OLD FASHIONED ICE CREAM TOPPINGS !!!

It's barbecue season!! So, why not finish off your cookout with a good old-fashioned classic banana split or ice cream sundae... complete with home made toppings? Your family will love them!!

Below you will find the recipes for three excellent ice cream toppings. They last up to a week in the fridge.


FUDGE TOPPING

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 and 2/3 cups white sugar
1 and 1/4 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
In a large sauce pan, over medium heat, combine the cocoa, sugar and milk. Bring it to a boil (stirring) and let it boil for one minute. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Tastes good warm or cold.

STORE IN THE REFRIGERATOR

FRESH STRAWBERRY TOPPING

1 pound ripe strawberries (washed and hulled)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chop the strawberries into medium size pieces (I use the food processor) and cook them in a heavy bottomed sauce pan with the water and sugar until it gets nice and thick. Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla and chill.  

STORE IN THE REFRIGERATOR

PRALINE TOPPING

This one is sinfully delicious!!

1/4 cup butter
1 1/4 cups brown sugar (packed)
16 large marshmallows
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
dash of salt
1 cup of evaporated (canned) milk
1/2 cup toasted pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Stir in the sugar, marshmallows, syrup and salt. Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly. Simmer gently for one minute. Remove from heat and cool for five minutes. Stir in evaporated milk, nuts and vanilla, mix well. This is good warm or cold.  

STORE IN THE REFRIGERATOR

ENJOY !!

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Nandos Loaded Fries Fakeaway Recipe | Slimming Friendly Low Calorie

My take on the Nandos secret menu item, the Nandos loaded fries. Fries, shredded Nandos style chicken, halloumi and my piri mayo Fakeaway!

Have you heard about the Nandos 'secret menu item'?

I have seen it doing the rounds on social media, so just had to give it a go myself!

You may also love my Nandos Pasta Recipe and other Fakeaway Recipes!

It is essentially a stack of all the best bits from Nando's, fries/chips, Nando's chicken, halloumi and peri mayo.

This was sooo good! I really enjoyed it, and made extra chicken so I can easily have it again. 

This recipe works really well if cooked in the slow cooker, the chicken just falls apart. You can also cook in the oven instead. 

I added in some onion and pepper to the chicken mix, and served with peas. 

I drizzled the fries with some homemade peri mayo, but you could easily buy some of the ready made stuff to make life easier, just adjust the calorie count!

I made this recipe with a hot and spicy Nandos style sauce. If this isn't for you, it would also work out great with my Nandos Lemon & Herb recipe

Fancy some more recipes?

Like the look of this recipe? I have loads more for you to look through as well! Click the links below for more:

Slimming World Friendly Dinner Recipes

 Slimming World Friendly Breakfast 

Slimming World Friendly Lunch Recipes 

 Slimming Friendly Fakeaways

Nandos Loaded Fries Fakeaway Recipe

Extra Easy Syn Value: 3 syns

Healthy Extras: None

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Mongolian Beef Recipe | Lower Calorie Slimming Chinese Fakeaway Recipe

 

A delicious, Chinese Fakeaway Recipe, lower-calorie Mongolian Beef recipe that is slimming friendly. Soy, chilli and garlic lovers, this one is for you. 

Have you ever tried Mongolian beef before? I have seen a few images on Pinterest and wanted to give it a go myself. A really popular recipe of mine is Chinese crispy shredded beef, and this recipe is similar.

\It is strips of beef with a crispy coating, but this dish has a sweet soy based sticky sauce. 

If you love this, you'll love my other Fakeaway Recipes too!

I really liked the flavour in this dish, and it came out perfectly.

I made this recipe using the oven to crisp up the beef, which saves on using a lot of oil and shallow frying.

If you have an air fryer, you could add the beef to this for a few minutes to crisp up and cook.

What is Mongolian Beef?

Mongolian beef is a dish said to be originating from Taiwan consisting of sliced beef, usually paired with spring onions or mixed vegetables.

It is a dish that has been predominately westernised, much like a Chow Mein or Chicken Tikka Masala.

The sauce is sticky, sweet and delicious!

Fancy some more recipes?

Like the look of this recipe? I have loads more for you to look through as well! Click the links below for more:

Slimming World Friendly Dinner Recipes

 Slimming World Friendly Breakfast 

Slimming World Friendly Lunch Recipes 

 Slimming Friendly Fakeaways

 

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Mongolian Beef Recipe 

Extra Easy Syn Value: 4.5 syns

Healthy Extras: None

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Italian Pasta Salad Recipe | Low Calorie Slimming Friendly

A deliciously light, summery pasta salad that's perfect for picnics. Lower calorie, slimming friendly, healthy recipe.

Scroll down for the full recipe!

After what seems like a month of solid rain, the UK has finally had some sun! Every time that yellow ball comes out in this sky, I crave something light and summery.

