One of the things I missed when I first arrived here in the UK was tinned pumpkin.  It was very difficult to find and if you did find it, it cost you an arm and a leg.  I used to be able to get it at Waitrose down south and Sainsbury's.   Recently I scored big time when our local Aldi had it in as a special deal.  I bought about 20 cans!  Todd thought they would think I was crazy buying so many, but I didn't care.  If there is one thing I have learned in my years over here, it's to take advantage of a chance when you get it, because you might never get another one!  Kind of like making hay while the sun shines!



Of course you can always make your own.  I have done so in the past.  It's a bit labor intensive and it's not that easy to get a mixture that is as dry as the stuff in the tin, but it can be done.  I usually let mine drain in a sieve overnight, which works pretty well.  You can find a great tutorial on how to make your own here.  It's not really that hard.  The hard bit over here is finding the pumpkin!



So anyways, I decided to use some of my precious hoard of tinned pumpkin  to make the Toddster some delicious Pumpkin Butter as an early Autumn treat the other day.  He loved it when I made him apple butter one year, so I thought he would really enjoy some pumpkin butter.  I also thought that in some part it would help to justify my having bought 20 tins!

 

Pumpkin Butter is like a thick pumpkin jam . . . nicely spiced with cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom . . . very nice it is.   Very nice.  And not that hard to make either if you have a tin of pumpkin to hand.



It's as simple as stirring some pumpkin, honey, brown sugar, and the spices together in a pot along with some lemon juice and then cooking it down until it's nice and thick and jammy . . . it doesn't take too long either, only about half an hour.

 

We enjoyed some while it was still warm, spread on our toasted crumpets the other day.  Oh boy, was it ever good.  I am going to use it to fill a Victorian Sponge or a spice cake one day as well.  That sounds like it would be really lovely.   What do you think???



I do hope you will give it a go.  I think you would really like it.  I think if I was to spread it onto a few digestive biscuits, it would almost be like having a pumpkin pie . . . I'm going to try that tonight as a snack while we are watching Downton Abby.  I wonder if the Dowager would approve?



Well . . . .  maybe not.   I don't think I'll ask.

 

pinch salt   

Combine the pumpkin, sugar, honey, lemon juice and spices in a medium, heavy based saucepan. (I use my le creuset pan) Bring this mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, and then reduce the heat to low. Cook, stirring frequently, for 20 to 25 minutes or until nicely thickened. Serve with baking powder biscuits, scones, breads, muffins etc.  It's also lovely spread between two plain sponge cake layers. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.

I always get a little bit nostalgic this time of year.  Summer is pretty much over, the kids are back in school.   When I was bringing up my children, our home was a flurry of activity at this time of year . . . packed lunches to make, after school snacks, fund raising bake sales . . . it was all go! 



I was contacted the other day by Good To Know (one of my fav cooking mags) and asked if I would like to attend a bake sale down in London on Monday.  They are partnering with the Make-A-Wish Foundation on their new fundraising campaign, Bake-A-Wish. As the name suggests, it's all about getting people in the kitchen and holding bake sales to raise money for a great cause – granting wishes for children who are living with life threatening illnesses.  In fact the people at Good to Know have baked their own Make-A-Wish cupcakes which you can see here.  They're really cute.  I may even make some myself. 



Unfortunately I am not able to attend on Monday as I have an appointment elsewhere, but that doesn't stop me from baking a fab Bake Sale Treat and sharing it with my friends.  These lovely squares are just the kind I would have made for Bakes Sales back in the day.



Quick and easy to make and everyone loves them.  These take the ordinary Crispies Bar into the extreme!  Makes them much more than just a mere Rice Crispie Square!  These are Rice Crispie Squares on Adrenaline!



You know Rice Crispie squares don't have to be boring, unless you want them to be. You can throw in all sorts and they become exciting and somewhat nutritious!  Things like peanuts and raisins and cranberries.  These additions make them quite moreish and quite the Bake Sale Winners!
I don't know anyone that wouldn't be tempted by one of these and who wouldn't gladly cough up 50p or £1 for a couple!  These are the perfect Bake Sale treat!



*Triple Threat Crispie Treats*
Makes about 12 bars
Printable Recipe

These are scrummy yummy and filled with peanuts, raisins and dried cranberries. If you like you can substitute half the raisins with chocolate covered raisins which makes them even more tasty!!

