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(The 19th May is International Baking Day! What will you be baking? I am still in Canada, and taking care do my mum who is now home from the hospital . . . Yippee !!!. . . And so I'm not really baking much at the moment, but if I was, these would go down a real treat! I do so love Ginger bread . . . And fairy cakes. A repost from a few years ago. Enjoy!)Over here in England
I was going to wait until the weekend to show you these . . . but I can't. These biscuits (cookies) are so stupendous that you deserve to hear all about them right NOW!They're not much to look at I admit . . . In fact, they look just like any other cookie on this planet . . . but that is where the similarity to any other cookie on earth ends . . . don't let their simple homey appearance fool yo
Something sweet and simple for the weekend. A repost from May 2011. Good food doesn't have to be complicated to be tasty! Enjoy!We spent all afternoon today wandering around Tatton Park. What a gorgeous place that is! The gardens were so beautiful and we walked our not so little butts off! (ok . . . hmm . . . MY not so little butt.)When we got home we were starving and so I threw to
There's a possibility that my mother might come home from the hospital on Friday, after having been in there for almost four weeks (Monday). That's a long time in hospital, and its been very much touch and go at points, so I am really grateful that she is still with us, and even more grateful that she's coming home. She's been looking forward to me baking her a chocolate cake ever since I arrived,
We have company coming over later today for supper. Two couples that we have been friends with for a long time.I just love having people over. Entertaining and cooking are two of my absolute favourite things of all, and when I get to do the two of them together, well . . . I am in seventh heaven!With this lovely sunny and warm weather we are having, I would have loved to do a Barbeque, but old G
(Note: this is a post from several years ago, but you know how it goes . . . Some things are just to delicious,that they are worth repeating!)I read on my friend the "other" Marie's page that according to Harold Camping, the world is supposed to end today at 6 PM. I don't know if that is Greenwich Mean Time, or Mountain Time or what time . . . but, well . . . you know how those things go!Anyways,
Several months ago I was contacted by McArthurGlen (Designer Outlet) and asked if I would like to participate in the Le Creuset Cast Iron Challenge. Of course I jumped at the chance. I just love Le Creuset cookware, and I love a challenge! Win/win!My gift for participating, a 20cm round Le Creuset Casserole Dish in my favourite colour Cerise! Just call me a happy camper. &n
This is a prime example of British ingenuity and thrift, in that it makes good use of the veg leftover from your Sunday Roast. Comfort food at it's best, it's a huge favourite of ours. It's almost too simple to show . . . but too good to pass by.Quite simply it is a hash made up of all the vegetables leftover from your sunday roast dinner. No rules apply really . . . just heat some oil and butt
As promised . . . today we have chocolate. Enough of salads!! You are banished for the weekend!!And what a wonderful way to have chocolate this is! A delicious flourless Chocolate cake that is soooooo moreishly fudgy and wantonly scrumptious . . . you will find yourself sneaking downstairs in the middle of the night just for . . . ONE . . . MORE . . . PIECE!! (Trust me on t
Todd loves cooked apples. If I bake anything with apples at all, Todd is one very happy camper. He says his mother baked the best apple pies ever. I have never been able to make an apple pie quite like his mom's, but a gal can't be good at everything I guess!Even so, he enjoys the ones I do make, even if they are not quite as good . . . likewise the apple cakes, muffins, b
When I was a girl, my mother often made us Cinnamon Rolls for a treat . . . not the yeast kind, mind you . . . but the kind made with scone dough. Easy peasy lemon squeasy, and no waiting for the dough to rise and all that faff! We loved them.What we loved even more was the name my father had for them . . . "Pets de Nonne", or translated into English . . . "Nun's Farts." I know, terribly rude .
