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.

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!!!

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.

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.

I Can't Eat it Fast Enough Moussaka!!

Today i made dinner for one of the biggest critic anyone can cook for, a two year old!!

My son is a good eater and eats most foods, I have always given him a wide variety of different foods, to get his taste buds use to lots of different flavours.

Tonight i made a Moussaka, its not that i haven't made one before, but i haven't given it to my son before.

What a reaction i got, he clapped his hands and done the Makaton sign for more, if i didn't feed it to him quick enough he was grabbing it off the plate. He ate a whole plate of it and then went on to help me eat mine.

So i think to say it was good would be an understatement!!

Preperation time 20 minutes

Cooking time 2 hours

Meat Sauce Ingredients

2 tbsp Olive oil

1 Onion roughly chopped
2 Garlic cloves finely chopped
1 kg Minced lamb

1 Tin of tomatoes

1 to 2 tbsp Ground cinnamon - I like to really taste the cinnamon so i use 2 tbsp.
2 tsp Ground cumin
2 tbsp Dried oregano
150ml Red wine
500ml Chicken stock

Firstly make the meat sauce.

Brown the mince in batches, don't over crowd the the pan or it will stew.
Remove from pan.
Add onions to the pan and saute for about 5 minutes till softened, add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes.
Add the lamb back to the pan, then stir in the cinnamon, cumin and oregano.
Stir in the tomatoes, turn up the heat and add the red wine and stock, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hr till the sauce is moist but not runny.

While the sauce simmers prepare the potatoes and aubergines.

3 tbsp olive oil

1 Large aubergines

4 Medium potatoes

Slice the potatoes and aubergines about 1/4 inch thick, brush with olive oil and griddle till partly cooked.

Now make the Bechemel Sauce.

50g Butter

50g Plain flour

1 pint Milk

150g Grated cheddar

1/2 tsp Grated nutmeg

2 Beaten eggs

Salt & pepper to season.

In a large saucepan make a roux with the butter, flour and milk, by melting the butter with the flour and cook out for 2 minutes, then gradually stir in the milk over a medium heat, till it thickens.

Take off the heat and stir in the cheese and nutmeg.

Quickly stir in the eggs a bit at a time, so they don't scramble. Stir until smooth.

In a large ceramic dish start to layer the potato, aubergine and meat sauce.

Start with a thin layer of meat sauce, then a layer of potato, then another layer of meat sauce, then a layer of aubergine, then more meat sauce, then a final layer of potato, finally pour over the Bechemel sauce.

Bake in the oven for 45 minutes, check after 30 minutes and if it starting to brown too much cover for the remaining time.