2 ounces butter (1/4 cup)
1 300g packet of white marshmallows (10 ounce package)
1 tsp vanilla
5 ounces of crisp rice cereal (4 cups)
5 ounces salted peanuts (1 cup)
100g raisins (1 cup)
100g dried cranberries (1 cup)

Butter a 9 by 13 inch pan well and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large nonstick saucepan over low heat until melted. Add the marshmallows and cook, stirring until the mixture is smooth and the marshmallows have melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Stir iin the rice cereal, panuts, raisins and cranberries, mixing them all in well. Spread in the prepared pan, pressing the mixture in evenly with lightly buttered hands. (This is the secret to keep the mixture from sticking to your fingers!) Cool completely before cutting into 3 by 3 1/4 inch bars.

I picked up a cauliflower earlier this week with a particular recipe in mind, but ended up not making it, and so today I found myself with a cauliflower that I needed to use post haste.  I spent quite a while perusing Pinterest looking for something interesting to make with it to no avail.



I have made cauliflower cheese soup in the past and it was pretty tasty.   I wanted to make a soup, but I didn't want to make the same old same old.



And then I started to think about how people who are low carbing interchange potatoes and cauliflower a lot with each other, although . . . to be perfectly honest I don't see where the similarities are as both taste completely different from each other.  But to each their own . . .



And that's when I had the brilliant idea to make a cauliflower chowder!  Boy oh boy, talk about being inspired!  This ended up being the most delicious pot of soup I have ever made!  I kid you not!  Adding some Black Pepper Boursin Cheese was genius, pure genius.  It worked beautifully!



I wish that I had taste and smell options on this blog because you would be literally blown away by this soup.  It's rich, and so . . . SO . . . SOOOOO . . . delicious!!  I can't say that enough.  I think I have found a new favourite.  It's not that easy to make soup look interesting, but . . . meh, I tried.



Todd had his with bread, which is so British.  I had mine with crackers, which is so North American.  OF course I crumbled my crackers over top of my soup, which my ex boss would have said was "common."   But then again . . . I am a simple girl.  No pretence here.

I do have to say I get sent the nicest and most interesting things to try out.  I recently received this most fascinating box in the post, containing this attractive black hat box.



Inside was a tasty bag of Wasabi Peas.  I love Wasabi peas.  They're crunchy, and zippy.  Love. Love.
But that is not all . . .

 

There was a little pot of Beesting Lip Balm, something to make your lips feel tingly . . .
But, that is not all . . .



There was also these vanilla air freshener stick thingies.  I forget what they are called, but they smell nice and vanilla-ish.
But that is not all . . . it gets even more interesting . . .

 

There was also one of these, which was really hard to take a picture of, but it's a battery operated head massager.  It makes your scalp feel all tingly.
Interesting, and I'm not even to the best part yet!



This was what the box was all about.  These new carbonated drinks from ZEO!  This is new soft drink range with a tingling taste sensation. Made from natural ingredients, ZEO is an eclectic gathering of bold botanicals, fruits and fantastical flavours from nature.

From their page:

ZEO comes from the edge of Russia, bringing something rather new and extraordinary to the lightly effervescent world of soft drinks. At ZEO we value interesting and suprising flavours that spark off each other to create something rather special: a soft drink with depth, intrigue and complexity.
Russia doesn’t dabble in quaint or half-hearted! This is a vast untamed wilderness where wolves and tigers still prowl free, with a reputation as a hot bed of ingenuity, imagination and revolutionary ideals.  A place full of natural beauty and intrigue but with a side yet to be uncovered, explored and understood. ZEO is best served ‘Russian style’ 4 degrees. Chilled. No ice.

More than ever, NATURAL is a word that really matters. In an age where terms like synthetic, artificial and man-made don’t even draw a second glance, a fresh, easy- to-comprehend word like NATURAL still causes ripples. For us, natural is not a word to be taken lightly. That’s why we only ingredients from nature – we don’t do chemistry sets! Why settle for test tube flavours when nature’s well-stocked larder is ripe for raiding.

What's in it?

• Carbonated water: Naturally sourced, straight from the spring!
• Sugar: ZEO contains low levels of sugar extracted from sugar beets.
• Natural flavourings: All natural flavouring substances obtained from raw plant materials.
• Natural colourings: Extracted, isolated and concentrated from natural sources (e.g. strawberry)

 
 


A few of the ladies from my church got together today for a Pot Luck Lunch.  We like to do that from time to time.  It's nice to just spend time with each other outside of church and get to know each other better.  I really enjoy that.  It was also one of the girl's birthday, so there was an additional reason for us to celebrate this time together.



I had a really busy morning as I had an appointment to have my hair cut and so I knew I wouldn't have a lot of time and so I just went to my store cupboard and looked to see what I had to hand.



A bit of this and a bit of that and a short while later I had a delicious casserole created, which took barely any time at all to create.  It went together simply and quickly.



