DON'T PANIC! You are in the right place for The Pengelly Belly!
It's just had a design overhaul by the fabulous Danielle Burkleo over at Take Heart. Check out her Blog Design services! Danielle is so gifted and talented! I've been a follower of Danielle's blog for a while and it is such an inspiration. It has been a real pleasure working with her on designing the new blog and I am so over the moon with the new look!
I hope you like it! I love it! I now need to work on updating all my recipe links so be warned, I will be tinkering with things from my end, but the blog is up and running and fully functional!
Watch this space!
Cheerio,
Nic xoxox
Monday 28 November 2011
Wednesday 23 November 2011
Published Pengelly Belly Recipes
Hello folks!
Did I tell you that I also write for a local magazine? Well, local as in Cornwall... not Oxfordshire where I am now!
I got asked to write a food article for Disability Cornwall's "Discover" Magazine about 5 years ago. Discover is the only disability lifestyle magazine in Cornwall.
Disability Cornwall is a charitable organisation initially founded as the Cornwall Disability Forum (CDF) in 1997. They operate from offices based in Hayle, West Cornwall yet serve the whole County. Their user-led charity was founded by a small group of disabled people who felt they needed a representative voice in Cornwall.
The Charity was initially formed to provide this and to run Forum events which provided a platform on which disabled people could air their views and collectively have a stronger voice. Their work has developed over the years and now centres on managing community based initiatives. I am very proud to support the work that they do.
Their magazine is published four times a year. Disability Cornwall have recently updated their website and now have PDF links to their excellent magazines where you can also have a look at their articles which highlights all of their excellent work and of course and my recipes!
Happy reading!
Nic xoxoxo
Did I tell you that I also write for a local magazine? Well, local as in Cornwall... not Oxfordshire where I am now!
I got asked to write a food article for Disability Cornwall's "Discover" Magazine about 5 years ago. Discover is the only disability lifestyle magazine in Cornwall.
Disability Cornwall is a charitable organisation initially founded as the Cornwall Disability Forum (CDF) in 1997. They operate from offices based in Hayle, West Cornwall yet serve the whole County. Their user-led charity was founded by a small group of disabled people who felt they needed a representative voice in Cornwall.
The Charity was initially formed to provide this and to run Forum events which provided a platform on which disabled people could air their views and collectively have a stronger voice. Their work has developed over the years and now centres on managing community based initiatives. I am very proud to support the work that they do.
Their magazine is published four times a year. Disability Cornwall have recently updated their website and now have PDF links to their excellent magazines where you can also have a look at their articles which highlights all of their excellent work and of course and my recipes!
Happy reading!
Nic xoxoxo
Sunday 13 November 2011
A little bit of baking....
Howdy folks! Hope you all had a good weekend! Just thought I'd share with you my baking collage from this weekend. We have spinach, halloumi and herb quiche; a tasty white loaf which was lovely toasted this morning - I had the Jam, Mr P had the boiled eggies; and some lovely scones (you can take the girl out of Cornwall, but you can't take Cornwall out of the Girl). Now where's that clotted cream gone!?
I also treated myself to some new cutters this weekend - Tala Plain Cutters - which I love! I can remember my mum having the Tala measuring cone at home (I think it still exists) which seems to have come back into fashion.... I'll have to have a rummage in the cupboard when I go back home next!
They cutters were brought from my local cook shop, Steamer Trading in Witney which is an amazing shop. It's like mecca for cooks! I'm also lucky to have a great little cookshop in Woodstock as well, The Kitchene'rs Cookshop, which is a little closer for kitchen emergencies (i.e. like when my electronic scales died on me!). God bless the local cookshops!
Have a good week, bake on!
Nic xoxox
Friday 4 November 2011
Sacher Torte Challenge Complete!
Hurrah!
I've just finished my first sacher torte.... and have learnt a few lessons to take forward for the next one. That's what I like about baking new things. The first one is always the trial and then you learn from your mistakes and improve.
First things first, if you are going to make a sacher torte and you have a fan oven, reduce the temperature to 160C and reduce the cooking time. I cooked mine for 37 minutes... next time I will do it for 40, but no more... I feel it just needed that extra minute. Apart from that, I am really pleased with my first attempt. I do need to buy myself a new pipping nozzle for fine icing though!
I spent time practising my "sacher" text until I was pleased, and then my piping nozzle went to pot as I was writing on the cake - bah! Oh well, lesson learnt. Time to buy a decent piping nozzle....
It wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. It's one of those cakes where you can make the cake itself, leave to cool, go off and do something, come back, add the ganache, go off again.... and then finish it. No rush. You can't harm it. Just be near the oven towards the end of the cooking time.... that's my only advice.
Give it a go as it is uber yummy!
Cheerio!
Nic xoxoxox
I've just finished my first sacher torte.... and have learnt a few lessons to take forward for the next one. That's what I like about baking new things. The first one is always the trial and then you learn from your mistakes and improve.
