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Showing posts with label Party. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Party. Show all posts

Carrot Hummus

Sunday, 5 May 2019
Hopefully the weather will start warming up and we can think about weekend picnics, and packed lunches for outings.  I've been experimenting with different dips and spread recipes recently to change up our usual picnic fare.  Carrots were very cheap recently, 1kg bags were 30p, and I had some miso that needed using up, so I thought why not add some to my usual hummus recipe for a delicious savoury flavour hit.

The dip is really tasty, and great for spreading thinly on flatbreads when making salad wraps.  I've even mixed some leftover dip with vegetable stock to make a quick cup of soup.  It's also rather tasty spread on a fresh white bread roll filled with lettuce and fish fingers.

Carrot Hummus 

500g carrots, thinly sliced (I don’t bother peeling them, just give them a good wash)
3 Tblsp oil
2 cloves garlic
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground ginger
2 Tblsp water
1 tsp salt
400g tin chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 Tblsp miso paste or 1 Tblsp Marmite/Vegemite
1 Tblsp lemon juice
2 Tblsp water
dash of sesame oil

Put the carrots, oil, garlic, cumin, ginger, water and salt into a saucepan over a low/medium heat. Cook until the carrots are very soft, it usually takes around 20 - 30 minutes. Alternatively steam the carrots, etc in the microwave until very soft.  Once the carrots are soft, add the chickpeas and stir to combine, cook for another few minutes. in the chickpeas and heat through. 

Add the rest of the ingredients then either use a stick blender or pour the mixture into a food processor to blend the dip until smooth, adding a little more water if necessary to get the consistency that you prefer.  Serve with crackers and crudites.



Victoria Sandwich

Friday, 28 October 2016
I baked a Victoria Sponge as a technical challenge for the last episode bake along in the latest series of The Great British Bake Off.  I used the 'all in one' method which makes it such an easy cake to whip up.


My family managed to wait until I had finished taking photos before they pounced on the cake and devoured the lot, I had to be quick taking the photos though as they were hungrily circling.  It went down very well with the hungry hordes and they now want it added to my regular baking sessions.  



Victoria Sandwich

4 large free range eggs
225g/8oz caster sugar
225g/8oz self-raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
225g/8oz baking spread or soft butter at room temperature

To serve:
Jam, I usually use raspberry
Whipped Cream

Preheat your oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.  Grease and line 2 x 20cm/8in sandwich tins.  Grease the inside of the tin then line the bottom of each of the tins with a circle of non-stick baking paper.  

Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl, then add the rest of the cake ingredients.  Beat with an electric mixer until combined.  Don't over mix the batter, as soon as everything is blended stop mixing.   

Divide the mixture evenly between the tins and gently smooth the surface of the batter.  Place the tins on the middle shelf of the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes.   The cakes are done when they’re golden-brown and coming away from the edge of the tins. The centre of the cakes should spring back when gently pressed.

Remove the cakes from the oven and set aside to cool in the tins for five minutes.  Turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack that has been covered with a clean tea towel.  This stops the cake tops from being marked by the wire rack.  

Once the cakes have cooled completely you can assemble the sandwich.  Place one cake upside down onto a plate and spread it with plenty of jam then spread over plenty of whipped cream.  Top with the second cake, top-side up.  Dust with icing sugar to serve.  


Giant Chocolate Chip Birthday Cookie

Monday, 17 October 2016
I baked this as an experiment and oh my goodness was it delicious! My daughters said it would be great decorated like a Birthday Cookie that a certain cookie retailer sells.  Baked as one of 10yo's birthday cakes, this giant cookie cost £1.87 to make, without energy and decorating costs.  The High St retailler version costs £14.99 or more depending on your choice of decoration.  My version is 8 times cheaper!


I used a simple icing sugar and water icing to decorate the cookie, coloured with gel colours.  Cost of icing was 60p for the icing sugar, I had the gel colours already but you can purchase them for around £1 and they last a very long time as you don't need to use much.  You could of course use 30g cocoa (30p) to make chocolate icing, and save on cost.



Giant Chocolate Chip  Birthday Cookie

175g softened butter (56p)
200g granulated sugar (11p)
1 large free range egg (16p)
2 tsp vanilla bean paste (30p)
250g self raising flour (8p)
2 tsp baking powder (6p)
100g dark chocolate chunks, I chopped up a chocolate block (30p)
100g milk chocolate chunks I chopped up a chocolate block (30p)

Preheat your oven to 200C/Fan 180C/400F/Gas Mark 6.  Grease and line a 23cm/9 inch non-stick, loose based flan tin or springform cake tin.

