Enjoy a long weekend Easter lunch with Newman's Own, The English Provender Co. and Very Lazy!

Cook up a feast for friends and family this Easter with a range of recipe ideas from Newman's Own, The English Provender Co. and Very Lazy.  Pick our your favourite dish or try the whole menu for a seasonal Easter Feast to kick off Spring in style.



The fresh French-inspired fig and goat's cheese salad using Newman's Own Light French Dressing is perfect to start!



Divide all of the salad ingredients between two plates, layering the different components and finishing with the almonds.  Drizzle with the dressing and serve immediately.  



The fillet of Lamb served with a Very Lazy Chilli salsa is a great twist on the traditional dinner.



To serve, divide the couscous between six plates, and top with a few slices of lamb on each, along with the yoghurt sauce and salsa drizzled over top.    



Finish off your meal with this beautiful piece de resistance from The English Provender Co, a delicious sweet St Clement's Cake using their Luxury Lemon Curd.  

  

Peel the paper from the sponges.  Spread half of the cream cheese mixture over the top of each sponge, right up to the edges.   Drop two TBS of the lemon curd over top of each and using a skewer or teaspoon, pull it through the cream cheese mixture to swirl.   Sandwich the cakes together and lift onto a serving plate.

 

There are a lot of recipes floating around the internet called ham and cheese sliders, each one looking more delicious than the last.  You probably know the ones that I am talking about.   White buns stuffed with ham and cheese, drenched in a butter sauce, with poppy seeds on top . . . very delicious looking indeed.   I confess I have never tried them, but they do look quite tasty.  

  

The other day I started thinking about how tasty a recipe long the same lines done up as per a reuben sandwich would be and my wheels started turning . . . 

  

I love reuben sandwiches . . . all that smoked meat and sauerkraut . . . cheese . . . thousand island dressing.  So good.  I think it was in Winnipeg that I had my first one.   I love rye bread also, but that is not something that we can get readily here, at least not of the right kind.  

  

I created my own thousand island dressing/sauce, and layered it with pastrami, and swiss cheese . . . and sauerkraut . . . between soft white buns . . . 

  

Then I took the same idea as the ham sliders and created a butter sauce, using similar ingredients, except swapping out the poppy seeds for caraway seeds . . . which I felt went really well with the other ingredients.  I also had some of that Paul Newman Hot Dog Sauce which went into the butter sauce too . . . which lent a bit of smokiness and some of that sharp heat you get from a nice hot mustard.  


    

All in all I would say these were a HUGE success.  We both enjoyed them very much and I would make them again.  I only made a half recipe because, there are only two of us and we can only eat so much, but in all truth I was thinking later on, I should have made the whole shebang!  Oh, I do so hope you will try these and that when you do you will love them as much as we did!!  I will be making these again!!




 *Reuben Sliders*

I'd like to talk to you a bit about Quorn, which is a meat substitute used by Vegetarians all over the UK and comes in many varieties, from sandwich type of filler slices to  chicken type filets and mince.  What's great about it is that it's very low in fat and quite healthy for you, which is appealing not only to vegetarians, but also to people who are trying to shed some of those access pounds!

Quorn products are made from Mycoprotein. Mycoprotein is a nutritionally healthy protein source that is meat free and naturally low in saturated fat and high in fibre. Quorn products have the taste, appearance and texture of meat, perfect for if you want meat free meals or are thinking of creating healthier versions of your favourite everyday meals.

This is perfectly highlighted in the following recipe for Spaghetti Carbonara!  Now you can indulge in one of your favourite meals and be relatively guilt free!




*Vegetarian Spaghetti Carbonara*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

If you’re not sure how to make Carbonara, try our low in saturated fat Spaghetti Carbonara recipe. The ultimate guilt-free Italian, coming in at only 359 calories and only 2.5g of saturated fat.  Winner/winner!


