Get Cracking!

Happy Monday, everyone.  Today's challenge was for egg recipes, and I'm delighted to announce that I have now got over 800 recipes - 803, to be precise!  I'm now two thirds of the way to my goal of 1200.  Again, thank you all - I couldn't have gotten this far without you. :)

Now for our challenge winner.  I got plenty of egg recipes, but most of them were savoury.  The winning recipe stood out because it was sweet (and sounds yummy).  It is this one for custard tart:

"Heat 750ml cream, beat 12 egg yolks, 115g caster s. Blind bake pastry. Whisk egg, sugar, cream 2gthr. Into pastry, shake allspice. 200c 50min"

Today's rockstar is @chiddle84!  I knew you were good for something, really.  You'll have to make that one for us.  ;)

Speaking of making recipes, I really want to hear from anyone who's tried a #tweettreat recipe to see what you think.  Was it easy to understand? Did it turn out well?  Tell us in the comments or on Twitter using the #tweettreat hashtag.

Since it's Monday, traditional cold cuts day, tomorrow's challenge is for recipes for leftovers.  Bits of meat or chicken; stale bread; cooked vegetables; even sauces.  What do you do with them to avoid waste?

Best/most ingenious/tastiest recipe will win rockstar status for tomorrow. TTFN!

24 Carrot Gold

Today's challenge was for genuinely vegetarian recipes, and it was suggested by @helen_kara. Well might she suggest that theme, for she promptly churned out 38 vegetarian recipes between yesterday and today!  An incredible number from our one-woman #tweettreat machine. :)

I received a total of 48 recipes over the last 24 hours, bringing our current total to 782!  Today's rockstar will therefore surprise no-one.  It is this one, which I like especially for its whimsy:

"Humorous English Breakfast canape: make small crostini, smear with tom puree, top with small piece ham, add fried quail's egg."

And the winner (surprise surprise) is @helen_kara! Congratulations on your re-rockstaration. ;)

The next challenge was set by @LevParikian (I gave him the chance after he threw his toys out of his pram over something else) and it is Eggs - absolutely anything eggy, even cakes etc.  I expect some great ones.

Right, I'm off to Kippure for the weekend on the @inkwellHQ Pure Fiction course - yes, really this time. Have a good one everyone, keep the recipes rolling in and I'll talk to you all on Monday. :)

A Poultry Excuse

Howdy all,

Today's challenge was set by @CountryLets, and it was for poultry recipes.  I've already received quite a few, so I was pleasantly surprised to get still more.

The competition between recipe tweeters is heating up these days, and certain people keep excelling themselves by producing more and more great #tweettreats.  It's also great to see a few new faces (avatars?) even if their recipes aren't quite as sophisticated... ;)

Still, with a big E for Effort, here is today's rockstar:

"Put chicken, sweetcorn, celery, pineapple, olive oil, lemon juice and a few pinches sugar in bowl. Mix up and eat with bread."

And today's rockstar is @ukegnome! Absolutely no groupies for him. ;) (In case any of you are wondering why I'm being mean to him, it's cos he's my husband. So there.)


Tomorrow's challenge has once again been set by a guest, in this case @helen_kara.  She says: "for next challenge, how about veggie main courses? No meat, no fish, no by-products (gelatine, rennet, Worcestershire sauce etc)"

So there you have it, a completely veggie challenge for tomorrow! I know that'll please a lot of you. Feel free to include Vegan dishes in that, if you feel so inclined. :)

The Fruits of Your Labours

Happy Wednesday everyone. :)

Today's challenge was for recipes relating to fruit.  One of the great troopers of #tweettreat, and a former rockstar, promptly complained that she'd already given me most of her fruit recipes, then proceeded to churn out  ten more!  For that reason alone she should be today's rockstar; thankfully, her recipes are also brilliant, so it was a no-brainer (useful when it's me we're talking about).

