Summer porridge / refrigerator / overnight porridge - call it what you will, it's a lifesaver!

OK, I have blog jealousy right now, I am addicted to the Yummy Life site. It's really inspired me to look at what we eat and how much easier food could be...

You HAVE to check out this overnight porridge, it will make your mornings so much nicer!

http://www.theyummylife.com/Refrigerator_Oatmeal

I made a banana and honey version yesterday plus a fruits of the forest version. I love the idea of a pecan and maple or coconut / pineapple (hmmm would the pineapple be too acidic I wonder with th emilk though?). Anyway,Monica has inspired me to think about it anyway and since she's given 14 recipes, there's loads of... food for thought (sorry people, I had to).
I will make these for my toddler too for an easy breakfast that can be made on Sunday and last the week for the whole family.

I guess you could do special naughty ones like chocolate, caramel and nutty swirl... weekend only, mind ;o)

Anyway if that gets you addicted wait till you see the make-ahead smoothies...

Seen anything that inspired you? Let me know! I love Pinterest for these ideas, also love the make ahead salads, I will let you know how I get on when I make one.

Summer food you HAVE to try!

Hi everyone,

Well Summer is truly here and so I was inspired to make some nice food to enjoy the weather, and celebrate our little boys' second birthday with a lovely barbeque.

The dishes I chose were all easy-ish to make, Summery, zesty and flavourful so I definitely recommend you try them if you have never enjoyed them before - and even if you have - these recipes are scrummy and a true staple:

Chicken satay kebabs with real satay sauce

and that includes what I consider The Easiest satay sauce (not requiring peanut butter).
For me personally, I love Thai inspired food and so for extra properness... rather than cube the chicken, I cut it into strips and then 'knitted' it onto the skewers by piercing in folds (I hope that makes sense, the chicken ends up in S shapes on the skewer). Remember to soak wooden kebabs first.  They look amazing when done!


and a general staple for a BBQ or any time you need a dipping sauce that's truly simple yet delicious:

Tzatziki - a refreshing Greek cucumber based dipping sauce, yum yum. For me, it has, has, has to have a bit of mint in there for the true taste of Summer to really pop out and wake up your senses.

For afters? A British classic:

Strawberry fool - After looking at a few recipes, I decided on this one. I first tried fully combining all the ingredients (into a pink fluffy cream pudding), and this was lovely. I then tried a more layered technique like the image above, which I preferred from a looks point of view, but also because you get different textures.

Here's my result - a smaller portion for a more waist friendly treat:

I also wanted to share with you the M&M cake I made for our little ones BBQ birthday party. I found this on Youtube, I am such a YT addict these days, and I knew I had to make it - here's my finished one:

 

One tip I would recommend is a) do not do this with a nearly 2 year old who when helping decorate nearly eats all the M&M's and devours the (already melting) buttercream... and b) take it out of the fridge a few moments before cutting, it was too hard for me to cut after we sang happy birthday

I followed this recipe on YT to make the cake and it was well worth it - all the kids rushed forward to have a look and get a taste, very excited!

Enjoy the warm weather and do share any BBQ or other Summery recipes that you have been enjoying!