With the World Cup coming up very soon now, I thought it would be fun over the next little while to do a few things that might come in very handy for those nights when you are all gathered around the radio or the telly watching or listening to the games!!



Generally speaking, Todd and I are not big footie fans, but when it comes to the World Cup, we are just like anyone else. We like to fly the flag and support our Country! You should see the neigbourhood around here. It seems everyone is flying the flag!! In fact some homes are so covered in England Flags, you can't see the actual house!!



All the shops are full of England Flag Merchandise. You can even get England Flag afro wigs and Cowboy Hats down at the local Wilkensons!!! Now that's what I call really getting into it!! I may spring for one or two for Todd and myself, and if I do, I'll be sure to show you a picture!!



Football match food is highly specialized. It needs to be somewhat portable, appealing to men and kids, and fun, fun, FUN to eat!!



That's exactly what these Lasagna Buns are!!! Easy and quick to make, and oh so very delicious!! You can eat them with your hands, if you really want to get down to earth . . . or you can be a bit more civilized and eat them on a plate with a fork and knife!!



At the Table . . . Or in front of the telly . . . No matter which way you cut, or eat them though, they are sure to be very popular with the footie fans in your household!

Crisp bread shells holding all the elements of a delicious meaty lasagna. Ohhh soooo cheesy and rich and scrumdiddlyummy!!!



Please Note - One does not have to be a football fan to enjoy these. You just have to like Lasagna, bread . . . and FUN!



*Crusty Lasagna Buns*
Makes 8
Printable Recipe

Crisp hollowed out crusty rolls filled with a mixture of a delicious meat sauce and a variety of cheeses, and then baked until the cheese is ooey gooey and scrumdiddlyumptious!!

8 round crusty rolls
350g of extra lean ground beef
1 small jar of pasta sauce
(your favourite kind. I like one with a gutsy flavour such as an
arrabatia or a puttanesca)
garlic powder to taste
2 tsp of dried oregano
2 tsp of dried basil
1 tsp onion powder
pinch of cloves
salt and black pepper to taste
250g packet of ricotta cheese
8 ounces strong cheddar cheese grated
8 ounces grated mozzarella cheese
2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese

Cut a thin slice off of the top of each bun. Hollow out the centres, leaving a 1/4 inch thick shell. (Discard the centres and tops, or feed to birds, or make breadcrumbs with them and put them in the freezer.)

Brown the ground beef in a hot skillet, cooking and mashing with a fork until it is nicely browned. Stir in the garlic powder, oregano, basil, onion powder, cloves, salt, pepper and pasta sauce. Allow to simmer for 5 to 10 minutes over low heat until flavours meld.

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark4.

Mix together the ricotta cheese with half of the cheddar cheese and half of the Mozzarella cheese, and all of the Parmesan.. Stir together well.

Place the hollowed out buns on a shallow baking tray. Divide the meat sauce between them. Top with equal amounts of the cheese mixture. Cover loosely with foil and then pop into the heated oven. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the foil and top with the remaining cheese and then bake for another 5 minutes or so, or pop under a hot grill for 3 to 4 minutes.

Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. Delicious!

!!!WINNER winner WINNER winner WINNER winner WINNER!!!

I used a Random Number Generator at Random dot org to draw a winner of the Cookery Book celebrating my one year bloggiversary. It picked Number 9. Pat, you are my lucky winner!! So send me your details and I'll pop the cookbook into the post for you post haste. I wish I knew how to show you all the number generator so you know it's no fooling, but I am sadly lacking in technical saavy. If anyone can tell me how to do it, I'd appreciate it muchly so that next time I can show you the number in real time! I wish I could give everyone a cookbook, but alas . . . I am still waiting to win the lottery . . .

The next time you have company for the weekend that you want to easily impress . . . or even if you are just looking for something special to thoroughly spoil the Mr and the kidlets with for a change . . . try out these.

Delectably scrummy Sour Cherry and Almond Breakfast Buns.



