Chocolate Overload Cake

A while ago my good friend Michaela from An Affair From The Heart created a fantastic Chocolate Espresso Cake which I instantly loved. My honey had his birthday coming up, of course I had to make him a cake, and of course Michaelas cake was the first thing that came to mind. Here is my adaptation - Chocolate Overload Cake.

I adored this cake. It was easy to make (only one bowl!), and easy to decorate. The cake itself was perfectly chocolaty and deliciously moist. I think this is the kind of cake best described visually, so here are a whole load of photos!

Grilled Chicken and Pesto Sandwiches

I'm super excited to share with you all the first ever guest post on PicNic today! These delicious Grilled Chicken and Pesto Sandwiches come from the very talented Kecia of Kecia's Flavor Breakthrough.

Here's what Kecia has to say:

I was sooo excited that Nicole asked me, little ole’ me to create a guest post for her! PicNic blog  is one of my favorite!! I mean FAVORITE sites! I love her wonderful cheesecake recipes among other things! I really wanted to share something truly delicious with her so I decided after making this sandwich; this had to be the one to send her! Thank you so much Nicole for having me!

I had this sandwich in the airport on the way home from Colorado Springs that was really good, but I knew I could really rev it up and totally rock it! See it had chicken, cheese and pesto! OK, I know… what can be at all bad about that! Nothing!! But, it was cold and I though wow! Use a nice crusty bread, heat up the chicken on the grill, make some homemade pesto from the herbs in my garden and melt the cheese on top!  Yes!! That is what I want to make tonight! I grilled a bunch of extra chicken last night to put in soup and had two fantastic ideas on what to do with the left overs! Honey picked Italian, so here it is! Enjoy!

Easy Homemade Garlic Naan Bread

An Indian curry isn't complete without a nice warm naan bread, easily made in your own kitchen! By making your own you can also customize to suit your tastes - whether this means extra garlic, fennel, cumin, you can really get creative!

Caramel Apple Pie

Apple pie has always been one of my favorite desserts. When I was young I always got so excited when our Sunday night roast dinner was followed with delicious hot apple pie and cream. And now I have discovered how to make the humble apple pie even more amazing - caramel!

PicNic-Style Jerk Chicken

My variation of Jerk Chicken reduced the chili and spice to create a meal that the whole family can enjoy - of course this doesn't make it any less flavor-packed! I have left a perfect little hint of spice, not so spicy so children will still enjoy it as well. It's really easy too!

Raspberry White Chocolate Cheesecake

I was delighted to be invited by Kecia to do a guest post for her blog, Kecia's Flavor Breakthrough. This is one of my favorite blogs, especially for riced-based dishes.

Kecia and her family love my cheesecake recipes so it was a real no-brainer when it came to deciding what to create. This no-bake Raspberry White Chocolate Cheesecake uses beautiful summer flavors, and works just as well with fresh or frozen fruit.

Swedish Meatballs

Meatballs are just one of those dishes that you can make a million different ways and each and every one is deliciously satisfying in it's own way. But I must say, this is one of my favorites.

Swedish Meatballs are a simple dish and a wonderful comfort food. I adore the hint of nutmeg in the meatballs, and how this combines beautifully with the creamy sauce. This is a dish that I can see becoming a regular in our household!

Chocolate Mousse Pie

This Chocolate Mousse Pie is the true definition of a decadent dessert. I originally made the mousse filling as just a regular mousse, then after eating (far too much) of the dreamy chocolate, I decided that it would be a fantastic pie filling. It really was.

What makes this pie even more perfect? It's no bake!! This is a really easy dessert, and sure to please the whole family. 

Chocolate Mousse Pie

Serves 8-10

Base: 

350 g (12 oz) vanilla cookies (shortbread cookies would work well too)
100 g (3.5 oz) butter, melted

Filling: 

200 g (7 oz) dark chocolate (50% cocoa)
70 g (2.5 g) butter
200 mL double cream (thickened cream)
2 Tbsp sugar
2 eggs (separated)
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Make the base by processing the cookies to a fine crumb. Add the butter and process until mixed well. Press into the base and up the sides of a greased pie dish and refrigerate.

2. Melt the butter with the chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Set aside to cool. Stir in the egg yolks.

3. Whisk the egg whites with the sugar and vanilla until stiff and they can hold their shape (if you can hold the bowl over your head without getting egg through your hair, you're done!).

4. Fold in the double cream and chocolate into the whisked egg whites.

5. Spread over the chilled base and refrigerate until set.

Lemon and Raspberry Loaf

Lemon loaves are simple to make and taste fresh and delicious, and they taste wonderful with this burst of added raspberries.

Irish Brown Bread

Irish Brown Soda Bread is right up there as one of my favorite breads. It's perfect for soups and stews, makes great garlic bread, and is lovely for breakfast simply smothered in strawberry jam.