Mark's Birthday Kung Po Chicken.

It was my husbands birthday yesterday, so i made him a meal of some of his favourite foods.

He loves Kung Po Chicken, so that was on the menu with Egg Fried Rice and Prawn Crackers followed by Fudgy Chocolate Coconut Brownies.

He said it was the best Kung Po Chicken he had ever had!!

So there goes take out from the Chinese Take Away now, but on the up side at least i know whats in it when i make it myself, and it is so much healthy too.

Some of the ingredients you will need to get from a Chinese Supermarket, but it so worth the trip.

Serves 2

2 chicken breast diced

Salt and pepper to season chicken

1 tbsp potato flour (available from Chinese supermarket)

1 tbsp ground nut oil

2 tbsp sichuan peppercorns (available from Chinese supermarket)

4 dried chillis

1 tbsp shaohsing cooking wine (available from Chinese supermarket)

1 red pepper cubed

3 spring onions chopped

Half a head of brocolli

Half a cup of roasted cashew nuts

Sauce Ingredients

100ml cold vegetable stock

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp tomato ketchup

1 tbsp Chinkiang black rice vinegar (available from Chinese supermarket)

1 tbsp hoisin sauce

1 tbsp hot chilli sauce

1 tbsp cornflour

Season the chicken with the salt and pepper then coat with the potato flour, set aside.

Mix all the sauce ingredients together and set aside.

Heat the Ground nut oil in a wok till smoking, then add the dried peppers and sichuan peppercorns fry for 20 seconds.

Add the chicken and stir fry till it starts to cook, then add the brocolli and red pepper, stir together, then add the shaohsing cooking wine and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the sauce, bring to the boil, then simmer till chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened and is sticky, stir in the spring onions and cashew nuts.

Serve with egg fried rice or noodles.

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

When i first found this recipe i was very sceptical about how they would turn out, but i must say i was amazed and very pleasantly surprised!

If you think about it though, when you make a flourless cake you usually use a ground nut instead of flour, and as peanut butter is basically ground peanuts you have your flour substitute.

Not only did they look like a cookie, but they tasted amazing too, not too sweet and not at all dry, they are very moorish and the sprinkling of salt on the top is a nice touch, it adds an extra dimension........

We will be lucky if the batch i have made lasts till tomorrow!!!

Oh and did i say they are so easy to make, would be a great cookie to make with the kids!

Pre heat oven to 175c, 350f, gas mark 4

Makes about 28 cookies


1 cup of peanut butter (i used half smooth and half crunchy as that's all i had in the cupboard)
1 cup of soft brown sugar
1 large egg lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
course sea salt to sprinkle on top


Mix all the ingredients except the salt together.

Spoon dessert spoonfuls onto a ungreased tray about an inch apart, slightly flatten and using a fork make markings on the cookies, then sprinkle the salt on top.

Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Let cool on tray then transfer to a cooling rack.

Try not to eat them all at once........

Chocolate and Banana Cakes

I made these cakes for my sons celebration. You can make one big cake, but i decided to make individual cakes for everyone.

They were very moist and chocolaty.

You can get the cake cases i used from Sainsbury's supermarket.

You can top the cakes with anything you like, this time i used chocolate and vanilla marshmallows.


















Pre heat oven to 140c, 280f, gas mark 2

Makes 16 cakes.

100ml sunflower oil
175g caster sugar
175g self raising flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
4 tbsp cocoa powder
100g of chocolate chips or chunks
2 very ripe bananas
3 medium eggs 2 of them separated
50ml full fat milk


Sift the sugar, flour, bicarbonate of soda and cocoa powder into a bowl, stir in the chocolate chips or chunks.

In another bowl mash the bananas, stir in one whole egg and 2 egg yolks, followed by the oil and milk.

Whisk the egg whites until they are stiff.

Stir the wet and dry ingredients together then stir in ¼ of the egg whites to loosen the mixture, then gently fold in the rest of the egg white.

Fill the cases halfway up, and bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Let the cakes cool then spread over the ganache. Recipe follows.


Ganache Recipe.

100g milk chocolate
100ml sour cream

Melt the chocolate and sour cream together in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, don't let the bowl touch the water.
Put in the fridge till its cold and spreadable.

Cheese, Ham and Spring Onion Sandwich Pies

Again looking through my cooking magazines i found this recipe to use for my sons celebration.

