Lemon and Parmesan Crusted Salmon

Served with small potatoes and peas

2 Salmon Fillets
Fresh white breadcrumbs from 2 slices bread
1/4 cup grated parmesan
2 tbsp sliced green onions OR 1 tbsp dried chives
1 zest of a lemon
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp dried thyme
Vegetable Oil

Heat oven to 160 Fan / Gas 5. Spray shallow baking pan with cooking spray
Pat salmon dry with paper towel and place salmon, skin side down, in pan
Sprinkle with salt and pepper
Mix bread crumbs, cheese, onions, lemon zest & juice and thyme in small bowl
Stir in oil to mix. Press bread crumb mixture evenly on salmon
Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes or until salmon flakes easily with fork. Serve immediately

Recipe adapted from Betty Crocker website

Sweet and Sour Pork Loins

This amount of sauce is supposed to be for 6 but I do it for 3 of us as I like a lot with rice.

3 pork loin chops
3 Oranges juiced
3 tbsp clear honey
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp wine vinegar
1 tbsp minced onion - I use chopped spring onions
1 tsp garlic granules
1/4 tsp black pepper
Cornflour or granules to thicken sauce

1. Mix all ingredients for sauce and marinade pork for at least 2 hours
2. Turn and baste pork
3. Bake covered in oven Gas 5 Fan 160 for 1 hour
4. Thicken sauce 15 minutes before serving
5. Decorate with orange slices

Mimosa Eggy Prawns

You are supposed to cook extra eggs and use the cooked yolks crumbled as decoration (mimosa) but I use chopped cucumber

for 4 people
3 hard boiled eggs quartered
Good helping of prawns
6 tbsp Mayonnaise
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 1/2 tbsp Worcester Sauce
1 tsp lemon juice

Mix all ingredients for sauce
Arrange quartered eggs on plate with prawns
Top with sauce
Scatter chopped cucumber on top

Baked BBQ Pork Loins

Had with jacket potato and corn on the cob very tasty

1 tbsp Soy Sauce
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tbsp Worcester Sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
3 medium thick pork loin or chops

Preheat oven to Gas 5 Fan 160

In a small bowl, thoroughly blend soy sauce, vegetable oil, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar, and ketchup.

Place pork in a medium baking dish and spread with half the sauce.

Bake pork chops for 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Turn over and spread with remaining sauce. Continue baking for 20-25 minutes or until cooked. 

Adjust cooking times if you have thicker chops or pork loins.

Recipe originally inspired by AllRecipes

Banana Cookies

I did put them too close together on the baking sheet so they all merged. I ended up having to cut out 12 large cookie sizes from my big blobby mess :) They were a little doughy so I would probably not do again.

1/2 cup sugar
3oz butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup banana; mashed well
1 Egg beaten
1¼ cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1) In small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon.
2) Cream sugar, butter, and vanilla until light and fluffy.
3) Add egg and beat well. Stir in banana.
4) Slowly mix dry ingredients into wet. Chill 30 minutes in refrigerator.
5) Preheat oven to 400 F.
6) Drop teaspoon sized balls of dough two inches apart on greased cookie sheets. Sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture; if desired.
7) Bake 8-10 minutes or until browned. Cool 2 minutes, then transfer to racks.
8) Decorate with icing if desired.

Chocolate Mud Cake

This recipe makes a cake for 14-16 so I did cheat and use a bought cake mix instead and just made up half the icing and ganache as my cake should do 8.

·         250g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing

·         200g dark chocolate

·         1 tbsp espresso powder

·         100ml whole milk

·         250g self-raising flour

·         40g cocoa powder

·         250g caster sugar

·         4 large free-range eggs, lightly beaten

·         1 tsp vanilla extract

·         150ml soured cream

For the fudge icing

·         4oz milk chocolate

·         1/2 cup butter

·        4 cups icing sugar

·        1/2 cup double cream

·         2 tsp vanilla essence

For the ganache

·         2oz dark chocolate

·         2-3 tbsp double cream

01. Preheat the oven to 160°C/fan140°C/gas 3. Grease and line a deep, 23cm round loose-bottomed cake tin, then set aside. Melt the chocolate, butter, espresso powder and milk in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water until smooth. Remove from the heat and set aside.

02. Sift the flour and cocoa powder into a bowl, then add the caster sugar. Fold into the chocolate mixture along with the eggs, vanilla extract and soured cream.

03. Pour into the prepared cake tin and bake in the oven for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes. The cake is ready when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out with some moist crumbs sticking to it but not any raw cake batter. Set aside to cool completely in the tin then cut into two.

04. To make the fudge icing, melt the chocolate and butter together, stirring occasionally, in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water or microwave. Set aside to cool at room temperature for 15 minutes. Mix icing sugar with cream and vanilla then beat in the chocolate. Spread evenly all over the middle and top.

05. To make the ganache, melt the ingredients together, stirring occasionally, in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water or a microwave. Make sure it is runny and swirl across the cake. Top with chocolate curls.

Pork and Potato Casserole

I adjusted this and did for 2 of us but used 2/3 of the milk & soup mix. I found the mushroom a bit strong and would do it again with maybe cream of celery.

Oil or 1Cal spray
4 Pork Loins
1 small onion chopped
4 medium potatoes
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 can milk (fill tin from soup)
grated cheese to cover

Heat oven to Gas 5 Fan 160
Season pork loins with salt & pepper and fry till nice and brown on both sides (8-10 minutes)
Thinly slice potatoes and boil for 10 minutes
Remove pork from pan and add chopped onion, cook till lightly brown
Place pork loins in casserole with onion on top
Cover with drained potatoes
Mix soup and milk and pour over casserole dish till potatoes almost covered
Top with grated cheese and bake for 30-35 minutes till well done