It’s Tuesday night and in San Diego that means two things, Tacos and Margaritas. ‘Taco Tuesday’ is a great excuse for meeting friends for happy hour and devouring a couple of tacos and a margaritas or two before heading home for an early night. Of course with $2 margaritas and Mexican beers to be found all over town it does not always happen. My favorite tacos are fish tacos which San Diego is famous for. With their origins across the border in Ensenada and probably a few other Baja fishing towns many a hungry surfer including San Diego’s fish taco king Ralph Rubio have brought them back here. Tradtionally the fish is battered and fried and served up in a warm corn tortilla with cabbage slaw and some of that tangy white sauce or you will find the lighter version with grilled fish. Fried or grilled they all taste pretty good to me!

At home  fish tacos are a favorite to cook on the grill, they are quick, simple, will feed the masses and are pretty healthy provided they are not followed by too many of the afore mentioned margaritas. If it is a spur of the moment thing, the frozen line caught mahi mahi from Trader Joe’s is perfect for grilling, marinated in some lime and spices and wrapped in a warm tortilla with jicama slaw, perfect! So if your looking for a light and healthy Mexican inspired dinner tonight, you can’t go wrong with a grilled fish taco. Watch the video recipe here and if you need a margarita with a bite, try this blood orange and jalapeno margarita from Santa Monica’s Border Grill. Still need some more Mexican inspiration? Try some of the other Mexican recipes guacamole, poblano quesadilla, ono ceviche, chicken chilaquiles or pajas cookie.

On September 13th I not only had the pleasure of attending my friends Kris and Rachel’s’ wedding in beautiful Lake Tahoe but I also had the honor of making the cake.One of the main challenges of making this cake was firstly logistics, I live in San Diego and the Wedding was in Lake Tahoe, how do I get the cake there without damaging it? Secondly there were time restraints, unlike more traditional wedding cakes made of fruit cake that can be made months in advance and stored successfully; a sponge cake needs to be baked just days before hand. To overcome these initial obstacles I decided to ‘fake the cake’. The first three tiers were made from stryofoam or ‘dummy cakes’ as they are referred to and covered in fondant icing and decorate as you would a ‘real cake’ (the guests would eat sheet cake). The top tier was a delicious lemon sponge filled with a fresh raspberry butter cream. I carefully wrapped the fake cakes in bubble wrap and dropped them off to the Fedex store, said a few prayers and hoped that they would make it to Tahoe in one piece. The top tier I wrapped and boxed up and put it in the fridge. The next morning I flew with the cake, cake board, sugar flowers, royal icing and all the other cake decorating tools to Reno. I got a few curious looks at the airport and on the plane but I think most people just thought I was a bit crazy, they were right!

The night before the wedding all the guests were invited to a cocktail party to meet the families and guests, the next morning there were a few sore heads and I had the challenge of putting the cake together. I could see the bride and the bridesmaids getting ready as I put the cake together. The guests started to arrive and I have to say I was a little stressed assembling the cake. There were a couple of little bruises on the cake that needed to be disguised, but with the help of my friends and some icing we hide any blemishes. The bride was breathtaking and groom handsome as ever. It was a very special day for two special people that I was so happy to be a part of. Note: Thank you to the ladies at ‘Do it with Icing’ www.doitwithicing.com for their help and advice on all things cake related. www.wilton.comis also a great resource for cake decorating tools, ideas and tips.

It was my friend Joy’s birthday on Tuesday, it was also Mum’s birthday who just so happens to be also Joy. Unfortunately I could not make both Joys a cake so I decided to make a cake for my friend Joy, who doesn’t cook or bake but always reminds me that she is a ‘great eater’.
It was too hot to bake so I decided to make Joy a ‘chocolate biscuit cake’ a recipe which I adapted from a cookie or ‘tray bake’ as their called in Ireland that my Mum Joy used to make for school and brownie bake sales.
The base of this no bake cake is melted butter, melted chocolate and crushed graham cracker or ‘rich tea biscuits’ that are used at home. I kicked up this version with the addition of sweetened condensed milk (always a guilty pleasure if mine) that gives a sweet fudgy flavor to the cake, toasted coconut, dark rum, marshmallows, chopped dried figs and candied pecans. Instead of icing the cake, I drizzled it in melted white chocolate and topped it with fresh strawberries and put it in the freezer. So if you’re looking for a foolproof no bake cake that tastes incredibly rich and delicious, the recipe is below.

No Bake Chocolate Biscuit Cake
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 2 cups of unsweetened coconut, toasted
• 1/3 can sweetened condensed milk
• 4 oz graham crackers, crushed
• 4oz semi sweet chocolate, melted
• 1 cup baby marshmallows
• ¼ cup candied pecan pieces
• ¼ dried mission figs, chopped
• ½ tbsp dark rum
• 1 egg
To Decorate
• 6 fresh strawberries, halved
• 2 oz white chocolate, melted

Mix the melted semi sweet chocolate with the condensed milk and melted butter, stir until combined and add the rum and lightly beaten egg. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the other ingredients, reserving 2 tbsp of coconut for decorating. Add the chocolate mixture to the dry ingredients and mix together with a wooden spoon. Line a 6 inch loose bottom pan with parchment paper and spoon in the mixture. Flatten mixture with a palate knife or potato masher. Place in fridge for 3-4 hours or if you are in a hurry, the freezer for 40 minutes. Once the cake is firm, remove from pan and drizzle with white chocolate, dust the sides of the cake with reserved toasted coconut and arrange the strawberries on top. If you are not serving straight away keep the cake refrigerated. Warning, this cake is rich and a small piece goes a long way!

