I love potatoes.  They are my favourite vegetable.  I could live without chocolate.  I could live without cake.  I could live without cookies . . . I could not ever live without potatoes.  Oh sure, I've tried low carb . . . but the potato is my downfall every time.  I just can't get on for very long without them!

I like em steamed.  I like em mashed.  I like em fried.  I like em roasted.  I like em hot.  I like em cold.  I even like em raw . . . but the way that I like em most of all . . . is baked!





You just can't beat a good baked potato.  Rough on the outside, crisp even . . . and explodingly fluffy on the insides.  Big and fat and round . . .  and eaten so hot that you have to blow on every forkful you bring to your mouth . . . you just can't wait for them to cool down . . . you have to eat them NOW!

Not just any potato will do.  You don't want a waxy potato.  (A waxy potato is perfect for potato salad because it holds up it's shape in cooking.)  You want a nice fluffy potato, big and round . . . like a King Edward or Maris Piper, or in North America . . .  a Russet.



You can't hurry a baked potato.  It's not something you can rush.  The perfect baked potato takes a long slow roasting in a hot oven.  Some people like to wrap them in foil.  Foil wrapped baked potato = soggy icky baked potato.  Some people like to wet them and roll them in salt.  That works quite well I suppose.    Some people like them rubbed with oil, or with butter before they are baked.

Me???  I just wash em, and prick them all over (a necessity unless you want to be clearing off exploded bits of baked potato from all over the insides of your oven) and then I lay them in the hot oven right on the rack.  No pan.  No foil.  Just hot air wrapping itself around that potato and baking it until it is crispy and nutty on the outside and fluffy on the inside.  In short perfect!



Don't cut into your baked potato . . . that only mashes the potato together and compacts it.  Nigel Slater swears by the Karate Chop!  (And you know how much I love Nigel Slater!)  He recommends just a llight sharp tap on the side of the potato, like a karate chop . . . not so hard that you smash the potato to smithereens . . . just hard enough to slightly crack open the potato and let all the air out in a whoosh, leaving behind a tasty fluffy pile of snowy potato, just begging for a big pat of butter and your fork!

A steak is not a steak without a baked potato on the side, but a good baked potato deserves so much more than to be merely an accessory to the main course . . . a good baked potato is like having a blank canvas that you can paint a most beautiful picture on.  It can be the whole meal and for me it often is.

• With tasty Baked Beans ladled on top and lotsa lotsa cheese. 
• Topped with scrummy coleslaw, or tuna salad, or both!
• Lotsa cheddar cheese and lashings of crispy bacon
• a bit slab of goats cheese, or even better . . . some tasty Brie!
• With a Meaty Bolognaise Sauce ladled over top, or the best . . . Chili And Cheese!
• Bits of steamed broccoli and cauliflower and then a tasty cheese sauce ladled over top
• Leeks braised in butter with lots of grated Fontina cheese

To get the perfect baked potato, just follow these basic rules.  Pick a floury potato (Maris Piper, King Edward, Russet).  Wash and prick all over with a fork.  Bake right on the rack of a hot oven, 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6, for about an hour or so depending on the size of your potato.  Give it a light karate chop before eating.  Spoon on the butter and eat up right away!



Baked Potatoes with Rocket, Broad Beans and Blue Cheese.



Jacket Potatoes with Chili and Cheese



Rarebit Jacket Potatoes



Baked Potato Pizza



Jacket Potatoes with Cream and Walnuts

So what are you waiting for???  Grab a potato and start baking!!





Note:  If you click on the recipe name at the bottom of each photo, it will take you to a link for that recipe, which will open in a new window!  (Ahh, the beauty of modern technology . . . just wonderful!)

  

As you know we've had workmen in our house for the past almost 3 weeks. They've been ever so polite and very accommodating, as well as doing a fabulous job, and so I decided to bake them a little treat for their coffee break the other day.

 

Muffins are the perfect portable treat.  They are easy to hold and one doesn't need a fork or even a plate to eat them . . . they also go great with a hot cup of tea or coffee at breaktime (or hot chocolate).

 

These ones are particular favourites of mine . . . quick and easy to make and they always turn out fabulous!!  I love them and so does everyone I have ever made them for.



