Trick? more like a treat!

Halloween has arrived!!! For some reason I have been eagerly anticipating this exciting 'holiday' where people have the chance to dress up like idiots in anything vaguely scary (although putting a sheet over your head and making weird mooing noises hardly constitutes a scare, more a mental disorder). I'll be honest though, for although I do slate Halloween to many people I have a soft spot for it, and that is not just because of the trick or treating (...of course I don't trick or treat, but I like to tip buckets of water on unsuspecting children's head's when they are becoming too persistent), it is for the simple fact that food has the permission to go a bit wacky, and shops bring out special 'limited edition' chocolate bars etc in 'Halloween goo' and 'bubbling blood' flavours (i.e. orange or strawberry). I'm not going to make you drool any longer, so get set for the spookiest and simplest Halloween snacks in the world....Pumpkin flavoured scones!

This amount of ingredients will serve between 2 and 4 people, or just 2 if you are needing something tasty to scoff while watching 'Halloween' reruns at midnight!

5og/ 9oz Pumpkin Puree

1 whole egg

2 free range egg yolks

I vanilla pod, seeds only (not that horrid stalky thing)

50g/1 1/2 oz self raising flour (that sounds like magic)

1 tbsp cinnamon

50 ml/ 2fl oz condensed milk (it's like 1945)

200g / 7 oz greek yoghurt

Method

Heat up the oven to 200 degrees/ gas 6. Grease a baking sheet and preheat in the oven. Place all the ingredients into the food processor and mush them all together. So simple! Place spoonfuls of the mixture onto the preheated baking sheet, then flatten by gently pressing down on them with a spatula. Pop them into the oven for about 12 minutes until the scones are risen and nice and gold coloured. Then transfer them onto a servng plate with greek yoghurt.

So there you go, a tasty treat for halloween which can be enjoyed with friends, family, or even just the horror channel for company!

the coolest winter dessert

Cool as an iceblock in a cold bath


It's peculiar how cold weather like this makes me want to produce many cold dishes when in fact I should be eating food that is going to warm me up, not chill me to the bone! Although this dish is not something that you should be eating gallons of when the weather is below - on the thermometer, it is still a terribly easy companion to the end of a tasty (and hot!)meal. The temptation may be to sit obediently next to the freezer waiting for the stuff to harden sufficiently so that you can take it out and stuff it down your throat, however it will probably take quite a while for the mixture to become stiff and so it maybe useful to do something else (like pretending to clean the kitchen) while you are waiting. My friends I give you... the most cooling treat of the summer (in the winter)... The strawberry sorbet.


This dessert is great because you hardly need any ingredients at all!

750g strawberries washed (and pull the storks off too!)
175 ml water
175g sugar
60 ml fresh lemon juice




Stick the sugar and the water into a pan. Heat until the sugar is dissolved and then bring the pan to boil, then immediately afterwards take off the heat and set aside so it can cool down. At the same time you need to be very clever and multi-task a bit! Add the strawberries to a food processor and the lemon juice and process until its nice and smooth like....well... a smoothie!


Add 250ml of the syrup to the fruit puree then have a taste. If it tastes really tart then you'll need to put more syrup in and mix it all together! Pour the mixture into a non metallic freezer-proof dish then cover with a lid and pop into the freezer. Freeze it for a bit until the sorbet is almost firm (it should still be a bit like liquid though). Cut the sorbet into some nice slabs and put them into a blender. Process until smooth and then repeat the process of putting the sorbet back into the freezer until it is nearly firm. Once again go crazy and chop your sorbet into pieces (which cleverly gets rid of all the lumps of ice and makes its ultra- smooth) and then put back into the processor. Put it in the freezer for the very last time and freeze completely. Then to serve take the sorbet out and leave for about 5 minutes. Finally the moment you've been waiting for, tuck in! Or if you absolutely must, wait for your guests to appear and serve in little dessert glassses with a nice sprig of mint on top (they'd better hurry though!)

Cheesy prawn delight

Nearing lunchtime I found myself heading towards my favourite area of the kitchen - the fridge. Opening the door I was agast at how little was still in there, and so decided that instead of draggig myself to the local tesco I would conjure up something easy and simple with the few things I found.
You'll need:
Prawns
cheese
pesto
rice
oil

that's all!!

This is such a simple dish that anybody (even people claiming not to be able to cook) can make.
All you need to do is boil some rice for roughly 10 minutes and while you are doing so rinse the prawns, trickle a bit of oil into your frying pan then when the oil is frying nicely tip the prawns in too. Give the prawns a little mix up until they are turning a light brown colour and add a couple of teaspoons of pesto to the pan. Mix this up until the prawns are all pestoey and yummy and turn off the heat. Make sure the rice is ready and tip everything into a bowl and sprinkle lots of cheese (preferably red leister) on top!! Trust me, it's a gorgeous dish because the prawns compliment all the other ingredients and its healthy as well!!

a new take on an old-fashioned cake!

