When I was a girl, my mother often made us Cinnamon Rolls for a treat . . . not the yeast kind, mind you . . . but the kind made with scone dough. Easy peasy lemon squeasy, and no waiting for the dough to rise and all that faff! We loved them.



What we loved even more was the name my father had for them . . . "Pets de Nonne", or translated into English . . . "Nun's Farts." I know, terribly rude . . . but to a child quite hilarious, bringing us no end of giggles. As Todd would say . . . typical Canadian humour . . . n'est ce pas?



Anyways, they were delicious regardless to the name and we would scarf them down in no time. I often made them for my own children as well . . . but we called them . . . Cinnamon Rolls. 'Nuff said.



Today I got to thinking what if I filled them with something different. I had some white chocolate chips and I have tons of sour cherries and so I decided to combine the two . . . I didn't think cinnamon would be that good with them though . . .



Not that it would taste really bad . . . but I wanted something moreishly different . . . something that would smell just as enticing while they were baking, but that would perfectly enhance the sweetness of the white chocolate and the tartness of the sour cherries.



Ground Cardamom. PERFECT!!

Easy peasy, lemon squeasy and every bit as delicious as the originals . . . and maybe even more so . . . well, all depending on what kind of mood you are in at any rate! I dare say dried blueberries would also be very scrummy done this way! Oh and Dried Strawberries would be just gorgeous with the cardamom!




*White Chocolate, Sour Cherry and Cardamom Rolls*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe

These smell heavenly when they are baking and are scrummy yummy!

8.5 ounces plain flour (2 cups)
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2.5 ounces white shortening (1/3 cup)
6 ounces milk

To fill:
3 TBS softened butter
3 3/4 ounces soft light brown sugar (1/2 cup, packed)
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
6 ounces white chocolate chips (1 cup)
3 ounces of dried sour cherries, chopped (1/2 cup packed)

To glaze:
4 ounces of icing sugar, sifted
milk

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

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add enough of the milk to make a soft dough. You may not need it all. Turn out onto a floured board and knead several times. Pat out into a 12 by 8 inch rectangle.

Spread with the softened butter. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over top. Sprinkle the cardamom evenly over top. Scatter the chocolate chips and cherries over top. Roll up as for a jelly roll from the long side, rolling it tightly and sealing the edges. Slice into 12 even slices with a sharp knife. Place cut side down onto the baking sheet, leaving space in between each one.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until well risen and lightly browned. Remove from the oven. Whisk together the icing sugar and enough milk to make a smooth drizzle. Drizzle this over the warm rolls. Serve warm. Delicious!

Note - If you haven't got any in make sure you go out and buy a couple of hot cross bun loafs today or cinnamon raisin loafs! You won't want to miss out on the recipe I am posting tomorrow! Perfect for an Easter morning breakfast!

Take your eyes off the steak. This is not about the steak. It's all about the sauce . . . truly.



If you want to know how to cook a really good steak, you can check out my recipe here. But . . . don't leave just yet . . . keep your eyes on this page, coz you're in for a real treat.




If you are looking for the perfect sauce to serve with your grilled meats this summer, look no further. This is spicy, and sweet and oh so delicious!



The ingredient list may seem a bit odd, but trust me . . . it's fabulous. Your guests will be wondering what your secret is . . . and they'll be most surprised when you tell them that it is raspberry jam. Yep!!



Raspberry jam! Who'd a thunk it! Dig in!! (Oh, and for the record, I do love my steaks a tad bit on the rare side!)



*Sweet and Spicy Steak Sauce*
Makes 4 servings
Printable Recipe

A wonderfully delicious steak sauce that helps to bring out the best flavours in your grilled steaks! The ingredients may sound a bit odd, but trust me when I say this is fabulous!

2 TBS seedless raspberry jam
2 TBS soft light brown sugar, packed
2 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
2 TBS Tomato Ketchup
2 TBS malt vinegar
5 drops of Tabasco sauce
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to the boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat, and simmer for about 10 minutes until nicely thickened. Serve warm with grilled meats.

One of the tastes I have come to really enjoy over here is Golden Syrup. A pale thick amber coloured syrup, it is a form of inverted sugar syrup, made in the process of converting sugar cane juice into sugar. Oh, it is soooo scrummy and has a lovely caramel like, almost buttery flavour.