They're are moist and delicious . . . stogged full of lovely bits of fudge and white chocolate chips, and in all honesty you can also add some toasted chopped nuts if you wish.  It doesn't matter what kind of fudge you use.  You can use the fudge chunks that come ready chopped in bags like chocolate chips, or you can use homemade or storebought fudge, any flavour you want, just so long as you cut it up into small bits.

 

I used brown sugar fudge, which turns almost to caramel when it is baked . . . very, definitely moreish. But you can use any kind of fudge you want to . . . chocolate, butter pecan, rum and raisin, vanilla . . . pick your own favourite kind.  Warm, cold or in between, these are winners no matter how you partake of them.

 

Perfect for the lunch box or for a quick breakfast in hand as you are running out the door.  They also freeze very well.  I pack them up individually and pop them into the freezer, ready to take out whenever the whim strikes.

 

You can take the time to thaw them out if you wish . . . or you can pop them into the microwave frozen for 35 to 40 seconds and they will taste like you just took them out of the oven.


 
 I do hope that you try them and if you do, that  you enjoy them even half as much as we do!  As Laurie would say . . . winner winner chicken dinner!


 

*Vanilla Fudge Muffins*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe

Eat while warm for moreish squidginess!  Almost dangerous!

300g of self raising flour (2 cups)
1 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
115g of golden caster sugar (1/2 cup)
85g of fudge chunks (1/2 cup)
85g of white chocolate chips (1/2 cup)
125ml of whole milk
100ml of half fat creme fraiche (scant 1/2 cup)
1 large free range egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
60g of butter, melted (1/4 cup)

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.  Butter a 12 hole muffin tin, or line with papers.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, white chocolate chips and fudge chunks together in a bowl.  Whisk the milk, creme fraiche, egg, vanilla and butter together in a beaker.  Add all at once to the dry ingredients and fold together just to combine.  Spoon big dollops into your prepared pan.

Bake for about 20 minutes until risen and golden brown.  Leave to cool in the pan for several minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.  Eat warm for the best flavour.

Note:  Any leftovers can be warmed in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds.

 

I've always been a great fan of chocolate and nuts together. When I was a child we always got a big box of Black Magic Chocolates given to us every Christmas time.    Next to the caramel ones, the chocolate covered nuts were a real favourite with everyone . . . with each of us vying to try to get our dibs in first.  Usually though my mom got there before any of us.  My dad got the cherries, my mom the nuts . . . and we children were left  to squabble over the caramels.  Nobody wanted the coffee flavoured ones.   Rank does have it's privileges . . .



This is a cake that my Todd will eat, and quite happily so.  The cake itself is not chocolate . . . the chocolate comes in the form of chopped bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped and mixed into the crumble topping.

 

It's a crumb cake . . . a cake in which you create a buttery, floury crumble . . . and then divide . . . with some of the crumbs being set aside for the topping, and the remaining being beaten together with leavening and eggs . . . and milk or buttermilk . . . to make a lovely batter.  The batter is spread into a pan and the remaining crumbs are then scattered over top . . . once baked you end up with a lovely moist cake with a delicious buttery and crumbly topping.



The cake itself is a delicious cake . . . almost caramel flavoured, with a wonderfully delicate, yet moist crumb.  I expect it gets this aspect of it's scrumminess from the soft light brown Muscovado sugar.  Of course, you could use ordinary light brown sugar, but I favour the Muscovado, as it is less refined.  It is a well known fact that brown sugar helps make cakes moist . . . but then of course, the buttermilk in this lovely cake doesn't hurt either . . . another well known ingredient which figures greatly in the kingdom of moist cakedom!

 

That crumbly topping is rich with finely chopped toasted hazelnuts and bittersweet chocolate.  Some people shy away from using hazelnuts, or spend more money to get them already skinned.  This is something which is really very easy to do yourself though . . . so why pay more??

 

Just pop them onto a baking tray and toast them in a hot oven for about 8 minutes or so.  Take them out and pile them into a clean tea towel.  Close the tea towel around them and then rub them vigorously , , , the skins rub off like magic.

 

You can just scoop off the skinless hazelnuts, and shake the towel out the door into the garden. The skins will be carried off in the wind . . . a treat for the winged creatures which inhabit your trees and bushes.  (Don't worry if all of the skins don't come off . . . there will always be some stubborn ones that don't cooperate!)