New Fashioned Raspberry buns

For those of you that feel the need to consume a sneaky cake or three before the initial ‘afternoon tea’ operation (or even first thing in the morning if you have had a particularly disturbing dream the night before) I have dug around through many shoeboxes and found a recipe which will make any man’s mouth water and leave women drooling openly until they hear the ting of the timer. Not counting the amount of time it will take to drag out the old (and probably past the sell-by date)bag of caster sugar and other implements this recipe should take roughly 15 minutes, not long even for lazy people who have a tendency to wander off in the middle of watching the oven (me included!)

You’re going to need:
8 oz self raising flour
3 oz caster sugar (see, it does come in handy eventually!)
4 oz margarine (as this is not butter you are creating the reassuring illusion that these cakes won’t be as fattening!! Result.)
1 egg, beaten
Baking sheets
Wire rack
2/3 dessertspoons of milk
Raspberry jam

You’re also going to need even more caster sugar to drizzle on the top allowing a nice Christmassy feel!

Set the oven to 425f or Mark 7 (or even John). Grease and flour the baking sheets. Sift the flour into a bowl and rub in the margarine (you have to admit that’s the most enjoyable part of the process!). Add the sugar and then the beaten egg with enough milk to make a stiff consistency (you don’t want the whole thing getting stuck all over the worktop and everything you touch being left with a gunk-like residue!) You then need to divide the mixture into walnut sized balls and put them on the baking sheets allowing them to room to spread. Make a hole in the centre of each ball and put some raspberry jam in, then try your hardest to pinch the sides back together again without the whole thing exploding in your face, (this rarely ever happens). Dust some more sugar on the top and bake for about 10 minutes. You’ll then need to simply turn the heat down to 350 f (or mark 4) and then bake for another 5 minutes or so. The buns should look nicely golden in colour and you’ll need to stick them onto your wire rack to cool so that you don’t stuff a burning one into your mouth (although the temptation is quite ridiculous!!).
Enjoy them and try to share them with family or friends (if there are any left by the time they arrive.)

bacon sarnie, anyone?

After a night on the tiles what better way to recover on a sunday morning than with something fried. Many people opt for a full english fry up complete with garnishings of warm pan oil. Ironic really how a plate full of eggs, bacon and sausage can cure the worst hangover you could have. I, however tend to opt (except for the occasional fry up)for the wonders of the bacon sarnie. Something about this delicious snack makes it the perfect component for a weekend breakfast. I like mine with mountains of crispy bacon on top of crusty white bread with a decadent amount of butter. Bacon sarnies, although they can be enjoyed anytime of the week have a predominately weekend feel, however at what time you make them during the weekend is entirely up to you!

While we are on the subject, anyone else have a bacon sarnie fetish? Or is there another dish you find more exciting during the weekend breakfast rush?Thoughts please!!

cocktail - mania

I'm not sure about the rest of you, but there are times when I just feel the urge for a nice cocktail. The idea that a cocktail exudes elegance and class (as well as being extremely delicious!) is an added bonus! Cocktail lists can go on for years and many people find they will never have enough ingredients (or a big enough mouth) to consume half the amount of decadent concoctions that they want to (either that or they will have passed out, paraletic before they get to the 'good' stuff!). One of my favourite drinks ever is Malibu. Ironically I am not much of a coconut eater and dislike the idea of coconut shavings on top of cakes, however there is something (maybe its the 'hint' of rum that I consume at the same time) that leaves me powerless to resist the wonders of this drink. Because of this I tend to love the idea of coconut in cocktails and am always willing to try a new potion. One particular cocktail which is so delicious (that after five or six the idea that there is alcohol in your beverage goes out the window) is malibu partnered with my other favourite taste. It goes by the name of strawberry liqueur.

All you need to do (if your sober enough, but to be honest the amount doesn't really matter, you could tip in half a bottle if you wanted!)is get a glass and dip the rim in some sugar, then pour in three measures of malibu (thats about three shot glasses)and add enough strawberry mixer to reach just over half the glass (i'm going on the instinct that you are all using a tall, thin glass as opposed to a small wine glass because lets face it, your only going to have to go to the trouble of making another dozen after if you do use a small one aren't you?)add a few drops of strawberry liqeur and your away.

Now I'll admit, this hardly conjures up the idea of an elegant and sophisticated cocktail you may order from a nice expensive wine bar, but the taste overtakes the image and its surprisingly refreshing although being rather warm at the same time from all the rum.

Once you've tried this variation you can go on to others, I am putting this up because I'm in love with Malibu, but if anyone has any other recipes involving it I'd appreciate being told asap!

