Autumn days call for comfort and sustenance. In the warmer weather we are more likely to have a sandwich for lunch, or a salad . . . but come October/November . . . we like soup!



I like soup. It can be as complicated or as simple as you want it to be. I always have at least some ingredients in my vegetable bin or larder that can easily and quickly be made into a delicious and scrummy soup for a hearty lunch or a simple supper.



A few fresh ingredients, and a bit of stove top magic and you can have something very special and rich to bring some warmth to your chilly fingers and toes.



This soup is delicious and rich and creamy, without all the added fat and calories of using cream or full fat milk. I use tinned evaporated milk, and the light one. Leeks have a strong enough flavour that you can't detect at all the use of tinned milk.



All your friends will think you used cream . . . they won't believe you when you tell them it's not fattening in the least! You could leave the butter out altogether and simply soften your leeks in a few tablespoons of vegetable stock. I do this fairly often with great success.



But then again . . . what is 1 1/2 TBS divided amongst friends? Meh! Not a problem.



*Leek and Potato Soup*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

A delicious creamy soup, that is low in fat and very easy to make. I always make some croutons to serve it with, but you don't need to. It's great with crusy bread or cornbread too! The evaporated milk makes it very creamy and rich without adding cream.

1 1/2 TBS butter
3 leeks, washed thoroughly, trimmed and then thinly sliced
2 stalks of celery, washed and thinly sliced
12 ounces boiling water
3 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 (420g) tin of light evaporated milk (14 ounce), diluted with an equal amount of water
sea salt and ground white pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a large, heavy bottomed saucepan. Add the leeks and celery. Cook over moderate heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionaly. Do not brown. Add 8 ounces (1 cup) of the boiling water and cover. Simmer for 10 more minutes. Add the chopped potato and the remaining boiling water. Cover and simmer for 10 more minutes. Add the tinned milk and water. Cover and simmer for another 10 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Blitz with a stick blender until smooth. You can leave a few lumps for texture if you wish. Delicious!



Cooking in The Cottage today, a delicious Boeuf aux Carottes!

*Crock Pot Barbeque Chicken*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Tender, sticky delicious chicken. You can use only breasts or a combination of breasts and thighs. Delicious.

4 to 6 pieces of boneless, skinless chicken
1 bottle barbeque sauce (I used the Jack Daniels one)
1 ounces white vinegar (1/4 cup)
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 ounces soft light brown sugar (about 1/4 cup)
1/2 tp 1 tsp garlic powder

Place your chicken pieces into the slow cooker. Stir together the barbeque sauce, vinegar, pepper flakes, brown sugar and garlic powder. Pour this over top of the chicken and give it a stir. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.

The next recipe I tested on it was for a Crock Pot Beef Dip Sandwich. I love Beef Dip Sandwiches. It was always one of my favourite things to order when I lived in Canada and we would go out for supper. I remember having a particularly delicious one in Winnipeg Manitoba back in 1977 whilst we were waiting to board a train for Calgary. (You know something is good when 30+ years later you are still thinking about it!)

This recipe is one I found online (forgive me as I can't remember where right now). The meat turned out deliciously tender and we both enjoyed this very much. I will make again. It was almost as good as that one back in 1977, and I loved that I could brown the roast a bit first by using that function in the Flavour Savour.








*French Dip Sandwiches in the Slow Cooker*
Serves 6 to 8
Printable Recipe

Easy to make and oh so delicious with meltingly tender beef tucked into a soft roll, topped with cheese and then served with a beef broth for dipping.

1 medium brown skinned onion, peeled and thinly sliced
6 fluid ounces beef broth/stock (3/4 cup)
2 fluid ounces dark soy sauce (1/4 cup)
4 fluid ounces water (1/2 cup)
1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
1 TBS grainy mustard
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
3 pounds beef roast for braising (I used a rolled brisket)
Salt and pepper to taste

To serve:
6 to 8 soft sandwich rolls
6 to 8 slices of provolone cheese, or an equivalent
amount of grated emmenthal cheese
one pint of beef broth (about 2 1/4 cups)







Rub the beef all over with some salt and pepper. Place the onion slices in the bottom of the crock pot. Stir together the beef broth, soy sauce, Worcestershire Sauce, mustard, garlic and water. Put the beef into the crock pot on top of the onions. Pour the broth mixture over top. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours until meltingly tender.

To serve, warm the rolls and cut open. Shred the cooked beef and pile onto the warmed rolls, top with some of the onion and a bit of the juice from the pan, along with a slice of cheese. Close over, cut in half diagonally and serve along with a small bowl of beef broth for each person to dip their sandwich in.

I then decided to test out it's normal cookery function and did a tasty stew in it. I was able to brown my meat and vegetables perfectly and then proceed as per the recipe. At the end we were rewarded with a deliciously tasty Irish Lamb and Barley Stew.

