Mystery or Misfortune?

Knock on wood, avoid the cracks in the pavement and keep your fingers crossed as it's that time of year again. That's right, coming up is Friday 13th...

Paraskevidekatriaphobia or Friggatriskaidekaphobia is the official name for the phobia of Friday 13th. Fears surrounding the superstition are also surprisingly common, in fact new data reveals that 49 million Brits dread the date. 

The history and origins of Friday 13th fears are widely debated, however two examples are consistently referenced. The first, is that Jesus Christ was crucified on a Friday and Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus was the 13th guest at the Last Supper. The second event, dates back to 1307 when King Philip IV of France commanded for hundreds of members of the Knights Templar to be arrested, they were then tortured and burned alive!

In the modern day, superstitious people believe that Friday 13th brings bad luck to employment, finances and even love. Dating and relationships can be affected which is proved by the many celebrity breakups. Michael Chopra and Heather Swan married on Friday 13th and argued throughout their honeymoon splitting only a few weeks later. The devastation of divorce has also occurred on the unluckiest day of the year wreaking havoc on celebrity relationships. After ten years of marriage, Bill Murray and Jennifer Butler finalised their divorce on Friday 13th. Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's marriage also ended on a Friday 13th after months of arguments. 

So, with cases like these is it any wonder that we don't want to tempt fate with our love lives?

The Dating Guru, James Preece, has noticed the connection between love and superstition throughout his career as a Dating Coach and Relationship Expert. He said: 'Everyone has their own little quirks and beliefs. I've had dating coaching clients who only want to date singles who are a certain star sign. Or they think that will jinx the relationship by taking certain action.'

James Preece also noticed that he had a lower turnout to his dating event on Friday 13th: 'I once tried to run a singles event on a Friday 13th. I hadn't really given it much thought until I realised ticket sales were low... Rather reluctantly a few did admit to me that they didn't fancy attending due to the date.' He added: 'This wasn't just because they thought they'd be unlucky but also due to them not wanting to travel at such a risky time.'

If you prefer a risk free Friday 13th, why not book the day off and hole up inside with your loved ones?

*Collaborative post, though I didn't receive payment. Just thought it was a good fit for Friday 13th!

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Slimming World Nacho Feast Recipe

I'm really not sure why I've never posted a recipe for this as it's been a favourite of mine for such a long time and I first made it absolutely ages ago! I first found the recipe when I was following slimming world and it's called nacho feast because it's basically their version of chilli nachos, just with homemade wedges instead. It's absolutely delicious and as chilli is one of my favourite meals, I love trying things like this which are just a bit of a twist on the usual chilli and rice.

Ingredients: for 2 people

2 baking potatoes

250g beef mince

1 red onion

1 pepper

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

400ml beef stock

1 tin of kidney beans

1tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp of chilli powder, 1 tsp of chipotle chilli flakes

Salt, pepper, garlic salt

60g of grated cheese

Method:

1. First of all start with the potatoes, peel then chop into wedges and put into a saucepan with cold water, boil for around 10 minutes

2. In a frying pan, cook the mince until brown then add in the chopped pepper and onion, leave to soften 

3. When the mince, onion and pepper is cooked, add in 1 tin of chopped tomatoes, 400ml of beef stock and a tin of drained kidney beans

5. Add in any seasoning you like, I normally add cumin powder, chilli powder, chipotle chilli flakes, salt, pepper and garlic salt, stir well then leave to simmer for around 45 minutes

6. When potatoes have boiled for 10 minutes, drain well then tip onto a baking tray, cover with salt, pepper and frylight and cook in a 200 degree oven for around 45 minutes

7. The chilli and wedges should be done around the same time, when the wedges are done lay about a quarter of them down in a dish. Then top with the chilli, and place the rest of the wedges around the sides of the dish

8. Add grated cheese on top of the chilli, I use around 30g per person but when I last made this and took this picture, I used a bit more than that and when it melted it looked like a river of cheese!

9. Place the dish in the oven and bake for around 5-10 minutes until all the cheese has melted

This is just such a warm and comforting meal and I know it's going to be one I make a lot during winter. I love a spicy chilli anyway but add in a load of wedges and cheese, even better! 

Let me know if you decide to give this a go, it's incredible!

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Chocolate Sprinkle Cake Recipe featuring Cake Angels*

My second recipe this week for National Chocolate Week and this time it's a chocolate sprinkle cake! I've posted a few basic sponge recipes like my school sponge cake and my lemon drizzle but not too many chocolate cake ones so I thought I'd give this one a go. It's a basic chocolate sponge topped with melted milk chocolate and covered in sprinkles from Cake Angels. Cake Angels were kind enough to send me a selection of sprinkles to feature in some baking posts, and I knew the chocolate ones would be perfect for this post!

