Tis still the season to eat Christmas biscuits!

Christmas has been and gone, all far to quickly, many apologies for being away from the blog so long, was tasting some delicious and festive food and becoming far too fat from all the portions of Christmas pudding that were shovelled onto my plate. Added to which having two roasts in two days can take it out of you a bit, although this year I will try to eat a wider variety of food, I promise..

Although Christmas is over, the festive season is still upon us and this is now the time to try experimenting with all those recipes that you always wanted to but were too nervous to before. However this precise recipe is not hard, and it's still going to keep a little bit of Christmas spirit going in your home. You can even have them with a glass of mulled wine (or maybe even two...)

Your going to need:

200g self raising flour

100g butter, make sure its in cubes
100g light brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon (a little goes a long way)

1/2 tsp ground ginger (optional)

1 egg, beat it lightly

12 clear, boiled sweets

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 c. Put the flour and butter in the food processor until it looks like breadcrumbs. Then pop in the sugar and spices and mix again. Put in a bowl and add an egg and then stir until it all comes together. Knead gently until it is smooth and then put onto a surface that has been lightly covered in flour. Roll to about 3-4mm, thats roughly the same thickness as £1. Cut into stars with a cutter and then spread evenly onto a baking pan. If you want to add a glass effect in the middle simply cut out a circle in the centre of the biscuits and put in a boiled sweet. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden. Decorate with icing sugar. Easy!

Everyone loves peanut butter!

One of my favourite magazines ashamedly is 'Love It!', for the simple reason that it includes a small selection of delicious recipes each week, all of which I want to make and eat in half a second flat! So I've decided as it's near Christmas to include maybe one or two tasty treats that can be made very quickly (if you don't count the preparation) and are so moreish that its probably best to make more than one portion!

This recipe is for good old peanut butter cookies which are perfect for being shared around a blazing fire on a cold December afternoon.

Ingredients:

110g butter (make sure you let it soften a bit before you use it)
110g caster sugar
100g brown sugar
3 tbsp smooth peanut butter
1 egg, beat it lightly
150g plain flour
3-4tsp baking powder


Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 c, and beat the butter for a few minutes until its smooth. Add the caster and brown sugar and then whisk for about 5 minutes until its a creamy substance. Now add the peanut butter and the egg.
Get another bowl and combine the plain flour and the baking powder. Add the butter/sugar mixture and form into a smooth dough. Wrap in plastic film and chill in the fridge for about 3 hours.
Line a baking tray with powder and shape the dough into about 24 balls. Arrange them on the tray allowing a space of about 5cms. Bake in the oven for 10 mins. Allow to cool and demolish!

Happy National Brownie day!

Today to my excitement I found out that it was National Brownie day, the idea being that you make brownies and then give them to someone else!Fat chance! So here instead is a recipe for you to make your own brownies and demolish them all yourself, why share when you can scoff!

Ingredients:

100 grams dark chocolate

110 grams butter

225 grams sugar (sounds like a lot but you know you love your brownies chewy and gooey!)

100 grams walnuts (to be honest you don't actually need to use walnuts if you'd rather not, however I do feel that putting walnuts in makes for a chewier and tastier consistency)

2 large eggs, beaten

50g flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 180 c then chop both the walnuts and the chocolate into small pieces (try not to eat them all before you start baking). Next you need to melt the chocloate and the butter on a low heat (do you realise how gorgeous that smell is?) Mix the butter, chocolate and sugar in a massive bowl and add the beaten eggs into the mixture. Then get another bowl and mix the salt, the flour and the baking powder all together. Stir well so that the mixture is nice and smooth and then put the micture into a baking tray which you can quickly grease beforehand. Bake in the oven for about half an hour but it is a good idea to keep having a peek as you don't want the brownies to go too hard. They should be chewy and sticky in the middle and crispy on the outside. Leave for a few minutes and then cut and.... well you know the rest - dig in!

a warming yet 'chilli' munch!

