I got an incredible deal on a very plump free range roasting chicken the other day and who was I to pass it up! Of course I brought it home with me . . . to cook and eat, of course!!



We love ie. we ADORE roast chicken in this house. It is one of our favourite meals. Normally when I roast it, I rub it with softened butter all over, stuffing several bashed cloves of garlic and a couple of spent lemons inside. (I'll have spent the juices from the lemons over top of the chicken in the roasting tin) Seasoned with sea salt all over and inside, and sprinkled some freshly cracked black pepper, it's a really delicious taste treat.




Sometimes . . . if I am feeling particularly indulgent, I will even slip flat slivers of butter in under the skin, all over the breast meat . . . and rest the chicken on some more butter . . . oh my, but it is some good . . . and, like I said . . . very indulgent.



Other times I get rather lazy and don't feel like going to all that trouble and and the bother of basting it every 15 minutes or so . . . I have other things and pleasures on my mind . . . like playing with the new puppy, or painting a picture, or staring off into space for a time and musing on Mr Darcy . . . and so I simply pot roast it.



This is the best way to acheive a moist and delicious roast chicken without a lot of faff and bother.



Turns out perfect every time. Trust me. My Mr Darcy heartily approves . . .




*Pot Roasted Chicken*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Deliciously moist with lots of tasty juices to spoon over when you are ready to serve.

300ml white wine (1 1/4 cups)
2 tbsp redcurrant jelly
6 garlic cloves, quartered lengthways
2 long sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 large free range roasting chicken, about 1.7-2kg (about 5 pounds)
salt and pepper
Small knob of butter, softened

Preheat your oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Wipe chicken inside and out and then season well, both inside and out with some salt and pepper. Set aside.

Whisk the redcurrant jelly and the wine together in a roasting pan with a cover, large enough to hold the chicken. Lay the rosemary springs and garlic on the bottom of the roaster and then place the chicken on top. Cover with the lid and then roast in the heated oven for one hour.

Remove the lid and rub all over with the knob of butter. (I scoop the knob of butter out of the butterdish with a spoon and then just use the spoon to rub it all over. That way I don't burn my fingers.) Place back into the oven uncovered and roast for another hour, or until the chicken is done and nicely browned. You should be able to twist the leg joint a little in it's socket and the juices should run clear when pierced with a fork. Remove from the oven onto a platter. Tent and allow to rest for 15 to 20 minutes before carving.

Skim any fat from off of the pan juices and strain into a saucepan. Keep warm. Slice the chicken to serve, spooning some of the pan juices over top.

PS - Please note this also has the puppy stamp of approval.

My husband and I have been members of the National Trust for about 10 years now. We both just love visiting historical homes and gardens so it has always been worth it to us. A yearly membership works out a lot cheaper than having to pay entrance fees each time we visit one of the National Trust places.



We recently visited Erddig, which is near Wrexham in Wales. "Widely acclaimed as one of Britain's finest historic houses, Erddig is a fascinating yet unpretentious early 18th-century country house reflecting the upstairs downstairs life of a gentry family over 250 years.

We both thoroughly enjoyed our visit to this great historical home. We found it quite astonishing that the orignal owner of the Estate was simply a "Mr" and not a person of noble birth. Judging by everything that was on this property, he was one very wealthy individual, and one could tell by all of the photographs and paintings that, although they had lots of money and servants, their servants were very much cared for and well treated.



We spent a wonderful day there exploring all the nooks and crannies and the beautiful gardens. So much so, that we plan on going back again soon. There was so much still left to explore, and one visit just didn't do it enough justice.



One of the things we both look forward to when we are visiting these places is having a light lunch in the cafes that are, in most cases, right on the grounds. Lovely little places where you can get everything from soup to nuts . . . always very tasty stuff!

We shared a delicious cheese and onion sandwich and some hot cocoa the day we were there, but right next to the cash register in the cafe was a little leaflet for sale,, containing some of the recipes from Erddig House, dating back to the 1700's.



