One day recently I found out that our little Spanish girl loves pancakes.  It just slipped out in a conversation as these things do . . .  and so I decided to treat her to a lovely batch of them one morning.   I know . . .  I am spoiling her, but it's just so darned nice to have a young person around.  I truly am enjoying the experience and her! 

One of the nice things about having someone else in the house is that Ariana likes Pasta and now I have the perfect excuse to cook it and not feel guilty about it.   Today I made this simple and yet incredibly tasty pasta dish that  Ariana and I both really enjoyed, and the Toddster dined on leftover meat and potatoes.  Everybody was happy!

I have to admit that broccoli is not one of the Toddster's favourite vegetables.  I love the stuff, but he's not so keen.   It's one of those vegetables however that is really very good for you and so I am always looking for ways to incorporate it into our diets, that are appealing to him at least in some small way.

I love, love blueberries and we are right in the midst of our blueberry season here in the UK at the moment.  I know my sister has been picking the juicy little blue jewels for a few weeks now in Canada.  I can never get enough of them during the season and I always freeze tons to use in the Winter months.  Today I decided to make a delicious sauce with them!

 

I have to admit, that of all the sandwiches out there, and all the sandwiches I have eaten in my lifetime, my favourite has to be the good old fashioned Cheese Toastie, or Grilled Cheese as it is also called.  Over here they call sandwiches sarnies in some places.  Or Baps . . . 

Bap. Sarnie.  Toastie.   Sandwich.  Truth be told no matter what they are called this carb loving heart of mine just adores them whatever they be called, and the grilled cheese is my most favourite-est indulgence of all!

Occasionally you see something which is totally outrageous and yet strangely appealing at the same time.  That's the way it was for me when I saw these toasted Spaghetti and Cheese sandwiches popping up all over the net.  

We have a lovely girl staying with us at the moment from Spain.   She is working at the hospital and so I have been making her a lunch to take with her each day.  Today, in my quest to get away from sandwiches, I made her a deliciously different salad for a change.

I love to cook and eat chicken.   Once upon a time, when I was working full time . . .  I was able to afford free range organic chicken, and I won't like . . . it was lovely.  These days all I can rise to buy with the budget I have to work with is higher welfare chicken.  I am not sure I want to really know what constitutes higher welfare, but  . . .  I like to believe that they are not that badly treated, or as badly treated as the other kind.    Unemployment is a great equalizer.  If I could afford it I would certainly still prefer to buy free range and organic, but one must do what one must do.

The temps have really dropped here these past couple of days.   It seems we are getting winds from the North and things are getting pretty cool, even down to they say only 3 degrees early tomorrow morning!  Who would believe it in August?  Crazy!

I received another tasty Degustabox at the end of July and have been enjoying it's contents in the ensuing weeks.  You can see evidence of that in the lovely Lemon and Chocolate Chip Cake I baked with the bar of Green & Black's Lemon Bar a bit later on but first I want to tell you all about what I got in the July Box.






 I do enjoy these boxes when they arrive each month.   It's like getting a Christmas package because you never know what is going to be in it until it arrives.  It's quite exciting really! Once a month, each month Degustabox will deliver to your home 10 to 15 new, special or innovative food products for you to try in the comfort of your own home via a subscription service.  A monthly subscription costs £9.99 and there is a delivery fee of £3, for a total of £12.99, and what you receive can be tailored to the types of things that you like and would use.   

This month I chose to bake a Lemon and Chocolate Chunk Cake from the box.



A deliciously moist loaf cake . . . with a buttery moist batter, enriched with the light tang of plain yogurt and the subtle flavour of fresh lemon zest . . . and studded lucious little bits of creamy dark lemon flavoured chocolate . . .  what's not to like?

 

Mondy evenings are always Family Home Evenings in our house.   This is a special night each week that we set apart to do things together as a family.   Usually we share a special thought, some fun activity and a special treat to share.  It's a church thing, and we feel it is inspired and it helps us to draw closer together as a family.

Hooray for the weekend!  I usually reserve the weekends for cooking us a nice big breakfast. It might be a full on fry up . . . or it might be something as simple as muffins. It all depends on how I feel and how hungry we are. Generally though,  I like to pull out all the stops and cook something really scrummy for us to enjoy.

