Chicken in Cider Sauce

 This also works well with pork loins

• 4 Chicken Breasts halved
  
  
  
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 2 Garlic cloves, chopped
• 4 Smoked Bacon Rashers, chopped
• 330ml Cider
• White Sauce Granules to thicken
• 200ml Double Cream
• 1 Eating apple sliced
• Cheddar Cheese, grated
• Chives to garnish

 

1.   Fry the chicken pieces in a little oil until brown. Spoon onto a plate then fry the onion and garlic until soft.

2.  Add the bacon and fry for a few more minutes then pour in the cider and cream. Stir through the sauce granules to thicken slightly and pour into a casserole dish.

3.  Add the sliced apple with the chicken pieces and top with the cheddar and chives.

4.  Cook in the oven Gas 5 / Fan 160 for 30 minutes.

Rhubarb and Custard Eton Mess

 This was a definite hit.

·         400g rhubarb, cut into 3cm pieces

·         3 tbsp caster sugar

·         300ml double cream

·         2 tbsp icing sugar

·         1 tsp vanilla extract

·         6 ready-made meringues, crushed

·         300g ready-made vanilla custard

Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Put the rhubarb in a large baking dish, scatter over the sugar and cover with foil. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until just tender. OR use a saucepan till tender.

 

Whip the cream with the icing sugar and vanilla extract.

 

Layer up the cream, rhubarb, meringue pieces and custard in four glasses (adding any syrup from the rhubarb dish).

Berry and Custard Pudding

Tasty and quick dessert. Lovely with fresh cream.

Frozen Mixed Berries

Frozen Apple Slices

2 pots Ambrosia Custard

2 Aunty's Golden Syrup Steamed Puds

Put a generous amount of the frozen fruit in a saucepan and cook for 5-10 minutes until defrosted

Butter a pudding dish

Slice the puddings into 5 slices and place in bottom of dish

Spread fruit over puddings

Pour Custard over fruit

Sprinkle 1 tbsp demerara sugar on top (optional)

Bake Gas 5/ Fan 160 for 30-35 minutes

Pan Haggerty

 I used some left over ham from a ham hock joint and a leek instead of the onion

1 Tbsp Vegetable oil

250g/9oz streaky bacon

4 potatoes, thinly sliced into rounds

1 Onion, thinly sliced

4 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

500ml/17½fl oz chicken stock

150g/5oz cheddar, grated

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1.    Heat the vegetable oil and fry the bacon for 3–4 minutes, or until golden-brown and slightly crisp. Remove from the pan and set aside to drain on kitchen paper.

2.    Cook the carrots and onion in the stock until tender. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. I did in a slow cooker for 7 hours.

3.    Boil the sliced potatoes for 15 minutes till tender.

4.    Place vegetables, stock and bacon in a casserole dish. If stock is too runny add some gravy granules to thicken.

5.    Layer sliced potatoes over the top and cover with grated cheese.

6.    Cook in oven Gas 5 / Fan 160 for 30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and golden-brown.

Lemon Drizzle Cake

 A recipe by Mary Berry (Serves 8)

Ingredients

• 100g caster sugar
• 175g self-raising flour
• 175g softened butter
• 3 eggs
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1 level tsp baking powder

For The Lemon Drizzle Topping:

• 100g granulated sugar
• Juice of 1 lemon

 

1·         Preheat the oven to 180ºC, gas 4. Beat together the eggs, flour, caster sugar, butter, baking powder and lemon zest until smooth in a large mixing bowl and turn into the prepared tin.

2·         Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 40 mins, or until golden brown, shrinking away from the sides of the tin and springy to the touch.

3·         While the cake is still warm, make the lemon drizzle topping. Mix together the sugar and lemon juice, and pour over the warm cake. Leave to cool a little and loosen the sides of the cake, then lift the cake out of the tin. Slice to serve.

Butternut Squash Soup

Makes 4 portions, tasty but quite runny. You can thicken by adding cauliflower or Xantham Gum

500g Frozen Butternut Squash

3 pints water

1/2 Onion

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

1 1/2 tsp Curry Powder

1/2 Cup Coconut Milk

2 Tbsp Cream

1) Fry onion in a little oil till translucent, add garlic and curry

2) Add water, S&P, coconut milk and squash

3) Cook till squash soft

4)  Add cream and allow to cool

5) Liquidise

Calories 133 / Net Carbs 6

Poor Mans Stew

 Very tasty - I fried everything and then put in a slow cooker for 6 hours. I added 2 sticks of celery and omitted the corn and mushrooms.

200g ground beef, browned and drained
1 potato, diced
2 carrots, sliced
1/2 onion, diced

1 Corn Cob shredded or Sliced Mushrooms  (Optional)

Handful of Peas
1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 pint Stock (Beef Oxo)
salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp. dried oregano

Instructions:

Add the cooked ground beef, potatoes, carrots, onions, peas, corn and  garlic to a slow cooker.

In a small bowl whisk together the tomato paste, stock, salt, pepper and oregano. Pour this mixture over everything in the slow cooker. Stir.

Cover and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours, without opening the lid during the cooking time.