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| Ingredients aren't that complicated... just couldn't find the right percentage chocolate in the shop so used 46% instead of 39% - chocolate, eggs, sugar, flour, ground almonds, vanilla extract, butter... all stuff that I have in the cupboard! |
 |
| Looking good to me! |
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| Bathed in apricot preserve....and left to set before adding the ganache |
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| And the final item! |
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| Just another 3 minutes in the oven next time, and this will be perfect! Apart from that it tastes amazing! |
Give it a go as it is uber yummy!
Cheerio!
Nic xoxoxox
Wednesday 2 November 2011
First ever collage!
Well, I'll be damned! Get me, just learnt something new today! I can now create collages with my photos! Watch this space for foodie and crafty collages from now on! Happy Birthday Pengelly Belly!
Hello peeps!
Can you believe it!? Pengelly Belly is 1 year old! WOW! What a year! I've had over 4000 hits in a year from all corners of the world, and have a small band of followers. Thank you all for your comments on the blog, facebook and twitter. It really means a lot to me.
I know that the last 6 months have been a little quiet on the blog front what with moving from my beloved home in Cornwall to Oxfordshire, recovering from wrist surgery, finding somewhere to live, finding a new job and basically settling in to a new life. I think we are almost there now!
We have a lovely home in Oxfordshire in a sleepy country village, Mr P no longer has to do loads of commuting for his job, and I'm slowly starting to settle in. Don't get me wrong, I miss Cornwall and my friends and family and often feel homesick, but there are just some things in life which you have to do for the best. At the end of the day, I can always go back to Cornwall for visits. As my friends say, you can take the girl out of Cornwall but you can't take Cornwall out of the girl!
I am blessed to have some most amazing cook shops and vintage homeware shops in and around the area we live (of which I have to give myself a budget each month!) and we are still finding new places to eat out so every weekend is still a holiday for us. And even more exciting is that Borough Market in London is just an hours train journey away compared to the previous 6 hour trip in the car and a long weekend just to get there!!
So, since it's the Pengelly Belly birthday, it's only right that we have some birthday pressies! The kitchen has just been adorned with some new goodies: -
I was also very lucky to be given a beautiful Salt / Garlic Pig from Pendeen Pottery as an anniversary present from our dear friends, Mr and Mrs H in Cornwall. It now sits, pride of place, on the window sill with the sun glinting of the blue glaze, reminding me of home.
I am very blessed to have such wonderful friends and family.
Moving forward, I have no idea what the next 12 months will hold, but I do know one thing, what with winter bearing down on us, the best place to be is in a warm snug kitchen, making and baking and feeding the people that I love the most!
Bake on is what I say!
Cheers for now,
Nic xoxoxox
I know that the last 6 months have been a little quiet on the blog front what with moving from my beloved home in Cornwall to Oxfordshire, recovering from wrist surgery, finding somewhere to live, finding a new job and basically settling in to a new life. I think we are almost there now!
We have a lovely home in Oxfordshire in a sleepy country village, Mr P no longer has to do loads of commuting for his job, and I'm slowly starting to settle in. Don't get me wrong, I miss Cornwall and my friends and family and often feel homesick, but there are just some things in life which you have to do for the best. At the end of the day, I can always go back to Cornwall for visits. As my friends say, you can take the girl out of Cornwall but you can't take Cornwall out of the girl!
I am blessed to have some most amazing cook shops and vintage homeware shops in and around the area we live (of which I have to give myself a budget each month!) and we are still finding new places to eat out so every weekend is still a holiday for us. And even more exciting is that Borough Market in London is just an hours train journey away compared to the previous 6 hour trip in the car and a long weekend just to get there!!
So, since it's the Pengelly Belly birthday, it's only right that we have some birthday pressies! The kitchen has just been adorned with some new goodies: -
- My ebay bargain of my wooden rocking chair for the kitchen (£25.00!!!!)
- 3 beautiful french vintage jam jars from The Old Pill Factory in Witney (I soooo love this place! It really is a treasure trove of delights and vintage stuff. Lots of old cookware as well)
- 1 new handmade wooden spice rack to make more room in the pantry
- 2 new cookbooks - Mexican Food Made Simple by Thomisina Miers and Great British Bake Off Series 2
I was also very lucky to be given a beautiful Salt / Garlic Pig from Pendeen Pottery as an anniversary present from our dear friends, Mr and Mrs H in Cornwall. It now sits, pride of place, on the window sill with the sun glinting of the blue glaze, reminding me of home.
I am very blessed to have such wonderful friends and family.
Moving forward, I have no idea what the next 12 months will hold, but I do know one thing, what with winter bearing down on us, the best place to be is in a warm snug kitchen, making and baking and feeding the people that I love the most!
Bake on is what I say!
Cheers for now,
Nic xoxoxox
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