Language is a funny thing. We spend our lives speaking words that just flow fluently but have you ever wondered where your favourite dishes and snacks got their names from? It's all in the history and let me tell you; it's pretty interesting! 

(Image credit: My Evil Twin's Kitchen) 

Sandwich

Reuben Kolakofsky made a hot sandwich of corned beef, swiss cheese, Russian dressing and sauerkraut for a poker group that got together in a hotel and it was a hit! Also named after John Montagu, 4th Early of Sandwich, the sandwich was named after him because he typically served this type of food when entertaining his friends.

Margherita Pizza

This pizza favourite which includes tomato sauce, mozzarella, basil and olive oil, was named after Queen Margarita Savoy from Naples who was presented with this pizza layered with foods with the colours of the Italian flag. I knew I was the Queen of pizza deep down! 

Oysters Rockefeller 

This dish is of baked or broiled half-shelled oysters topped with herbs. It was named after John D Rockefeller in 1899 which was the wealthiest American of his time. 

Pralines 

We love a good box of chocs that include this little gem. The caramelised almond delight was named after Marshall César du Plessis-Praslin whose cook invented them. Maybe we should start calling Gookie Dough something like Olly Dough due to the creator! 

Nachos

Created by Ignacio 'Nacho' Anaya in 1943, the original nacho dish was fried corn tortillas covered with melted cheddar cheese and topped with jalapeños. Nothing much has changed after all, and we love it! 

(Image credit: Genius Kitchen) 

Salads 

First up is the Caesar salad. Wonderful Caesar Cardini or one of his associates made this salad at a restaurant, and it was a significant hit! Second of all is Cobb salad. Robert H Cobb invented this salad as a late night snack at his restaurant in the 1930's.

German chocolate cake

Of course, we're going to end things off with a cake because there is nothing better! Just like our funfetti cake batter Gookie Dough! This layered chocolate cake was named after someone called Sam German (so not Germany, we tricked you) who invented the formula for dark baking chocolate. Ooh, fancy! 

So, now you know more irrelevant facts that you can go and tell your family. Over a jar of Gookie Dough maybe?! *Inspiration goes to Food Network* 

With just a few weeks away from Easter, it's time to get our mini egg, chocolate heads on and become super creative with these recipies. Whether it's sprinkles, chocolate nests, unicorn goodness or pastel sweets of some kind, we're here to add a bit of sparkle to your day and give you some Easter inspiration! So, pop your diet aside until mid-April because the chocolate season is just around the corner and you won't be able to resist the temptation! Hello, Easter Egg Fudge. 

*Picture credit: The Cozy Cook*

You will need:

396g of sweetened condensed milk 

225g white chocolate chips 

Three teaspoons of vanilla extract 

1/2 teaspoon of almond extract

A drop of red food colouring (or beet as a natural alternative_

A pack of Cadbury mini eggs 

Mini tub of Gookie Dough in funfetti cake batter flavour 

Directions 

*Picture credit: Jane's Patisserie* 

Crush your mini eggs by popping them into a bag and taking a rolling pin. This is a great way to ease that Monday anger! Next, line a 9x9 tin with parchment paper. 

Combine the sweetened condensed milk and white chocolate in a bowl and microwave for 2-3 minutes. Make sure you don't overcook the white chocolate. Stir to combine fully. Next, add in the vanilla and almond and add your food colouring. Technically, you can choose any colour you'd like or even get all rainbow and creative, but we thought pastel pink was cute. Stir in the mini eggs and pour into the tin. Let this set for a few hours in the fridge. 

As an optional step, you can reserve some of the crushes eggs and press it into the top of the fudge immediately after pouring or use sprinkles for extra unicorn rainbow goodness! Better yet, use small Gookie Dough balls of funfetti cake batter to pop on top!

*Picture Credit: Beef and Brioche*

Move over, chocolate easter eggs, fudge has now taken your place and is way more fancy and stylish! Have you got any recipe ideas that you want us to know about? How about some fantastic secret Easter delights? Let us know in the comments below; we'd love to hear about them. 

*Recipe credit: wineandglue.com* 

When it comes to pizza, everyone is down. It seems to be the meal that holds everyone together, mends a broken heart and allows you to get social! If I could marry a pizza, I would. The pizza delivery guy may as well live with us, let's be real. He's delivered more boxes of heaven than the postman. So, how does cookie dough dessert pizza sound? Absolutely divine. 

For the pizza base 

2 cups warm water
One tablespoon yeast
1/2 tablespoon salt
One tablespoon sugar
5 cups flour, divided
Two tablespoon olive oil 

Firstly, mix the warm water and yeast and let it sit for 5 minutes, so it begins its magic! Add 2.5 cups of flour and mix thoroughly. Next, add the rest of the flour and salt and knead it together. Let the dough rest in a ball for 10 to 20 minutes, and it shall begin to rise. 

