Alright . . . I confess. The potato IS my favourite vegetable. That's why "low carbing it" has never worked for me.

I love them in any way, shape or form.



I love em mashed.



I love em fried.



I love em boiled and baked.



Heck, when I was a kid I even used to beg raw pieces off my mom when she was getting them ready for our supper.

She said they'd give me worms.



But they didn't.

So there.



This is one of my favourite ways of cooking potatoes. It goes with just about anything. In fact, back home where I come from, local firehalls and churches make lots of money with Saturday night Baked Bean Suppers, and Potato Scallop figures highly on the menu.



You just can't have ham or a baked bean supper without serving this.

It's unconstitutional.



*Potato Scallop*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

You'll see lots of versions of this recipe which call for the making of a bechamel sauce to cook the sliced potatoes in. My mom never did this, and to be honest we never minded. We always just loved them the way she did them. I still think they are the best of all.

4 large baking potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 TBS flour
2 TBS softened butter
2 TBS finely chopped onion
1 TBS finely chopped parsley
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups whole milk

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Generously butter a large baking dish. Place half of the potatoes into the dish. Sprinkle with half of the salt, pepper, flour, onion, cheese and parsley. Dot with half the butter. Repeat the layer, ending with the remaining butter. Pour the milk over top to cover the potatoes. Cover with foil or a lid and bake for 30 to 40 minutes until tender. Take off the lid and bake for an additional 15 minutes to brown the top. Serve warm.

One of the things that I really like over here in the UK, is the mincemeat. You can buy it ready-made all year long, not just at Christmas. Or you can make your own. It's really quite easy.



Back home the mincemeat is really quite different. There's actually minced meat in it. I was never all that fond of it. My Aunt and Uncle used to make Deer Mincemeat. Interesting . . . to say the least.



Over here the mincemeat is a delicious mixture of chopped fruits and spices . . . raisins, currents, sultanas,lemon and orange peel . . . cinnamon, nutmeg, mixed spice . . . soft light brown sugar . . . suet. You can get it with brandy, or port and some varieties even have cherries in it. I love it all.



Mincemeat is not just for Christmas you know.



You can make lovely loaf cakes with it and pies of course . . . any time at all.

or you can make this tasty Jalousie.



Served warm and cut into squares, it's deliciously moreish with a tangy dollop of creme fraiche on top to counteract the sweetness.

It's lovely, really lovely . . . and so very . . . very . . . easy to make.

Sweet . . . spicy . . . and flake, flake, flakey . . . I think Todd said it best of all . . . "Nice . . . very nice" . . . as he reached for a second helping . . .



*Mincemeat and Apple Jalousie*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

Light and crisp puff pastry filled with delicious bottled mincemeat and sliced apple. Served warm with a tasty dollop of creme fraiche. Yum!

1 350g package of frozen all butter puff pastry
1 4 to 6 ounce jar of mincemeat
1 large eating apple, peeled and thinly sliced
1 TBS caster sugar
milk and demerara sugar
Icing sugar to dust
Creme fraiche to serve



Pre-heat the oven to 220*C/425*F.

Roll the pastry to a thin oblong, 6 inches wide and 18 inches long. Cut in half crosswise to give you 2 9-inch long strips. Flour one strip lightly and fold in half from both edges to the centre. Make a series of cuts through the folded edges to within one inch of the trimmed edge on both sides.

Lightly butter a sheet of parchment paper and place it on a baking tray. Lay the plain piece of puff pastry on top. Spread with the mincemeat to within 3/4 inch of the edge all around. Place the thinly sliced apple on top and then sprinkle with the caster sugar. Dampen the free edge all around with some water. Open out the slashed piece of pastry and lay on top. Seal the edges all around and crimp them together. Brush with some milk and sprinkle with some demerara sugar.



Place in the centre of the heated oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until well risen and nicely browned. If you think it is browning too quickly you may reduce the oven temperature for the last 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven. Dredge with icing sugar, cut into squares and serve warm with some creme fraiche.

