So yesterday I was invited out for a girlie day crafting with two fab friends. I was asked to bring cake for our picnic lunch, and so I was quite happy to comply!



Crafting, girlie friends, cake . . . sounds like a fabulous combination don't you think???



I wanted a portable cake though, because I knew I was going to be travelling first by train and then by car and I didn't want anything that was going to get squashed or ruined in the process, in other words . . . something that would hold up.



Loaf cakes are the perfect thing for such occasions. You can cut them into slices and then sandwich the slices together with the icing in the middle. Easy to handle, and easy to eat, with little or no mess! The perfect picnic portable!



This is one of my favourite loafs to make, next to banana or carrot . . . oh and lemon, let's not forget that. Cougettes make a lovely loaf cake, which always turns out moist and delicious.



I added cardamom and lime to this one to give it just that little bit extra zip and tang. The frosting in the middle? A delicious cream cheese, also flavoured with lime.

Altogether scrummy and the perfect treat for three crafting gals I think!

Cake sandwiches! I love them!



*Courgette, Cardamom and Lime Loaf*
Makes one 9 inch loaf, serving 8 to 10
Printable Recipe

Moist and nicely spiced. I like to sandwich slices together with cream cheese icing to wrap up and take along to picnics!

250g of grated courgettes (2 medium zucchini, grated)
100g caster sugar (1/2 cup)
100g butter (scant 1/2 cup)
100g runny honey (1/3 cup)
3 large free range eggs, beaten
3/4 tsp ground cardamom
the zest and juice of one unwaxed lime
325g of self raising flour (generous 2 1/2 cup)
75g of ground almonds (3/4 cup)
3 TBS thick Greek Yoghurt

Icing:
100g of icing sugar, sifted (generous 3/4 cup)
75g of butter, softened (1/3 cup)
75g of low fat cream cheese, softened (1/3 cup)
juice and zest of one unwaxed lime

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

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and creamy. Beat in the honey and the eggs. Fold in the cardamom, lime zest and lime juice. Squeeze as much liquid as you can from the courgettes and fold them into the creamed mixture along with the flour and ground almonds. Stir in the yoghurt. Spread the batter in the prepared tin, smoothing the top off.

Bake for one hour until baked all the way through and well risen. A toothpick inserted in the centre should come out clean. Place (still in the tin) on a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the Icing, beat all the ingredients together until smooth. Cut the cold cake into slices and sandwich them together with some of the icing to serve. Alternately you can just spread the icing on top of the loaf and cut into slices to serve.

 

Todd went in to town on his own today, and I was left here at home on my own. It was a beautifully sunny day, and he fancied a walk about the town. With my osteo-arthritis I am not so great at walking great distances these days. I don't really mind him going in on his own. I am happy that he is able to do it . . . although I do miss going in with him sometimes.



I stay behind most of the time these days, and putter about here in the house . . . drawing . . . painting . . . baking and cooking. We are content to please ourselves, and then we come together at the end of the day, him armed with his tales of what's going on in Chester, and me armed with a plate of cakes or some such.



Today I thought I would take advantage of his absence and make myself some pasta for my lunch. He had a McDonald's coupon for a quarter pounder with cheese and fries, so I knew he would be well fed regardless.



I just love pasta and I hardly ever have it because Todd hates it. I know . . . there's no accounting for some people's taste! It takes all kinds!



I'm just happy with a big bowl of buttered macaroni, mixed with some tinned tomatoes and a slice of bread and butter, but I thought today that I would do something just a bit fancier.



And so I did.



Fussili coated in a delicously scrumptious tomato sauce, chock full of black olives and baked under a mountain of fresh mozzarella until the cheese is scrummily meltingly oozingly delish.

Need I say more?



*Baked Tomato and Mozzarella Pasta*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

One of my little indulgences. A flavourful tomato sauce, with pasta and mozzarella cheese, baked in the oven until the mozzarella is meltingly scrummy.