150g pack Quorn Meat Free bacon slices, chopped (about 5 ounces)
175g Quorn mince ( 7 ounces)
350g dried spaghetti (a scant pound)
1 tablespoon olive oil (Quorn just needs to be added to the sauce,
so the recipe requires about 50% less oil than you would usually use)
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
3 free range eggs, whisked
1 TBS grated Parmesan or vegetarian Italian style hard cheese
handful chopped fresh parsley
seasoning to taste

Bring a large pan of water to the boil and add the spaghetti, cook as per back of pack instructions.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a pan over a moderate heat. Add the shallot, garlic and the Quorn mince, saute gently for 3 minutes. Stir in the ham or bacon and cook for 2 minutes. Season to taste.

Whisk the eggs in a large serving bowl with the grated Italian style hard cheese. Drain the spaghetti reserving 2 large spoonfuls of cooking water.

Add the cooked spaghetti to the whisked eggs in the serving bowl with the ham and mince mixture and the reserved cooking liquid. Keep stirring until all the ingredients are well combined.

Divide the pasta between 4 bowls and serve garnished with fresh parsley and some freshly ground black pepper. Really delicious!

Quorn Products are found in the chiller and freezer sections of most Grocery Stores here in the UK.

I just love, love, LOVE the traditional recipes of the UK. All those years I spent ensconced in Enid Blyton books, drooling and dreaming over what sounded like exotic foods . . . well, those dreams and imaginations have come true for me since I arrived in the UK.



I am enjoying so much exploring the traditional, and sometimes not so traditional foods . . . and sometimes I do confess . . . I add my own twist to them, so they are somewhat traditional, but also somewhat new. I love that!



Some people might define a Gypsy Cream as a chocolate or orange version of a custard cream biscuit (cookie). Traditionally though the recipe includes neither one of those additional flavourings. Squidgy cocoa is what is called for . . . although in my house I pimp for plain coz I have a chocolate hating husband and . . . trust me . . . these biscuits are SOOO SO SO GOOD, it would be dangerous to have them in the house if only me was eating them. Oh so bad . . .



These are crisp and moreishly buttery. Oh so scrummy. Perfect with a hot cuppa of whatever your poison is . . . in my case it's Twinings' Black Currant and Mint herbal tea . . .

Oh . . . this was the perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon. I dare say Sunday will be much the same . . . ahem . . .




*Gypsy Creams*
Makes 24 double cookies
Printable Recipe

Crisp, buttery and moreishly addictive biscuits (cookies) with a yummy cream cheese filling.

For the biscuits:
6 ounces butter softened (3/4 cup)
2 ounces white shortening (1/4 cup)
6 ounces caster sugar (1 cup minus 2 TBS)
2 tsp golden syrup (In north america use dark corn syrup)
8 ounces plain whole meal flour (approximately 1 1/3 cup, you may need a bit more)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

For the filling:
4 ounces butter, softened (1/2 cup)
2 ounces cream cheese (1/4 cup)
4 ounces icing sugar, sifted (2/3 cup)
2 ounces cocoa powder, sifted (1/3 cup)
(You can choose to use all icing sugar in which case use 6 ounces or 1 cup)

Preheat the oven to 150*C/300*F/ gas mark 2. Butter several baking trays. Set aside.

Cream the butter, shortening and sugar together until fluffy. Beat in the golden syrup. Sift together the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Stir this into the creamed mixture, mixing together thoroughly. Roll out on a lightly floured board, with a floured rolling pin, 1/4 inch thick. Cut out with a 2 inch round cutter. Place onto the baking sheet, leaving some space in between for spreading.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until firm and golden. Let cool on the sheets for a few minutes, before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

For the filling, beat all the ingredients together until light and fluffy. Use this to sandwich two biscuits together. Store in a tightly covered container.

