I am a relative newcomer to the delights of Thai food. I had never eaten it at all until a few summers ago when the Toddster and I went for a meal at a Thai Restaurant in downtown Chester. I fell in love at first bite.

 I just adore Thai flavours! Especially Thai Green Curry . . . oh wow.  Green chilies, fish sauce, lemon grass . . . lime leaves.  Just smelling it starts my taste buds into tingling.  I love the stuff!

 

We all want to be a bit healthier today and using minced turkey instead of beef in your burger is one way of doing that.  As you know I am a real fan of British Turkey!  It's low in fat, tastes nice, is better for you than eating red meat and is usually a lot cheaper as well, and in these uncertain economic times, that is always a plus.

 

A few months back I developed a Buffalo Turkey Burger recipe for the British Turkey Association, which was simply fabulous.



Another favourite of ours are my Spicy Turkey Burgers, which have sort of a Mexican Flair, with real Tex Mex flavors and a guacamole garnish.



Today I decided to take the lovely flavors of a Green Thai Curry and put them into a turkey burger and we were both well pleased with the results!!!  They were so easy to do to!!  All I did  was to mix some bottled Thai Green Curry Paste into my turkey mince, shape it into patties and then grill them.



They smelled heavenly when they were grilling too.  Todd came downstairs sniffing the air with a smile on his face wanting to know what was for supper!
With a sliced tomato garnish and a few homemade condiments like this  delicious lime mayonnaise . . .



and this fabulous homemade cucumber pickle . . . they went down a real treat.
We both thoroughly enjoyed them.  In fact Todd loved them so much he had two of them!
They were moist and juicy with just the right amount of spice for us.  Of course you could up the heat by adding a touch more curry paste.



Just look at that juicy burger . . . the colors of the cucumber and tomato setting it off perfectly . . . and that creamy mayonnaise . . . Oh so good.

A bit messy to eat . . . but well worth it I'd say!  These are a new favourite in this house for sure!



 *Thai Turkey Burgers*
Makes 4
Printable Recipe

As well as being the simplest to make, these are the tastiest turkey burgers!  Delicious with a tangy lime mayo dressing and a lovely cucumber pickle garnish!

500g of ground turkey (about 1 1/4 pound)
(try to use a mix of breast and thigh meat)
2 TBS green Thai curry paste
(or more depending on how spicy you want them to be)
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the Lime Mayo Dressing:
145g of good quality mayonnaise
(I use Hellman's, low fat works fine)
the finely grated zest of a small lime
1 TBS fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp fine sea salt

For the cucumber pickle
1 TBS rice wine vinegar
pinch of fine sea salt and fine white sugar
a handful of fresh coriander leaves, coarsely chopped (cilantro)
1 small shallot, peeled and very finely sliced
1/2 of a medium sized English Cucumber, very thinly sliced (peel or not as you like)

1 ripe tomato sliced
4 soft white  rolls, split and toasted

 

Place the turkey into a bowl.  Add the curry paste and about 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper.  Mix well with your hands to blend.  Shape into four 1/2 inch thick patties.  Set aside.

To make the lime mayo, whisk all of the ingredients together in a small bowl until thoroughly combined.  Set aside.

Stir together all of the ingredients for the cucumber pickle in medium bowl. Set aside to allow the cucumber to marinate while you cook the burgers.

Lightly oil a grill pan, and heat over medium high heat.  Add the turkey burgers and reduce the heat to medium.  Cook over medium heat for approximately 6 to 8 minutes per side, until any juices run clear.

Lightly spread both sides of the toasted rolls with the lime mayonnaise.  Top the bottom half of each with one cooked burger.  Top each burger with a slice of tomato and a portion of the cucumber pickle.  Place the bun halves on top and serve.  We like chips with ours, but you can have whatever you like, potato salad is also nice.

 
I had some lemons that I needed to use up today. I always buy too many. I just love the sight of a bowl of lemons on the counter top . . . I often pick them up and have a smell as I walk past. Lemons just look so cheerful to me, and homey.



