toffee Pudding is best served with vanilla ice-cream, cream or creme fraiche. I chose a vanilla ice-cream from Lidl which is honestly one of the best vanilla ice-creams out there and compliments this pudding perfectly.

And so that is a quick and simple recipe for Sticky Toffee Pudding by Nigella Lawson which I would 100% recommend. It's hard to put into words how delicious a dessert it produces ... I guess you'll just have to try it out and see for yourself!

Caoimhe

xoxo

Tony Cocktail Party

Musical theatre is one of my greatest passions. Even as I write this, I am listening to the soundtrack of musical 'Dogfight'. Some could say I am obsessed.

I have always loved musical theatre. Among my favourite CDs as a toddler was the Les Miserables soundtrack and it remains a firm favourite to this day.

There's something about live theatre, especially when music is involved. Being on stage is one of my favourite things but I also enjoy leaving it up to the professionals of the West End and Broadway. 

For many with a love for musical theatre, the Tonys are a highlight of the year. 

The Tonys are an annual awards ceremony to celebrate Broadway's live theatre scene. 

Myself and a group of my friends decided to celebrate this year's 68th Tony Awards by watching them together with a Chinese takeaway and cocktails.

We decided to invent (or rename) a cocktail with the theme of the Tonys and so I thought I would take to my blog to share three of the cocktails we enjoyed while watching this year's Tonys.

The Cabaret

My own cocktail was called The Cabaret. Cabaret was nominated this year in the categories for best performance by an actor and an actress in featured roles in a musical.

This cocktail consisted of Peach Bellini and Cranberry and Raspberry juice. The story behind it? ... Well, in Cabaret Herr Schultz is very fond of 'Schnaps'. When I think of 'Schnaps', I automatically think of Peach Schnapps and so that's what I set out to buy. While I couldn't find Peach Schnapps exactly, I though Peach Bellini would do. (to be quite honest I haven't a notion whether there's any difference between the two or what Peach Bellini is exactly but it looked pretty) As many of you may know, Cabaret is set in Germany and I happened to be shopping in Aldi, a German shop. I decided to buy some Cranberry and Raspberry juice in Aldi which I manipulated as being relevant to Cabaret as it was bought in a German shop. (that works right?!) 

I didn't pay much attention to measurements, just dividing the Bellini out evenly and topping the glasses up with the Cranberry and Raspberry juice and ice. As simple as this cocktail was, I was so impressed. It was the perfect summer's evening drink - so fruity and refreshing. I'd definitely recommend it, even if you don't call it 'The Cabaret' yourself!

Thinking of adding 'cocktail maker' to my CV?!

The Tony Tipple

My friend Brandon's cocktail was a renamed gin and tonic. Not many of us were regular drinkers of gin and so it felt quite sophisticated to be having a G&T! 

Brandon garnished his Tony Tipple with lime and when squeezed into the cocktail, it made for another suitable summer drink. 

While I can't see myself becoming a regular G&T drinker, it was a nice change and a sophisticated twist to our Tony night!

Unlike me, Brandon actually is a bar-man!

 Cranston's Meth

Not half as dubious as it sounds, Lauryn's cocktail was inspired by Bryan Cranston. He won this year's award for best performance by an actor in a leading role in a play for his undertaking of the role of Lyndon B. Johnson in 'All the Way'. To celebrate Cranston's Broadway debut, Lauryn was inspired by his highly-acclaimed role in the TV show, 'Breaking Bad'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N0nkTJhfb8. As a manufacturer and seller of meth in the show, Lauryn decided to include blue Mickey Finns in her cocktail. Mixed with a small measure of Mickey Finns was lemon and lime soda. Lauryn's final touch was a lollipop and ice.

This cocktail was definitely another example of a fun cocktail perfect for relaxing in the summer sun .. or in our case in front of the TV as we watched the Tonys! I loved the imagination behind this one!

Oh so professional!

So that was probably a completely unhelpful-I-knew-all-of-this-already blog post about cocktails. I never really set out to inform, just to show how fun a themed cocktail night with friends can be!

In terms of the actual Tonys, I had to share with you the highlight of the night. 'Beautiful' is a Broadway musical based on the life of the awe-inspiring Carole King. When she appeared on stage to introduce a performance by the cast of 'Beautiful' myself and my friends went crazy! The performance did not let us down. Accompanied by Carole King herself, Jessie Mueller and the cast performed 'Will You Love Me Tomorrow' and 'I Feel The Earth Move'. I have attached the link to the performance below because this is honestly something that everyone has to see. It's FLAWLESS! Our night was then made when Jessie Mueller picked up the award for best performance by an actress in a lead role in a musical. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N0nkTJhfb8

I have attached below some other pictures of our Tony Cocktail Party. I absolutely love my friends and our common love for all things musical!