Cream the butter and the sugar in a large bowl until pale and fluffy.  Add the egg and vanilla then beat again until completely combined.  

Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl, then gently but thoroughly mix it until a soft cookie dough forms.  Add the chocolate chips and stir to distribute them evenly through the cookie dough.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared flan tin then spread out evenly, ensuring the top is level.  

Bake in the preheated oven for bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out free of crumbs or dough.

Allow to cool in the tin and gently turn out the cookie before serving in slices.


Mini Lemon Meringue Pies - GBBO Botanicals Week

Sunday, 2 October 2016
It was Botanicals Week on The Great British Bake Off and for the signature challenge I decided to bake Mini Lemon Meringue Pies instead of a large one as they are much better for portion control purposes, and also more appropriate for afternoon tea which was when my family would get to devour them.  I cooked the meringue in the oven, no blow torches in my kitchen, so I think Mary Berry would approve. 


I used the Nutri Ninja Complete System that I had been sent to review to make the pastry.  It whipped up the pastry in a flash! So quick and easy to just bung all the ingredients for the pastry into the machine and whizz it for a few seconds.  

I also made my own lemon curd, and used the leftover egg whites for the meringue.  Such a delicious afternoon tea treat, and no waste as all of the eggs were used and I also used some lemons that were looking rather tired in our fridge.


Mini Lemon Meringue Pies - Makes 24

To make the pastry cases:

330g plain flour
3 Tblsp caster sugar
175g cold butter, cubed
Cold water

Put the flour, sugar and butter into the bowl of a processor, add 1 tablespoon full of ice cold water and mix until the dough comes together.  If you need to add more water do so one teaspoonful at a time until the dough comes together.  Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in clingfilm then chill in the fridge for at least half an hour.  

To make the dough by hand: Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub into the flour until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Stir through the sugar before adding the a little water. 

I add a tablespoon of cold water then add more, if necessary, a teaspoonful at a time. Mix to a firm dough and press out to a disc shape. Wrap the dough in cling film and leave it to rest in the fridge for half an hour before you attempt to roll it out.  Whilst the pastry dough rests, make the lemon curd.


Lemon Curd

200g butter
225g caster sugar
Grated zest and juice from 3 lemons
4 free range eggs

Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Whisk the sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and eggs into the butter until well combined. Keep whisking continuously whilst the curd thickens and comes to the boil. Remove from the heat just as it is about to boil vigorously. Pour into a bowl to cool for a couple of minutes then put a piece of clingfilm over the curd, touching the surface so that a skin doesn’t form. When the curd has reached room temperature, transfer it to the fridge. You can store the lemon curd in a the fridge, just keep it covered. I put mine into sterilised jars topped with cellophane and a band. The curd will thicken considerably in the fridge and will keep for 2–3 weeks.


To make the meringue:

Make the meringue by whisking the egg whites with half the sugar until stiff peaks form. Gradually add the remaining sugar and the cream of tartar whilst whisking. You should end up with a very stiff meringue mixture. Carefully spread the meringue over the cake, make sure you cover the lemon curd completely and that the meringue forms a seal around the edge of the cake. Rough up the meringue with a spoon to make peaks on the top. Cook for about 8 minutes, until the meringue is golden. Keep an eye on it as it can go from golden to burnt very quickly. Cool for 10 minutes then chill in the fridge for half an hour to an hour before you serve it as this makes it much easier to cut neat slices.



Assembling and baking the mini pies:

Take one half of the pastry out of the fridge and unwrap it.  Roll out into an even shape, on a lightly floured surface, to about the thickness of a £1 coin. 

Grease two 12 hole muffin tins and cut large circles out of your dough before placing them into the prepared muffin tin holes. Prick the bottom of the pastry well with a fork and bake in a preheated oven set to 180C/160C Fan/350F/Gas Mark 4 for 10 minutes.  Repeat with the second batch of dough.

Once the cooked pastry cases have cooled, dollop some lemon curd into each one. I usually fill them about 3/4 full.  You can then pipe your meringue on top of each tart.  I make sure that I completely cover the lemon curd.

Bake the tarts in an oven preheated to 220C/200C Fan/425F/Gas Mark 7 and cook the tarts for approximately 10 - 15 minutes until the edges of the meringue start to turn golden.  Keep an eye on the tarts after 10 minutes as the meringue can brown very quickly.


Chocolate Viennese Whirls

Thursday, 1 September 2016
When I discovered that they were baking Viennese Whirls on The Great British Bake Off this week I knew I had to give them a go. Of course I had to bake a chocolate version! Deliciously buttery and light biscuits sandwiched together with a rich dark chocolate ganache, how could I not bake them?!