I love sandwiches.  I think next to potatoes, chocolate and lemons, sandwiches are one of my absolute favourite things to eat!!  Yep, low carb does not work for me.  Not at all.  Sandwiches can be as simple as you like or as complicated as you like.  It all depends on how you are feeling.   Some days I am in ecstacy over a simple jam sandwich and others I am wanting an Italian Grinder.  It's a mood thing I guess.

 

I was recently sent some Spam ® in these new pop top plastic containers!  Way cool beans!  So easy to open and to use!  I love them!



The old tin was always a bit fiddly to work with and I was always afraid I would cut myself on it.  This is a really nice improvement.  Did you know that SPAM have a competition running at the moment to win five weekend theatre breaks plus £100 spending money plus 100 runner up prizes.  In order to enter you can simply upload a photo, video, drawing or even just a short sentence at www.spam-uk.com.   The contest closes on the 28th February, so you still have enough time to enter if you wish!

 

Next week is Spam Appreciation week and in honor of that I have created a tasty sandwich for you all. It's a hot sandwich so is perfect for a simple supper.   Did you know that Spam is the number one favourite luncheon meat in Hawaii?   Hawaiian's just love the stuff.  I'm not surprised actually.   We are big fans of it in this house too.



I decided to take on a Hawaiian theme with this sandwich because they are such fans and I thought it would be fun.    Hot dog buns stuffed with a delicious spam filling created by using chopped spam, cheese, onion, pineapple crush, hot peppers, mayonnaise and spicy barbeque sauce!   You just mix it all together and stuff the buns, which are then wrapped tightly in foil and baked until the filling is bubbling and oozingly tasty good!



A man and kid pleaser, this is luau food, without the trouble of pit roasting a whole pig!  All joking aside, these are incredibly tasty! The Toddster tucked into two of them all by himself.  I love it when that happens!  I served these with some oven chips, but potato chips would be great with them, as would some potato salad.  I think you'll agree that these are quite simply delicious!

 

Make sure your pineapple is really well drained.  You don't want it to be too wet or the filling will be too wet.  If you have to, put it in a clean tea towel, wrap it up tightly and squeeze it really well.  Mash together the spam, cheese, pineapple, onion, mayonnaise, barbeque sauce and pepper to taste.  Split the hot dog buns.  Divide the mixture evenly between the buns filling them well.  Wrap each tightly in foil. Place them onto a baking tray and then bang them into the heated oven.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, at which time the buns should be a bit crisp on the outsides and the filling will be oozingly tasty good.  Let stand for several minutes before serving.   The filling will be very hot so take care.  Serve garnished with more chopped onion and a sprinkling of cress.   



Now that's tasty! 

Many thanks to Rachel and the people at SPAM® for sending me these tasty little tubs!

I do so love my computer.   Having a computer has added such a special dimension to my life.  I have met some really special people via this medium and been able to experience a lot of really wonderful things that I might not have had I not been the owner of a computer and the author of several blogs!   



I have always stored my photos on photobucket and pay a hefty price for the priviledge.   That is where I keep all of my food photos and normally it's worked very well for me . . . until a couple of days ago.  I literally have not been able to get the site to load for me, which is very frustrating for me as almost all of my food photos are on there, and I can't get at them!  Grrrrrr!!!!  I am really hoping and praying it is a temporary blip!   



Anyways, all of the recipes and reviews I have in my queue to post will have to wait until I can get access to my photos and I am really hoping that will be soon, or else I will be spitting feathers . . . and trust me, you do not want to see that!  It ain't pretty! 



Thankfully I had the wherewithall to upload a few photos to my google account the other day and so I can show you this fab recipe here today.  It's like a type of strata . . . a bread and egg pudding, sort of like a savory bread pudding. 



They make excellent use of stale bread and other bits.   The other day I decided to make it like a BLT sandwich and it worked out fabulous!  This was soooooo tasty. 



I simply made some sandwiches with some stale bread, filling them with crumbled bacon, grated cheddar, finely sliced leeks and some slices tomatoes . . . place them into a baking dish and then poured a savoury egg custard mix over top.   



