120ml heavy cream (1/2 cup)
Trim the fat on the chops to about 1/4 inch, saving the trimmings.  Slash the fat on the chops at 1/4 inch intervals.  Place the trimmings into a pan and heat them over medium heat to release the fat and melt them a bit.  Season the chops all over with salt and black pepper.   Brown the chops well on both sides over medium heat.  Remove to a plate and set aside.  Add the onions and mushrooms to the pan.  Cook and stir to brown lightly.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Add both mustards, honey, thyme and chicken stock.  Bring to the boil, then reduce to a low simmer.  Return the chops to the pan, turning them to coat in the pan juices.  Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until tender and cooked through.  Remove the chops to a serving platter.  Add the cream to the pan juices and whisk to combine.  Bring to the boil, then pour over the chops on the serving platter.  Serve immediately.

The man really enjoys these with some mashed potatoes, but rice would work equally as well.  I also like to serve a green vegetable on the side. Today it was a mix of green and wax beans.  Delicious! 

It went down a real treat.  Todd was so happy when I gave it to him.  It smelled amazing when it was baking and I am happy to say he gobbled the whole thing down in contentment.  

Now who's a lucky boy then?

pouring cream or custard  
 
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.    Have ready a large wide brimmed mug, large enough to hold your filling.  Mine is about 4 inches in circumference.

Sift the flour into a bowl with the salt.  Drop in the cold butter.  Rub the butter in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.  Add the water and toss together with a fork.  Bring the mixture together into a ball, kneading lightly.  Remove about 1/3 of the ball and roll it into a long rope, long enough to measure around the circumference of your mug.  Brush the edge of the mug with some milk and then press the rope around the edge to adhere.  This is what your top pastry will stick to.

 Roll out the remaining pastry, on a lightly floured surface, into a round large enough to cover the mug nnd then some.  I used a floured 4 inch round fluted cutter to cut out an exact circle shape to fit on top.  Brush the pastry edge of the mug lightly with some milk.  




 Place onto a baking tray ad bake in the preheated oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and the apples are cooked.   Serve warm with or without pouring cream or custard.

My husband is a died and true Meat and Potatoes man.   He's not bothered with having anything fancy.  Simply prepared, meat and potatoes . . .  he's a happy camper.  It comes from having been brought up during WW2, during rationing, etc.  He's happy with most things you put in front of him, but simple food pleases him most of all.

Todd fancied a nice hot bowl of soup today for his dinner.   I never use tinned soups if I can help it.  Homemade soup is so much tastier and not that hard to make.  I had leeks in the vegetable drawer and so I made him a pot of Potato and Leek Soup.  I was actually surprised that I had not posted my recipe on here yet, so here you go . . .  today you get my recipe for Potato and Leek Soup!

Prerheat the oven to 160*C/325*F/ gas mark 3.   Using a heavy based flameproof casserole, brown the sausage in the oil for about 5 minutes.   Remove to a plate.  Add the bacon lardons to the pan along with the onion.   Brown for 5 minutes.  Add the thyme, mushrooms and garlic and cook for several minutes longer, until very fragrant.  Sprinkle with the flour and then slowly whisk in the apple juice.  Bring to the boil, then reduce and simmer for about 5 minutes.  Taste and adjust seasoning as needed with salt and pepper.   Return the sausages to the dish, along with any juices.   Cover tightly.   Bake in the oven for 45 minutes.   Serve hot and spooned out onto heated plates along with the buttery mash and veg on the side. 

 


The Toddster grew up during the War years.  He was born just before the beginning of WW2, and was only 7 years old when it finished.  His mom was a very traditional cook, and of course there was rationing for all of his growing up years.  He has very fond memories however of the dishes his mother made.  He especially loved her meat puddings.



When I talk about a meat pudding here I am not talking about a sweet pudding, but a very delicious steamed savoury pudding, stogged full of meat and gravy.  Some might think it a bit stodgy . . . but then again dishes which were popular during those years were designed to fill em up with less meat and more stodge.



