I just love it when I open a carton of eggs and there is a feather stuck on one of them. I only ever buy free range eggs, and it makes me think of happy chickens browsing around the farm yard. I would love to have our own chickens . . . but as Todd reminds me . . . it's difficult enough to get someone to watch the dog when we go away, let alone a yard full of chickens!



I had some apples that I really wanted to use up the other day, and so I decided to make this old family favourite . . . Apple Pie French Toast. Kind of like apple upside down french toast I guess . . .



Sliced apples coated in a delicious brown sugar caramel sauce, with egg soaked slices of thick french bread on top, dusted with warm spice and then baked until it's all fluffy, scrummy, delicious!!



This is an overnight french toast casserole, so do plan ahead . . . although I am sure that if you did it up in the morning it would make a fantastic supper along with some browned sausage and bacon.



Breakfast for supper. I like it!



You'll love this. Trust me on this. It's fabulously good! But then every recipe in my Big Blue Binder is actually pretty wonderful.



*Apple Pie French Toast*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

This is one of those overnight breakfast casseroles that you make up the night before. So easy to bake in the morning and incredibly delicious.

204g of soft light brown sugar (1 cup)
115g of butter (scant half-cup)
2 TBS golden syrup
(can use golden corn syrup or maple syrup if you have it)
3 large granny smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
6 large free range eggs
250ml of whole milk (generous cup)
1 tsp vanilla
1 loaf of french bread, cut into thick slices (you may not need all of it)
cinnamon, ground cardamom and ground nutmeg to dust

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. SLice the butter into a 9 by 13 iinch glass dish. Sprinkle the brown sugar over top along with the golden syrup. Place into the heated oven and bake until the butter melts. Remove from the oven. Whisk all together and return to the oven. Bake until the mixture begins to bubble, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and turn the oven off. Arrange the apple slices over the caramel iin the dish.

Beat together the eggs, milk and vanilla. Dip slices of bread into this, coating liberally. Place the bread slices over top of the apples in the pan. Use just enough to fill the pan snuggly. Pour any remaining egg mixture over top. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon, ground cardamom and nutmeg. Cover with plastic cling film and then place in the refrigerator overnight.

The next morning take the dish out of the fridge for about half an hour to take the chill off. Reheat the oven once more to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Remove the cling film and bake the casserole for about 45 minutes, or until puffed, set and golden brown. Divide amongst 6 heated plates, with the apples on top.

Serve with additional syrup if desired.

What is a Bumbleberry? Ahhh . . . I think I might know the answer to that. A bumbleberry is a Burple and Binkel berry (amazing colours you know), one berry being sweet and the other tart. The two colours, when cooked together, creating a flavour that is fantastically gloriously delicious! (of course!)



It is largely rumoured that they grow on Giggle Bushes in the Bumbleberry Valley . . . a closely hidden secret spot of beauty, I think. I've never been able to find it on a map, per se . . .



Apparently you cannot grow them under anything because they must have the warmth of the sun in order to proliferate . . . tis also rumoured that they cannot grow over anything because that would keep the warmth of the sun off what ever it was growing over, for Bumbleberries are very large. Bumbleberries grow in places where nothing else grows . . . which means that they are seldom ever seen, as most people won't look where nothing else grows, or so they say . . .



From what I understand, there are four different kinds of bumbleberry bushes, each one flowering at a different time of the year. One blossoms only in the spring and bears berries in the fall in the quiet time of the day, early in the morning, just before dawn. Another blossoms only in the summer and bears berries in winter during the pleasant mid-day hours. A third blossoms only in the fall and bears berries in the spring in the quiet of an afternoon. The fourth kind blossoms in the winter and bears berries in the summer at midnight, because of course summer days are far too warm for it.



The end result of course is that these wondrous Bumbleberries are available all year round! Which is very good news indeed. Bearing only one berry at a time, and giggling at the precise moment that they become ripe, makes these berries the most delicious and cherished berries of all . . .



Just perfect for being baked into a lovely traybake such as this one I have baked here today. With a sweet shortbread cookie crust . . . topped with a lucious sweet/tart rich bumbleberry filling, and topped with shortbread cookie streusel crumbles . . . mmmm . . . mmmm . . . scrummy good.




