cooking bonanza

Jacob and I spent the day cooking up chutneys and chilli jelly.

Tomorrow is a little bit of last minute shopping and Friday is baking biscuits and mint creams to add to the food parcels.

christmas chutney

Well here it is, and it's quite lovely. I'm not sure whether to keep it in my own cupboards!

Blackberries from the allotment, straight from the freezer

All the ingredients except the blackberries go into a pan for a good old simmer

After a 30 minute simmer it was in with the blackberries for the most amazing red colour.

15 more minutes on a simmer and it was done.

How easy was that!

I LOVE FOOD

christmas chutney today, chilli jam tomorrow

I'm listening to Doris Day singing Christmas carols and making some Apple, Blackberry and Cinnamon chutney. I really hope it comes out OK as it's going into 'Christmas Food Hampers' for the family.

Just about to add it to the jars so shall let you know how it goes.

Cooking bonanza

Had a period of cooking over Halloween and Bonfire night. Am desperately trying now to exercise to feel like I can justifiably make some more for Christmas!

Chocolate Mousse, Marshmallow and Chocolate Brownies (WOW) and Toffee Apple Muffins

Will be making the Chocolate Brownies to go into my food parcels for Christmas presents along with some homemade Jam, Choc Chip Biscuits and Mint Creams - well it's Christmas that means Family and Food, my 2 most favourite things.

Chocoloate Mousse - a Nigel Slater recipe

Ingredients
250g fine dark chocolate
40g butter
2-3 tbsp espresso coffee (optional)
4 medium eggs

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl of a simmering pan of water and leave it to melt. DO NOT STIR !!

When melted add the 40g butter and the coffee if you are using it. When this is melted remove the pan from the heat.
Seperate 4 eggs and stir in each yolk carefully to the melted chocolate
Beat the whites until fluffy and thick then fold gently into the chocolate

Refrigerate for 3-4 hours

In one batch I made I added small pieces of caramel made from melting brown caster suger in a pan and pouring out over a piece of baking paper when melted. This was left to harden and then broken into tiny pieces and added to the mousse - Yum, nice crackle in the mousse.

Unfortunately, I didn't take a photo after they came out of the fridge but they looked lovley and tasted very good indeed. A rich, dark and crunchy mousse that I will be making again.




Marshmallow and chocolate brownies


240g butter
150g chocolate (dark or milk or a bit of both)
60g cocoa
150g plain flour
500g caster sugar
5 eggs, beaten
150g marshmallows chopped into little pieces

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees centigrade/375F/gas 5
Line a 30cm square tin with baking paper
Melt the butter and chocolate together in a heatproof pan over simmering water

In a bowl mix the cocoa, flour and the sugar. Take the chocolate off the heat and add the mixed ingredients to the chocolate
Add the beaten eggs and the chopped marshmallows

Add the mixture to the lined tin and bake in the oven until the top is hard but the inside still feels squidgey and soft.

Baking time should be 20 minutes but I had to bake mine for 35 minutes until I was happy with the squidgeyness of the brownie.

Leave to cool then cut into small pieces.
This is a very rich brownie but GORGEOUS

Toffee apple muffins

Ingredients
2 eggs lightly beaten
80g caster sugar
240ml milk
100g melted butter
300g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
half tsp salt
pinch cinnamon
2 eating apples (cooking apples give a stronger taste but are lovely)
200g toffee pieces - I used my broken caramel pieces made from melting caster sugar

Preheat oven to 190 degrees centigrade
Line a muffin tray with 12 cases
Mix eggs, sugar, milk and butter together in a bowl
Sift in the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon and stir well
Add the apples (peeled, cored and chopped into little pieces) and stir
Quarter fill the muffin cases with the mixture and then add the broken toffee pieces or caramel pieces before covering with the mixture half way up the muffin cases

Bake in the oven for 30 - 35 minutes

If I were to recommend making one of the three I would go for the BROWNIES - so lovely

a little bit frightening!

Now I would not want this little chap knocking on my door on Halloween.

He went on his first ever trick or treat session and came back with sweets that will last for a few months!

Or maybe less if I get my hands on them!

Tempus fugit

Wow, exactly where does time go?