It was so delicious and went down a real treat with a nice mixed salad with a French Vinaigrette.   Super duper  tasty!  I love that it was also quite thrifty and I made good use of a stale loaf of French bread, and a few other bits that needed using.  I love it when that happens! 




(You will need at least 14 slices)
1 pint of whole milk (2 cups)
salt and pepper to taste 






Butter a 10 inch glass pie dish.

Spread each slice of the bread thickly with butter on one side only. Mix together the sliced leeks, grated cheese and crumbled bacon.  Divide 3/4 of this mixture between half of the slices on the unbuttered sides.   Top each with two half moons of tomato. Place another slice of bread, buttered side up on top.  Cut in half and place into the pie dish cut side down, to fill the dish.  Sprinkle with the remainder of the cheese mixture.

Beat the eggs together with the mustard  and milk.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Pour over top of the sandwiches.  Allow to stand for half an hour before cooking so that it can absorb as much as possible.

Preheat the oven to 160*C/325*F/ gas mark 3.  Bake the pudding in the heated oven for about 45 minutes, until a knife inserted near the centre comes out clean.  Allow to stand for about 10 minutes before cutting into wedges to serve.   A salad goes nice with this. 

Here's hoping that photo bucket is working tomorrow!   



I am so excited to be able to tell you this morning that I have finally finished my fourth Cookbooklet.  Entitled Recipes to Keep it is a little goldmine of my all time favourite recipes, the ones that I turn to again and again, indeed my family favourites, gleaned from a lifetime of cooking for my family and loved ones.

40 pages containing over 40 new, never before posted recipes from my big blue binder that contain some of my all time favourites.  Recipes such as Cindy's Portuguese Gumdrop Cake ( a must for our Christmas larder each year for over 20 years!) , Runny Butter Tarts (a fail proof recipe I have been using for over 30 years for the best butter tarts you could want to eat), Onion Patties (who needs to go to all the faff of making onion rings when you can just drop them as simple patties!), The Best Ever Tomato and Meat Sauce, and a whole lot more.  Destined to become your family favourites too . . . in short, recipes to keep.

It's available now as a PDF Download, mailed right to your home, and at the same low price as all of my other cookbooklets.  You will find the link up there on underneath my header on the page called Cookbooklets!

Thanks for visiting and have a great day!

 
(Yes, this IS my kitchen.)

I posted a question on my Facebook Page a few days ago asking people what they wanted to see here on the blog.  I was really pleased with the answers I got and happily I had already cooked some of the things you wanted to see so I have created a bit of a round up of those ones here today.  The rest I will have to cook one at a time as my budget and time fits!

Also if you didn't particpate in that survey on my Facebook Page, feel free to post your requests in the comments section at the bottom of this post.  I will endeavor to fulfil them at some point!



Someone asked for a good risotto recipe.   This is a recipe for a really delicious oven baked Chicken and Broccoli Risotto.  Not traditional, but very good.  The recipe for that is HERE.  



Then there is my recipe for a dessert type of risotto . . . Vanilla Risotto with Oven Roasted Pears.   You can find that recipe HERE.  It's really good.  You will want to have small firm pears for this.



This is my recipe for a Traditional Victorian Sponge or Victorian Sandwich cake as it is sometimes called.  You can choose to use all butter in it if you wish, or half butter and half margarine.   All butter will yield a slightly heavier cake.  Both versions are good.  It all depends on whether you are a purist or not.   The cake you see here was made with half and half.  You can find my recipe HERE.



Rice Pudding comes in several different kinds.  This one is one which is cooked on top of the stove and is simply rice and a bit of sweetener and milk.  You can find that recipe HERE.  It is quite simple to make and is really very good, if I don't say so myself.  