They are so simple to make, but taste so good!!

They went down a storm at the celebration, everybody really enjoyed them and they didn't last long....

You can use any filling you like.

Basil, mozzarella, and sun dried tomatoes.

Turkey and cranberry stuffing. As suggested by my good friend Nic.

Bacon, sausage meat and egg.

The list goes on and on.........




















Makes 24 pies

Pre heat oven 180c, 350f, gas mark 5

1 packet bread mix
4 thick slices of ham diced
4 spring onions finely chopped
2 cups strong Cheddar
½ cup full fat cream cheese
2 tsp Dijon mustard

Make the bread mix at the packet instructions, up to the stage before letting it rise.

Mix all the other ingredients together.

Grease 2 muffin tins with olive oil.

Divide the dough into 24 pieces and roll into circles, put a tbsp of filling in each and form into a ball sealing the filling in.
Place in the muffin trays, cover with oiled cling film and leave to rise for at least 30 minutes in a warm room.

Bake for 20/25 minutes.

Strawberry Oat Traybake

Looking through one of my cooking magazines i came across this tray bake, and thought it would be perfect for my sons celebration.

Although they are a cake they are quite good for you too, as they have honey instead of sugar, and fruit, nuts and oats, and only a small amount of butter.

They aren't too sweet and to me they taste just like a crumble. Yummy!!!!!!





























Preheat oven 200c, 400f gas mark 6
Makes 16 slices

150g strawberries mashed
50g butter, plus extra for greasing
75g clear honey
200g rolled oats
50g ground almonds
½ tsp almond extract
pinch of salt

Grease a 26 x 16cm tray with butter, this was the perfect size for the amount of ingredients.

Melt the butter and honey with the pinch of salt.
Stir in the ground almonds, almond extract and oats.
Press half the mixture into the tray, spread over the mashed strawberries and sprinkle with the rest of the mixture.
Bake for 15/18 minutes.
Let cool in tray then cut into 16 slices.

Kedgeree Inspired By A Trip To Kent.

We have just been on holiday to Kent, and while we were there we visited a very pink little Cafe/Restaurant called Bebeached. Where i ordered their Kedgeree.

Up till then i could take or leave Kedgeree, but this one was GOOD!!!! It was so good i even ate the peas in it, and i hate peas, I'd normally spend 10 minutes picking them out of a dish!

So when we got home it went straight on my weekly menu, which pleased my husband, as he had been on at me for ages to make it.

I made a couple tweaks to a traditional kedgeree, i didn't use hard boiled eggs, i served it with a fried egg, I used salmon instead of the traditional smoked haddock, we like our food spicy so i made sure it had a good kick....

Needless to say it went down a treat it was thoroughly enjoyed by all!!





























Serves 2

2 8oz salmon fillets roasted in the oven at 200c for 9 minutes.
2 cups of cooked rice
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp ground nut oil
1 inch of fresh ginger grated
1 garlic clove grated
1 onion very finely chopped
2 tbsp curry powder i used a hot curry powder, so add to taste
2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
Juice of one lemon
A small bunch of coriander leaves roughly chopped
Salt and pepper to season

2 fried or poached eggs to serve it with, and if like even more of a kick try it with some hot sauce!


Heat the butter and ground nut oil in a wok, then add the onion garlic and ginger and saute till softened.

Add the mustard seeds, curry powder, cumin and coriander saute for 30 seconds then add the rice, stir together, flake the salmon and stir into the rice, season with the lemon juice, salt and pepper and stir in the coriander.

Serve with a runny fried or poached egg and a sprinkling of hot sauce.

Rachel's Egg Salad Filling

Whenever i make this Egg Salad Filling it always goes down well and never lasts very long.

It is good in a sandwich, with bacon and lettuce.

It makes a great baked potato topping.

It's good on crostini with Parma ham.

There are so many things you can do with it..........

4 hard boiled eggs crushed with a fork
1 cup of Cheddar cheese grated
½ cup Parmesan cheese finely grated
1 tsp Dijon mustard
¼ cup of mayonnaise
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Mix them all together and chill till needed. It is that simple!!!

Apple Pancake

My son loves pancakes so i thought i would treat him to an Apple Pancake.

Well needless to say they went down a treat, he loved them, I'd never seen his plate cleared so quickly.....