I love salads and have a newfound love of a pasta salad.

The beauty of these is that you can really freestyle and throw in as many veggies and salad items as you like.

I actually made this to take with me for a picnic. I wasn't planning on doing it as a recipe, but posted it on my Instagram stories and HUNDREDS of you voted to see the full recipe.

This recipe is super simple but is just so tasty! It would work really well for 'take to work' lunches as well.

I used some ready-made Pesto for this dish, but check out this post for my pesto recipe if you're looking to save some extra calories!

Fancy some more recipes?

Like the look of this recipe? I have loads more for you to look through as well! Click the links below for more:

Slimming World Friendly Dinner Recipes

 Slimming World Friendly Breakfast 

Slimming World Friendly Lunch Recipes 

 Slimming Friendly Fakeaways

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Why Guest Posting Can Help Your Blog Succeed

Blogging is a hugely popular means of communication online, and it can be used to great effect for both individuals and businesses alike to increase their brand and visibility. Sharing stories online is something that can be used as a form of marketing, to gain recognition, or simply because it’s a good way to make your feelings known – writing things down has long been associated with therapy.

Blogging can even be a full-time career, and if you can do this, you will have freedom because you can work your own hours and satisfaction because your work-life balance will be in check.

No matter what you use your blog for, your hard work will be for nothing unless people are reading it. One way to enhance your blog’s presence online is to take up guest posting. Guest posting means you write content for someone else’s blog, ideally someone who has many visitors. Read on to find out why this can make your blog a success.

Image from Pixabay

Receive Quality Traffic

If you can write a guest blog for a site with a large number of followers, you will be able to voice your opinion, show your expertise, and generally give those followers a taste of what your own blog is like. Assuming your blog is well received, you should find you gain a lot more traffic to your site.

What’s great about this is that this traffic is, for the most part, going to be quality traffic. It won’t be bots and spam; it will be people who read your article on another site they enjoy and liked it enough to follow your links back to your own site to read more. Your blog’s visitor numbers will vastly increase.

Build Domain Authority

SEO is a difficult thing to get right, which is why it’s often a good idea to engage an SEO agency to help you with it. A lot of the SEO (search engine optimization) you’ll need to consider is using the right keywords on your site and ensuring that you add images and links – both internal and external – when writing a blog. However, the amount of traffic your blog receives also counts in this regard; the more traffic you get, the higher you’ll rank in search engine results meaning that even more people will find you in an increasing cycle.

Plus, when you write a guest post, there will be a link (or perhaps more than one link) to your website. When a well-received, high-ranking site links back to yours, search engines will take that to mean your site is credible, and this, combined with the other SEO practices we mentioned, will boost you much further up the rankings.

Build Your Influence

What kind of influence do you have online at this moment? Influence means you make an impact on the people who read your blog or watch your videos. This might mean that you persuade them to buy a product or try a service just because you have, or it could be that you help them to feel more positive about various aspects of their life. Being an ‘influencer’ can be highly profitable in its own right, but it’s also a satisfying thing to be able to do.

If you can offer guest posts to highly influential people, your influence will grow as a result. You will have the chance to be a positive role model or impact other people’s lives, which will help your blog grow and help you feel good.

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CLASSIC SPLIT PEA SOUP

I use my Crockpot a lot, in the summer, when it is too hot to cook indoors, and homemade soup works perfectly to provide that "light dinner" you are looking for.

This is a great classic recipe for split pea soup; it is  quick, easy, packed with flavor and one of our favorite soups.

1/2 pound smoked ham, cubed
1 cup onion chopped (I like Vidalia or sweet onions)
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrot
1 pound dried split peas (rinsed)
2 quarts chicken stock*
2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped small
2 teaspoons salt (see important note below)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup cream (or half and half)

In a large stock pot, saute onion, celery and carrots together in a tablespoon of vegetable oil for a few minutes (they don't have to be cooked all the way through...it just makes the veggies a little sweeter).

Add the split peas, chicken stock, potatoes, ham, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer slowly (covered) for about an hour or until the peas are very soft (stir occasionally).

Now you have to process the soup in a food processor or blender (stick blenders don't work very well for this for some reason), so work in small batches, processing the soup until very smooth and thick.

Return the soup to the stock pot and add the cream (or half and half). Stir well and slowly reheat , but don't boil.  

When you serve it, top it with some crisp fried bacon (optional). I like to decorate each bowl with a rolled up slice of bacon (looks like a "bacon rose")

A NOTE ABOUT THE SALT: Do not automatically add the 2 teaspoons of salt before you consider the following:  If you are using home made chicken stock that has not been salted, go ahead and use the 2 teaspoons of salt.

If you are using a soup base, like McCormicks soup base (a fantastic product), remember, it has salt in it (but not as much salt as bullion).