We had such a fabulous sunny day here today! Perfect eating outdoors day. The Missionaries came over and helped Todd to trim the hedge and I thought I would bake them something filling for their lunch. Pasty's are perfect picnic food . . . filling, delicious and great for eating out of hand.



The pasty has been a staple food down South in Cornwall for a very long time. It's been known as many things through the years . .. . tiddy oggy was one name used and hoggen was another name, which was used in particular when they didn't contain potato.



Many things were used as fillings through the years . . . meats, fish, vegetables, eggs and sometimes you would have a savoury filling at one end of the pasty and a fruit filling at the other.



There are pasty shops all over the UK, where you can just about any kind of pasty you could want nowadays . . . steak and stilton, steak and ale, Lamb and mint, cheese and onion, to name but a few. (I confess to having a certain fondness for the steak and stilton ones and the cheese and onion ones. Oh so scrummy!!)



These here today are a traditional, no frills steak, potato, onion and swede pasty. (A swede is a rutabaga, but you could also use turnip.)



Delicious and tender meat and vegetables encased in a delightfully flakey pastry. They're not as hard to make as some would suppose, but are really quite simple to execute. What's not to like!!!



*The Great Cornish Pasty*
Makes 4
Printable Recipe

Buttery Puffed Pastry, all flakey and encasing a delicious filling of beef, potato, onion and swede. Perfect and totally portable!!!

1 3/4 to 2 pounds of puff or shortcrust pastry
1/2 pound of beef skirt or chuck steak, sliced into very thin strips
1 medium potato, peeled and thinly sliced and chopped
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 small swede, peeled and thinly sliced and chopped
1 ounce butter (2 TBS), melted
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 freerange egg, beaten

Roll the pastry out 1/3 inch thick. Cut into rounds approximately 8 inches in diameter. You will need 4. I find a sandwich plate is perfect to use as a template.

Place the potatoes, onions, swede and steak into a large bowl. Season with salt and generously with lots of pepper.. Drizzle the melted butter over all and mix well together.

Divide the filling between the 4 rounds, placing it just slightly off centre. Brush the edges with some beaten egg and fold one half of the pastry round over to cover the filling. Seal shut and then pinch and roll the edges from one edge to the other, giving it a bit of a rope effect. Place onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Pierce the tops in a few places and brush with beaten egg. Place into the refrigerator to ill for about 1/2 hour.

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Place the tray of pasties into the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Lower the heat to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4 and cook for a further 30 to 35 minutes until well risen and golden brown and the filling is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. You can shield with some foil if you think the pastry is getting too dark.

Serve hot or cold as you like. These are great picnic food!



There is a deliciously Creamy Fish Chowder cooking over in Oak Cottage today. If you are a regular reader of A Year From Oak Cottage, you will want to update your bookmarks, as the url has changed! Thanks!

One of my favourite vegetables from the garden has always been Beetroot. We grow them every year and right about now they are just perfect for eating.

Great for boosting one's stamina and increasing muscle efficiency, beetroot are a great source of folic acid and contain potassium, magnesium and iron as well as vitamins A, B6 and C. £ small beetroot count as one of your daily five portions of fruit and veg a day!



Alot of people here in the UK seem to think that all you can do with a beetroot is pickle it, and I do confess, I love me some picked beetroot!

They are also wonderful when roasted in or out of the skins. They are beautiful shredded and used raw in a salad, or even grated and used like carrots would be in a cake!



*Pretty In Pink Polkadot Cake*
Serves 9
Printable Recipe

Moist and spicy with intriguing pink speckles throughout. Your guests will be quite surprised when they find out where all that pretty colour comes from! I like to think this is quite healthy and a good way to have your vegetables and eat your cake too!

CAKE:
150g raw beetroot, peeled and grated (about 4 medium beetroot)
200ml sunflower oil (2/3 cup)
250g golden caster sugar (1 1/4 cup)
3 large eggs, separated
3 TBS milk
100g chopped walnuts, toasted (scant cup)
200g plain flour (scant 1 1/2 cup)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp each, ground cinnamon, ground ginger and ground nutmeg (I like to grate my nutmeg fresh)
1/2 cup really good quality strawberry jam for filling
FROSTING:
180g butter, softened (about 3/4 cup)
150g icing sugar, sifted (1 generous cupful)
450g low fat cream cheese (2 cups, or 16 ounces)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pink sugar flowers and pink glitter to decorate



Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.. Grease two nine inch cake tins really well and dust with flour. Set aside. (alternately you can line with baking paper and grease it as well)

Remove about 1 tsp of the grated beetroot into a small bowl and cover with 2 teaspoons of boiling water and set this aside. (You will use this to colour the icing)

Whisk the sugar and the oil together in a bowl. Whisk in the egg yolks and the milk. Fold in the remaining beetroot and the nuts. It will look quite revoltingly red but don't let this alarm you in the least! (trust me!)