Unfortunately they had deflated quite a bit by the time i got to take the photos.

They may not be the best looking pancakes, but they tasted fantastic, the apples were soft and caramelised the pancake was light and fluffy.

One was most definitely not enough!!!

Pre heat oven, 200c, 400f, gas mark 6

90g self raising flour
pinch of salt
1 tbsp caster sugar
4 eggs beaten
185ml full fat milk

50g butter
3 tbsp light brown soft sugar
4 apples peeled, cored and sliced
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp lemon juice


You will need a frying pan a cast iron one would be great, if you don't have one, use one with an oven proof handle, if it fits in your oven. Unfortunately mine didn't so i warmed a pie dish in the oven and transfered the prepared apples to that.

Make the batter by putting the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl, make a well in the centre and pour in the eggs, milk and vanilla, mix till smooth, leave to rest for at least 20 minutes.

Melt the butter in a frying pan, add the apples and cook for 5 minutes over a medium heat.

Add the sugar and lemon juice and cook till the sugar has dissolved.

If your using a frying pan tip the batter over the apples and bake in the oven for 20/25 minutes. Till risen and evenly cooked.

If not pour the apples and caramel sauce into the dish you are using, and pour over the batter and bake in the oven for 20/25 minutes. Till risen and evenly cooked.

Mark's Easter Carrot & Cinnamon Cake with Lots of Frosting!!

I decided to make my husband a cake for Easter instead of getting him an Easter egg, as he kept telling me he didn't want an egg.

I know he loves carrot cake so i decided to make one with extra frosting!!!

He loves mini eggs so to make it more festive i decorated the cake with them.

So he did get an egg after all.......

Pre heat oven 180c, 375f gas mark 5

Cake

½ pint sunflower oil
8oz soft light brown sugar
4 medium eggs beaten
6oz golden syrup
12oz self raising flour
2 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
9 ½oz grated carrot

Frosting recipe follows next picture.

Grease and line 2 x 20cm round tin.

Put the oil, sugar, golden syrup and eggs in a mixer and blend together, add the flour, cinnamon, bicabonate of soda and grated carrot to the mixer and mix till just blended.

Pur the mixtures equally into the tins.

Bake in the oven for 30/35 minutes, or till a skewer or cocktail stick comes out clean.

Leave to cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then take them out of the tins and let cool completely before you frost them.

Frosting

8oz full fat cream cheese

4 ½oz unsalted butter room temperture

1lb icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 bag of Cadbury mini eggs

In a mixer cream the butter till it's soft and pale, add the cream cheese and stir together, add the vanilla extract and stir it in, then stir in the icing sugar, till it's smooth.

Turn both cakes over so you have flat surfaces to frost.

Put a layer of frosting on the top of the first cake, then sandwich the second cake on top.

Spread the rest of the frosting all over the cakes, and decorate with mini eggs. 

My New and Improved Blog!!!!

Welcome to my NEW and IMPROVED blog!!!!

I have made it so you can find my recipes easily, as the blog grows.

The background picture is now one of my own photos.

I hope this makes it more enjoyable for you, while you explore the pages and recipes.

Maple, Pecan, Raisin & Oaty Cookies

I wanted to make a semi healthy cookie to snack on.

I came across this recipe and thought it sounded good. After looking at the ingredients i realised they weren't as healthy as they sounded, but decided to give them a go anyway.

I'm so glad i made them, they have to be one of the best cookies I've ever had, they are crunchie, chewy and SOOOOO yummy!!!
You got the sweetness of the maple syrup, but the salty pecans cut through the sweetness.

I felt the nuts, raisins and oats would kind of even out all the sugar and fat, well that's what i tell myself every time i have one, but it is hard to stick to just one!!

That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!!

Makes 24 cookies

Pre heat oven 140c, 275f, gas mark 1

140g oats
50g desiccated coconut
225g plain flour
140g salted pecans roughly chopped (if you can't find salted, just add ½ tsp salt to recipe)
100g raisins
140g unsalted butter
225g light soft brown sugar
3 tbsp maple syrup
3 tbsp golden syrup
2 tbsp boiling water
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

In a bowl mix the oats, coconut, flour, raisins and pecans.

In a saucepan over a medium heat melt the butter, with the sugar, maple syrup and golden syrup, when melted remove from the heat.