Tasty little breakfast cakes, composed of a light almond flavoured rich cream cheese batter, with little pockets of sour cherry jam throughout and a crunchy topping of toasted almonds.

Can you say M-O-R-E-I-S-H???



It is pretty difficult to say with a mouth full of scrumptious cake, jam and toasted nuts . . . but . . . you can do it if you really try . . .



Served barely warm, these are heavenly to say the least . . .



Even cold they are pretty delectable . . .



I'd wager to say a couple of days old, toasted and crumpled into a bowl with lashings of cream . . .
they'd be even better . . . hmmmm . . . do ya think????



Naaahhh . . . they'll never last that long. Ohhhh baby . . .



*Sour Cherry and Almond Breakfast Buns*
Makes Printable Recipe

These are very moist muffins with lovely sour cherry preserves swirled throughout and a crunchy almond topping.

245g plain flour (1 3/4 cups)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
8 ounces cream cheese (1/2 pound)
4 ounces unsalted butter, softened (1/2 cup)
200g caster sugar (1 cup)
2 large free range eggs, at room temperature
2 ounces milk (1/4 cup)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract

Topping:
125g sour cherry conserve (approx 1/2 cup)
4 TBS flaked almonds
Sifted icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/Gas mark4. Grease and flour 9 large muffin cups. (I use a Texas size muffin pan and a couple ramekins)

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. Set aside. Stir together the milk and extracts.

Cream together the cream cheese, butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Whisk in the dry ingredients, alternately with the milk. Spoon into the prepared pans, filling them about 2/3 full. Drop three small dollops of jam on the top of each, trying not to touch the sides. Swirl through the batter with a round bladed knife. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until well risen and when the top springs back when lightly touched. Remove from the oven. Let stand in the pan for about 5 minutes or so before removing. They will fall a bit, but that's ok! Allow to cool for about half an hour before sprinkling the tops with sifted icing sugar and serving. Delicious!

Todd and I work pretty hard most days of the week. Wednesday is usually the day we take off though, to do things that we enjoy doing . . . usually together.

This Wednesday was no different. We decided to take ourselves up to the Cheshire Oaks Outlet Mall and just have a look around.



Wow, that place is big. Much larger than I remember it being, although I know that isn't so . . . tis the same size it's always been . . . although we did get lost on the way there . . . and, I'm ashamed to admit, on the way back as well . . . but . . . that's a whole 'nother story . . .



There is everything you could ever hope to dream of in that mall, including a lovely kitchen kitsch store, which I managed to get the most fantastic pepper grinder in. It's called the CrushGrind and it's probably the best pepper grinder I have ever come across . . . the truth, no lie! (and no, I didn't get given one to say that, I had to buy one for myself, although to be sure if they did offer to give me one, I'd deffo take it!)



Anyways, we walked til we dropped and then came back home. I had some rhubarb I needed to use up and I baked a pie. A delicious rhubarb custard pie, one of my absolute favourites ever in this whole wide world. Tart and sweet and incredibly moreishly scrummy. (Yes scrummy is a word.)

Isn't that what everyone does when they have worn themselves out window shopping???



I should have waited longer to cut it . . . but . . . in my defence, if you bake this pie and then taste it, you will know without a doubt why I couldn't wait! (What can I say . . . I'm a glutton . . . meh!)



*Rhubarb Custard Pie*
Makes one 9 inch pie
Printable Recipe

Something deliciously different to do with that glut of rhubarb that is taking over your garden.

short crust pastry to fill a 9 inch pie dish, or
my incredibly easy pat in the pan pastry (see my recipe below)
400g diced rhubarb
(about 3 cups)
100g of caster sugar
(1/2 cup)
2 TBS corn flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 large free range eggs
6 ounces golden syrup (3/4 cup)
1 TBS butter, melted

Either roll out the pie crust to fit your dish, 1/8 of an inch thick and leaving a one inch overhang, or make the recipe as below. If making shortcrust fold the excess dough under and crimp the edges. Chill for half an hour.

