Hello Lovelies,
It is safe to say that July did not bring the heatwave that we were all expecting! Whilst there was a few days of sunshine, it was a bit of a washout in regards to the temperature front. There so, when the news came that the summer heat was being brought to life in other ways, I was interested.
Tracklements, who are well known for their sauces and chutneys, have created three brand new hot sauces to raise temperatures galore. From Smokin’ Chipotle to Rocket Hot, their new products have been created to help bring a new kick to any dish. So, I had to put them to the test.
Grabbing my mum, a person that adores spice, I took a few tortilla chips and placed each sauce on to them. I didn’t tell her out of the three, which also includes the Sriracha Chilli one, which was which, allowing her to get the full force instantly.
Starting with the mild one first, she hinted that the smoky heat was lovely. Inspiring her to think up a recipe she would include it in, she stated that she would use it on or in chilli or chicken based dishes. My mum thought it would be a perfect sauce in fact for a burger.
The next one was the Sriracha based sauce. I knew this one would be a bit hotter, but hopefully not to bad for her. Placing it into her mouth, she found that the kick from it was almost automatic. Definitely hotter than the one before, but still perfect for nachos, chicken or beef based dishes she stated. She even stated that it could be a good sauce to mix into a shepherds or cottage pie for a hidden element.
Finally, we moved onto the hottest one. Now my mum can handle heat, but I was worried with how her mouth would take to a rocket level of spice. Filled with scotch bonnet chillies, the smell of the spice was strong. Even I could sense the heat on the small crisp.
She was shocked by how much the spices came out straight away. Stating that the sauce would be better mixed into a dish, such as a curry, she said she couldn’t have a lot of it, but that she really liked the bold flavour.
Priced at £3.75 each, the bottles are a great size and will last a long time. You don’t need much of them to make a dish have a little extra kick. However, I will have to admit that these should be avoided on a really hot day, because the spice could blown your mind.
Each bottle would look super fancy at any gathering, especially BBQs, when we finally get the sunshine back. Though, they are also perfect to mix into everyday dishes that need that extra zing. Tracklements have made sure that whilst the weather may not be heating up, their products will make sure you feel the temperatures rising perfectly!
Joey X
The end of June and the month of July were filled with refreshing food finds. Lots of them are salad and fruit based. A pure mixture of sweet and savoury too, meaning they have helped to prepare lots of different dishes, including my birthday meal. I find that when the weather is warmer, it is easier to think up certain dishes, especially salad based ones, which makes new food discoveries a bit easier.
Here are five finds that I have recently discovered and enjoyed…
Blackberries: Ages ago I adored blackberries! My neighbours husband works on a fruit stall and he got me loads once. Yet, after changing to raspberries I became scared of them. So, when I tried them again during my stay with my brother, I was so happy to enjoy them again. Super sweet, great with rice krispies and warmed up in the bowl, they were pure perfection.
Fresh Salad Bags: From Tesco’s to Sainsbury’s, I have been managing to enjoy salads again, buying easy to use salad bags from both supermarkets. I like to have them portioned out, otherwise my head starts freaking out a little bit, so these 80g bags are perfect to simply put on my plate. I am loving the butterhead salads from Tesco’s at the moment, but have also tried the House Salad pot and a Sainsbury’s crisp salad bag too.
Aldi Spanish Forest Squeezy Honey: Having not been familiar with Spanish Forest honey before spotting it in Aldi, I decided to try and give this one a go. I drizzled it onto my cereal in the morning and adored it.
Hartley’s Pineapple Jam: On my birthday I like to have foods that I have never had before. This year, I wanted my normal bagel, but wanted to take a change from my normal topping of apricot conserve. After a lot of time spent in the jam and spreads aisle, I decided on the Hartley’s Pineapple Jam. Sweet, full of pineapple chunks and perfect on a cinnamon bagel and spread on apple slices too, this was a subtle but lovely find to enjoy.
Courgetti: When the warm weather was upon us, I wanted something cooling to enjoy for dinner. Courgettes were once a safe food, but I decided to change them up in meals to different foods, which then led to them becoming a fear food. With the help of my mum, we worked together to make dishes with them, landing on courgetti. I love to enjoy it with some red cabbage mixed in and covered in pasta sauce. Perfect hot or cold and in all weather.
A New Brand I Have Discovered: Bahlsen Butter Leaves Cookies - Okay, so I haven’t had these yet, but I have been brave and brought this to try and have soon. I used to love Bahlsen chocolate covered biscuits - I even ate a whole pack in one once - so I have high hopes that I am going to like these. Although I won’t be eating the whole pack this time. In fact, I will probably share most of them with my mum, but if I even attempt them I will be proud of myself.
What new food finds have you enjoyed recently lovelies?
Joey X
The sun is shining. The world is awake. I am ready to get
baking. Who else is with me? I had someone say to me that I was making their
day with the recipes and they were so excited to share images with me of their
creations. It really made my day to see and so this week I have decided to go
for a sunny creation.
In our house, summer is really in full swing when my brother
comes to stay, and he asks for a pineapple upside down! It makes me really
smile and I love being able to create the dish for the family to enjoy. Especially
with some ice cream, custard, or squirty cream in some cases.
With some food still a little bit hard to get, I have made
sure to make this recipe as easy as can be. It only has three ingredients and four
easy steps to make it. Enjoy lovelies…
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Self-Raising Flour
- 1 Cup Caster Sugar
- 1 Can of Pineapple Chunks (Undrained)
Tools
- Loaf Tin
- Baking Paper
- Mixing Bowl
- Mixing Spoon
- Skewer (Optional)
Method
- Preheat your oven to 180°C. Line a loaf tin with baking paper and set aside.
- Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix them together until they are all combined.
- Pour into the loaf tin and bake in the oven for 55-60 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in the tin or enjoy warm with a topping of your choice lovelies.
Don’t forget to share your sunny pineapple creations with me
lovelies! I would love to share them with everyone else on social media and the
blog!
Joey X