Of course that is a lot of old codswallop . . . but shhh . . . don't tell anyone. It's awfully hard to giggle when you're mouth is full . . . and why burst the bubble . . . a little bit of fantasy never hurt anyone, and as we all know anything baked with Bumbleberries is automatically calorie free!



*Bumbleberry Pie Traybake*
Makes one 9 by 13 inch pan
Printable Recipe

With it's crunchy shortbread cookie crust, rich berry filling and crisp streusel topping this traybake is sure to become a fast favourite!

For the crust and topping:
298g plain flour (2 1/2 cups)
290g granulated sugar (1 1/2 cups)
1/4 tsp salt
345g of cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes (1 1/2 cups)

For the filling:
4 large free range eggs
384g granulated sugar (2 cups)
120g of dairy sour cream (scant cup)
75g of plain flour (1/2 cup plus 1 TBS)
pinch salt
2 pounds of berries (I like to use raspberries, blackberries and blueberries)
(Thaw if frozen, and drain)



Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F. gas mark 4. Butter a 9 by 13 inch baking pan. Set aside.

Whisk together the flour, sugar and salt for the crust in a large bowl. Drop in the butter and rub it into the flour with your fingertips, working quickly, until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Alternately you can use a pastry blender, or cut it in using the metal blade in your food processor.

Reserve 1/4 of the crumb mixture for the topping. Press the remainder into the bottom of the buttered baking pan, pressing it in evenly. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before proceeding.

Whisk the eggs and sugar together for the topping. Whisk in the flour, sour cream and salt until smooth. Gently fold in the berries. Pour this mixture evenly over top of the crust. Sprinkle the reserved crumbs evenly over top. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned. Allow to cool for at least an hour before cutting into squares to serve.

(Ideally you should get about 24 squares, which makes it ideal for a large crowd. You can also have the recipe quite successfully.)

If there is one thing I am guilty of, it's frequently buying more potatoes than we can conceivably use. The potato is one of my favourite vegetables and I just always love to have lots of them around. I have even been known to have nothing but a plate of potatoes for my tea, simply boiled and served with lots of butter, salt and pepper . . . just because I love them so . . .

But . . . I digress.



I love them simply boiled, baked, mashed, fried and I especially love them made into tasty salads. My mother's version of potato salad is one of my favourites. She always diced cold boiled potatoes into small cubes, and then added some grated onion, cubed cucumber, chopped celery, chopped boiled egg and then Kraft Miracle Whip, along with some seasonings. then of course there was that extra special touch of love she put into it. Somehow mine never manages to taste as good as the memory of hers does . . . funny how that goes.

I'm afraid that her potato salad kind of spoiled me for every really enjoying anyone else's . . . and I have never bought a store made potato salad that made me happy . . . stogged full of mayo and lacking in flavour. ugh . . .



I do also really enjoy a potato salad when it's made with a lovely herby vinaigrette dressing. This is one I make from time to time and we always enjoy it . . . tangy and warm and full of lovely bits of salty ham. (Over here I have learned that ham is called gammon, until it is cooked, then it is ham.)

This made an especially delicously light early Spring supper which we ate along with some crusty rolls, after an especially full day of gardening . . . looking out over the patio at our efforts. Life is good.



*Warm Potato Salad with Ham*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

I love potato salads and often make them in various ways. This is one of my favourite versions. I just love the tang of the gerkins and capers along with the saltiness of the ham.

1 1/2 pounds of new potatoes, peeled
4 ounces cooked ham, chopped or thinly sliced (1/4 pound)
2 shallots, peeled and chopped
2 TBS tiny capers, rinsed and drained well
8 french gerkins, chopped
3 TBS chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

For the Dressing:
1 TBS red wine vinegar
1 tsp grainy Dijon mustard
4 TBS olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the potatoes in a pot of salted water and bring to the boil. Cook until just fork tender and then drain and place into a bowl. Cut any large ones into smaller pieces. Add the ham, shallots, capers, gherkins and parsley. Gently toss together.