Have been busy with work, decorating, allotment and half term hols. Jacob and I are having a film night and are watching MegaMind.

We went to see a most fantastic show at the Lowry Theatre on Wednesday and should this show come to a town near you it is an absolute 'must see'. The Slava Snow Show was one of those shows that you really don't forget in a hurry. When I first saw the video clips on utube I was a little wary of the clowns (don't really like clowns, bit creepy) but they were the most unusual, intriguing and cutest clowns I have seen.

The show was quite interactive which Jacob and his friend loved. An enormous cobweb was thrust out over the audience and we helped move it along by pushing it over our heads. A snow storm was blasted out over us and then huge, enormous rubber balls were thrown out into the audience which even the adults were jumping around trying to punch into the air.

It was great fun and I really would recommend taking youngsters to see it (but over 8 yrs is advised).

The music was amazing and added to the dramatic effects on stage. If you should get to see it watch out for the telephone scene, I very nearly needed tissues I laughed so much.

Right then, i'm off to make some chocolate mousse with crispy caramel pieces.

Have a good weekend and if you are doing anything for Halloween - have a spooky one!

Heatwave

After reading lots of blogs about moving gently into autumn, saying goodbye to summer, we here in England, Wales and a little of Scotland are experiencing most bizarrely

A HEATWAVE.

It is exceptionally hot, 29 degrees centigrade. It has been lovely, very lovely. The summer we didn't have.

I can't quite believe we are about to enter October and it is the hottest it has been this year.

That Christmas feeling I was getting has gone! I am now hankering after a long tall cool drink, sitting outside at 7.30pm in the dark but in sweltering heat.

How bizarre! What is going on with the weather.

How about everyone else, anything bizarre to report? Any weather like this elsewhere in the world?

squashed bananas

Wasn't a banana week for me so my fruit went to the black spotted stage, only one thing for it BANANA CAKE with caramel pieces.

Got my things together

along with Jacob and we produced this

The best bit of experimenting today was this

Making caramel for the first time ever. Very tricky, it took me 2 attempts as getting the heat of the stove right was crucial to a good tasting caramel. I had the heat to high on the 1st attempt and before I knew it the sugar had melted and went smokey and burnt in seconds.

Second time I heated it gently, stirred it gently and poured it quickly onto the baking paper. I think still a little too dark but it tasted lovely so I went with this one.

This gets broken up and added into the cake, fine bits into the creamed topping and a few big shards on top for a little decoration.

Cake

soft butter 175g
2 old bananas, break into chunks

golden caster sugar 150g

self-raising flour 140g

eggs 3

ground almonds 75g

natural yoghurt 3tbsp

baking powder 1/2 tsp

caramel

golden caster sugar 100g

frosting

soft butter 100g

icing sugar 50g         I'm not keen on butter icing so used only a small amount

Oven 160 degrees centigade

cooking time 45mins - 1 hour

Butter a 900g loaf tin.

Make the caramel by melting the sugar in a frying pan and gently, gently heating and gently stirring as it starts to melt. When melted pour quickly onto a piece of baking paper, spread out and cool. Break into pieces.

For the cake beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy and then add all the other ingredients and beat until smooth.  Stir in about half of the broken caramel pieces and put the mixture into the loaf tin. Add to the oven and bake for 45mins - to an hour. Check at 45 mins with a knife.

When done, remove from the tin and when completely cool add the frosting.

Frosting is simply the butter and icing sugar beaten together and small pieces of the caramel mixed in. Spread over the cold cake and add pieces of caramel for decoration.

This is a rich, moist, heavy cake and the topping makes it super sweet. Eating this with a cup of tea is a must.

Jacob gave it 8 and a half out of ten (he said the topping was too sweet - that's a first from Mr Sweettooth). Hub loved it and I shouldn't have eaten mine so soon after my dinner or maybe just should have had a smaller piece.

Enjoy.

Keep gettin that Christmas feeling

Found a most wonderful site whilst surfing round blogs and sites the other night.

http://www.re-foundobjects.com/

You must take a look, such fantastic objects, vintage fabrics, lovely things for the kitchen and i've got my eye on a glass 'skull' salt and pepper set for a friends secret santa gift. I know she will adore them.

