I rcently received the most beautiful cookbook for review, entitled Love, Aimee x by noted crafter and blogger, Aimee Twigger,  (Twigg Studios)  I love her blog. It's gorgeous. And so is this book.  I fell in love with it as soon as I saw the cover, and I think you will too.

This is a recipe I got from a Women's Weekly Cookbook entitled  "Muffins, Scones and Bread."  I like the Women's Weekly books.  I have a few of them and the recipes always turn out well and are delicious.  These little damper buns are no exception!

Coming to terms with and learning to live with Type 2 Diabetes is a real learning curve for sure.   I know I am not alone in feeling somewhat discouraged at times and at a loss at others.  But I am determined to stay the course and do what is the best things to do for my health.  Healthy eating and regular meal planning is all a part of that.  No more flying by the seat of my pants!

I am awfully fond of scones.   Even if I don't always know how to pronounce the word.   Is it Sc-OWN  or is it Sc-ON?  I am not sure . . .  about the only thing I AM sure of is, scones are delicious!

 scone
skɒn,skəʊn/
noun noun: scone;
plural noun: scones a small unsweetened or lightly sweetened cake made from flour, fat, and milk and sometimes having added fruit.

That's the dictionary explanation of a scone . . . but what is a scone?   Really?

 

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!

Afternoon Tea Week takes place this year from the 10th to the 16th of August and as a proper English Institution it's only right that afternoon tea should be conducted with only the best ingredients.  The English Provender Co. has teamed up with Afternoon Tea Week this year to sponsor the tastiest week of the year for a week of activities, themed menus, exclusive offers and competitions.

  Usually at the weekend, I like to pull the boat out a bit and bake us something nice for our breakfast.  It could be muffins or scones, or even a nice tea bread or breakfast cake.   Today I baked us this lovely Twisty Fruity Bread!

More often than not, now we are both retired . . .  we have our big meal at noon.  Dinner.   That means that we aren't really all that hungry later on in the day.  Todd calls it supper . . .  a light meal which consists of not a lot really . . .  maybe some toast and cheese, or bread and jam . . .  or . . .

One of the things I love most over here are Cream Teas, and of course when you think of a cream tea you must think of a scone. That delicious light bun thing that closely resembles the baking powder biscuits (not to be confused with a cookie) from back home in appearance, but is nothing like them at all in taste or texture.

I had my first cream tea when my husband and I were on holiday down in Devon. They brought the tea to our table in a lovely porcelain pot on a tray along with some dainty china cups and a plate full of lovely light scones, and bowls of red berry preserves and lucious clotted cream. I was hooked from first bite. I had never tasted anything so lovely in my life.  (You don't have to have regular tea.  You can get herbal blends also, which is nice.  We don't drink regular tea.)

It was a little cool today and so Todd wanted me to make him some soup for lunch. I didn't do anything special, just opened a couple of tins of Bean and Bacon Soup. He loves that kind.

Today I baked Todd's favourite Jam Filled Scones.  You know we love jam in this house . . .  I make no secret of it, and I always have lots of it in the cupboard and refrigerator. I have several varieties that I prefer over others . . .  Strawberry being my top favourite, followed closely by seedless raspberry and Blueberry.  Cherry jam is also a real love of mine.

I am a lover of quick breads  . . .  scones, tea loaves, baking powder biscuits, muffins, corn bread, etc.  I just love them.  One of the reasons I love them is because they are quick to put together and they freeze really well.   If you are making a pot of soup, it really isn't much extra work to put together a savoury muffin or quick bread to go along with it, and they realy turn a simple meal into something very special.

Tinned salmon is something which I have in the cupboard all the time.  If you always keep a few things in the larder, like tinned salmon and tuna,  you always have the makings of a tasty meal.  Be it sandwiches for lunch, or a delicious casserole for supper.   Tinned fish always comes in really handy.

We're very lucky in that we grow all of our own soft fruits in our back garden.  I freeze what we can't manage to eat fresh so that we can enjoy them in the colder months.  A little taste of summer . . .  it's quite heady . . .

