It's nice and sunny here today, although still quite cool. We've been taking advantage of the dry weather (as you do over here) and doing a bit of work in the garden, and working up a couple of healthy appetites.



This calls for a hearty lunch, something warm and comforting, and just a bit stodgy.
It will be soon be springtime and our appetites for stodgy and comforting will have lessened somewhat . . . and we will be pimping for lighter, springier meals.



So for now we grab the comfort and stodge and enjoy it for all it's worth! This is the perfect luncheon dish for 4, or a delicious side dish for 6.
Tender pieces of macaroni in a creamy, cheesy, corny sauce. Oh my but this went down a real treat!



*Scalloped Corn and Macaroni*
Serves 4 to 6
Printable Recipe

Good old fashioned flavours. This is easy to make, and oh so delicious when it's done. Simle and comforting.

1 (340g) tin of corn niblets, undrained
1 (418g) tin of creamed corn
3 ounces of uncooked macaroni (1 cup)
4 ounces of cubed strong cheddar cheese (1 cup)
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
250ml of milk (1 cup)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
some crushed cracker crumbs
a handful of grated cheese

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Lightly butter a 9 inch square baking dish. Set aside.

Mix together the undrained corn niblets, creamed corn, dry macaroni, cheese cubes, onion and milk in a bowl. Stir well together and season with a bit of salt and black pepper. Pour this into the buttered casserole dish. Cover tightly.

Reduce the oven temperature to 180-*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Uncover and stir, adding a bit more milk if necessary. Cover and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes until the macaroni is tender. Cover with the cracker crumbs and some cheese. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, uncovered, until lightly browned and the cheese on top is melted. Serve hot.

This was something that I made at the weekend, and am only now getting on to writing about it on here. I actually made it on Saturday, and then warmed it up in the slow cooker on Sunday when we were at church.



My goodness but it sure did smell wonderful when we arrived back home and opened up the door! We are always famished when we get home from church and it's really nice to have something on tap and waiting for us when we get in.

Sure . . . most times we have something simple and quick like egg and chips, beans on toast, or . . . spaghetti on toast . . . but then again . . .



Sometimes we have something really scrummy like Boeuf Bourguignon!! Rich and rib sticking, it may seem a bit old fashioned, but really . . . how can something as delicious as this ever really go out of style . . .

It is fabulous . . . tastily tender chunks of beef and meaty mushrooms in a rich and delicious gravy. Perfect over noodles or (in Todd's case) mashed potatoes! You'll want to serve a nice crusty roll with it so that you can scoop up every last bit of that scrumminess on your plate. (Sorry Mitzie, no leftovers for you today!)



It's one of those tasty meals that seems to get better and better each day it stands. We had the leftovers tonight, warmed in a casserole and topped with a swede/potato mash a la cottage pie. It does make rather a lot and so the rest I've popped into the freezer to take out sometime when we are wanting something rich and filling and delicious. Win/win/win!



*Boeuf Bourguinon*
Serves 8
Printable Recipe

Deliciously tender beef. This taste even better if you make it a day ahead of time and let it ripen overnight, which makes it the perfect dinner party meal! Serve with noodles, rice or mashed potatoes!

1 1/2 ounces plain flour (1/3 cup)
2 tsp salt, divided
1 tsp black pepper, divided
2 1/4 pound of stewing beef, cut into 1 inch cubes
3 rashers of rindless, smoked streaky bacon, chopped
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
375ml of dry red wine ( 1 1/2 cups)
14 ounces beef broth
1 1/2 pounds of fresh mushrooms, wiped clean and halved
2 TBS tomato poaste
1 tsp dried thyme
2 bay leaves

Heat a bit of oil in a large saucepan. Add the bacon and cook until browned and crisp. Scoop out with a slotted spoon and set aside. Place the beef in a plastic bag with the flour, 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of pepper. Shake together to coat the meat and add, 1/2 at a time. Cook and brown on all sides. Scoop out and keep warm. Repeat with the remainder of the meat, using a bit more oil if required. Return all the meat to the pan along with the bacon. Add the onion, carrot and garlic. Cook and stir until the onion begins to soften. Season with the remainder of the salt and pepper. Add the mushrooms, bay leaves, thyme, broth and wine. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and simmer for about 2 hours. Remove the cover and stir, and simmer for an additional 1 1/2 hours until the sauce is thickened and rich and the meat is very tender. Bring to room temperature and then cover and refrigerate overnight. When you are ready to serve, bring slowly back to a simmer on top of the stove. Once it is well heated through you can serve it. Remove the bay leaves before serving.