I've been looking for some of these things for such a long time.

Have ordered and received them and they have gone into a cupboard with the rest of the Christmas decorations, but not until I took a couple of photos and checked out where I was going to put them in the lounge.

They are HUGE

I bought 3 large and 1 medium sized.

Can't wait to see what they look like at Christmas time.

Have to share this one - pie in a jar

You must have a look at this fantastic idea for picnic pies, long walk eats...what a great idea.

Courtesty of

http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2011/06/20/cherry-and-blueberry-star-pies-in-jars/

I think i am going to have to try out this idea.

With bonfire night not too far off here in UK I think I might try a savoury pie as well. We can go out to a firework display, eat a savoury pie, followed by a sweet pie and washed down with a flask of hot chocolate.

Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmm



very weird but rather lovely too

My folks found one of these in their back garden, it's about 5 inches long

It's an elephant hawk caterpillar

As scary and uuughhh as it looks it turns into this...

A beautiful pink and olive moth

Mum got a little bit scared (oh yes you did) and Dad had to take it to a nearby field to let it go. It is so big and hungry it can demolish your garden in days (she said exaggerating a tad). They are also a protected bug Dad tells me!

Wow, wish nice things would come into my back yard.



Am amazed

Mr Scientist was up early again this morning and I found him in the kitchen doing an experiment that had me wowed.

He made butter from whipping cream!!!

Now I thought you had to have a churn, loads of time to turn it and a cow in the back yard. But no, a jar with a lid, 3 marbles and some whipping cream was all that was needed for Jacob to create butter to dribble all over his pasta later in the day. And by 'eck was that butter good.

Jar with whipping cream and 3 marbles - LID ON

Shake like mad for 10 minutes or so

Pour out the liquid, remove the marbles, pat the butter to remove any further liquid and HEY PRESTO this city girl is amazed at the sight of butter in a dish.

Wow, that's just lovely isn't it!

I have learnt one very important thing from this experiment that I shall remember always from now on -

'WHIPPING CREAM IS FULL OF FAT' and I don't think I will eat it again.

Guest chef update

Took a hefty supply of cooking apples into work and gave them out to colleagues on the same corridor as me. I'm hoping to get some recipes and photos out of them and have a guest chef amongst them.

We do have one supremo cake baker amongst them and i'm really hoping that she will let me have one of her fantastic recipes soon to post. But I can imagine there will be some other star chefs too!

Come on ladies, don't be shy, let's see what you made with those lovely apples.

addicted to Christmas

Help, I think i'm watching Christmas films earlier this year than ever before.

I have 'Christmas Carol/Scrooge' in every conceivable film/animation going - honestly! and I recently ordered the version with Jim Carey in from amazon this week (watched it in 3d at the cinema when it first came out). It arrived today, I put it aside to save until closer to Christmas but by 4pm it was burning holes in the back of my head begging me to watch it.  So I did, we did, Jacob and I. He fell asleep but I watched it to the end.

Love it! I'm a Christmas addict. I even came downstairs and booked our tickets to go to have a good old sing along on Christmas eve at a brilliant music venue in Manchester with a fantastic Orchestra.

I think, thanks to Mum and Dad, that I enjoyed Christmas so much as a child that I love that time of year so much now.

A big saddo? maybe, but you'll never hear bah humbug from me!

gorgeous flapjacks

Made these flapjacks to keep me going in work as I get the nibbles around 10 o'clock. I work a long day on a Friday this year as up at 6am and I'm teaching until 4.30pm then prepare for the following week until about 5.30pm (hey that's a long day for a teacher!) I then drive 45 minutes home and i'm well and truly ready for a big meal!

Yesterday I took a good supply in but only ate 1 myself as my sixthform students wanted to sample my baking and I offered my last one to colleague. I was starved by the time I left for home. They all seemed to agree that they were delicious, so here goes with the recipe.

Ingredients
200g sunflower maragarine
325g porridge oats
100g maple syrup
150g soft light brown sugar

Oven preheated to 180 degrees centigrade

25 minutes to cook

I lined a 9inch baking tin with baking paper - why round? dunno, just to hand

Melt the margarine in a large saucepan gently and then stir in the maple syrup and sugar. Simmer and keep stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Take the pan off the heat and add the oats, stir thorougly and cover all the oats with the mixture.

