Cream of Vegetable Soup

 Tasted lovely at a Soupday

Packet of casserole vegetables (Carrot, Onion, Swede, Leek, potatoes)

1/2 Onion although there is red onion in the casserole bag

Garlic

1 stick celery chopped

Knorr vegetable stock

Salt and pepper

Fry onions, then celery

Add everything else and cook for 30 minutes

Allow to cool and blitz

Warm up and add some single cream

Banana Bread Pudding

 Great alternative to Mum's Bread pudding

10 slices bread (crusts and slightly stale are good)

2 eggs

3oz brown sugar

3 Tbsp melted butter

5oz Fruit (Sultanas, Currants, Raisins)

Chopped walnuts - as many as you like

3 Ripe bananas

2 tsp Cinnamon

½ tsp Nutmeg

2 tsp Vanilla

1 cup milk

Optional top with sliced banana and caramel sauce

 

1.    Heat Oven Gas mark 4 Fan 140

2.    Soak bread in milk & water for about 2 hours

3.    Squeeze water out of bread

4.    Mix all ingredients well together

5.    Place in a large baking dish

6.    Bake for 1 to 1 ½ hours until solid

7.    Sprinkle with sugar (if desired)

 8.   Cut into squares

Cinnamon Apple Loaf

 Made 1 loaf and also did 1/2 the amount for 6 muffins

• 1/2 cup butter softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups chopped apples peeled, about 2 medium apples
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

 

1.                 Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Spray a 9-inch round baking pan with non-stick spray or lightly grease with butter to prevent sticking.

2.                 In a large mixing bowl, beat together softened butter, granulated sugar, and dark brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter-sugar mixture, mixing on low speed until just combined. Gently fold in chopped apples and walnuts.

3.                 Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and spread evenly. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Blackberry and Apple Cake

 Had some creme fraiche to use up so modified the Banana Bread recipe. Going into the deep freeze for later

Ingredients:

1/2-1 c. sugar

1 c. crème fraiche

1/2 c. butter, softened

3 eggs

2 c. all purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

2 medium cooking apples

Blackberries 

Directions:

1.    Heat oven to Gas 5 Fan 160.  Grease and flour either a large loaf tin or a medium round. 

2.    In a large bowl, beat together sugar, cream, butter, and eggs until creamy.   Add flour, baking powder, and blend for 1 minute. 

3.    Spread ½ batter evenly into pan. 

4.    Top with chopped apples and blackberries

5.    Add remainder of batter

6.    Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

7.    Dust with icing sugar or Icing

Oven Baked Creamy Tomato Basil Chicken

 I used chicken fillets instead of breasts and they were really tender. I also used my frozen tomatoes.

– 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts  

– 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
– ½ teaspoon black pepper, divided
– 1 can (14.5 ounces) crushed tomatoes
– 1 cup heavy cream
– ½ cup finely grated Parmesan — a little more doesn’t hurt
– 2 teaspoons dried basil
– 3 cloves garlic, minced
– ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes — I usually add more at the table
– 2 tablespoons olive oil or melted butter
– 1 teaspoon sugar, optional but I usually add it
– Extra Parmesan and dried basil for the top, if you like

 

Start with your oven at 375°F. Get out the glass Casserole dish—9×13—and just leave it on the counter so it’s ready.

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. This is one of those steps I used to skip because honestly it seemed like busywork, but it does matter. A wet chicken breast in a wet sauce takes longer to cook and the surface texture stays strange. So. Pat it dry.

Season both sides with about half the salt and half the pepper, then lay the pieces in the dish with a little space between them. Don’t crowd them. The sauce needs room to get around them.

In a bowl—I use a medium one, whatever that means, the one that’s bigger than a cereal bowl but smaller than what I’d use for salad—combine the crushed tomatoes, heavy cream, Parmesan, dried basil, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, the oil or butter, the rest of your salt and pepper, and the sugar if you’re using it. Stir it until it looks like one cohesive thing. You’ll see the cream and tomato come together into that rose-pink color and it’ll smell good even before it hits the oven.

Pour it over the chicken Slowly, making sure every piece gets covered. Use a spoon to nudge sauce into the corners if it pools in the middle. You want the whole dish coated—this isn’t a recipe where the sauce stays on top. It bakes around and under everything.

Cover tightly with foil and bake 25 minutes.

After 25 minutes, take the foil off—carefully,and put the dish back in uncovered. Another 15 to 20 minutes. You’re looking for bubbling around the edges.

Let it rest in the dish for 5 to 10 minutes before you serve it. 

Serve with pasta, rice, mashed potatoes, or crusty bread

Rhubarb and strawberry coulis

 A nice dessert for a hot day

250g fresh rhubarb, sliced

250g fresh strawberries, hulled

2 tbsp water

100g Greek yogurt

200ml double cream or whipping cream (lightly whipped)

 

Cook fruit: Place rhubarb, strawberries and water in a small pan.