I often have a spoonful of it on my oats in the morning. Actually you can buy instant oat breakfast packets over here, just like the Quaker oat packets from home, but flavoured with golden syrup. It's by Quaker as well, but I have to say I like the consistency of the British one a lot better. It's chunkier and not so smooth, almost nutty.



It seemed quite natural to combine two of my favourite breakfast flavours in a delicious breakfast muffin!!



Wholesome, sweet and sticky, with a scrummy blob of golden syrup baked right into the centre . . . these are real family pleasers. Moist and full of flavour, with a toothsome oatmeal, demerara sugar topping and a final brushing with warmed golden syrup upon removal from the oven. I like to think of these as a fantastic storecupboard ingredient muffin that I always have the ingredients to hand for.



I've never had anyone turn one down, and in fact most people go back for a second one!



*Golden Syrup and Oatmeal Muffins*
Makes 12 medium muffins
Printable Recipe

Sweet and deliciously sticky. You won't see the blog of golden syrup in the middle, but you'll taste it when you bite into one of these. Moreishly scrummy!!

10 ounces plain flour (about 2 1/2 cups)
4 1/2 ounces light muscovado sugar (scant 3/4 cup packed)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 ounces of porridge oats (1/3 cup)
6 fluid ounces milk (3/4 cup)
2 large free range eggs
3 1/2 ounces butter (scant half cup)
3 fluid ounces of golden syrup (3/8 cup)

To fill:
golden syrup

To top:
4 TBS of large flake oats
2 TBS demerara sugar
2 TBS golden syrup warmed

Preheat the oven to 200*C/40*F/ gas mark 6. Grease and flour 12 muffin cups, or line with papers. Set aside.

Whisk together the flour, muscovado sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in the oats. Melt the butter and then whisk the golden syrup into it. Beat the eggs and milk together. Add both liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold together with a metal spoon, just until combined.

Half fill each muffin cup with the batter. Place a scant 1/2 teaspoon of golden syrup in the centre of each. Top with the remaining batter. Sprinkle the oats and demerara sugar evenly over top of each.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until well risen and golden and the tops spring back when lightly touched. Remove from the muffin tins to a wire rack and brush the top of each with some of the warmed golden syrup. Allow to cool a little bit before eating.

If you are looking for a delicious way to cook some lovely spring lamb cutlets look no further!
I found this delicious looking recipe in a book of mine called Secrets from a Country Kitchen by Lucy Young. The original recipe called for studding two 7 chop rack of lamb with garlic and roasting them for about 25 minutes in a hot oven. I didn't have a rack of lamb.



I did have some lamb cutlets though, and so I decided to rub them with some olive oil, crushed garlic, salt and pepper and leave them to marinate for half an hour. I then took out my lovely new grill griddle pan and seared them on both sides, just until they were pink in the middle.



The real treat in this recipe is the sauce. It might sound a bit odd, but trust me when I say it's delicious! The original recipe called for two anchovy filets to be simmered with the garlic, but I didn't have any and so I added a tsp of Worcestershire sauce instead and it worked quite well! It was a real treat served with some steamed basamati rice and haricots vert on the side!



This was quick and easy to do and would make a lovely dinner party meal. Lucy suggests also trying the sauce with a saddle of lamb. Sounds like a winner to me!



*Garlic Lamb Cutlets with a Mint and Sun Blushed Tomato Sauce*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Garlicky grilled lamb cutlets, cooked till just pink inside, with a creamy mint and sun blushed tomato sauce spooned over top. Delicious!

8 meaty lamb cutlets
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil

For the Sauce:
10 fluid ounces of double cream (1 1/4 cups)
2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled and halved
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
5 fluid ounces of white wine (5/8 cup)
1 heaped tsp of mint sauce
(from a jar, the stuff with vinegar in it)
2 TBS chopped fresh mint leaves
2 ounces sun blushed tomatoes, snipped in half with kitchen scissors (1/4 cup altogether)
fine seasalt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Rub the garlic cloves into the lamb cutlets along with some sea salt and olive oil. Let sit for half an hour, while you make the sauce.