It was about a year or so ago now that I discovered a delightful site called Pinterest. My friend Julie introduced me to it, and it wasn't long before I was "pinning" to my hearts content.Pinterest is a unique on-line site which gives its users the opportunity to collect and "pin" photographs of things which strike their fancy and that they want to save, for future reference or whatever, ont
Have you ever tried those tasty little Gu Naughties? They come in Millionaire Flapjack and Rocky Road Flavours. Delicious little decadent bites, slathered in milk chocolate. Totally addictive and filled with lots of calories . . . dangerous really, coz you really can't eat just one. I had a bucket of each here when the movers were moving us in and they were gone in a flash!! (no surprise the
I was sitting here this afternoon and craving something. I wanted something sweet and yet a bit savoury at the same time . . .I decided to toast some English muffins and then cover them with milk chocolate chips, toasted pecans and marshmallows . . . which I then popped back under the grill until the milk chocolate was oozing, the marshmallows were stickily bubbling and the nuts were toasty brown
The 19th of May is World Baking Day! A day when bakers the world over will be encouraged to break out of their comfort zone and Bake Brave! I was asked to participate and donate a recipe to the cause and I decided that you can't get simpler or tastier than a simple Swiss Roll.Funny how things are named different things in different places. In Canada, we would c
It's a well known fact that oats are good for your heart. They are very healthy. They are a very good source of soluable and insoluable fibre. Insoluable fibre helps to fight cancer. It helps to fight certain bile acids, thereby reducing their toxicity.Soluable fibre helps to reduce LDL cholesterol. That is a good thing. Soluable fibre also helps to slow down the digestion of starch, which me
I can remember my mother telling me when I was a child that fish was brain food. It wasn't something we had very often actually, although on a rare occasion my mother would buy a frozen block of haddock.She would carefully cut it into 5 small pieces and each would be drenched in some flour, seasoned with some salt and pepper and then fried in butter, until it was crisp and golden brown all over.
We had such a beautifully gorgeous day here yesterday. The sun shone all day long into the night and the temperature was wonderfully warm. I even shaved my legs in preparation for summer. (I know . . .TMI!)Seriously though, it was fabulous. After the long, cold and hard winter that we have just had in the UK, it was so wonderful to be able to finally bask in some warmth and sunshine. Ahhh . .
Lemons are something that I always have in my larder . . . a bit bowl filled with them. They are pretty to look at, smell fabulous and I always have a use for them . . . be it the juice or the zest . . . in something savoury, or sweet. They are one of my top ingredients.Another thing I always have hanging about is chocolate . . . good quality dark chocolate, in large slabs, with at least 70% c
Can a muffin ever be a cupcake? Can a cupcake ever be a muffin?? Hmmm . . . food for thought here.When does a muffin cross over into cupcake territory . . . and when does a cupcake cross back into being a muffin????What if the two merge together . . . into some kind of cross breed?? Does it then become a muffcake???This inquiring mind wants to know. Plenty of for thought here. What do you think
I really like using my crockpot and it has come in especially handy these past couple of days, when we have spent more time packing than doing anything else. We actually have two crockpots. The larger one that you see here, and a smaller one.Often on Sundays I will put a chicken or roast into the larger one and potatoes in the smaller one. That way supper is ready and waiting for
This is something which my kids always enjoyed. It was one of my cheap and cheerful mains and a great way to serve chicken and so much better for them than the packaged chicken baking mixes. (without saying any names, but you know what I mean I am sure!) These are moist and flavorful with a nice crisp coating filled with flavor. It gets it's crispness from the crushed
This is a very old recipe which I have had in my files for a very long time. It is a recipe which was given to me by my mother in law back in the early 1970's and Lord knows how long she had it kicking around! It's a very thrifty pudding which makes great use of things most of us, if not all of us, have in our larders at any given time. It's very similar to a suet pudd
You may recall me showing you a delicious casserole the other day called Beef and Beans. Oh my but it is some good. Just in case you missed it, that's a picture up there at the top of this post, and you can find the recipe here. This may not be a very pretty dish, but it is certainly one of the most delicious dishes you could ever want to eat. Economical, easy a
You know it just had to happen eventually . . . the North American in me just cannot resist the combination of Peanut Butter and Jam, and I am always on the look out for a way to use it!!I had a package of Croissant Roll Dough in the fridge that I wanted to use up before I went away this week and I was inspired to use my favourite Peanut Butter and Jam to create something quite scrummy . . .
