Melting Moments

I love watching MasterChef Australia and one of the contestants made these amazing looking biscuits that the judges loved. I have used her recipe here, minus the jam-making (I used ready made). These are delicious! They do indeed melt in the mouth, and are light & so sweet. I was surprised at how easy there were to make too. Definitely make these if you want to impress guests at a coffee morning.

Biscuits 
180g unsalted butter 
60g icing sugar, sifted 
60g custard powder 
1 teaspoon baking powder 
180g plain flour

Buttercream 
100g butter, softened 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cupicing sugar, sifted

Plus your favourite jam for the filling.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line two oven trays with baking paper.
For biscuits, cream butter for two minutes in an electric mixer with paddle attachment. Add icing sugar and custard powder and mix until combined. Sift the baking powder and flour together then add to the dough and mix well. Roll dough into 40g balls, place on a baking paper lined baking tray and press each ball with a fork to leave an indent. Bake biscuits for 16-18 minutes or until light golden. Stand on trays 5 minutes to cool then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
For buttercream, whisk butter and vanilla until smooth. Add icing sugar and beat until mixture forms a paste, the consistency of thick icing. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a small star nozzle.
 To assemble, place a spoonful of cooled jam on the base of half the biscuits. Pipe buttercream in a circle onto the base of the other half of the biscuits. Gently press one of each biscuit together to form a melting moment. Dust with icing sugar before serving.

Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder Stew

I tried this recipe out for the Mumsnet recipe forum. We are not huge overs of lamb, but I really enjoyed this! I added apricots to the original recipe, which the wee man loved. I made too much, so have a large portion in the freezer now too. As much as I liked this though. I find lamb quite expensive, and it was pricey to buy the recommended amount the recipe required. I would do it for special occasions, or when lamb is cheap!

Approximately 1kg lamb shoulder, cut into chunks 
Large onion, chopped 
2 cloves chopped garlic 
1 tsp each cumin and coriander 
1 tbsp flower 
1 cup beef/lamb stock 
1 tin chopped tomatoes 
1/2 cup red wine 
1 tbsp honey 
1 tbsp tomato paste 
1 stick cinnamon 
Bay leaves 
Small butternut, chopped and peeled 
1 tin chickpeas, drained
Handful chopped dried apricots
 Heat oven to 160 degrees 

Brown the lamb in a little oil and then place in a casserole dish 

Lightly saute the onions and garlic in the juices left over from the meat, adding a little oil if necessary. 

Once the onions are softening and cooking, add the spices and stir in, adding some water if it's too dry. 

Add the flour and stir until absorbed, then add the wine/stock slowly, stirring and the tomatoes 

Once it starts to boil, add the honey, tomato paste, cinnamon and bay leaves. 

Pour over the lamb and add the butternut to the casserole dish. 

Cook covered for about 75 mins (1.25hrs) then open, stir, pour in the chickpeas and apricots,  re-cover and put back in the oven for about 30 minutes.

Review - 500 Under 500 Calories

 
I was sent this book to have  a look at - and it seems it would be perfect for providing recipe ideas for those following the 5:2 fasting diet! I don't follow the plan myself, but I think this book will still be used a lot in out house. It has some great sounding soups to try, plus healthy snack ideas. It's always good to have a stack of healthy recipes on hand. I will post some of the recipes when I try them out, so stay tuned!

Also, coming up very soon, a giveaway to celebrate Chocolate Week! Check back in a few days to enter :)

One-pot chicken casserole

My husband wanted a "milk pudding" after tea tonight, so I needed a light main course. I made him a semolina pudding, something I haven't had in many many years! It was lovely though. I forgot to snap a photo of it before we devoured it :( This casserole was warming but not too filling, so it was perfect. You could use any herbs, I just used a selection from my garden. Remove the skin from the chicken, as it would probably go quite soggy in this dish!

