I am happy to announce that I have finished my latest cookbooklet entitled Just Desserts!  I think this is my best one yet. It is certainly one of my largest ones with a total of 42 pages filled to overflowing with lovely dessert recipes, and handy hints and tips from my kitchen to yours.





























It's broken down into no less than EIGHT delicious chapters, including . . .  "It's only Fruit" . . . (Hot Buttered Cherries, and Stuffed Figs plus more) . . . "Indulgently Creamy" . . . (Chilled Rose Souffle's, Rhubarb Fool and more) . . . "Trifles" . . . ( three very different versions) . . . "Let Them Eat Cake" . . . (Sour Cherry Cake, Pineapple and Macadamia Cake, to name just two) . . . "Pies, Tarts and Crumbles" . . . (Bramble Pie, Plum and Almond Crumble plus more) . . . "Meringues and Clafoutis" . . . (Strawberry Meringue Cake, Chocolate Vacherin, Blackberry Clafoutis and yes, more) . . . "Cookies, Brownies and Bars" . . .  (Spicy Aztec Brownies anyone?) . . . "Bits and Bites" . . . (all those finishing recipes for sauces, pastry, curd, etc.)  All in all, there are  FORTY THREE delicious recipes that are some of my family favourites and are destined to become yours.  

































Interspersed amongst the recipes are little snippets of art, hints and tips and delightful quotes.   Have you always wondered what the secrets are to baking really good cakes?  Wonder no more.  All of my secrets to success are right here, and it's available to you now for the same low price as all of my others at only £5.

This will be delivered to your e-mail as a downloadable PDF file, ready to print or store on your computer as you desire within 24 hours of your payment clearing. If ordering please make sure you have the latest version of Adobe Reader enabled, and that my e-mail address is in your safe folder!  Also as the file is rather large make sure you have enough room to receive it!









Also at this time I would like to offer you the option of buying four out of my cookbooklet collection for the low price of £15.  You can choose any four titles you wish.  Just be sure to message me on the payment invoice which four you want to purchase!  This is a real bargain, giving you one title for free!
Available Titles include  . . .

 

A Very Royal Tea Party


 

The Great British Picnic

 

Christmas in the English Kitchen

 

Recipes to Keep

 

Spring Into Summer

Any four titles including the latest one for the low price of £15.   Please note that all booklets come with my same no quibble refund guarantee if you are not satisfied with your purchase.

Thanks so much for looking and have a super day!

 

I confess to having a certain fondness for Brownies.   Little fudgy bites of chocolate gooey-ness that I have a difficult time to resist.  The Toddster could take them or leave them.  (He's not human!) I don't make them very often as a result of that because if I do, then I am the only one in the house that will eat them, and I don't need to be eating them!



The second Sunday of every month we have a munch and mingle at church after all of our meetings.  It's an opportunity for us to meet together and socialize and share some refreshments.   Sometimes there is soup and rolls.  Always lots of sandwiches, and cakes and bakes.   Brownies are the perfect thing to take for me, because then I can enjoy them, without eating the whole pan myself.



This is a deliciously different version.  You have an almost bar cookie bottom . . . chewy and chocolatey . . . topped with a deliciously crunchy and buttery cinnamon streusal topping.  A very simple recipe . . .



Easy to make and even easier to eat I'm afraid.   I confess I rather inhaled a whole strip by myself before I could pack them away. They just kinda got in my mouth.  Not all at once mind . . . one at a time . . . a nibble here and a nibble there while I was photographing them and before I knew it . . . one whole row was gone.  Oh, I am such a naughty girl . . . ☺

It's a good thing they aren't staying here is all I can say!



Note:  If desired you can melt some chocolate chips and drizzle them over top prior to cutting.  Allow it to set. before you cut into them.

 

I confess.  I love chocolate and it doesn't matter what kind of chocolate it is.  Dark, milk . . .   in cakes and cookies . . .  good candy bars, good chocolates . . . pies and puddings.   The only kind I am not fond of is chocolate milk or chocolate ice cream.  I'm not even really fussy on hot chocolate drinks.  I don't know why that is. It is a mystery to me too.



The Toddster of course, he doesn't like chocolate in any form other than chocolate candies or hot chocolate.   I know!  It just ain't human, but I'm not complaining as that always means more brownies for me!!

 

Chocolate Baked goods are notoriously difficult to get a good photograph of.  I don't know why that is.   I apologize for a lack of tasty photos of these fabulously delicious muffins.   No matter how I tried, they just did not want to come out right.  Nevermind . . .



You will just have to take my word for it that they are tasty.  Moist.   Chocolaty.   Stogged full of three kinds of chocolate.  Hard to resist . . . and . . . mine, all . . . mine.   I ain't complaining!