Simmer: Heat gently for 10 minutes until soft and tender.

Blend: Purée the fruit mixture until smooth, then let it cool.

Make cream base: Whip the cream softly and fold it into the Greek yogurt.

Assemble: Layer the creamy yogurt mix and fruit coulis in glasses

Chicken and sausagemeat pie

 Would use puff pastry next time as my pies looked a little flat

Bought Pastry

For the filling:

• 1-2 chicken breasts dependent on size
• 1 onion, chopped
• 400g pack skin free sausages (no point in using fancy ones, but reduced-fat are good for this)
• about 45g sage and onion stuffing mix
• optional cranberry sauce
• salt
• beaten egg for glazing

Put the chicken breasts and onion in a pan with water and a pinch of salt, and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer on a very low heat for about 20 mins. Take out the chicken and put it on a plate to cool. Drain the liquid into a measuring jug and reserve 100ml . Put the onion into a bowl to cool.

Bring the reserved liquid back up to the boil in the pan, then switch off the heat and add the stuffing mix. Let it stand for a minute, then add to the onion. Let it cool down for a bit while you slice the chicken breasts into pieces. Once the stuffing mix has cooled a bit, chop the sausages and mix them in thoroughly.

Preheat the oven to 200C, Gas Mark 6, and line an 8″ sandwich tin with foil or baking paper. (Or use a springform cake tin if you have one – it shouldn’t need lining or greasing.) Place a flat baking tray in the oven to pre-heat, big enough to take your sandwich tin.

Roll out a bit more than half of the pastry to a circle and use it to line the tin. Put half of the sausage mix in the bottom, then top with a layer of chicken strips, then the rest of the sausage mix. Top with cranberry if using.

Roll out the rest of the pastry and top the pie, sealing the edges with a little water. Trim, make a couple of holes to let out steam, and glaze with the beaten egg.

 Bake the pie for 20 mins, then reduce the heat to 180C, Gas Mark 4 for a further 30 mins. Cool in the tin on a cooling rack, then chill if you’re going to serve it cold.

Paradise Slice

Nice fruity cake I made for a Coffee & Cake afternoon. 

I did add a little milk as my mix was quite stiff.

Bought Shortcrust Pastry, enough to fill a swiss roll tin 9x13

• 100g raspberry jam (5 tbsp)

Top Layer

• 200g butter (1 cup)
• 200g caster sugar (1 cup)
• 100g ground almonds
• 100g plain flour
• 3 large eggs
• 120g currants (just under 1 cup) or sultanas
• 100g glace cherries (1/2 cup)
• Extra caster sugar for dusting the top after baking

Instructions

Pastry

1. Preheat the oven to 200C or 400F.
2. Grease tin with butter or line it with baking paper to make it easier to lift the slice out after baking.
3. Take the pastry from the fridge and roll it out on a floured surface until it fits your tin.
4. Prick the pastry with a fork, place baking paper over it and blind baking beans or uncooked rice if you don’t have any.
5. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes, until lightly golden brown.
6. Set aside and allow to cool. 

Top Layers

1. Meanwhile, cream the butter and sugar together. 
2. Add the eggs and mix in thoroughly.
3. Add the fruit and almond flour and mix in. 
4. Spread jam over the top of the pastry.
5. Spoon the top layer mixture over the jam and smooth down with a large spoon.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven and sprinkle over a few tablespoons of caster sugar.
8. Allow to cool, slice, and enjoy!

Rhubarb and Pear Loaf

 I didn't sprinkle with the almonds. Seems a very soft cake but it is going in deep freeze so will see how it is when it comes out.

• 80 g butter
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 2 eggs
• 2 pears mashed ripe
• 1 1/3 cup self-raising flour
• 1 tbs milk
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 4 stalks rhubarb chopped into pieces
• 1 tsp sugar

Step 1 Beat together butter, caster sugar and vanilla until fluffy.

Step 2 Add eggs one at a time, beating fully in between. 

Step 3 Add mashed pear, milk, flour cinnamon and mix until combined. 

Step 4 Line bottom of a high sided cake tin with GLAD Bake and then pour in the cake mixture. 

Step 5 Combine rhubarb with sugar in a GLAD bag, give it a shake, then press lightly into the top of the cake mix 

Step 6 Optional – Add flaked almonds. Bake 40 minutes at 180C (170C fan forced). Enjoy.

