Have you ever bought ready made garlic cheese bread at the shops?  I have and it is gross.  Sorry if I have offended anyone. I seriously doubt they even use real butter in it.  It smells garlicky, yes, but also hugely artificial!   I much prefer my own homemade Herbed Garlic Cheese Bread.


There is nothing artificial here.  It is nothing but pure ingredients.  Butter.  Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese . . .  not the already grated.  Grating your own is far superior.


Fresh garlic cloves . . .  peeled and minced.  I add three for a large loaf, but if you want more you could certainly add more.  I think three is the perfect mount however.

When I make it at this time of year I take advantage of the fresh herbs growing in the garden.  But of course if you cannot get the fresh herbs you can use dried, just cut the amounts in half.



You can use any kind of loaf with this really, but I like a nice crusty French loaf.  Not a baguette, but a full sized loaf. You can also use a sour dough loaf.   This is an organic French loaf.





With just enough butter, just enough garlic, just enough herbs and just enough cheese. You can't go wrong.

I love chicken wings and I know I am not alone in this.  They are always the first thing to disappear on buffet tables, and I know that at the Chinese All You Can Eat Buffet back home, they are really hard to get your hands on.  People just inhale them!


Chicken wings are a relatively inexpensive cut of chicken to buy. You can usually but big packs of them for not a lot in comparison to other cuts.  Mind you they are mostly bone, but that's okay.  The meat on them is succulent and delicious. 


I used to buy lots of large packs of chicken wings when my children were growing up.  It was one way of feeding my hungry lot for not a lot of dosh!  I used to just season them all over and bake them long and slow and they were delectable.





85g good quality blue cheese, crumbled (3 ounces)

 Miso is not something which I had ever tasted in my life before this past weekend.  I have read about it and always wanted to try it . . .  but it wasn't until I saw a recipe for a Miso Baked Cod in a recent issue of Delicious magazine that I was actually prompted to buy some, and I have to say . . .  with all honesty I have fallen in love.

 Usually at the weekend I try to do us some sort of breakfast treat . . .  something which is a bit out of the ordinary cereal that we have on weekday mornings.  We are not really heavy eaters so we never do the bacon and eggs thing for breakfast . . .  that's usually a dinner deal for us.  We do like pancakes, or french toast, muffins, cinnamon rolls, cinnamon toast . . . and when I saw this on Pinterest the other day . . .  Coconut Toast . . .  I knew that I wanted to make it.  It just sounded good, very good.

I wanted to share this tasty dip with you before Halloween.  I made it for the Missionaries the night of the party we had for them.  It's a variation on my Mexican dip, with the main variations being in how you layer everything in the dish and in presentation.

I really love hummus.   Shop bought hummus is  really convenient, readily available and really convenient to use. But how much better is homemade . . .  I adore homemade hummus.  It's quite easy to make nd not very time consuming and boy, is it ever delicious.  I enjoy serving and eating it with raw vegetable sticks and toasted pita's for a really healthy snack.

I was invited to a pot luck luncheon the other day, which ended up being a surprise birthday lunch for me.  I was so surprised and honored and thrilled that people thought enough of me to want to do that!  Colour me gob smacked!  I guess you just never see yourself as other people do and it really cheered my heart to know I am thought of in a very nice way.  Anyways, I had baked several tea breads/loaves to take and made some of this delicious Cinnamon Honey Butter to spread over it.

 I do so love a good dip and a good dipper to dip into a good dip!  With it being sports season this recipe is one that will come in really handy over the coming weeks.  Hockey, British Footie, American Football . . .  there is nothing like sharing good game viewing with friends and good food at the same time!

When Queen Elizabeth visited France this year for the D-Day Commemorations she experienced one of France’s most cherished and traditional cheeses. As her annual speech approaches on Christmas Day, why not follow suit and discover the delights of Comté for yourself?

Comté is handcrafted by artisans, using a method which has not changed for centuries. Thanks to its versatility, Comté pairs superbly with both red and white wine along with Champagne, making it a tasty choice for Christmas party nibbles. To make Comté even more festive why not pair it with orange zest, which perfectly complements its creamy undertones? What’s more, the intense flavours of Comté make it the perfect addition to your Christmas cheeseboard. Thanks to their aromas of butter and caramel, young Comté is especially complimented by chutneys, especially the sweet, rich flavours of fig chutney.

Comté’s full-spectrum of delicious flavours makes it ideal for numerous festive recipes, such as scallops with a Comté and hazelnut crust. The breadcrumb, hazelnut and Comté mix adds a deliciously festive twist to lightly fried scallops, making it the perfect Christmas Day aperitif. Or, when the festivities are over, why not add it to your Boxing Day platter, or combine it with leftover turkey in some delicious puff-pastry rolls? Warm, melted Comté and spice-infused Turkey breast is encased in a golden-brown pastry, which will keep your family full even after the decorations have been taken down.

Comté is available from all major supermarkets, as well as specialist farm shops and delis. To learn more about Comté, its complex range of flavours and ideal pairings please visit www.comtecheese.co.uk. You can also follow Comté on twitter @Comte_Cheese or on Facebook, www.facebook.com/ComteCheeseUK.  