 

This delicious moist cake with it's moreish nutty chocolate crumb topping is most delightful served up when still slightly warm from the oven . . . so you get just a tiny bit of ooze from the chocolate in the crumble . . . fabulous with a hot bevvie . . . or an ice cold glass of milk . . .



The best part though . . . is that it tastes even better the next day . . . somehow becoming magically moister and more flavourful for having sat overnight . . .



 It's perfect wrapped and packed into lunch boxes . . . or even in a picnic basket for an early autumnal repast in the countryside . . .

Why does everything always taste better when eaten on top of a blanket, beneath gilding leaves all spackeled with sunlight???

 

I guess that's just one of life's great mysteries . . .



*Hazelnut and Chocolate Crumb Cake*
makes one 9 inch square cake
Printable Recipe

Moist and delicious cake covered with a crumb topping chock full of chopped toasted hazelnuts and chocolate.  Perfect for Elevensies, or Brunch!

200g of plain flour (2 cups, unbleached flour)
200g soft light brown muscovado sugar (1 cup packed)
96g of granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
115g of butter, cut into bits (1/2 cup)
3/4 tsp salt
85g of chopped toasted hazelnuts (3/4 cup)
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
250ml of buttermilk (1 cup)
1 large free range egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

 

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.  Butter a 9 inch square baking tin and lightly dust with flour, shaking out an excess.

Sift the flour into a bowl.  Whisk in both sugars and the salt.  Drop in the butter.  Rub the butter into the flour mixture with your finger tips until you have a mixture resembling coarse meal.  Remove 125g for the topping (3/4 cup) and set aside in medium sized bowl.  Beat together the milk, egg and vanilla.  Stir the soda into flour mixture remaining in the large bowl and then stir in the wet ingredients, mixing only to combine.  Spread this batter into the prepared baking tin.  Stir the chopped chocolate and nuts into the topping crumbs, mixing it in well.  Sprinkle this mixture evenly over top of the batter in the pan.

Bake for about 45 minutes in the heated oven, until the cake is well risen and golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.  Cool completely in the pan, on a wire rack.  cut into squares to serve.
This will keep well for several days.

This is a delicious and simple to prepare entree that I probably haven't made in about two years now.  It was something that I used to cook up for the Mr quite often when I cooked at the Manor down South.  It was his favourite meal and he would often ask for it.

 

I never minded . . . I love it when people love to eat what I cook and making them happy . . . well, it makes me happy.  I was sitting here thinking yesterday, looking at a package of chicken breasts and then I thought to myself, in all the years I made this for the Mr . . . I never ever actually made it for us at home.  Time to rectify that!!!

 

It's no surprise that it was one of his favourite suppers.  The chicken always turns out moist.  I'm not sure why that is . . . Perhaps it's those tangy marinated artichokes in the topping . . . could they be the secret tenderizing ingredient???  All that flavour . . . garlic and herbs . . . and the slight tang of the artichokes, meltingly tender . . .



Maybe it's that creamy mayonnaise that you stir the artichokes into???  I like to use a good quality mayonnaise . . . Hellman's or a French Mayonnaise.  You can use low fat.  They both work quite well, although you may find the low fat one to be a bit sweeter.

 

Do you think it might be all that delicious Parmesan cheese???   It adds a deliciously savoury and salty touch to the mix . . . going so very well with the artichokes and creamy mayonnaise . . . and the herbs . . . let's not forget the herbs . . . and the garlic too . . .



Know what I think???  I think it's all of them together . . . slathered over those tasty pieces of chicken.  That and the quick cooking time . . . the ease of preparation . . . not to mention that extra little bit of love that I throw into the mix.

That, I can't help you with folks.  It has to come from YOUR heart . . . but I'm sure that won't be a problem.
 
 “Cooking is at once child's play and adult joy. And cooking done with care is an act of love.”
 ~Craig Clairborne

 

Bon Appetit!!



 *Artichoke Chicken Bake*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This is quick, easy and delicious.  What more could you ask for.  You can never have too many recipes like this one in your repertoire.