Then there is this version, which is a Danish recipe which I clipped out of a newspaper yonks ago and is my absolute favourite rice pudding.  It, too, is cooked on top of the stove, but includes a delicious cherry sauce and is flavoured with almond, cinnamon and cardamon.  You can find that recipe HERE.



Then there is this absolutely delicious version of rice pudding which is baked in the oven.  This is Todd's favourite one.  It too is simple and very creamy.   You can find that recipe HERE.  

Someone asked for a good recipe for Yorkshire Puddings.  Over here you can buy them ready made and compared to homemade they are not quite as good.  Homemade ones are infinitely better.   This is my FIL's recipe.  He was a career cook in the Canadian Military and these are THE best.   Seriously.  But you have to follow the directions exactly.



*Yorkshire Puddings*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe

I wonder who it was that discovered that with just a little flour, milk  and eggs you could create something that is so crispy, light and delicious!  Sunday lunch just wouldn't be Sunday lunch without a couple of these on the plate.  These turn out perfect every time, as long as you follow the directions to a "T."  Not hard to do really as they are very simple.

2 large free range eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp salt
1 1/3 cups milk, at room temperature (315ml)
1 cup flour (140g)
a little oil or dripping

Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature before beginning.  Beat your eggs together in a large measuring jug until very light.  Whisk in the milk.  Sift the flour into a bowl along with the salt.  Make a well in the middle and add the wet ingredients all at once, pouring them into the well, and then whisk them in, slowly incorporating the dry mixture from the sides until you have a smooth batter.  Now, this is the important bit . . . COVER IT AND LET IT SIT ON THE SIDEBOARD FOR ONE HOUR.

Preheat your oven to 230*C/450*F. .  Place a small amount of oil or dripping into each cup of a 12 cup muffin tin.  Place the tin into the hot oven to heat up until the fat is hot and sizzling.  remove from the oven and quickly divide the batter amongst each muffin cup, filling them about 2/3 full.  Return to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until well risen, browned and crispy, reducing the oven temperature by 10 degrees every five minutes.  Serve hot with plenty of gravy!!


 

Toad in the Hole was a recipe which I posted in the very early days of this blog, hence the picture which is not so good.  I've learned a LOT since then, but that doesn't mean that this recipe isn't delicious.  You can find my recipe for it HERE.   You can't beat a tasty Toad in the Hole with Mash for a super supper, with plenty of bisto gravy.   Stodgy, delicious and comforting!



Then there was Sausage and Bacon Toad in the Hole.   A delicious version made in individual casserole dishes, with sausages wrapped in bacon, wedges of onion and of course that crispy batter pudding base.   Fabulous with mash and gravy.  You can find the recipe HERE.  



A delicious invention of mine called Pundit Pudding, which is a mixed grill served in a plate sized Yorkshire pudding.  There is a piece of tasty rump steak, a grilled sausage, some gammon and a small chop served in each yorkshire pudding, along with grilled mushrooms and tomatoes,  with plenty of gravy, greens and potatoes on the side.  Not for the faint of heart.  Find that recipe HERE.  



Beer Battered Fish.   You can't beat a tasty Friday night supper of fish and chips.  This is a lovely  batter for on fish.   Light and crisp with beautifully flakey and moist fish inside.   Find that recipe HERE. 



And to go with it the tastiest Tartar Sauce you could ever want to eat.   Right HERE.  Rich and creamy and filled with herbs, capers, gerkins and just a touch of horseradish sauce for a bit of a spark!  We love this.  Once you have tried it, nothing else will do!

When you are ready to fry your chips heat your fat to 120*C/250*F.  Add the chips in batches, without crowding the pan.   Blanch in the fat for 5 minutes, just until cooked through.   Remove, pat dry and drain on paper toweling.  Once you have blanched all the chips raise the temperature of the fat to 160*C/320*F.  Fry the chips again until crisp and golden brown.  Drain well, season with some salt and serve immediately.

That's it for this time, but stay tuned as I will be cooking up all of your other requests soon!