I'm not sure how many of you know this or not, but I am a Latter Day Saint, or Mormon as we are commonly known throughout most of the world. One of the things that I love most in my cooking life, is being able to have the missionaries over for tea. After having raised five children, and now with just Todd and I living here on our own, my table is far too empty most of the time. There is nothing that makes me happier than having the opportunity to see some young and smiling faces sitting around it, especially when they are hungry.

Young people . . . far away from home and family . . . just ripe for spoiling in a way only a mom can spoil them. It's one of my absolute favourite things of all to do!!



We have two young sister missionaries here right now, and tonight was my first chance to cook a meal for them. One is from Brommieland (near Birmingham) and the other from Idaho. They are such sweet young ladies.

Boys, you can feed until they are full to exploding, and they will come back for more. Young women . . . they can be a somewhat different kettle of fish. I wasn't sure how much they would eat, or if they would prefer a light meal over something heavy . . .



My solution . . . a nice big pot of corn chowder, the perfect meal on a cold and rain swept day . . . served with some cheese and oat drop scones, and then for dessert this tasty crumble traybake.

They loved it, warm from the oven and served up with lashings of pouring cream.



They took the leftovers home with them.

They're my kind of girls!



*Blueberry Apricot Crumble Traybake*
Serves 12 (HA!)
Printable Recipe

This scrumptious cake is deliciously moist with a hidden surprise of creamy yoghurt hiding beneath the tasty fruit and crumble topping. I bet you can't eat just one piece!

1 420g tin of apricots, drained well
8 ounces softened butter
8 ounces golden caster sugar
8 ounces self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
3 large eggs, beaten
2 TBS milk
150g pot of lemon yogurt
8 ounces blueberries
For the Crumble:
1 ounce softened butter
3 heaped dessertspoons self raising flour
3 heaped dessert spoons demerara sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon



Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/375*F. Butter a 9 by 12 inch tray bake pan. Line with baking paper and butter again. Set aside.

Make the crumble by rubbing all the crumble ingredients together until crumbly. Set aside.

Weigh the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder, eggs and milk into a bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until creamy. Spoon into the prepared tin, leveling the top. Bake for 25 minutes, or until almost set. Remove from the oven and immediately spoon the yogurt over top. Scatter the fruit over top of the yogurt and then top with the crumble. Return to the oven and bake for a further 15 to 20 minutes until done and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven. Serve warm and cut into squares, with some pouring cream, or cold as a tea time or picnic treat.

Adding a slice of fruit to the top of a pancake turns it into something really special.



When you are talking about pancakes that are already studded with pistachio nuts and chopped dates, then you are talking really special.



I just love cooking with oats. They seem so very wholesome and healthy to me. Oats are very good for you.

So are nuts and dates.



Nuts, dates, oats, apples . . .
These just have to be incredibly healthy, right?



That must mean you can eat even more of them than other pancakes. ☺

There is NO such thing as too much of a good thing. (Wisdom according to Marie)



*Date and Pistachio Hot Cakes*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe

Oh, we do love these tasty pancakes. Chock full of goodness with the oats, chopped pistachios and then dates. When you add the surprise of a slice of apple or pear on the top, well . . . these just become fabulous!! I like to serve them with a dollop of thick Greek Yoghurt and some honey drizzled over top.

200g flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 TBS soft light brown sugar, packed
50g of rolled oats
100g shelled, unsalted pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped
100g moist dates, pitted and chopped
the grazed zest of one lemon
250ml of whole milk
2 large eggs
55g unsalted butter, melted
(plus more for buttering the pan and brushing over the fruit slices)
2 crisp eating apples, cored, and sliced crosswise into 1/4 inch slices
(You can also use firm pears)



Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar along with the oats, dates and pistachios. Beat together the eggs, melted butter, milk and lemon zest. Pour this over the dry mixture and mix all together just to combine and make sure all the dry bits are moistened. It doesn't have to be smooth.