1 280g jar of marinated artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed (about 1 cup of artichoke hearts)
135g of finely grated Parmesan Cheese (3/4 cup)
165g of good quality mayonnaise, can use low fat (3/4 cup)
1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
pinch of dried crushed chilies
1/2 tsp freeze dried basil
1/2 tsp freeze dried oregano
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in half crosswise

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.  Butter a shallow baking dish.  Place the chicken pieces into the baking dish.  Season each one generously with salt and black pepper.

Stir together the artichokes, mayonnaise, garlic, crushed chilies, basil, oregano and cheese, mixing well together.  Spread this mixture over top of the chicken pieces, covering them evenly.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, uncovered, until the topping is golden brown and the chicken is cooked through.  The juices should run clear.  (Depending on the thickness of your chicken breasts it may not take this long.)

I want to tell you about the neatest little gadget I was sent the other day to try out!   Eleanor from Shrewd PR often sends me little gadgets to test out and this time it was The New and Improved Garlic Card!  I have never used a garlic card before, in fact . . . I didn't even know they existed!

 

Necessity is often the mother of invention and for the creator of the Garlic Card, this was definitely the case.  A Swedish chef (you gotta love those Swede's) on a fishing trip was preparing his evening meal when he realized he'd forgotten to pack a garlic crusher.  Knowing that his dish would not quite taste the same without a hint of garlic, he decided to improvise.  He reached into his wallet, grabbed out his credit card and rubbed the clove of garlic against the embossed letters and numbers, resulting in perfectly pureed garlic . . . the Garlic Card was born.  True story?  I don't know!  But it made for some very entertaining reading!

A hand held grater which allows you to grate cloves of garlic and even fresh ginger quickly and easily; the design of the original garlic card has been updated to create something even more ergonomic and easier to use.  This new version features an ergonomic finger grip that can be used either by right or left handed people.

 

Unlike traditional Garlic presses, it's easy to clean.  Simply run under a tap to wash away any excess garlic or ginger, or pop it into the dish washer.  Easy peasy, lemon squeasy and it doesn't take up much storage room either!

Composed of rigid plastic with a patented embossed grating surface that is gentle on your fingers and nails, whilst still producing perfectly prepared garlic every time.  The curved end can also be used to spread the prepared garlic onto foods such as when making Garlic Bread or Bruschetta.   Rigid, easy to carry, easy to store, easy to clean and available in six colours.  I think this is a real winner.

If you would like to know more or to see the card in action you can check it out here.  

Thanks Eleanor!!  I love it!

 

I haven't been really able to do a lot of cooking this week during the day, what with all of this work going on in our bathroom, and at night I'm far too tired. You wouldn't think that renovating just one room would create such chaos, but it does . . . happy to say though, things are well  on the way towards being done, and there should only be a few more days of mither.  It's looking great so far!!  Anyways, simple food has been the rule of the day with as little cooking as possible.  You can't really plan much with the power being turned on and off haphazardly . . . it would be terrible to have a cake or a roast in the oven and have the power shut down.

When I was a child you couldn't get me to eat any cheese other than those plastic processed cheese slices.  Anything stronger than that and I wasn't having any of it!  I guess I was quite finicky.  Even as an adult,  I was afraid to try anything very strong . . . I never thought I would like any of it.

I got much braver after moving over here . . . and have become quite enamoured with lots of cheeses.  Cooking at the manor down South was a great education.  I often had to prepare Cheese Boards for the dinner parties and I quickly learned the different flavours and just what went with which.  In short . . .  I fell in love with real cheese.

One of my favourite cheeses to snack on is the Cathedral Strong Cheddar.   It's strong, but not in your face strong if you know what I mean.  I just love the stuff. (And no, I haven't been sent any samples to try, nor am I being paid to say that.  I'm simply telling you what I like.)  It's great for snacking on and for cooking with and I just adore cheese on toast made with it.

I was quite excited to learn that they are coming out with a new product, Cathedral City Selections,







*Cathedral City Mature Cheddar Creamy Cheese and Onion Tartlets*
Serves 4 to 6
Printable Recipe

This recipe would also work well in a large tart tin if preferred, just cook it for 5 -10 minutes longer or until the middle feels firm to the touch.