So, today's winning recipe is this:

"A refreshing summer mocktail: half apple juice, half tonic water, big slice lime, big sprig fresh mint, lots of ice."

And once again, today's rockstar is @helen_kara! I will never listen to her again when she says she's out of ideas. ;)

Tomorrow's challenge is one that has been suggested by another regular #tweettreat trooper, @CountryLets.  She says "How about recipes for poultry? I always end up doing the same boring things, nice to have new ideas."

Poultry is therefore your challenge for tomorrow! Remember I'm still taking all recipes, of all sorts, all the time. Our total is now 720!

See you all tomorrow. :)

BBQ - Men Make Fire, Burn Things

Well, as regular followers of mine on Twitter and readers of this blog will know, I goofed.  I thought I was going here last weekend, but actually it's the weekend coming. Sigh. Anyway, we're supposed to be having a BBQ on Friday night when we arrive - I only hope the food there is half as yummy as some of the suggestions I got today for #tweettreat!

25 new recipes came in last night and today, giving me a new total of 706 recipes! It's great to break the 700 mark.  Well done everyone, and thanks again. :)

As ever, I'm awarding rockstar to the recipe that made me drool the most, and today it's this one:

"Ribs/cup of apple juice/4tbsp maple syrup/bit of olive oil/2 tbsp soy sauce/garlic/star anise or5 spice, woosh together.leave overnight, BBQ"

And today's rockstar of #tweettreat is @Tracytid! Very well done. :)

Again, twitter followers will know that I shopped in Tesco today. (Yes, I really am that fascinating.) I love this time of year for the fruit, veg and salads that are so abundant, and my fridge and fruit bowl are currently groaning.  So, tomorrow's challenge is for alternative things to do with fruit. (I know what some of you are thinking - nothing kinky, please!)  We've heard the strawberries with balsamic vinegar suggestion before, what else do you do with excess fruit?

As ever, the best suggestion will win rockstar for tomorrow. :)  Thanks everyone and keep up the good work!

New Ways with New Potatoes

Hi all,

Hope everyone enjoyed the weekend? It was altogether too hot for me, though I did spend a few pleasant hours at the Blessington lakes exhausting my dogs. ;)

Anyway, your challenge for today was recipes for new potatoes.  It's a narrow sort of area, but I got lots of recipes from you all, and I now have 681 recipes!  This was one of the hardest categories to judge, since all the recipes were so good.

After much deliberation I've chosen the following rockstar recipient because it is an entire meal rather than just a side dish:

"Boil Newpots&leafy greens,saute onion/3 garlic cloves&pancetta in oliveoil.Add to crush pots/greens. Top poached egg."

And today's rockstar is.... @Candida6! Well done!

Given the weather, the only challenge I could think of was summer related.  Tuesday's challenge is barbeques; I'm looking for recipes for marinades, salads, drinks - anything at all that you would serve at a BBQ. As ever, the best one earns rockstar status.

Remember, all proceeds of the #tweettreat book will go to Medecins sans Frontieres, and every individual recipe will be credited to its owner. :)

Salad Days Are Here Again

Thank Crunchie it's Friday, eh?

With the weather being unseasonably warm (I live in Ireland; anything remotely warm is unseasonable) I proposed a salad challenge for #tweettreat today.  I pleased to say that I got plenty of recipes for salad, fruit salad, salad dressings, etc. and exceeded today's target of 666 - I now have 670 #tweettreat recipes. :)

As ever, the best one gets lauded with plaudits and awarded rockstar status.  Today's stellar offering is this:

"Mix strawbs with balsam v/gar, ev o/oil, salt & pep, fry slices of Halloumi, serve w/rocket, basil, mint leaves & parma ham."

And the winner  - AGAIN - is @CountryLets! Well done - is this your third rockstar status? ;)

So come on you newbies - I know I have new followers who've yet to tweet a recipe for #tweettreat. Yesterday's winner was a newbie, how about another for Monday?

