Chocolate Truffles

These babies are seriously divine, they're easy to make, you don't need to scour the shops for any special ingredients or equipment (which is the absolute bane of my cooking life!!!), they look impressive to serve up to your friends and family after a meal or to give as a gift wrapped in some simple cellophane and tied with a pretty ribbon or a nice little box lined with tissue paper or a pretty paper napkin.

Ok there has to be bad news, per truffle we're talking serious calories and for anyone doing Weightwatchers (like moi) they work out at 3 whole propoints each - eek!!! Nonetheless .....they are worth it!! Hehe!!!

A tip : The ones coated in cocoa powder wold be very slightly less calorific than the vermicelli coated truffles!

The following recipe makes about 21 truffles, yes, yes I am painfully aware there are 18 on the plate in the picture above - I gave himself ONE and shur I had to make sure they tasted okay myself! If one didn't taste the mixture as it was cooling etc one might have got 24 truffles

Here's what you'll need:

120mls cream

30g icing sugar

100g Dark chocolate 70% cocoa solids broken into small pieces

50g Milk chocolate, broken into small pieces

25g butter

30 mls Baileys Irish Cream or other liqueur of your choice (Tia Maria, Creme de Menthe, Cherry Brandy, Malibu, whatever floats your boat!)

Chocolate vermicelli and cocoa powder for rolling the finished truffles in.

Re the chocolate - I do a mix of dark and milk chocolate, but if you prefer use all dark, 'tis up to you!

Here's what you'll need to do:

Put the cream and icing sugar in a saucepan and gently heat, do not let it come to a boil!

Take off the heat.

Put the chocolates in a bowl, pour the hot cream/icing sugar mix over it.

Stir well until the chocolate is melted.

Add the Baileys or liqueur of choice, stir well.

Cover and put in the fridge to chill for a couple of hours until set.

Use a teaspoon scoop out amounts of the mixture similar in size to a Ferrero Rocher, roll into balls with your hands.

A tip: Try to have your hands cold for this part and the kitchen ideally wouldn't be meltingly warm either!

Have a couple of plates ready with chocolate vermicelli and cocoa powder and roll the truffles in these as desired.

If liked you could dip them in some melted and cooled chocolate instead.

These will keep in a container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Next time I'm going to try some White Chocolate and Limoncello Truffles so watch this space!

Love and hate and Roasted Red Pepper Soup!

OK as this blog testifies I LOVE food , but there's a bit of love and hate thing involved in our relationship - I am an overweight Type 2 diabetic who was diagnosed some 6 years or so ago when I very brilliantly failed the medical for a job I had just been offered! Times I have said "Feck it" and muddled along as normal, but having had a very sick January and the threat of insulin shots loomimg I headed to Weightwatchers the Thursday before Easter henceforth known as the feast of chocolate!

To date I am pleased to report I have lost 25 1/2 pounds and it hasn't been that much hardship. (Tip of the iceberg though and only about half way there!)

OK the weight loss is fantastic but the health benefits have been enormous - my blood sugars are now NORMAL and I no longer have the threat of insulin shots looming, my tablets have been reduced from 11 per day to 5 now and my blood pressure has gone from a very high to normal. And I have done it WITHOUT resorting to WW or other brand ready meals -Most days I have porridge with fresh berries for breakfast, maybe a slice of brown soda bread with a banana round 11a.m., lunch could be some homemade soup or a sandwich or a salad. Dinner is mostly always homemade and never just "rabbit" food - I eat out regularly and successfully fit it into my weight loss program.

We eat well and enjoy what we eat!

This is a fabulous soup which I have put together from a few recipes to get one I liked. And for someone like myself battling the bulge very low on calories - if you're doing Weightwatchers it works out about 1 Propoint per serving if you use Low cal spray oil or give it 2 pp's if you use REAL OIL (my preference!)

What you'll need:

4 red peppers, deseeded and cut in half.
Either a sprinkle Olive oil or Low cal spray oil
1 large onion, diced.
2 to 3 Garlic cloves, crushed.
1 chilli, chopped. I use whatever colour I have be it red or green.
300mls Passata.
600 mls vegetable stock.
2 tablespoons chopped basil.
Few basil sprigs for garnishing.

What you'll need to do:

Preheat oven to 180C Fan.
Rub the skin of the peppers with a dash of olive oil and place skin side up on a baking tray.
Place in the oven for about 15 mins till the skin is charred.
Remove and place in a bowl, cover with cling film and leave for about 10 mins.
The skins can now easily be peeled from the peppers. Chop into smaller pieces.

Fry off the onion, garli and chilli in a little oil till softened but not coloured. Add the peppers, the passata, vegetable stock and bring to the boil stirring well.

Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 to 15 mins, adding the basil for the last couple of mins.

Puree in a food processor or with a stick blender till smooth.

Garnish with basil sprigs.

Absolutely delish!!!!