I usually like to bake something scrummy for our weekend breakfasts.  A breakfast cake of some sort, scones . . .  tea loaves, muffins.   What I bake depends totally on what I have to hand and what kind of a mood I am in.   This week I had some bananas that needed using and so I decided to bake these delicious Banana, Coconut and Macadamia Nut Muffins!

Three new cooking rubs have been added to the Newman's Own Range to help recreate a US-style BBQ!  You can bring these delicious American flavours to your own kitchen this summer with the new range of American style Rubs, an easy way to recreate the flavours of US low'n slow-style BBQ food at home.   The rubs deliver authentic succulent flavours. 

All natural, these delicious rubs are based on traditional USA regional recipes!




Kentucky Style Rub for Ribs!  For melt in the mouth ribs serving six to eight,  you only need a tube of this tasty rib rub, 2 kg of pork ribs and 100ml of cold water!

 

Texas Style Rub for Brisket! Now doesn't that look delicious!  Again, for a mouth watering Brisket that will feed six to eight people all you need is the tube of rub, a 2kg Beef brisket and 100ml of water.



Carolina Style Rub for Pulled Pork.  A taste sensation that is really catching on over here in the UK!  For six to eight you will need a tube of the Pulled Pork Rub,  2kg of pork shoulder and 100ml of water.



The rubs are available now from ASDA stores from the all-profits-to-charity brand, Newman's Own,  joining the rest of their American condiments range launched this year.   I just love LOVE their Smokin Hot Dog Sauce!  It packs a tasty punch.   The rubs retail for £1.59 per tube. 

Newman's Own, the all-profits-to-charity family favourite, already has a range of salad dressings (love the Blue Cheese and the Caesar), BBQ sauces, pasta sauces and marinades availale througout the UK.  Newman's own has already donated over £1 million to a wide range of charities in the UK alone and over £250 million donated around the world via the Newman's Own Foundation. 

I love that I can enjoy a tasty meal and know that at the same time a portion of the money I have spent is going to support charities both here in the UK and abroad!

Continuing on with my week of celebrations, I just have to share with you one of my favourite soup/stews!  Corn Chowder!   This is a hearty family favourite that I have been making for my family and myself for many, many years.  It is a tried and true!

 

It is chock full of vegetables . . .  potatoes (of course!) celery, onions, carrots . . . and of course bacon.  I use pancetta these days because I like the flavour of it, but you can use just ordinary bacon.  I like the thicker cut bacon, and if you are lucky enough to be able to find home smoked bacon, then you are in for a real treat!

 Well today is my birthday.  Boo Hoo  Fifty nine years old.  However did that happen.  No matter, happen it did and I am celebrating!  Ten friends are coming over for lunch today and we are going to do it in style.  I am looking forward to seeing and spending time with them.



This is the cake that I always  make for my Birthday.  It just wouldn't be my birthday without it.  I make it every year, no fail, and this year it is no different.

This is the first of my week of celebrations posts!  It is my birthday on Wednesday of this week and it will mark the beginning of my last year as a fifty something year old!  (I know! Boo Hoo, how did that happen?  I still feel sixteen inside.  It's that first look in the mirror in the morning that's the kicker!)

Some days you just want something for breakfast that is really bad and a bit naughty.  I know cake is a good thing to fill that urge, but sometimes you want it only a bit naughty, but still a bit decadent . . . any woman would know what I am talking about I think . . .

 


I recently bought a little booklet at the grocery store, entitled Delicious Pastries.  I fear I have been in love with puff pastry my whole life, fueled by trips made to my French Grandmaman's home where we would feast on caramel filled puff pastry squares dolloped with thick sweet cream . . . mmmm . . . so good.

I have something spectacularly simple and yet very elegant to share with you today.

These little gems are quite old fashioned, coming from a recipe that's been around a very long time. (1933) I have a series of cookery books in my home library, called The Farmer's Wife cookbooks. I have the Baking one, the Comfort Foods one, and one simply entitled The Farmer's Wife. There are quite a few others as well, but I haven't managed to collect them just yet.



These are lovely ring bound cookery books, just stogged full of tried and trues, family and farm tested recipes, based on simple, wholesome and nourishing ingredients.