Combine the bicarbonate of soda with the boiling water and stir into the butter mix.

Stir the butter mix into the dry ingredients.

Form balls of dough about the diameter of a 10p coin, place on baking tray about 3 inches apart and flatten slightly.

Bake for 14/16 minutes, depending on how crunchie you want them.

Let them cool on the baking tray for 10 minutes, as they will be too sqidgy to move.

Spicy Rice Salad

Here is another great recipe from Ching He Huang, with a few of my touches to make it more to our tastes.

With this recipe you can basically add anything you like, i didn't change the ingredients i just changed the way i prepared some of them.

This salad is so flavourful and fresh tasting!!

Ching called for raw pepper and chilli, but i roasted mine.

1. So i could remove the skins.
2. Because it made them sweeter and gave them more flavour.

I also added some chilli oil to give it more of a kick, as we love hot and spicy food!!!

I served mine with Roasted Salmon and a green salad.....

Serves 2 as a main meal, and 4 as a side dish.

4 cups cooked rice
¼ of a cucumber peeled, de-seeded and cubed
1 red chilli roasted, peeled and finely chopped
1 red pepper roasted peeled and diced
6 radishes finely sliced
Small bunch coriander chopped
1 tsp chilli oil

Dressing

Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil


Whisk all the dressing ingredients together.

Mix the rice, cucumber, chilli, red pepper, radishes and coriander together with the chilli oil, then stir in the dressing.

Banana, Cinnamon & Chocolate Muffins....

I was making a batch of Banana, Cinnamon and Chocolate Muffins. I had made some snazzy cases from parchment paper and spooned the mixture in them all, that was time consuming.
I'd put them in the oven, then noticed the bowl of mashed banana still sat on the side!!!
I did wonder why the mixture was too stiff, luckily they had only been in oven for 10 seconds so I managed to save them.

Needless to say I'd had enough of making the cases, so reverted back to the normal shop bought ones.

They may not have looked so pretty, but they still tasted GREAT!!!

They were moist and light and fluffy too....

Pre heat oven 180c, 360f, gas mark 5

Makes about 12 muffins

2 large eggs beaten
125ml vegetable oil
200g light brown soft sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 ripe bananas mashed
250g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
50g walnuts toasted and roughly chopped
50g dark chocolate roughly chopped ( i use lindt 70% chocolate)


In a bowl mix the eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla extract, then stir in the bananas.

In another bowl sieve the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and cinnamon.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir in till just mixed, don't over mix or your muffins will be heavy and tough.

Gently stir in the  nuts and chocolate.

Spoon mixture into paper cases in a muffin tin, about ¾ of the way up.

Bake for 20/25 minutes, till a cocktail stick or skewer comes out clean.

Best served warm.

They freeze well, just revive them in the oven for about 4 minutes.

You can use other nuts like pecans or hazelnuts, and add raisins if you like.

Curried Parsnip, Carrot & Ginger Soup

I had a lot of parsnips left in my garden that needed to be used up, and my son absolutely loves soup, so i used them to make a big batch of soup.
He is only two but he loves food with a lot of flavour and he especially loves anything curried.
So i made up this recipe for him.

Makes 11 child portions
Prep time 20 minutes
Cook time 1 hour

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion cut into wedges
1 kg parsnips cored and cut into 3cm lengths
1 kg carrots sliced in half and cut into about 3
1 tbsp grated  fresh ginger or ground ginger
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp dried coriander
1 tsp brown sugar
½ tsp turmeric
Fresh ground pepper to season
2 tins of plummed tomatoes
1 ½ litres of vegetable stock

In a large roasting tin mix the first 11 ingredients and roast for 30 to 35 minutes.
Blend the vegetables till smooth with the tomatoes and vegetable stock, then heat through in a saucepan, season to taste and serve.

Juicy Chilli Chicken & Cashew Nuts with Noodles

We are very much into Chinese food in our house at the moment, and it's all due to Ching-He Huang, we recently saw a series she made called Chinese Food in Minutes and the recipes she cooked looked delicious!!
So i found the recipes and tried them out, the first dish i made was this one, and it was delicious, so much tastier than a take away and you know exactly whats in it, it also took just as long to cook it as it takes to order and pick up a take away!!

I added my own little touches, and extra ingredients to make it to our tastes.......

