Hot Smoked Salmon and Spinach Pasta and Rory update

This was a revelation, so good and so so easy. I'd been to Waitrose and picked up 2 hot smoked salmon fillets for 85p!!, some fresh Pasta (250g) and a bunch of reduced Dill. All I needed to add was a dollop of Creme Fraiche from the fridge and a handful of Spinach (wilted in the pasta water for the last minute of cooking) - DIVINE (especially with a couple of glasses of white wine!!). Quick and easy meals like this are godsend in my house at the moment!

Rory at 5 weeks with his big sister Lowen.

Snow-Flecked Brownies

As Nigella says 'they are dark, damp and melt in the mouth' - and they really are! These festive snow-flecked brownies come from my favourite Nigella book 'Feast' and I whipped them up for a family gathering last weekend. The recipe makes 20 bars - a lot you may think - but I can assure you there wont be any leftovers.

Ingredients:
375g Unsalted Butter
375g Dark Chocolate
6 eggs
350g Caster Sugar
1 TBSP Vanilla Extract
225g Plain Flour
1 TSP Salt
250g White Chocolate Buttons

Method:
Step 1: Preheat oven to 180c. Line sides and base of 33 x 23 x 5cm tin with baking parchment.
Step 2: Melt butter and dark chocolate in heavy based saucepan over a low heat
Step 3: In a measuring jug beat eggs with sugar and vanilla extract
Step 4: Allow chocolate mixture to cool then add egg/sugar mix and beat well. Fold in flour and salt then stir in white chocolate.
Step 5: Pour brownie mix into tin and bake for 25 minutes
Step 6: Serve warm as a decadent dessert or cold as part of a Christmas buffet