Whisk the vinegar and mustard together in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Season to taste with some salt and pepper. Pour over the potatoes and toss to blend together all the flavours. Allow to set for 10 to 15 minutes before serving, in order to allow the potatoes to absorb the dressing. Serve warm.

Boy, this casserole sure takes me back. This was one of my children's favourite meals when they were growing up. I haven't made it in a long time. I had a head of broccoli in my veggie drawer today that I wanted to use before it went off.



There are a lot of versions of this floating around that use cream of chicken soup, and you are free to do just that if you wish . . . I prefer it with my homemade cheesy bechamel sauce though . . .



It's like having a bit plate of broccoli cheese and chicken all in one go . . . of course the crisp cracker and cheese topping is awfully scrummy as well.



I add rice to make it a full meal, and a bit heartier. You can either use leftover cooked rice, or one of those pouches of steamed rice. I just happen to always have those in my cupboard. They come in really handy for all sorts and are usually on special. I usually like to use the Tilda brand . . . and I always stock up when they have them on for £1 a piece.



I try to use low fat or half fat ingredients as well . . . which just goes to prove that low fat can be tasty!



As the Toddster tucked into his second helping I was heard to say . . . "I do believe I have found a way to get you to eat your broccoli."



SCORE!! I served ours with a tossed salad on the side. It was all we needed.



*Chicken Divan Casserole*
Serves 4 to 6, depending on appetitesPrintable Recipe

A economical, delicious casserole that is so simple to make! By using low fat ingredients you can also keep it fairly healthy.

1 medium head of fresh broccoli
400g of chicken tenders (about 1 pound)
salt and pepper to taste
1 bay leaf
splash of hot pepper sauce
1 2-serving size pouch of steamed basamati rice (about 2 cups cooked rice)

For the sauce:
2 TBS butter
2 TBS plain flour
500ml of milk (2 cups I use skim), warmed
1/4 tsp curry powder (I use medium)
1 chicken boullion cube
4 ounces grated strong cheddar cheese (1 cup, I use half fat)
2 TBS finely grated Parmesan cheese
salt and white pepper to taste

To top:
a handful of crushed crackers (about 1 cup)
2 ounces grated strong cheddar cheese (1/2 cup)
2 TBS finely grated Parmesan cheese

Place the chicken iinto a saucepan along with cold water to cover. Add some salt and black pepper, the bay leaf and a splash of hot pepper sauce. Bring to the boil. Take off the heat, cover and set aside to cool.

Wash and trim the broccoli. Break up into bite sized florets. Peel the stems and cut into chunks. Steam until crispy tender, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Melt the butter for the sauce in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Cook, stirring for one minute. Whisk in the warm milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Crumble in the boullion cube and whisk in along with the cheddar and Parmesan cheeses. Taste and add salt and white pepper to taste. Keep warm.

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Spray a shallow baking dish with cooking spray. Open the rice and sprinkle it over the bottom of the dish. Drain the chicken and break into pieces, sprinkle this over the rice. Top with the broccoli florets and stems. Nap the top with the warm cheese sauce, covering everything completely and allowing it to sink down into the casserole dish. Mix together the topping ingredients. Sprinkle them evenly over top of the casserole. If desired, spritz lightly with cooking spray.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until heated through, bubbling and the topping is golden brown. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Delicious!

Note: You can use leftover cooked chicken in this as well instead of cooking chicken especially to use. You will need between 2 and 3 cups of cooked chicken depending on how meaty you want your casserole to be. Personally I would rather have more broccoli than anything else! You can also use frozen broccoli florets, thawed. I'd use about 3 to 4 cups of them, but then I am a broccoli nut!

Now, I am not a person that will normally sit down and just eat a banana. They are not my favourite fruits to eat in that way . . . although once in a while I do crave some sliced banana on my rice crispies in the morning, or in a banana cream pie . . . but that is about the only way you will ever see me eating a banana . . . oh yeh, I'll eat them sliced with warm custard or cold ice cream as well . . . but I promise, that's IT!



I do love, however . . . baked goodies made with banana . . . banana loaf, banana cookies, banana muffins, banana cake . . . and . . . the blacker the banana the better (in my opinion) for these lovely treats! In fact Todd often curls his nose up in digust when he sees the bananas that I use for my baked goodies . . . however, once they are done, I have never seen him turn his nose up at the finished product! Ahem . . .



