If I had to pick a flavour I love above all else, I would have a very difficult time doing so. I just love sooooo many flavours . . . and a lot depends on what type of mood I am in, or the weather, or even what's in the refrigerator. I guess you could say I just love food, full stop!



I do have a serious thing for ginger though . . . I love it's warmth and spice . . . that peppery heat, that goes so very well with lots of things . . . tart lemons, sweet fruits and berries, nuts, breads, chicken and pork! Dark Chocolate!! (ohhh . . . I am hungry now! Dang!!)



I do love a good gingerbread and I have some great recipes for quite a variety of them. The ones I've already posted you can find here. I have many, many more, trust me . . . but they will be revealed to you one at a time as time goes by, and according to my cravings. (I am such a glutton and a tease!)



I just adore this particular gingerbread. It's light . . . and moist . . . and mild. Just perfect for those times when I am craving a gingerbread, but not looking for anything too heavy.



There are more almonds in this than there are flour, which makes for a very light cake, and also a very moist cake. It's also chock full of lovely little bits of preserved stem ginger. I use Opies, which I like. If you are so inclined you can even get it steeped in a whiskey syrup. Just sayin is all . . .



Anyways, this cake is lovely. You get a fabulous crunch on top from the flaked almonds, all toasty and nutty, and then brushed with some of the ginger syrup when warm, giving them a bit of sweet heat. Moist cake, with tangy little spicy sweet bits of ginger throughout. All in all . . . F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S!



Trust me. Have I ever lied to you? I thought not!



*Almond Gingerbread*
Serves 8 to 10
Printable Recipe

A gently flavoured gingerbread, moist and topped with the wonderful crunch of flaked almonds and ginger syrup.

3 1/2 ounces butter (7 TBS), softened
5 1/2 ounces dark brown sugar (3/4 cup packed)
4 large free range eggs
2 ounces of stem ginger in syrup, plus 4 TBS of the syrup (2 1/2 knobs)
7 ounces of almond flour (2 cups)
3 ounces self raising flour (3/4 cup)
1 ounce flaked almonds (scant 1/2 cup)

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Butter a 9 inch square baking pan and line with baking parchment. Butter the parchment. Set aside.

Whisk together the butter and brown sugar until light and creamy. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, whisking well after each one is added.

Finely chop the stem ginger. Add to the butter mixture, along with 2 TBS of syrup. Fold in the ground almonds and flour. Spread in the baking tin, smoothing the top over. Sprinkle over the flaked almonds.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the cake is firm to the touch and a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean. (If the almonds begin to brown too much, cover lightly with a sheet of foil.)

Remove from the oven when done. Gently heat the remaining ginger syrup and brush over top of the warm cake. Leave to cool, then cut into slices to serve.

I know . . . I can see you wrinkling your noses, and I can't say that I blame you, but hear me out. Loathe it or love it, Spam has been around for a very long time. 

Quirk Books recently sent me one of their newest cookbooks to review. I was thrilled to do so . . . a gal can never have too many cookery books! (Contrary to what Todd may think. What does he know. He's a man who doesn't cook!)

Matt Armendariz is a man who cooks however! Writer and photographer of the popular food blog, Matt Bites, he has recently published his first cookery book, On A Stick! A witty, beautifully photographed and tasty little book which dares to answer the question, which must be on everyone's lips . . . "Why do the world's most delicious foods taste even better served on a stick?"



It's a book just filled with dozens of delightfully tasty recipes for party/street/junk food and more . . . all served on a stick. Hors D'Ouvres, nibbles and every day fare for even the most discerning tastes . . . it is a happy and witty compilation of quite a variety of foods and tastes, with recipes for everything from tasty salad skewers to scrummy dessert kabobs, as well as a delicious variety of sauces and dips to go with them! (I hope he doesn't mind me borrowing this picture of him from off his page. I thought you would enjoy it and it might give you a taste of the flavour of this lovely book!)



Deep Fried Pickles served with some tasty Ranch Dressing anyone???



How about some delicious Chicken and Waffles skewers??? Tasty chicken tenders in a buttermilk marinade, coated in a waffle batter, deep fried and served with a scrummy maple butter syrup!



Or maybe some tasty Coconut Shrimp with a yummy Mango Salsa is more to your taste???



It's not all fried though . . . there's also tasty offerings such as Panzanella skewers with a tasty Sherry Vinaigrette! Those intrigued me and so I made my own version with what I had on hand in the kitchen . . . A Greek Version, with cucumber, Kamata Olives, Cherry Tomatoes, Green Peppers and Feta Cheese, drizzled with an Oregano Vinaigrette and they were really good too.



How about a Fruit Salad Skewer with a tasty Sweet and Fluffy Dipping Sauce???

But do you want to know which recipe really caught my eye and had me totally intrigued????



It was the Spam and Pineapple Skewers. I don't know why? I was not even sure that I liked Spam . . . but I did wonder . . . was it possible to make tinned mystery meat taste like something you might want to serve to a guest???



I made a smaller version as there are only two of us here in this house.

Know what?? They weren't half bad! I rather enjoyed them and I can tell you, if that man can make Spam taste this good . . . then this book is a winner! I can't wait to try out more of the recipes! There is a little bit of something in this book to please just about anyone's tastes. I highly recommend. Thanks so much to Quirk Books for having given me the opportunity to test it out, and thanks to Matt for having written a book that is not only colourful and fun, but also very tasty!



*Spam and Pineapple Skewers*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
I wasn't sure about this, but went for it. They were incredibly tasty!

4 wooden skewers
spray oil
2 (12 ounce) tins of Spam. each one cut into 2 inch cubes
(You'll get about 4 cubes from each tin if you cut it this size)
2 cups of fresh pineapple cubes, cut the same size as the spam
3/4 cup of low sodium soy sauce (6 fluid ounces)
1/4 cup pineapple juice (2 fluid ounces)
1/2 cup soft light brown sugar (3 12 ounces)
1/4 cup sugar (2 ounces)
1 TBS peeled minced fresh ginger root
2 spring onions, thinly sliced

Soak the skewers ino water for about 30 minutes.

Whisk the soy sauce, pineapple juice, brown and white sugars and ginger root together in a saucepan. Simmer and stir over medium heat until the mixture thickens into a glaze. Let cool and then stir in the spring onions.

Preheat your grill or grill pan and spray with oil.

Thread the spam and pineapple onto the skewers, alternating them. Grill the skewers for about 6 minutes per side. Brush with the glaze and grill for an additional 2 minutes, turning over once. Serve warm.

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.