Chocolate Deliciousness

Another great recipe from Nigella. I'm obsessed with these.

Rocky Road Crunch Bars

· 1 stick plus 1 tablespoon soft unsalted butter

· 10 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into pieces

· 3 tablespoons golden syrup or 1/4 cup corn syrup (I used brown rice syrup)

· 8 ounces plain hard and crunchy cookies (I use Biscoff)

· 2 cups mini marshmallows

· 2 teaspoons powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS

Melt the butter, chocolate and syrup in a heavy based saucepan. Scoop out about 1/2 cup of this melted mixture and put aside.

Put the biscuits/cookies into a freezer bag and then bash them with a rolling pin. You are looking for both crumbs and pieces of cookies.

Fold the cookie pieces and crumbs into the melted chocolate mixture, and then add the marshmallows.

Pour into a 9-inch square foil tray; flatten as best you can with a spatula. Pour over the reserved 1/2 half cup of melted chocolate mixture and smooth the top.

Refrigerate for about 2 hours or overnight.

Cut into 24 fingers and dust with powdered sugar by pushing it gently through a tea strainer or small sieve.

Simple Pea & Pesto Soup

I am loving Nigella Lawson's show on Cooking Channel. Here's a really easy and delicious soup that works for a meal with grilled sandwiches or as a snack.

Pea & Pesto Soup

Ingredients

• 3 cups water
• 3 cups frozen peas
• 2 scallions
• 1 teaspoon Maldon salt or kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon lime juice
• 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) fresh pesto (not jarred)

Directions

The quickest way to proceed is to fill a kettle first and put it on to boil. When it's boiled, measure the amount you need into a pan and put on the stove to come back to a boil.

Add the frozen peas, scallions, salt and lime juice and let everything bubble together for 7 minutes.

Discard the scallions and blitz the peas and their liquid with the pesto in a blender.*

Pour into a thermos flask that you've left filled with hot water and then emptied and make sure you screw the top on securely.

*When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.

You can find the original recipe here.

Strength Training - Not For Wimps

My fitness goal for this year is to focus on strength training and building muscle. I decided to try this Side Lunge move I saw on The Martha Stewart Show. It seemed easy enough.

I started with 5 pound weights, and didn't feel the burn. So, I switched it up to 8 pounds. I did three sets on each side and didn't count reps. I really didn't feel a thing, so I just kept going.

I FEEL IT TODAY!

Beautifully sore.