April 29th, 2008

Retirement is keeping me on the busy side here. I thought when you retired you retired.... well it seems to be busier here than before I retired, but one thing is I am not feeling so tired. Well except for the late nights we have been staying up watching telly. I still get up fairly early but take the mornings in my stride so far. So yes, I am enjoying the retirement.



Since this is a food blog, I thought I would mention a situation we are having with the cats and their diets. We took Cheeky in for his yearly check up and the vet has suggested we put him on a diet. Seems he is a bit overweight...and she is concerned about diabetes and arthritis in his later years. So we are trying to get his weight down here. The problem is we have two cats. And the other one is probably underweight. Jingles has an eating problem and has to have food little and often, so when he eats, Cheeky thinks he has to too. I have been desperately trying to exercise Cheeky too. We do a sort of push up the stairs and then run down them, catch the mouse on the string and feathers on a fishing rod. The thing is, Cheeky is just plain lazy. He lays down to play, I have to tap his back legs to get him to go up the stairs with my fingers and careful he doesn't sit on them in the process. So this is proving to be a challenge and if anyone has any tips on cat dieting I would appreciate them.


Miss Mag's Tea Bread
When I first moved to the UK I wasn't allowed to work for about 6 months or so, but when I did finally get my first job here I met a lovely lady that I dubbed Miss Mags. She was really sweet to me and this is a recipe she shared with me and when I bake it I always think of her.

Take 1 cup of Tea and soak 1 cup of dried mixed fruit in it for about an hour or you can do over night, mixed with 1 cup of brown sugar.
Once the fruit has soaked, add in 1 egg, 2 cups self rising flour.
Bake at 170C for about 1 hour in a well greased and floured loaf tin.
That is it. Really quick and easy and tastes lovely.
Now you should know me by now, I can't leave well enough alone and this bread can change from time to time to something totally different with different additions.
Sometimes instead of the mixed dried fruit, I will use dried apricots, or a mix of my own dried fruits. Fig is lovely in it. Also I will sometimes add nuts. And sometimes a big heaping tablespoon of marmalade is lovely, the one with lots of rind in it. Also you can top it before baking with some cinnamon and sugar mixed for a lovely coating. It is great served with butter or with cream cheese and a nice cup of tea. Thanks Mags!!!

Spinach

My spinach is doing really well in the garden and coming up with recipes to use it has been fun and challenging, because Brian doesn't like cooked spinach. I on the other hand love it. So I have been sneaking it into lots of different dishes lately.
Risotto is excellent for adding all sorts of veggies to that folks don't like as sometimes they really can't taste it separately from all the other ingredients.
This one I made with mushroom, onion, Smoked sausage, butternut squash and the chopped spinach and chard. It really turned out nice.

I have also been disguising it stuffed in chicken breasts. Take some cream cheese and mix with some sauteed onion and garlic, a few chopped herbs, and some quick stir fried spinach that has been chopped. Add in some pine nuts for texture. Cut a slit into your chicken breast and stuff. Place into a baking dish with oil and sliced onions, top the chicken breasts with bread crumbs and a drizzle of oil and herbs. Bake for about 40 to 50 minutes at 180 to 190 C(Fan) until chicken is cooked.

I served on a bed of spinach and bean spaghetti.
For the spaghetti, I boiled a big pot of water and cooked the pasta as normal. For the sauce, take a large frying pan (I use my non stick wok) and saute some chopped onion and garlic, mushrooms and red pepper chopped. About 5 minutes, next add in a tin of Cannelini beans that have been drained and rinsed and a tin of chopped tomatoes. Add in seasonings and herbs to taste then toss in the spaghetti and right before serving toss in some spinach and cook just till wilted. Sprinkle over some fresh grated Parmesan and enjoy.

Now what to do with left over spaghetti. Usually I have it the next day for breakfast, but I accidentally cooked even more than I could eat for breakfast. So I had a look through my cooking magazines and found this recipe for using up the spaghetti. It is from an old copy of BBC Good Food Vegetarian, December 1999. Yes, I keep all my old cooking mags.