I found a jar of Jaffa Orange Curd in my larder that was going to be going out of date within the next couple of months and thought I better get using it as from next Thursday there will only be Todd here and I'll be away for about six weeks. This needed using now, or I'll end up having to throw it away when I get back. I decided to adapt my favorite lemon drizzle loaf using
This may not be much to look at, and it may sound like an unusual combination, but I just have to tell you that this is one of the most delicious casseroles you could ever make for your family. Not only that, but it's also economical, easy and sure to become a fast family favourite!All you need is an onion, a tin of baked beans, a pound of steak mince, a few odds and sodds and a
I am a real believer in the simple things of life . . . I think more often than not it's the simple things in life which bring us the most joy and happiness . . . Not for me Pheasant Under Glass and Caviar . . . Escargots or Pink Champagne . . . I am happy with simple foods and simple pleasures . . . yes, that makes me a cheap date for I am more than happy to dine at a local cafe with a
I almost hesitated to share this recipe with you because it is basically a quintessentially North American type of recipe . . . using Butterscotch Chips, which are not readily available over here in the UK. You can get them from an American grocery supplier called SKYCO, but at a premium price. (£4.78 for an 11 ounce bag, which is the equivalent of $7. American. I don't know if t
One thing that I have always loved is/are tinned tomatoes. I could quite happily just sit down with a tin of tomatoes and a slice of bread and butter. A smattering of salt and pepper and I am feasting. I find it very satisfying . . . When I was a child it was a real treat for my mother to make us Kraft Macaroni and Cheese Dinner . . . we loved it.
I was shopping in Aldi (the Which Grocery Retailer of the year 2012 and a very inexpensive shop to shop in) the other day when I picked up some British Asparagus that was marked at 50% of the regular price. And it was Asparagus tips and the thin new season tender ones to boot! Score!! As soon as I saw it I had in mind that I wanted to make some Asparagus Tarts with it.
One of the things that endears me to the UK is the fact that they call cookies . . . Biscuits. Of course that can be somewhat confusing when you are looking to create a bread and not a cookie . . . but oh well, that's just how the cookie crumbles over here! (Every pun intended. Groan now.) I adapted this tasty Biscuit (cookie) recipe from one I found in a cooking magazine special
The Toddster and I are no stranger to jam . . . we both just love ADORE jam. We like marmalade too . . . but jam . . . it holds a special place in my heart. Jam is something which I always have in my larder and I have my favourites . . . sour cherry, strawberry, apricot and wild blueberry are real favourites of ours. I use jam quite a lot . . . some nights we hav
When my youngest lad was a child, he loved for me to buy him the frozen toaster Strudels you could buy at the grocery store. He was a very finicky eater, and there was not a lot that he liked to eat really. He would go on binges and one week all he would eat was hotdogs . . . the next it might be pizza . . . or mashed potatoes. There were times I really wo
I was recently contacted by the Kato Group and asked if I would like to test out one of their Eden Classic Damast Knives. I said absolutely. I have had a Damast Classic Santoku knife for a couple of years now and it is my favourite knife. I have always loved the way it feels in my hand and the weight of it. I have also always loved it's performance, but more about tha
As you know I was recently sent some meat to try from the people at Westin Gourmet. I had the opportunity at Easter to cook the Rib Eye Steaks they had sent to me, and I have to say . . . no word of a lie, these were the best steaks Todd and I have ever eaten. Seriously. They were AB-SO-LUTE-LY gorgeous, truth be told.In all honest I was not surprised. Everything they
Sometimes you are sadly lacking in both inspiration and time, yet you are absolutely starving.Perhaps all you have in the larder is a few eggs, some potatoes and onions, and maybe a bit of Chorizo. Doesn't everyone have some Spanish Chorizo in their larder? I mean, can you actually be a foodie without having some Chorizo in the larder?I love Spanish Chorizo. It's warm and spicy and a very