This is a favourite of my favourite - Nigella, and therefore a favourite of mine! These are simply little snacks to have whilst waiting for the main food to cook or just if your feeling greedy and want something to munch on whilst watching the box (or even both). They hardly take any time at all and the beauty of this type of finger food is that there will be an explosion of taste in your mouth from all the flavours!

The things you'll need are:

aubergine

crumbled feta cheese (drizzle some lemon juice on top)
chopped red chilli

fresh mint

All you need to do (which is grrrrreat for lazy people like me)is to cut up your aubergine into thin, long slices, then grill them until they are lovely and soft. Then at one end of the aubergine put the feta cheese, the chilli and the mint and roll the whole thing up!!

To be honest do you even need a meal after?nope!Heaven!

Who is the best of the best?

In my last post I asked if anyone had a particular favourite cook that they would be copying this christmas, I think instead I'll do a mini poll to find out: - So, who would you say has excited you most this year to try something new, who has pushed you to try a particular dish you have always been too nervous of trying:

Is it Nigella Lawson, with her sumptious and heavenly meals,
Jamie Oliver with his down to earth, natural and healthy approach or,
Delia Smith with her easy and quick dishes that anyone can try?
All vote now!!

A feast for your eyes

Has anyone decided to treat themselves this year to a trolley-full of cookery books brought out by people like Jamie Oliver or Gary Rhodes? Being a massive Nigella fan I am in tense anticipation of her latest Christmas-related literary feast of words. Whether she is bringing out a cookery book or not I'll still be looking foward to any programs or articles that she takes part in, having recently seen her in RED magazine giving readers a taste of her life leading up to the big day. Does anyone particularly favour another cook? Or will anyone be copying their favourite chef's Christmas menu this year? Thoughts please!

Wonderfully Warming Pudding!

Being the random foodie that I am I suddenly today felt a craving for something sweet and warm, maybe a pudding of some kind.... What pudding haven't I had for a long, long time? And then it hit me, Rice Pudding!! Suddenly memories of my schooldays wafted over me as I dived for the pots and pans, desperate to recreate the delicious and warming dessert which I had tasted so many times before through my teenage years. So here we go, a delicious recipe for a delicious pud, and although it may take a bit of time to make, you know it will be worth it when that first mouthful melts in your mouth!

This recipe should serve about 4 people but as I always say if your starving it'll probably only feed half the amount!

140g uncooked white rice (how weird would a rice pudding look with brown rice!)

475ml milk, (you'll need to divide it throughout the process with a bit here and a bit there)

65g white sugar

2g salt

1 beaten egg

110g golden raisins (you know they taste so much nicer than plain ones!)

15g butter

3ml vanilla extract

strawberry jam to drizzle on the top

Method:

Find a medium sized saucepan and bring one and a half cups of water to the boil. Add your rice and mix it around so that it doesn't stick to the sides or the bottom. Turn the heat down and the cover and leave it to simmer for about 20 minutes. Whilst doing this you can attend to all those jobs that you never get round to, such as ironing or dusting or simply watch the t.v. After the twenty minutes is up you need to find another saucepan and combine one and a half cups of rice, one and a halfcups milk, sugar and salt. Cook on a medium heat until thick and creamy and gorgeous and smooth and...sorry I got carried away! you need to do this for between 15 and 20 minutes. Then stir in remaining half a cup of milk, the beaten egg and the raisins. Cook for 2 minutes more, stirring constantly. Take off the heat and stir inbutter and vanilla. Serve warm with strawberry jam on top...sorry, got carried away AGAIN! Heavenly!

Don't forget you can put anything you want on the top of the rice pudding, I prefer strawberry jam but go ahead and try what you like!!