Courgette and Spaghetti Fritata

This is my version. Preheat your grill/broiler.
Saute in some olive oil a chopped onion, chopped clove of garlic and some chopped red bell pepper. Cook for about 3 to 5 minutes. Then add in 1 large courgette that has been cut into long thin strips. Some fresh oregano. Toss in your leftover spaghetti. Mix well. (Now make sure and use a non stick pan for this or you will have a mess on your hands.) Add in 3 well beaten eggs and some grated Parmesan. Cook over moderate heat till the base is set. Then place under the grill and cook until golden brown. Garnish with shavings or gratings of fresh Parmesan cheese and some warmed up tomato sauce.
Really quick and a super yummy way to use up the spaghetti. And I could have added in some more spinach!!! Maybe next time.

April 4th, 2008

Well since my last blog, there have been a few changes around here.... I am now retired!!! YEAH!
Brian has given me a super 50th birthday present in letting me retire early. We did all the sums and if we are good, we can afford it. That means cutting back slightly on the grocery bill and also cutting back on our eating out. By doing those two things and watching what we spend, that more than makes up for the amount I was earning on my part time job. I would much rather be at home working here and being with Brian and the cats than out working. We are going to see how it goes..... So far so good.... I have cut our grocery bill down by £20.00 each week so far and we have only noticed that there doesn't seem to be as much going in the bin. I am also going to be supplementing our groceries by growing some of my own veg and a few fruits too. I already have a bit of an herb garden here and grow as many of those that I can.

Great Big Vegetable Challenge Squash Up
Charlotte, Alex and Freddie over at The Great Big Vegetable Challenge are onto the letter S and are now doing recipes for Squash. This is a fruit or vegetable that I enjoy eating quite a bit. They are very good value for money and packed full of flavour and good things for your body. They can be fixed in so many different ways from sweets to savouries. I am learning to enjoy them as savouries, because my family used to use them in pies, cakes, muffins and cookie recipes. One of my favourite salads is pan fried butternut squash with a little balsamic vinegar served with some hunks of grilled goats cheese with salad leaves and red onion slices. I could eat this dish anytime of the year, but now with the weather warming up and sitting out on the patio just around the corner, I think I best be getting in some squash for such an occasion. Hopefully, I will be able to grow some in my garden this summer along with some acorn squash and courgettes. I did however, come up with a recipe that I think Charlotte and the kids might enjoy.....

Slow Cooked Spicy Squash Stew

First off I started by chopping up some braising steak and coating in seasoned flour and pan frying. Once browned I placed into a preheated slow cooker. Then pan fried some chopped onion and then put it into the slow cooker. I also peeled and chopped into good sized chunks one butternut squash this I pan fried too, but with hindsight just put this into the slow cooker. As the precooking made it a bit mushy. Next add in a tin of chopped tomatoes and a tin of chili red beans. Add some ground cumin and chili powder to taste. And about 1/2 a tube of tomato puree. Stir together and let cook on slow for about 5 to 6 hours.

It didn't come out too hot tasting which for me is just fine, but if you like more kick you could add more chili powder or even some chopped chilies to the recipe or a little cayenne. I served with some cooked rice and some freshly grated cheese. Really yummy especially on a busy day here.


Healthy Muffins

I have been wanting a bit of a snack that could also serve as lunch if I wasn't too hungry. So I opted to make some Carrot muffins which I have been enjoying with a lovely cup of tea. Brian has coffee instead. They are great for a quick bite when you are busy around the house doing things, like we have been lately.

Carrot Muffins
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used sunflower)
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
3 carrots grated
1 1/3 cups flour (this can be a mix of wholemeal and plain white)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg/or allspice
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 cup soaked raisins, seedless
First off the changes to this recipe that I made are as follows....For the raisins I took a cup of hot tea and soaked some currants and some chopped apricots for about 10 minutes. Drain the liquid off before adding to the mixture. Also I added about 1 cup chopped pecans just before filling the muffin cups. You could use Courgettes in place of the carrots with possibly adding just a tad more flour. Or you could add some grated butternut or acorn squash about 1 cup for the carrot and with those I might add some of the tea liquid to the mix. A great all round recipe to experiment with. I also added in about 1 tablespoon or so of porridge oats to the muffins for a little added nutrition.