If you are making the recipe for the pat in the pan dough, make as instructed and then pat the dough into the dish with your fingers, first along the sides of the pie pan and then across the bottom. Flute the edged decoratively.

Preheat the oven to 230*C/450*F/gas mark 8.

Place the chopped rhubarb into the prepared pie shell. Whisk together the sugar, cornflour and salt. Mix in the egg, beating it in well, and then stir in the golden syrup and the melted butter. Mix well. Pour this evenly over top of the rhubarb in the prepared shell. Bake in the heated oven for 15 minutes. Decrease the oven heat to 180*C/350*F/gas mark 4 and bake for 30 to 40 more minutes, until the crust is nicely browned and the rhubarb is tender. Remove from the oven to a wire rack and cool until the pie is firmed up, about 45 minutes, before serving. Delicious!!



*Pat in the Pan Pie Crust*
Makes enough for one 9 inch pie
Printable Recipe

This is so simple and easy to do and makes an incredibly short, flakey and crisp crust. Works well for any single crust pie. You do not need to roll it out.

210g of plain flour
(1 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 tsp caster sugar
1/2 tsp salt
4 ounces vegetable oil
(1/2 cup)
3 TBS cold milk

Whisk the flour, sugar and salt together in a bowl. Beat the cooking oil and the cold milk together with a fork until it turns quite creamy. Pour all at once into the flour mixture and mix together completely, using the fork, until all the dry mixture is evenly moistened. Pat the mixture into your pie dish with your fingertips, first covering the sides and then the bottom, patting it in evenly. Flute the edges as desired.

You may now fill the shell. If you require a baked pie shell, preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/gas mark 7. Prick it all over with a fork. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Check frequently to make sure it is not overbrowning.

If you are baking the filling in the shell, fill the shell as per the recipe and continue as directed.

Oh, it is a cold and rainy day . . . blustery . . . the kind of day that would have Pooh scrambling around with his umbrella, complaining to Piglet . . . I can almost hear his voice.

Whatever happened to spring . . . here we are in June and it still feels like April. Nevermind . . . the warm sunny days will be with us soon enough and then we will be complaining it is too hot!!




Best to take advantage of the last of the cool days and cook something comforting and wholesome . . . satisfying. Something that can simmer on the back of the stove for several hours while I escape into a book . . .



This tasty Chicken simmer fits the bill perfectly. It needs very little attention and is so very delicious when it is done. People will think that you have been slaving all day over it . . . when in reality you just basically banged everything into a pan and then let the pan do the hard work . . .



Okay, so it was a little more work than that, but not much . . . and boy oh boy, is it ever good. This had my Todd smacking his lips. This is the kind of dish that you don't mind having leftovers of . . .



You just know they are going to taste even better the day after . . . next time I will double it. Adapted from the cookery book, easy everyday, simple recipes for no-fuss food.



*Chicken and Barley Simmer*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This is the kind of meal that basically cooks itself. Long simmering produces deliciously tender chicken, well flavoured and satisfying.

2 TBS wholemeal flour
500g skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cubed (4 large single breasts)
100g lean streaky bacon, cut into strips (six rashers)
(I like to use the dry cure)
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 sticks of celery, trimmed and chopped
750-900 ml of white wine or chicken stock (3 to 4 cups)
3 TBS pearl barley, rinsed
1 TBS freshly chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, sage, thyme, basil, plus extra to serve
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Season the chicken chunks with some salt and black pepper. Dredge in the flour. Heat a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and dry fry for several minutes, about 5, stirring frequently, until the fat starts to run. Add the chicken and saute for 5 to 8 minutes, turning rrequently, until the chicken is seared all over. Add the onions, carrots, celery and 4 TBS of wine or stock. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the barley, herbs and 2 cups of the stock or wine, or a mixture of both. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about one hour, adding more stock as needed.

Check after an hour and add more stock if need be, then cover and continue to simmer for an additonal half an hour. Stir occasionally and add stock as needed. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Sprinkle with some more chopped herbs to serve, accompanied with a selection of your favourite vegetables.

