Marmalade from heaven

Done laughing at my painting that I showed you yesterday? I know I haven't.

This cold and rainy Thursday I will give you a wonderful marmalade to cheer you folks up. It's made from blackberries and finished with a little pieces of dark chocolate. I know - it sounds like it's made in heaven! But it sure isn't, you can actually make this at home in your own kitchen!

This marmalade goes great with toast, pancakes and ice cream as well as just eating it right out of the jar. Let your mood decide (or your wife if have one)!

Blackberry marmalade with dark chocolate
1 jar

500g blackberries
3/4 cups brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
50g dark chocolate chips

Put blackberries, sugar and vanilla extract in a sauce pan och bring it to a boil. Let simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring once in awhile.  Mix in the chocolate and let it just melt. Pour the marmalade into a jar and put the lid on immediately. Let it cool and then store in the refrigerator.

If today were your last

I'm done painting! Well, not forever, but for today. I like to write inspirational quotes and this time I went for "If today were your last, would you still do what you'd planned?"

I drenched a little bit of my hand in colored, sparkling glitter and pressed it onto the painting afterwords. Wonder why? After looking at the painting I realized that my handwriting is worse than a new borns and after that I wasn't really up for writing anymore!

But I must ask, what would you do if today were your last? I know how exactly what I would have done. Except from spending it with the people that I love - I'd eat. Like a lot. I'd probably march into the grocery store screaming "WHERE ARE THE CUPCAKES?! BRING THEM TO ME! please..." Hm, why haven't I done that already? That's a brilliant idea!

Glitter addict

Whenever I get bored, which is very often, I tend to come up with fabulous ideas. Like painting. I know I'm not anywhere near Picasso when it comes to color recognition but I kind of have an eye for glitter. Yeah, glitter. I love to attack my paintings with an hysterical amount of glitter. Sparkling things sort of makes me happy. Like soda water, it also makes me happy. But no, I'm not painting soda water. That would be to predictable for being a chef. This time I'm painting something colorful, just don't know what yet. But I'll show you when it's done. Maybe tonight, or in like a year. It depends on if I ever get finished.

Maybe I could paint a cupcake, a pie or something sweet. Well, forget what I just wrote. I don't even like painting foods. I just get too excited and too hungry while watching it! I'll rather have the real deal. Don't you agree?

I was craving chocolate

I woke up this morning looking like Simba from the Disney's Lion King. My hair just stood up liked I'd been scared to death. Well, I may be exaggerating just a little bit. But honestly, I almost scared myself while passing the mirror.

After a while I remembered my dream which for sure is a terrifying nightmare for those who's on a diet. In my dream I had eaten a whole tray of dark, luscious brownies and then I had got a horrible stomach ache. Weird, ha? I have never got stomach ache from eating too much sweets before. That just reminded me of that I hadn't baked for a while. So what did I do this morning? Baked brownies, of course. And not one - three! Let's say I was really craving chocolate at that time.

 

I will start by giving you one of the recipes, because like I sad - I also got a life. (I have a whole season to watch of my favourite series today = Super busy) 

Sticky dark chocolate brownies with marshmallows, caramel and ganache

 1 tray sized cake

1 1/4 cups white sugar

1 cup white flour

4 tablespoons cacao

3 eggs

225g melted butter

2 cups mini marshmallows

1 can dulce de leche (400g)

250g dark chocolate chips

3/4 cups heavy cream

Mix sugar, flour, cacao, eggs and butter in a bowl. When the batter is smooth pour it into a buttered owen tray and let it bake in 150°C/300°F for about 25 minutes.

Spread the marshmallows over the sticky, chocolate cake and let it just melt over the cake in the oven for about 2-4 minutes. Take out the cake and let it cool. Pour the dulce de leche over the marshmallows and then make the ganache for the last layer by melting the chocolate with the cream over a casserole of boiling water. Finish the cake by pouring the lovely ganache on top of the cakes. Place the cake in the refrigerator until it's set and then cut it into delicious squared pieces.

I'm the girl

Lets start this blog by telling the truth - I'm a nerd. No, I'm not lying. I'm that kind of nerd who has a crazy knowledge about something, and that something is food. I know a lot. Especially about ingredients and cooking techniques. I'm that enoying type of person who asks the grocery shop's staff if they can order special ingredients, and I smell. Well, not me - I smell the fruit before buying it making sure its fresh and perfectly ripe. Which foodie wouldn't?

I read blogs and have been food blogging in Swedish for a few years now, six to be precise. Well, now when taking the huge step of moving to London I came up with this fabulous idea of writing in English. Good, ha? Except from blogging I also have a life. A foodies dream life I suppose. I'm a freelance food writer and photographer, has written and photographed a cookbook which was published in Sweden 2012. And yeah, I almost forgot - I was the runner-up in Masterchef Sweden 2011, only 18 years old.

I don't think I can prove myself being a bigger nerd than I just did. But hey - don't the foodie in you love it?

/Jennie