I made sure my butter was very soft indeed so that the mixture was easy to pipe, and that I used a fairly big nozzle. I probably should have put the piped biscuits into the fridge for half an hour or so to ensure the piped biscuits looked more professional, but I'm not that bothered and they tasted totally scrumptious, so why faff if there's no need. I can just see the look of dismay on Paul and Mary's faces.

This batch of Chocolate Viennese Whirls cost £3.66 to make, or approximately 30p per Whirl.  Cost breakdown, exclusive of energy costs, is as follows: £1.02 butter, 25p icing sugar, 13p free range egg, 40p cocoa powder, 11p plain flour, 90p chocolate, 85p double cream.  You could serve the Whirls as plain biscuits and not sandwich them together with ganache, in which case the batch would cost £1.91 or 8p per biscuit for 24 biscuits.


Chocolate Viennese Whirls

300g very soft, but not melted, unsalted butter
1 cup icing sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 free range egg
2 1/2 cups plain flour

Chocolate Ganache
300ml double cream
400g dark chocolate, finely chopped

Beat the butter and icing sugar together until pale and flufffy, I used hand held electric beaters.  Carefully beat in the cocoa powder then the egg.  Mix in the flour by hand, using a wooden spoon, until completely combined  

Preheat your oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas Mark 4/350F.  Line two baking trays with non-stick baking paper.  Put the biscuit mixture into a large piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle.  Pipe biscuits about 2 inches in diameter onto lined baking trays, allowing a little room for the biscuits to spread.

Bake in the preheated oven for 12 - 15 minutes.  Leave to cool on the trays for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the ganache
Heat the cream until almost boiling then add the chopped chocoalte.  Stir until completely combined.  Leave to cool until mixture reaches spreading consistency.  

Spread a the underside of a biscuit with a generous amount of chocolate ganache then place another biscuit on top. I managed to get 12 biscuit sandwiches from this recipe.  


I'm entering my Whirls into The Great Bloggers Bake Off, hosted by Jenny at Mummy Mishaps.

Mummy Mishaps


And also The Bake Off Bake Along co-hosted by Rhyme and Ribbons and This Particular.

Cheats Churros Boats with Mojito Soaked Fruit Salad

Wednesday, 31 August 2016
After making these delicious Beef Fajitas using mini Stand ’N’ Stuff tortillas from Old El Paso, I decided to try making a sweet recipe that would make a great party dessert.  The mini tortillas are available in packs of 12 from all major supermarkets with a RRP of £2.39. For more delicious recipe inspiration visit the Old El Paso website or find them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using @oldelpasouk and the hashtag #MiniMexican.


The little boat shaped soft tortillas, perfect for little hands to grab, and great for party food, were just begging to be brushed with melted butter and coated with cinnamon sugar.  I baked them until crisp and filled them with a delicious fruit salad that had been soaked in a mojito inspired syrup.  When topped with a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream they were a very welcome tasty pudding treat on a very hot summer evening.  


You could of course make them more healthy by skipping the syrup and using natural yoghurt instead of ice cream on top of the fruit but I wanted decadent deliciousness not virtuous and low calorie. 



Cheats Churros Boats 
with Mojito Soaked Fruit Salad

12 Mini Stand and Stuff Tortillas
75g butter, melted
100g sugar
1 or 2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 or 4 cups of fresh fruit, peeled if necessary, cut into small chunks
100ml lime juice
100g sugar
50ml water
50ml white rum (optional)
small sprig of fresh mint.

Mix the cinnamon and sugar together in a bowl.  Melt the butter. Brush the mini tortillas with melted butter and then toss in cinnamon sugar to coat.  Place on a lined oven tray and bake at 200C/180C Fan/Gas Mark 6 for 7 - 10 minutes.  The mini tortillas will crisp up as they cool.

Mix together the lime juice, sugar and water.  Heat gently, stirring until sugar dissolves, add the mint, then leave to cool completely.  Mix in rum, only if serving to grown ups.  Pour the syrup over the prepared fruit, just enough to lightly coat the fruit, and leave to soak and chill in the fridge for around half an hour.  Any leftover syrup can be used to make mojito cocktails.  

Put the syrup soaked fruit into the crisp mini tortillas then top with a scoop of ice cream and freshly grated lime zest.  Serve immediately.



**Recipe commissioned by Old El Paso**

Giant Jaffa Cake (Vegan)

Sunday, 28 August 2016
We enjoy watching The Great British Bake Off and trying out the bakes that the contestants have to make each week.  This week one of the tasks was to bake some Jaffa Cakes.  On the show they made standard small Jaffa Cakes but I thought that would be too much faff and decided to make a Giant Jaffa Cake instead.