We had this with some steamed new potatoes along with some carrots and cauliflower which I had also steamed and roasted asparagus. It is delicious!

It's hard to believe, but one year ago today I started The English Kitchen! What a great year it has been! I've cooked tons of food, baked lots of cakes, moved my home and kitchen, and worked my way through hundreds of delicious recipes.



I've had roughly a half a million visitors, from every corner of the globe, which is just fabulous!! I have really enjoyed getting to know some of you a little better, and all the feedback which I have received has been just wonderful. It's always nice to know you are appreciated! And I want you to know I appreciate all of you right back!!



I think anniversaries always call for celebrations, and celebrations always call for something tasty and delicious to eat! Wouldn't you agree???



Something rich and decadent of course, and you just can't much more decadent than a tasty Banoffee Pie! Once sneeringly called "The Staple of Middle Class Dinner Parties" by the Daily Telegraph, I think this tasty dessert has ridden the wave of criticism, and come out on top, a winner in every sense of the word!



At one time it was considered to be more than trendy. Now it is seen as pure comfort food. I don't know many people that don't like it! Quick, easy and oh so very deliciously scrummy . . .



Imagine a tasty, buttery digestive biscuit crust, stogged full of lucious toffee and sliced bananas, slathered with a rich topping of lightly sweetened double cream . . . and a final sprinkling of chocolate bits and sprinkles . . .



Every forkful is a celebration, truly. At least that's what Todd said, and I do so trust his opinion.



You can make your own toffee for the filling of course, but . . . why bother when you can get exactly the same thing in a tin, with all the hard work already done for you? I'm into comfort cookery, not extreme sports . . . truly.

Sometimes it's ok to cheat. Delia said so. I trust her opinion too. So there . . .




*Banoffee Pie*
Serves 4 to 6
Printable Recipe


A tasty little creation invented in a restaurant called the Hungry Monk, near Eastbourne in 1971. Digestive crumb base, toffee filling, sliced banana, whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles. What's not to like?

For the crust:
60g butter, melted
300g oaty biscuits, crushed until fine
(In America make a graham cracker crust, using 1 2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar
and 1/4 cup plus 2 TBS of melted butter)

Filling:
3 medium bananas, peeled and sliced
397g tin of Carnation Toffee
(approximately 2 cups dulce de leche)
350ml of double cream
(1 1/4 cup heavy cream)
1 TBS honey

To garnish:
chocolate shavings or sprinkles

Make your crust by mixing together the crumbs and melted butter. Press into a 9 inch tin or line the base of a bowl. Set aside in the fridge to chill for about half an hour. Dump the toffee into a bowl and loosen it with a fork. Spread it over the chilled base. Arrange the banana slices over top of the caramel. Whip the cream and honey to soft peaks. Spread over top of the bananas. Sprinkle with the chocolate shavings or sprinkles. Chill for several hours before cutting into slices or spooning out to serve.

Note - the original recipe from the Hungry Monk uses coffee powder on top.



In honor of my one year bloggiversary I am giving away to one lucky reader a copy of the delicious cookery book, Just like mother used to make, by Tom Norrington-Davies. This tasty book is a celebration of home cooking and just jammed full of good old fashioned British comfort eating and family classics. To get in on the fun just leave a comment at the end of this post! I'll be drawing a winner at the end of the week, so spread the word.

One thing that I love most about the UK is that each area that you visit has it's own foods that are traditional and steeped in history . . . and sometimes legend. Each one being as different as the area that it represents . . . and more often than not, totally scrummy.




Oftimes these delicacies are very simple to make in your own home . . . but don't let the simplicity of the recipe bely the fact that they are totally tasty and scrumdiddlyumptiously good!!



Like these tasty little Welsh Cakes. Short in texture and oh so buttery . . . lots of sweet castor sugar crunch coating them. Not really a cake . . . and yet not quite a biscuit . . . but something in between . . . very close to scone like . . . but flatter . . . sort of like a scone cookie!!

