Here's an oldie but a goodie gleaned from the depths of my Big Blue Binder. I've been making these tasty muffins for years and years.



Hands down they have to be my absolute favourite Oatmeal Muffin of all time. I've tried lots of different ones . . . but I always come back to this recipe. These muffins are moist and stogged full of raisins and nuts, with just enough spice and vanilla to make them oh so scrummy delish.
They make great use of leftover oatmeal so you need never throw out any that's left in the pot after the family has eaten ever, ever again.



In fact . . . I dare say that after you try these tasty little babies, you'll make sure you always have enough oatmeal leftover just so that you can treat yourself and your family!!



Do make sure you butter the pan well though . . . as they do stick. I don't like to use paper liners with them either as they stick to them too and I want to have all that muffin scrumminess in my tumminess! (haha . . . I know . . . don't quit my day job!)



*Breakfast Oatmeal Muffins*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe

These muffins are a great way of using up leftover cooked oatmeal. I often cook extra oatmeal for breakfast so that I can treat us to a batch of these the day after!

100g of plain flour (1 cup)
200g of soft light brown sugar (1 cup packed)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
125ml of vegetable oil (1/2 cup)
2 large free range eggs beaten
180g of leftover cooked oatmeal cereal (about 1 cup)
150g of raisins (1 cup)
1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans (optional)
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Grease a 12 cup medium muffin tin very well. Set aside.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Whisk together the leftover oatmeal, eggs, and vanilla. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients only to moisten. Fold in the raisins and nuts (if using). Spoon into the greased muffin cups, dividing the batter evenly amongst them.

Bake for 18 minutes, until well risen and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let sit in the pan for about 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool somewhat before eating.



Cooking in The Cottage today, some delicious Light and Crispy Fish Fillets.

This has to be our favourite weekday breakfast in the winter time. Not only is it filling, giving us much needed energy to combat the colder winter temps, but it also is belly warming and immensely satisfying without being high in calories or fat.



It really doesn't take much effort to make your own oatmeal from scratch and let me be honest here . . . homemade from scratch tastes infinitely better than prepacked/instant . . . seriously.
It's comforting and heartwarming. It's delicious.



I think it is the vanilla and spices that make this so special. I also happen to like raisins and they also add something wonderful to the mix . . . and as for those toasted pecan nuts on top, well they give an added dimension of flavour and crunch.



You really can't go wrong with this . . . lightly sweetened with brown sugar and juicy plump raisins . . . it is the perfect winter breakast. And if you are really in a rush, you can spoon yours into a cup and take it with you when you dash out the door to begin your day.

It's a good thing . . . not to copy Martha or anything . . . but it IS a good thing! (Don't throw away any leftovers . . . I've got something fantastic to show you tomorrow that makes good use of them!)



*Vanilla Spiced Breakfast Oatmeal*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This makes a frequent appearance on our seasonal Winter breakfast table. Spiced with warm spices and topped with crunchy toasted pecans, it's filling, delicious and always welcome!

60g of shelled pecan nuts (1/2 cup)
825ml of water (3 1/2 cups)
160g of old fashioned rolled oats (2 cups)
75g of raisins (1/2 cup)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
freshly grated nutmeg
2 TBS firmly packed soft light brown sugar
250ml of low fat milk to serve (1 cup) or to taste
ground cinnamon to dust over top

Place the pecans in a dry skillet over medium high heat. Cook and stir, until golden brown and fragrant. Set aside to cool and then chop them coarsely. The toasting should only take about 5 minutes.

Combine the water, oats, raisins and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to the boil then reduce to a slow simmer and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the oats are tender and cooked. Remove from the heat. Stir in the brown sugar, vanilla and freshly grated nutmeg to taste. Divide into heated serving bowls and serve with some milk poured over top (if desired), a dusting of cinnamon and 1/4 of the toasted pecans.



Over in The Cottage this morning, a delicious Deep Dish Chicken Pie.

I had some lovely plums that I picked up in the grocery store the other day. It's not often you get nice ones this time of year. We had our fill eating them raw and then I decided to make a pudding with them.