It was only a pound, so how could I resist!! Of course I had to pick it up!

That night I made us the carrot soup for our tea from the leaflet, and let me tell you . . . it was the MOST delicious carrot soup I have ever, ever eaten! It should have served at least 4 people but Todd and I polished it off between the two of us. NOT A PROBLEM! It was rich and creamy and had the most wonderful flavour. Carrots, potatoes, celery, turnips, onions and lettuce . . . a delicious combination of simple garden fresh ingredients!

This is now our 'alltime' favourite soup.



*Erddig Carrot Soup*
Serves 4 to 6
Printable Recipe

Taken from a 'Receipt Book 1765', the second oldest Erddig cookery book.

2 ounces butter
2 large onions
2 large potatoes
2 pounds carrots
1/2 pound turnips
1/2 head celery
1/4 lettuce
3 1/2 pints (about 7 cups) vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste

Peel and chop all of the vegetables. Melt the butter in a large pot. Add the onion and saute until golden. Add the potatoes and stir well. Add the remainder of the vegetables and the stock. Bring to the boil, then simmer until all the vegetables are tender. Liquidise. Check for seasoning and adjust as necessary.



I also baked up some very delicious Cheese Scones to have with the soup. They went down a real treat!! You can find the recipe HERE.

Well, I am slowly making a dent in that huge pile of Total Greek Yogurt I was given to try out recently. It really has been wonderful though, no complaints here, as I do love Greek Yogurt so very much and I haven't wanted to waste one delicious morsel of it, free or not!



This has helped me to stretch and to really put my thinking cap on so that I can figure out tasty ways to use it all up!



Sometimes the simplest ideas end up being the best ones of all!



And the tastiest!!!



This is a quick, easy and delicious way to make a scrumptiously impressive dessert, worthy of company even . . . and using simple, wholesome ingredients . . . ingredients that most of us have at our beck and call most of the time . . .



Simple things like fruit preserves and walnuts . . . honey and yogurt . . . With a tiny bit of ingenuity and not a lot of effort you can have a simple, yet impressive dessert on the table in no time at all!!



Every scrummy mouthful . . . at once creamy, crunchy and sweet.

Mmmm . . . this is bliss in a bowl.



*Greek Yogurt with Apricot Preserves, Walnuts and Honey*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Creamy, thick and rich with the tasty crunch of toasted walnuts and sweet drizzle of lovely honey. Because of it's simplicity you should use the freshest ingredients you can find.

20 walnut halves
1 pint thick, full fat, Greek Yogurt
1/2 cup of apricot preserves
4 tsp of honey, preferably Greek honey

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

Spread the walnuts onto a small baking tray. Toast in the heated oven for about 12 minutes, or until light golden brown and very fragrant. Transfer to a plate to cool.

Spoon the yogurt into 4 glass serving dishes. Divide the apricot preserves equally amongst the glasses and spoon over top. Top with the walnuts and drizzle with honey. Serve immediately.

Note - cherry and rhubarb preserves are also very delicious in this way.

I like to think of scones as the delicious, and slightly more sophisticated, ancestor of the North American Baking Powder Biscuit. After all the English have been making scones ever since the 16th century and . . . well . . . America was still pretty much a wilderness at that point.



Although they may have a somewhat similar appearance, the two are actually quite different.



Scones are much taller and lighter in texture, and somewhat sweeter. A true scone, in fact, should look a bit craggy! Kind of like an elderly Great Uncle . . .



Scones generally use less fat and the fat used is rarely chilled, meaning that the consistency of the rubbed flour is more crumbly than mealy, quite unlike their biscuit counterpart . . .



Hot from the oven, Scones are one of the most delicious breads invented by mankind. Served split and buttered and spread with cold preserves, there is no finer teatime treat on earth.