To tempt you newbies, here's a newbie challenge: new potatoes! I want the best, most imaginative recipes for new potatoes and the winner will be the rockstar.

Now, I'm away all weekend at the @inkwellHQ Pure Fiction Weekend - squee! Can't wait. :)  However, it means I won't get the chance to check in much to chivvy you all on, so don't let me down!

Have a great weekend everyone and enjoy the sunshine while it lasts. ;)

Be self-sufficient

Sorry for the late bloggage tonight tweeps, but you lot didn't get your fingers out with the self-sufficient #tweettreat recipes until well into the afternoon. That makes it your fault.  Right, glad we've got that clear.

So anyway, today's challenge was for recipes of a self-sufficient nature; foods found wild, culled from the hedgerows, grown yourself, etc.  I didn't get many, which probably shows you're all as supermarket-dependent as I am.  I did, however, get a few for jam that sound so easy, I may even attempt it myself... one day....

There was one recipe, though, which was rather stonkingly weird.  I liked it so much it beat all the jams and preserves hands down, and it is this:

"Beech Gin: Fill a bottle with young beech leaves, fill with gin, leave for 2 weeks, strain, add sugar to taste. Drink!"

I think it's the admonition to "Drink!" at the end that really appeals - it sounds as though it should be accompanied by "Feck!" and "Girls!" ;)

Anyway, today's rockstar is a newcomer to #tweettreat, @honno! Well done you, and can we have a few more weird recipes please? ;)

Right, tomorrow's challenge - since it appears to actually be summer - is salads.  Warm salads, cold salads, fruit salads, salad dressings - knock yourselves out!

Bear in mind the terrific cause that we're doing this for, and that is Medecins sans Frontieres.  It is for this cause that you guys have donated 642 recipes to date. Keep it up!

Oh, My Head!

As a natural consequence of yesterday's party theme, today's challenge was hangover cures.

Now, a lot of you thought it acceptable to advise drinking vast quantities of water and taking aspirin.  Unfortunately, I had to point out that such tweets did not recipes make!

Got some great ones in, though.  If anyone wants to try these out for efficacy, please do, and report back to me! I'd love to hear how you get on. ;)

Today's winner is the most harrowing-sounding of the bunch, and it is this:

"Hangover cure: wheatgrass shot with 1000mg vitamin C added! Sit, drink and take a few deep breaths - kill or cure!"

And today's rockstar is @CafeFresh! @CafeFresh is one of the few professionals who've contributed regularly to #tweettreat.  Run by my friend Mary, Cafe Fresh is on the top floor of the Powerscourt Townhouse Centre in Dublin, and they do absolutely delicious food for vegetarians, vegans, coeliacs, etc. :)

Now for tomorrow's challenge; self-sufficiency! Do you make elderflower cordial from flowers by the side of the road, or grow your own veg? Do you hunt for wild mushrooms, or make jam from fruit in the hedgerows? Whatever it is, if you get free food from anywhere (or grow your own) I want recipes relating to it!  Best one, as ever, will be tomorrow's rockstar and fame and fortune will surely follow. ;)

And another thing, if any of you try any of the #tweettreat recipes, please let me know how you get on, either by tweeting or in the comments here!

It's Party Time!

Afternoon all and a happy Tuesday to you!

Today's challenge was for party food, for either children or adults, and some very yummy recipes came in.  The one that had me sitting up and taking notice - and got a big response from the rest of you, as well - was this one:

"The Frozen Monkey: banana, slice and fill with peanut butter, dip in melted chocolate, then freeze." 

I have to say, the thought of that was haunting me even this morning as I tried to walk off some of the pounds. ;) So, without further ado, today's rockstar of #tweettreat is @ElizabethBastos! Well done Elizabeth. :)

I've now collected 611 recipes, which is phenomenal, but there's still a long road ahead and I can't do it without you all.  Remember, every single recipe will be individually credited to the person who tweets it, and all royalties from the book will go straight to the coffers of Medecins sans Frontieres - none of it will "rest in my account", promise!

