I love Saturdays.  They are so leisurely and non-comittal . . . just the way I like them.  Todd is free to do his thing.

This usually means watching man movies on the telly that bore me to tears . . . and I am free to do my thing, which usually means baking something scrummy for us to share.



Some weekends it may be a nice crumble or pie . . . other weekends may find me baking muffins or cookies . . . scrummy tray bakes, or puddings . . . something delectable.



I love cake though and that is my favourite thing of all to bake.  I usually keep half of it for ourselves and then I have another half that I gift out to someone else . . . perhaps a neighbor, or an elderly friend.  Sometimes the missionaries.   

 

Nobody has turned my offering down yet!



I found this recipe in a book for a chocolate marble cake with a crumble topping and it looked quite tasty to me.   (Rachel Allen's Cake Book)  Todd doesn't really like chocolate however and so I had pretty much scratched it off my to do list . . . although I do confess I did look longingly at the photo in the book from time to time.  (Doesn't everyone do that????)



Anyways, I got to thinking about how much Todd loves spice cakes . . . and then I thought surely I could adapt the recipe in some way and create a marbled spice cake . . . and that's just what I did.  I adapted and changed the ingredients somewhat, keeping the core ingredients the same . . . but at the same time different.



I deleted the cocoa powder completely, except for a touch in the spice batter for colour.   I then had to up the flour amount to make up for it's lack.   I kept half the batter plain, but to the other half I added a tiny bit of cocoa powder, some molasses and a whole lotta lotta spice!



Cinnamon, ground cardamom, ground cloves, ground allspice and ginger . . . a dusting of grated nutmeg.  I also added some mixed spice to the crumble topping and switched the chocolate chips out for white chocolate chips.



Oh boy, did this ever smell good when it was baking.  Spicy and warm . . . moreishly inviting.  Just like a home should smell.   We enjoyed nice big slices of it with cups of warm cocoa . . . and took several slabs of it over to our friend Doreen for her to enjoy this evening with a nice hot cuppa. 



It is a nice comfortable cake.  A sturdy cake.  Buttery and moist . . . and most at home with a hot drink or a cold glass of milk.   I love these kinds of cakes best of all.  Enjoy.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Beat the eggs together and then beat in a bit at a time until thoroughly amalgamated.   Beat in the vanilla paste.  Sift together the flour and baking powder.  Fold this mixture into the cake batter.   Stir in the milk.  Divide the batter in half.   To one half add all of the spice batter ingredients.    Place the two different cake batters into the prepared baking tin, alternating spoonfuls of the  vanilla and spice batters.   Using a skewer gently draw swirls through the batter to marbelize it, taking care not to over do it.  Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over top.


Bake in the preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes.   Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then loosen around the edges using a small sharp knife.  Release and remove the sides of the tin.  Place the cake on a wire rack and allow to cool completely.  Carefully loosen the bottom using a fish slice or palate knife and slice the cake onto a plate to serve.



I thought you would enjoy seeing a photo of my little baking companion today.   Mitzie is never very far away when I am working in the kitchen, or taking my food photos.  Always hoping for a crumb to fall I guess.  I would surely miss her were she not there!  

 

 

Today's recipe is the type of recipe everyone should have tucked up their sleeve.  It comes in very handy when you are not ready yet to go shopping and you find yourself with a few bits in the refrigerator which are still good to use, but not enough that a person could make a meal of them on their own.  



I will often find myself with a piece of a head of broccoli, an onion, perhaps a carrot or two, a couple pieces of bell pepper, a tomato, etc.   You know what I mean.   There is nothing wrong with them but for the fact that there are not huge amounts of them.



Its happened to us all, but that doesn't mean that any of these tasty vegetables should go to waste, or that you need dash to the store until you really want to.   You can make a delicious, quick and easy stir fry with them by adding a bit of this and a bit of that and a lot of ingenuity!  



One thing I love about stir fries is you don't need a lot of anything really, not even the protein part . . . and almost anything works protein wise.   Beef, chicken, pork, fish, tofu . . . quorn.   You can even use leftover cooked meats if you really wanted to, but I like to use fresh myself.  



That way I can marinate the protein first and really get some flavour into it, but I suppose you could marinate cooked meats as well if you really wanted to.   A few nice flavours such as soy sauce, sesame oil, hot chili oil, garlic, five spice powder, garlic . . . and all of that lovely veg and protein thrown together in a pan and cooked into a delicious chinese feast.  All you need on the side is a bit of rice, and Bob's your Uncle.



No need to shop right away, and everyone is happy.  Feel free to use whatever vegetables you have in the fridge.  Just add them from the order of the ones which will take the longest to cook to the quickest cooking ones and it will all work out well.  Cheap, cheerful and cooked to order.  You can't get much better than that!  Enjoy!




Cut your broccoli into florets if you are using it and your carrots in thin diagonal slices.  I cut the onion into wedges along with the tomato, the rest I thinly slice.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add a TBS of peanut  or vegetable oil.  Drop in the meat.  No need to drain.  Cook and stir, flipping it around and adding vegetables as required and according to the length of time it will take them to cook.  Add the ones who take the longest first and work your way up to the ones which will cook really quickly.  Keep flipping and stirring until the meat is cooked through and the vegetables are crispy tender.  Serve hot with rice.