I had to remake my jelly as the first batch didn't set firmly enough, but apart from that it was a fairly straight forward bake.  My family devoured some for pudding this evening, and there's still some leftover for a treat with a cuppa tomorrow.  



Giant Jaffa Cake (Vegan)

Sponge:
125g plain flour
125g caster sugar
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2tsp tsp salt
125ml dairy free milk
30g oil (I used vegetable/rapeseed oil)
4tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Jelly:
400ml orange juice
5g Agar Agar

Topping:
400g Dairy free Dark Chocolate, chopped/broken into small chunks

To make the sponge:
Preheat oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas Mark 4  Grease and line a 20cm/8inch cake tin

Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl.  Mix the wet ingredients together in a jug until completely combined.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.  Pour the cake batter into your prepared tin and level the surface.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until the cake is golden and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the jelly:
Bring the fruit juice to the boil in a pan and sprinkle the agar agar powder on top. Stir in and boil for 2-3 minutes then remove from the heat, pour into a lined 20cm/8 inch cake tin, and leave to cool and set.
Carefully turn out the jelly onto the top of the sponge cake.  Put in the fridge to chill whilst you prepare the topping.

To make the topping:
Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water.  Once completely melted, leave to cool slightly then pour over the cake.  



I've added this post to the We Should Cocoa linky over at Tin and Thyme.



I'm entering this bake into the Great Bloggers Bake Off linky, hosted by Mummy Mishaps.

Mummy Mishaps

4 Ingredient Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sunday, 31 July 2016
These are SO quick and easy to make! Gluten free and dairy free, perfect for picnics or a snack after a play session at the park.  My children love these and can whip up a batch themselves, which is great school holiday entertainment with the added bonus of a delicious elevenses or afternoon tea treat.  

Peanut Butter 30p
Free range egg 17p
Caster Sugar 10p
Plain Chocolate 15p

Cost of batch of 24 cookies = 72p 
Each delicious cookie costs 3p to make, excluding energy costs.


Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 large free range egg, beaten
3/4 cup chocolate chips, or chocolate bar chopped into small chunks 

Beat the peanut butter and sugar together in a bowl. Mix in the beaten egg thoroughly, then mix in the chocolate chips. The mixture will be quite stiff. I usually use my hand held electric mixer.

Roll tablespoonfuls into balls and put on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper. Flatten firmly with a floured fork.

Bake at 180C for 15-18 minutes until the biscuits are cooked and lightly browned. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely then store in an airtight container.




Spicy Mini Falafels

Wednesday, 27 July 2016
Those who know me know that I really like a challenge. I have teamed up with Heinz to create a recipe in celebration of the launch of their new [Seriously Good] Mayonnaise,  The new mayo is superbly rich, smooth and creamy, made using simple, high quality ingredients, with absolutely no added colours, flavours or artificial thickeners. I was challenged to create a seriously good spoonful, a delicious recipe creation that would fit on a spoon. I decided to make falafels as our whole family enjoy them, you can make them as spicy as you like, and they make a delicious vegetarian canape on a spoon with lettuce and a little mayo.


Spicy Mini Falafels 

Makes around 24, depending on size

2 x 400g tins chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp mild chilli powder (optional)
1 free range egg
1 Tblsp mayo

Preheat your oven to 210C/410F/Gas Mark 7.

Put all the falafel ingredients into a food processor and blitz until a chunky puree forms.  scrape down the sides of the food processor and blitz again until a fine puree forms.  Line a baking tray with foil and lightly spray with cooking spray.  Take heaped teaspoonfuls of the falafel mixture and gently form into balls. Place on to the prepared tray.

Put a frying pan over a moderate heat and add a couple of tablespoons of oil.  Cook the falafel in batches until golden on the outside.  Place back onto the prepared oven tray.  Bake the falafels in the oven for 10 minutes to ensure they are cooked all the way through.  




Check out some more #seriouslygoodspoonfuls from my food blogger friends:






Savoury Biscuits - Poppy Seed, and Sun-dried Tomato and Parmesan

Sunday, 17 January 2016
My 15yo daughter baked these delicious morsels to practice for her GCSE Food Technology practical session.  They are very moreish and would be perfect for lunchboxes with hummus or herbed yoghurt dip, an after school snack, or with drinks at a party.  These biscuits are based on a Paul Hollywood recipe altered to suit our tastes.



Savoury Biscuits

375g plain, all purpose, flour
1 tsp salt
125g unsalted butter, softened
2 medium free range eggs
2 Tblsp poppy seeds
50g Parmesan, finely grated (or a vegetarian hard cheese)
1 Tblsp sun-dried tomato paste or tomato puree

Put the flour, salt, butter, one of the eggs and 40ml cold tap water into a bowl.  Mix to combine the ingredients then get your hands in the bowl and squish the dough together.  Turn out on to your work surface and lightly knead for a minute or two until a smooth dough forms. 

