I love LOVE these types of salads. There is just so much going on here. They are interesting and they are delicious, with plenty of crunch and a really fabulous dressing! Mmm! Mmm!
As I write this (Saturday morning) I am expecting a big crowd of youngsters to come later on today for a BBQ.
These are a cake I bake often, but have hesitated to show you before because I have always felt something called a May Cake should be posted in May!
They don't look very special, but I can assure you that they are.
Nicely spiced with warm baking spices . . . cinnamon, cloves, freshly grated nutmeg.
195g icing sugar, sifted (1 1/2 cups)
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
Note: I like to garnish these with more chopped toasted walnuts, just to prettify them up a bit!
Did you notice my cute cupcake liners? Aren't they just the sweetest things!
They are Eddingtons' Botanicals Cupcake Collection Cake Cases. Made with 60gsm heavy weight professional quality paper they are decorated with four designs including both yellow and red roses, cherries and pears.
I've also been enjoying using this set of Amco Professional Performance Measuring Cups from Eddingtons.
-Set with 4 measuring cups: 1/4, 1/3, 1/2 & 1 cups
-Precision accuracy to assure consistency in food preparation
-Imprinted handle with the measurement
-Pierced to hang for storage
-Made of High Quality Strong Stainless Steel
-Dishwasher Safer
I love these. They are sturdy and accurate and store very easily. I also love that they are dishwasher safe.
Another handy tool which I have been finding very useful, also from Eddingtons is this lovely iSlice Ceramic Cutting Tool.
The iSlice has literally 1000's of uses. Perfect for clipping recipes or magazine articles; for cutting single sheets of paper or sellotape; or for opening awkward CD packaging or shrink wrap.
Available at the cost of £3.50 from Stuff for the Kitchen. This is one handy dandy gadget! I love it!
Thank you so very much to Eddingtons for sending these nice things for me to try out. I just love them! And who doesn't like a nice new piece of quality kitchen kit! Eddingtons are suppliers of fun, innovative and practical kitchen and housewares that are just that little bit different.
Note - although I was sent these articles free of charge, I was not required to write a positive review.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan@aol.com
My Todd just adores apple desserts . . . pies, cakes, puddings, crumbles . . . I decided to make him a crumble the other day, but this is a crumble with a difference! It has the addition of sticky prunes and a lovely hazelnut and oat crumble topping!
We've had some really nice weather this week, a bit cool, but the sun has been shining and that's always a plus in my book! The other day I made us a delicious rice salad to go with some grilled chicken for our supper. We had spent a bit of time working in the garden, so quick and easy was the order of the day!
Makes six servings
Printable Recipe
These are wonderfully rich and light and so very easy to make. I got the recipe from out of a magazine in the Doctor's waiting office one day (I couldn't begin to tell you which one) and I brought it home and adapted it to our tastes.
300ml whole milk (1 1/4 cup)
1/2 of a small onion, peeled and studded with 1 clove and 1 bay leaf
40g butter, plus more for greasing (scant 3 TBS)
40g plain flour (scant 1/3 cup)
150g of good strong cheddar, grated and divided (1 1/4 cup)
1 TBS coarse grainy mustard
salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg to taste
3 large free range eggs, separated
200 ml of double cream (scant cup)
Beat the egg whites until stiff with an electric whisk. Stir about a third of the egg whites into the cheese mixture to help slacken it and then gently fold in the rest. Spoon and divide the mixture evenly into the buttered ramekins. Carefully add boiling water to the roasting tin to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins and then carefully place the roasting tin into the heated oven. (If you have strong oven racks it is probably best to place the roasting tin into the oven first and then add the water) Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until they are well risen and nicely browned on top.**
Remove from the oven and remove from the roasting tin, placing them on a wire rack to cool. Increase the oven temperature to 220*C/425*F/gas mark 7. Once they are cooled enough to handle, carefully tip them out onto the palm of your hand, one at a time, and place them, right sides down, into a buttered baking dish large enough to hold all six of them. Season the double cream with some salt and black pepper and spoon it evenly over top of each souffle. Sprinkle the remaining grated cheddar cheese evenly over top. Place back in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or until they are well risen and the cream is bubbling and the cheese is melted and beginning to brown nicely. Serve hot.
**You can complete the recipe to the end of the first baking and put them in a buttered dish, cover them, and then store them in the refrigerator for up to a day ahead before proceeding. Bring them to room temperature before finishing them off as outlined in the recipe.
Do not allow yourself to be intimidated by these! They are very simple to make and very forgiving! I promise you, you will love them! Bon Appetit!
We had the Sisters for dinner the other nice. I made them my Meat Loaf Pie with these delicious CrunchyCheese Potatoes on the side. Carrots, cauliflower, salad, rolls and my Speedy Berry Cake rounded out the menu.
The whole meal was simple and quick to put together. I like to feed them the comforts of home . . . just like a mom would.
These potatoes are as simple as peeling and slicing potatoes and then stirring them into a sour cream/milk mixture a pouring them into a buttered baking dish.
You tightly cover them with foil and bake, until the potatoes are fork tender . . . the timing depends on the type of potatoes you use. Older potatoes seem to take longer . . .