Beat the oil, eggs and sugar until blended. Stir in finely grated carrots. In another bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Add the carrots and fruit to the egg mixture and then add in the sifted dry ingredients. Stir just till mixed add in the pecans and oats and stir till combined. Now spoon into paper lined muffin tins. Bake in a preheated 350 F oven for 15 to 20 minutes. I had to cook mine for up to another 10 minutes. I guess it depends on your oven and on how full you fill your tins. I ended up with 12 large muffins.


Lemon Chicken with Petitpois and Pancetta

These two dishes come from one of my old copies of Good Food and was published in October 2001. Like my cook books I treasure all my magazines that have recipes in them and when I have time to have a sit down I pull out one of my saved copies from the book shelf and have a browse. They give me inspiration to try new things.
The Lemon Chicken...(serves 2)
Take two skinless and boneless chicken breasts and pound flat. Dredge in some seasoned flour(salt and pepper). Pan fry in a bit of olive oil and butter until browned on both sides. Next take the juice of one lemon and the same amount of water and mix. When the chicken is cooked then add the juice to the frying pan and simmer gently until the sauce thickens. Sprinkle over some chopped parsley.
This was really quite quick and delicious. You could really taste the lemon. A definite encore type of dish!!!

Peas with Pancetta.
First chop an onion and pan fry with the pancetta in a bit of butter until the onion is translucent and the pancetta is brown but not crisp. Stir in some frozen peas and a touch of water. Add some sprigs of thyme. I used lemon thyme. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Season to taste with some fresh ground black pepper.

I served this meal with a baked potato with some butter and some chopped parsley. Must remember to start the potato earlier next time.

Spinach From My Garden

I wanted a dish to fix for supper that would be worthy of my Spinach that has been growing all winter. Brian isn't all that keen on cooked spinach so I needed a recipe that had other ingredients too so you didn't get slimy green in your mouth. This spinach wasn't at all slimy tasting.
The recipe comes from Prue Leiths Cookery Bible. It is for Veal Florentine, but I substituted chicken for the veal.
Take one onion and chop fine and fry in a little olive oil. And some chopped mushrooms and two chopped cloves of garlic. Next add some tinned chopped tomatoes and I used two fresh chopped tomatoes too. Place into a baking dish. Clean frying pan and with a little butter wilt down the spinach. The recipe calls for 450grams of spinach for two servings. I picked as much as I could and added a few chard leaves too to get about 400 grams. Wilt this down until most of the liquid is gone and then top the tomato mixture. I sprinkled on some fresh grated Parmesan and some pine nuts. Next take your chicken and pound and cut into strips. Pan fry in a little oil and butter till lightly browned and then place on top of the spinach. Next make a Mornay sauce and cover the chicken with this. Top with some grated cheese and bread crumbs. Bake for about 30 minutes in an 180 C oven and then brown under the grill. Be careful as the bread crumbs will catch rather quickly.

I served with some microwaved Cauliflower and Brocolli, and some spaghetti that had been tossed in some passata once it was cooked. I think this dish was definately worthy of my Spinach.

Mornay Sauce
20 g butter
20g plain flour
pinch of dry English Mustard
pinch of cayenne pepper
290 ml milk
55g grated cheese such as Cheddar, Gruyere or Red Leister
15g grated parmesan cheese
salt and fresh ground pepper
Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan and stir in the flour, mustard and cayenne pepper. Cook stirring for about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat. Pour in the milk and mix well with a whisk. Return to the heat and stir till boiling. Simmer stirring well for 2 minute. Add all the cheese and mix well. Don't reboil!!! Season to taste with salt and pepper.