Serves 2
Prep time 10 minutes
Cook time 10 minutes


3 chicken breasts thinely sliced
1 tsp corn flour
1 tbsp water
½ tsp Chinese 5 spice
2 tbsp ground nut oil
1 tsp sichuan peppercorns
1 tsp chilli bean paste (available from Chinese supermarkets)
1 red chilli finely chopped
½ head of broccoli
1 tbsp shaohsing wine (available from Chinese supermarkets)
100g roasted salted cashew nuts
1 tsp light soy sauce
Juice of ½ lime
1 packet of straight to wok noodles
1 tbsp coriander leaves chopped


In a bowl combine the corn flour, Chinese 5 spice and water, mix in the chicken.
Heat the oil in a smoking hot wok, add the sichuan peppercorns, chilli bean paste and the chilli, stir fry for 30 seconds, add the broccoli and a dash of water to create steam to help the broccoli cook and stir fry for 2 minutes.
Add the chicken and the shaohsing wine and stir fry for 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the noodles, and nuts, stir fry for 2 minute, then season with the coriander, soy sauce and lime juice.

Beef Stew & Herby Dumplings Especially for Mary...

I made this stew for my dear friend Mary when she was feeling under the weather. We lived in America at the time but have since moved back to England
So Mary this is for you so you can make it when your feeling ill, or even better get someone else to make it for you.

It does freeze well, so you could make it and freeze it for when you need it..

Serves 6

Prep time 15 minutes

Cooking time 3 hours

Pre heat oven to 180c, 380f, gas mark 5

2 tbsp olive oil

1 kg stewing beef cubed

1 large onion chopped

5 carrots sliced

250g chestnut mushrooms sliced

2 garlic cloves finely chopped

1 tbsp dried oregano

½ tbsp fresh rosemary finely chopped

½ tbsp fresh thyme finely chopped

1 tsp celery salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

3 tbsp flour

2 tins plum tomatoes

1 tsp Worcester sauce

½ bottle of red wine

500 ml beef stock

Dumpling Ingredients

250g self raising flour

140g suet

1 ½ tsp baking powder

1 ½ tsp dried oregano

roughly 60ml water

In a large casserole dish that has a lid, heat oil then season and brown beef, remove from dish.
Add the onions to dish and sauté till softened, then add the carrots and sauté for 3 minutes, then add the mushroom and sauté foe 3 minutes, add garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
Add all the herbs, pepper and celery salt and sauté for 1 minute, stir in the flour, then add the beef back to the dish, add the wine cook out for 2 minutes, then add the tomatoes, Worcester sauce, and beef stock bring to the boil then turn down heat and simmer for 2 ½ hrs.
Make the dumplings by mixing all the dry ingredients together, then gradually add the water till you have a dough that is slightly sticky, roll into balls about the size of a golf ball and place in the stew, make sure you leave enough room for them to expand.
Cover the dish and cook in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes.

Been sooooo busy!!

Well i don't know if you have missed me or my delicious recipes, but i have been so busy, and i haven't had chance to post.

I do have a Beef Stew with Herby Dumplings waiting to be posted.

This recipe is especially for one of my very best friends, well she is more like a sister, Mary!!

I'm hoping i will get chance to post it tonight.

I hope your taste buds are salivating in anticipation........lol

Fat Bread Sticks

I made these bread sticks to go with the onion and cider soup i made for dinner.
They were great for dunking in the soup and soaked the soup up well, without getting soggy!!


You can use any topping for the bread sticks.
I used cracked black pepper, smoked sea salt and poppy seeds.

Cooking time 20 minutes
Prep time 1 hour

Makes 12 bread sticks

Pre heat oven 200c, 400f, gas mark 6

1lb Strong bread flour, plus extra for dusting
1x 7g sachet of easy dried yeast
1 ½ tsp salt
250- 275ml warm water
Oil for cling film
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Poppy seeds, sea salt, cracked black pepper, or whatever you are using to top the bread sticks with.

Dust 2 baking trays with flour.

Put the flour, yeast  and salt into a bowl with the warm water and mix till it comes together, if kneading by hand, knead for 10 minutes, if doing it in a machine knead for 5 minutes with the hook attachment. It's ready when the dough springs back to the touch.

Cut into 12, roll into balls, then roll into sausages.