I think Bacon has to be high on the list of just about everyone's favourite foods, don't you?   I know we love the stuff.   I have often thought I would like to stop eating meat altogether . . .  but I could never give up bacon or a good steak.   Those two things are heaven to me.

"Nothing is quite as intoxicating as the smell of bacon frying . . . "
~James Beard 

I baked what is possibly the most delicious Banana Bread I have ever baked yesterday, and that is saying a lot.  I've baked many Banana Breads in my life time and I have my favourites but I think this recipe just kicked the lot to the curb and took their place!    A bold statement indeed!

(The kitchen in my doll house)

Moving onto the second part of my collection of  recipes which you should know by heart.  I know that a lot of us already know these things off by heart and indeed have our own ways of doing most things, but the beginning cook might not know these things and I felt this could be an invaluable resource for them.  

Whilst may of us older guys and gals probably learned these things from our mum's and grandmum's  . . .  the art of cooking from scratch seems to be disappearing these days.   People do rely a lot on convenience foods.  Heck you can even buy frozen mashed potatoes today, which is surely a lot better tasting than dried potato flakes . . .  but when mashed potatoes are so easy to make . . .  why not make your own.   

I know . . . for the working mum, frozen might be more convenient and I can't say that I blame them for using them . . .  but if you are so inclined and have the time to want to do things from scratch, these are the recipes you should know by heart.  You can find Part one  here.



There is nothing nicer on a plate then a perfect pile of soft, creamy and fluffy mashed potatoes. They go so well with many dishes and are the perfect holder to cradle lashings of delicious gravy.

They are not as hard to make as some people would suppose. Simple and straightforward, as long as you follow a few simple rules.

• use the proper potato. You want a floury type of potato, that is to say one that breaks down well once cooked. You do not want a waxy type of potato, or one that holds it's shape well when cooked. Some great examples of floury potatoes are Maris Piper, Estima, King Edward or Desiree (In North America use a Russet, Idaho or baking potato)
• Do not make the mistake of not cooking the potatoes long enough. Better to err on the side of overcooking than undercooking. You cannot mash a hard lump no matter how hard you try!
• Never add cold butter or milk to cooked potatoes. Always use room temperature or melted butter and gently warmed milk or cream
• Add any liquid to the cooked potatoes slowly. Some days you may need more, some days you may need less. How much can only be determined by adding it slowly.  

 

*Perfect Mashed Potatoes*
Serves 4 to 6
Printable Recipe

Simple and perfect!

2 pounds of large floury potatoes (In the UK a Maris Piper is ideal, in North America
I would use a russet or idaho)
4 ounces unsalted butter (1/2 cup, or one stick)
4 fluid ounces of single cream or full fat milk (1/2 cup) gently warmed
fine seasalt, freshly ground pepper and freshly grated nutmeg

Peel and quarter the potatoes then place the potatoes into a pot of lightly salted water to cover.  Bring to the boil and cook for 20 to 25 minutes until fork tender.  Drain well in a colander and then return them to the hot pot.  Cover with the lid and give them a good shake, which will help to break them up.  Add the butter and warmed cream or milk, adding the latter a little at a time, whilst mashing the potatoes, only adding as much as is needed to give you the correct consistency.  Season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg.  The potatoes should be light, fluffy, creamy and  ready to eat.

Note - I often use my electric handwhisk to mash the potatoes.  This helps to insure a smooth mixture without lumps.  I also have a potato ricer, which does a fabulous lump free job. 

Cream Sauce, or  Bechamel (which is the French name for basically the same thing) is the most basic of sauces and the basis for many other sauces such as  cheese sauce, mornay sauce, lemon sauce etc.   Once you have mastered a good cream sauce you are free to explore the many other options available.  I often make it and add cooked baby peas to it and serve it ladled over cooked fish.   It's the basis for macaroni and cheese, and many other delicious dishes, and very easy to make.  These are the quantities for one cup of sauce, to make more just multiply the ingedients.  I normally would not more than double it.