I like to think of these tasty Date and Lemon Scones as the ultimate Tea Scone . . . Rich and chock full of lovely bits of date . . . with the merest hint of lemon in their fragrance and just a whisper of it in their flavour . . .



I wanted to serve them with some lemon curd, but didn't have any to hand . . . Greengage Preserves had to do in it's place.



We were not disappointed.



*Date and Lemon Scones*
Makes about 12
Printable Recipe

Silky soft and rich, these scones are studded with dates and a delightful whisper of lemon.

100ml of double cream
2 large free range eggs
2 TBS fresh lemon juice
1 TBS freshly grated lemon rind (I always use unwaxed lemons)
245g of plain flour (1 3/4 cups)
2 TBS caster sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
85g of finely chopped pitted dates (1/2 cup)

Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Butter a baking sheet and set aside.

Whisk the cream and eggs together in a small bowl. Remove and reserve 1 TBS of the mixture for later. Whisk iin the lemon juice and the lemon zest.

Sift the flour into a bowl and whisk in the baking powder, sugar and salt. Stir in the dates and add the liquid mixture all at once, stirring only until a soft dough forms.

Tip out onto a floured surface and knead lightly about 8 times. Pat out about 3/4 of an inch thick. Cut into rounds with a 2 1/2 inch cutter, giving the cutter a sharp tap in an up and down motion. Do not twist the cutter or you will have lopsided scones. Pat the scraps together and cut out more rounds. Arrange the rounds on the baking sheet leaving about 1/2 inch between them. Brush the tops with the reserved cream mixture, making sure that none drips down the sides.

Bake in the centre of the oven for 15 minutes until golden brown.

Serve warm with butter and or preserves if desired.

You only turn fifty five once and yesterday was my turn! I don't know how I got to be that age, but nevermind . . . somehow it happened. I'm now officially a Senior Citizen . . . at least back in Canada at any rate!



I wasn't going to bake myself a cake . . . but then, I broke down and baked one anyways. I had lots of things to celebrate after all.



My Birthday of course! I reckon fifty five is a milestone. (Even if the Queen doesn't send me a card.)



A clean bill of health from my Doctor!



And the arrival of a furry little bundle of joy, which we have named Mitzie.



Life is good and so is this cake. A deliciously buttery sponge, filled with fresh raspberries and baked into two moist layers. Sandwiched together with a lovely vanilla butter cream icing and some seedless raspberry jam, and then drizzled with more sweetness. This is one very moreishly scrummy cake.



In fact I think I'll have some for breakfast . . . cake for breakfast is a good thing . . . besides this one is stogged full of fruit. And fruit is good for you.



shhh . . . don't burst my bubble!



*Raspberry Celebration Cake*
Cuts into 12 scrummy slices
Printable Recipe

This is the cake I always bake for summer birthdays. A light moist sponge, filled with lovely raspberries, butter cream icing and seedless raspberry preserves. Top with a sweet glaze and serve with more raspberries.

For the Cake:
175g of caster sugar (3/4 plus 1/8 cup)
175g of butter, softened (13 TBS)
4 large free range eggs, separated
100g self raising flour (a scant 3/4 cup)
1 tsp baking powder
100g ground almonds (1 scan't cup)
a few drops of almond extract
125g of fresh raspberries (a heaped cup)

For the buttercream:
75g of butter, softened (1/4 cup approx.)
125g icing sugar, sifted (about 3/4 cup)
few drops vanilla

For the glaze:
100ml icing sugar sifted (1/3 cup approx.)
water to thin

Also about 4 heaped dessertspoons of seedless raspberry jam

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/Gas mark 4. Butter two 8 inch sandwich cake tins. Line the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks. Sift the flour and baking powder over the creamed mixture and then fold in using a metal spoon. Fold in the ground almonds and exract. Fold only until all traces of the flour have disappeared.

Beat the egg whites until they just hold their shape. Fold them in gently, by thirds, being careful not to overmix and lose the lightness of the whites. Lightly fold in the berries. Divide between the two prepared cake tins and level off carefully.