I am very fond of lemon flavored anything.  I think if I had to choose between any kind of pie and a Lemon Pie . . . I'd take the lemon pie ever time!  And Lemon Cake, Lemon Loaf, Crisp Lemon cookies, Lemon pudding . . . you name it.  I just love, Love, LOVE Lemon!

 

I decided to make some of my favourite slices . . . Lemon and Jam slices.  Or Squares if you would rather call them that.  I like to call them slices . . . sounds even more delicious when you call them slices.  A rose by any other name and all that . . .



I love these slices because they encompass three of my favourite things . . . a buttery, crisp shortbread base . . . sweet strawberry preserves . . . a tangy lemon topping.

 

Oh my . . . but these are heavenly bliss.  I love to enjoy them in the middle of the afternoon along with a hot drink.  They're so good.  These are the type of slices that you have  a hard time walking past without picking at them . . . and I confess . . . I can never wait until they completely cool before I dig into them.



You're supposed to wait until they are completely cold to cut them . . . but they are awfully good warm . . . just sayin is all.  They bring out the glutton in me.  The tang of the lemon is soooo very good with the sweet fruitiness of the jam . . . and that buttery crust.



Of course you could use another flavour of jam if you wished.  I just particularly love them made with strawberry jam.  Cherry, raspberry or apricot are all rather good too . . . and then there is wild blueberry preserves, another favourite of mine.

 

I confess . . . I sometimes use limes and ginger jam.  Those are awfully good too, especially if you add a little bit of ground ginger to the base.  Mmmm . . . mmm . . . good.



 *Lemon and Jam Slices*
Makes  15 squares
Printable Recipe

 A butter, almost shortbread type of base, topped with sweet strawberry jam and a tangy lemon topping baked on top.  Delicious.

For the base:
280g of plain flour (2 cups)
225g of cold unsalted butter (1 cup, or 2 sticks)
42g sifted icing sugar (1/3 cup)
1/4 tsp fine sea salt

For the jam:
6 heaped dessert spoons (about 3/4 cup)

For the Lemon topping:
281g of granulated sugar
the finely grated zest of one un-waxed lemon
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 TBS plain flour
3 large free range eggs
the juice of 2 1/2 lemons (1/3 cup)

Icing sugar to dust


Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.  Butter an 11 by 7 inch baking dish,  Dust with flour, shaking out any excess.  Set aside.  (Alternately you can line with foil and butter and dust the foil, leaving an overhang to lift the slices out when done.)

Whisk the flour, icing sugar and salt together in a large bowl.  Cut the butter into cubes and drop it in.  Rub it into the flour mixture with your fingertips until you have coarse crumbs.  Press this mixture into the prepared baking tin.    Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, just until it is firm.  Remove from the oven.

Whisk together the granulated sugar, lemon zest, baking powder and flour for the lemon topping.  Beat in the eggs and lemon juice until smooth.  Set aside.

Stir the jam together in a bowl with a fork to loosen it.  Spread this over the warm base.  Pour the lemon mixture over top and return the pan to the oven.  Bake for an additional  25 to 30 minutes, until it is set and lightly browned.  Remove from the oven and set the pan on a wire rack to cool completely before removing from the pan.  Dust with icing sugar.  Cut  into squares to serve.

 

I have a fabulous  recipe for Double Chocolate Chunk Blondies that I just love. They always turn out rich, moist and perfectly scrummy.  Moreish even . . . In fact I'd go so far as to even call them dangerous.



Yesterday I decided to shake things up a bit and switch a few things around . . . using the same batter, so that they would keep that moist and fudgy texture . . .

 

But substituting the vanilla flavor with ginger . . . in four delicious forms.  Some in the form of the syrup from a jar of Preserved Ginger-root, some as finely grated fresh ginger, some as dried ground ginger and finally some as chopped preserved ginger-root.  Oh I do so love preserved ginger-root.



I could just pick knobs of it from the jar and eat them like candy.  They're just lovely.  You might be tempted to think that with four kinds of ginger, it would be too much, but you would be completely wrong.  It was just the right amount, giving lots of flavour and just a touch of heat, but in a very good way.