Divide the dough in half.  Put each portion of dough into a mixing bowl.  Add the poppy seeds to one portion of dough and the tomato paste and Parmesan to the other portion of dough.  Knead the flavour additions into the dough.  Mixing the flavour additions into the dough whilst the dough is in a bowl is much less messy than trying to incorporate the ingredients on a work surface.  Those poppy seeds get everywhere if you spill any!

Line two baking trays with non-stick baking paper.  Lightly flour your work surface and roll out each portion of dough to about 3mm thick, about the thickness of a £1 coin.  Transfer the rolled out dough to the prepared trays and cover with cling film.  Put in the fridge to rest for half an hour.  We used this time to wash the dishes and clean up the kitchen.

Preheat the your oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas Mark 6.  Lightly flour your work surface and transfer the rested dough from the trays to your work surface.  Using a 7cm/2¾ inch round cutter, cut biscuits from the dough.  Re-roll the dough and keep cutting out biscuits until all the dough has been used.  Put the biscuits onto the lined trays.

Bake the biscuits for 10-15 minutes until golden-brown.  Remove the biscuits from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  These biscuits are delicious with hummus or other dips, and are very moreish.




Breadsticks and the Bready Steady Go! July Linky

Wednesday, 1 July 2015

I'm delighted to be hosting Bready, Steady, Go again this month.  My co-creator Jen hosted last month and there were some delicious entries.  It's great to see so many people enjoying the process of baking their own bread.  It tastes so much better than a shop bought loaf and you can vary the recipe to suit your own preferences.  All 3 of my girls know how to bake a basic loaf, and a couple of fancier ones, and it is such a useful skill for them to have mastered.

I baked these breadsticks on a Sunday afternoon, thinking they could be used for packed lunches or snacks during the week.  How wrong I was! They were devoured in less than 15 minutes.  I managed to keep my family from eating them long enough to take photos but once I had a decent shot or two they were devouring them at great speed.

I used some brown bread flour to add a little more flavour and texture to the breadsticks but you can use just white bread flour if you prefer, just decrease the water to 300ml.  I served the sweet breadsticks with some Berry Yoghurt Dip.



Breadsticks

350g strong white bread flour 
150g strong brown bread flour
7g sachet instant yeast
1 Tblsp sugar 
2 tsp salt
320ml lukewarm water
50ml oil

Mix the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a big bowl. Mix the water and oil together then add to the dry ingredients and until a soft dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured and knead for 10 minutes (or use the dough hook attachment on your mixer).

Lightly grease the mixing bowl with some oil. Put the dough into the bowl and cover with clingfilm. Leave until doubled in size. Knock back the dough by gently kneading for a minute or two. Leave the dough to rise again if you haven't time to shape and bake it. I did this as I was stuck under a sleeping baby so one of my older children knocked the dough back and covered the bowl again so the dough could rise a second time.

Divide the dough into quarters. Pinch off small amounts of dough and roll them into sticks. I was able to get approximately 60 breadsticks from the dough. Put the shaped breadsticks onto lined oven trays and leave to prove for 15 minutes before baking.

Should you wish to flavour the breadsticks, either knead herbs or additions in before shaping or brush the breadsticks with melted butter and sprinkle over toppings. I sprinkled cinnamon sugar over half of the breadsticks then the other half were a mixture of freshly ground pepper and grated Parmesan. 

Preheat your oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas Mark 4. Bake the breadsticks for 12-18 minutes, until golden and crisp. Cool on wire racks.




Challenge Guidelines


Bready Steady Go! will run from 1st until the 28th of each month and then a round up will be posted by the hosting blog at the end of the month.

You can link up any bread recipe, sometimes we may also run themed challenges, and feel free to join in with other challenges if your post also meets their guidelines. If you really love baking bread then you can add multiple entries up to a maximum of 3 per blog each month.

Please link back to Jen’s Food and Utterly Scrummy Food For Families and include the badge to help spread the word.

We’d prefer to see entries from new blog posts where possible but you can also add old posts if you add the badge and link back to our blogs as well.

You can tweet your entries to @JensFood and @UtterlyScrummy using the hashtag #breadysteadygo and we will retweet all that we see.

All entries will also pinned to our new Pinterest board as they come in.

If you make a recipe from a book/magazine/website etc please respect copyright and do not reproduce the recipe verbatim. Instead of copying out the recipe from the book, describe it in your own words and if it’s from an online source please link to the original content rather than copying full recipe.