Cake Angels are experts in cake decorating and it's their mission to help people create fabulous bakes and creations with their products. They sell such a wide range including marshmallows, royal icing, halloween and christmas themed products and of course sprinkles and if you love to bake they really are worth checking out. Also I just wanted to mention I've included some chocolate in this recipe from Guittard who also kindly sent me some products to feature. If you haven't already seen I posted a recipe a few days ago for chocolate covered brownies so make sure you give that a read!

Ingredients:
250g butter
200g golden caster sugar
50g soft dark brown sugar
4 eggs
250g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 tbsp cocoa powder
50g dark chocolate, grated
80ml warm milk
150g milk chocolate
any toppings you like - sprinkles, chocolate chips etc

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees and grease a large square baking tin
2. Beat the butter with an electric whisk in a bowl until soft, then add in both sugars. Whisk again until light and creamy
3. Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one. Then add in the flour, baking powder and cocoa, fold in until everything is combined
4. Add in the grated chocolate and vanilla extract, and around 80ml of warm milk. Mix well until you have a smooth mixture with dropping consistency
5. Pour into your tin and bake in the oven for around 50 minutes, if you insert a skewer, it should come out clean. Then leave to cool on a wire rack
6. For the topping I melted 150g of chocolate, I used Guittard Semisweet Chocolate Chips which taste lovely and then I poured over the cooled cake.
7. Lastly I then added sprinkles, I used the Chocoholic Sprinkles from Cake Angels and then chilled in the fridge until it had just set, before cutting into squares

I'm seriously so pleased with how this went. I just love chocolate cake and with melted chocolate and sprinkles on top, it's just amazing. I will definitely be making this again and really recommend you give it a go if you love baking, or if you know someone who has a birthday coming up and you want to make something a bit different! Thanks so much to Cake Angels and Guittard for providing me with some products to try some new recipes this week, it's been so much fun! Look out for a final recipe featuring Cake Angels in a few days time!

I also just wanted to mention that Guittard are the primary sponsor for The Chocolate Show in London this weekend, so if you have any free time or if you're in the area, definitely pay them a visit!

What's your favourite thing to bake?

*Some products sent for the purpose of this post, I only work with brands that are relevant to me and my blog

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Chocolate Covered Brownies Recipe With Guittard*

Brownies are one of my favourite things to bake. I just love them and could eat them most days, but recently I was preparing for a Macmillan Coffee Morning at Georges work and wanted to bake something a little bit more indulgent than usual, and I thought chocolate covered brownies would be a hit. Luckily I had a box full of chocolate from Guittard to use so I decided to go for it. Guittard are a chocolate company from San Francisco and they sell a range of products all perfect for baking, I was sent a selection including chocolate chips, baking wafers and bars and they've been perfect. If you decide to make this, beware the recipe makes 36 brownies! I didn't realise til I started so unless you've got a big family gathering or something, you might want to just half the recipe. In the end I didn't put all the mixture in the tin as it was just too much so I ended up making 16, still plenty!

Ingredients:
180g of dark chocolate
1 cup and 2 extra tablespoons of butter
4 eggs
2 1/2 cups of sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1 3/4 cups of plain flour
120g milk chocolate
80g white chocolate

Method:
1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees, grease a large square baking tin. The recipe I followed recommended a 9x9x2 inch pan but I just used the biggest one I had
2. Melt the broken dark chocolate and butter in a glass bowl over a pan of simmering water, keep stirring until fully combined and smooth
3. In a large bowl, add the eggs, sugar, vanilla and a pinch of salt, then mix on a high speed with an electric whisk. It should go really light and creamy, when it has slowly pour in the melted chocolate mixture and whisk on a low setting until combined
4. Add in the flour and mix well, then pour into the prepared tin, bake in the oven for around 40 minutes. A skewer should come out clean, that's how you know it's done
5. Leave to cool in the tin for around 15 minutes then transfer to a wire rack
6. While cooling, melt the chocolate for the top. I first melted around 120g of milk chocolate and then poured over the brownies, then I melted around 80g of white chocolate. When the white chocolate had melted, I used a spoon to drizzle it over the brownies and then I used a wooden skewer to create the feather pattern
7. Set in the fridge for around an hour at least, then cut into squares!

These turned out so well and were just delicious. They were definitely more cakey brownies rather than fudgey, gooey ones but I honestly prefer them like this. They had a really nice dark flavour to them because of the chocolate I used (Guittard Baking Bars) but the melted milk and white on top went with it really well. I used the baking wafers from Guittard for the top and they were perfect, the chocolate was so smooth and creamy and combined the flavours were delicious. I definitely recommend giving these a go if you're looking for a little twist on usual brownies or if you have any events at work or family birthdays etc, everyone will love them!

I also just wanted to mention that Guittard are the primary sponsor for The Chocolate Show in London this weekend, so if you have any free time or if you're in the area, definitely pay them a visit!

A similar recipe you might like to try - Salted Caramel Brownies!

*Guittard chocolate was sent for the purpose of this post. As always I only work with brands relevant to me and my blog 

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