At this point you can twist the dough, or leave them as they are, cover with oiled cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for 30 - 45 minutes.

Brush with the olive oil and sprinkle the toppings on them, then bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

Allow to cool and enjoy!!


They are also good with dips and olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Cheese and Pesto Scones

These scones are delicious!!! Just spread with butter.......

They are light and fluffy inside and have a crisp and crumbly crust. They are very much like what Americans call biscuits, especially the ones from The Red Lobster Restaurants, in America.



Pre heat oven 180c, 360f, gas mark 5

Makes approx 16 scone

2 cups Self raising flour plus extra for dusting

3 tsp baking powder

Large pinch salt

½ tsp cayenne pepper

1½ cups of grated cheddar cheese

¼ cup of grated Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp vegetable oil
125ml full fat milk

1 egg beaten

75ml pesto homemade or shop bought, i used homemade, recipe follows.

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl.

In a second bowl mix all the wet ingredients together.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix till it all comes together, add more milk if too dry.

Dust board and pat dough down till about 1 inch thick, cut out scones, keep doing this with left over dough till you run out.

Place on a greased baking tray and bake in middle of the oven for 15 minutes.

Pesto Recipe

2 Cups of fresh basil leaves packed

⅓ Cup toasted almonds

½ Cup grated parmesan cheese

½ Cup olive oil 

3 Garlic cloves

Salt & pepper

Put all in a blender and pulse till blended, but not too smooth, season to taste.

Franks in Blankets

I had some pastry left over from making the Poor Man's Wellington and some frankfurters in the fridge so i thought id make some Franks in Blankets.

I first had these when we lived in America and loved them, there is something about a cheap frankfurter wrapped in pastry.

I like them dipped in Chilli Ketchup and American Mustard...yummy!!!!

It's tacky but tasty!!

They are so simple to make, i feel like a fraud posting the recipe.....

Pre heat oven 200c, 400c, Gas Mark 6

Prep time 10 minutes
Cooking time 12/15 minutes

300g Puff pastry
8 Frankfurters
1 Egg beaten
Flour for dusting

Roll out pastry to approx 20 x 16 inches.

Brush the pastry with the beaten egg, lay the frankfurters on the pastry two high and cut the pastry wide enough to roll around the frankfurters, then roll around the frankfurters and seal with egg.

Cut each roll into 8, brush with egg, and put on to a baking tray approximately 2cms apart.

Bake in the oven for 12/15 minutes, until golden brown.

Poor Mans Beef Wellington

I found this recipe in one of the food magazines i subscribe to, and thought it looked good, so decided to add it to my weekly menu.

Basically it is a meatloaf wrapped in pastry with a layer of mushrooms.
I served it with roasted potatoes, vegetables and a red wine and mushroom ju.

The meatloaf was moist and juicy and had a lot of flavour, the sage came through in the mushrooms and the pastry was lovely and crisp.

I would have put some chilli in the meatloaf, but i was serving it to my 2 year old son, so omitted it this time.

Pre heat oven 200c

Prep time 30 minutes
Cook time 1 hour

1 kg Minced beef
100g Tomato ketchup
3 Eggs
2 Onions finely chopped
1 Red chilli finely chopped - optional
Small handful of sage leaves
Small handful of parsley leaves
2 Garlic cloves finely chopped
25g Butter
1 Tablespoon olive oil
200g mushrooms finely chopped
300g Puff pastry

Mix the mince beef with the ketchup, 2 of the eggs, onions, half the garlic and half the herbs and the chilli if using, season, then form into a sausage shape and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

Let it cool, turning it over half way through cooling so the juices disperse through the loaf.

Melt the butter and olive oil in a pan and saute the mushrooms with the rest of the garlic and herbs for 5 minutes, drain off any excess liquid, let cool.

Roll out the pastry and brush the inside with beaten egg, spread the mushrooms over the pastry, then put the meatloaf on top.

Cut strips in the pastry and braid the pasty, brush with egg and bake for 30 minutes. Cover if it starts to brown too quickly.

Baked Rice Pudding

I baked this rice pudding yesterday for my in-laws. It went down really well, as did the spaghetti bolognese that i posted yesterday!!
By using golden caster sugar melted with the butter, it creates a delicate caramel flavour to the pudding.
The rice is fluffy and the sauce is rich and creamy.