Gorgeous and grand Graduand

Yesterday I finally graduated from university, almost six months after I had actually finished the course and what a relief it was. The ceremony was rather long-winded however and the hall was boiling hot which didn't help when we were all sitting adorned in thick, heavy robes and a morterboard that made my head weigh a tonne! My turn came to mount the stage almost an hour after we had started the ceremony and I made my way to the side praying that I didn't trip up on my gown! I didn't trip up but I did end up walking off before the man shaking my hand had finished asking me if I had enjoyed the course so looking back it could have been construed that I was ignoring him! Although asking the same question to over 300 students probably took its toll on him anyway!
After the ceremony my parents and I pushed through the manic throng of people who were blocking half the road and made our way down to Edwinn's, the snazziest and smartest restaurant in Cambridge. Entering the restaurant I was immediatly aware of the elegance and delicacy of the place. Taking our reserved seat by the window we browsed the menu hungrily (we hadn't eaten since about half past six that morning). After finally deciding what we wanted I was surprised but amused to see two other graduands seat themselves on the two adjoining tables complete with large, adoring families. Although both my parents opted for the set menu I found myself ordering from the main one, as a delicious meal had caught my eye - Chicken with cream cheese, hazelnuts and potato Gnocchi. I was desperate to try Gnocchi after seeing Nigella use some on one of her recent programs and could not understand how something that looked so tasty had been overlooked by me of all people!! This was to be served with Potato Dauphinoise (which I had also never tried but consisted of potato, milk and melted cheese) and a serving of vegetables. As the meal arrived I was so hungry I jumped straight in and started demolishing it all. The entire meal was exsquisite, such a variety of colour and taste. The gnocchi and Dauphinoise especially were divine and even tastier than I could have imagined. The gnocchi were plump and satisfying whilst the Dauphinoise was absolutely dreamy, melting in my mouth. To be honest the actual chicken as the blandest ingredient in the meal which was a shame but everything else made up for it! As is the custom with me I will always find room for a dessert, even if I really cannot eat another mouthful, and so it was to my parents amazement and slight disgust I imagine that I ordered a delicious dessert of Sticky Toffee pudding with Toffee sauce and Double Cream. This combination was probably the nicest I had ever tasted. I am used to Sticky toffee pudding bought from the supermarket but this was proper handmade, genuine Sticky Toffee! The pudding was presented in a thick slab with toffee sauce drizzled over the top and complete with a pot of double cream to pour on top. I cannot explain how thick and creamy this dish tasted, but there was such a richness to the pudding which was contrasted by the coolness of the cream which really did this dish justice. Although expensive this restaraunt is worth every penny (although in fairness it wasn't me who paid!) as the food is served to perfection and the service was quick and friendly, the waitor even took time to ask me about my graduation and course!!
The hardest part of the day for me and my mum was struggling to walk to the car after being filled full of such lovely food, it took us about an hour to walk ten minutes!

A warming treat for a freezing day

It's absolutely tipping it down today so after a soaking and teeth chattering journey to my house which involved getting drenched on the way I was absolutely starving for something juicy which would tickle my tastebuds. After drying my hair and making a cup of tea I raided the fridge feeling in desperate need of a sandwich which would suit the gloomy and dismal weather. Incoorporating one of my favourite toppings for pasta which is pesto with some sumptious focaccia bread you can make this fantastically simple yet elegant looking sandwich.


You'll need:

1 slice focaccia bread cut in half

3 small chicken fillets
15 ml mayonnaise
10g basil pesto
30g sun dried tomato pesto
55g roasted red peppers
125g crumbled feta cheese
20g fresh basil leaves

Method:

Fry the chicken lightly in a pan until browning. Mix mayo and basil pesto in a small bowl and spread onto half of the focaccia. Spread other half with sun dried tomato pesto and arrange the roasted red peppers onto the bottom piece. Pop the pieces of chicken on top and then cover with feta cheese then fresh basil. Lastly top with remaining slice of focaccia. Easy, elegant and by gum its tasty!