I offset it with white chocolate.  Ginger and white chocolate are a marriage made in heaven.  Oh my . . . they are perfect together . . .  You get the crisp sweetness of the preserved ginger, and then that creamy sweetness which provides an equal amount of balance in the opposite direction . . .



And then I added the crunch of Macadamia Nuts . . . just love Macadamia Nuts, don't you???
A friend once sent me a tin of honey roasted ones from Hawaii and they were sooooo good.  Almost the best nut temptations that I have ever eaten . . . and I have dreamt about them since . . . hopefully one day I will be able to taste them again.

 

Maybe I will be able to figure out a way to make them myself.  Now that is a challenge . . . I just may try.
In the meantime, these squares are so deliciously good.  Every bite brings you fabulous textures . . . fudgy cake, creamy chocolate, snappy ginger, and crunchy nuts.  T'was a splendid idea I think.



Oh, all of this experimentation and taste testing is a tough job . . . but somebody has to do it . . .



 *Ginger, White Chocolate Chunk and Macadamia Nut Blondies*
Makes 48
Printable Recipe

Deliciously moreish blonde brownies, moist and  stogged full of four kinds of ginger, white chocolate chunks and scrummy macadamia nuts! What's not to like?

140g of butter, melted (1/2 cup plus 1 1/2 TBS)
400g soft light brown muscovado sugar (3/4 cup plus 1 TBS, lightly packed)
1 TBS ginger syrup from a jar of preserved ginger in syrup
1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger-root
1 tsp ground ginger
2 knobs of preserved ginger in syrup, coarsely chopped
3 large free range eggs, lightly beaten
300g of plain flour (2 1/2 cups)
1 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
50g of macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped (1/2 cup)
100g of coarsely chopped good quality white chocolate (1 medium size bar.  I use Green & Blacks)

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.  Line a 9 inch square pan with baking paper, leaving an overhang.  Lightly spray with cooking spray.  Set aside.

Place the butter into a large saucepan and melt over low heat.  Stir in the muscovado sugar, ginger syrup, grated ginger-root, ground ginger and preserved ginger.  Mix well.  Allow to cool until lukewarm.  Beat in the eggs.  Sift together the salt, baking powder and flour.  Fold this into the wet ingredients, just to mix and blend.  Don't overmix.  Stir in the nuts and chocolate.  Spread the batter into the prepared baking pan.

Bake for 25 minutes, until just firm.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before lifting out onto a rack, using the overhang.  Allow to cool completely before removing the paper and cutting into squares.  Store in a tightly covered container for up to 4 days.

If you look through the chiller cabinets of the grocery shops over here you will see oodles and oodles of Quiches . . .  in just about every flavour under the sun.

There's farmhouse cheddar and onion, broccoli and cheddar, Sundried tomato and feta cheese, bacon and broccoli, ham and cheese . . . you name it . . . they've got it.



They also come in a variety of sizes, right from teensy weensy individual sized ones . . . on up to big huge family sized ones.

Which begs to ask the question . . .



If real men don't eat quiche . . . . then just who the heck is eating all these quiches????

It can't be the women, surely.



Or is it?



I made a delicious quiche the other day for lunch adapted from a recipe from a cookbook by good old Katie Stewart's Times Calender cookbook.  This is a great little book, just chock full of wonderful basic recipes and good old standbys.  The Kedgeree recipe in it is fabulous.



*Quiche Lorraine*
Serves 4 to 6
Printable Recipe

I am here to say that real men do each quiche.  My man does all the time . . . and, what's more, he really likes it!!

1/4 lb of shortcrust pastry
For the filling:
2 large eggs, beaten
1/4 pint single cream ( 1/2 cup)
salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 rashers of thick cut streaky bacon, chopped
15g of butter (about 2 TBS)
2 ounces of gruyere cheese, grated (1 cup)



Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to fit an 8 inch round tart tin, or flan ring.  LIne the tin with the pastry, trimming the edges neately.  Set aside to prepare the filling.

Pre-heat the oven to 190*C/375*F.