So what are you waiting for?! Bready, Steady, Go bake some bread!


3 Ingredient Berry Ice Cream Slice

Tuesday, 30 June 2015
I usually don't make ice cream as we don't have a machine and I can't be bothered taking a bowl out of the freezer to mix the contents every so often.  I inevitably forget and it turns into crystallised lumps due to my neglect.  

I decided to try a different method, one that is totally low faff, and only needs mixing once at the beginning of the process.  I altered a cheesecake recipe that I'd developed and tweaked it to be freezable without going rock solid.  After some experimentation, this recipe was born.  This a great base for using up any berry gluts you might have and the ice cream was enthusiastically devoured by my family, even bubs had some.  

You could use stone fruit instead of berries, the recipe is a great base for experimentation with flavours.  I discovered condensed milk now comes in a squirty bottle, much easier than having a partly used opened tin languishing about.



3 Ingredient Berry Ice Cream Slice

600ml double cream
300ml condensed milk
300g blackberries
400g strawberries
a dollop of vanilla bean paste (optional)

Beat the double cream and condensed milk together until thick and holding it's shape.  Divide the mixture into thirds.  Blitz the berries and add each to a third of the mixture.  Pour each flavour into a lined 23cm cake tin, taking care not to mix the flavours unless you want a marbled look, and gently smooth the top.  

You could freeze each layer before adding another layer but who has time for that?!  This is meant to be a low faff recipe after all.  Put in the freezer overnight, or for at least 6 hours, then slice and devour.



Boozy (or not) Cherry Fizz

Tuesday, 23 June 2015
I love Summer! I dread the gloomy Winter months of endless grey skies and rain.  Having said that, the great British Summer can be a real mixed bag weather wise and you can bet that it will either be a scorcher or a washout - there never seems to be an in between.

When Waitrose asked me to develop a Summer recipe as part of their Taste of Summer Campaign, I immediately thought of a thirst quenching drink with the fruity flavours of the season that can be either a mocktail or cocktail for casual picnics or special summer gatherings.


Boozy (or not) Cherry Fizz


250g frozen or fresh pitted cherries
handful of fresh mint leaves
4 Tblsp/60ml lime juice (I used 3 limes)
zest from one lime
3 handfuls of ice, if using fresh cherries
500ml sparkling water/soda water or lemonade
sugar to taste, I used 2 Tblsp
150ml - 250ml rum or vodka (optional)

I used my Froothie power blender to make this drink.  If you're using a normal blender, just be sure to break the ice up a bit before adding it to the blender and add it gradually.  Blenders can be damaged by trying to blend too much ice at once.  

Put the cherries, mint leaves, lime juice and zest and half of the ice along with the sparkling water/soda water.  Blend well until completely combined.  Add rum/vodka if using, the rest of the ice and the sugar if needed.  Blend until mixed, then serve.



Throughout the summer months, Waitrose are asking people to share their favourite summer flavours on social media.  Whether it’s an ice cream at the seaside, burgers on the BBQ or a cold crisp glass of wine, they're are going to be celebrating the nation’s diversity of tastes this summer and providing inspiration all summer long.

Waitrose will be rewarding lucky members of their community for sharing their favourite tastes with a number of exclusive food experiences – including an invite to a barbecue event with Heston Blumenthal at one of his pubs in Bray, a cocktail and canapés course at the Waitrose Cookery School in London and a complete summer party menu catered for by the Waitrose Entertaining team.

All you have to do is tell Waitrose about your favourite #TasteOfSummer on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the chance to win one of their exciting summer food experiences.  Happy sharing, and enjoy the summer!


* I was compensated for my time, expertise and ingredients used when creating this recipe *

Picnic Lunch Bread Cases - Credit Crunch Munch for April

Wednesday, 1 April 2015


I'm delighted to be hosting Credit Crunch Munch this month.  The challenge was devised by Camilla and Helen as a way of sharing frugal, thrifty and delicious recipes each month.  Link up your scrumptious budget conscious recipes using the linky at the bottom of this post.

It is school holidays here for us and my lovely children are bottomless pit at the moment.  Keeping them fed and watered without them over eating or indulging in too many treats is a challenge.  I baked these tasty morsels for us to take to the park for lunch.  Playing at the local park is a fun, free, boredom busting school holiday activity, and a great way for them to burn off energy and get rid of grumpiness.

These tasty morsels are great for using up veg lurking in the fridge and bread that may be passed it's best.  I used diced ham leftover from a ham roast, chives from our garden and some peppers that needed using up from our veg drawer in the fridge.  I've used grated carrot and courgette in the past, the recipe is easily adapted to whatever you have in the fridge or cupboards.  You could also use tinned or frozen veg, just defrost the veg before using. 