1 TBS olive oil
1 small onion, peeled and minced
1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and minced
1 small carrot, peeled and minced
1 stalk of celery, trimmed and minced
1 tsp of freeze dried basil
1 tsp of freeze dried oregano
1 tsp brown sugar
pinch of cloves
1 tsp sherry vinegar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 (400g) tin of chopped plum tomatoes in juice, undrained (14 ounce)
1 3/4 ounces of small black olives, pitted and halved (about 1/4 cup)
10 1/2 ounces of cooked pasta (I like fusilli or penne, but you can even use elbow macaroni)
1 ball of fresh mozzarella cheese, torn into bits

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter 4 individual shallow gratin dishes. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes until softened. Add the carrot, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for a further 5 minutes. Add the undrained tin of tomatoes, basil, oregano, sugar, cloves and vinegar. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a quick simmer and cook for a further 5 to 10 minutes, until slightly thickened. Stir in the olives and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir this mixture into the cooked pasta.

Divide the pasta mixture evenly amongst the gratin dishes. Dot each with some torn mozzarella. Place on a baking tray and slice into the preheated oven. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

It was a little cool today and so Todd wanted me to make him some soup for lunch. I didn't do anything special, just opened a couple of tins of Bean and Bacon Soup. He loves that kind.



I did want to make something special to go along with it though, just to lift lunch up out of the ordinary. I love making savoury muffins and breads to go along with soup. They help to make even a simple meal of tinned soup extra-ordinary!



I love foccaccia and I found a recipe for some little mini foccaccia in one of my cookerybooks. It used refrigerated biscuits though . . . and I didn't want to use them. Those types of things are not readily available over here, and I think homemade always tastes better.



I decided to make a scone type of dough, because it would be quick and then apply the topping to that.



I used the plain scone dough recipe from the Bero baking book, and then cut the dough into 2 inch rounds. I then flattened the rounds out to about 3 1/2 inch rounds about 1/4 inch thick. Then I dimpled the top with my fingers and applied a beautiful herby olive oil mixture and some pine nuts.



Wow! These were fantastic! They were nice and crisp around the edges and so flavourful! We just loved them!



I can see great possibilities for this. Perhaps next time I will try a sun-dried tomato pesto on top! That sounds really good, don't you think???



Quick, easy and very, VERY tasty! I do hope you will give them a try!!



*Mini Scone Foccaccia Breads*
Makes 10 (3-inch) foccaccia breads
Printable Recipe

Lovely little flattish scones that are wonderfully herby, buttery and fantastic with soups and stews!

225g self raising flour (a scant 2 cups)
pinch salt
3 1/2 TBS of butter 
enough milk to make a soft dough

For the topping:
a large handful of basil leaves (about a loose cup)
a small handful of fresh thyme (about 1/4 loose cup)
2 fat cloves, of garlic, peeled and mashed
60 ml of extra virgin olive oil (1/4 cup)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 TBS of pinenuts

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Lightly butter a large baking sheet. Set aside.

To make the herby oil, place the basil, thyme, garlic and olive oil into a blender. Blitz until fairly smooth. You do not want big chunks of anything. Season to taste with some salt and pepper. Set aside.

Measure the flour into a bowl. Add the salt. Drop in the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until you have fine crumbs. Stir in enough milk to make a soft dough with a fork. Pat out on a lightly floured surface to about half in thick. Cut into 2 inch rounds with a sharp cutter. Press the rounds out to about 3 1/2 inches in diameter. Place onto the baking sheet leaving some space inbetween each. Dimple over the tops with your fingertips. Brush each with some of the herbed oil. Sprinkle with pinenuts and then bake for 12 to 15 minutes until lightly browned on the bottoms and crisp around the edges. Serve warm.

I was contacted a week or so ago by the Lizzie at Piper's Farm who wanted to know if I would like to take a look at their website and possibly try some of their products. I took a look, loved what I saw and said I would LOVE to try some of their products!

Located in the heart of Devon, Piper's Farm is a farm dedicated to the production of meat, poultry and meat products via traditional, slow growing methods, allowing the animals to reach natural maturity in a completely stress free environment. In other words, it's farming the way it used to be. Started over 20 years ago, their goal was to produce healthy meat that families could enjoy eating with complete confidence.