I found this lovely pudding recipe in a book put out by Ryland Peters that I've had for a while now, entitled "Easy British Cooking, simple recipes for traditional British food." I just love this book. It's just full of lots of easy British Comfort Food types of recipes. I have almost all of their easy series books and I can highly recommend each one! (The recipe credit for this tasty dessert goes to Louise Pickford.)



There were several things I loved about this recipe. First of all the ingredient list was simple . . . fresh bread crumbs, thinly sliced fresh plums, butter, cream, honey and a bit of brown sugar and spice.



After making a very simple fudge sauce of butter, cream and honey . . . you simply layer everything up in little ramekins . . . and then bake.



Twenty minutes later you are rewarded with some of the most delicious little puddings you have ever tasted! They went down a real treat with some cream drizzled over top. Sooooo delicious indeed! We both really enjoyed them.



They were not too sweet, just a bit tart . . . with a bit of crunch and a bit of scrum. In short . . . perfect!



I can see that they might be tasty if made with other fruits as well . . . like blackberries and apples, or pears, or even blueberries. They were very similar to what we would call a fruit "Betty" back home.



I do hope you will give them a try. You won't be sorry if you do. I just cannot imagine anyone not liking them. They would be a most impressive, simple and quick dinner party dessert as well.

SCRUMMO!!




*Plum Fudge Puddings*
Serves 4

This is kind of like an apple brown betty, except it is made with plums and has a creamy fudge sauce. Yum!!

50g unsalted butter (3 1/2 TBS)
50g of runny honey (2 1/3 TBS)
2 TBS double cream
2 TBS soft light brown sugar
1 tsp ground mixed spice (see right side column for a recipe to
make your own mixed spice)
75g fresh white bread crumbs ( 1 1/4 cup)
2 ripe plums, stoned and thinly sliced
Cream or creme fraiche to serve

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Have ready 4 (150ml) glass ramekins. (4 ounce size)

Put the butter, honey and cream into a saucepan and heat, whisking constantly,until melted and amalgamated. Put the breadcrumbs into a bowl and mix with the sugar and spice.

Divide half of the buttery fudge mixture between the ramekins. Top with 1/2 of the plums. Top with half of the bread crumb mixture. Top with the remainder of the plums. Top with the remainder of the bread crumb mixture. Drizzle the remaining buttery fudge mixture over top of each one evenly. Place the ramekins onto a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes, before carefully unmolding onto dessert plates. Serve with cream or creme fraiche for spooning. Serve warm.



Cooking in The Cottage today, Crisp Oven Fried Chicken. Deeeeelicious!!

The Toddster is a real fan of pork chops, yes he is. I admit to a certain fondness for them myself. When I was much, much younger and attending Secretarial School, there was a catering school in the same school and the students at the catering school would cook lunches for everyone. One of my favourite days was always the days they did pork chops . . . They were always cooked to perfection, tender and juicy and they came with pan fries and carrots. Yummo!



My mother tried hard, bless her heart . . . but her pork chops always came out a tad bit hard and dry. I think she was afraid that she would poison us all if she didn't cook them enough. We ate them anyways and we always kinda enjoyed them, even if they weren't cooked to perfection. She used to make really good gravy with them and that more than made up for it.



This recipe here today is a bit of a French speciality. I know . . . this is the English Kitchen, but in truth we are so close to the continent and the average Brit today is so well travelled that a bit of foreign stuff always makes it's way into our cuisine. We usually put our own twist on it though . . .



Like todays recipe . . . which in France is usually made with chicken joints . . . but why not the other white meat??? Pork goes very well with onions and mustard . . . Thyme and Pork are a marriage made in heaven . . . and with the crispy bread crumbs . . . well, these are almost like breaded pork chops. Who doesn't like breaded chops!!



I served these with some roasted winter vegetables and sauteed cabbage. They went down a real treat. They were cooked to perfection in the time allotted. My chops were about 3/4 inch thick. I do hope you will give this a try. They'd go well with mashed potatoes too . . . or some herby buttered new potatoes. A nice tossed salad would also be a great addition to the meal.

And some applesauce certainly would not go amiss . . . truly divine.



*Pork Chops Lyonnaise*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This dish is normally made with chicken, but why not make it with the other white meat??? Why not indeed! I served this with some roasted winter vegetables and cabbage.