Beat the eggs and cream together with some salt and pepper.  Heat the butter in a skillet and add the bacon pieces.  Fry until crisp and then sprinkle them over the bottom of the crust.  Top with the grated cheese and then pour over the egg mixture.  Place in the centre of the oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the filling is set and the top is golden brown.

Serve warm with a salad if you wish.



*Short Crust Pastry*
Makes 1/4 pound
Printable Recipe

This is a good basic pastry that is great in all kinds of savoury pies and tarts.

4 ounces plain flour (1 1/4 cup)
pinch of salt
1 ounce of butter (scant 2 TBS)
1 ounce of vegetable shortening (Scant 2 TBS)
2 TBS cold water
Sift the flour and salt into a bowl.  Rub together the butter and vegetable shortening and then add to the flour mixture.  Rub this into the flour with the tips of your fingers, lifting it as you go to aerate the flour somewhat.  Rub in lightly until the mixture looks crumbly.  Don't over mix.  Add the cold water all at once, and stir in with a fork. Blend quickly until the mixture clings together in a ball, leaving the sides of the bowl clean.  Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead a couple times, lightly, to make a smooth fairly stiff dough.  Let rest for 10 minutes before using.

 

As you know from time to time I get sent new cookbooks to try out. I am a great cookery book aficionado, so this is something which I don't mind doing at all.  The Toddster may moan and groan when one comes through the door . . . but I rub my hands together with glee because I know, in most cases, we are in for a real treat.

And so it was with this book which I received several weeks ago.    Tiny Food Party, bite sized recipes for miniature meals, by Teri Lyn Fisher & Jenny Park.  Just in time for the Holidays, and American Football season.  A lot of us will be entertaining over the next few months, and one can never have too many recipes for bite sized treats for those party occasions. The grocery shops make a fortune in selling bite sized party foods . . . but really they are so easy to make, why throw away all that extra money when you can save it for something else, like new shoes or a new dress???  (Also must have's for the party season!)

 

This book will be on sale here in the UK from the 25th October and I have to say from the outset, it  is a right cracker!!!  I fell in love with it as soon as it fell through my letter box.  It's an amazing book and filled to overflowing with oodles of fabulously easy and quick recipes for making bite sized goodies.

This book is separated into four delicious sections:
   
Adorable Appetizers (all your favourite snacks made mini, including Tiny Taquitos, Bite Size Caprese Skewers, Little Sweet Potato Latkes, and Mini Crab Cakes to name a few.)   

Itty-Bitty Entrees (these recipes feature classic tiny foods, from super-small Deep-Dish Pizzas to Snack Size Empanadas and Tiny Fried Tacos.)

Pint Size Desserts (for a little something sweet, try Petite Eclairs, Tiny Birthday Cakes, Dainty Chocolate Raspberry Tarts)

Teeny Tiny Cocktails (Enjoy a round of refreshing tiny cocktails such as bacon rimmed, Little Lemon-Lime Fizzes , Itty Bitty Bloody Marys, or rich little Coffeecake Cocktails.)

 

There are little menus included to help you choose things which will go with each other, just in case you are stuck for ideas . . . including menus for Vegetarians.  There are also recipes included for homemade condiments and a variety of tasty looking dipping sauces.  There are tasty recipes to take you right through from breakfast in the morning to cocktails in the evening and everything in between, and delicious looking photographs and helpful hints to go with each.  You really are spoilt for choice.

As you know I always like to try out recipes in each book I receive.  I believe the proof of the pudding is in the tasting and I want to know that these recipes work.  If they do I will tell you, and if they don't I will tell you as well.

I picked a savory one and a sweet one to test.

 

 The savory one I picked was  a recipe for Jalapeno Cheddar Corn Sticks.   They looked quite tasty and we do like cornbread in our house.  The instructions were easy to follow and there was even a suggestion of what pan to use if you don't have a corn stick pan, which was very thoughtful.  (Not everyone has a corn stick pan, let alone a mini one and they are most certainly scarce if not downright impossible to find over here in the UK!)