I really appreciate all the work people have done so far, in spreading the word and condensing recipes into 140 characters.  Do please, please keep it up!

Now, tomorrow's challenge: for the morning after the party before, hangover cures! Got any truly horrible hangover cures that you swear by? Please let me know!

As ever, I'm still collecting recipes from all other categories as well. :)

Time for a Quickie

Happy Monday all!  Hope you all had a great weekend.

I met with Medecins sans Frontieres this morning and they're very excited about this project - and impressed, too, at the incredible recipes that people have managed to get into 140 characters!

Today saw another milestone too; I've now gathered 602 recipes, which puts me just past the half-way mark to my goal of 1,200! W00t!

Now, onto today's rockstar.  If you remember, the challenge I set on Friday was for quick recipes for time-poor people; meals that could be prepared in 20 mins or less.  I got some lovely ones, and the winner is this:

"Combine creme fraiche, mustard, tarragon, stir into cooked gnocchi with sauted chestnut mushroom, asparagus. Add grated parmesan."

And Monday's rockstar is - @christinemosler! Well done Christine, it sounds delicious. :)

Now for tomorrow's challenge.  Since I feel rather like celebrating today, your challenge for tomorrow is party food - for kids or grown-ups.  As ever, the best one earns its owner rockstar status for the day. Get your silly party hats on.... ;)

Meat Tweet Treats

Happy Friday, everyone!

Well, apparently there aren't too many carnivorous tweeple out there, cos I didn't get many recipes for red meat.  Sometimes, though, it's quality that counts rather than quantity, and the recipes I did get were lovely and sound really tasty.

As ever, it's a difficult call, but this is my favourite recipe for today:

"Beef in Guinness:Fry 2lb beef cubes & 2 onions.Add tsp flr.Stir in pnt guinness 2 carrots,thyme,parsley.Place in casserole & cook 140 2 hrs."

And today's rockstar - for the second time - is @mduffywriter! Well done again, Maria. :)

Now, your challenge for Monday!  You've a whole weekend to think about this, so I want some good ones.  Since there currently aren't enough hours in the day for me - and for many of you, too - I would like some recipes that can be fully prepared and cooked in under 20 mins. They can be breakfasts, lunches, dinners, desserts, snacks - I don't care, but they must be very quick to prepare.

Ok? Off you go everyone, have a great weekend and ponder some new #tweettreat recipes for me!

Look on the Light Side

Greetings all,

Today's challenge was to tweet the tastiest-sounding low-fat recipe for #tweettreat, and I got some lovely ones in. I now have a total of 440 recipes gathered!

Today's winner I chose for the fact that I love this recipe's name, as well as the fact that it sounds yummy.  It is this:

"Rainbow coleslaw: grate carrots, red cabbage, add small can drained crushed pineapple, leftover dill pickle juice."

And today's rockstar is: @gardenfix!  Congratulations, fame and adulation are yours. ;)

Now, for some very important news regarding #tweettreat.  Unfortunately, UNICEF contacted me a couple of days ago to tell me that they'd discovered a conflict regarding this project - apparently there is another recipe book in the works and they feel that they can't endorse both, which is a shame.

However, I do have some extremely good news.  I immediately contacted Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) as another excellent and worthy cause, and have just received confirmation from them that they have no similar conflicts, and would be thrilled and delighted to have #tweettreat raise money for them!

I'm really excited about this and I'm meeting with the head of fundraising in Ireland for MSF on Monday.  However, it begs one question for all you lovely people who've so kindly tweeted your recipes; Are you still happy to have your recipes used for a different charity?  I hope you all are, but if not, please contact me in confidence.

Ok, now for tomorrow's challenge; I haven't received many recipes for red meat yet, so here's a chance for all you carnivores out there! As ever, the tastiest-sounding recipe earns rockstar status for its tweeter.

