Recipe of the month: Triple Chocolate Trifle

Christmas celebrations are not complete without a trifle. And any kind of trifle will always look smashing on your Christmas table that has layers of goodness and cream! Trifle recipes are great to have in hand especially when you have to feed a large crowd. You can make it boozy or non- boozy which is purely your choice. As always I chose a hassle free and stress free recipe that’s tastes divine and looks gorgeous. This year I decided to stick to Chocolate trifle…. Because you can never go wrong with chocolate!! I was so happy the way it turned out and how it was wiped out clean. So this recipe has layers of brownie and dark chocolate cake, chocolate pudding, crushed chocolate nibbles for crunch and whipped cream. Try and bake the cake and brownie in advance to save time and trust me the rest will fall in place.


 Look no further if you are searching for a dessert recipe for your Christmas table. Here is the recipe for my favorite Chocolate Trifle



Ingredients


Baked brownies (Click here for my recipe) – cut into small squares


Baked dark Chocolate Cake (Click here for my recipe) – cut into small squares


I box of instant chocolate pudding


1 pkt of Maltesers or Mcvities Chocolate Nibbles


2 cups of whipped cream (already whipped stiff and kept aside)

Method

1.       Prepare your pudding as per the package directions.

2.       Crush the Maltesers or the chocolate nibbles but make sure they don’t turn too mushy.

3.       Layer about 1/3^rd of your cake cubes (dark chocolate and brownies) in your favorite trifle dish.

4.       For your next layer add a huge scoop (about 1/3^rd) of chocolate pudding over the cake pieces.

5.       Sprinkle the crushed Maltesers or chocolate nibbles on the pudding.

6.       And then spread whipped cream over it (again 1/3^rd of it).

7.       Repeat this process of layering two more times, ending with whipped cream. And garnish it with Maltesers and Chocolate Nibbles.

8.       Refrigerate it for at least two hours before serving.

Tips

• If you want to make it boozy, drizzle Irish cream liqueur on the cake.
• And if you do not have the time to bake brownies and cake, buy them and use it for the recipe. 
• This recipe can be made a day before and this saves time!

How easy was that?? I hope you enjoy making it! And if you do make, please email me and keep me posted. I always love to hear feedback. I hope you are enjoying the countdown to Christmas!!



Above pictures are copyright Tickled by Inspirations

Artist of the Month - Rebeca Nigrinis

I have had the pleasure of knowing Rebeca Nigrinis, a prominent artist in muscat, whose work has bloomed over the past couple of years. She started off as a mural artist and she had started making her mark since then and evolved to where she is today. And it is all because of her sheer hard work. 

Rebeca Nigrinis is a Colombian artist whose paintings are well known by the bold lines and amalgamation of bright colours. She developed a unique art style combining the vibrant culture of her Latino and Caribbean background, with the Middle Eastern exotic beauty. She is an industrial engineer by profession but she followed her passion for art. Over the years she has diversified her work from canvas painting to art on wood and has launched a line of décor items like wooden coasters, trays, placemats and lazy susans with her beautiful artwork on it. She has held several  solo exhibitions locally and internationally and particpated in group exhibitions as well, where she is known for her unique style of art and for her choice of vibrant colours.  

Here are some of her beautiful work

Golden Diva 

Acrylic on canvas

90x60 cm

Blue silver Arabian diva

Acrylic on canvas

60x40 cm

Camel with flowers

Acrylic on canvas

60x60 cm

Frida 

Acrylic on canvas 

80x80 cm

Recently Rebeca was honoured with an opportunity to showcase her project, called the Buddy Bear, at the German Embassy in Oman. Buddy Bear is known to be an art project that is popular in Germany where artists paint on life size bear sculptures to indicate friendliness and optimism. There was an open call for artists that was published on their website and Rebeca was chosen after she submitted her proposal. Her work on the Buddy Bear represented the unity of Oman and Germany, where she included their flags, Omani icons like royal palace, incence burner, dhow boat, mosque and forts. The work was completed in 5 full working days at the Embassy.

Here are some pictures on her Buddy Bear project

If you are in Muscat, stay tuned for Oman Affordable Art Show which will take place on December 5th and 6th, 10am to 8pm at Bahja Hall, Qurum, and you can view and buy Rebeca's beautiful work. And if you wish to follow her on Instagram please click here to access her page. 

Lets get to know more about Rebeca's creative journey:

How did your journey as an artist begin? Did you have any formal training or is it self-taught?

I’m a self-taught artist and my talent is a gift from God. After completing my degree in Engineering I got married, and soon after that, we moved to Saudi Arabia. Once there I started to paint, eighteen years ago. We had moved many times and lived in different countries and my art travels with me everywhere we go.

Has your artwork evolved during the last couple of years? How would you describe your art style?

Usually when I look back at my old work I don’t like it, and I think that’s good because it means I’m improving. Only few pieces will be forever in my favorites list. I think I’ve done a good job trying to create my own style which I honestly can’t find a single word to define, but I know I like to create people stories represented on a canvas. 

What's your inspiration for your art work? 
My travels are a huge inspiration for me. Each time I go to a new place I come up with a new series.

Initially as you started as an artist, was your work rejected at any point? If yes, how did you deal with it and overcome?

Yes! My work had been rejected of course! There were tears shed but now I understand it was part of my process. 

What is the most challenging aspect about your work?

Personally I find it very challenging to work on a single piece. My studio is full of pieces I had started and kept aside until I feel like completing them. But every single day no matter how tired I am I’ll work on one.

What medium do you use? What is your creative process like? and what keeps you motivated?

I started painting with acrylics, then I jumped to oils for a while and now I’m back to acrylics. Motivation comes when I look back and see how far I’ve got and also how far I am from where I want to become. Then I feel like I should get to the studio and get some work done. 

Do you commission different projects? And how can people purchase your paintings?

I do commissions and people usually contact me through my social media pages. I also love to attend art fairs and meet art collectors in person. 

What is your favorite art piece that you have done till date?

That’s a difficult question to answer because each piece is like a child for me. I love them all! There’s a story behind each. 

Any tips or words of wisdom to aspiring artists who want to pursue a similar career?

I would like to say to young artist: work on creating your own style. Use others work to get inspired but never try to copy them, that will totally ruin your process. 

Rebeca, on behalf of my readers, here is wishing you a successful creative journey and lots more projects. We look forward to seeing more of your work!

All the above pictures are copyrighted by Rebeca