Next, pour the two tablespoons of olive oil into a pan and roll the dough thinly and place within the pan. Preheat the oven to 400 Farenheight. Divide your dough in half as this can make two pizzas. If you'd like to do this then double the ingredients for the toppings which will be listed below. 

For the toppings 

For the cream cheese glaze 

1/2 cup butter, softened
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
2-1/2 to 3 cups icing sugar
One teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup heavy cream 

Cream the butter and cream cheese together and then beat in the icing sugar. Add the vanilla and salt, mix some more. Next, add in the heavy cream and beat until the mixture is well combined. Play with the measurements of the heavy cream and icing sugar until you get the glaze consistency that you'd like (runnier or thicker). 

Alternatively, you can use 40 Oreos which are broken up and softened butter. Get experimenting! Don't the pictures just make you want to make them instantly! Quick, easy and fun. Perfect for the kids or just to relive your childhood. 

Did you promise yourself that you'd take up yoga for your New Years Resolution? Failed? Don't worry, we feel your pain, and in fact, we can also encourage you that little bit more. Because guess what...chocolate yoga has come to town. You're probably thinking 'what the hell is that?', well you're about to find out. 

Yoga is a complementary therapy, and we see yoga instructors plastered all over Instagram who are showing off their headstands and other moves that look entirely inhumane and extremely painful!

So, chocolate yoga. A chocolate company called Love Cocoa have teamed up with a yoga instructor to let Londoners have a 90-minute chocolate meditation and practice their flexibility skills.  The workshop will focus on the mindful eating of chocolate, chocolate tasting meditation and refreshing aspects of yoga. This means you'll be travelling through a spectrum of chocolate flavours and sensations. Sounds better than running to the tube, right? 

Next, you have the opportunity of indulging in some yoga which is paired with aromatherapy to focus on mindful movement and understanding your body. Maybe we should make some Gookie Dough essential oils? Perhaps a candle? Sounds delish! 

The info you need:

Get yourself down to The Lodge Space in Rotherhithe, London, SE16. It takes place at 11 am on the 3rd of February 2018 and costs £16.31 per person! So what's included? Over an hour of chocolate meditation which consists of a vegan Love Cocoa chocolate bar, a goodie bag along with yoga mats, blankets and other props. Chocolate for brunch has never sounded better. 

Now we don't know if it works and we're doing it purely for the chocolate, duh! Maybe we should have a Gookie Dough spinning class. The first one to eat a whole monster tub wins a prize? Or maybe that's too easy! 

You can bake without the baking. If you're not a fan of popping things in the oven because you're clumsy and end up ruining it all (like me), then this no-bake cheesecake is for you! There's something about cookie dough that everyone loves, licking the bowl clean after making a batch and realising you much prefer it raw rather than the end result. This is why we've brought to you Gookie Dough cheesecake which is a treat that you can totally indulge on. 

There is a layer of cookie dough under the cheesecake, cookie dough balls mixed throughout, and a pile of cookie dough balls on top. So sit down and pamper yourself. Don't forget that glass of milk and relive your childhood. 

Prep time 45 minutes, bake time, none!

You Will Need:

(For the crust) 

Three tablespoons of melted butter

300g of biscuits of your choice 

(For the cheesecake) 

A monster tub of Gookie Dough

Three packs of cream cheese

1 cup of heavy whipping cream

1 cup of icing sugar

One teaspoon of vanilla extract 

Instructions 

To make the crust, merely put the butter and biscuits in a food processor and mix until it is smooth and a ball-like formation has appeared. Press the crust into a 9-inch springform pan or a square pan. We recommend using the springform because it makes your life ten times easier!  

For the cheesecake, beat together the cream cheese, cream, sugar and vanilla extract until it has a fluffy texture, this should take about five minutes. 

Then, divide your Gookie Dough tub into three parts (we used the original flavour to get that traditional feel!). Roll one third into a circle which is the size of your pain and lay on top of the crust you've just made. Then roll the remaining dough into small balls. Stir half of these balls into the cheesecake and set the remaining in the fridge for the topping! 

Top with your cheesecake mixture and pop in the fridge to set. This should be for at least four hours. Afterwards, garnish your cheesecake with whipped cream and add the extra Gookie Dough balls. Use up within five days! 

The pictures speak for themselves. This recipe is truly delightful and is perfect for any event. Who says cheesecake has to be fancy or complicated? Try our red velvet Gookie Dough for a unique pink/red colour and be extra vibrant! Got a birthday? Funfetti cake batter is perfect, we all need sprinkles when it's our special day. Alternatively, go super indulgent with triple chocolate fudge. Oozing with gooey goodness! Remember always to check the date of your Gookie Dough tubs to ensure you have enough time to eat it all up! Waste not, want not and all that.