I am a great believer in humane farming practices, and have long held the theory and supported the ethos that happy meat is a better tasting meat.

I was quite happy to try some of their products out and the next day a package was delivered from them, right to my door. It was very well packed and arrived fresh and well chilled.

Included in the pack sent was a package of Pork Sausages, Red Ruby Rump Steaks, Smoked Back Bacon, Chicken Fillets, Pork Steaks, a Lamb and Mint Pie and a Red Ruby Steak and Mushroom Pie.



First up were the pies. My Todd is a real pie man. He just loves meat pies and I have to confess to having a certain fondness for them myself. It was very easy to tell which pie was which pie . . . the top crust was very clearly marked and a key was included so that we could figure out which mark meant what.



The Steak and Mushroom Pie was meaty and chock full of lovely chunks of tender steak and mushrooms, in a rich thick gravy.



Likewise the Lamb and Mint Pie was filled with lovely bits of lamb and carrot and a rich and flavourful gravy, with the merest hint of mint that too nothing away from the deliciousness of the Lamb.

Both pies had a beautiful crust, crisp and not at all greasy. In short, these were quite simply the best meat pies that my pie loving husband and I have ever eaten! We both fell in love with them and would buy them in an instant!



The next day we tried out the Rump Steaks. From their site: Red Ruby Beef is legendary, a native Exmoor Breed, Devon Ruby with a tight grain, good fat marbling and a real depth of flavour. I simply pan grilled the steaks, using my fool proof method and serving them with a simple pan sauce created by deglazing the skillet with some red wine and a dessertspoon of Onion Marmelade. They were delicious! See for yourself!



They were tender and well flavoured. We both really enjoyed them as well!



Next up was the sausages. All of their sausages are made using natural skins and ingredients. The ones we were sent to try were the plain Pork Sausages. Made with Pork, Oats and seasoning they were beautiful and so meaty. They were also HUGE. Todd usually can eat about 3 bangers, but he had a hard time finishing the two that I gave him. We both loved them. They were not greasy or fatty and had a wonderful flavour.



Just look at the tastiness of that sausage! We loved them! Now I want to try their Cumberland, which as you know is my favourite kind of sausage.

The next day I cooked their Pork . Their pork is saddleback pork produced from traditional breeds, grown slowly to natural maturity, and spending their summers in cider orchards munching on grass and windfalls. I know I should have just cooked it plainly, but I wanted to do something different and so I did a stir fry with it. It was delicious! I kid you not. I don't like pork that is really . . . well, porky, if you know what I mean. I don't like it to smell like a pig when I cook it. This did not.



The meat was tender, not tough. Sometimes when you cook meat quickly as in something like a stir fry the meat can be quite tough. This was perfect and we both really enjoyed it immensely!



*Stir Fried Pork and Peppers*
Serves 4, but can very easily cut in half
Printable Recipe

Spicy and sweet and scrummy yummy! Better than a take away for sure!

For the meat:
4 lean boneless pork steaks
2 ounces rice wine vinegar (1/4 cup)
2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1 TBS brown sugar
5 TBS olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

To finish:
3 TBS finely chopped fresh gingerroot
1 TBS sweet chili sauce
5 TBS teriyaki sauce
1 green pepper, trimmed, seeds discarded and cut into strips
1 red pepper, trimmed, seeds discarded, and cut into strips
1 yellow pepper, trimmed, seeds discarded and cut into strips
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
a small handful of flaked toasted almonds
2 TBS chopped fresh mint (Optional)

Mix together the rice wine vinegar, garlic, brown sugar, oil and salt and pepper in a bowl. Slice the pork into thin slices, across the grain. Add to the bowl and stir to coat. Set aside to marinate for half an hour.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Scoop the pork strips out of the marinade and add to the hot pan, along with the gingerroot. Cook and stir until the pork begins to turn colour. Stir together the sweet chili sauce and teriyaki sauce. Pour over top. Continue to cook and stir for a few minutes longer, until pork is cooked through. Stir in the peppers and cook, stirring frequently until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season to taste with some salt and pepper. Sprinkle with almonds and chopped mint (if using) and serve immediately.