Bake in the heated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, just until they test done. A toothpick inserted in the centre should come out clean and they should spring back when lightly touched on top.

Remove from the oven. Let cool in the tins for five minutes, then tip out onto wire racks, peel off the baking paper and allow to cool completely.

Make the buttercream by beating together all the ingredients until smooth and creamy.

Place one cake, bottom side up on a cake plate. Spread completely with all the buttercream. Spread the raspberry jam over top of the buttercream and then top with the other cake layer, placing it right side up. Whisk together the icing sugar for the glaze and enough water to make a smooth drizzable mixture. Drizzle decoratively over the top of the cake. Allow to set, then dust with more icng sugar if desired.

A lot of you are probably familiar with a popular summertime dessert called Eton Mess . . . a tasty dessert composed of crushed berries, meringues and whipped cream.



I came across this pudding recipe in a National Trust cookery book, entitled Good Old Fashioned Puddings and in the prelude the recipe it claims that the original source for the recipe comes not from Eton, but from Clare College in Cambridge!



A rose by any other name and all that . . . let's not quibble. No matter what you call it . . . it's delicious!



This particular recipe veers somewhat from the traditional in that it uses a mixture of yogurt and whipped cream, with a splash of Raspberry liqueur to fold the fruit and meringues into . . . I kind of like that, and, as you already know, I have rather a lot of yogurt on hand that I need to use up!



You could use store bought pre-prepared meringues for this, but it's not all that hard to make your own from scraatch and they are quite yummy. You just need to plan timewise as they do take 2 hours baking time in the oven.



Also, you should be aware of the fact that this dessert doesn't hold up longer than 2 hours, so you will want to make it and eat it on the same day!



Not a problem. It's so scrummy I can't see anyone wanting to wait longer than a few hours to eat it! Tis also very easy to make in smaller quantities. Some other tasty combinations are raspberries and poached apricots, rhubarb, damsons and plums . . . but hey . . . let your imagination go wild and see what other incredibly scrumdiddly combinations you can come up with!



The world is your oyster . . . or should I say mush!



*Clare College Mush*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

A delicious combination of berries, meringues, cream and yogurt! Do plan ahead as the meringues take several hours to bake. If you don't want to make your own meringues you can buy some very good quality premade ones that work quite well, but do try to make your own! Note - This should be eaten within two hours of creating.

2 large egg whites
50g of caster sugar (1/4 cup)
50g of icing sugar (1/2 cup)
8 ounces fresh strawberries (1/2 pound)
8 ounces fresh raspberries (1/2 pound)
1 TBS (Plus an extra dash) of raspberry liqueur
200ml of double cream (7 fluid ounces)
200ml of natural yogurt (7 fluid ounces)

Preheat the oven to 100*C/200*F/ gas mark 1/4. whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks, then beat in the caster sugar a bit at a time. Continue whisking for a further 10 minutes until the mixture is smooth and shiny, then sift in the icing sugar. Line a baking tray with nonstick baking paper. Spoon the egg white mixture onto the paper in about six dollops, and bake in the oven until dry, but with a slightly soft, chewy centre. This should take about 2 hours. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.

When ready to put the pudding together, trim and cut the strawberries into halves or quarters, depending on the size. Toss with a splash of raspberry liqueur. Stir in the raspberries, reserving a few to decorate the tops of the desserts.

Lightly whip the cream together with the yogurt and a TBS of the Raspberry liqueur. Break the meringues into bite sized pieces and fold them gently into the cream mixture. Carefully mix in the fruit. You want it to have a bit of a raspberry ripple effect.

Spoon into chilled glasses, garnishing each serving with several raspberries. Keep chilled until you are ready to serve. Must be served within 2 hours of putting together.

It's my birthday today, and I'm treating myself . . . ALL . . . day . . . long!