I do get sent the cutest things.    I was recently sent these cute little cookery books published by hachette Printworks ltd.   They each contain 30 recipes.

The first one uses French's Mustard. 



This recipe in it for Crabcakes looks really tasty!  There are a total of 30 different recipes for salad dressings, casseroles, sandwiches and dips etc.  All looking very delicious.

Next is one for French's BBQ sauce



This recipe is for Braised BBQ Pork!  Doesn't that look delish??   I think it does!

 

I have never thought of using BBQ sauce in a vinaigrette salad dressing before, but they have!
And it looks really tasty.  There are also recipes in this little book for stuffed peppers and steaks and chops, casseroles, etc.   A beautiful compendium.

In the third book the recipes use Frank's Redhot Sauce.  I always have a bottle of that in the cupboard and like to add a splash to lots of things.



These Chicken Satay Skewers look absolutely delicious . . .

 

Next up I am going to try the Spicy Cheese Toasts.   It sounds like a tasty version of Welsh Rarebit!  Watch this space!



They are actually a part of a series of books being put out by Best Loved Recipes.  You can sign up for a subscription.   You get the first two for only 99p.   You can subscribe and pick up some free gifts for doing so, or you can pick them up at newsagents.  If you subscribe you get some free gifts with the first four deliveries.   You can read more about them here. 

Combine the bread or cracker crumbs and melted butter.  Sprinkle the remainder of the cheeses over top of the macaroni mixture then top with the buttered crumbs.  Bake in the heated oven for 15 to 20 minutes.   Allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving.  Delicious!

 


I am such a lucky girl.  I often get sent the nicest things.  I have always wanted an Emma Bridgewater Mug.  My ex boss had several in her mug drawer in the kitchen and I always loved using them.  I have been known to go to the Emma Bridgewater Page and drool for hours at a time, wishin' and hopin' . . .   I know Susan Branch loves them too and she shared her visit to the plant with us in her latest book.  (Which I devoured from cover to cover!)



Imagine my excitement when this box arrived in the post late last week.  I could hardly wait to open it!  What did I find inside????  Well . . .



None other than their brand new 2013 Halloween half pint mug!!  I know!!!  So excited!   A Halloween celebration of the ghoulish gourd and hand decorated with beautifully coloured hand-sponged pumpkins!!   It's generous size makes it just perfect for a warming brew or cup of soup on All Hallows’ Eve.    I love the colours!  It's so perfectly pretty, and decorated both inside and out with these beautifully painted gourds and blossoms!



British to the Core, Emma Bridgewater Pottery is all created from warm, cream-coloured earthenware  and hand decorated at their factory in Stoke-on-Trent.  In a day and age where a lot of the things we buy are created and manufactured in foreign countries it is nice to see a  British company selling British creation.  To me that only makes them even more special.  I love them.  Do take a gander over to their page and see what they create.  I guarantee you will fall in love like I did.   I now have my eye on a Peter Rabbit mug and have fallen completely head-over-heels in love with her robins.  Who knows, maybe the Toddster will indulge me this Christmas!      

 

It was the perfect mug to enjoy this new soup which I created as a Halloween warmer this year.  I thought about doing pumpkin or sweet potato, but then settled on a warming spiced tomato soup.  I always have tons of tinned tomatoes in my larder and I wanted to use what I had to hand . . . and that way you would be sure to have those ingredients to hand as well . . . or at least I hope that you do!  

 

Sweet onions, tinned tomatoes, red chillies for heat, some garlic and stock and a bit of herbs is all you need to make this delicious soup.  You can adjust the amount of chillies according to how much heat you do or do not enjoy!  Obviously the more you add the spicier it will be.  I am a chilli wimp myself . . . I don't like things too overly hot . . . 

 

Mind you, the garnish of sour cream helps to cool it down a bit.  I got a bit fancy and piped it on with a baggie and dragged a toothpick through it so that it looked incredibly spider-webbed Halloween Ghoulishly frightful!  

☺     

 
  
It worked beautifully.  Mind you, then I got all common (as my ex boss would say) and crumbled my crackers into my soup but that is just me!  Not a pretentious bone in my body!  Enjoy!

   


Heat a splash of olive oil in a deep saucepan.  Add the onion and red chilies,  and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened without browning.  Stir in the garlic and fennel seed.  Cook and stir for about a minute.  Add the vinegar.  Cook, until the vinegar has reduced and almost evaporated.   Tip in the tinned tomatoes, the chicken stock, seasoning and brown sugar.  Bring to the boil, then reduce to a low simmer and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.   Remove from the heat and blitz until smooth with an immersion blender.   Reheat gently.   Ladle into hot bowls, and garnish each serving with a dollop of sour cream. 

Many thanks to Emma Bridgewater for sending me this mug.   I just love it!