Happy Drinking!!

a cool and underestimated soup

Many people have only ever heard of the Andalusian soup Gazpacho. Often people are put off initially when they learn that it is in fact a cold soup, and lets face it, a cold soup sounds to many people like having to drink cold tea which is a far from pleasurable experience and just not something you do. However it is widely eaten in many parts of Spain and Portugal too (but they prefer to call it Gaspacho there)and known for its refreshing, cool qualities. Now I'm not saying that this is the kind of soup that should be devoured in large quantities during these far from warm months as it will probably turn each any everyone of you into an ice block, but I will say that a small bowl at the beginning of a lovely three (or four!) course meal can be a lovely experience, and easy to make to top it off. Now there are two diferent ways to make this dish, you can either go for the easy, easy way out and use flavour rather than a lot of substance (which my family favour), or you can chop all the vegetables up (alternatively you can grind them in a pestle and mortar if you are feeling experimental) thus leaving bigger chunks in your bowl at the end! I am on this occasion going for the easy and lazy option as I have a recipe left by my grandma which is very tasty and my mother has also consumed and made many bowlfuls of this splendid dish throughout her life.

you will need:

a liquidiser

1/2 cup of cold tomato juice

3 tbsps olive oil

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 sml onion, cut to squares

2 cloves garlic

1 green pepper

3 tomatoes, quartered

1 small cucumber peeled and cut up

3/4 a bottle of wine vinegar

Simply bung all the stuff in the liquidiser (make sure you put the top on!), then liquidise until smooth. Chill in fridge and serve with croutons or french bread or whatever you like really!!

Serves about 6.

There are many different variations on this dish, and each person or recipe will add something different to make it their own so don't be afraid to add new things once you feel comfortable!

good ol' fashioned tea

I am a big tea drinker, particularly in the region of traditional 'breakfast' tea (a posh name for pg tips, tetley etc). Breakfast tea being a bit of a lost concept as I drink gallons of the stuff all day everyday! However just recently my dad let me try proper breakfast tea. Not the stuff in bags, but the leaves that you stick at the bottom of your mug (although really you should be going all out for etiquette and using a cup)and then strain through....well a strainer.. for a fresher taste. I was amazed at how different the sensation in my mouth was, lighter, definately fresher and altogether uplifting. This will now be known for me as Saturday morning tea, and while I make do with PG and Tetley for the rest of the week there appears to be a little light at the end of the tunnel, and it's tasty.

chicken tikka

And now comes my favourite part of the week, when I get to stuff my face with my favourite food and not feel ashamed! It's like heaven on earth and although its not strictly indian (it originated in Birmingham)it's still the best damn food in the world!

BROWNIES

suddenly feeling the urge to look at a nice plate of brownies?then look no further! here are three pictures of delightfully delicious brownies that make me want to lick my computer screen and further more put on about eight stone in ten minutes!

the wonders of the perfect hot chocolate

now the nights are drawing in and the urge to snuggle up on the sofa with a good film and a lovely mug of hot chocolate are almost unbearable. Many supermarkets do 'ready packs' of hot chocolate which you simply heat up in the microwave and drop the five mini marshmallows which you are meanly given into the over hot mixture and hope for the best. I have tried a lot of hot chocolates but the majority don't seem to hit the mark with me, often because the powder seem to leave a horrible grainy residue at the bottom of my mug and the little sachets you get boasting of -3 calories tend to taste like your drinking dust off a mouldy carpet!!! However I have found a fantastic way to make hot chocolate that is guaranteed to make your toes curl (provided you find some tasty chocolate biscuits to dunk in the mug at the same time!)

you'll need :

a big spoon

a hob

a pan

one of those whisks that looks like a dollop of cream

your favourite large mug (to get as much hot chocolate in as possible!)

ingredients:

dark chocolate - never use milk chocolate, as dark ironically tastes more chocolatey that milk does!

full fat milk (don't use semi, you're making this for enjoyment and pleasure, not calorie counting!)

cocoa powder

double cream (although it can be tempting to tip the whole tub into a bath and float around in it)

chocolate flakes (not the actual chocolate flake as there will be non left by the time you have started to heat your pan up!)

tip the same amount of milk that will fill your mug about three quarters up into a hob and put on a low heat - DO NOT let the milk boil as that can cause an explosion in the kitchen and it's not the best job having to clean lumps of milk off the ceiling.Wisk in three spoonfuls of cocoa until there are little bubbles appearing on the surface.Carry on with your wisk and also drop in three or four pieces of dark chocolate at the same time (it's like being superman!). As they melt make sure you are still wisking and now go a bit faster until the whole mixture is lump free and smooth. Put one spoonful of the cream and a single chocolate flake (how poetic) into your mug and turn the heat off. Dollop the droolable mixture on top of the cream and add more cream on top, hell, add some more flakes as well (hey, if no one sees you do it, it doesn't go to your hips!) Only other thing to do is grab the biscuits and dunk them in one after the other!

Enjoy!

Nigella's food

I do love Nigella. She incoorporates everything I adore about good old food, even the way she sneaks down to the fridge in the middle of the night makes me chuckle. She does go a bit mental with the huge amount of calorific fat and cream she tends to use but at least she's not scared to make something she loves to eat!!! Does anyone like Nigella? Does anyone think she goes to the extreme in a negative way or is it pleasing to watch her making delicious if very fattening food?!

thoughts concerning paella

does anyone adore a nice old spanish paella like i do? I like it specially with chicken,not so much with seafood althought you can put in pretty much anything which is why it's so popular, my mum can shape up a wicked paella in the wink of an eye!! any tasty thoughts about this tasy dish?

favourite food of the world

right ladies and gents, its time to come together and discuss your favourite food EVER. Why do you like it, where is it from, and most importantly, how much do you eat of it!!!!