February3rd, 2008

I am really sorry for not updating sooner. But I have been a bit busy and in a bit of a slump in cooking. I haven't really had alot of time to try out any new recipes, so I have been making some of my old standbys lately. While there is nothing wrong with old standbys, some of which are recipes you use over and over again because they are good and you have perfected it to just how you like them to taste.
Tuna Casserole is one of my fav standbys for when I am busy doing other things or when I don't feel much like cooking. It is a recipe that will change with my mood and the ingredients on hand.
The basics for this dish is Tuna. Every other ingredient may well change like I said according to my mood or what is on hand. Most often than not I use pasta for the casserole, but sometimes it may contain rice. Which ever you use it will need to be cooked first.
So start with the pasta or rice in a large bowl, followed by the drained tin of Tuna, (you could make it with Chicken if you like and sometimes I do, but then it becomes a Chicken casserole. I guess even the Tuna isn't the main ingredient!!! hmmmmmm)
Then in go the other ingredients.....
A tin of Cambells Cream of mushroom soup(could use Cream of chicken, celery, etc)
Rinse tin out with 1 tin of milk
Chopped Celery, and chopped onion and mushrooms (these can either be sauteed first or if you like a bit of bite then as they are)
The next is peas or sweet corn or a bit of both. Or you could even use some broccoli florets.
Cheese is next, and inside the mix I usually use cubes of cheese. In the US I enjoyed Colby cheese, but here in the UK I either use Cheddar or Red Leister. Lancashire might also be nice.
Give a good mix and season with herbs...... Again your choice. Usually mine will contain a mix of thyme, oregano, and garlic, salt just a pinch and some fresh ground black pepper.
Place into your baking dish and then top with some crushed up potatoe chips (crisps for the Brits) and some grated cheese. Into a 180 C oven for about 30 to 45 minutes. Then enjoy!!!!


I would be interested in finding out what you put in your Tuna/Chicken Casserole that makes it your special comfort dish.

Brussel Sprouts.... This has been the year of the sprout in our household. Usually I am lucky to get poor Brian to eat even one and this year he has had them every conceivable way I could think of to cook them. (I haven't done a dessert with them and don't think I will be going there either.) The latest recipe using the nutritious sprout was a soup. You start off sauteeing some chopped bacon until crisp and set this aside. In the drippings left from the bacon you then sautee some thinly sliced sprouts and onion just until transparent. (Don't let it go further and ignore all phone calls at this time as if you don't they turn bitter. Yes I have learnt my lesson!!!!)
Next goes in some chicken stock or you could use vegetable stock. And a chopped up potatoe to add body. Once the potatoe is cooked then blitz with a hand blender and add some double cream. Season to taste. Heat just through and serve with the bacon and possibly more cream.


Another of my stand bys lately is how I cook fresh fish. Since I am trying hard to help Brian and I to eat more fish, this recipe is always yummy and quick to do.

First skin and de bone the fish. Could be cod, plaice, Halibut or our latest find Haddock. Place some olive oil into your baking dish and then the fish.

Next sautee off some onions just till translucent in a bit of olive oil along with some chopped rosemary(I have two rather lovely bushes growing in the garden so always have plenty of fresh rosemary to use) and some chopped garlic. Add some Bread crumbs and sautee just a bit longer. You can add some lemon zest to this mix too or some oregano and some juice of the lemon.


Now spread the crumb mix over the fish and bake in the oven at about 180 for 20 or so minutes till the fish is how you like it cooked and the crumb is just browned.


Another fav is chunky oven Chips that Brian likes to have on occasions. Take some olive oil into a baking tin. Then add some chunky potatoe chips. I coat the potatoes in the oil. Bake for about 20 minutes then take out and turn the chips. Add some rosemary and some garlic cloves. These can either be whole or sliced depending on how strong you want your garlic. Then back in the oven for another 20 minutes. This is when I put the fish in. And there you have A little healthier version of Fish and Chips.



And you can't have Fish and Chips without Tartare sauce!!! Well I ran out of my fav storebought stuff the last meal we had with fish and chips so I thought why not try to make some. I had all the ingredients for a change. Capers, Gherkins etc.......

So.......

I took 1/2 cup mayonaise and added about 4 teaspoons of chopped rinsed capers, and about the same amount of chopped gherkin. Then added in some dried dill weed and chopped parsely. And a splash of my homemade tarragon vinegar (this is dead easy to make yourself and oooooooo so yummy) and a pinch of sugar. That is it. And Brian gave me the thumbs up and said it was much better than the stuff we buy in the jar. So guess I will be making my own Tartare sauce from now on.