The instructions were well laid out, leaving nothing to question and they came together lickety split.  I used my Pampered Chef Mini Muffin tin and they came out beautifully as you can see.

 
We both really liked these and enjoyed them along with a nice hot bowl of soup for our lunch today.  They were not overly sweet as some corn breads can be . . . and they packed a real punch!  In short, they were real winners!



*Jalapeno Cheddar Corn Sticks*
Makes 40
Printable Recipe

These little babies pack a punch!  Can be baked in mini corn stick pans or mini muffin pans.

2/3 cup yellow cornmeal (113g coarse polenta)
1/4 cup all purpose flour (25g plain)
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp granulated sugar
1/8 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 large free range egg, beaten
1/2 cup whole milk (125ml)
1/4 cup plus 1 TBS liquid honey, plus extra for drizzling (60ml plus 1 TBS)
2 TBS unsalted butter, melted
2 large jalapenos, seeded and diced
1/2 cup grated mild cheddar cheese (60g)

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 4.  Coat the insides of a mini corn stick pan, or a mini muffin tin with cooking spray.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.  Whisk together the egg, milk, honey and butter in a beaker.  Add all at once to the dry ingredients and whisk together until well combined and smooth, with no lumps remaining.  Gently fold in the jalapenos and cheese.   Spoon into the prepared pan (s) filling about 2/3 full.

Bake for 7 to 9 minutes for mini corn sticks, or 20 to 25 minutes for mini muffins.  (Mine only took about 18)  They should be nicely risen and golden brown.  Remove from the pans and drizzle with extra honey.  Serve warm.

 

For the other recipe this Fudge Puppy one had caught my eye ever since day one.  I love waffles . . . and these looked fabulous. They're also touted to be traditional Fair Food!  Who doesn't love Fair Food.  Only problem is . . . mini waffles are downright impossible to find over here.  Not a problem.  If you can't get mini waffles (or tortillas etc.) they tell you exactly what to do.

I used my 2 inch round cutter and cut them out into 2 inch rounds.  I got 4 from each waffle.  And as for the scraps . . . do you remember that Cranberry and White Chocolate Waffle Pudding I made the other week??  Perfect for that, so nothing went to waste.  I heated them in the oven until they were crisp and then I was ready to start except . . . no dark or semi sweet chocolate chips in the larder, or banana chips  What to do . . . what to do . . .

 

Well, as they say . . . necessity is the mother of invention, and so I took what I did have and created something completely different and yet somehow the same, and TOTALLY Delicious.  I used the white chocolate chips I did have and then . . . I decided to sprinkle them with crushed Speculaas Cookies.

Oh man . . . these were some good.   I apologize to the cookbook authors for running with the ball . . . but many thanks for the tasty inspiration!



I did run out of white chocolate before I had used up all the waffles so I did what any self-respecting glutton would do . . . I sandwiched them together with Speculoos Spread.

 

Oh man . . . I think I created a monster!!  Seriously wicked!  (Don't hate me if you don't have any Speculoos Spread . . . I am sure Nutella would be good too.  ☺)



*Fudge Puppies*
Makes 24
Printable Recipe

Apparently traditional fair food.  Toasty waffles dipped into melted chocolate and topped with whipped cream, crushed nuts or other toppings.  These ones are bite sized

1 1/2 cups sweet banana chips
1 cup dark or semisweet chocolate chips
24 mini waffles toasted
About 1 cup sweet whipped cream or store bought whipped cream

Place the banana chips into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground.  (alternately you can place them into a plastic zip top bag and smash with a rolling pin.)  Pour the crushed chips into a small shallow bowl.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler over simmering water, on medium heat, being careful not to let the water touch the bottom of the bowl, or any water to get into the bowl, or your chocolate will seize up and become unusable.

Dip each waffle partially into the melted chocolate and gently shake off any excess.  Dredge  in the crushed banana chips and place onto the prepared sheet to set.  This will take about 30 minutes.  Serve fudge puppies with fresh sweet whipped cream on top of on the side.