Don't forget, I'm still collecting recipes of all sorts, so keep them coming. :)

The Dippiest of the Dips

I'm delighted to announce that I now have 420 #tweettreat recipes.  It's a really respectable number, and we're getting to our goal number slowly but surely.

In case anyone is wondering, the goal number for #tweettreat recipes is 1,200 - that will leave room for editing/duplication etc.  I'd hope to have 1,001 recipes in the finished book.

Today's challenge was to tweet the tastiest dip recipe for #tweettreat, and some really great ones came in - including about five versions of hummous!  However I chose today's winner because this recipe sounds not only tasty, but really unusual:

"Dip: 250g cooked beetroot(not pickled), 2 tbsp hot horseradish sauce, 100ml creme fraiche, blend until smooth, season, serve"

And today's rockstar is @CountryLets! @CountryLets was also the person who tweeted recipe no. 420, which makes her doubly great.  Congratulations!

And now for tomorrow's challenge; I'm struggling a bit diet-wise at the moment, thanks in no small part to the number of #tweettreat recipes I have to read, so tomorrow's rockstar will be the one who tweets the best-sounding low fat recipe.  Chefs hats on!

Remember, I'm collecting all recipes, all the time, not just the category for the rockstar challenge.  Keep them coming!

You know, for kids!

Afternoon, all!  Thanks to some broadband "drama" earlier I'm only getting the chance to blog now. But the good news is that I now have 404 #tweettreat recipes!

I put the call out yesterday for some good #tweettreat recipes for kids, and I was inundated! Prolly cos you're all still big kids at heart.

Anyway, the winning #tweettreat recipe for the day was easy to pick.  Not only did this one jump out at me, it seemed to strike a chord with a lot of you as well, judging by the comments.

So, here's today's winning #tweettreat:

"Marshmallow Icecream. Heat qtr pint cream & 6 oz m'mallows till melted. Cool. Whip hlf pnt dbl cream & fold into mix. Freeze."

The creator of this piece of sugary genius is @mduffywriter, who is today's rockstar of #tweettreat! Well done Maria. :)

Now for tomorrow, your task is dip recipes.  I have received a few, but not many.  As ever, the creator of the best #tweettreat recipe will be crowned rockstar. ;)  Remember, I'm still collecting any and all other recipes as well!

Till tomorrow, happy tweeting.

Fish #tweettreat recipes

Morning all and happy Monday!

Hope you all had a good weekend?  Plenty of #tweettreat recipes came in over the weekend and as promised, today's rockstar will be the person who tweeted the best-sounding fish recipe.

Without further ado, here is the winning #tweettreat recipe:

"Fish cakes: mashed potato, flaked tuna, finely chopped onion + parsley, fresh lemon juice, black pepper. Shape into cakes + fry."

And the winner is - once again - @helen_kara!  Well done, you are a double rockstar. :)

The next challenge is food for kids - I've received very few so far, so it would be nice to get some #tweettreat recipes, you know, for kids. The best kids recipe will earn rockstar status for tomorrow. :)

I'm still collecting all other types of recipes tweeple, so don't be shy.  The current total of recipes received is: 371! Not bad, but not there yet. Keep them coming!

Brought to you by the letter "A"

Hi all,

After appointing the second rockstar of #tweettreat @helen_kara, who follows @twicipetweet, I set a challenge for today.  The challenge was to tweet a recipe, in which the main ingredient had to begin with the letter A.  I am judge, jury and executioner and what I say goes. Right? Right!

Anyway, based purely on drool factor, today's winning #tweettreat is:

"Chop asparagus, fry in butter with garlic,add oyster mushrooms,dijon mustard,white wine,cream,tarragon.Stir into pasta."

Does that sound good or what?

And so without further ado, today's rockstar of #tweettreat is..... @christinemosler! Well done Christine. :)

That brings us to the next challenge, to be decided on Monday. Since today is Friday, traditionally a day to eat fish in several cultures, I will award rockstar status to the tweeter of the best fish recipe.  I'm not a big fish fan, so if you can make me drool, you'll be doing well!

