Poor old Todd . . . First I torture him with Chocolate Fudge Brownie Pie . . . and then I torture him with Pasta.



Poor old Todd . . . altogether now . . . awwwwwwww . . . *sniff *sniff



It's a sad old life it is . . . made to eat yucky things like Chocolate Fudge Brownie Pie . . .



And pasta . . . in the form of the gooiest, scrummiest macaroni and cheese . . .



Topped with delicious burgers, sliced tomatoes, fried bacon and cheesy bread crumbs . . .



Poor old Todd. Didn't stop him from having two helpings though . . .




*Note* . . . no husbands were injured in the creation of this post. Any semblence to real life torture is only in his mind. Truly he did not suffer all too much.





*Cheeseburger Double Cheese Macaroni and Cheese*
Serves 4-6
Printable recipe

This double-cheese macaroni with tasty burgers on top will win you over. Under the crispy crumb topping is a robust, creamy blend of ingredients. Spring onions give it a tasty zing!!

2 ounces butter (1/4 cup)
45g flour (1/3 cup)
750ml milk (3 cups)
10 ounces strong cheddar cheese, grated (2 1/2 cups)
75g freshly grated Parmesan cheese (3/4 cup)
4 to 6 thinly sliced spring onions
dash of tabasco sauce
Salt and freshly ground pepper
12 ounces macaroni, cooked according to package directions and drained
3 slices of firm white bread, blitzed into crumbs
4 to 6 medium sized burger patties
2 to 3 ounces of additional cheddar cheese grated


Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ Gas mark 4. Butter a 2-quart baking dish.

Melt 2/3 of the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook, whisking for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and whisk in the milk. Cook and whisk over medium heat, stirring until the sauce boils and thickens. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes, to cook the flour. Add the cheddar, Parmesan, spring onions, tabasco sauce, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste, stirring until the cheeses have melted. Fold in the cooked macaroni and remove from the heat. Scrape into the prepared baking dish.

Lightly brown the burger patties on both sides in a lightly greased nonstick skillet. Plate over top of the macaroni and cheese. Melt the remaining portion of butter. Mix into the bread crumbs along with the additional cheddar cheese. Sprinkle evenly over top of all. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until bubbly and lightly browned on top.

Note - You can add several tomatoes sliced, placing them on top of the burgers before baking and before adding the cheese/crumb mixture. I added some sliced fresh tomato and some streaky bacon on top of the burgers, beneath the cheese crumbs before baking. Delicious!!

I was sitting here today and I thought to myself . . . I want something scrummy . . . something rich . . . something chocolatey. And then I thought . . . what if I bake my favourite brownies, in a tart pan and then cover them with marshmallows and a fudge frosting . . . I wonder what it would taste like

I have only three words for you.

OH - - - MY - - - GOODNESS!!!


Have you ever eaten anything so incredibly scrummy that the very first bite sent you into spasms of delight . . .

so incredibly moreish that you can't utter any words . . . only sounds . . .

Sounds like . . . . mmmmmm . . . . ooooooohhh . . . . nnnngggghhh . . . .

and in between . . . . only the sounds of your fork hitting the plate . . . again and again????

Imagine a fudgy mouthful of rich moist chocolate brownie . . . stuffed with toasted pecans and then topped with oooey, goooey, sweet marshmallow . . . all smoothed over with a rich chocolate fudge frosting.

Yes . . . this is heaven in every bite. Okay, so this has been a bit more than three words . . . but well, I am sure you'll forgive me.


Now, go make this NOW!

Curry is one of our favourite foods here in the UK. I expect it is a holdover from the days of British Colonialism in India. Thai food is also gaining great popularity over here.




Todd and I went to a Thai Restaurant for the very first time last Friday night with our good friends Jo and Colin. What a fabulous experience!



I think Todd may have had a touch of experience with it when he was stationed in Singapore back in the 1960's with the army . . . but I had never experienced it at all.



It was love at first bite! I just adored the flavours!! Similar to Indian curry, and yet at the same time completely different . . . much lighter, without any of the heavy sauces. I thought the flavours were cleaner and fresher.



We shared 4 different starters and 4 different mains, each one delicious in it's own right. I just know we will be going back. I have already put in my order to go there for our anniversary in November, and . . . if Todd doesn't take me there I'll be quite upset!



In the meantime I have been searching here at home for some tasty Thai recipes that I can make by myself. I came across a tasty looking one on the BBC Good Food recipe page. It's light and very, very tasty and quick to put together.



Of course, you know me . . . I had to put my own stamp on it. I marinated the chicken pieces in some of the curry paste first to give them even more flavour, and then added a few extra vegetables for more colour and crunch. We do love our vegetables in this house.



Todd gave it a two thumbs up! (SO did I!) I served it simply with some steamed basamati rice. Next time I think I'll tackle a Satay, or maybe even Thai Fish cakes! This stuff is addictive!!



*Thai Green Chicken Curry*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Delicious curry, that is light, flavourful and filled with the lovely crunch of fresh vegetables!