Tarragon vinegar.

Take a clean bottle and fill with white distilled vinegar. (you can add a splash of white wine if you like for added flavour)

And then add some clean fresh tarragon leaves. Let sit for at least a month. Strain off and replace the vinegar to the bottle and add some more fresh tarragon leaves.

This vinegar is really lovely in vinegrettes and just sprinkled on salads and such. I even add it to potato salad.

You should try your hand at making flavoured vinegars as they are easy and add so much more depth to your recipes.

January 11th, 2007

Winter seems to be well and truely here as I am suffering from the winter blues at the moment. Hate getting those. Must make sure to get one of those special daylight bulbs for the computer or the craft room to help combat that blue mood.
The holidays were a bit rushed so I didn't get the chance to take alot of photos while I was cooking. I did however manage this one of my Poached pears using David Hall's recipe from Book The Cook. They came out really lovely and spicy and not too heavy for a refreshing dessert that Brian and I had the next day. We were just too stuffed to eat another bite on Boxing day.

I do wish to apologise as I have no idea whose blog I got this recipe from. I forgot to put the url down with the recipe. It is for Prawn Cigars with a Honey Mustard Apricot dipping sauce.
I did alter the recipe the second time I made these over the holidays. Just slightly and think I may have to do a little more, but they were really yummy!!!

First start out by toasting a 1/4 cup sesame seeds in a frying pan. Be careful and don't let them burn. Take some cleaned peeled cooked prawns and place in a food processor. I used a bag of frozen prawns. Add the sesame seeds, and here is where I made some changes as I like things with a bit more umph and flavour. Add 1 tablespoon of chopped ginger, 2 cloves garlic, zest and juice of 1 lime, 3 chopped green(spring) onions, 1 tablespoon each Sesame oil, and soy sauce and a tablespoon of cornstarch. I added some finely chopped red chilli too. Blitz all together in the processor till it makes a nice paste like mixture. It may well be similar to how you make prawn toasts. I will add a whole chilli chopped next time and maybe even more ginger.
Then with your phyllo dough under a damp cloth work with three sheets at a time. Brush each with either melted butter or olive oil. I brushed the top sheet then flipped and brushed the next sheet and finally the bottom sheet. Cut these in half lengthwise. So you have two rather long sheets... Now place the prawn mixture down the side of the sheets in a long narrow strip. Brush the pastry with a beaten egg wash and roll up to form cigar shapes. Cut each into half and then half again. Brush with egg wash and dip in sesame seeds. Place on a baking tray.

Bake these at 200 C for about 15 minutes. It makes alot!!! These can be made a day ahead and kept covered before baking.
The dipping sauce I changed slightly too as by the second time I made them I had ran out of Apricot preserves and just used a tin of drained apricots.
Put either 1/2 cup apricot preserves or drained tin of apricots into a blender (here again I think you might also add a few chopped dried apricots if you have them about)
1 tablespoon water, if using the tinned ones, omit this
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon minced fresh peeled ginger
Again you can add some chilli's chopped fine to the sauce.
Blend until smooth.
These were so easy to make and made a great starter on both occasions that I made them. I will be playing around with the phyllo pastry more making canapes. Maybe mini spring rolls or how about pizza rolls.... Hmmmm definately like this recipe. Again I want to apologize to the person whose site I got it from I did desperately try to search for it again to give you credit. So if anyone runs across it please let me know so I can edit this post. Thanks!!!

Well the holidays are all about feasting and friends. My family and friends know I am a bit of a foodie and usually I end up with foodie type presents. My dear friend Marc, sent us a fab Christmas present of Stilton and port. I have never had a piece of stilton that large before in my life!!!! It was and is (yes we are still eating it) lovely!!!! Boxing day we had Ham, and it was a gorgeous ham!!! One that I won't forget the flavour of for some time. (I still have the bone out in the freezer waiting for a nice pot of soup.) So I decided to create a lovely dish using both gorgeous ingredients together and one that my husband would love for me to forget to use. But this has been the year of the Sprout in our household. I am determined to like them since they are supposed to be very very good for you. So here is my dish....


