Apparently being pregnant it's meant to be the most magical time in a woman’s life. Even, the very point of her existence.

Just one problem. I hate every single second of it.

Before anyone calls Social Services, I should clarify. Being a mum is one of the greatest things that have happened to me. What I’m talking about is the physical process of being pregnant. As far as I can tell, it’s the Marmite of life experiences – you either love it or hate it.

When you are pregnant you can often get approached by other women telling you things like "oh, how I loved being pregnant and miss it now".

Pear & Brandy Tarte Tatin

On Monday evening I went to bed, as every evening, sheltered by the security of feeling at home. I have been quite busy at work, so I fell asleep thinking in all the stuff I would need to deal with in the morning. Before going to bed, I carefully prepared my bag, the boys bags, lunch boxes, documents, laptop, mobile and everything we needed the following morning.

When I woke up on Wednesday morning, I was no longer the owner of any of those things.

I also was no longer in possession of my driving licence, my passport, my cards, all of my digital photos and songs, my home keys and that amazing My Neibour Totoro pencil case that I loved. 

Dark Chocolate & Avocado Pudding

I suspect today’s recipe is going to be a hard sell.

Avocado and dark chocolate pudding. Avocado. And. Chocolate. In a pudding. These two ingredients shouldn't work but they really do!

Before you click away, please wait just a minute. As unpromising as this sounds, this unusual combo makes probably the most delicious dessert I’ve eaten in months. And trust me, I've eaten lots.

Avocados are super versatile and can be used to create creamy smoothies, or can be substituted for butter or oil in baking. They also make great additions to sandwiches or burgers, and they can even be used to make brownies and more indulging desserts.

OMG Chocolate & Beetroot Cake

As you know, a while ago I decided to stop my battle against beetroot and I felt completely in love with this amazing root.Yes, I'm not ashamed to admit that I find them delicious. Beets taste like sweet dirt. Like licking sugar spilled on the ground on a rainy day. And I love them.

Since then, I've tried to convert a few people. Just because I'm convinced that what’s most likely is that people who think they hate beets just haven’t tried them in the right form.

You may won't believe it, but there are still plenty of beetroot haters around. And I can proudly say I've done it. Or almost.

First step: ditch the vinegar. Honestly. Cheap vinegar cannot make any good to any food. At all. Not even gherkins. Nor pickled eggs. Yuk.

Second step: assume your wee will be red for a couple of days. Jokes apart, we have a friend that literally freaked out But you don’t have my permission to continue hating them.the first time he ate beets as an adult. Thought he had internal hemorrhage. Beetroot are pooptastically colorful. Let's move on.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownie

I have a massive issue.

Some weeks ago I changed job and now in my new office THE FOOD IS FREE. And to make matters even worse EVERYTHING IS DELICIOUS.

So this situation is having a massive impact in my blog and in my wardrobe.



In my blog because now I don't have to cook that much. But as I still love doing it, I'm basically making cakes, biscuits, and all sorts of chocolatey snacks.

Nutella Stuffed White Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've always had mixed feelings about Valentine’s Day. And while I truly appreciate thoughtful expressions of love and gratitude, it always seems forced and a bit superficial when given only on Valentine’s Day. I'm certain of this because it feels dramatically different to receive flowers, gifts, or letters of appreciation when I wasn't expecting it. 

I can’t understand why Valentines is for some people the pinnacle of when love has to be expressed for the other person.

Why do we need opportunities to be made to express our love? Why do we need to be told to buy a card, sign it and put our crosses for kisses and circles for hugs? Why can’t we just make each day special in some way?

Candied Ginger & Custard Croissants

Another school year has started. Uniforms ready, shoes shining, backpacks loaded.

My 3,5 years old is starting his second year at pre-school. He loves it. We originally requested part time sessions for him last year, but after a couple of months we had to put him full time as he was getting really upset to be missing all the exciting things that were happening as soon as we picked him up. He has been asking when is he starting pre-school again all summer.

 My 5 years old is starting year 1. He doesn't like changes much. He likes school, but I don’t think is really looking forward to it. The unknown makes him feel anxious.

I remember how much I loved going to school when I was a child. Summer looked such a long time and I ended up being really bored to be at home. I loved studying, playing with my friends and being busy doing crafts, maths, and reading. But one day, that changed.