1 TBS oil
4 small skinless, boneless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
1 to 2 TBS green curry paste, depending on how hot you like it
400ml of coconut milk (don't use the low fat)
(about 1 3/4 cup)
a handful of thin green beans, trimmed and cut in half on the slant
1 small courgette, trimmed, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced on the diagonal
a packet of mangetout, washed and cut on the diagonal
a packet of baby corn, trimmed and cut on teh diagonal
the juice of one lime
a large handful of fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)

Stir one TBS of the curry past into the sliced chicken breasts. Let marinate for 15 minutes. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Once hot add the chicken and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes until it begins to brown. Reduce the heat and add the remaining curry paste, if using, and cook for a minute longer. Add the coconut milk and give it a good stir. Let simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the vegetables and cook for about 3 minutes, just until the vegetables are tender. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice and coriander. Serve hot with some steamed basamati rice.

  

I have been rather indulging myself lately . . . naughty me, when I was doing so well before the move. It is so hard to not eat all the wonderful things that I bake . . . they are so very tempting.

Sometimes I am content with just a taste . . . but lately . . . I'm afraid that I have not been so good, and have been imbibing just a bit too much.



I decided to try to make a Brownie that would satisfy my chocolate craving . . . but not tip me over the top. Not an easy quest to be sure . . . but quite doable as you can see.



These ended up quite scrummy . . . not as good as my Fudge Walnut Brownies, to be sure . . . but not so bad, and definitely fulfilling that chocolate craving.



The secret is to not overbake them . . . anytime you take the fat and calories out of something you risk taking out a lot of the flavour and moistness . . . so overbaking these is a definite no no . . . (I cannot stress this enough!)



A lot of low fat brownie recipes do use prune puree . . . but I did not want any hint of fruit in my chocolate indulgence. They tend to mask some of the chocolate flavour as well . . . and what is the point? When you want chocolate, you want chocolate, full stop . . .



I do hope you will give these a try. Whilst they are not as good as the full fat version, they are a satisfying substitute . . . and in the scheme of low fat . . . that is what counts!




*Light Brownies*
Makes one 8 inch square pan
Printable Recipe

Make sure you use good quality semisweet chocolate in these, not chocolate chips. The additives in chocolate chips will result in a much drier brownie. Be careful not to overbake.

2 1/2 ounces plain flour (1/2 cup, sifted)
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 TBS Dutch process cocoa powder, sifted
1 TBS hot water
1 TBS vanilla extract
1/2 tsp coffee powder, rubbed through a seive until very fine
2 TBS unsalted butter
3 ounces semi sweet chocolate, good quality, chopped fine
3 1/2 ounces sugar (1/2 cup)
pinch salt
1 large free range egg, beaten lightly
Icing sugar for dusting (optional)

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/Gas mark 4. Line an 8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang so that you can easily lift them out when done.

Whisk the flour and baking powder together. Set aside.

Whisk together the cocoa powder, hot water, vanilla and coffee powder, until smooth. Set aside.

Melt the butter and semi sweet chocolate in a microwave on medium heat, or in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Set aside.

Measure the sugar and salt into a bowl, whisking them together. Stir in the melted chocolate/butter mixture and the cocoa powder mixture. Mix well and then whisk in the beaten egg. Fold in the flour mixture, folding it in only until just incorporated. Spread into the prepared pan, smoothing the top over.

Bake for about 20 minutes, on the middle rack of the oven. Turn around halfway through the baking time. Test a few minutes before the baking time is up. A toothpick inserted in the centre should come out with a few moist crumbs. Do NOT overbake.

Remove to a wire rack to cool for about an hour. Lift out of the pan by using the parchment paper overhand. Dust with icing sugar if desired and then cut into squares to serve.

I'm going to show myself up right now for the somewhat ignorant gardener that I am. I love vegetables, but I have not had much experience in growing them.

At the beginning of this growing season, Todd and I planted all sorts of things . . . beetroot, parsnips, carrots, potatoes, squash, courgettes, lettuces, tomatoes, onions, cabbages, cucumbers and rocket. Everything was doing so so, but one row in the garden was growing by leaps and bounds.

"What is that?" I asked Todd. "Parsnips." was his answer. Hmmm . . . I thought . . .



Those parsnips are growing really fast. I had always thought they were a fall vegetable and needed the first touch of frost to really come in to their own . . .

In the meantime, every day I looked at them and they were growing larger and larger . . . and a few days ago they looked like they were going to seed . . .



I thought to myself . . . my goodness, but those parsnips have big and leafy tops . . . almost good enough to eat. I wonder if you can eat parsnip tops, coz they look as if they would make a rather tasty green . . . I know you can eat beetroot tops and turnip greens, and they are rather good.



I let them go for a few more days and then I just couldn't help myself. I just had to have a taste . . . they were growing so prolifically that I thought it was worth a try. Bravely I broke a leaf off and popped it into my mouth . . .