As you probably all know by now, the Toddster is not a huge fan of pasta.  In our twelve years of marriage I have not been able to convince him that is it anything other than yuck.  (He has no taste when it comes to this . . . the man hates pasta, but loves tinned spaghetti!  It doesn't make sense.)   He will suffer through eating it occasionally, but really . . . he's spent the last twelve years vetoing a trip to Italy because . . . he doesn't like Italian food.  I haven't yet been able to convince him that they eat a lot more than pasta and pizza in Italy, but I'm working on it.

 

I took advantage of him being away the other day to feed my pasta loving heart.  I saw a really tasty recipe somewhere the other day that called for spaghetti, pine nuts, lemon and garlic . . . which sounded really good, but I didn't have any pine nuts.   It looked really delicious though and simple . . . and the more I looked at it the more I wanted pasta . . . so what's a gal to do . . . I took what I did had and created my own simple and tasty pasta dish.

 

It's nothing complicated.  You may not even see it as actually being a recipe per se . . . but it was incredibly delicious, easy and satisfied my hunger for pasta in a most wonderful way.  I fell off my diet wagon big time here, because I think I actually kind of ate 1 1/2 helpings of it . . . okay . . . I DID eat 1 1/2 helpings of it, I confess . . . yes, it was that good.



It was quick, quick, quick . . . it took me 8 minutes to boil my pasta and 2 minutes later I had a lovely,  bowl of this wonderfully tasty dish sitting in front of me.

 

I am a great fan of good quality tinned Italian tomatoes.   They are soooo good!  I don't know if it's the air in Italy, or the sunshine, or the earth . . . but Italian tomatoes are heavenly . . . fresh or tinned, sun dried, etc.  They're just the best.  I used a good quality Italian tinned tomato for this . . . fresh basil which I grow on my window sill, a really grate (every pun intended) Parmesan type of cheese (I used Grana Padano today, as that's what I had in the fridge),  garlic butter (which I made myself), and of course the best dried spaghetti noodles that I can buy.

 

And here's the truth . . . you don't have to go to Italy or spend a fortune to get good dried pasta.  I use a supermarket's best brand,  and it's as good as any Italian brand in my opinion.  The only way I would splurge and buy an actual Italian brand of pasta would be to get a special shape that I could find otherwise . . . like buggatini.  I was actually watching America's Test Kitchen the other day and they were testing out pasta brands and the clear winner was NOT an Italian brand at all . . . so don't be taken in and spend extra money when you don't really need to.  I wouldn't buy the saver's brand . . . but I wouldn't pimp for the so-called best brand name types either.



The most important elements of this dish are the cheese, the tomatoes, the basil and the garlic.  I infused the butter with the flavours of garlic and lemon, which went a long way towards flavouring this "fresh" sauce.  The only herb I used was fresh Basil which I cut in the chiffonade style.  (Very easy, just roll up into a cigar and cut into thin slices with a sharp knife.  That's chiffonade.)

 

Anyways, to make a long story short . . . good and simple ingredients . . . put together in a simple way . . . quick to make . . . delicious to eat.

 

Make some.



*Spaghetti with Tomatoes, Garlic Butter, Basil and Cheese*
Serves 2
Printable Recipe

I didn't know what else to call this.  Pasta comfort, plain and simple.

4 ounces dry spaghetti (1/4 pound)
50g of finely grated parmesan cheese (about 1/4 cup)
2 tsp unsalted butter
the juice of 1/2 lemon
1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and degermed and bashed
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest (from an unwaxed lemon)
a small handful of fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
1 425g tin of chopped Italian Tomatoes, drained
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

 

Place your butter into a microwaveable dish along with the garlic clove.  Nuke in the microwave for about 30 seconds, until the butter is melted and you can smell the garlic.  Stir in the lemon zest and juice, and set aside.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil.  Add the spaghetti and cook according to your package directions for al dente.  Leave the drained tomatoes in the strainer.  Once the pasta is done, pour it over the drained tomatoes in the strainer and drain well.  (This helps to heat up the tinned tomatoes.)  Return the spaghetti and tomatoes to the saucepan.  Tip in the garlic butter, the cheese and the basil leaves.  (To chiffonade, roll the leaves into a tight cylinder and then slice them crosswise into thin strips.)  Toss together to coat the spaghetti.  Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Divide into two pasta bowls and serve.  I like to pass more parmesan cheese at the table.  (You can never have too much parmesan!)