Heat the cream over medium heat along with the 2 cloves of garlic until it comes to the boil. Reduce to a slow simmer and cook for 15 to 20 minutes over very low heat. At the end of that time, press it through a seive with the back of a spoon into a clean pot. (the garlic should be soft by then) Whisk iin the white wine and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to the boil. Cook whisking frequently over high heat until reduced somewhat. Stir in the mint sauce, chopped fresh mint, the sun blush tomatoes and season to taste with some salt and black pepper to taste. Keep warm while you grill the lamb.

Heat your grill pan. Sear the lamb cutlets on both sides for several minutes per side, or until they are done to your desire. We like them pink, which takes 2 to 3 minutes per side, but you may like them more well done. Place the cooked cutlets onto a heated platter and spoon some of the hot sauce over top. Garnish with some fresh mint sprigs and pass the remaining sauce at the table. Steamed rice and a green vegetable go very well with this.

Be sure to stop by tomorrow! I have a delicious dessert to share with you that you are just going to love!

When I was a child I could hardly wait for Rhubarb Season to roll around. My mom would make us our favourite rhubarb pies. They were so tasty, served warm with vanilla ice cream all melting down into that buttery crust and the sweet/tart juices of that beautiful fruit . . .



But that was not the bestest part. The bestest part was eating it raw. Oh what a treat that was. Mom would carefully wash and trim each of us a stalk and then we would each be given a little bowl of sugar. We would sit there at the table and dip the ends of the rhubarb into the sugar and then suck and munch away . . . a jaw aching, mouth puckering right of spring. It was soooo good.



We have a rather large rhubarb patch out back here in the garden. We brought up the rhubarb that we had had down in Kent when we moved up here last year and we added it to the patch that was already here and it has literally blossomed in a beautiful way like it never did down south. The soil must be a lot better here, or maybe it is that bag of horse manure that Todd fed it last autumn . . .



Whatever it is we are enjoying it again . . . these first tender pink and ruby coloured spring shoots are so delightful, and a wonderfully welcome taste after the long cold winter.



Today I made Todd a sort of a roly poly rhubarb pudding . . . a rich buttery scone type of batter, spread with butter, sprinkled with sugar and nutmeg and then scattered with the chopped pink stalks of this delightfully tart fruit. Roll them up and then cut them in slices like a jelly roll. Placed in a buttered pan, and topped with a sweet lightly spiced sauce and baked, it is oh so wonderful, served up warm and covered with lashings of custard or cream.



Nothing could be more delightful on an early spring evening . . . eaten out on the patio as the sun starts to get lower in the sky and the birds begin putting themselves to bed.



I tried to tempt Todd with a raw stalk and a bowl of sugar . . . but he wasn't having it. He'd rather eat the pudding.



*Roly Poly Rhubarb Pudding*
Serves 8
Printable Recipe

Kind of like a rolled rhubarb dumpling baked in a delicious sauce. Serve with lashings of custard or cream for a delicious treat!

For the dumplings:
8 1/2 ounces plain flour (2 cups)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 TBS butter
7 fluid ounces of milk (7/8 cup)

For the filling:
softened butter for spreading
3.5 ounces caster sugar
freshly grated nutmeg
12 ounces rhubarb, chopped (2 cups)

For the Sauce:
7 ounces caster sugar (1 cup)
4 tsp plain flour
1/4 tsp salt
8 fluid ounces hot water (1 cup)
1 TBS butter
freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a deep 9 inch square baking dish and set aside.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Cut the butter into little bits and drop it into the flour. Rub it in with your fingertips until it resembles fine crumbs. Stir in the milk to make a soft dough. Tip out onto a floured board. Knead a few times and then pat out to a rectangle that is 1/4 inch thick. Spread the top with softened butter. Sprinkle the sugar over top and pat down. Sprinkle with some freshly grated nutmeg and then cover with the chopped rhubarb. Pat it down a bit then roll up as for a jelly roll, pinching the edges shut. Cut into 8 slices with a sharp knife. Place each slice, cut side down into the prepared baking dish.

Whisk together the sugar, flour and salt for the sauce. Whisk in the hot water. Cook on high in the microwave for about a minute. Take out and whisk. Cook for a further minute, until boiling. Pour this over top of the rhubarb rolls in the dish.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes in the heated oven, until the rolls are cooked through and the whole thing is nice and bubbly. Serve warm, spooned into bowls, along with some custard or pouring cream.