Heat a large non stick pan over medium heat. Brush with butter. Spoon on dessertspoons of the batter, leaving some space between each one. Top each with a slice of apple. Cook for several minutes, until small bubbles begin to appear on the upside. Turn over, brushing the apple slices with butter some melted butter before turning. Cook on the other side until nicely browned and cooked through, about 2 minutes. Keep warm in a slow oven while you cook the rest.

Serve warm, drizzled with some honey and a dollop of Greek Yoghurt if desired.

Most Sundays, by the time we get home from church I just don't have the energy to make a big meal for the two of us. It's generally been a long day and we're both tired. (One of the benefits of having a husband on the Bishopric and only having one car!)

Some weeks I get my act together, and manage to throw something into the slow cooker before we leave . . . most weeks, I forget until it's too late, and Todd is standing at the door with his briefcase and wanting me to get out to the car . . . like five minutes ago!

. . . sigh



Those are beans on toast days, or soup and rolls . . . and yes, I confess, sometimes we even have tinned spaghetti on toast. I know . . . I'm depraved, but I do like it from time to time . . .



When I was a girl we used to love it when my mom made bacon and cheese toasties. Bacon and cheese are so very tasty together. My mom always used kraft cheese singles slices and streaky bacon and the cheese would kind of burn a bit in the corners and it tasted rather yummy! I love, Love, LOVED the brown bits!!

Oh . . . and the bacon, of course!!



I have grown up now, and prefer mine with a good cheddar these days.

I also like to add a bit of spring onion and mayonnaise. I mean . . . in for a penny, in for a pound, right?



It goes without saying . . . you want a good quality of streaky bacon.



Quick . . . easy . . . and moreishly tasty. Yumm!! Yumm!!



*Bacon Cheese Toasties*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

Bacon . . . cheese . . . toast . . . need I say more???

12 slices of streaky bacon
12 ounces of shredded strong cheddar cheese
3 spring onions, finely chopped
2 dessert spoons of mayonnaise
(I use Hellman's)
1 healthy pinch of cayenne pepper
12 slices of good quality white bread

Pre-heat the grill to high. Toast your slices of bread lightly on both sides. Set aside on a baking tray.

Cook your bacon until semi crisp in a medium high non stick skillet. Drain well on paper toweling.

Mix together the shredded cheese, spring onions and mayonnaise. Add cayenne pepper to your taste. Spread this mixture onto the toasted slices of bread. Cut the slices of bacon into 4 slices each. Place these on top of the cheese mixture in an attractive manner.

Toast under the grill until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the bacon is crisp. Remove from the grill and allow to sit for several minutes before cutting each toastie in half and serving to your most grateful family!

Is it scon that rhymes with on, or is it scone that rhymes with stone??

Who knows. It sounds mightly delicious no matter which way you say it. If asked what the difference between a scone and a North American baking powder biscuit is, I would have to say first and foremost, it is in the preparation. In a baking powder biscuit the fat is cut into the flour using a pastry blender, or two round bladed knives. In a scone the fat is gently rubbed into the mixture with your fingertips, lifting the mixture high up and dropping it back into the bowl as you rub, in order to help incorporate some air to the mix.



Baking powder biscuits generally use all vegetable fat, and sometimes cream . . . scones usually use all butter, and sometimes butter and cream.

In both instances, it is wise not to overhandle the dough, lest you end up with tough scones or biscuits.



Baking powder biscuits are a bit heavier in texture and more savoury than scones . . . most scones are light and sweet . . . and go just perfectly with a nice hot cuppa and lashings of preserves and clotted cream, whereas baking powder biscuits are at their most perfect when served with hot soups and stews.



When cutting press the cutter straight down onto the scone dough and then lift it straight up without twisting. This gives you nice straight edges and they bake up straight as well. Twisting when you cut means you end up with lopsides scones.