We still had some sausages left and so I made a tasty Pork Sausage Egg Fried Rice to go along with the Stir Fry, which we also really, really enjoyed.



*Leftover Pork Sausage Fried Rice*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

A really tasty way to use up leftover cooked pork sausages and rice.

2 TBS vegetable oil
2 large free range eggs, lightly beaten
3 TBS dark soy sauce, divided
1 fat garlic clove, peeled and minced
1 TBS minced fresh gingerroot
1 bunch of spring onions, trimmed, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced
4 cooked thick pork sausages, cut in quarters and sliced into chunks
2 small carrots, peeled and grated
a large handful of frozen petit pois
2 cups of cold cooked white rice
2 TBS rice wine vinegar

Heat 1 TBS of the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Measure out the soy sauce. Take 1/4 tsp of it and beat it together with the eggs. Add the eggs to the heated pan, swirling them to coat the bottom of the pan. Cook and stir until cooked through, but still moist. Scrape out of the pan and set aside.

Heat the remaining oil in the pan. Add the ginger, garlic and spring onion white bits. Cook stirring constantly until fragrant. Add the sausage chunks. cook and stir to heat through and brown a bit. Add the carrots, peas and rice, stirring to combine. Add the cooked egg, remaining soy sauce and vinegar. Cook, stirring constantly, until the rice is completely coated with teh mixture. Let cook, undisturbed fora bout a minute longer, until heated through. Sprinke the green bits of the onions over top and then serve immediately.

We haven't yet tried the bacon or the chicken fillets, but if the rest of what we were given to try is any idication . . . I am sure we will be more than pleased with them as well!

All the meat sold by Pipers Farm is produced by the Grieg family on their own 50 acre farm community of about 25 small farms. They have an on farm butchery and a kitchen where they produce everything they sell including a variety of ready meals and pies. I have to say that Todd and I were very impressed with everything they sent and with the delivery service and all the information we were given. We both highly recommend and hope that you will give them a try! Many thanks to Lizzie for having given us this delicious opportunity!

I popped into the local Tesco store the other day for a loaf of bread and a quart of milk and ended up walking out with a bag filled with berries and clotted cream.



You know those recipe cards that grocery shops have scattered here and there throughout the store??? Well, this one in particular caught my eye, and there was nothing for it but to pick up the ingredients and make it when I got home!



Of course theirs looked a lot better than mine did when it was done. (That's their picture up at the very top) It tasted fabulous though!



Every mouthful was rich and buttery and very fruity!



Of course Todd had extra cream on top of his . . . he is so lucky. He can eat whatever he wants and never gains an ounce . . . me . . . well this spoonful you see here below . . . that was all I had of it. I didn't dare have anymore than this. It was soooooo good!




*Berry Slump with Clotted Cream*
Serves 8
Printable Recipe

Scrummy fruit dessert topped with clotted cream and a tasty batter.

1 (250g) punnet of blueberries ( 1/2 pound)
1 (250g) punnet of blackberries (1/2 pound)
2 (150g) punnets of raspberries (1/2 pound plus 1/8 pound)
2 TBS sugar

For the topping:
3 1/2 ounces butter (1/4 cup plus 3 TBS)
5 ounces self raising flour (1 generous cup)
3 1/2 ounces sugar (1/2 cup)
few drops vanilla
150ml of milk (3 fluid ounces)
1 (227g) tub of clotted cream (1 cup)
1 TBS demerara sugar

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Tip all the berries into a 2 1/2 pint baking dish. Sprinkle with the 2 TBS of sugar. Place into the oven while you make the topping.

Put the butter, flour and sugar into a food processor, along with the vanilla and enough milk to make a soft spoonable consistency, without making it too runny.

Take the dish of fruit out of the oven and spoon dollops of clotted cream on top of the berries. Spoon the batter over top of the clotted cream. Sprinkle with the demerara sugar. Bake for 25 minutes until the topping is golden brown and the berries are bubbling.