I know . . . lets consider them to be a scookie!! That works for me. Does it work for you???



Why is it that scrummy treats such as these taste fabulous when fresh from the oven . . .
and even more so when dunked into your cuppa . . . herbal tea of course!! Or real. It's up to you to pick your own poison.

I only know these are so yumbo that I can't stop myself from going in for more . . .



*Welsh Cakes*
Makes a lot but they freeze well
Printable Recipe

Popular through Wales, these tasty little cakes were originally cooked on a heated bake stone. Nowadays I make do with my nonstick skillet. Buttery and short and totally scrummy.

1 pound flour
(16 ounces or 4 cups)
1 tsp baking powder
1 pinch allspice
1 pinch salt
4 ounces butter
(1/2 cup)
4 ounces lard
(1/2 cup)
7 ounces caster sugar
(1 cup)
4 ounces seedless raisins
(1/4 pound)
2 eggs, beaten
milk to mix
Caster sugar to sprinkle

Whisk the flour, baking powder, allspice and salt together in a large bowl. Drop in the butter and lard and rub in with your fingertips until crumbly. Add the sugar and the raisins. Beat the eggs and add to the mixture along with a little bit of milk to make a fairly stiff dough. Roll out on a lightly floured board to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Cut into 2 inch rounds with a fluted pastry cutter. Cook on a lightly greased griddle or a heavy based frying pan for about 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Dust with caster sugar and serve warm.

When I was about 14 years old I had a best best friend called Linda Wilson. She lived right across the back yard from me and was practically an only child.



She did have a younger brother, but she had her own room and didn't have to share any of her stuff with a younger sister like I did . . . She had her very own record player and a little record holder jammed to the brim with all the latest 45 records.



We spent many a Friday evening in her room, dancing and giggling and talking about boys and what we would do when, and if we ever managed to nab one!



Often her mom would bake us a special cake to enjoy called a Wacky Cake. It was a chocolate cake that was mixed and baked all in the same pan. She covered it with a hot chocolate icing that was something like a custard . . .

It was lovely eaten warm . . . with that chocolate ooze soaking into the warm cake . . . all gooey and scrummy.



Unfortunaely I lost the recipe for the topping a long time ago . . . sigh . . . these days I have to make do with buttercream.

Not a hardship, but still . . . I do think of it from time to time and remember how very good it was . . .



We were having the missionaries over for tea and I thought I would take advantage and bake a chocolate cake for them. (Todd had something else) I don't mind baking a chocolate cake when someone is here to share it with me. In fact I rather enjoy it.



Wacky Chocolate Cake . . . baked with no eggs or butter . . . spect that's why it's called Wacky Cake! Sure there are better chocolate cakes . . . but there's only one Wacky Cake, and in a pinch it does just fine!




*Wacky Chocolate Cake*
Makes one 8 inch square cake
Printable Recipe

Wacky because there's no eggs in it and it's mixed right in the pan. Don't let the title fool you though . . . there's nothing too wacky about this deliciously moist and chocolatey cake . . . there's only delicious.

210g plain flour (1 1/2 cups)
200g caster sugar (1 cup)
3 TBS cocoa powder (not chocolate drink mix)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp good vanilla
1 tsp vinegar
5 TBS vegetable oil
250ml cold water (1 cup)

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ Gas mark 4.

Sift the flour and cocoa right into an 8 inch square baking pan. Stir in teh sugar, soda and salt, mixing it together well. Make three wells in the mixture. Into one put the vinegar, Into another put the vanilla. Into the third put the oil. Pour the water over top of all and mix together well with a fork, making sure you get into the corners and everything is evenly moistened and mixed together. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly touched. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack in the pan.

Ice as preferred.

Here is an optional topping, which my friends mother always used to make to serve on this cake.  I had been looking for the recipe for it for years and couldn't find it.  My friend Jan found it and shared it with me today.  It will print out at the bottom of the above recipe. It's absolutely delicious. Just like chocolate pudding!