First take and put on a pan of boiling salt water and cook some pasta. I am also one of those that puts a bit of oil in the water. Not necessarily to stop the pasta from sticking, but to keep the pan from boiling over. The oil seems to keep the starch bubbles from forming. (Test it!!) You will still need to turn it down once it starts boiling. But you don't get the white foaming that sometimes occurs with pasta.
Okay back to the recipe.
Clean a couple of handfulls of sprouts and cut into thin slices. Chop one onion and if you have some mushrooms slice those too. Now stir fry for a few minutes in a large wok or frying pan. Toss in some chopped ham and the cooked pasta. Now add a couple tablespoons of either double cream or cream fraiche and some crumbled stilton. Once heated through serve up with some tomato wedges and more stilton crumbled over the top. YUM!!!!

I think I need to start working on my presentation skills.

So if anyone has any tips or hints I could sure use them. This dish may look a bit sloppy, but the flavours were out of this world!!!
First I started off braising some red cabbage with a chopped apple and some chopped onion. Bit of red wine, cider vinegar, brown sugar and some left over cranberries. Simmered for about 1 hour.
While that cooked I then cut in half and cleaned a butter nut squash. Using the bowl and about an inch of the squash neck (the rest of the squash I will use in another recipe). Clean out seeds and prick the skin all over with a knife. Now place in a baking tin cut side down with about 1/2 inch of water in the tin and bake for about 1/2 hour at 190C. Once baked take out of the oven and turn over. So the cavatiy is upwards. Now in this you put 1/2 chopped apple per half, some chopped pecans, some sultanas, sprinkle over some cinnamon and brown sugar. Dot with butter and pop back into the oven for another 1/2 hour. Making sure there is water in the tin. The last 10 minutes take out and top with some mature cheddar, red leichester or as I used some goats cheese. (this was a mild firm goats cheese not the soft one with the rind). It is finished when the squash is tender and the cheese has melted. I will use the goats cheese more often as this complimented the flavour of the other ingredients.
And to finish off the meal I pan fried two pork chops with some onions and mushrooms. Once cooked I added a bit of cider to reduce down to make a quick sauce. All of these went well together and complimented each other....Now if I could just make it look a bit better...

Also this month I fixed a Beef and Beer stew. I was wanting the rest of the beer to make some sourdough beer rolls with. So here is the stew....Which was quite yummy!!!!


Heat a large dutch oven with a bit of oil and fry off some braising steak that is cut into cubes. Fry about 5 minutes and then add a chopped onion and some chopped red pepper, sliced carrots, sliced mushrooms and sliced celery and fry for another 5 minutes. Just till softened. Sprinkle on some flour about 1 tablespoon, salt and pepper to taste. Chopped herbs of choice I used thyme and herbs de Provence add 1 cup beef broth and 1 cup Newcastle Brown ale. ( I think any ale or beer would work). Heat to boiling. Now I added about 4 to 5 rather thickly sliced potatoes to the top and then popped the lid on and into the oven for about 1 hour at 180C. Take lid off and let potatoes brown for about 20 minutes at 200C.

I served with a side salad of round lettuce leaves, chopped apples, pecans and crumbled stilton with a ceasar dressing.

We have been trying hard to have more fish in our diet here. And on the way home on Wednesday I stopped by the farm shop. The Fish monger is there on Wednesday's and Thursdays. So I checked to see what he had on offer. And bought some Haddock and some Cod.
The Haddock was about 1/2 the price of the cod and after the recipe I made we will definately be eatting more Haddock in our diets.