Yesterday morning I was rudely awoken by the sound of crows outside my bedroom window, great start to my Labor Day lie in. The crows were chomping down on the nice juicy figs hanging off the tree in my back yard. I decided that was it, if I wasn’t going to get my lie in, they weren’t going to get my figs and so begun and unplanned day of Fig chutney and preserve making. I toyed with the idea of making a nice fig and goat cheese tart, figs wrapped in prosciutto and stuffed with Manchego cheese or even a lovely chocolate and fig pie, but I resisted. All of the above would haunt me in the refrigerator for the next week saying ‘eat me, eat me’ when I’m trying not to. With the chutneys and preserves I would have the satisfaction of using up all my lovely ripe figs but not consuming them all that day. I had a couple of dusty boxes of jam jars out in garage so all I needed were the lids and rims. After trying a few grocery stores I found them for a couple of dollars.

First up was the chutney, I used the slightly firmer figs and modified a number of recipes I found, to one that was to my liking and to the spices in my cupboard. I’ll have to wait a few weeks to really see how it tasted, next was the preserve, all the recipes I found had different ratios of fruit to sugar, I prefer preserves slightly tarter but you always need to have enough sugar to properly preserve the fruit for months to come. Almost all the recipes also called for thinly sliced lemon, so in it went along with some sugar and a small piece of cinnamon stick. The recipes are below so give them a try! Looking forward to my next batch of canning and preserving, my pantry should be filled in no time for those last minute ‘very thoughtful’ holiday gifts. To find out more figgy facts here

Fig Chutney
1 cup red wine vinegar
11/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 pound light brown sugar
1 onion, chopped
11/2 inch grated fresh ginger
½ tsp fennel seeds
1/4 lemon, zested
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1 star anise
1 canned chipotle in adobo (remove before canning)
½ tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp whole coriander seeds
1 1/4 pounds firm, slightly under ripe fresh figs, rinsed, stems removed and halved

In a large saucepan combine the vinegar, sugar, onion, ginger, lemon zest, cinnamon stick, salt, chipotle and spices and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until mixture is thickened and reduced by 2/3, forming a thick syrup. Add the figs and cook gently until the figs are very soft and beginning to fall apart and most of the liquid they’ve given off has evaporated, about 30 minutes.
Transfer the chutney into air tight containers and store in fridge or freezer for about 3 weeks, or you can store it in sterilized hot glass jars and then place in canner for 10 minutes.
Fig Preserve
4 Cups whole figs
2 Cups sugar
2 Lemons, thinly sliced with seeds removed
1 Cup water
1 pinch salt
½ cinnamon stick
Wash figs in water. Rinse well and drain.
In a large, heavy pot, add all the above ingredients and bring to a boil, reduce and simmer. Simmer for 40 minutes or until very thick and jam like. I like to test a spoon full of jam on a cold saucer and place it on the freezer. If after a couple of minutes the jam has set I know it is almost ready if it is still runny it needs further cooking. Ladle hot preserves into hot jars, seal with hot lids and bands, and process in boiling water bath or canner for 10 minutes.

Figs have the highest overall mineral content of all common fruits. A 40 gram (1/4 cup) serving provides 244 mg of potassium (7% of the DV), 53 mg of calcium (6% of the DV) and 1.2 mg of iron (6% of the DV).Of the approximately five grams of fiber per serving of California figs, four grams are insoluble and one gram is water-soluble.

While waiting at the boarding gate yesterday in Dublin airport to catch my flight home I picked up a stray copy of the Guardian newspaper. It was the cover of the magazine that really caught my attention. Guardian journalist Jon Henley was trying to eat his way through the 12,000 calorie a day diet which has been fueling Phelps to his Olympic glory.
According to Henley breakfast includes a large bowl of oatmeal (not too surprising), three doorstep- sized sandwiches of white bread, butter, fried egg, fried onion, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise; a five egg omlet, three slices of French toast liberally sprinkled with sugar; three pancakes topped with chocolate chips; and two large cups of coffee and that’s just for breakfast!
Lunch and dinner include whole pizzas, pounds of pasta and ham and cheese sandwiches all washed down with gallons of high energy sports drinks.
My mum is a swimming instructor and my sisters were all competitive swimmers. Not only was mum constantly feeding us but all the friends and boyfriends that ended up at the kitchen table. She was always running out of food feeding up the growing boys but nothing to the extent of 12,000 calories a day. Phelps claims that it is not what he eats that’s the challenge rather physically consuming enough calories in a day to fuel his grueling training program.
They say you are what you eat but in this Olympic record breaker’s case it’s clearly not true. It seems he can eat what ever he wants and still be in winning form. Watch this video of Jon Henley sttempting to eat Michael Phelps’ daily intake of 12,000 calories.