Caoimhe xoxo

Lauryn and 'The Cabaret'.

Artsy close-up ... classic Caoimhe.

The boys opening the box of Chinese takeaway .. who'd have thought they were into acting?!

A beautiful summer's evening sky.

Sassy.

An Adventure ... To the National Botanic Gardens

                                            

One of my favourite things to do when I need a little pick-me-up is to go outside, which is exactly what I did this weekend.

I peeled myself away from constant Orange Is The New Black on my laptop and made myself even the slightest bit presentable for the outside world.

My adventure began with a rushed top-up of my leap card and catching the bus (which is so heartbreakingly scarce on a Sunday afternoon), with a minute to go. Not gonna lie..I felt like a hero.

I've passed the sign for the Botanic Gardens multiple times and have always meant to visit. I once went as a child with my family and family friends and absolutely loved it. Other commitments mixed with a ridiculous amount of laziness prevented me from doing so all through my first year in university. With a little encouragement from my mother I decided that Sunday was going to be the day I paid the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, Dublin a visit.

My family have always been 'outdoorsy' ... not to say that the Botanic Gardens is very wild or remote ... but at least it was green. I could just imagine my mammy's ooohhing and aaahing over every beautiful flower, my daddy's fascination with the history of various plants, my sisters' search for the perfect 'botanic' selfie and my brother's search for the most off-track route or football/hurling pitch.

All these thoughts accompanied my day as I walked for hours around the various gardens. I brought my camera with me and spent my time messing around with settings and taking countless photographs. I was really quite pleased with some of the results. I love photography and I really want to improve my skills so I definitely took advantage of the variation of plants, foliage and flowers.

I absolutely love when by chance you capture an image like this one. You could never plan for a bee to be collecting pollen at that exact moment and yet there he was ... really appreciate it Mr. Bee xo

Photographing rain drops on the petals of a flower makes me feel oh-so-professional ... yes ... I am easily amused.

SO MUCH GREEN ... coming from Donegal, this is definitely something I miss in the city. 

My Gran would have been disappointed that I never thought to actually check the name of any flower or plant, although she would probably have known the name anyway. I don't think I would ever really appreciate the beauty of flowers, had it not been for my Gran. Her garden was one of her greatest joys and the happiness any flower brought her will forever inspire me.

The National Botanic Gardens have so many greenhouses, none of which I entered because I wasn't really in the mood to feel like I couldn't breathe (my exact feeling every time I enter a greenhouse).

The Rose Garden had some of the most amazing and unusual roses. I loved the almost dip-dye effect of this one and couldn't resist an artsy close-up.

I love how the frame of this picture captures the sculpture gazing up into the trees, mirroring what every visitor was doing!

I don't think a red rose's beauty can ever be disputed. 

One of my favourite things to photograph is the sky, especially when it's full of clouds. Despite the grey tone, Sunday was a warm summer's day ... with sporadic Irish rain showers of course!

And so that is my first 'An Adventure ..' blog post. I hope I'll have many more during the summer, taking my camera along with me. I couldn't recommend the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, Dublin enough. Even if you aren't a lover of photography or flowers like me, you really can't beat a walk to clear your head. Plus, it's FREE which is perfect if you're a broke student like me! (I hope you all noticed that rhymed ... yup there I am, easily amused once again)

Caoimhe 

xoxo

It's summer YO

I'm going to ramble .. I swear 

One of my biggest regrets since starting college is not writing in my diary. For over 6 years I had filled diaries with truthfully the most mundane nonsense. They did manage to entertain me every time I looked back at them however, but they would have bored anyone else to tears.

I'm not sure if it's because I instead spend hours on YouTube (mostly) or trawling through my Twitter timeline for the 9782847928th time that day but I no longer seem to prioritise writing in my diary. That fact genuinely gives me anxiety every time I think about it because I can't believe I've been so stupid not to document what was one of the best years of my life. Even writing down the smallest, most boring things would have been more productive than leaving my diary empty for the past 8 months.

Sometimes I just get the urge to write but I'm scared to go back to my diary because of the hours I'm going to have to spend on it filling myself in! So today I have decided to write a blog post, something I haven't done on this blog since setting it up ... which is another regret of mine.

I just really want to write.

I'm going to start off today and I hope I don't stop. I want to remain true to my blog title; 'A Gurl's Ramblings'. I really do like to ramble but this empty blog isn't much of a testimony to that particular trait. Hopefully the next few months of the summer at least will improve it so here goes ...