I have a confession to make.

I am one of those obnoxious people that walk around the grocery shops, tut tutting and taking note of things that look delicious, all the while telling myself that I could quite easily make them at home . . . not only cheaper but somehow tastier too.



I know, it's annoying isn't it! But I have to say that 99% of the time it works for me. I just basically take note of the ingredients on the package, leaving out any artificial flavours and chemicals of course . . . and then I come home and try to replicate it as best as I can.



Now I know I'm not the only one who does this . . . am I? Come on fess up!!!

This is one of my recent successes. I saw these tasty looking little cakelettes in Tesco one day . . . one of their finest desserts line . . . and I thought to myself . . . scrummy, but I don't want to pay what they're asking and so . . .



I came home and made it myself. It wasn't all that hard.

Scrummy Hazelnut frangipane cake batter, dropped on top of a sweet pear half, dropped on top of some toasted chopped hazelnuts, which in turn have been placed on top of a mixture of melted butter and brown sugar.



Easy peasy, lemon squeasy and oh-so-tasty too! A quenelle of clotted cream is a must on top of them, served warm, so that it melts down over the cake. Every mouthful was a delight!




*Pear and Hazelnut Frangipane Cakelettes*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

I saw something similar to this in the grocery store the other day and thought to myself, I can do better than that! Serve warm with a dollop of clotted cream for a real taste treat!

1 tin of small pear halves, well drained
(You will need six halves)
6 TBS butter
12 TBS soft light brown sugar, packed
2 ounces of toasted hazlenuts, chopped

For the frangipane:
165g of ground toasted hazlenuts (1 cup)
125g of caster sugar (1/2 cup)
6 TBS of butter
1/4 tsp of vanilla
2 large free range eggs
20g of plain flour (1/4 cup)

You will need 6 (8 ounce) porcelain ramekins. Butter each well and then place them on a baking tray. Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.

Melt the butter and pour an equal amount into the bottom of each ramekin. Sprinkle 2 TBS of the brown sugar into each. Top with an equal amount of toasted chopped hazlenuts.

Make the frangipane. Beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Whisk together the flour and ground nuts. Fold this into the creamed mixture, making sure it is evenly combined.

Place one pear half on top of the hazelnuts in each ramekin. Top each with 1/6 of the frangipane. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until set and nicely browned. Let stand for several minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edge of each and then carefully invert onto serving plates. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then top with a dollop of clotted cream (If desired) or vanilla ice cream and serve.

Nowadays everyone is having to pinch the pennies a bit more, and be a bit thrifty with their cookery. We are also looking to cut back on fat and calories. But that doesn't mean that we have to cut back on taste or flavour.



Meatloaf is one of the things that I used to make quite often for supper when I had a large and growing family. It always went down a real treat on the night, and the kids enjoyed having meatloaf sandwiches the next day for their lunches.



It doesn't make economical sense for me to make a large meatloaf for Todd and I these days. We just don't get it all eaten and so, unless we are having company I generally don't prepare it.

The other day I found what looked like a tasty recipe in a Cooking Light cookbook, and it seemed quite economical too. It makes only 4 servings, with no leftovers.



The recipe makes four mini meatloaves which cook in half the time as a normal sized meatloaf. I cooked two on the night and froze two to have at another time. It didn't use any fancy ingredients either. All stuff that I have to hand most of the time.

I don't buy regular ground beef, never had. I always buy ground steak. With regular ground beef, a lot of it goes down the drain in fat and water. Lean minced steak may cost a bit more, but at the end of the day, you end up with pretty much what you start with and it tastes alot better, not to mention it's a lot healthier for you!!



I made a few adaptions to the recipe. I added some brown sugar to the ketchup mixture that was reserved for the topping. I have always done it that way and we like the added sweetness. Next time I may add a bit of chili sauce as we do like a bit more zip, but all told this was a great recipe that I will make again, and probably again! I often lay slices of bacon across the top of my meatloaves as well . . . but we're watching the calories and salt you know . . .

In short, it had a lot of flavour, for very little effort. I think it's become a favourite around here. I served it with mashed potatoes and corn. Yummo!!



*Mini Meat Loaves*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Tasty little meatloaves with a zingy topping, that not only glazed the top, but also flavours the insides!