A pouch of precooked rice, some tinned salmon, frozen broccoli, a tin of condensed soup, a bottle of salad dressing, some cracker crumbs and some grated cheese and we had liftoff!  Layered in a dish in an attractive and simple way and then baked.



It went down a real treat with the ladies and is a dish I think I will repeat often, even just for Todd and myself.   It really was quite delicious!  I love it when my experiments come out that way.  Don't you?

Enjoy!



Crumble the basamati rice into the bottom of the casserole dish.   Cook the broccoli florets, according to the package directions, in the microwave until almost done.  Drain and chop.  Sprinkle the broccoli over the rice.   Stir together the condensed soup and the salad dressing.  Spoon a third of this over top of the broccoli.  Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the cheese.  Top with the flaked salmon and sprinkle with another 1/2 cup of the cheese.  Spoon the remainder of the soup mixture over all and smooth it out with a spoon.   Sprinkle the crushed crackers evenly over top and dot with the butter.  Sprinkle over top the remainder of the cheese.   

 

Bake, uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes, until the casserole is bubbling away, heated through and the top is golden brown.  Cover lightly with foil if it starts to brown too quickly, removing the foil for the last five minutes to crisp up.  Serve hot.

 

As you all know I had a lovely visit to the Yeo Valley Farms a few weeks ago which the Toddster and I both thoroughly enjoyed.  There is something really special about going to see where your food comes from, and it's even more special when you are able to see the extra care and attention some producers put into what they produce.  

 


I have never made any pretense about my inability to bake a decent loaf of bread.  It's true.  I am the most pathetic bread baker ever.   My ex husband used to bake beautiful big fluffy loaves of bread.  I've said it before and I'll say it again . . .   I bake doorstops.   



That is, until now.   I found this recipe online for "Easy Bread."   Just google it and you will come up with all sorts of blogs that have done it, but it's pretty much the same recipe on them all.  And it's truly E-A-S-Y!  I kid you not!



It is soooooo easy a child could make it.  There is no kneading or effort involved.  All you do is stir the ingredients together, cover it with plastic cling film and then leave it to sit overnight.



Then you pop it into a hot pot and bake it, first covered and then uncovered.  The end result is a beautiful loaf of bread!  Seriously!



The end result is a beautifully rustic looking loaf that will have your family and friends thinking you are a genius baker!  And all you did really, was stir a few bits together and bang them in a pan.



olive oil


(This is what my sponge looked like after sitting for 15 hours.)

Measure the flour into a large bowl.  Whisk in the yeast and salt, then whisk in the water.  You will have a shaggy gloopy mixture.  No worries.   Cover the bowl tightly with cling flim and leave it to sit overnight, for 14 to 16 hours preferably.

When you are ready to bake it preheat the oven to 230*C/450*F/gas mark 7.  Place a heavy casserole with a lid in the oven.  (I use my medium Le Creuset one)  Dump the bread mixture out of the bowl onto a generously floured surface and using wet hands kind of shape it into a ball..  (It will be really stick, but if you hands are wet it won't stick as much to them.)

 

(Mine didn't make much of a ball, it just kind of spread out as you can see, but not to fear, it still worked out great!  You really can't fail with this.) 

 Cover with cling film and let it rest for about 25 to 30 minutes.   Remove the pot from the oven.  Add a dollop of olive oil and swirl it around the bottom and partially up the sides carefully.  It will sputter, but that's ok.



Dump the lump of dough into the hot pot, cover it with the lid and then bang it into the oven to bake for 30 minutes.  Remove the lid and then bake it for a further 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown and the crust sounds hollow when you tap it on the bottom.  Dump out onto a wire rack to cool.  The crust will make crackling noises as it cools down.

 

This is a really lovely rustic looking loaf.  In short "perfect," and it was easy peasy.   What's not to like about that?



This was the perfect excuse to use the new bowl scraper that was sent to me by the people at ProCook.  With such a sticky dough I despaired of cleaning it out of the bowl easily, but this beautiful little silicone scraper did a wonderful job of cleaning it out!   Made non-stick silicone with a stainless steel insert for strength it did the trick perfectly and it's also dish washer safe!  What a wonderful little tool and right now you can buy one on their site for only £3.50.  They also sent me a nifty green silicone funnel.



I haven't used it yet, but it will come in very handy for all sorts of things and because of it's softness doesn't take up a lot of space in my utensil drawer.   It is also non-stick, dishwasher safe and measures about 5 inches in diameter.  You can buy one on their site for £2 at the moment. 

Many thanks to  the ProCook people and Wildcard PR for sending me these nifty little tools to play with.   Love them!