Place the butter and one half of the  bittersweet chocolate into a saucepan.   Melt over very low heat, whisking to blend. (Alternately do in a bowl set over simmering water, taking care that the bottom of the bowl not touch the water.)  Remove from the heat and set aside. 

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of one comes out clean.  Don't over-bake.  You want them a bit squidgy not dry.  Allow to cool in the pan for five minutes before tipping out onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely.  Store any leftovers in an airtight container.

Parsnips were not a vegetable we had very often if at all when I was growing up. My mother did not like them at all. In fact she tells a story of her father trying to tempt her to eat just a tiny piece of one in exchange for a piece of candy (when she was a child) and she hated them so much that she couldn't even be tempted with something that was only a very rare treat.

I remember her cooking them once when I was in my teen years. She pared and sliced them into coins and then fried them in butter until they were golden brown on both sides. Oh my but there were lovely. She had been wanting to see if her tastes had changed. Alas . . . they hadn't and so that was the only time we ever had the opportunity to taste them.



As an adult I have cooked them frequently for I love them. They are delicious in stews and soups . . . mashed with butter and cream, roasted, glazed . . . any way you cook or cut them, I find them most delicious. They are well one of my favourite vegetables.



With the holidays I had quite a few of them in the vegetable bin . . . parsnips love nothing more than to be roasted and glazed and served with a roast turkey or beef . . . or ham and pork. I always get in lots because they are my favourite side dish of the holidays.



I did get in rather a lot this year though . . . but no worries for today I had enough left to make these delicious Parsnip Patties. Oh my but they are some good.



Crispy and buttery on the outsides . . . creamy and mildly spiced with a delicate flavour and sweetness on the insides . . . such a pleasure to eat.



I like to make a Cranberry Mustard to eat with them. I just whisk together equal parts of a wild cranberry sauce and Dijon mustard. It is the perfect accompaniment.



Of course you can make them a lot smaller for appetizer sized servings, about the size of a one pound coin or silver dollar will do. You'd get quite a few of these and of course would need extra oil for frying.



They are easy to make ahead of time and then just reheat in the oven when you want them. If you like parsnips, you're going to love these!



*Parsnip Patties*
Serves 4 to 6
Printable Recipe

Creamy and sweet on the insides, crunchy on the outsides. Delicious! I like to serve them with a Dijon Cranberry Mustard which I make by whisking together equal parts of a whole berry cranberry sauce and Dijon mustard.

8 to 10 parsnips, peeled and sliced into coins
1/2 tsp salt
boiling water
to finish:
1/2 tsp onion salt
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
a dash of cayenne pepper
1 medium free range egg, beaten
1 1/2 ounces fine dried bread crumbs (about 1/3 cup)

more dried bread crumbs for rolling
oil and butter for frying
snipped parsley for garnish

Cook the parsnips in the boiling water with the 1/2 tsp of salt until tender. Drain and mash well. Allow to cool. Stir in the first lot of bread crumbs and all of the seasonings, along with the beaten egg. Cover and place in the refrigerator to chill well.

Scoop the well chilled mixture out using a small handful and shape into patties. Coat with the additional bread crumbs.

Heat a few TBS of butter along with an equal amount of oil over medium heat until the butter begins to foam. Add the parsnip patties and cook until golden brown on both sides. Drain and then serve hot along with some cranberry mustard. Delicious! Garnish with chopped parsley if desired.

Here is a little bit of tempting delicious for you today.   Celebrations Brownies.  A tasty way to use up some of those leftover Christmas chockies!

 

*Celebration Brownies*
Makes 15
Printable Recipe

Imagine a brownie so rich and gooey that you can’t help gasping with pleasure when you sink your teeth into one . . . now add the hidden surprise of your favourite chocolate candy bar deep inside it’s decadently rich, chocolaty depth . . . Yes, you have died and gone to heaven.

7 ounces butter (13.8 TBS)
3 ½ ounces dark chocolate, broken into pieces (use really good quality, no less than 60% chocolate solids)
12 ounces dark soft brown sugar (1.69 cups)
4 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
8 ounces self raising flour (2 cups)
Pinch of salt
10 ¼ ounce box of Celebration** chocolates, or other chocolates of your choice (Imagine Maltesers dotting the middle or a lovely layer of thin chocolate After Eight mints)

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Brush an 11 X 7 inch tin with melted butter and then life with greaseproof paper. Set aside.

Put the butter and the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over simmering, but not boiling water, making sure the water does not touch the bottom of the top pan. Allow to melt, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat. Stir in the chocolate, mixing it in well.

Beat the eggs together with the vanilla and the pinch of salt. Stir this into the chocolate mixture, mixing it in well. Sift the flour and stir in until well combined.

Un wrap the chocolates.