I was recently sent some of this lovely cheese and challenged to come up with some recipes that you might find handy over the holidays!



This first recipe is for a lovely cheese dip/spread.  It's simple to make and would be perfect for an informal holiday get together.



This delicious cheese is simply cut into cubes and mixed with some fontina cheese and scattered into a baking dish along with some olive oil, garlic and some herbs.  It is then popped under the grill until the whole thing melts and amalgamates into a  rich and scrummy mixture which is excellent for dipping or spreading onto toasted slices of baguette.




Trim off and discard the rinds of your cheeses.  Cut the cheese into 1/2 inch dice.   Mix them together and then scatter them in a heavy cast iron shallow gratin dish or skillet.  Drizzle the olive oil over all.   Mix together the garlic, thyme, rosemary, black pepper and sea salt.  Sprinkle this mixture evenly over top of the cheese.   Place the pan beneath the grill and roast until the cheese melts, bubbles and begins to turn golden brown in spots.  Serve the melted cheese at the table along with your toasted baguette slices and a spoon so that people can dip in and spoon the dip out onto the bread.  Alternately you can just serve with torn chunks of baguette and people can dip the bread.



The next recipe is for a Gourmet Mac and Cheese that is the perfect do ahead that you can have waiting in the fridge, ready to pop into the oven when your company arrives and would also be the perfect casserole to serve along side of your leftover sliced ham and turkey on Boxing Day.   A few crusty rolls and some salad and your Boxing Day is sorted!



Its also very simple to make but has a gloriously rich holiday feel and flavour  which comes from the use of three different cheese, including that lovely almost caramel like richness of the comte cheese.

 

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.  Butter a shallow 1 litre baking dish.  Pour in the pasta and cheese sauce.   Mix together the remaining cheeses along with the Parmesan cheese and sprinkle over top  Sprinkle the crumbled crackers over top.  Bake in the heated oven for 30 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly.  Allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving. 




























Comté cheese is made in the Massif du Jura region of France and has been for over 1,000 years. Montbéliarde and French Simmental are the only cows allowed for the production of Comté milk. They must only be fed with natural feed and have at least 2.5 acres of grazing pasture.

Comté’s methods of production are still based on the original co-operative approach and artisan traditions. Each day it is lovingly crafted in around 160 small village fruitières. Often situated in the heart of the village, each fruitière continues to receive milk from dedicated dairy farms situated within an 8 mile radius to guarantee its absolute freshness. This radius also ensures all 160 remain active and the Massif du Jura region maintains its fruitière diversity.

Lovingly crafted every day, the freshly made cheese wheels are pre-ripened for a few weeks before moving to one of the 16 maturing cellars. Here the affineurs look after them for 4 to 18 months or more; regularly turning, salting and rubbing each one with brine solution. Over time a crust appears and every Comté wheel develops its unique smooth texture, rich colour and delicious range of flavours.

Hooray for June!  Strawberry Season is officially upon us!  I just adore strawberries, and especially home grown British berries!  In fact I only eat British berries and refuse to eat strawberries out of season.  There is nothing more gorgeous to eat then British berries and in all truth once you have feasted on them, no other strawberry comes close.  I don't want flavourless strawberries from Peru in January.  I want fresh Berries from Kent or my back garden here in Chester, in June and July!  End of.



Hold on to your socks because over the next few weeks I will be sharing as many delicious ways of eating these lovely berries with you that I can!  As I eat my fill of them I am going to be sharing with you all that I do with them, beginning here today with these delicious Fresh Strawberry Waffles served with Caramel and Strawberry Dips!



There is a delightfully rich caramel dip . . . made with cream cheese, brown sugar, vanilla and topped with sweet bits of fudge . . .  pretty to look at and oh so wonderful to dip these delicious crisp on the outside, soft on the inside stogged full of lovely bits of strawberry Finger waffles into!



And then there is a fresh and fruity strawberry dip, made with fresh berries . . .  try double dipping, for double the pleasure . . .



Served up with more fresh berries, also for dipping into both dips for a sensational breakfast or brunch!  Oh, this is so wonderful it would also make a fabulous dessert at one of your early summer barbecues!



I had actually planned on making heart shaped waffles, but somebody accidentally took my heart shaped waffle baker to the charity shop a few months back, but we won't mention any names.  I spent hours searching for it on Saturday to no avail.  I then checked to see if I could get another one and found this brilliant finger waffle maker at Argos for a pretty good price.



They went down a real treat with the Toddster, and I do confess, I had a difficult time keeping my passions in control and made a bit of a pig of myself with them too!



But what's a gal to do!  It's strawberry season, and I am very weak . . .  and these dang waffles were just so very tasty!  And the dips . . . wowsa!  I have made the caramel dip before to go with fruit . . . but with these waffles . . .  it made them positively irresistible!  I do hope you'll give them a go!  Yes, I did eat some fruit on the side as well . . . fruit is good for you.  ☺



*Fresh Strawberry Waffles with Caramel and Strawberry Dips*

I have entered this recipe into the Rix Seasonal Recipe Competition for June.  This months ingredient was strawberries.