Note:  You can make your own mini waffles by using a sharp two inch round cutter and cutting out circles.  You will get about 4 from each waffle, depending on the size of your waffles.  Toast in a 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4 oven for about 10  minutes until crisp.

Many thanks to Mat from PGUK Publishers Group for sending me a review copy.

Tiny Food Party, bite size recipes for miniature meals
by Teri Lyn Fisher & Jenny Park
Published by Quirk Books
ISBN 978-1-59474-581-2
US $18.95/$19.95 CAN
You can buy a copy here in the UK, through Amazon UK for £7.92
Cool beans!!

Sometime last week I was contacted by a young woman named Louisa Cefaz and asked if I would like to try a unique product, Artisinal, gourmet marshmallows, by a company called Fluffy Puff Puffs.  I kinda like marshmallow and I love to try new things so I said sure, why not!  I had nothing to lose.

A few days later a box came to the door and when I opened it up, this is what I found  inside . . .

 

Marshmallows.  But with a difference.  These were BIG marshmallows!  There was a package of six Vanilla Bean Mallows, and one Strawberry Burst and one Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Drizzle.



From their page:

Artisanal, gourmet, hand-made marshmallows designed to blow those boring supermarket ones out of the water! We present to you Fluffy Puff Puffs. We create delicious gourmet marshmallows with some amazing flavours such as: Strawberry Burst,  White Chocolate Mallows, Cookies &Cream, Indian Vanilla Bean Mallows and so many more flavours to come.

The great thing about marshmallows is that the possibility of various flavors is endless which is great for us because it means we can be really flexible with our creativity and where we want to take gourmet marshmallows. Fluffy Puff Puffs will be introducing new flavors in the year such as: Mulled wine fruit & nut mallow, orange caramel swirl, apple crumble.......... as we said the possibilities are endless. (Sounds pretty good to me!)

 

The first one out of the starting gate was the Strawberry Burst Mallow.  It had the merest hint of pink flush to it . . . it wasn't bright pink like the normal store bought mallow.  A plus for me.  I hate anything artificial.



The texture was soft as a pillow . . . what you would expect a marshmallow to be, and there were chunks of berry throughout.  The flavor not as strong as I would have expected a strawberry flavored marshmallow to be, but it was not a disappointment either.  I had no problem finishing it.  *Slurp!*

  

Next . . . glutton that I am . . . I decided to tackle the Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Drizzle . . . before Todd got wind of it.  (It's a tough job but somebody has to do it.)

Three words . . . IT WAS WONDERFUL . . . intending to only have a nibble and share the rest with Todd, I found myself completely incapable of sharing it.  The chocolate was crisp and dark, with only the merest hint of peanut butter . . . the mallow, once again . . .  as soft as a cloud.

By then there was no turning back, the next to fall was one of the Vanilla Bean Mallows, which I don't have a picture to show you of because my teeth were still full of that lovely chocolate from the last mallow . . . and it was streaked with chocolate.  Naughty me.  It was good though, trust me on this.  Soft and fluffy and filled with tiny miniscule flecks of vanilla.

I thought these marshmallows blew your regular store market brand of marshmallow right out of the water.  These were fabulous.  I found myself thinking, why didn't I think of this first.  I predict great things for this gal.  I can see a day when Fluffy Puff Puffs will be a household name and will be found on the shelves of supermarkets all over the UK, maybe even America, who knows!

In the meantime, you have to go to her site to buy them, which you can find here.

One packet of the marshmallows (four to a pack)  retails for £4.90 and weighs between 200g and 400g depending on the toppings.  You can also get six packs for £6.00 and 9 packs for £8.50, which is not really all that much considering these are not your ordinary run of the mill marshmallows.  Artisanal, HUGE and beautifully flavoured, these are marshmallows you will want to eat simply for the pleasure of eating them . . . they would make great Wedding or Party Favors, or even as a special gift for that special someone in your life to help celebrate a special day or . . . simply . . .  just because.

Fluffy Puff Puffs
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 Many thanks to Louisa for sending these to me.  I want to wish her all the luck in the world.  I just know these will be a big hit!