It is a recipe from a very old cook book I have by Robert Carrier
Take and skin and debone the fish. If you like the skin, then leave it on. We don't.
Butter a casserole dish.
Take and chop some onion and mushrooms finely and some chopped parsley about 2 tablespoons. Quickly sautee the onion and mushroom in a bit of butter or olive oil.
Spoon 1/2 of this mixture into the casserole dish and top with the fish. Sprinkle over the parsley salt and pepper. Then the other 1/2 of onion mixture. Top this with some white wine or double cream (I used wine) and pop into the oven till the fish is cooked. 180C for about 20 to 30 minutes. I served this along with some baked potatoes topped with mild goats cheese and a side salad and some microwaved cabbage. Very nice!!!
Another Christmas present this year was a cook book from my step son and partner called Fish by Hugh Fernley Whittingstall. I think this is to help us with our attempt to eat more fish. They also gave me the Auto Biography "RAW" by Anthony Worrall Thompson. And they found me a package of Orzo in a Greek shop in London!!!!!! And my friend Linda gave me another foodie gift...... one of my favs...... Hershey bars!!!!!


Jingles is desperatley trying to see what it is I am cooking now!!! I know he wants to become a chef!!

My dear friend Fiona at Cottage Smallholder has tagged me again with a meme...
8 Random Facts about myself.....
The rules: Link to the person who tagged you and post the rules on your blog. Share 8 random or weird things about yourself. Tag 8 people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs. Oh this is gonna be tough.....

1. I am an American living in Britain. I was born in Indiana and lived there most of my life with a few months here or there in Texas and Oklahoma. But technically I am a Hoosier.
2. I am a grandmother!!! My first granddaughter was born last May 8th. And yes I am very very proud of her as I am of both my Twin sons and daughter in-law and my Stepson and his partner too.
3. I have alot of intrests...... Mainly cooking, collecting recipes and cook books (well over 400)and desperately trying to be a foodie, but I also love my crafting as much as my cooking. So much so, that I have commandered the spare bedroom for a craft room and filled it to the ceiling with rubber stamps yarn and paper and even a spinning wheel.
4. I love animals almost more than people sometimes. I have always had an animal in my life and I would feel totally lost without them. Since moving here to Britain I haven't had a dog in my life and I do find that hard, so really enjoy visiting my friends dog Ben. And yes I spoil him rotten just like I spoil my cats. I believe animals have feelings and an intelligence about them like we have.
5. My husband and I are bird watchers. We aren't in the category of twitchers. We don't go rushing off to see a rare bird. If it should happen to be in one of the places we visit all the better, but we don't go to the other end of the country to see it. We enjoy nature and all the things in it.
6. I also enjoy physics. I like reading and studying Einstein and Stephen Hawking who amazes me. And I enjoy having coversations with Brian about things like Schrodinger's cat and what if, all sorts of things like that. Keeps me thinking.
7. And to go along with 6. I am a sci fi nut. I like Star Trek, Star wars, and all those types of movies. And reading Asimov and others too. But I tend to scare myself sometimes thinking about other life on other planets. So try not to watch movies that have alien Abductions in them.
8. I guess I am a hoarder.... Like I said earlier, I collect recipes and cookbooks. I collect craft supplies, clothes, plants, food, animals(when Brian lets me). This may come from when I was a kid. I am not sure. But it is one tough habit to break.

Okay shhhhheesh that was hard. :)
Now I am supposed to tag 8 more people so what I will do instead is the first 8 to visit are tagged. So please leave a comment and let us all know 8 random facts about you on your blog.

September 23rd, 2007

Sourdough Cinnamon rolls!!
Okay if you are on a diet of any sort please look away now!!!!! Because I am about to give you the recipe for my gorgeous sourdough cinnamon rolls...
First you must make your dough and I did this in the bread maker on the dough setting and let it go through the paces for dough.....

Take 1 cup of your starter and place in the bread maker pan.
Add 1/2 cup of milk and 3 tablespoons butter and place on a low heat in a small saucepan until it is just warmed and the butter starts to melt. Don't get it too hot or you will kill your yeast. Just warm to the touch.
Add this to the pan along with one egg.
Add 1/4 cup sugar and a 1/2 tsp salt
Add 2 1/2 to 3 cups of strong white bread flour.
And one packet of yeast..... Let your bread maker do it's thing, checking at the start that it isn't too moist or too dry. Add some water if too dry and add some flour if too wet.
Now for the really really bad part........
Cut the dough in half and working with one half at a time roll out I didn't measure the thickness, but sort of like a thick pizza dough. (I only made half and the other half I just made into plain rolls, I was trying to watch the diet a little.)