4 fluid ounces of tomato ketchup (1/2 cup)
1 1/2 TBS Dijon mustard
1 TBS packed soft light brown sugar
16 ounces of ground lean steak (1 pound)
1 ounce dried seasoned bread crumbs (1/4 cup)
1/2 tsp fine seasalt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 large free range egg, lightly beaten
cooking spray

Preheat th eoven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 5. Lightly spray and baking sheet with cooking spray. Set aside.

Whisk together the ketchup, and the mustard. Reserve 2 1/2 TBS of it. Whisk this together with the brown sugar and set aside. Combine the remaining ketchup mixture, ground steak, bread crumbs, seasalt , oregano, black pepper and beaten egg in a bowl, mixing well together. Divide this mixture into 4 equal portions. Shape eachinto a 4 by 2 1/2 inch loaf on the prepared baking sheet. Brush each loaf with 1/4th of the ketchup glaze. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until done. Serve hot.

After making that lovely Orange and Coconut Crisp yesterday, I had a whole stack of orange peels left and I thought it would be a real shame to waste them!

I had always wanted to make candied orange peel, but for one reason or another I'd never done it. My sister used to make it for my father for Christmas. He really loved it.



I know you can pay a real fortune for candied peel when you go to buy it in the shops. I found a recipe for it online and decided to go for it.



My goodness but it made alot . . . and I really mean a LOT! I now have candied orange peel up the kazooey! But that's ok, coz we rather really like it!



You can always dip it in chocolate if you want as well. Dark chocolate is really tasty. Orange and chocolate are such a delicious combination . . . it hasn't done Terry's any harm! (Just whack it!)



You also have the added bonus of having several cups of orange syrup at the end of the process that you can use to make tasty drinks with. I am thinking that it might be rather nice stirred into hot chocolate, or iced drinks.



It might even be nice on french toast . . . hmmm . . . coconut milk french toast with an orange syrup. Now THAT sounds delish!

Mmm . . . makes a nice fat free snack, this does. I am in love.



*Candied Orange Peel*
Makes a lot
Printable Recipe

Bitter and sweet at the same time. Not that hard to make!

6 thick skinned navel oranges
900g of sugar (4 1/2 cups)
375ml of water (1 1/2 cups)
extra sugar for dredging

Cut the tops and bottoms from the oranges and score the oranges into quarters. Cut only into the peel, and not into the fruit. Peel the skin and white pith off of the oranges in large pieces, reserving the actual flesh for something else. Cut the peels into strips about 1/4 inch wide. Place into a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil then drain. Repeat this twice more, using fresh water each time. This helps to mellow out the bitterness.

Take a clean saucepan and place the sugar and water into it. Bring to a simmer and then simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the peels and continue to simmer for another 45 minutes until translucent. Do not stir as this will cause crystals to form. If you need to you can gently swirl the pan to move the peels around. Once translucent, drain the peels well, reserving the syrup, which can be used for other things such as flavouring drinks etc. Dredge the orange peels in sugar and place on wire rack to dry overnight. Stire in an airtight container.

I picked up a couple of bags of nice looking naval oranges at the shops the other day, and after eating as many as we wanted to eat fresh, I decided to make something delicious and yet unusual with them. I had in mind to make a crumble . . . and why not?



We use all sorts of fruits to make tasty crumbles with . . . apples, pears, rhubarb, plums, blueberries, gooseberries and so on . . . why not oranges? Juicy and sweet, I thought they'd make a fabulous crumble . . .



Especially with a buttery crispy topping shot full of flaked coconut. Oranges and coconut . . . ambrosia!



I was going to add some macadamia nuts to the topping as well . . . but alas, I had none in the cupboard. Do try it if you want though. I'd add about 1/2 cup chopped nuts. It would be a fabulous addition I think!



Each mouthful of this was sweetly orangy, buttery crispy and moreishly scrummy! I dare to say it's quite healthy as well as there is not a lot of fat in it really.



Oranges . . . chock full of Vitamin C and fibre . . . and not just for juicing or eating out of hand anymore! I do hope you'll try this. ☺



*Orange and Coconut Crisp*
Serves 6 to 8
Printable Recipe

Deliciously different. You are going to love this!

