When I’m not developing recipes for others, writing blogs or cooking for the lovely Mr G, this is wha

Baker & Foodie Content Creator

Hi.

My name is Lee, welcome to my pages. I hope we can have fun together?

When I’m not developing recipes for others, writing guest blogs, writing my own blog, or even trying to learn how to paint, I’m usually spending time with the amazing Mr G (my husband) or with my lovely daughter or my lovely son (very proud mum).

What is this all about? Great question. This site is about real cooking and baking, real recipes and real mistakes.

No filters here, (although i’d love to find a filter that can take ten years worth of laugh lines away. Just me, whats happening, and whatever cameras or phone i have to hand .

There are many things that get under my bonnet and wiggle around, one of those is food waste. If i buy ingredients specifically for a recipe, and i only need a small amount of the ingredients, i want to be able to use the rest up and not have to throw them away. My mum used to say , “Waste not Want not” is that still a saying ?

For me, waste is not just about using up all the ingredients. What about leftover food? If i’m able , i hope to give ideas as to how to use up any leftovers too.

Be Brave

Cooking isn’t hard , neither is baking, its all about being brave and being ok with making mistakes

Easter - Coconut & Chocolate Chip Macaroon Nest Cookies

Easter - Coconut & Chocolate Chip Macaroon Nest Cookies

Lee Majhen-Todd

Easter Coconut & Chocolate Chip Macaroon Nest Cookies

Easter - religious or all about the sweet treats?

 It’s about the chocolate and sweet bakes for me, and by that I don’t mean expensive shop bought Easter eggs, in fact, given the choice, I’d prefer to stay away from those.

It’s back to my mother’s day thoughts (see the previous post).

 So much money spent to promote something that for me, stems from a great fairy story.

Don’t have a go, it’s only my opinion.

 This doesn’t mean that I’ll not enjoy this time, the whole preparation of the hard-boiled eggs for the easter devilled egg, the baking of a celebratory cheese cake with a coconut cookie or two thrown in. Let’s not forget and a dense Croatian easter bread, just because I can.

 What do you make for your easter bakes?

 This coconut macaroon recipe is such an easy one its fabulous to make with kids if you’ve got them around.

If not, just get your hands in there and get ready to lick your fingers after you’ve got them ready for the oven.

 You might want to double this recipe and bake more ,because I can guarantee once you start to eat them, you’ll not be able to eat just one no matter how you try to restrain yourself.

Enjoy Your Sweet Life

 Coconut & Chocolate Chip Macaroon Nests

Slightly golden around the edges is what your looking for when baked

Slightly golden around the edges is what your looking for when baked

What You Need

  • 200g of Desiccated Coconut

  • 1 Can of Condensed Milk

  • 100g Dark Chocolate Chips

  • 50g Coarsely Chopped Nuts-  - Optional - See Tip Box

  • 1 Bar of White Chocolate

  • Mini eggs for Decoration

Mix it all together

Mix it all together

How It’s Done

  • Place all of the ingredients, except the mini eggs, into a bowl and mix them all together really well.

  • Place some non-stick baking parchment onto a couple of baking trays.

  • Taking egg sized spoonful’s of the mixture, place them on the prepared baking trays leaving a couple of inches between each of them. – See Tip Box

  • Shape the mix into very rough nest shapes with your fingers or a spoon – See Tip Box

  • Bake at 180c for around – 10-12 mins - Or until the cookies just start to turn a very pale golden brown– See Tip Box

  • Once cooked, leave on the tray to cool completely.

  • Break the white chocolate up and place it into a microwavable bowl.

  • Microwave the chocolate for 30 seconds, give it a mix and repeat until the chocolate has completely melted – See Tip Box

  • Take each of the cooled coconut cookies, and dip the underside of the cookie in the melted chocolate.

  • Leave them to set upside down on the baking tray.

  • Once the chocolate has set hard, decorate with the mini chocolate eggs to serve

Make little wells in the cookies

Make little wells in the cookies

Tip Box

  • Nuts – I love walnuts, so I’ve always got bags of them in my pantry. Use your favourite nut, and when you chop it, don’t chop it too small. It’s great to add even more crunch to the coconut mix.

  • Baking – All ovens vary so adjust cooking time accordingly.

  • Size – If you have an ice cream scoop, you can use this to scoop out the mixture and make sure all the cookies are more or less the same size.

  • Shaping the mixture – To shape the mixture into a nest shape, you can use a water to wet your fingers a little to stop the mixture sticking to your fingers.

  • Melting the chocolate – Don’t over heat the chocolate in the microwave. Melt in 30 second bursts.

Add as many or as few mini chocolate eggs as you want

Add as many or as few mini chocolate eggs as you want

Croatian Easter Bread

Croatian Easter Bread
Sheet Pan Chicken with Sprouts and Butternut Squash

Sheet Pan Chicken with Sprouts and Butternut Squash
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