Mornay Sauce - Add 2 TBS of grated Parmesan Cheese and 2 TBS of grated Swiss cheese during the last two minutes of cooking.  Stur until blended.  Just before removing from the heat, beat 2 TBS of the sauce into 1 lightly beaten egg yolk.  Stir the yolk/sauce mixture back into the sauce and add 2 TBS butter.    Continue to cook, stirring, for one minute longer.



There is nothing nicer than a nice plate of warm biscuits,  North American Style (similar to scones) resh from the oven and just waiting for you to spread them with a pat of cold butter and a drizzle of honey.   

These are one of the most basic of the quick breads and I have never known anyone to turn a well made biscuit down.   The important thing to remember about biscuits is to use a light touch with them.   Over working them toughens them.   

Pat them out gently and cut them out with a sharp cutter, using a very sharp quick straight up and down motion and your biscuits will always be perfect!




*Baking Powder Biscuits*
Makes 16
Printable Recipe


Golden brown and crusty outside, meltingly tender inside.

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
1 TBS sugar
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2/3 cup of  milk


Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 6.  Grease two 8 inch cake tins. Set aside.

Whisk the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar together in a bowl.  Drop in the shortening and cut it into the flour mixture with two knives or a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Add the milk all at once and stur just until the dough forms a ball around the fork.  Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead about 14 times.  Pat out to 1/2 inch thickness.  Stamp out rounds with a 2 inch biscuit cutter, giving it a sharp tap straight down and up again.  Do not twist.  Place touching each other in the cake pans and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

If you like biscuits with crusty edges all around, place them 1 inch apart on a baking sheet to bake instead.

Blueberry pancakes - Add a handful of fresh berries to the batter.



There is no more welcome or finer dessert cake than the traditional sponge cake, or Victoria Sponge as it is lovingly called over here in the UK.  It needs no more adornment than a dusting over the top with some confectioner's/Icing sugar and a filling of butter cream and jam.  Using equal amounts of butter, sugar, eggs and flour, it is the simplest of cakes, and yet also the tastiest.

 


*Traditional Victoria Sandwich Cake*
 Makes one 7 inch cake
Printable Recipe  


Popular during the reign of Queen Victoria, this cake remains popular to this day, which is a huge testament to it's taste and ease of baking!  Don't be tempted to use all butter.  This is one recipe that is better for the use of a mixture of butter and margarine.

3 ounces of butter, softened (6 TBS)
3 ounces soft margarine (6 TBS)
6 ounces caster sugar (1 cup)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs, beaten
6 ounces self raising flour (a scant 1 1/2 cups)

To finish:
3 TBS raspberry jam
buttercream to fill (optional)
icing sugar or caster sugar to dust the top


Butter and base line two 7 inch sandwich tins.  Set aside.  Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.

Cream the butter, margarine, sugar and vanilla together until light in colour and fluffy.  Gradually beat in the eggs, a little at a time, beating well after each addition.  If the mixture begins to curdle, add a spoonful of the flour.

Fold in the flour with a metal spoon, taking care to use a cutting motion so as not to knock out too much of the air that you have beaten into the batter.  Divide the batter evenly between the two cake tins, leveling off the surface.  Make a slight dip in the centre of each.

Bake on a centre rack of the oven for about 25 minutes, or until the sponges have risen well, are golden brown, and spring back when lightly touched.  Allow to cool in the pan for five minutes before running a knife carefully around the edges and turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Once cooled, place one layer on a cake plate. Spread with raspberry jam and buttercream (if using).  Place the other cake on top, pressing down lightly.  Dust with icing or caster sugar and serve.


I will be back tomorrow with a new and fresh recipe.  I hope you have enjoyed these tried and true recipes and that you have found them useful.  It's a start at any rate!

As soon as October rolls around I hunker down and start to crave my autumn favourites . . .  apple pies, and pots of homemade soup . . .  and pumpkin.  Pumpkin anything, but most especially these delicious Pumpkin Pie Muffins!