As with all baked rice puddings you get a beautiful skin on the top.

A tip for you if you don't like the skin.
When the pudding is cooked take out the oven and cover for 10 minutes, the skin will go soft and creamy and it tastes like caramel..YUMMY!!!!

Pre heat oven 140c, 275f, or gas mark 1

Prep time 5 minutes
Cooking time 2 hours

Serves 6

4oz Butter
6oz Golden caster sugar
10oz Pudding rice
1500ml Full fat milk
2 tsp Vanilla extract
300ml Double cream
½ tsp Grated nutmeg
Pinch salt


Melt the butter and sugar in a oven and hob proof casserole dish, add the rice and cook till it puffs up, add the milk, vanilla extract, cream, nutmeg, and salt, bring to the boil, and stir well.
Transfer to the oven and cook uncovered for 2 hours.

Especially For Ashley Spaghetti Bolognese...

This Recipe is dedicated  to my good friend Ashley.

When i lived in America, and i offered to cook a meal, this was one of the meals she would always ask for.

So just for you my dear Ashley a delicious Spaghetti Bolognese!!

Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 2 ½ hours

Serves 6

1 tbsp Olive oil
1 kg Mince Beef
1 Large onion chopped
3 Large carrots diced
5 Portabello mushrooms sliced
2 Garlic gloves finely chopped
½ tsp Celery salt
1 tbsp Dried oregano
1 tsp Worcester sauce
1 tsp Balsamic vinegar
2 Tins plum tomatoes
1 tbsp Tomato puree
1 tsp Sugar
150ml Red wine
500ml Beef stock
Salt & pepper to season
10 Leaves of fresh basil sliced

1 packet of Spaghetti
Parmesan Cheese to garnish

In a large casserole dish/dutch oven heat the olive oil and brown the mince beef in batches, remove from dish.
Add the onions to the dish and saute till softened, then add the carrots and mushrooms, saute for 5 minutes.
Return the beef to the dish and stir in the celery salt, oregano, Worcester sauce, balsamic vinegar, tomatoes, tomato puree and sugar, cooking for a minute between each ingredient.

Bring to the boil and add the red wine, cook out for 2 minutes, then add the beef stock, turn down the heat to low, season to taste and simmer for 2½ hours.

Cook the spaghetti as per the packets instructions.

Garnish with Parmesan cheese and the sliced basil.

Somerset Chicken

This recipe has been stolen from The Hairy Bikers Food Tour of Britain, I've just tweaked it slightly for my families taste.

It's not a dish i will do often, not because it wasn't good, because it was really delicious, but because it's not good for the waste line and arteries.

The rich creamy sauce, the moist chicken and the tang of the mustard, goes really well with a baked spud, but you don't need to put any butter on the spud as the sauce soaks in to the fluffy potato.

I will admit i did forget to put the cheese on top and grill it till it was golden and bubbly, but to be honest it really didn't need it, it was deliciously rich and creamy enough without it!!

I roasted some vine ripened tomatoes to go with it, the sweet but acidic tang from the tomatoes cut through the rich creaminess!!!

Pre heat oven to 200c, 400f or gas mark 6

Serves 2

1 Baking potato per person.

Prick potato all over and put straight onto rack in the oven and bake for about an hour.

2 Chicken breasts
1 tbsp Olive oil
25g Butter
1 Onion sliced
2 tbsp Flour
2 tsp Whole grain mustard
1 Bramley apple cut into batons
8oz Chestnut mushrooms sliced
500ml Chicken stock
150ml Cider
6 leaves of sage finely chopped
100ml Double cream
100g Grated cheddar - optional - I refrained from the cheese.
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large saute pan melt the butter and olive oil, add the chicken to the pan and brown on all sides, remove from pan and put on a roasting tin and roast in the oven for 15 minutes.

Add the onions to the pan and soften but do not colour, then add the mushrooms and brown.

Stir in the mustard and flour and cook out for 2 minutes.

Add the stock and bring to the boil then add the cider and cook off the alcohol for 2 minutes, turn the heat down low and stir in the sage and cream.

Season to taste and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the chicken back to the pan.

If you are going to use the cheese, put the grill on full and sprinkle the cheese over the chicken and grill till the cheese is golden and bubbly.

Serve with the baked potato and some roasted tomatoes.