I had some real doozies today, black as black as could be on the outside. One might almost have been tempted to pitch them into the bin . . . but I knew they would be perfect for baking with and so I baked some scrummy Banana Muffins for our elevenses.



Not just Banana Muffins though . . . moist banana muffins, crammed full of lovely milk chocolate chips . . . but I didn't stop there . . . no, no . . . I didn't stop there.



I topped them with an incredibly scrummy topping of an oat and brown sugar, buttery streusel, lightly flavoured with ground cinnamon.



Oh my . . . these are the best, the ABSOLUTE best, if I don't say so myself.



But don't take my word for it. Bake some for yourself. You'll see that I am quite . . . simply . . . right, once again! From the infamous Big Blue Binder . . . Banana Chocolate Chip and Oat Streusel Muffins.



*Banana Chocolate Chip and Oat Streusel Muffins*
Makes 10 medium muffinsPrintable Recipe

Moist and delicious, stogged full of chocolate chips, with a moreish oaty brown sugar topping!

For the muffins:
190g plain flour (1 1/2 cups)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 medium over ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
150g of golden caster sugar
1 large free range egg, beaten
75g of butter, melted (1/3 cup)
7 ounces milk chocolate chips (about a cup)

For the topping:
75g of soft light brown sugar (1/3 cup packed)
2 TBS plain flour
40g old fashioned large flaked oats (1/2 cup)
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1 TBS butter

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Line 10 muffin cups with paper liners or butter really well. Set aside.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and golden caster sugar together in a large bowl. Stir in the chocolate chips. Whisk the mashed banana, egg and butter together.

Make the topping by rubbing the flour, cinnamon and sugar together with the butter until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Stir in the oats.

Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture, mixing only until the dry ingredients are evenly moistened. Divide equally amongst the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle a heaped tsp of streusel topping over each. (You will have more than you need most likely, but put the rest in a small container in the freezer for another day.)

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until well risen and a toothpick inserted in the centre of one comes out clean. Let sit in the pan for 5 minutes, then tip out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

You do KNOW of course, that adding oats to something automatically makes it good for you. Tis true. Tis wisdom according to Marie. ☺

We may have had some really nice sunny days here in the North West and tomorrow may be the first day of spring, but there's definitely still a chill in the air! Especially when the wind blows!!



We did a lot of work in the garden today and so ended up hungry as heck and chilled to the bone. I wanted to make something hearty and filling for our supper . . . and warming. Something that wouldn't be too high in fat though . . . and which would be somewhat healthy. I opted to make a simple and delicious chili.



Using extra lean minced steak, and an assortment of beans, chopped tomatoes, onion, garlic, herbs and spices . . . this is quite low in fat. I didn't use any to brown the meat, except one burst of a non stick cooking spray . . . and we used half fat cheddar and sour cream at the end.



Probably the most calorific part of the meal was the cornbread. But even that's not too bad. I used this recipe here, except that I added some chopped green chili peppers this time for an extra bit of a bite.



It really hit the spot and filled us up. We were most happy. I cut the recipe in half as there are just the two of us and that worked very well. We both had a nice full bowl of the stuff and there is enough left for Todd to have some for his lunch tomorrow.



My secret ingredient for this tasty bowl of red??? A tiny bit of Lindt dark chocolate with chili. It adds an extra depth of flavour and just a tiny bit of zip.




*A Simple Chili*
Serves 4 to 6
Printable Recipe

Hearty, filling, tasty and low fat. Makes a wonderful weeknight supper.

low fat cooking spray
1 pound extra lean minced steak
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and pulverized with a mortar and pestle
1 TBS mild Chili powder
1 tsp ancho chili paste
1 tsp oregano flakes
1 tsp coriander flakes
1 400g tin of black beans, drained and rinsed (2 cups)
1 400g tin of spicy mixed bean salad, undrained ( 2 cups, this is a mixture of cooked beans and corn in a spicy sauce)
2 400g tins of chopped tomatoes in tomato juice (about 4 cups), undrained
250ml of beef broth, lager or strong coffee
Salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 (100g) bar of lindt chili chocolate broken up into bits (1 3/4 ounces)
the juice of 1/2 lime

