Gluten Free Friday: The Best Nachos This Side of the Continent

~Today's GFF meal was cooked by Levi, because I've been cooped up with a cold/hayfever all week and was too lazy ill to cook ~

I used to have nachos all the time, and then for some reason didn't have them for about a year. Then we went to England (oh 2009, I miss you, with your silly jobs and your overseas holidays). In 2007, I went on a school drama trip to Sydney and because it was around Tara's birthday, I got her a hurricane glass from the Hard Rock Cafe. So when I went to England and actually missed her birthday (its not my fault that the last day of Reading was her birthday!), part of her present was more hurricane glasses! 

One is from London. We walked everywhere around London that day, made lots of jokes about Tom being our Tom-Tom because he knew where everything was, and posed for some silly photos (see exhibit A)

Did I mention it was THIRTY TWO DEGREES that day? The actual temperature itself isn't shocking (um, hello, I'm from Australia) but the fact that I was in LONDON when it was 32C was a bit weird. It was in the papers the next day. And by the papers, I mean The Sun. Which is hardly a reputable news source. 

So the second hurricane glass was from Paris, where Levi and I spent exactly 48 hours, got lost a bit (we walked for the first two hours we got there trying to find a specific metro station), got free entry into The Louvre and the Musee D'Orsay, went all the way back to the Eiffel Tower from the Arc de Triomphe for more banana and nutella crepes, and had Milka chocolate and pint cans of beer for dinner. The second day, we skipped breakfast and headed straight for the Hard Rock Cafe, where we had this esteemed table

That's totally Bob Dylan's harmonica. 

So this is where my nacho revival really kicked in - the nachos I had there were the BEST nachos I've ever eaten, and I've had many a nacho in my time. I don't know if it was because I was really hungry, or that they were using French cheese, but OMGA (oh my giddy aunt, get onto that phrase) they were amazing. And I've recreated them at least once a month since. 

NACHOOOOS

Serves two really hungry people who will then complain about being too full, or four reasonable people

Total time commitment: 20 minutes

*Apparently some corn chips aren't gluten free, so if you are intolerant I suppose you know what is happening with all that bizniz but check before you eat them*

1 bag corn chips

400g can red kidney beans

Lots of cheese

Salsa and avocado/guacamole, to serve

1. Empty the corn chips into a dish and preheat your oven to 180C. 

2. Drain the kidney beans and put them over the corn chips

3. Grate a buttload of cheese onto the top, and put the dish in the oven until the cheese melts

4. Serve with salsa and your chosen medium of avocado. 

Boyfriend Bakes: Fairy Cakes

This is my first 'guest' recipe - my Boyfriend made these while I was diligently studying yesterday and they were a success, regardless of the fact that I still maintain that they are BUTTERFLY cakes and should not have jam and should have whipped cream, etc etc etc. But thats another post for another day! The basic recipe is from 500 Cupcakes, which is a great book because the recipes are quick and easy enough for him to bake unsupervised :P

ALSO IN EXCITING NEWS - I found out one of my friends also has a food blog! It is amazing and you should read it right now.

LEMON FAIRY CAKES

Makes 12 - 18 large cupcakes

Cupcakes:

225g unsalted butter

225g caster sugar

225g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

4 eggs

lemon zest (he used grated rind of one lemon and some lemon juice)

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Icing:

115g unsalted butter

225g icing sugar

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Other delicious:

Strawberry jam

1. Preheat oven to 175C and prepare the trays with cupcake cases. Combine all the cupcake ingredients and spoon into the cases. Bake those bad boys for about 20 minutes.

2. While the cakes are cooling, combine the icing ingredients.

3. Use a teaspoon to dig out a well from each of the cupcakes. Spoon some strawberry jam into the newly-formed cupcake void and top with icing.

4. Cut the bit that should be sitting where the cupcake is now filled with jam and icing in half to make wings, and stick them on top of the cake.

5. Boil the kettle while you finish assembling the cakes and then eat them with a cup of tea or coffee.