Spicy saturday stir fry supper

One of my traditions is to spend the weekend at my dad's house who is a brilliant cook (although he doesn't believe it!)and I am forever being dazzled by his delicious dishes. Added to which he buys me bottles of malibu when I come over so thats even nicer! One of the lovely and incrediably more-ish dishes which he has presented me with twice now is a gorgeous combination of prawn and rice. In other words rice with prawns! In fact both the times my dad has set off to the kitchen leaving me with my large bottle of malibu and not expected to return to the front room for about an hour and has emerged about 25 minutes later with steaming bowls of this lovely dish! You can really experiment with the things that you put into this meal but I'm listing the ingredients that my dad uses!


This supposedly serves four but its so tasty that I could eat the whole thing alone!


Ingredients:

200g/8oz long grain rice
175g/6oz frozen peas
2 tbsp veg oil plus an extra drop
1 onion, chopped
3 rashers bacon, chopped
1 tbsp tikka massala curry paste
250g/9oz cooked tiger prawns, thawed if frozen
1 egg beaten
soy sauce to serve


Tip the rice into a pan of boiling water and simmer for 10 minutes and at the last three minutes put the peas in. Drain. At the same time heat up the two tablespoons of oil in a large wok (you can use a frying pan but a wok is brilliant for this type of dish, added to which you get far more in!)and add the bacon and stir fry for about 4 minutes until the onion is going light brown and the bacon has started to cook. Start to stir in the curry paste and cook for a few seconds and then put the prawns in and heat them up for just over a minute.

Next you need to move the whole mixture of the prawns etc to one side of the wok and add the other drop of oil to the other side. Pour the egg into the oil and stir until it is cooked like scrambled egg then mix with the prawns so that all the mixture is together. (How much do you just want to stuff it all in your mouth now!) Lastly add the rice and the peas and mix it all together so that it doesn't get stuck to the bottom of the wok.

Serve it as soon as you can get it on your plate with lots more malibu (that's just for me of course) and a good film on one of the many cold and gloomy nights that we have to look forward to in the near future!

We shall remember them.

Today I attended a very sad and moving rememberance service in my local village where we gathered to remember the fallen ones of war. Nothing brought a lump to my throat so much than the fact there was a united approach to this day, with nearly everyone present and willing to stand in the freezing cold and listen as the names of the dead were announced. I hope everyone joined in today by either attending a service or watching it on the tv, because this day is still an important part of our lives - we wouldn't be where we are now if it wasn't for those men who gave up their lives so freely for our country. Although this has nothing to do with recipes or food I would still like to take the opportunity to praise those brave and courageous soldiers, and as we will never know what it was like to be there fighting, all we can do is imagine and be thankful for the amazing sacrifice they gave.

an autumnal dish for a winter's day

My mother has a very clever knack of throwing together great dishes consisting of only a handful of ingredients. And the dishes are always so tasty! One of the nicest is a dish she made in the last month or so which was always the perfect end to a busy or cold day, it's easy, its tasty and its so healthy you can make heaps of it! So this is dedicated to my mum who I hope will continue to give me lots of juicy ideas for recipes for years to come!

Serves 2

Ingredients:

4 sausages

2 courgettes

1 squash

1 sweet potato

1 plain potato

1 large carrot

mixed herbs (any you like)

oil

This is so simple!! All you have to do is find a large glass dish and cut up all the vegetables into chunks (make sure they are not too thick otherwise it will take a long time for them to cook all the way through) ad bung them into the dish. Add a dollop of oil and the herbs on top and then get stuck in with your hands mixing it all together! (It's a nice feeling isn't it). Put the whole thing into the oven and then cook for about half an hour (prod the veg after this amount of time to see if its getting softer)and then cook the sausages on a medium heat on the hob for about ten minutes until nice and brown. By the time the sausages are ready you can cut them into chunks and pop them on top of the vegetables for the last few minutes just to make them absorb the herbs and then everything is ready!! Serve lavishly with mountains of cheese and a cup of tea!Divine.

Remember remember the 5th of november, Spinach and Mushroom quiche!