For the fruit filling:
6 large navel oranges
2 ounces orange juice (1/4 cup)
1 1/2 TBS of quick cooking tapioca (or an equal amount of corn flour)
1 TBS Grand Marnier (Orange flavoured Liqueur)
Butter

For the topping:
3 ounces of plain flour (2/3 cup)
2.5 ounces sugar (about 2/3 cup)
1/2 tsp salt
2 ounces chilled butter, cut into bits (1/4 cup)
2 ounces flaked sweetened coconut (2/3 cup)

Single cream to serve

Peel and section the oranges over a large bowl, reserving 1/4 cup of the juices. (Don't throw away the peels. I'll show you what to do with them tomorrow!) Stir in the tapioca and Grand Marnier. Let stand for about half an hour before proceeding, giving it a stir every now and then.

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Lightly butter an 11 by 7 inch dish. Pour in the orange mixture. Set aside.

Whisk the flour, sugar and salt for the topping together in a bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Stir in the coconut and then sprinkle evenly over top of the fruit.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden brown. Serve warm, spooned out into bowls along with some cream for pouring.

Tune in tomorrow to see what I did with the peels!

One thing that is done extremely well over here in the UK are steamed puddings, and each area seems to have their own individual specialities. Added to that wonder, is the fact that there are not only sweet ones, but savoury ones as well.

They are all very traditional, and whilst most are made using a suet batter, occasionally you will find one which uses the extravagance of butter!



You can find a very good video here which perfectly illustrates the method of covering and steaming a pudding HERE. It's just brilliant and I couldn't explain it any better if I tried, although I do have a tendancy to use a rubber band to hold the lid on, and then I use the steamer pan that fits on top of one of my saucepans.



Savoury or sweet, there is nothing like a deliciously stodgy steamed pudding to help chase away the February blues! Here is one of our favourites.



A delicious buttery pudding filled with lots of chopped preserved ginger in syrup. We do so love ginger in this house and this tasty pudding is chock full of it's deliciously sweet heat. The sauce is also very scrummily gingery, but if you are feeling lazy you can just serve the pudding with some pouring cream.



Either way it's fabulously scrummy!!!



*Steamed Ginger Pudding with Ginger Sauce*
Serves 4

I think there has to be a ginger pudding or cake or bread recipe for just about every area in the UK. This one comes from Cornwall. It's buttery and moist and has a delicious ginger sauce to serve with it. Or, you can just be lazy and have it with cream.

For the Pudding:
4 ounces butter (1/2 cup)
4 ounces caster sugar (a generous half cup)
2 large free range eggs
6 ounces self raising flour (scant 1 1/2 cups)
3 knobs (2 ounces) preserved stem ginger in syrup, finely chopped
3 heaped dessertspoons of golden syrup

For the sauce:
300ml of whole milk (1 1/8 cup milk)
1 TBS finely grated fresh ginger
1 ounce butter (1/8 cup)
1 ounce plain flour (1/8 cup)
2 ounces caster sugar (1/4 cup)

Butter a 3 cup pudding basin. Cream together the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, adding a TBS of the flour after each addition. Fold in the remaining flour and the chopped ginger. Spoon the golden syrup into the pudding basin. Spoon in the cake batter over top. Smooth the top and then cover with a layer of pleated greaseproof paper and another layer of pleated foil wrap. Secure with a rubber band and trim off any excess leaving about an inch belong the rubber band. Place into the top of a steamer pot over steaming water and cover. Steam for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until done. (Should be well risen and look dry on top.)

While the pudding is steaming you can make the sauce. Place the ginger in the milk and then bring to the boil. Allow to sit and infuse for about half an hour then strain off the milk, discarding the ginger. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook for about a few minutes over low heat. Slowly whisk in the heated and strained milk, whisking constantly until the sauce boils and thickens. Add the sugar, stirring until it is dissolved. Keep warm.

Turn the steamed pudding out onto a pretty plate and pass the sauce seperately. Serve both warm.

It is hard to believe that I had never really eaten lamb before I moved over here to the UK. It is a meat that I have come to love very much and I have to say that here in the UK we have beautiful lamb . . . some of the best in the world.

More often than not we have lamb chops, cutlets or steaks, and occasionally I will treat us to a shoulder or a leg. All are very, very good.

Last weekend I cooked some lamb shanks for the first time and I was very pleased with the results. They were tender and full of flavour and we both really enjoyed them!



The shank is cut from the shoulder area of the animal and is actually very lean, with very little fat marbling or cut into it. Lamb can be quite a fatty meat, so this was surprising. Because it is so lean, it truly lends itself perfectly to braising in a liquid.