Sift together the flour, baking powder and the spices. Stir this mixture into the beaten mixture. Whip the egg whites until stiff with an egg beater and then fold them into the cake mixture in three additions, being careful not to over fold. Fold only to incorporate fully. Divide the batter evenly amongst the two prepared pans.

Bake in the heated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, only until the cake tests done and shrinks away a bit from the sides of the pan and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven. Run a knife around the edges and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

Make the frosting by beating the butter and icing sugar together until light and fluffy. Blend in the cream cheese until smooth and then work in the vanilla. Add some of the reserved beetroot liquor a little at a time to help tint the icing a pretty pink.

Remove the cake from the pans and place one layer in the middle of a pretty plate. Spread about 1/4 of the frosting on top of this layer. Spread the strawberry jam over top leaving about half an inch border around the edges with just icing. Carefully sandwich the other layer on top. Use the remaining frosting to cover the top and sides, spreading it evenly and swirling it somewhat on the top. Decorate with the sugar flowers and sprinkle on some pink glitter to finish.

Place in the refrigerator for about 1 hour to set. If not serving straight away, cover with cling film and chill. Remove from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you want to serve it.



I also love to cook the tops of the beetroot, the leaves. These are fabulous sauteed or steamed like you would any leafy green. Just make sure you wash them really well, as they can be quite sandy. (Grit in the teeth=nasty!!) I have a fab recipe HERE for sauteed ones. Steamed you can just season with a bit of salt, pepper and some vinegar and butter. Delicious! (We've had precious little of those this year as the slugs seem to enjoy them almost as much as we do!!)

Of course one of our absolute favourite ways of preparing them is what is called Harvard Beets in North America. Deliciously tender beetroot in a sweet, tangy and buttery sauce!

Oh, I do adore beetroot in any way shape or form!




*Sweet and Tangy Beetroot*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

Delicious tender beetroot in a sweet and tangy sauce. Fabulous side dish and a great way to use up some of the beetroot from the garden!

3.5 ounces sugar (1/2 cup)
1 1/2 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
2 fluid ounces cider vinegar (1/4 cup)
2 fluid ounces cooking water from the beets (1/4 cup)
6 medium sized beetroot, cooked until tender, peeled and then sliced
(about 3 cups)
2 TBS butter
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste



Whisk the sugar and cornstarch together in a saucepan. Add the vinegar and water, whisking well to blend. Bring to the boil over medium heat, whisking constantly until thickened. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir in the beets, tossing together well. Take off the heat and let stand for 30 minutes. Just before serving, add the butter and reheat to boiling point. Serve hot.



I'm cooking Courgettes (Zucchini) over in Oak Cottage today.

Where oh where has summer gone? Where oh where can it be??? My goodness but it's turned really chilly today! There is a definite autumnal feel in the air . . . and to be honest the garden is beginning to look very tired. But my tomatoes are ripening beautifully . . .



Cooler weather is not too much of a problem though, as it gives me the chance to cook up this beautiful Cream of Tomato Soup, which is a real favourite of ours. If you have never tried homemade Cream of Tomato Soup, you are really missing a real treat!



And don't allow your not having any fresh ripe tomatoes stop you from making it either, because this soup is beautiful even when made with a good quality tinned tomato. (The chopped Italian ones in Tomato juice are lovely.)



Delicious with crackers (rude or not, I love mine crumbled into the soup and topped with a tasty pat of butter), or perfect with some crusty bread or a tasty grilled cheese sandwich!

I did grilled cheese with mango chutney . . . so easy and so tasty. Especially if you follow a few rules . . .ie. don't rush the sandwich. You get a much nicer crust if you grill on a medium low temperature for a longer period of time rather than trying to get them grilled quickly at a high temperature. Spread a low fat mayo on the outside rather than softened butter. It is lower in calories and adds a nice flavour.



In fact this can meal can be made using skim milk in the soup and low fat cheddar cheese in the sandwiches, and I guarantee you will not notice any discernable difference from the higher fat versions!

Comfort food absolutely . . . late summer food, oh yeah! The perfect way to use up some of those tomatoes that are coming fast and furious at the moment??? Definitely!



*Cream of Tomato Soup*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

Simple, warm and comforting.