After indulging in a dreadful evening of smoky and unimaginative fireworks on Cambridge Midsummer Common last night the one thing I was craving when I reached the comfort of my home was a nice quiche. Why you ask? Well to me, quiche has always conjured up a bonfire night feel as being warming and a universal snack and for another thing its damn tasty! The other great thing about quiche is that you can make any variety that you like and it will still taste fantastic and give you a nice comforting feeling in your stomach! It's pretty easy to make as well and can feed all your closest friends on this special night. My recipe is for a slightly different variety of quiche but be experimental and you will come up with some long lasting and mouthwatering moments! So this is the dish to make if you want to remember the wonders of fireworks night, without all the smoke and irritating people!

(I'm rather against onion which is a dreadful thing for an obsessed foodie especially as it is a staple food in many dishes, so on that note I will include it in this recipe so that the majority of the population do not send me hate mail!)

Ingredients:

6 slices bacon

4 eggs, beaten

355ml light cream
0.8g ground nutmeg

3g salt

1g pepper

60g chopped fresh spinach

190g chopped fresh mushrooms

85g chopped onions

245g shredded swiss cheese

140g shredded chedder cheese

1 9inch deep dish pie crust

Method:

You'll need to preheat the oven to 400f. Place the bacon in a large deep skillet (basically a large frying pan). Cook over a medium high heat until its brown all over. Drain it, then crumble it and set to one side. In a arge bowl whip together the eggs, cream, nutmeg and salt and pepper. Stir in the bacon, the spinach, mushrooms, onions, 3/4 cup of swiss cheese and 3/4 cups of cheddar cheese. Transfer to the pie crust and then cover with the remaining cheese so it will be lovely and gloopy. Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, this gives you time to rush out and set off any fireworks that you may have forgotten to display yesterday or have a glass of something (or maybe even 2!).

When you take the quicke out it should be nice and brown and you'll all be able to devour it as quickly as possible!

Luxurious Lasagne

The perfect dish for the perfect cosy evening

Occasionally when it's blowing a gale outside and I'm all warm snuggled up on the sofa I begin to think about food (ok, not occasionally, more like every minute of the day, whether I'm inside or out, whether it's night or day) and I turn to the idea of comfort food. My favourite cook, Nigella Lawson was particularly fond of this idea, choosing to eat particular foods which matched her individual moods, but more importantly were surprisingly comforting. Because of this, I am happy to say I feel accepted in the world of cooking to comfort eat as much as I possibly can, whether it be smooth mashed potatoes, crispy bacon or an indulgent chocolate cake.


This particular dish conjures up the epitome of comfort and cosy nights. I would definately call this comfort food as you may find yourself going back for seconds and even thirds without feeling the slightest bit guilty!


This dish should serve about 12 but if your starving its going to feed even less!





You'll need:


340g lean ground beef
455g sweet italian sausage
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 can / 6 ounces tomato paste
364g canned tomato sauce
120ml water
25g white sugar
1g dried basil leaves
1g fennel seeds
2g italian seasoning
20g salt
0.5g ground black pepper
15g chopped fresh parsley
12 lasagne noodles
455g ricotta cheese
1 egg
3g salt
340g mozzarella cheese, sliced
75g grated parmesan cheese





It may take some time to make but believe me it's worth it and you'll be gonig back for seconds, thirds and maybe even fourths!

What you need to do is:

Cook the sausage, beef and the garlic over a medium heat until well browned. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce and the water. Season with the sugar, the basil leaves, the fennel seeds, the italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer while covered for about 1 and a half hours, make sure you are stirring occasionally. I'm sure by this stage you are wanting to sit down with a large glass of wine, and now is the perfect opportunity to because next all you've got to do is to bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil and cook the lasagne noodles for about 8-10 minutes. After your sit down and on condition that you haven't drunk a whole bottle of wine you'll need to drain the noodles and rinse them in cold water.
In the mixing bowl you have to combine the ricotta cheese with the egg, remaining parsley and half a teaspoon of salt. Preheat your oven for 375 0F. Spread one and a half cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish and arrange six of the noodles lengthwise over the meat sauce (understandably 6 noodles is rather a peculiar amount but it gives a really good texture once you've repeated the process). Spread with half of the ricotta cheese mixture and top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon one and a half cup of meat sauce over the mozzarella and sprinkle with a quarter cup of parmesan cheese. Repeat the layers and then pop the rest of the mozzarella and parmesan on the top. (It should look really fat and yummy now and although it's hard your going to have to wait to cook it before you dig in, maybe more wine would be advisable?) Lastly you'll need to cover the dish with foil, but make sure it doesn't touch the cheese or it will end up sticking and becoming gloopy! Bake in the oven for 25 minutes and then remove the foil and bake for another 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before you serve it and then get eating!!

