I do so love my computer.   Having a computer has added such a special dimension to my life.  I have met some really special people via this medium and been able to experience a lot of really wonderful things that I might not have had I not been the owner of a computer and the author of several blogs!   



I have always stored my photos on photobucket and pay a hefty price for the priviledge.   That is where I keep all of my food photos and normally it's worked very well for me . . . until a couple of days ago.  I literally have not been able to get the site to load for me, which is very frustrating for me as almost all of my food photos are on there, and I can't get at them!  Grrrrrr!!!!  I am really hoping and praying it is a temporary blip!   



Anyways, all of the recipes and reviews I have in my queue to post will have to wait until I can get access to my photos and I am really hoping that will be soon, or else I will be spitting feathers . . . and trust me, you do not want to see that!  It ain't pretty! 



Thankfully I had the wherewithall to upload a few photos to my google account the other day and so I can show you this fab recipe here today.  It's like a type of strata . . . a bread and egg pudding, sort of like a savory bread pudding. 



They make excellent use of stale bread and other bits.   The other day I decided to make it like a BLT sandwich and it worked out fabulous!  This was soooooo tasty. 



I simply made some sandwiches with some stale bread, filling them with crumbled bacon, grated cheddar, finely sliced leeks and some slices tomatoes . . . place them into a baking dish and then poured a savoury egg custard mix over top.   



It was so delicious and went down a real treat with a nice mixed salad with a French Vinaigrette.   Super duper  tasty!  I love that it was also quite thrifty and I made good use of a stale loaf of French bread, and a few other bits that needed using.  I love it when that happens! 




(You will need at least 14 slices)
1 pint of whole milk (2 cups)
salt and pepper to taste 






Butter a 10 inch glass pie dish.

Spread each slice of the bread thickly with butter on one side only. Mix together the sliced leeks, grated cheese and crumbled bacon.  Divide 3/4 of this mixture between half of the slices on the unbuttered sides.   Top each with two half moons of tomato. Place another slice of bread, buttered side up on top.  Cut in half and place into the pie dish cut side down, to fill the dish.  Sprinkle with the remainder of the cheese mixture.

Beat the eggs together with the mustard  and milk.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Pour over top of the sandwiches.  Allow to stand for half an hour before cooking so that it can absorb as much as possible.

Preheat the oven to 160*C/325*F/ gas mark 3.  Bake the pudding in the heated oven for about 45 minutes, until a knife inserted near the centre comes out clean.  Allow to stand for about 10 minutes before cutting into wedges to serve.   A salad goes nice with this. 

Here's hoping that photo bucket is working tomorrow!   



I am so excited to be able to tell you this morning that I have finally finished my fourth Cookbooklet.  Entitled Recipes to Keep it is a little goldmine of my all time favourite recipes, the ones that I turn to again and again, indeed my family favourites, gleaned from a lifetime of cooking for my family and loved ones.

40 pages containing over 40 new, never before posted recipes from my big blue binder that contain some of my all time favourites.  Recipes such as Cindy's Portuguese Gumdrop Cake ( a must for our Christmas larder each year for over 20 years!) , Runny Butter Tarts (a fail proof recipe I have been using for over 30 years for the best butter tarts you could want to eat), Onion Patties (who needs to go to all the faff of making onion rings when you can just drop them as simple patties!), The Best Ever Tomato and Meat Sauce, and a whole lot more.  Destined to become your family favourites too . . . in short, recipes to keep.

It's available now as a PDF Download, mailed right to your home, and at the same low price as all of my other cookbooklets.  You will find the link up there on underneath my header on the page called Cookbooklets!

Thanks for visiting and have a great day!

Whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nuts together in a bowl.   In a separate measure whisk together the brown sugar, eggs, milk, oil and extracts.   Stir in the carrot.   Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix to just combine.  Spoon into the prepared donut pans.  I find 3 dessert spoons in each is sufficient.



Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until risen and golden.   Allow to rest in the pans for about 5 minutes before tipping out onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

To make the glaze, beat together all of the ingredients.  It should be thick but slightly drizzable.  Spoon over or dip the tops of the  baked doughnuts in this mixture, swirling to coat.  Sprinkle with toasted walnut pieces before the glaze sets.



Ohhhhhhhhhhhh  SO delicious!  I do hope you will give them a try!  I just know you are going to love them too!

I picked up a couple of bags of nice looking naval oranges at the shops the other day, and after eating as many as we wanted to eat fresh, I decided to make something delicious and yet unusual with them. I had in mind to make a crumble . . . and why not?



We use all sorts of fruits to make tasty crumbles with . . . apples, pears, rhubarb, plums, blueberries, gooseberries and so on . . . why not oranges? Juicy and sweet, I thought they'd make a fabulous crumble . . .