750ml of chopped peeled tomatoes (Fresh if in season, or canned if not)
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
4 TBS unsalted butter
1 ounce plain flour (1/4 cup)
2 pints milk (4 cups)
1 heaped TBS of runny honey
(Greek honey is fabulous)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried basil
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Puree the tomatoes in a blender or food processor until smooth. Stir in the bicarbonate and set aside til needed.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Cook, stirring occasionally over medium low heat, until softened, but not browned. Sprinkle the flour over top and continue to cook and stir for about 1 to 2 minutes longer. This helps to remove the raw flour taste. Stir together the milk, honey, salt and basil. Slowly whisk this mixture into the flour mixture. Continue to cook and stir until the mixture is slightly thickened. Whisk in the pureed tomatoes. Bring just to the simmer. Remove from the heat and put through a seive or strainer, using the back of a large spoon. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Reheat gently until hot. Serve immediately, ladled into heated bowls.

Note: The flavour of the tomatoes used is crucial. If garden fresh are not available or in season, good quality tinned tomatoes will give this soup more flavour than poor quality tomatoes.

I've had this little book in my bookcase(s) for a while now. It's one that I picked up one time when we were visiting a National Trust Place. It's called




*Featherlight Wholewheat Cake*
Makes one 7 inch two-layer cake
Printable Recipe

This is only a small cake, just perfect for a tea party. With the icing having been made with cream cheese,
it is best eaten on the day. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

For the cake:
4 ounces butter, softened (1/2 cup)
4 ounces soft light brown sugar (1/2 cup packed)
2 large free range eggs, separated
1 TBS cold water
4 ounces whole wheat self raising flour, sifted (1 cup)
(Be sure not to throw the bran away after sifting, stir this back in)

For the filling and icing:
7 ounces low fat cream cheese
2 ounces icing sugar, sifted (1/2 cup)
3 ounces toasted walnuts, chopped (a scant cup)

To Decorate:
9 toasted walnut halves

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

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat together the eggs yolks and water. Beat into the creamed mixture, beating it in hard. Fold in the flour. Whisk the egg whites until stiff. Fold in. Divide the mixture equally amongst the prepared tins. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Beat together the ingredients for the filling until light and fluffy. When the cake is completely cold, place one layer, right side up on a plate. Spread with half of the filling. Top with the other cake, right side up and ice with the remaining icing. Decorate with half walnuts. Cut into wedges to serve.

Note: I added a layer of seedless raspberry jam on the bottom layer before I put on the walnut cream cheese filling. Fabulous addition!

Quite often by the time we get home from church on Sunday we are both famished. We may have been gone from the house anywheres from 4 to 5 hours depending on our responsabilities of the day.



If I have been smart . . . I will have put something into the slow cooker and all I will have to do is dish up!



If I have not, we will end up having something like Beans on Toast, or Scrambled Eggs on Toast or Spaghetti on Toast, canned chili on toaste . . . or . . . well you get the picture I am sure!!



Other times I might make us a nice toasted sandwich which we will have with a bowl of soup, or just on it's own with some salad. A lot depends on our mood.



Today we went the sandwich route. I have any number of ways that I make these. They are always delicious, and made even more so because we are starving I suppose!



Today Todd chose a simple bacon and cheddar cheese with some Branston Pickle, which he thoroughly enjoyed along with a piece of leftover oatmeal cake.



Myself . . . I chose to have Basil Mayo, along with some bacon, cheddar cheese and sliced ripe tomatoes.



We were both happy. 'Nuff said. It goes without saying that you don't have to eat these on a Sunday. They are actually good any time of the week or day!



*Sunday Sarnies*
Makes 1
Printable Recipe

I have given ingredients for one sandwich, but you can easily multiply up or down. This is a sandwich that you can customize to your own tastes and desires and moods!

2 slices of your favourite type of bread
(white, whole wheat, etc.)
softened butter
your choice of relish (pick one) mayo (garlic, lemon, lemon pepper, Basil etc.) Pickle (Branstons, piccalilli, chutney, etc.) mustard (honey, Dijon, Honey Dijon, English, etc.) marmalade (orange, onion, lime, 3 fruit, etc.) horseradish sauce, cranberry sauce
Your choice of meat ( Pick one: thinly sliced roast beef, turkey, ham etc. Or cooked bacon or sausage) as much as you think will taste good.
(I will use approximately one ounce of sandwich meat, thinly sliced, or 4 slices of crisp streaky bacon, or two sausages, split down the middle)
Your choice os cheese (approximately 1 ounce of cheddar, swiss, gruyere, mozarella, fontina, etc. thinly sliced)
Optionals: fresh rocket leaves, sliced ripe tomatoes, shredded chicory

Take your two slices of bread and butter each on the outsides. Have a skillet heating over medium low heat. Place one slice of bread into the pan, buttered side down. Top with your chosen relish. Top with your chosen meat. Top with your chosen cheese and any optionals as desired. Top with the other slice of bread, buttered side up.

Cook over medium low heat until the sandwich is nicely browned on the bottom side, then carefully flip over and brown slowly on the other side, until the insides are heated and the cheese is melted. Cut in half to serve. Serve warm.