Pour half of the chocolate batter into the prepared tin. Lay the chocolates evenly spaced carefully over the top of the batter, making sure that there will be at least one in each portion that is cut. Pour the remaining batter over top, ensuring that all the chocolates are completely covered.

Bake in the heated oven for 15 to 30 minutes until the top is crispy and glazed looking but the insides are still soft. Remove from the oven and to a rack to cool. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars.

**Celebration chocolates are a mixture we can get over here of small miniature chocolate bars such as Milky Way, Bounty, Mars, Snickers, etc. If you can’t get those use any favourite chocolate of yours. Malted milk balls sprinkled over the layer work quite well, as do thin chocolate mints. Chunks of caramel bar work equally as well. Let your decadent foodie imagination run free!

 


There are some recipes that are just great.  You can try to play around with them,  or look for something better . . . but you always find yourself coming back to the original because you just can't get any better than that which was great to begin with.




That's what this recipe for peanut butter and chocolate sauce is like.  Good, better, best.  This is a solid recipe which works every time, always tastes delicious and is very versatile . . .
As a sauce for on top of fudge cakes, or brownies . . . ice cream, etc.



Heck . . . I've been known to just sit down and eat the sauce with nothing else, it's that good.  Seriously.  Solid, don't fool with it, basic . . . good.  You can't do much better than that.



Place the chocolate in the top of a double boiler, over simmering water. (Or a bowl that will fit over a saucepan without the bottom touching the simmering water underneath)  Melt slowly, stirring occasionally.  Once the chocolate has melted place the top of the double boiler directly on the burner, over low heat, and whisk in the sugar, butter, salt and single cream.  Cook and whisk to combine and melt the butter.  Increase the heat to medium and cook for a further 4 minutes or so (without allowing the mixture to boil) until the sauce thickens.  Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

It's the same as my basic chocolate sauce recipe, except I have substituted peanut butter for the butter.  No fooling.  Good stuff for those who don't like peanut butter with their chocolate.  I know . . . hard to believe, but . . . it does happen.



Place the chocolate in the top of a double boiler, over simmering water. (Or a bowl that will fit over a saucepan without the bottom touching the simmering water underneath)  Melt slowly, stirring occasionally.  Once the chocolate has melted place the top of the double boiler directly on the burner, over low heat, and whisk in the sugar, butter, salt and single cream.  Cook and whisk to combine and melt the butter.  Increase the heat to medium and cook for a further 4 minutes or so (without allowing the mixture to boil) until the sauce thickens.  Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Oh, and if you wanted to cut down on the calories a bit you can use non fat evaporated milk, undiluted instead of the cream.  Just saying is all.  I like to use Lindt dark chocolate for this or Valhrona if I can get it.



I like to use pure vanilla for all of my baking.  I happen to be one of those people who think it is worth the extra expense of using the real thing.  There is just no comparison.  Yes . . . I am a vanilla snob.  That's why I was really pleased recently to receive some vanilla products from Taylor &Colledge!  I received a lovely box containing some Vanilla Bean Dusting Sugar, Vanilla Bean Paste, Vanilla Beans, Pur Vanilla Bean Extract and their newest innovation a Vanilla Bean Grinder.

 

The Tassimo Blogger Challenge for September was to put on a Tassimo Coffee morning for our friends in support of the world's biggest coffee morning by Macmillan Cancer Support. 
I don't know anyone who hasn't had their lives touched by cancer in some way.  What a worthwhile cause to give to.    My mother has had cancer twice now, breast and lung.  She is a survivor. 




Today on September 27th Kenco will team up with Macmillan Cancer Support to help stage the World's Largest Coffee Morning.  I was planning on having some girls over to a coffee morning here (hot choccie for me), but as I haven't been well this week, I just wasn't able to pull it all together in time.  But . . . I am hosting a virtual Coffee Party and  you're all invited!

This is what's on the menu!   I hope you enjoy!  And don't forget to accompany it all with a nice hot cup of Kenco, if that's your wish!



Cappuchino Brownies.  Moist and delicious with a mild coffee mocha flavor and a rich white chocolate frosting.



Lemon Drops.  Oh boy, these are very moreish, with lemon curd and almonds.



Easy Jam Biscuits.   These are a real favourite around here!  Very nice with a hot cuppa!  



Lemon and Jam Slices.   We love jam.  We love Lemon.  Together they are absolutely heavenly!



Lemon and Pistachio Cake.  Oh boy, this is the bomb.  What's not to like about a moreishly drenched lemon cake stogged full of nuts!!



White Chocolate Drizzled Orange Cake.  Oh boy.   You make this with orange curd and it's gorgeous!



Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies.  Crisp and buttery and impossible to resist.

So while I know that this is really only a virtual Coffee Morning, I do hope you will hop on over to the Macmillan Coffee Morning page and make a donation.  I can't think of a worthier cause.