Pour the contents of the saucepan into the lined baking tin and bake for 25 minutes.

Leave to cool. I usually can't resist at this stage cutting up and tasting as the smell is gorgeous but the flapjacks are not ready to be cut up until it has completely cooled. This time I left overnight wrapped in baking paper and cut up in the morning. Successful slices of flapjacks that are very, very filling.

These really will keep you going in between meals.

experiments in the kitchen

Experiments in the kitchen of a different sort.

An early riser in the the household means lots of activity from silly o clock but with the goggles on I couldn't have a moan I had to take a photo or two. And I was very relieved that I didn't come downstairs to find him with a bunsen burner or a blow torch.

This experiment is all about density. The liquids are syrup, water and cooking oil into which items were dropped.

a little surprise for Mum and Dad

My lovely Mum and Dad have just joined the world of the internet and I think they won't mind when I say they are going to be Super Silver Surfers.

Welcome to my blog Mum and Dad (I've asked Mum to come have a look at what I get up to in my spare time).

I love this photo! This is my Mum aged 20 in Liverpool back in the 50's.

I remember this pram really well and rode on the front, baby brother inside and big sister walking alongside.

That'll be my eldest brother in the pram.

And this is Dad who is hopefully going to surf the net as well as he rides a bicycle

Hope you'll become followers and leave me some comments now and again. Don't worry about how to do it all, I'll instruct you as you get used to using the laptop.

For now though Mum and Dad, just pop into my blog now and again and have a read.

Love ya xxx

idea

I work with many talented cooks, far far better than I and not only that but I work on the corridor alongside the Food Technology department and the smells that come into my room from there sometimes simply make me hungry.

I am going to invite my work colleagues to become a 'Guest Chef' on my blog and try to post one a week. As the hubby is now intrigued about the blog and has already asked today if his meal is on yet, I shall ask him to continue to contibute to as a guest chef.

Actually if anyone would like to send a recipe and photos I'll make you a guest chef too.

I should have been cooking some carrot cookies from Dia's blog 'The Sugar Slut' on Thursday but got mad busy with work so will be cooking them tomorrow and posting the results. They look delicious and i really want to know what carrots taste like in cookies.

Watch this space!

guest chef - the hub

Yep the hubby cooked dinner last night and is worth a look as it was rather tasty. He does make a mean macaroni cheese and I eat far too much whenever he cooks it. Last night he changed the recipe to one seen in Sainsburys  magazine and produced this lovely meal. He did change it to make a vegetarian option and used Quorn bacon (next week i'm going to add oak cured bacon to mine as I can't resist the taste of bacon with macaroni cheese).

As I arrived home late from work he was already on the go with this meal so I only managed to snap two photos of the finished article before it was devoured.

Hub likes the crusty topping....

and I like the macaroni cheese

It's a very filling meal and this recipe should serve 4 - Serve with favourite veg.

Ingredients

Cheese Sauce

75g butter

75g plain flour

1 litre milk (whichever type is preferred for the waistline)

200g cheese (Hub used cheddar) grated

2tsp of wholegrain mustard

Topping

2 stale pieces of bread. Whizz up in a food processor to get breadcrumbs

Meal

350g Macaroni dried

2 small leeks

1tbsp butter

5-6 rashers of quorn bacon for veggie version or streaky/oak cured bacon for meatties

Oven preheated to 200 degrees centigrade - fan 180 or gas 6

Method

Boil up the macaroni (usually 10 mins) and drain.

Fry the chopped leeks in the butter until soft, put onto a plate when done and then throw into the frying pan the bacon cup into small pieces until they are crispy. Set these aside with the leeks.

Sauce

In a saucepan melt 75g butter gently, using a wooden spoon stir in the flour mixing quickly. Slowly and gradually whisk in the milk and stir until it thickens. Turn the heat very low and add the cheese in small amounts stirring each until it melts into the sauce. Add the mustard and maybe a little black pepper.

Put the macaroni into a roasting dish, add the leeks, bacon and  sauce and stir up. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs and maybe a little more grated cheese if you fancy.