Todd was longing for a meat pudding and so I did a search online to see if I could find a good one.  I found a fabulous one on BBC GoodFood.  It was called Beef, Ale and Parsnip Pudding and it looked fabulous!



Since it was my first time making a meat pudding, I followed the recipe exactly this first time.  It was very easy to do.  I think just about anyone could do it.  The only change I made was to substitute half of the beef suet for grated cold butter.



It was fabulously delicious!  I quite liked it myself, and Todd was in Meat Pudding heaven!  The gravy was rich and wonderful.  The pastry was nice and crisp, and the meat so tender.   Unlike the BBC recipe, I also cooked the filling the day before and chilled it overnight.  I didn't feel right about adding a hot filling to the pastry.   It worked beautifully.



I served it simply with some boiled potatoes and a mix of savoy cabbage, leeks and cavolo nero.  It went down a real treat!  Todd can't wait until he gets the leftovers tomorrow!



Butter a sheet of baking parchment generously.  Fold a large pleat in the centre.  Lay, butterside down, on top of the pudding.  Cover with a pleated layer of foil.  Tie with a string, making a loop that you can use to life the pudding out with at the end. 

Sit a small trivet or a large cookie cutter in the bottom of a deep saucepan which is large enough to easily hold the pudding basin.  Half fill the pan with water and bring to the boil.  Lower in the pudding.  Cover the pan tightly and simmer for 2 hours, topping up the pan with boiling water as necessary.



At the end of that time, reheat the cooking liquid, bubbling it down until you have reduced it to a delicious gravy.  Carefully lift the pudding out of the basin.  Run a knife around the rim and then turn it out onto a plate. 

 


Serve cut into wedges along with some of the gravy and some cooked greens if you wish.



I think I did pretty good for my first meat pudding.  What do you think???  The Toddster was ecstatic!

 

I have a husband who declares he does not like Italian food . . . what he really means is he doesn't like pasta or pizza . . . I still haven't been able to convince him that Italians eat a lot more than pasta and pizza.



Me, on the other hand . . . I just adore pasta and pizza.   I treat myself to some every once in a while.  Today though I was able to make a pizza that satisfied my pizza hating husband's appetite, and in face he went back for seconds.



Yes, I do believe I have found a way to get the Toddster to like pizza.    You cover it with mashed potatoes, bacon, onions and cheese.

 

It's kind of like a pastie . . . sorta, but with the filling on the outside.  Well, there isn't cheese in a pastie technically . . . but why quibble about the details.

 

The important thing was he was eating it . . . AND enjoying it!   That was good enough for me!
You take your blessings where you find them.

 

*Potato Pizza*
Makes 8 servings
Printable Recipe

You CAN have both worlds and eat it.   The one way to get my pizza hating hubbie to love pizza.


One 12 inch unbaked pizza crust

For the Potatoes:
3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
3 TBS finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 clove of garlic, crushed
freshly ground black pepper

Topping:
1 pound of bacon lardons, or chopped pancetta
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 small red bell pepper, trimmed and chopped
6 ounces grated strong cheddar cheese (1 1/2 cups)
6 ounces grated mozzarella cheese (1 1/2 cups)
3 TBS finely grated Parmesan cheese

 

Put the potatoes into a saucepan and cover with lightly salted water.  Bring to the boil.  Boil until very tender, then drain well and mash together with the milk, salt, cheese, garlic and pepper to taste.  Set aside.

Place the bacon into a large skillet.  Cook until it is partially cooked.  Add the onion and peppers.  Cook, stirring occasionally until the bacon is crisp and the vegetables are tender.  Drain off any fat and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.   Spread your pizza crust out to a 12 inch circle on a lightly greased pan.  Prick all over the surface with a fork.   Bake for about 15 minutes or until beginning to brown.  Remove from the oven.  Increase the oven temperature to 190*C/375*F/gas mark 5.  Spread the mashed potatoes evenly over top of the partially baked crust.  Sprinkle with the bacon and vegetable mixture.  Combine the cheeses and sprinkle them over top of the vegetable mixture.   Bake for 20 minutes, or until well heated through and the crust is nicely browned and the cheese is melted.

Serve warm and cut into wedges.