Tufahija, Bosnian Poached Apples

I love travelling. I have always been passionate about discovering new places, meeting new people and getting lost in the world. I used to travel with no much organisation, apart from a round-trip ticket (sometimes not even that!), a backpack and a Lonely Planet.

One of the best things about travelling is discovering new foods. I'm the kind of person that looks for the less touristy looking place, and asks for the most bizarre stuff in the menu.

This has ended up with me eating bats with spaghetti, venison tongue, beef brains or crispy intestines. I must admit they were all quite nice. The trick is not to ask what you are actually eating until you've finished your plate.

Mango, Coconut & Curry Tiffin

Dinner parties are one of life’s greatest pleasures and I absolutely love having friends at home. I always try to make them feel warm and welcomed, and although I generally feel quite nervous because I want everything to be perfect, I try to have everything ready before they come so I can enjoy a relaxed evening.

Something I've discovered recently is how different dinner parties are in Spain from the ones I've been invited in the UK.

In Spain, you would never know when people is going to arrive to your home. You may say "dinner starts at 9.00 pm", and people will start arriving around 10.30. If someone dares to arrive on time, they will probably find you in the shower, starting to prepare the dinner or watching TV in your pyjamas because you have completely forgotten about it.

Crisps & Chocolate Rocks

Sometimes things just get out of our control. Perhaps it is so obvious that we are unable to see how wrong they are going even if they explode right in front of our eyes.

It can also happen that we feel so confident that something is going to be fine that we don’t even consider the possibility of anything other than success. Sometimes things look good. Very good indeed, and all of a sudden, it all turns awfully wrong.

 There is no definite pattern when the wrecking ball starts, which makes it really difficult to foresee the disaster. Or even worse, when we rely on other people and they don’t give you the heads up on something that is not going as well as it should.

When things depend on the others it seems easier to look from a distance and find an easy solution. But sometimes, the other is just so overwhelmed by the circumstances that is not able to look through the same glasses that we do.

Scrumptious Star Bread

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to do a guest lecture at the Business School at Exeter Uni. I was absolutely shocked and excited and nervous and overwhelmed. Preserving fruit is one thing and talking in front of a lot of 4th year business students about creativity and entrepreneurship is a an altogether different beast.

I was unsure of the kind of things they were expecting me to say, so I thought I should say the kind of things that I would have loved to listen to when I was at Uni. Stories about failure, about struggling, about real life. Stories about how life changes and you can choose between letting yourself down or face up to the challenge and go for it. Stories about why we are all wrongly told that success is the only way forward. So instead of going through sleep-inducing theories and approaches from the different schools of thought, I just told them the truth about The Tiny Marmalade.

Marble Mini Loaves

Technology I hate you. I abhor you so much that I going to blog it. To tweet it. To Facebook it. I am even going to gloogleplus it. Whatever that is. To let everyone know how deep my hate is.

I thought I could rely on you. I really did. I entrusted you my best kept secrets. We were together in the good times, as when you showed me that photography digital edition could be a 5 minutes job. Also in the bad ones, as when someone thought that giving me a Windows 7 mobile was a good idea.

I can still remember with excitement that day I discovered I could write "BOOBIES" in a calculator. I felt amazingly successful. The world was my oyster.

Chunky Chocolate Leftovers Milkshake

Yes. I do agree. There is something wrong with the title of this post. I have been bashing my head against the wall with this all week. Chocolate I-was-shamefully-unable-to-eat-this-Christmas Milkshake? Chocolate how-can-this-be-possible Milkshake? Chocolate next-time-eat-faster Milkshake? None of them really suited me.

The reality is that sometimes in life, completely unexpected things happen. Like me having chocolate leftovers. Or me, having chocolate leftovers. Or me, having chocolate leftovers. Oh, man, it is so not the usual me!!

But this Christmas that is not the only weird thing that has happened to my household. No, because this Christmas a fairy has moved in with us. A F-A-I-R-Y. A real one.

Oreo Truffles

I feel cheated. Are they taking the mickey? They should be. They certainly are.

This week is "National Chocolate Week". Smile, you are on camera.

Seriously?? 

Does anybody in his right mind need such a simple and stupid excuse to eat chocolate? That’s insulting. My intelligence feels underestimated. Yes, it´s true, I eat LOTS of chocolate. But I'm not dumb. In fact, a recent research from Columbia University suggested regular cocoa intake led to improved mental function. I should be extremely intelligent then.