Bake for about 40-45 minutes or lovely golden top.

plum pie and homemade custard

Oh I love this pie so, so much

Pie



500g pack shortcrust pastry ( i'm learning how to do my own but not perfected yet)

900g plums, chopped and destoned

120g caster sugar and a little extra for the top

1 tbsp cornflour

1 egg used for glazing

Custard

4 egg yolks
85g caster sugar
250ml milk
250ml double cream
2 tsp Vanilla extract


Oven 200*C / gas mark 6


Method

Put the plums and caster sugar into a pan, heat and simmer for around 10 mins until fruit is soft and sugar dissolved.
Add the cornflour to a little of the juice and  mix, add to the plums and stir well until thickened.

For the custard mix the egg yolks and the caster sugar together in a large bowl. Heat the milk, cream and vanilla in a sauce pan until it almost reaches boiling and then pour into the egg mixture, whisk well then return to a saucepan ( i usually use a clean one). Stir the mixture well until it thickens and then put into a serving jug and chill.

You can make this a day ahead and when needed simply reheat.

Roll out the 3/4 of the pastry and layer onto a baking tin (7'') add the plum mixture. Roll out the remainder of the pastry and create a lid. Scrimp the edges together to seal, coat with beaten egg to get a lovely shine to the pie and a sprinkling of the sugar. Make a little hole in the centre to let out all the steam.

Bake in oven for 25- 30 minutes and serve with lashings of custard


This literally disappears in 2nd and 3rd helpings - no wonder my weight is escalating!

tagliatelle with mushroom sauce

Having driven for 6 hours from Kent to Manchester I was in no mood to cook but having considered our options pizza, Thai, Chinese (all of which we have had very recently) I decided a quick, easy meal was called for.

Tagliatelle, mushrooms, garlic, garlic bread, Philadelphia cheese and  lovely crispy bacon - yep I could do something quick with these.

13 minutes to cook and only five minutes to prepare it was a winner before tasting.

Method

I fried some oak smoked bacon and set aside ready to add to the finished meal.

Oven on at 200 *C and a pan of boiling water on the stove.

Throw some garlic bread into the oven and at the same time add the tagliatelle to the boiling water - both ready in 10 minutes.

Slice the mushrooms thinly and 5 minutes into the cooking time add the mushrooms to a frying pan along with a little olive oil and 2 finely chopped cloves of garlic, stir and after 2 minutes add 2 - 3 tablespoons of Philadelphia cheese.

Stir cheese and add about 50ml of water with a quarter of a vegetable stock cube to thin the sauce.
10 minutes - Taste the tagliatelle for desired texture and check the garlic bread. Drain the pasta and remove and cut garlic bread.

I put the tagliatelle on the plate and added the sauce over the top (good way to control amounts). The bacon was cut up over the plate and ground black pepper added to taste.

(I also fried up a bit of quorn bacon for the veggie hubby and gave some raw mushrooms to my son who is a tiny bit wary of them at the moment)

Rating for tasting 10/10    Rating for ease of making 10/10

All three of us thought this was a great meal and very, very tasty. SURPRISINGLY Jacob (pickyeater) smooched his tagliatelle through his small portion of sauce and wolfed down the lot! WINNER

Tuesdays top ten

We took a stroll around Margate, Kent, home to the new Turner Art Gallery (which houses 1, yes only 1, of Turners paintings which I found a tad strange).

I decided to look at Margate through Turners eyes and appreciate the cloudy skies that currently seem to be following me around Britain.

I got a bit bored after a while and started to photograph thinks that took my fancy.

Here goes my top ten photos whilst in Margate......

Purple pumps I found for £8

4 foot letters that I want in my house (hey look Dia, there's your name)

A lovely piece of artwork that has given me my Year 9 project for September!!!!!

My beautiful son and his artwork in the gallery

Erin - a lampost at last, I knew i'd find one sooner or later but had to go to Margate to find one!

Even this dog was queueing up to get into the Turner gallery - I really, really want a dog like this

A Turneresque Margate sky

A colourful cafe

Why won't they let adults on the bouncy slides? I really want to slide like this

And finally, I had to have a go on the swings!

Well that's Margate folks

Hope you too have enjoyed your Tuesday