A Sexy Spanish sumptuous snack

I noticed with some excitement last night that one of the hosts on ‘Come dine with me’ actually made an effort to add some sparkle to the evening for once by serving the Spanish snacks ‘Tapas’. Now nobody is more obsessed with little Spanish snacks than me and I particularly love a good munch on a delicious Spanish Tortilla. In fact I have been known to demolish an entire Tortilla in one day – now that’s obsession with Spanish Food. I suppose however that I am cheating a bit with this dish because although it is supposed to be made with many other Spanish snacks I tend to make it with a view to demolishing it on its own as quickly as possible (also tasty cold if you are feeling a late night craving for something out of the fridge.) The great thing about this dish is that it is so easy to make (although you find yourself going through many packets of eggs and plenty of potatoes) that you may find yourself making it all the time. And isn’t that what food is all about? Making huge quantities of something you love? I also tend to become fond of food which can be made in different ways by different people and that is very much the case here. Some people like to add onion or even pepper whereas I prefer to make it simply with potato, egg and garlic. Therefore each taste of tortilla is a different experience. And each taste is an abundance of flavours. I must confess my own version of this will never be as tasty as my mother’s Tortilla, for she seems to be able to get perfect quantities of each ingredient which I still have not been able to master after thousands of tasty attempts!! But then again the fun is in the experimenting and munching that comes with each go. So here we are: the warmest and sexiest snack to come from the warmest and sexiest country – The Spanish Tortilla.

Ingredients are few and therefore you can make a fantastic meal for hardly anything!
All you’ll need if you’re going to want to serve about 4 people (or 1 of me) is:
2 large potatoes
6/7 eggs
A quarter of a bulb of garlic (or even more if you really want that kick!)
A bottle of oil standing by as you can never tell how much you will actually need.
You’ll need to make sure you have either two large frying pans that can fit a large tortilla in and that are pretty much the same size so you can slot them into each other or you could buy a special tortilla pan from any supermarket if you think you are going to be making a lot of tortillas!

All you need to do is cut your garlic up into small squares and tip into the frying pan complete with a few dips of oil. Have the heat up pretty high. Then you’ll need to cut your potatoes up into manageable chunks and pop them into the microwave in a suitable container for a few minutes (normally about four) until they are reasonably soft. By this time the garlic should have been considerably browned and you will be ready to put your potatoes into the pan. You will need to turn the heat down to about 4 and lightly fry the potatoes for between 7-10 minutes until they are starting to look brown. Around about this time you can start breaking your eggs into a small bowl and whisking them around until they resemble a river of egg. By now the potatoes will have browned well enough for you to tip the mixture of egg into the pan, being careful to cover all the potato with your mixture. Then you’ll need to get a spatula and move the mixture around making sure it is still firm and not sticking to the pan and that it also resembles a circular shape. After about ten minutes or so add some more oil round the edges of the tortilla and then, making sure it is still firm, put the other frying pan on top and tip the tortilla over. Repeat the original process of moving the mixture around and tipping some oil around the tortilla for about another ten minutes or some. Then take the original frying pan and tip the tortilla back into it. With any luck the tortilla will now be sufficiently browned on either side but if not just carry on tipping until you are satisfied.
Serve on a large plate cut into wedges with a good chunk of bread – Perfection!

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!!!!