To serve:
grated strong cheddar cheese
chopped spring onions
sour cream

Heat a large deep non stick skillet over medium heat. Spray with some low fat nonstick cooking spray. Crumble in the beef and cook, stirring to break it apart, until lightly browned, adding the onion and garlic in the last few minutes. Add the cumin, chili powder, chili paste, oregano flakes and coriander flakes. Cook and stir until very fragrant. Add the beef broth, beans (both tins) and the tomatoes. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer for 35 to 45 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper. Break up the chocolate and stir it in until melted. Add the lime juice and stir again.

Ladle into heated bowls and serve with a dollop of sour cream, some grated cheese and chopped spring onions for sprinkling on top, along with some crusty rolls or cornbread on the side to mop up all those delicious juices!

We were recently contacted and asked if we would like to trial one of the new Brita Filter Taps in The English Kitchen. We were more than happy to oblidge and within a week the beautiful Brita Kelda Filter Dispenser was professionally installed and we were using it.

I chose the Kelda model because I loved it's sleek look, plus I thought the ceramic fittings would look nice in my kitchen.

• BRITA filtration delivers less limescale and chlorine, fewer impurities for great tasting drinks and filtered water.
• Weight: 4.12kg.
• Material: Brass.
• Effects and finish: Chrome.
• Colour: Chrome.
• Type: Mixer filter tap.
• Number of levers: 3.
• Features: Separate BRITA filter lever.
• Water filter: Yes.
• Fittings: included.
• Type of valves: Quarter turn ceramic discs.
• KIWA UK approved: Yes
• Compatibility: Can be used with 1 hole sinks.

I was very impressed with the installation and we have certainly been enjoying the lovely taste of the water since. I love that the tap is designed so that there is lots of room to put a kettle underneath it to fill. I also love that you can easily custom the temperature of the water by use of the separate hot and cold ceramic handles. What's also brilliant is that there is a separate lever for the filtered water, so if you are only wanting water to water your plants, or wash the dishes . . . you have that option of using regular water instead of filtered.



It's fairly common knowledge now that filtering your water for drinking is healthier than drinking water straight from the tap. This is because the water that comes from your kitchen sink contains impurities. Things like microscopic organisms, and metals from ground wells and from the plumbing pipes the water moves through to the faucet, as well as fluoride and other chemicals used in treating the municipality water provided to consumers, can affect one's health. There has also certainly been no shortage of reports over the controversy about bottled water because of the impact the plastics used in these bottles has on the environment.

Filtered water for drinking is better than ingesting the impurities in tap water that can cause illnesses from high levels or even lower levels, but repeated exposure to them, or due to a suppressed immune system.

A lot of restaurants now use filtered water for their cooking now, and I also have several bread baking cookery books which call for filtered water. For much the same reason that filtered water is used to cook restaurant foods . . . ie. taste and health . . . the foods you cook at home should also be cooked using filtered water. Although many bacterial organisms are destroyed by high temperatures, most foods are not cooked at high enough temperatures, or for the duration needed to destroy them all. Even with a reduced amount of organisms in water after it has been heated, metallic particles remain and this is not healthy for you or your family, regardless of how small the amount.



Of course there are the water jugs that you can purchase which have a filter in the lid and they do work very well, but they can be a bit of a nuisance to keep filled and also take up precious space in the refrigerator. We have had a jug one for years, but I'll be honest with you . . . it only ever got used for a short time, because . . . it just was more trouble than it was worth. We have been drinking bottled water for several years now.

Not any more though . . . we are very happy with this new tap. The water tastes great, it's easy to use and it's very attractive. I also feel better knowing that I am cooking with water that is pure and not filled with unwanted chemicals and minerals. It would simply be quite costly to purchase water for cooking . . . besides we already pay premium prices for the water we use in our homes. Being able to use a filter tap more than pays for itself in added health benefits, and in money saved in purchasing bottled water for drinking!

Many thanks to Laura and Brita for having afforded us this wonderful opportunity!