Good luck everyone, keep those fantastic recipes coming.  I have 350 now, but I still need many more.

Have a great weekend!

Today's Rock-Star of Tweettreat

Greetings all,

I have decided to award the title of Rock-Star of #tweettreat on a daily basis to one recipe contributor, based entirely on arbitrary whims of my own. ;)

Today's award is for a very good reason, which I'm sure any of you can understand - it is for outstanding contribution to the cause.

(Drumroll maestro) Aannnnddd the winner is - @helen_kara!  @helen_kara has submitted an incredible 24 recipes all on her ownio, and the vast majority of them look absolutely mouth-watering.  Thanks in no small part to her, today's total is 334.

Great work tweeple, keep them all coming!

Now to whet your appetites, a little alphabetical challenge.  Tomorrow is brought to you by the letter A.  I want recipes for artichokes, avocado, asparagus, aubergine, apples - anything really, so long as it begins with A.  The decider will be the dribble factor, ie. whatever recipe makes me drool most.  Though my keyboard may not thank you, #tweettreat certainly will!

Remember, although comments are open, they are not the place to post #tweettreat recipes! Do that on Twitter, either addressed to me or using the #tweettreat hashtag.  All recipes must have been tweeted to qualify.

So get your silly looking white chef hats on, and get thinking!  The daily Rock-Star of #tweettreat gets fame, adulation, money... well, no. But they get mentioned here, plugged on Twitter, and get to help a great cause.  Isn't that prize enough?

The Wonderful World of Twitter

Aren't tweeple brilliant?


I was contacted on Twitter yesterday by @twicipetweet who compiles recipes of 140 characters or less on Twitter, and has been doing for a few months now.  @twicipetweet has collected all these recipes on www.twicipe.com and suggested I have a look.


Have a look I did, and was amazed to see several pages of tweet-length recipes - some familiar, being recently tweettreated ones - but many more new.


@twicipetweet then very kindly said


"you are more than welcome to use any recipe you find on twicipe, #tweettreats is a fantastic idea" 


As a result of @twicipetweet's generosity, our running total of #tweettreat recipes now stands at 313!  Yes, we are now about one quarter of our way to our goal. 


@twicipetweet is today's rockstar of #tweettreat.  Who will be tomorrow's? ;)

Progress report the second

Well, I'm very pleased to announce that I now have over 250 #tweettreat recipes - 253 to be exact!

We're well on our way, but we're not there yet.  I'd like to have 1,001 in the finished book.  To allow for editing/culling/repetition, I'm aiming to collect somewhere in the region of 1,200 #tweettreat recipes.

I've had a fantastic response so far, but I still need somewhere in the order of 950 more recipes.  I hope that once the bank holiday weekend is done and dusted and people are back at work, I'll get more recipes flooding in.

Continue to spread the word please people, because this certainly can't be done without you! Remember, absolutely every single recipe will be credited with its author.

Watch this space.

Progress report

Hi all,

It's been about thirty-six hours since starting this #tweettreat campaign, and I'm pleased to report that we now have over 100 recipes!

That's a brilliant amount so far, but we still need so many more. So, if you're making an interesting sandwich this afternoon, tell us about it. Having a BBQ? Got a great marinade recipe? Tell us about it! Going out tonight and looking forward to your favourite cocktail? Tell us about it! Making a snack for the kids? Yes, tell us about that too!

We have recipes for things as diverse as vegan sandwiches and exotic cocktails. If you can eat or drink it, get it into 140 characters and tweet it to @janetravers or use the #tweettreat hashtag.

All the proceeds of this book will go to a good cause. All I'm asking for is a little bit of thought and a tweet. Or two. Or ten, quite honestly!

Huge thanks to all the contributors to date. Please keep them coming!

Now, I'd love to get some recipes from celebrities. Anyone who has connections, please ask nicely for me.

Keep up the good work, everyone!