Once they are tender you just sprinkle some cheese and cornflake crumbs over top and return to the oven to crisp them up. A scattering of fresh chives on top and Bob's your Uncle. They're ready to serve!
These are so good . . . with the creamy sour cream, milk and chive sauce . . . and that crunchy cheesy topping . . its a potato dish that everyone always loves. And no small wonder! They are quite simply fabulous!
Spread into the prepared baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, until fork tender. Combine the crumbs and cheese. Sprinkle over top. Bake in the heated oven for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are golden brown. Sprinkle with the additional chives and serve.
Enjoy! Bon Appetit!
I am a real salad lover. I could eat a salad for every meal of the day. Todd, he's not so fond of salads, but he does admit that salads are a lot tastier and more interesting since he met me. No lettuce leaf with a few limp slices of tomato, cucumber and no dressing . . . my salads are filled with colour and crunch and, yes . . . interest!
Yorkshire Rock Cakes. Also known as Fat Rascals, these delicious rock cakes have been made pretty famous by the Iconic Betty's Tea Room in Yorkshire.
A fat rascal or a rock cake is a delicious baked bread that is a tasty cross between a scone and a bun. Packed full of dried fruits.
From what I can tell the only difference between Yorkshire Rock Cakes and regular rock cakes is the addition of glace cherries and blanched almonds on top. Some people call them fat rascals, but they're not fat rascals at all. These are fat rascals (see photo below), and as you can clearly see, they are not the same animal at all.
They are very, very different, not only in looks, but also in texture and ingredients. You can find my fat rascal recipe here.
These are exceedingly good cakes . . . easy to make . . . buttery . . . crumbly. Perfect with a hot cuppa.
I have never had a Yorkshire Rock Cake from Betty's but I dare say these are probably even better. Homemade always is.
Stogged full of dried currants, sultanas (golden raisins), raisins and candied peel . . . with just a touch of mixed spice. You can find my recipe for mixed spice on my make your own page. You can find that here. It is filled with a variety of make your own herb, spice and baking blends. (You may want to bookmark it!)
It's a warm baking spice . . . with cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, cloves and ground coriander. Very nice.
Topped with blanched marcona almonds and a glace cherry, these make a very moreish treat with a nice cold glass of milk or a hot cuppa.
They make the perfect Sunday afternoon teatime treat! If you are feeling especially hedonistic you can split and butter them. Also very tasty!
Sift
both flours into a large bowl along with the salt and baking powder.
Drop in the cold butter. Rub the butter into the flour mixture, using a
snapping motion with your fingertips, until the mixture resembles fine
dry bread crumbs. Stir in the sugar, citrus zests, mixed spice and
dried fruit. Beat together the egg and 4 TBS of the milk. Add all at
once to the mixture and stir in to form a soft dough. If you need the
additional TBS of milk to do this, then add it now.
Divide into six
equal parts and shape into a ball. Place each ball onto the prepared
baking tray leaving plenty of space in between each. Gently flatten
slightly with the palm of your hand until each are only about 3/4 inch
thick. Brush the top of each with some of the beaten egg yolk/water
mix. Push a glace cherry into the centre of each and then place 3
almonds arouond the centre decoratively .
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes,
until well risen and golden brown. Remove from the oven. Leave on the
tin for five minutes then scoop off to a wire rack to cool.
Best
served warm from the oven, although they can be frozen and then gently
reheated at a later date. You may also split them and spread them with
butter if you are feeling especially hedonistic!
Traditionally Tasty! Bon Appetit!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
This isn't a coffee flavoured cake, but a dense cake which is meant to be eaten with a hot drink, and sometimes split and buttered. They are not really sweet like regular cakes or soft like normal cakes, but are sturdier and meant to be eaten warm . . . at the weekend . . . for brunch possibly.
They fall somewhere in between being a cake and being a bun/scone, if that makes sense! Generally speaking they will have a crumb filling or a crumb topping, or sometimes even both.
Whatever . . . I've never met one I didn't love!!!
This one is especially nice! It has a lovely sweet and nutty/buttery date and walnut filling, which lies in the middle of two buttery layers of cake/bun/scone.
I just adore dates and they lend an almost caramel flavour to this filling . . . and of course the brown sugar/butter forms little pockets of candy like caramel as well . . .
And then there is the crunch of walnuts . . . I like to toast my walnuts, personally. I think it lends an extra crunch to them and layer of nuttiness.
In any case . . . they are in the middle and sprinkled over the top.
This is a cake that was meant to be shared! You are going to absolutely love LOVE it! Adapted from a recipe in the old Purity Flour Book from way back when, so you just know its going to be good.
When I bake things like these . . . I sure wish I wasn't a diabetic because my cake loving soul just wants to plunge right in and enjoy.
Sigh . . . well, perhaps just one tiny smidgen of a taste. That can't hurt too much. They do say a little bit of something nice does a body good.
You will need an additional 30g(1/4 cup) chopped walnuts
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until risen and golden brown. Serve warm. Cut into wedges or squares.
Now that's a weekend bake you can really sink your teeth into! Bon Appetit!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
Social Icons