4 (7 ounce) pork chops, bone in, rind removed and trimmed of all but a very
thin edging of fat
fine seasalt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
40g unsalted butter (2 3/4 TBS)
2 medium brown skinned onions, peeled and finely chopped
1 1/2 TBS Dijon mustard
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
45g of soft fresh white bread crumbs (3/4 cup)

Season the chops well on both sides. Melt 15g (scant TBS) of the butter in a large skillet. Quickly brown the chops over medium heat, taking care not to burn the butter. Transfer the browned chops to a shallow oven-proof casserole dish.

Add the onions along with the remainder of the butter. Cook over very low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes, until really soft, taking care not to allow them to colour. Stir in the mustard and thyme leaves.

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.

Spread the onion mixture over the top of the browned chops, spreading it on thickly and dividing it equally amongst the chops. Divide the bread crumbs as well, pressing an equal amount down onto the top of the onion mixture on each chop.

Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, until cooked through and the juices run clear. Serve hot.

Note: This recipe is very easily adjusted to serve less people or more if you wish.



Not the best picture in the world, but very easy and delicious, over in The Cottage today, Oven Beef Stew!

Oh my but I do love me some pasta from time to time. Todd . . . he does hate it with a passion and so . . . I only ever have it very infrequently . . . almost never really.



The other day he was going with the missionaries to have lunch at a Single Sister's house and so I decided to fulfil my flagrant need to eat some pasta and threw together this dish.



Unfortunately my Pappardelle was a bit broken up . . . which didn't affect the flavour at all . . . just the looks. It went down the same and tasted every bit as delicious.



I love butternut squash as well, especially roasted until it is almost caramelized . . . and I love the flavour of sage . . . rocket . . . je t'adore . . . and pistachios??? Well, they just happen to be my most favourite nut of all time!!



So . . . let's see now . . . roasted butternut squash all sweetly caramelized at the edges . . . toasted pistachio nuts . . . oh so scrummy . . . sage . . . all musty herby . . . the peppery bite of rocket . . . almost meaty . . . buttery al dente pasta . . . oh . . . and cheese, finely grated Parmesan Reggiano . . . all together in my bowl, on my fork and in my tummy.



Bliss. Pure and utter bliss . . .




*Pappardelle with Roasted Winter Squash, Rocket and Pistachios*
Serves 4 to 6
Printable Recipe

Easy to cook and relatively low in fat. Low fat doesn't have to mean dissatisfied. This pleases on many levels! It's peppery, sweet and quite filling!

4 cups of butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
(about 1 medium sized squash)
2 TBS of good quality Balsamic Vinegar
2 tsp of good quality extra virgin olive oil
fine seasalt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
low fat cooking spray
8 ounces uncooked pappardelle or fettuccine
1 TBS butter
4 TBS coarsely chopped raw shelled pistachio nuts
1 TBS chopped fresh Sage leaves
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 of a 70g bag of washed rocket (2 cups)
2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (1/2 cup)
corasely ground black pepper to garnish

Preheat the oven to 230*C/475*F/ gas mark 7. Line a baking tray with foil wrap. Spray lightly with cooking spray.

Toss the squash cubes together in a bowl with the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and some pepper. Spread out on the baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for about 25 minutes or so, until tender and lightly browned, stirring occasionally.

About halfway through the baking time for the squash cook the pasta, according to the package directions, omitting any salt or fat. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1 TBS of the cooking liquid.

Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the pistachio nuts, sage and garlic. Cook for about 3 minutes until the nuts begin to toast and the mixture becomes very fragrant, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and toss in the drained pasta, cooking liquid, roasted squash and rocket, tossing all together gently to combine. Add a pinch of salt, some freshly ground black pepper and the cheese. Toss gently again to combine. Serve immediately.



Baking in The Cottage today, a delicious Golden Jubilee Cake.

This looks plain and simple . . . and in truth it is. But don't let the simplicity of it fool you into thinking that it is not totally scrumdiddlyumptious!!



If you like baked apples and if you like custard . . . then you are going to love the two of them together!!



It's very easy to charge up the flavours as well . . . you know . . . add some cinnamon or nutmeg, or cardamom or all three!!