Picnic Lunch Bread Cases

3 spring onions, finely sliced – green and white parts or some chives
4 slices of ham, diced (optional)
1 pepper, finely diced – any colour will do
handful or two of frozen vegetables (optional)
12 slices wholemeal bread, crusts removed
8 medium free range eggs
150ml milk
grated cheese for topping (optional)

Preheat your oven to 180°C/160°C Fan. Spray a metal 12 hole muffin tin with non-stick baking spray.

Push the bread into the muffin tin holes then spoon in the ham and vegetables.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and some salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture evenly into the prepared bread cases. When pouring in the egg mixture into the cases, pour until it reaches the top of the muffin hole. The egg mixture will absorb into the bread a little so pour all 12 first then you can go back and add more if you have egg mixture left over.

Bake for 20 minutes. Leave to sit for 5 minutes before removing from the tin. Serve.



How to enter Credit Crunch Munch

To take part, blog about a food related money saving idea and add your post to the Linky.  Thrifty ideas include:

Dishes using cheaper ingredients – cheap cuts of meat or vegetarian
Meals using leftovers
Meals using up the ends of packets
Substitutions of cheaper ingredients
Packed lunches
Meals that use less energy to cook
Pressure cooking
Slow cooking
Faster cooking – less oven time for example
Batch cooking for the freezer
Sustainable foods
Food you have grown yourself
Meals from reduced food in the supermarket

The list is endless! 

We do do a full round up so I will be mentioning and linking back to all the recipes that are submitted in my round up at the end of the month.

There are a few rules:

Please link to the Credit Crunch Munch pages on Fuss Free Flavours and Fab Food 4 All
Please link to the current host (ME!)
Please use the Credit Crunch Munch Badge above
Tweet using #creditcrunchmunch
Closing date – last day of the month – so 30th April 2015
You are welcome to link up one or two old posts, but please republish them
By entering you are agreeing to let us use an image from your entry on this site, and to pin to Pinterest
If blogging a recipe from elsewhere on the internet or a book please be mindful of copyright.
But feel free to send your entries to as many other blogging challenge events as you like, let’s help everyone save money!

Tell me about your money saving ideas on the linky below! I am also making this a blog hop, so feel free to grab the code and add to your post too. Let’s spread the money saving ideas!

We’ll be looking for guest hosts later in the year, so please mail Helen if you are interested. helen at fussfreeflavours dot com


Blueberry Cake

Wednesday, 18 March 2015
I baked this cake as a treat for us all around Mothering Sunday (Mother's Day) here in the UK.  My daughters made me homemade cards and we had a leisurely day at home relaxing and enjoying each others company.  I was able to sneak an afternoon nap too as bubs had be up just before 5am.

It is a quick and easy bake to make, as most of my recipes are, and is great for an afternoon or morning tea treat.



Blueberry Cake

120g butter
120g caster sugar
1 dollop vanilla bean paste or 2 tsp vanilla extract
175g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 medium free range eggs, beaten
200g fresh blueberries

Preheat your oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas Mark 4.  Grease and line two 7 inch/18cm cake tins.

Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla together until light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding 1 tablespoon of flour with each egg.  Fold through the rest of the flour followed by the blueberries.

Divide the mixture evenly between your prepared cake tins and level the top.  Bake the cakes for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.  

Sandwich the cakes together with buttercream or whipped fresh cream.  I used lemon buttercream.


Chocolate Overload Slice

Saturday, 24 January 2015
This slice is the invention of my 8yo, she made it when we had our After School Club session last week.  It is great to be able to spend time with her and watch her bake, make or craft whilst having a chat.
We started with a Tiffin base then added a layer of marshmallows followed by a layer of melted chocolate then sprinkles.  Everything sweet and baked needs sprinkles, it's the law, so says 8yo. Who am I to disagree?



Chocolate Overload Slice

4 Tblsp golden syrup
125g butter
250g shortbread finger biscuits
4 Tblsp cocoa powder
75g raisins
200g pack marshmallows
250g plain chocolate, roughly chopped

We used a microwave to make this slice, you could use a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water instead.  Measure the golden syrup and butter into a large pyrex jug or non-metallic bowl.  Melt in the microwave on full power for about 1.5 - 2 minutes in 30 second bursts.  

Whilst the butter and syrup are melting, put the biscuits into a plastic bag, seal it and gently crush the biscuits.  You want small chunks of biscuit, not totally crushed to crumbs, so don't be too vigorous.  

Once the butter and golden syrup have melted, mix them together until totally combined.  Then add the cocoa and mix until completely incorporated.  Finally mix in the raisins and the crushed biscuits.