Salmon Patties

 Tasty with just vegetables

1 (14.75 oz) can salmon, drained and flaked
2 crusts as breadcrumbs
6 finely chopped spring onion
1 teaspoon parsley
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 stick celery finely chopped
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil, for frying

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flaked salmon, breadcrumbs, chopped onion, parsley, celery, mayonaise, egg, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Mix until well combined.
Shape the mixture into patties of your desired size and thickness; place in fridge for a couple of hours to harden.
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
Carefully place the salmon patties in the skillet and cook for 4–5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and heated through.
Remove the patties from the skillet and drain on paper towels to remove excess oil.
Serve the salmon patties hot with your favorite side dishes or on a bun as a sandwich.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cooking Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes
Kcal: 280 kcal

Broccoli and Stilton Soup

 This was quite tasty - even though I don't like Stilton - made 1/2 for 2 of us

• 800 g (1.7 lb) Broccoli , Fresh or frozen
• 1 potato
• 1 stick celery
• 1 Onion, Peeled and chopped
• 2 Garlic cloves, Peeled and crushed
• 750 ml (3.25 cups) Stock
• 160 g (6 oz) Stilton cheese, Grated or crumbled
• Optional Milk to make more creamy

1.                 Wash and chop the broccoli into large chunks. Chop potato and celery, finely slice your onion and crush the garlic. (If you’re using frozen, simply put everything in the pan.)

2.                 Put the broccoli, potato, onions, garlic, stock and plenty of salt and pepper into a large saucepan.

3.                 Bring to the boil with the lid on and simmer for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are just cooked through.

4.                 Remove from the heat. Add the milk and Stilton and blend until smooth.

5.                 Heat through again before serving

Baked Balsamic Chicken

 Makes the chicken very tasty. Marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

4 chicken breasts or chicken tenders

Sauce:

• 1/2 cup (65 ml) balsamic vinegar
• 5 tbsp / 50 ml soy sauce, all purpose or light (not dark soy sauce)
• 1/2 cup (85 g / 65 ml) honey
• 1/4 cup (45g) brown sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (or 1 1/2 tsp garlic paste from jar)

Instructions

1.                 Mix together Sauce in a bowl. Place chicken in baking dish making sure the pan is big enough so the chicken is not squished up next to each other and pour over sauce. Marinate overnight or at least 2 hours.

2.                 Preheat oven to 180C/350F Gas 5.

3.                 Pour off most of sauce into saucepan. Bake 20 minutes. Turn chicken over, spoon over sauce and cook for further 10-20 minutes depending on size of chicken.

4.                 Heat sauce in pan till it has thickened (add cornflour if required). Stand for 5 minutes, then spoon Sauce over chicken and serve.

Cheese & Bacon Turnovers

 These were a definite success

• Tomato paste
• All-purpose flour, for surface
• 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed according to package directions
• 12 rashers smoked bacon
• Grated cheddar
• 1 large egg

 

1. Step 1Preheat oven to 400° and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment.
2. Step 2On a lightly floured surface, working one at a time, roll out puff pastry to a 15" x 10" rectangle. Cut each into 6 squares for a total of 12.
3. Step 3Rotate square to a diamond shape and brush with tomato paste. Top with a slice of bacon and grated cheese.
4. Step 4Fold left side of pastry over filling and brush with egg wash. Fold right side of pastry over and brush top and sides with more egg wash; optional - sprinkle with poppy seeds or sesame seeds. Arrange on prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining puff pastry.
5. Step 5Bake bundles until golden about 15 minutes.

 

• Freezing Raw (Best Method): Assemble the turnovers, but skip the egg wash. Place them on a baking tray in the freezer for 3-4 hours until solid, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container.
• Freezing Baked: Allow the turnovers to cool completely, then place them in an airtight container or freezer bag. 

How to Cook/Reheat from Frozen:

• From Raw: Bake straight from frozen at 180°C–200°C (355°F–400°F) for 25-30 minutes. You can apply the egg wash just before baking.
• From Baked: Reheat in the oven at 180°C–200°C for 10-20 minutes, or until warmed through and crispy. 

 

Rhubarb and Custard Cake

 This was a very light and tasty sponge - I made in a loaf tin

8oz rhubarb cut into bite-sized pieces

4 oz self-raising flour

4 oz caster (superfine) sugar

4 oz butter or margarine

3 fl oz ready-made custard

2 eggs

½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla essence

Icing sugar to dust 

Instructions

Mix sugar and rhubarb and boil together for 5 minutes

Cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Put 3 tbsp of the custard into a small bowl and add the rest into the batter. Mix.

Add in the vanilla essence and sift in the baking powder and flour. Mix well.

Spoon one third of the batter into a greased 8″ (20 cm) cake tin and spread evenly.

Add about a third of the rhubarb, then one third more cake mix and spread it out as well as you can. Add another third of the rhubarb then spoon over the remaining cake mix. Scatter the rest of the rhubarb over the cake and dot the remaining custard over.

Bake at 170°C for 30 mins until risen and golden.

Cover with foil and bake for a further 5-10 mins. The cake is cooked by when a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cook for longer if necessary. Cool the cake in the tin, then dust with icing sugar.