We love this . . . plain, or with a bit of cream poured over top.



You can cook all four servings in a square casserole dish, or do like I did and cook individual ones. Mine got a little bit close to the grill and got somewhat dark in spots, but that's ok . . . I like a little char . . . burnt toast, burnt cheese, burnt marshmallows.



Yes . . . I am wierd. But in kind of a delicious way, don't you think??



*Apples in Custard*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Proof positve that simple can be wonderfully delicious. Apples baked in a scrummy custard.

4 medium cooking apples, cored and peeled
(I like Granny Smiths)
8 TBS of sugar, plus 1 to 2 TBS for sprinkling at the end
(I use cinnamon sugar to sprinkle on at the end)

For the Custard:
96g of caster sugar (1/2 cup)
500ml of whole milk (2 cups)
1 tsp pure vanilla
3 large free range eggs
2 1/2 TBS plain flour
pinch of salt

To serve: (optional)
Cream and Maple Syrup

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

Place the peeled and cored apples in a square baking dish (or into 4 individual casseroles). Put two tablespoons of sugar into the center cavity of each apple. Whisk together the custard ingredients until smooth. Pour over the apples, dividing it equally amongst the casseroles if making 4 individual ones. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the custard is completely set.

To finish off, at the end of the baking time sprinkle the 1 to 2 TBS of sugar (cinnamon sugar) over top of the apples and custard. Place under the grill (broiler) and grill (broil) until lightly brown. You may put a small amount of cream and maple syrup over the top for additional flavour.



Over in The Cottage today, Rumbledethumps . . . a delicious mix of potato, swede, cabbage and cheese. (Not a great picture I know!!)

The food I cook on here is not always uber loaded in calories and fat. In truth, we try to eat heathily much of the time . . . but I normally only show you the bad stuff.



I am wanting to make a change for 2012 though. In an effort to eat a lot healthier and in a bid to drag you all along with me, I plan on cooking fairly healthily for the most part, but with a few naughty treats scattered here and there from time to time . . . and I'm actually going to show you the healthy stuff for a change. I hope you don't mind. Who knows . . . we both might take off a few pounds in the process!



Food doesn't have to be heavily laden in fat and calories to be delicious you know. Point in fact, this tasty cake recipe here today. Not only is it flavourful and moist, but it's delicious and very low in fat and cholesterol. Low fat buttermilk and pumpkin puree take the plase of fat in this dark, spicy raisin studded cake.



It also uses a combination of plain and whole wheat flours as well . . . making it even healthier. It keeps for up to two days stored in an airtight container or frozen for up to one month.



I don't think anyone would recommend eating cake every day of the week, but if you are going to indulge . . . you can't get much tastier or healthier than this!



*Pumpkin Spice Cake*
Makes 16 servings
Printable Recipe

Moist, flavourful and low in fat. Delicious without being naughty! If you don 't have a bundt pan you can bake this in two loaf tins.

335g of granulated sugar (1 3/4 cups)
2 ounces soft margarine or butter (1/4 cup)
1 large free range egg
125ml of buttermilk (1/2 cup)
1 tin of pumpkin puree (14 ounces)
the grated zest of one orange
1 tsp vanilla
150g of plain flour (1 1/2 cups)
195g of whole wheat flour (1 1/2 cups)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
150g of raisins (1 cup)

Glaze:
32g of sifted icing sugar (1/3 cup)
1 1/2 tsp orange juice

Preheat the oven to 160*C/325*F/ gas mark 3. Grease and flour a 10 inch bundt pan. (or two medium loaf pans)

Beat the sugar together with the margarine (butter.) Beat in the egg until light. Beat in the buttermilk, pumpkin puree, orange rind and vanilla.

Whisk together the flours, cinnamon, bicarbonate of soda, and raisins. Stir in to the pumpkin mixture just to combine.

Spoon into the pan, smoothing over the top. Bake for 60 to 65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool on a rack for 20 minutes, then tip out of the pan and allow to cool completely.

Blend the icing sugar with the orange juice. Drizzle over the cooled cake. Cut into slices to serve.



Baking in The Cottage today, Angel Buttermilk Biscuits.