Delicious, no matter how you cut them . . . no pun intended.




A plate of these, split and buttered alongside of a bowl of clotted cream and a jar of strawberry preserves and I am in heaven. This . . . is . . . bliss.

Damn . . . I forgot to buy the clotted cream . . .

No matter . . .



*Sultana Scones*
Makes about 14
Printable Recipe

Making good scones is easy as long as you don't overhandle the dough. Tender and moist, wrap them in a clean tea towel after baking to help to keep them that way. Served warm with lots of butter and preserves, these are wonderfully delicious . . .

8 ounces self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 ounces softened butter
1 ounce caster sugar
2 ounces sultanas
1 large egg
milk

Pre-heat the oven to 220*C/425*F. Line two baking trays with baking parchment and set aside.

Measure the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Add the butter and rub it into the flour mixture with the tips of your fingers, until the mixture closely resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and the sultanas.

Beat the egg together with enough milk to make a total of 150 ml of liquid. Stir this mixture into the flour mixture to make a soft, but not sticky dough. You don't want it to be too dry, or too sticky.

Turn out onto a lightly floured board. Knead lightly a few times, then pat out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut into rounds with a 2 inch cutter, then place them onto the prepared baking trays. Brush the tops with a little milk.

Bake for about 10 minutes, until golden brown and nicely risen. Lift onto a wire rack to cool and then wrap in a clean tea towel to serve. Delicious!

It's no secret . . . I think you all know by now that I ADORE ginger, in any way shape or form.

The stronger the better, it makes no difference to me. Ginger, Ginger, Ginger . . . I just love the stuff . . .



I always haved a jar of stem ginger in my larder. Sometimes I sneak a tiny golden ball and savour it's sweet heat . . . all to myself.

I know, I am a bit greedy . . .

Sometimes I add a spoonful of the syrup to the pan after I have boiled some carrots . . . along with a knob of butter, it makes the most delicious glaze, coating the carrots in it's spicy sweetness . . . beautifully tasty.



I also just love muffins. Who doesn't??? They're not quite cake . . . they're not quite bread . . . tasty little morsels, all tucked up in their own paper wrappers . . . and . . . just . . . for . . . you . . .



These are fabulous, truly fabulous. Magnificent even.

They'll keep for about week, locked up in an airtight container. Only . . . shhh . . . don't tell anyone else about them . . . okay??



You'll want all of these for yourself.

Sincerely. Would I lie to you???



*Magnificent Ginger Muffins*
Makes one dozen medium, or six mega
Printable Recipe

Moist and delicious and stogged full of tasty bits of preserved stem ginger and chopped dried apricot. The lemon drizzle is the perfect topping. Yummo!!

3 1/2 ounces butter, softened
4 ounces light muscovado sugar
3 TBS black treacle
3 1/2 ounces milk
2 TBS ginger syrup (from the jar of stem ginger)
1 large egg
5 ounces plain flour
1 TBS ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
6 stem ginger balls, drained from the syrup and coarsely chopped
3 ounces dried apricots, chopped
Drizzle Icing:
2 ounces freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1/4 cup)
1 cup icing sugar, sifted
2 tsp butter




Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/375*F. Line your preferred muffin pans with some paper liners. Set aside.

Place the butter, sugar and dark treacle in a measuring jug and warm in the microwave on high for about 2 minutes, just until everything has melted together. Whisk in the milk and the ginger syrup. Beat in the egg.

Sift the flour, spices and soda together in a large bowl. Add the chopped ginger and dried apricots. Stir to coat them with the flour. Add the wet ingredients all at once and stir together only to blend. Spoon into the prepared muffin cups.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until well risen and firm.

Make the drizzle icing by putting all the ingredients into a microwavable bowl. Place in the microwave and heat for 30 seconds or so. Whisk together really well to blend. Drizzle over the warm muffins.