8 chicken thighs , skin discarded
1 tbsp oil
5 spring onions , sliced
2 tbsp plain flour
2 chicken stock cubes
2 large carrots , cut into batons (no need to peel)
400g new potatoes , halved if large
200g frozen peas
1 tbsp grainy mustard
small handful fresh soft herbs, like parsley, chives, dill or tarragon , chopped

 Put the kettle on. Fry the thighs in the oil in a casserole or wide pan with a lid to quickly brown. Stir in the whites of the spring onion with the flour and stock cubes until the flour disappears, then gradually stir in 750ml hot water from the kettle. Throw in the carrots and potatoes, bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 mins.
Take off the lid and simmer for 15 mins more, then throw in the peas for another 5 mins. Season, stir in the mustard, green spring onion bits, herbs and some seasoning.

Stuffed Quesadillas

The traditional version of these are just stuffed with cheese, but I wanted to zing mine up a little! You could add anything you wanted really. I had onions, red pepper, mushrooms & some cooked chicken in the fridge, so bunged them all in. I did fry them first, to soften up a little. I used half for this quesadilla and have kept some to have again this week.A tasty lunch, that isn't your usual wrap/sandwich. Kids love them too!

To serve 1 person

1 tortilla wrap
1 teaspoon oil
1 handful cheese
Other fillings (cooked onion, pepper, mushroom, chicken are what I have used)

Heat the teaspoon of oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the tortilla and flip after 10 seconds. When air bubbles start to appear under the wrap, its time to add the cheese & filling. Don't overfull, as the quesadilla will be folded in half & flipped, so the filling may fall out. Fold over the top of the wrap & cook on that side for about 2 minutes. Flip over carefully. The top side should be nicely browned & crisp. Cook for 2 minutes more then move to a warm plate. Then enjoy!

Sticky Sauusages & BBQ Beans

It was just 3 of us for dinner last night, the girls have gone to stay with family for a week. Big Bee doesnt liek sausages, so this was a good time for us sausage lovers to enjoy them! I used good quality butchers sausages, as I prefer the taste. You could use any chutney you like, I used a cherry tomato & shallot one from our local factory - they sell some amazing chutneys! I sent some beetroot & orange chutney to my foodie penpal last month & she loves it. These BBQ beans are a bit of a hassle to make, but taste lovely.

Serves 3

2 or 3 sausages per person
3 tablespoons tomato chutney

1 tin of baked beans in tomato sauce
1 onion finely diced
1 tablespoon oil
2 teaspoons tomato puree
2 teaspoons American yellow mustard
1 tablespoon black treacle
1 teaspoon Worcester sauce
Pinch garlic powder
Pinch paprika
5 tablespoons tomato ketchup
230 mils vegetable stock
2 teaspoons brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 200c. Add the sausages to a roasting tray & put into the oven for 25 minutes, shaking the tray now  again to get an even colour. Add the tomato chutney, spreading all over the sausages, then return to the oven for a final 5 minutes.

Heat the oil in a sauce pan & add the onions & tomato puree. Stir fry for 5 minutes until softened. Add the mustard, treacle, Worcester sauce, tomato ketchup, garlic powder, paprika, stock & sugar. Simmer for 6 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.

Tip in the tin of beans, and mix. Simmer for another 5 minutes, then serve.

BBQ Pork Burgers

I had some pork mince to use up, so I thought I would be inventive and make BBQ flavoured burgers. Big Bee hated them, but the rest of us enjoyed them. Quick &easy to make, and I love BBQ flavour so this was right up my street. Popping them in the freezer for an hour helps them to keep their shape while cooking without having to add breadcrumbs/eggs as binders. Serve with finely diced onion & sliced gherkin on top for that McDonalds feel.

To make 4 burgers

400g pork mince
Salt & pepper
Teaspoon sugar
BBQ sauce ( I use Heinz honey barbecue)
4 burger buns

Mix the mince with your hands, adding the salt, pepper & sugar, Form into 4 equal patties, wrap & freeze for 1 hour.

Heat some oil in a large frying pan. Fry the burgers on both sides until cooked through. Add a spoonful of bbq sauce to one side of the burgers, then flip & cover the other side with sauce. Cook for another minute each side.

Serve in the burger buns with onion, gherkin or salad. Add extra BBQ sauce if liked.

Teavivre!

