Sober October (...and why I have been so quiet)

Hey fellow bloggers and readers alike!

I am so sorry for not having posted anything in such a long time... It's not good enough, and I am well aware of that.

The cable to my cameras are broken and so I am failing to upload photos of everything I make over to my laptop - and what would a food blog be without pictures?! Exactly...

But stay tuned, hopefully I will soon get a new one *fingers crossed*

This October I have decided to go sober! For a good cause, so I am enjoying a glass of my friend Jillski's amazing home made elder flower wine, it is the bomb! One has to go out in style right?

So if you are interested, I will be keeping everyone updated on my Sober October profile here! I will post happy posts and sad posts, status updates on how I am getting on. Today I posted a more serious blog post there just to explain how I have been affected my loved ones suffering from cancer. It is amazing how much support MacMillan can provide, and I take my hat off to them! Fantastic work!

I hope you are well, and enjoying the first weeks of Autumn! I am now a year older and none the wiser, but looking forward to snuggling up with spicy cups of milky tea and concocting delicious things. Have you been struck by Autumn inspiration yet?Any recipes that you just HAVE to make? I would love to hear it!

xox Jules

Milk Chocolate Covered Marzipan Cake Marbles

Date syrup, OK so you could just buy dates, boil up some water,soak them for a minute and so - drain and whizz, but.. when I cameacross this stuff that is date syrup, I couldn't resist...I sort of just... grabbed it.

A month later, I remembered it, and after having seen dates used as sweetner in numerous sweet treats - I thought, bingo!

You can make these bad boys using maple or agave syrup instead of honey - no stress! It'll still be healthy and delicious! Also, the milk chocolate I used was Scandinavian Marabou that I found in IKEA. Use dark chocolate for a vegan version *smiles*

These are whipped up in a flash - so what are you waiting for?! Get rolling, rolling, rolling, rolling....

Milk Chocolate Covered Marzipan Cake Marbles
(Makes 5-6)

1/3 cups ground almond
1 tbsp date syrup (or 2 dates' worth soaked in water and whizzed to a smooth purêe)
1-2 tbsp honey (or maple/agave syrup for vegan)

For the coating:
25g milk chocolate, chopped
1 tbsp cocoa butter (optional, I just added it so that the chocolate didn't get grainy when I melted it)

Sprinkles of any kind

- Start by mixing the almonds, dates and syrup and well,until you have a slightly sticky dough. Roll out marbles from the mix and set aside.

- Melt the chocolate (and cocoa butter if using) over a water bath on medium heat, until it is juuuust melted, and turn the heat off.

- Now, s'time to get messy! Dip the marbles in the chocolate and place on a baking parchment, top with sprinkles,dessicated coconut, cocoa or chopped nuts and fruits and leave to set in the fridge for about 20 minutes.

- Serve with a cuppa, and enjoy!

Also.. I bought a skipping rope the other day, and silly Julie thought that "Hey! That's just the same as running right? Kind of?" Little did I know that half an hour of this would lead my legs to tremble for two days... Next time, I wont skip for as long... Fantastic work out though!

Today I went for a walk as the sun set, and then I watched this evening's episode of the Great British Bake-Off after a long day at work. I hope you have had a lovely day. Perhaps making some sweets treats of your own? *smiles*


Recipe by yours truly,

- Jules