Especially with a buttery crispy topping shot full of flaked coconut. Oranges and coconut . . . ambrosia!



I was going to add some macadamia nuts to the topping as well . . . but alas, I had none in the cupboard. Do try it if you want though. I'd add about 1/2 cup chopped nuts. It would be a fabulous addition I think!



Each mouthful of this was sweetly orangy, buttery crispy and moreishly scrummy! I dare to say it's quite healthy as well as there is not a lot of fat in it really.



Oranges . . . chock full of Vitamin C and fibre . . . and not just for juicing or eating out of hand anymore! I do hope you'll try this. ☺



*Orange and Coconut Crumble*
Serves 6 to 8
Printable Recipe

Deliciously different. You are going to love this!

For the fruit filling:
6 large navel oranges
2 ounces orange juice (1/4 cup)
1 1/2 TBS of quick cooking tapioca (or an equal amount of corn flour)
1 TBS Grand Marnier (Orange flavoured Liqueur)
Butter

For the topping:
3 ounces of plain flour (2/3 cup)
2.5 ounces sugar (about 2/3 cup)
1/2 tsp salt
2 ounces chilled butter, cut into bits (1/4 cup)
2 ounces flaked sweetened coconut (2/3 cup)

Single cream to serve

Peel and section the oranges over a large bowl, reserving 1/4 cup of the juices. (Don't throw away the peels. I'll show you what to do with them tomorrow!) Stir in the tapioca and Grand Marnier. Let stand for about half an hour before proceeding, giving it a stir every now and then.

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Lightly butter an 11 by 7 inch dish. Pour in the orange mixture. Set aside.

Whisk the flour, sugar and salt for the topping together in a bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Stir in the coconut and then sprinkle evenly over top of the fruit.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden brown. Serve warm, spooned out into bowls along with some cream for pouring.

I could tell you that this cake is moist and deliciously scrummy . . .



With it's lightly spiced and buttery batter . . . tucked beneath a layer of tart blackberries . . .



All that deliciousness . . . tucked beneath a crunchy layer of spicy buttery and nutty streusel . . .



I could tell you how it tastes even better the day after baking and warn you how difficult it will be to stop at one slice . . .



But instead . . .



I'll just suggest that you bake it yourself, and find all this out first hand. Bake it . . . soon. You won't regret it. I promise you this. If you only make one cake this month . . . let this be the ONE.



*Blackberry Pecan Snacking Cake*
makes one 8 inch square cake
Printable Recipe

A delicious cake, with a lightly spiced batter and topped with lovely blackberries and a scrummy brown sugar pecan streusal.

For the cake:
125ml of sour cream (1/2 cup)
1 large free range egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
4.25 ounces plain flour (1 cup)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
4 TBS unsalted butter, softened
3/5 ounces granlulated sugar (1/2 cup)

1 cup fresh or frozen blackberries

For the Streusel:
6 TBS soft light brown sugar, packed
2 ounces plus 1 tsp flour (1/4 cup)
1/'2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 ounces chopped toasted pecans (1/4 cup)
2 TBS unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small bits



Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ Butter an 8 inch square pan and line with baking paper, leaving an overhang to lift the cake out with later. Butter the paper. Set aside.

Make the streusel. Mix the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon with your fingertips. Drop in the butter and rub together until you get coarse crumbs. Stir in the chopped pecans. Set aside.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cloves and nutmeg for the cake batter in a medium bowl. Set aside. Whisk the sour cream, egg and vanilla together in a beaker. Set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Slowly drizzle in the egg mixture, beating all the while. Beat in the flour mixture, in three additions, beating well after each and scraping down the sides of the bowl each time. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Sprinkle the blackterries over top and then sprinkle the streusel evenly over all.



Bake in the heated oven until golden brown and the cake tests down when a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean, about 45 to 50 minutes. Reemove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before lifting out to a wire rack to finish cooling. Cut into squares to serve. 

A nice scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream would not go amiss.  Just saying is all . . .

 
(Yes, this IS my kitchen.)

I posted a question on my Facebook Page a few days ago asking people what they wanted to see here on the blog.  I was really pleased with the answers I got and happily I had already cooked some of the things you wanted to see so I have created a bit of a round up of those ones here today.  The rest I will have to cook one at a time as my budget and time fits!

Also if you didn't particpate in that survey on my Facebook Page, feel free to post your requests in the comments section at the bottom of this post.  I will endeavor to fulfil them at some point!



Someone asked for a good risotto recipe.   This is a recipe for a really delicious oven baked Chicken and Broccoli Risotto.  Not traditional, but very good.  The recipe for that is HERE.  