Pour the mix into a lined tin and spread it out evenly then level the surface.  Put the marshmallows into a microwave safe bowl or jug and heat on full power for about 45 seconds until melted.  Pour over the tiffin base.

Finally, heat the chocolate in the microwave in 30 second bursts for a total of 2 - 3 minutes until melted.   Alternatively you could put the chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and stir until melted.  

Pour the melted chocolate evenly over the melted marshmallow layer and carefully spread it out to completely cover the slice.  Sprinkle over some sugar stars or other sprinkles if you want.

Put the tiffin in the fridge for at an hour to set.  Cut into small squares to serve.


Strawberry and Lime Cheesecakes

Friday, 22 August 2014
I made these treats on a Sunday afternoon last weekend for our pudding that evening.  We'd had a busy day gardening and tidying up the house so a tasty pudding was well deserved.  This recipe serves 4, as I didn't have any due to my strict gestational diabetes diet.


Strawberry and Lime Cheesecakes

100g digestive biscuits, crushed 
50g melted butter
6 Tblsp/90ml sweetened condensed milk (not the light version)
250g mascapone cheese
zest and juice of 2 limes
150g strawberries, sliced

Mix together the crushed biscuits and melted butter.  Divide evenly between glasses or ramekins and press down firmly with the back of a spoon. 

In a bowl, mix the condensed milk, mascapone, juice from both limes and zest from 1 lime together until thoroughly mixed and creamy.  Spoon into glasses or ramekins on top of the crushed biscuit base.  Chill until ready to serve, or for at least 15 minutes.  

Just before serving top each cheesecake with some sliced strawberries and the zest of a lime.


I'm entering these cheesecakes into Dead Easy Desserts, created by Sarah and hosted by Slice Off Me for August.  The theme this month is Strawberries.  

dead-easy-desserts

Mini Picnic Bakes

Saturday, 9 August 2014
I baked these for our lunch today and they disappeared in seconds.  In fact, despite the recipe making 12 muffin sized and 16 mini muffin sized morsels, there were demands for even more of them.  

Perfect for a picnic or as canapes, these Mini Picnic Bakes are packed with vegetables and very moreish.  You could vary the contents, use whatever vegetables you have on hand, these are great for using up vegetables lurking in the fridge.  We enjoyed these morsels with crudites for lunch but next time will probably have them with potato or pasta salad and a green salad for dinner.



Mini Picnic Bakes

2 courgettes
2 peppers, finely diced (any colour will do)
3 spring onions, finely sliced
1 small tin sweetcorn, drained (we use no added salt and sugar variety)
100g wholemeal breadcrumbs
250g ricotta cheese
100g Parmesan or other strong flavoured hard cheese, finely grated
4 large free range eggs
2 cloves garlic, crushed
freshly ground black pepper

Preheat your oven to 180C/160C Fan.

Grease 12 holes of a muffin tin and 16 holes of a mini muffin tin.  Use a vegetable peeler to make long ribbons from one courgette and lay one ribbon across the bottom of each muffin hole.  This makes them much easier to remove from the tins once baked.  Finely dice the other courgette and mix with all the other ingredients.  Spoon the filling evenly in to the prepared trays and fold any over hanging courgette ribbons over the top.  Grate a little extra Parmesan over the top then bake the larger muffin sized morsels for 20 - 25 minutes and the smaller mini muffin sized ones for 15 - 20 minutes.



I'm linking this recipe up with No Waste Food Challenge as we used up the remaining vegetables in the fridge and made sure nothing was wasted before our next weekly shop was delivered. The challenge was created by Elizabeth and is being hosted this month by Laura.


I am also joining in with Extra Veg, a monthly blog challenge devised by Helen and I and hosted this month by Sarah. Extra Veg encourages us all to add extra vegetables to our meals.


I am also submitting this to Alphabakes, the blog challenge created by  The More than Occasional Baker and Caroline Makes, Caroline is hosting this month and the letter is P. These Mini Picnic Bakes contain pepper so fit the guidelines.


I'm also linking up with Speedy Suppers, created by Sarah and Katie, the theme this month is Picnics.  Sarah is hosting this month.

speedy suppers

This recipe is also suitable for Simple and in Season as almost everyone with an allotment has a glut of courgettes at the moment and they feature in this recipe.  Simple and in Season, was created by Ren and is hosted this month by Elizabeth.

simpleandinseason

I'm also joining in with Family Foodies, created and hosted alternately by Eat Your Veg and Bangers and Mash, the theme this month is The Under Twos and Eat Your Veg is hosting.  These Mini Picnic Morsels would be perfect toddler picnic food, particularly the mini muffin sized ones.




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