We were sorting out the lounge/dining room today when I discovered a long overdue library book of Todd's hiding under the coffee table. We finished up our job and then he went into town to take it back and face the music. I, on the other hand, decided to make myself some lunch. I thought I would take advantage of Todd's absence and cook myself some pasta!I love pasta and it's not
You would have to be living on the face of another planet right now, not to have realized that the price of food is sky-rocketing. Recent studies show that spiraling food costs have driven the annual cost of a family's groceries up by £1,100 a year, and there is no relief in sight. Unfortunately the costs of everything else are going up as well . . . petrol, heating fuels, electr
It's still not too late to rustle up a few treats for your family for Easter. Here are some of my favourites which I have shared with you in past years. Easter Bark Easter Bunny Cupcakes Sooo cute! Hot Cross Scones (Soooo good!) Easter Chocolate Crispy Nests Easy to make and kids love em! A Simnel Tart Very easy and
I wanted to make a special bread for our Easter Breakfast this year . . . something which would remind me of the beautiful fruit breads that my mother's sister Thelma would send up to us each Easter. She was a dear saintly woman, who managed to raise five children all on her own. She worked really really hard, on her knees scrubbing other people's floors and cleaning other
This is my last meat posting for a while. We don't normally eat that much meat in our house, so this week was surely the exception. As I will soon be going away for a while, I wanted to make sure I had tried out all of the meat products sent to me by Westin Gourmet before I go. I still have some steaks to try out, but I'm going to be taking a bread from meat this weekend and my
Some of the meat which was sent to me recently by the Westin Gourmet people was some of their Steak Mince. You would have to have been living under a rock in recent months not to know about the great debacle here in the UK which was the horse-meat scandal. Hundreds and thousands of minced beef products, ready meals, etc. was contaminated . . . some as much as 100% with horse-meat.&nbs
We've eaten so much meat over these past few days, I thought I would take a break from it for a day or so! We don't normally eat much meat, but I am not complaining, as it has been fabulous meat and I am very grateful for the opportunity to try it out! Today I baked us a delicious vegetable casserole, using potatoes, onions and cauliflower. It's like a version of
As you all know I am awfully fond of cookbooks. My motto is you can never have too many of them. Todd would disagree . . . but what does he know? His idea of cooking is holding a tin in one hand and a pot in the other. I have noticed that whilst he might balk at the amount of cookery books I have . . . he never complains about the recipes I cook from them. He's a
A part of the order of meat which arrived last Thursday from the Westin Gourmet people was a delicious looking Mini Beef Roasting Joint. Weighing in at just over a pound, it is calculated to serve two people generously, with leftovers. Westin Gourmet meat is sourced from the best suppliers. Their beef is grass fed and butchered responsibly and traceable
I confess that in the past I have been known to buy ready made burger patties at the shops. I always bought the best most expensive ones, telling myself that they were sure to be better than the el cheapo ones. In light of the recent debacle here in the UK with horsemeat having been mixed into minced beef products it makes me cringe just to think about it now . . .Not that there is any
I saw these chocolate chip cookies on my friend Laurie's page the other day. Her blog is called I Love A Cloudy Day, and she's Canadian. She's also a brilliant artist and she used to work as a chef, just like me. I love her to bits! She's a real sweetie pie. The other day she had posted this recipe for Chatelaine Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies. Chate
When I take the extra effort to make a pudding like this for afters . . . the Toddster is one very happy man. There is nothing he loves more than stodge . . . and he especially loves steamed puddings . . . served up with lashings of custard of course! This one today is particular favourite of both of us. We love jam. We love coconut. We love steamed puddings, so