Then there is my recipe for a dessert type of risotto . . . Vanilla Risotto with Oven Roasted Pears.   You can find that recipe HERE.  It's really good.  You will want to have small firm pears for this.



This is my recipe for a Traditional Victorian Sponge or Victorian Sandwich cake as it is sometimes called.  You can choose to use all butter in it if you wish, or half butter and half margarine.   All butter will yield a slightly heavier cake.  Both versions are good.  It all depends on whether you are a purist or not.   The cake you see here was made with half and half.  You can find my recipe HERE.



Rice Pudding comes in several different kinds.  This one is one which is cooked on top of the stove and is simply rice and a bit of sweetener and milk.  You can find that recipe HERE.  It is quite simple to make and is really very good, if I don't say so myself.  



Then there is this version, which is a Danish recipe which I clipped out of a newspaper yonks ago and is my absolute favourite rice pudding.  It, too, is cooked on top of the stove, but includes a delicious cherry sauce and is flavoured with almond, cinnamon and cardamon.  You can find that recipe HERE.



Then there is this absolutely delicious version of rice pudding which is baked in the oven.  This is Todd's favourite one.  It too is simple and very creamy.   You can find that recipe HERE.  

Someone asked for a good recipe for Yorkshire Puddings.  Over here you can buy them ready made and compared to homemade they are not quite as good.  Homemade ones are infinitely better.   This is my FIL's recipe.  He was a career cook in the Canadian Military and these are THE best.   Seriously.  But you have to follow the directions exactly.



*Yorkshire Puddings*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe

I wonder who it was that discovered that with just a little flour, milk  and eggs you could create something that is so crispy, light and delicious!  Sunday lunch just wouldn't be Sunday lunch without a couple of these on the plate.  These turn out perfect every time, as long as you follow the directions to a "T."  Not hard to do really as they are very simple.

2 large free range eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp salt
1 1/3 cups milk, at room temperature (315ml)
1 cup flour (140g)
a little oil or dripping

Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature before beginning.  Beat your eggs together in a large measuring jug until very light.  Whisk in the milk.  Sift the flour into a bowl along with the salt.  Make a well in the middle and add the wet ingredients all at once, pouring them into the well, and then whisk them in, slowly incorporating the dry mixture from the sides until you have a smooth batter.  Now, this is the important bit . . . COVER IT AND LET IT SIT ON THE SIDEBOARD FOR ONE HOUR.

Preheat your oven to 230*C/450*F. .  Place a small amount of oil or dripping into each cup of a 12 cup muffin tin.  Place the tin into the hot oven to heat up until the fat is hot and sizzling.  remove from the oven and quickly divide the batter amongst each muffin cup, filling them about 2/3 full.  Return to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until well risen, browned and crispy, reducing the oven temperature by 10 degrees every five minutes.  Serve hot with plenty of gravy!!


 

Toad in the Hole was a recipe which I posted in the very early days of this blog, hence the picture which is not so good.  I've learned a LOT since then, but that doesn't mean that this recipe isn't delicious.  You can find my recipe for it HERE.   You can't beat a tasty Toad in the Hole with Mash for a super supper, with plenty of bisto gravy.   Stodgy, delicious and comforting!



Then there was Sausage and Bacon Toad in the Hole.   A delicious version made in individual casserole dishes, with sausages wrapped in bacon, wedges of onion and of course that crispy batter pudding base.   Fabulous with mash and gravy.  You can find the recipe HERE.  



A delicious invention of mine called Pundit Pudding, which is a mixed grill served in a plate sized Yorkshire pudding.  There is a piece of tasty rump steak, a grilled sausage, some gammon and a small chop served in each yorkshire pudding, along with grilled mushrooms and tomatoes,  with plenty of gravy, greens and potatoes on the side.  Not for the faint of heart.  Find that recipe HERE.  



Beer Battered Fish.   You can't beat a tasty Friday night supper of fish and chips.  This is a lovely  batter for on fish.   Light and crisp with beautifully flakey and moist fish inside.   Find that recipe HERE. 



And to go with it the tastiest Tartar Sauce you could ever want to eat.   Right HERE.  Rich and creamy and filled with herbs, capers, gerkins and just a touch of horseradish sauce for a bit of a spark!  We love this.  Once you have tried it, nothing else will do!

When you are ready to fry your chips heat your fat to 120*C/250*F.  Add the chips in batches, without crowding the pan.   Blanch in the fat for 5 minutes, just until cooked through.   Remove, pat dry and drain on paper toweling.  Once you have blanched all the chips raise the temperature of the fat to 160*C/320*F.  Fry the chips again until crisp and golden brown.  Drain well, season with some salt and serve immediately.

That's it for this time, but stay tuned as I will be cooking up all of your other requests soon!