I am a great lover of green tea, especially the flavoured kind. A lovely lady at www.teavivre.com contacted me to see if I would like to try some of their teas - of course I said yes! I received a box containing a few different variates. This morning, instead of my usual green tea & peach (mmm, this is my favourite flavour!) I decided to try one of the flowering teas. I was so excited to try this, I have never seen one before. You pop the ball into a glass teapot or tempered glass pitcher, pour over hot (but not boiling) water & sit back to watch. It slowly opens up, and out pops the flower! The kids really enjoyed watching it (as did I). I left it for 5 minutes, before pouring myself a cup using a strainer to catch any stray bits. It was surprisingly tasty! I thought the tea was mostly for show, but the taste was lovely too. These would make brilliant Christmas presents! A perfect wee stocking filler or as part as a wee hamper for someone. I cant wait to try the other varieties they sent me!

 

 This is the tea I made today ....

Two Dragons and a Pearl Flower Tea

This flowering tea is a made from a base of high quality Silver Needle Green Tea, combined with Globe Amaranth, Marigold and Jasmine flowers. When brewing this blooming tea, two arms of jasmine and globe amaranth petals will slowly expand upwards cupping a single marigold flower. So given this name.

Saucy Chicken & Pineapple fried rice

This dinner was really delicious! All the kids (and husband) had clean plates, which is always a good sign. It would work just as well with pork, which I plan to try soon. If you are making this for children, use tomato sauce in the sauce recipe, if it is for adults use some sort of hot sauce/chilli sauce. Re-using the same pan to brown the chicken, make the sauce & fry the rice means you keep all the lovely meat juices and flavour in the meal.

Serves 4

8 chicken thighs (or 4 large pork chops)
Salt & pepper
Oil/butter for frying
1 large onion (I used red) sliced
6 tblsp soy sauce
2 tblsp honey
1 tblsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp tomato ketchup or chilli sauce

2 cups of cooked rice (cooled down)
1 tin of pineapple
1 cup of frozen peas
1 cup of frozen sweetcorn
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 eggs
1 tbsp soy sauce (in addition to the above)

Preheat the oven to 190c.

In a large frying pan, heat 9medium/high) your oil/butter until it is shimmering in the pan. Season the chicken thighs, then add skin side down to the frying pan. Allow them to brown for 5 minutes, without moving them. This allows the skin to crisp up nicely. Turn them over & cook the underside for 5 minutes. Transfer to a large roasting tray.

In the same pan, add the onions & fry until softened. Add the soy sauce, honey, red wine vinegar and tomato/chilli sauce and allow to simmer for 4/5 minutes. Pour the whole lot over the chicken pieces, then pop into the oven.

Again, using the same pan, add a tiny bit of oil and scrap all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan - keep these, they add flavour! Add the garlic & stir fry quickly for 1 minute. Crack the eggs into the pan & scramble straight away. Now add your frozen vegetables and pineapple. Fry until the veg has defrosted, then add the rice. Stir fry the whole lot together until the rice is thoroughly heated through.

 Spoon the rice into bowl, place 2 chicken thighs on top and then pour the sticky sauce & onions over the top. Serve whilst hot.

Foodie Penpals Reveal - September

This month, the lovely Kelly from interestingthymes.wordpress.com sent me these lovely goodies! I loved everything in my box, so a huge thank you to Kelly :)

I shared the apple crisps with my wee boy soon after recieving them - very yummy! I think he managed to snaffle more than me thogh ha ha. I washed them down with a blueberry tea, also in the box.

I did manage to sneak away & enjoy my popcorn bar by myself. I enjoyed every mouthful - I wish I could find them locally!

The next day, I used the Morroccan spice mix to make meatballs for dinner - see here. I have enough left over to make them again, and can't wait.

I had great fun making the pumpkin bread. I have a bit of a baking bug just now, and had been making my own bread. This was a lovely flavoured bread that was delicious dipped in my homemade soup (and on its own with lashings of butter!).

I love oatcakes, so those have been nibbled on with cheese & the lovely carmalised onion chutney Kelly included. A huge thank you to Kelly for my fantastic goodies!

If you would like to join in Foodie Penpals (you can be either a blogger or a reader, as long as youhave a passion for food) then see here for more details .... thisisrocksalt.