A long slow braising in the oven may require more patience than frying a few chops in a pan or roasting a leg, but your patience will be more than rewarded with fork tender meat and a rich and tasty gravy. Not to mention that, once it is covered and in the oven, it really requires no attention at all.

The resulting dish lends itself perfectly to being served with a delicious mound of buttery mashed potatoes . . . the absolute comfort meal!! It made my meat and potatoes loving husband a very, very happy camper indeed!




*Oven Baised Lamb Shanks*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Tender and juicy, with a delicious gravy. Perfect comfort food served with freshly mashed potatoes!

5 lamb shanks
olive oil
2 large onions, peeled and chopped
1 large stick of celery, trimmed and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 pound of carrots, peeled and cut into sticks
1/2 pound of parsnips, peeled and cut into sticks
a handful of fresh rosemary leaves
400ml of lamb stock ( 1 1/2 cups)
400ml of chopped tinned tomatoes (1 3/4 cup)
2 star anise
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 TBS red currant jelly

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.
Heat some olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the lamb shanks and brown them on all sides. Remove and place into a large roasting dish which has a lid, with the bones sticking up. Add the onions and celery to the drippings. Cook and stir over medium heat until they begin to soften. Add the garlic, carrots, parsnips and rosemary. Cook and stir for several minutes. Add the stock, tinned tomatoes, star anise, sea salt and black pepper to taste, and currant jelly. Heat through and then pour over the lamb shanks in the roaster.
Cover tightly with the lid and put into the oven. Roast for 3 hours, until the meat is very tender. Remove the lid and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes until the meat and bone begin to brown somewhat.
Serve immediately with a nice pile of mashed potatoes. Serve one shank per person on a plate with some of the vegetables and gravy spooned over top.

One might be forgiven for thinking that this looks quite remarkable . . . boring and understated . . . plain and un-imposing . . . proof positive that you must never judge a book by it's cover . . . for if you were to . . .



Judge this particular book by it's cover . . . and give it a pass, you'd be missing something quite, quite wonderfully delicious.



For underneath that plain brown wrapper, lies one of the most beautifully moist and delicious banana loaves you could ever want to eat . . . each bite is an explosion of wonderful banana flavour, all moist and rich and buttery . . . and if you have added the toasted nuts (and I highly recommend that you do!) you have the added crunch and extra texture of something decidedly scrummy!



It's delicious sliced when cold, and spread with softened butter. It goes down a real treat, I promise you this. But . . . here's a little secret . . .



Pop some into the toaster, or under the grill, and toast it until it is gilded brown and crunchy on the edges . . . this banana loaf was one of the favourite things that the Mr at the Manor I cooked at loved me to make. He adored it for breakfast and he always wanted me to pop it into the toaster, until the edges got all toasty and crunchy and then I would spread it with butter for him . . . the butter melting into all that golden crunch. Just look at those doubly toasted walnuts . . . oh so yummy . . .



I'm sure he probably misses this loaf, along with my chocolate chip cookies and various other treats I used to bake for him. I would if I couldn't have them anymore . . . but fortunately . . . I can . . . and I do!



*Sour Cream Banana Loaf*
Makes one 9 by 5 inch loaf
Printable Recipe

Deliciously moist with a great banana flavour. I like to add toasted walnuts to mine, but you can add pecans or even chocolate chips.

4 ounces butter at room temperature (1/2 cup)
7 ounces caster sugar (1 cup)
1 tsp pure vanilla
2 large free range eggs, at room temperature
6 1/2 ounces plain flour (1 1/2 cups)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 medium bananas, peeled and mashed
125ml of sour cream (1/2 cup)
Optional:
2 ounces chopped toasted walnuts or pecans (1/2 cup)
or
3 ounces chocolate chips (1/2 cup)

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark4. Butter a 9 by 5 inch loaf tin and line it with baking paper. Set aside.

Cream together the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Whisk together the flour, soda and salt and then stir into the creamed mixture. Stir in the mashed bananas and the sour cream until combined. Stir in the nuts if using. Spoon into the prepared pan and smooth over the top.

Bake for 1 hour until well risen and firm to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Tip out of the pan onto a wire rack. Carefully peel off the paper and tip back upright. Let cool completely before cutting. Wrap airtight to store.

Note: This is lovely served at room temperature, sliced and spread with butter. Or, toast it in a toaster until the edges get crisp and golden and serve it hot and spread with butter. Delicious!