Take and melt some butter, roughly about 3 tablespoons or so... I used the microwave for this job.


Now brush the melted butter, you can spread on softened butter if you like, but I was again trying to watch the calories just a little.


Now I know some of you out there have little helpers in the kitchen. But I bet I have the first cat that is interested in cooking!!! He loves to watch me cook. And is soooooo funny as he seems genuinely interested in what I am doing!!! Brian had to pick him up for him to have a look at what I was making.

Now sprinkle or spoon on some dark brown sugar. Muscovado would be even better. Sorry I didn't measure, but you want a good coating.

Next sprinkle over some cinnamon. The best cinnamon you can find. Use as much or as little as your tastebuds dictate to you. A really good dusting!!!

Next a sprinkling of pecans. As if there weren't enough calories already!!! And drizzle on more butter.. Not alot, but just a little.

Now along the wide edge start rolling up. I streched it a bit while rolling too. Pinch the edges shut.

Now slice into rounds.... about 1 to 1/2 inches.

Place into a really well buttered non stick baking tray.

Sprinkle on more brown sugar and cinnamon and put a pecan half on top. Drizzle more melted butter over the tops too.

Cover and let rise till double in size.......

Meanwhile here is our good ole friend Herman being fed!!!


Now bake in a preheated 190C fan oven for about 20 to 25 minutes till nicely golden brown. I would put a pan or foil under this pan to catch the dripping sugar that comes off them. You don't want a mess in your oven.

Next take and make the icing. I took about a tablespoon of butter and melted again in the microwave.... Stir in some icing(powdered/confectioners) sugar and a few drops of vanilla extract. Add icing sugar and stir till you can't anymore and then start adding a bit of milk or cream to get to this consistency.

Turn your rolls out, and I turned my upside down so the gooey bit was on the top. Now drizzle with your icing......

Get a nice glass of milk or cup of coffee and invite some friends over to help you enjoy. Less calories that way!!!


Gadgets

This is another of my kitchen gadgets that I have great fun using.... It does some really great carrot shreds for salads..... It is a mouliex I think that is how it is spelled. Any way you insert the cutting blade disk and then the handle locks that into place. You open it up and put your carrot or whatever in the little hopper part and clamp down on the long white handle and turn the other handle....

And this is what you get..... Just right for a salad and quick!!!


Quick supper dish!

Put on a pan of water to boil and cook some pasta I used fussilli.
Take some chicken breasts and chop into chunks..... Coat in a mixture of ground cumin, chilli powder(I used mild), and smoked paprika. Add some oregano and some chopped garlic. Stir fry in a wok.

Next add in 1 sliced onion, 1 red and 1 green pepper sliced and stir fry.

Add the drained pasta saving some of the liquid if you want more sauce or if your pasta gets too dry, add in some chopped tomatoes and a tin of chili beans. Heat through and serve topped with some shredded cheddar or red leister cheese.

Enjoy!!

Kitchen disasters.
Okay This was my failure for the past week..... I made another dish that I thought was a failure so didn't photograph it because it looked really bad, but it tasted really really nice.... The nice dish recipe was....
Take a swordfish steak and spread on some pesto. Pan fry with some sliced onions until done on both sides. Add some black and green olives and serve on some cooked spaghetti... Top with pine nuts and freshly grated parmesan. It really did look horrible, but the flavour was out of this world. We will be having that again even with it's bad looks!!

But not this dish.....Well not the same way I cooked it here.... First you make pancakes using flour and oats and yeast. It is a german recipe. These were really nice. Then take some vegetables and cook adding a teaspoon of curry powder(mistake one) And then my second mistake I added quark to the hot vegetables. It separates and looks rather disgusting!!!!!! So don't cook Quark!!!!! I should have just spread it onto the pancakes. Would have been much nicer. Then top with slices of tomato and then the veg. I will be doing this a whole different way next time. So I have learnt from my mistake.

But it looked okay.... Much nicer than the swordfish dish!!! Oh well just goes to prove you can't always tell until you taste it!

There is an UPDATE to the Garden blog the garden in a box has been installed!!!