Banana, White Chocolate & Honeycomb Strudel

If there is something that I find absolutely amazing about the British culture is their rooted recycling  and DIY culture. Maybe this ‘make do and mend’ attitude stems from the abrupt change in economic circumstances recently seen worldwide. In Spain it seems that people live in a throwaway society: if something is not brand new, then is not worthy of being used. In fact, things are thrown away just because they are not brand new. Even if they’re still working. It is a bit of “lest somebody think I cannot afford it”. Another good example of our lack-of-lessons-learnt attitude. The stuff we buy has become cheaper and cheaper over the last years and now retailers can sell clothes cheaper than a loaf of bread. This reduction in price has led to a devaluation of how we see and feel about the things we have. Why to bother mending a t-shirt if we can get a brand new one for £3. Even if we are aware of where all this cheap stuff is made and come from. Overconsumption at any cost.

I absolutely love the make-the-most-of-the-stuff culture. Make Do and Mend came about when clothes rationing was introduced during the Second World War. You can read more about this here.

Dark Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Things won’t change unless we change them. Sometimes it is so tempting not to get into trouble and leave things that are unfair, as they are. Sometimes we even do ourselves a disservice as long as we stay in our comfort zone. A full-of-rubbish comfort zone. Warm and well known rubbish that pushes us down. “Not that bad” rubbish that don’t allow us to breath. Stinking rubbish we have got so used to that it seems better to stay there just in case we get brand new rubbish that is even worse. The status quo is so much easier to deal with, we know it and are used to it – it is the easy option.

Sometimes we are so covered by rubbish we are not even able to see above it, believing this is the only way to be.

Seriously Indulgent Rocky Road

I have started to jog. Ok, ok, it has been just three times so far, but I feel like a new person. A fit, healthy and at the verge of collapse, muscular person.

The first day I run for about 20 minutes with 3 stops to recuperate. The second day I ran 20 minutes nonstop. Yesterday I ran 30 long minutes.

When I told to my friends I was going to run they said it was going to be great, maybe a bit tough the first few days but much better after that and almost addictive if I managed to run for a month or so.

After Eight Meringues

Thursday. 17.30. Long day and empty stomach. You are driving back home in no mood to cook. That fried chicken place is too tempting. Let’s do it. This will save you some time, doesn’t it? Maxi chicken combo. Big drink. Extra big fries. Slow traffic. Why not to devour it right there in the driver’s seat. Crumbs on your trousers. Ketchup stains on your shirt. Feeling a bit bloated and greasy you arrive home. Disgusted with yourself. 

Saturday. 15.30. Sofa and food magazine. Gorgeous recipe in page number 16. Let’s do it. Relaxed visit to the grocery picking delicious ingredients. Apron on. Music on. Fresh air through the open window. Steering with a wooden spoon. Try a bit. Taste delicious. Nice table and cloth napkins. Glass of wine. Laughs. Long interesting conversation with you both feeling full and pretty happy.

Chocolate Chip Cookie In a Cup

This week I have been unable to think about anything else but cakes. And muffins. And macarons. And icings, frostings, sprinkles, chocolate, fillings. And my sugar levels had gone through the roof.

A couple of weeks ago I received an amazing email. I was invited to join one of the sweetest and most extravagant cake events that has been ever held: The Big Cake Show. It was only a week before and I had lots and lots to prepare. I started working like mad, and I involved almost anyone who was around in cutting, peeling, labeling, sticking and packing. Family and friends worked really hard to make The Tiny Marmalade stall look amazing (special thanks to Fran, Isa, Ana, Cecile, Juanma and of course my unconditional other half!). And I must admit it was exhausting… More than 700 tiny jars canned in just 4 days. A burn on my arm. A lot less hair. An average of 3 hours sleep per day. Tons of chocolate. Litres of tea. A bit of sobbing and weeping. A lot of fun and hysterics.

French Toast Rollups

This week I've faced one of my most big fears.

It was half term and we went with the kids to Crealy Adventure Park. It is a great place to be, riding in the wonderful merry go round, visiting the rabbits and the goats, playing in the gardens.

But then suddenly, all that fun stops when you get into the indoor play area. There, surrounded by harmless ball pools, loud mouthed children, smelly dirty socks, and soft drinks, the most high, superfast and scariest slide ever can be found: the Red Devil Drop Slide.