Only to discover that it was not parsnips . . . it was rocket!



So now I found myself with bags and bags of rocket that was almost past it's use by date . . . I'm not sure you can freeze it . . . I'm not even sure if it's still good for salads . . . but it is good for this. So you'll have to forgive me if you've seen this recipe on here before.



Some things are just so tasty that they bear repeating, and this is one of them. Besides . . . it helped me to use up a bunch of that overgrown rocket!

Please note, unless they are really young and tender, you will have to remove the beans from the pods, as the pods will be inedible. Put the beans in a pan, cover with boiling water, return to the boil and cook for 3-5 minutes. Then drain, empty into cold water, slit each pod along its seam and run your thumb along the furry inside to push the beans out. I really don't like the tough outer skin that covers each of the little beans, and so I always double pod them by taking a fingernail and slitting that outer skin open and slipping the tender sweet bright green bean inside . . . out! It can be a fiddly and time consuming job, especially if you are preparing a lot of them, but it is well worth the effort in my opinion. The beans will then be ready to re-heat gently with some butter and a bit of salt and black pepper, or to use in another recipe, such as the delicious one I have here today.



*Baked Potatoes with Broad Beans, Rocket and Blue Cheese*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Imagine a tasty baked potato, it's skin all crispy and split open . . . topped with a delicious blue cheese sauce stogged full of fresh broad beans and tasty rocket. This is wonderfully delicious!

4 large baking potatoes
coarse salt
300g broad beans
1/3 cup cream
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
4 handfuls of rocket, chopped


Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Wash the potatoes, and while still damp, rub them all over with a little coarse salt. Prick them several times with a fork and then place them into the oven, sitting them directly onto the oven rack. (This will help their skins to become really nice and crisp) Bake for 1 hour, then check by squeezing them gently, to see if they are done. If they are done they will yield slightly. If they are still hard, then bake them for another 15 minutes and try again.

Cook the broad beans in some lightly salted boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain well and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well again. Slip off the outer grey skins by using your nail to slit open the skin and then popping the bright green bean out. Discard the outer grey skin. Set aside the beans.

Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Add the broad beans and cook them gently for several minutes. Add the blue cheese and the rocket. Stir everything together and cook until the rocket has wilted.

Take your cooked potatoes and cut a cross in one side of each and squeeze the potatoes around the middle until they open up. Place each on a heated plate. Spoon some of the broad bean mixture over the top of each. Season with some black pepper and serve.

Note - This tasty dish also makes a really delicious light lunch or supper all on it's own!

Tune in tomorrow. I'll have some tasty brownies to show you and the best thing of all is . . . they're low in calories and fat! I kid you not!

We have company arriving today in the early afternoon, all the way up from Kent for the weekend. I wanted to make something that would go over well for lunch . . . I expect they will be quite hungry after the long drive.



We'll be going out for dinner tonight, but I thought a nice salad with some cold ham would make a tasty and filling lunch. We'll be spending all the afternoon walking around Chester, so some energy will be needed!



I just love the versatility of rice and wheat salads. The rice and wheat create the perfect canvas upon which to create something unique and delicious! This salad uses not one . . . not two . . . but three wholesome grains . . . nutty wheat berries, chewy pearl barley and soft brown rice. A totally delightful combination.



Then you have the added sweet crunch of chopped apple. I like to use red ones because they give the most lovely colour. Apples go very well with raisins, and not so surprisingly red onion! When you add the toasty richness of walnuts and a totally deliciously spiced apple cider vinaigrette, you have a wonderful salad, that is not only very tasty, but also very healthy!



You can keep a smug look on your face while you are eating this one. It's scrummily good for you and quite filling, and . . . with all the complex carbs it holds, this one will keep you going and energized for quite a while!



*Three Grain Salad*
Serves 12
Printable Recipe

This is a delicious salad consisting of three separate grains, brown rice, pearly barley and wheat berries combined with the addition of crunchy apple, sweet raisins, red onion and toasted pecans. The spicy honey vinaigrette dressing sets it all off perfectly!

4 servings of wheat berries, rinsed
4 servings of medium pearl barley, rinsed
4 servings of long grain brown rice, rinsed
vegetable stock cubes
1 to 2 medium sweet red apples, unpeeled, cored and chopped
1 small red onion, peeled and finely chopped
4 ounces raisins
60g toasted walnuts, chopped

Dressing:
2 ounces oil (1/4 cup)
2 ounces cider vinegar (1/4 cup)
2 TBS runny honey
3/4 tsp grated gingerroot
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp sumac
sea salt and black pepper to taste

Cook each of the grains according to the package directions, using a vegetable stock cube in each pot. When tender, drain well, rinse and drain again. Mix all together in a large bowl. Add the chopped apple, onion and raisins, mixing well.

Whisk together the dressign ingredients. Pour over the salad, tossing to coat. Serve immediately or cover and chill for 2 to 6 hours before serving. Just before serving, fold in the chopped nuts.