Chorizo hot pots and chocolate fudge

My recent endeavors in the kitchen! The first is inspired by the amazing Rachel Khoo, who not only makes wonderful food but is one of my inspirations in life for her style, her drive and ambition, her love of travel and culture and general cuteness!

Rachel Khoo's spicy lentil and chorizo hot pots

These lentil and chorizo hotpots are absolutely delicious, hearty and healthy and SO easy to make. Ideal for a Sunday night and there's enough left over for lunch on Monday!

Begin with a handful of carrots, spring onion and half a chorizo sausage. You will also need 200g of red lentils, vegetable or chicken stock, a tin of cherry tomatoes and chilli and paprika to season.

Roughly chop the chorizo and add to a pan to cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes, until it starts to release its natural fats and oils. In the meantime, cut up the carrots and the white parts of the spring onion, then add these to the pan.

Add the lentils, a spoonful of paprika and of chilli powder (or fresh chilli if you prefer).

Stir in the cherry tomatoes and stock (1 tinful) then leave to simmer on a medium heat for about 10 minutes.

SO, so easy! Garnish with a spoonful of greek yoghurt and the leftover parts of the spring onion.

View the full recipe here and check out Rachel's YouTube channel for more inspiration!

Super easy chocolate fudge

I made this recently for a charity bake sale in work and it honestly could not be easier! It's actually a 'Kirsty-proof' baking recipe which is saying a lot, and it tastes SO good! (I had a lot of positive feedback.) 

These are great for a bake sale since they're so easy, cheap and quick to make. I had my friend helping me and we packaged them up in little bags to make them look even cuter! Here's the recipe:

You will need three bars (around 450g) of dark chocolate, a tin of condensed milk, and that's it for the ingredients! 

Break up the chocolate and add it to a bowl with the condensed milk. Microwave on full power, stopping to stir now and then, until the whole mixture is melted together.

Add to a shallow baking tin lined with foil, and leave to refrigerate for about 2 hours.

Remove, cut into squares (or cute shapes!) add to bags and decorate as you please! 

Easiest. Fudge. Ever.

Serve with wine (optional)