I sometimes will pick up a Rotisserie chicken at the grocery store as a real treat. They are always so tasty and moist. Usually we eat it just as it is, but sometimes I turn it into a tasty casserole or delicious salad. You can often get them marked down as well, depending on what time you get to the shops. In fact they sometimes give you a better deal if you buy two . . . so you can eat one as a roast chicken on the day, and strip the meat off the other one for use on another day.



I know, it might seem rather lazy, and it is . . . but there are days when you just have a lot on, and will be in and out . . . and there just isn't enough time to cook anything much proper . . . a rotisserie chicken beats the heck out of a burger meal or the like! Along with some veg and a packet of steamed rice, you've got a tasty nutritious meal ready in no time at all!



This is one of my favourite salads that I like to make with the meat. Not only is it very quick to make, but if you use low fat mayonnaise it is not all that bad for you at all. With the added crunch of toasted walnuts and the sweet tangy spice of some mango chutney, it is chock full of flavour, and colour! We like it at any rate!



*Chicken Salad with Chutney, Coriander and Lime*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

A great lunch salad that makes good use of a rotisserie cooked chicken. If you use low fat mayonnaise it is also relatively low in fat and calories. It also makes a delicously scrummy sandwich filling!

250ml of low fat (or regular) mayonnaise (1 cup)
125ml of mango chutney (1/4 cup)
1 plain roasted chicken (approx 3 pounds)
3 1/2 ounces of chopped toasted walnuts (3/4 cup)
2 stalks of celery, trimmed and chopped
1/2 of a medium red bell pepper, trimmed, seeds discarded, and chopped
a handful of fresh coriander, chopped (cilantro)
3 limes, divided
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
a small head of Boston or garden lettuce

Place the mayonnise into a large glass bowl.Cut any large pieces of mango in the chutney into small dice, and then add the chutney to the mayonnaise, stirring well to mix.

Remove and discard the skin from the chicken. Cut the meat into 3/4 inch cubes. Stir in the walnuts, celery, red pepper and coriander, mixing all in well. Juice 2 of the limes and add 3 TBS of the juice to the chicken salad, stirring it in to mix. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. (you can make it ahead up to 4 hours at this point. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature 15 minutes before serving.)

To serve, arrange a bed of lettuce leaves on each of 4 chilled plates. Mound a portion of chicken salad on top of each. Slice the remaining lime into 1/2 inch wedges and garnish each portion with a wedge of lime.

 

How could you not love something that is called a "Pikelet?" I know!! What a cute name! It makes you think of wooded glens and fairies and little hairy men with knobbly noses and big feet in oversized shoes . . .



Crumpets toasted over open fires, tuck boxes, after school treats . . . Enid Blyton!



There seems to be a bit of confusion as to what Pikelets actually are. I have seen them as a type of "drop" crumpet . . . made with a yeast batter and loosely cooked on a griddle instead of in rings.



And I have seen them like the ones I made today, similar to a pancake, except smaller, and served cold and spread with softened butter and preserves.



Definitely scrummy yummy. (I know, I probably say that too much, but I just can't think of another word that says what scrummy says!)



Perfect little light bites of airy fluff, all moreishly buttery and sweet.
I do confess . . . I was bad. Coz . . . as you know, everything tastes even better with bacon, and I just couldn't resist. It's that old North American sweet and salty thing . . . Oh yah!! Nom Nom ☺




*Pikelets*
Makes 25
Printable Recipe

A drop scone or pancake by any other name. Yummy.

150g of self raising flour (1 cup)
1 TBS caster sugar
pinch of salt
185ml of milk (3/4 cup)
1 large free range egg
butter to brush the grill

to serve:
softened butter
preserves

Sift the flour, sugar and salt into a bowl. Beat together the milk and egg. Add all at once to the dry ingredients and whisk together until smooth. Heat a large griddle pan, or nonstick frying pan. Brush with butter. Drop the batter by tablespoons onto the heated griddle. Cook until bubbles appear on the surface and the bottom is lightly browned. Flip over and cook on the other side until golden. Allow to cool completely and serve with some softened butter and jam for spreading.

PS - I cooked these on my new Cuisinart Grill and Griddle. Look for more on this fabulous little item real soon!! I'm giving it a real workout before I let you in on all the details!