If you use this, I would use only 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of salt.  If you are using regular bullion, leave the salt out all together and taste the soup just before serving to check for salt content.

ENJOY !!!

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Outdoor Entertaining In Autumn And Beyond

Photo by Rachel Claire from Pexels

Summer is already packing up for this year but that doesn’t mean you have to pack up your outdoor entertaining equipment. In fact, now might be the perfect time to invest in it. You could get some bargains and you might still have plenty of opportunities to use them through autumn and beyond. Here are some tips to help.

Keep your garden in trim

It may seem dull but it really is important to put safety first at all times. In autumn, trees shed leaves and often twigs as well. These can both be hazards for slipping and tripping, so be sure to clean them up promptly. Autumn leaves can make great compost.

Make sure pathways have plenty of grip. You might want to think about putting down gravel. This can also help to deter intruders due to the sound it makes. With days getting shorter, lighting becomes more important. Twinkle lights can be lovely, but make sure you also have functional lights fitted with proper outdoor light bulbs.

Bring everything together

In warm weather, people can lounge around the garden. When temperatures drop, however, it’s best to have a specific area you can keep warm. Energetic people (like children) can still roam around and play if they want. Most people, however, will probably prefer to stay where it’s snug and cosy.

Generally, the space next to the house is the best bet. This gives the shelter of the house walls. It also minimizes the time needed to go between the garden and your home. If, however, that's not possible, you can still use another part of the garden. Create shelter with a gazebo, marque, summerhouse or even shed.

Most good quality garden furniture can stay outdoors over the colder months. Like you and your guests, however, it will appreciate being in shelter. This will also help to keep it dry and comfortable to sit on. An outdoor heater is an excellent investment. You can run it when you’re not cooking or to add extra heat when you are. Just remember to think about fire safety.

Seasonal food and drink

In warm weather, outdoor eating often means cold salads with hot foods added for example barbecued meat or vegetable skewers. In colder weather, however, most people are probably going to want hot food and drinks. That’s one of the main reasons why it’s so handy to be close to the main home.

The good news is, this doesn’t have to be difficult. Generally, you want to have everything prepared and cooked in advance. Then reheat it outdoors if you want to add a barbecue flavour to it. You can invest in gadgets to keep food and drinks warm but old-fashioned ways will often do just fine. Put food in baths of hot water and use flasks for hot drinks.

Autumn and winter tend to be the time when people most want comfort food. This is fine but don’t go overboard on it. Unless it’s a really special occasion, stick to healthier versions of popular favourites. Similarly, remember that there are plenty of healthy drinks you can serve hot.

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How Do You Keep Up With Fashion Trends, Anyway

Some people seem to have a sixth sense for fashion, to know what’s in and what’s not at any time. Others don’t quite have the talent for being on top of the latest happenings in fashion but that doesn’t mean your look doesn’t have to look outdated. Here are a few ways to keep up with the trends and even anticipate what’s going to be in before its time.

Photo - CC0 License

Start keeping up with social media

Social media can be a minefield of mixed messages but, when it comes to fashion, it can be extra helpful to help you keep up with the trends. Starting a fashion pinboard on Pinterest is an excellent way to collect all kinds of inspiration, too. Any time you see a picture that you like, be it on Pinterest, a different social media network, or some other website, you can pin it to your board so that when it comes time to go shopping, you can look at all of the inspiration that you have collected to help you complete your look.

Follow the influencers

You might not like to base your entire wardrobe on what a few individuals say is “in” at the moment. However, when it comes to the very latest in what’s hot, they tend to get the first glimpse since they work with the brands they represent. There are brand specific influencers, such as Rolex brand ambassadors, if you want to get something specific to help freshen up your look. However, there are also more general influencers who work with a wider range of fashion brands and try to be much more diverse in their wardrobe choices as a result.

Have some seasonable favourites

Following the trends need not always be quite as difficult as seeing what specific styles are in vogue at the moment because, every year, there are a few choices that tend to make the round without fail. Spring fashion, for instance, is always a good time to consider floral patterns and longer dresses, lace-up pumps, and brighter colours. If you can find a few seasonal favourites, then bringing them out or slightly newer twists on the formula can make sure that you’re always looking right for the time of year.

Follow the leaders

If you want to see the hottest looks before they start hitting the streets, then the best place to start is with the professionals who get paid to find those trends first. As such, you might want to look at online fashion magazines that you can subscribe to, even if it’s just for emails that can send you snippets without you needing to pay for them. Otherwise, fashion week is the time of year to get the scoop on what’s hot and what’s not so you might want to pay attention when it rolls around.

If you want to stay trendy, then it takes a little work to keep following what those trends are. Hopefully, the tips above help you stay feeling current and stylish as we move from season to season.

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