You might not think that you have time to do a bacon and egg breakfast on a weekday, but this recipe here today proves that just isn't true.   

With a little bit of inventive use of a convenience item (refrigerated croissant roll dough) you can have a delicious bacon and egg breakfast on the table lickety split, that's about 15 -20 minutes tops!  I kid you not.  



I always keep partially cooked bacon in the freezer so that I can whip it out to use in things like these quick and delicious tarts.  If you are going to be cooking half a dozen slices of bacon, why not cook the whole pack.

That's my motto anyways.  In for a penny in for a pound.  If you have cooked bacon on tap in the freezer then you are always ready. These tarts could  really not be easier.



You just crack open the container and unroll the dough.  Divide it into three rectangular sections. (Here in the UK.  I am not sure how many in North America.)

Place them onto a lightly buttered or lined baking tray and then press the diagonal cuts together in the centre of each to seal  after which you then roll up a 1/2 inch rim all around the edge of each rectangle.



All you do then is crack a large free range egg into the centre of each, season with some salt and pepper, lay some bacon on top and a dusting of Parmesan Cheese.

 Once that is done, you just pop those babies into the oven. Twelve minutes later you will have some perfectly cooked, deliciously easy egg and bacon tarts.  




I always like to dust mine with a tad bit more Parmesan and some chopped Parsley to serve, but that's just me.  I like things to look pretty.

The Toddster love LOVES these and I guarantee the Toddster in your life will love them as well!  (At least I hope he will!  There's bacon.  Who doesn't love bacon!)





*Quick and Easy Bacon and Egg Tarts*

This is a cookie I have wanted to make for a long time.  I used to make them often when the kids were growing up, but haven't made them in years now.  I kept picking up snickers bars at the shops to use to make them with, but somehow they always got eaten before I could get the cookies made!  Don't ask me how that happened!

 

If you love peanut butter as much as I love peanut butter, you are going to LOVE these cookies!  Just imagine your favourite peanut butter cookie . . .  stuffed with a chunk of a snickers bar and then baked until the candy gars are golden brown and crisp on the edges and the candy bar is all melted and gooey inside . . .



Each mouthful brings you crisp peanut butter goodness combined with the moreish caramel scrummy-nuttiness of a snickers bar!  I cannot think of anything not to love about them, unless of course you don't like peanut butter and . . .  in that case . . .  this is not your day.  You better look away now!

 

Doesn't that look positively addictively heavenly?  (I am assuming you are a peanut butter lover and a snickers lover if you are still here.)  These are almost too dangerous to have around for very long.    One good though is, nobody minds you gifting them with a tin of them.   You'll have a friend for life!




Scoop out 2 TBS of the cookie dough.  Flatten it in the palm of your hand.  Place a snickers piece in the centre.  Wrap the dough up over it and then roll the dough in your hand to completely cover the chocolate bits. Place on the baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining dough and candy bits, leaving about 2 inches in between each.  Press lightly on the top with a fork.  They won't flatten, but you will leave an impression.

Bake for about 15 minutes until the cookies are just beginning to brown around the edges.   Allow to cool on the cookie sheets for about 5 minutes before carefully scooping off onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely.  Store in an airtight container for up to three days.  You can freeze them for about one month if desired.

The strawberries are coming fast and furious now and we are trying to get our fill of them while they last.  It is a race to see who gets them first . . . the garden slugs or us.  Most of the time we win.   I thought it would be fun this morning to showcase some of my favourite strawberry recipes, the ones which we enjoy year after year without fail.   My tried and true berry recipes.  Enjoy!




Did you know that berries, especially strawberries have a special affinity for Balsamic Vinegar?  They do and this is the perfect way to highlight that beautiful marriage.



*Strawberries With Balsamic Vinegar*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

If you are looking for a dessert that is fresh, easy and delicious, then look no further. This tasty dish fills the bill on all counts!

750g of ripe small strawberries
60g of caster sugar (superfine sugar)
2 TBS good quality balsamic vinegar
125g of mascarpone cheese



Wipe the strawberries clean with a damp cloth, and then carefully hull them. If your berries are somewhat on the larger side, cut them in halves or quarters. Place them all into a glass bowl. Sprinkle the caster sugar on top and toss them gently to coat. Let sit, covered loosely with a cloth, for 2 hours to macerate. After 2 hours, drizzle the balsamic vinegar over top. Toss gently again, then refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Spoon the berries into 4 glass dishes. Drizzle each with some of the syrup left in the bowl. Spoon a dollop of mascarpone cheese on top of each and serve.



This is a delicious bread that I make at least once every strawberry season.  It's not a great keeper, and needs to be eaten up within a day or so, but that's never been a problem around here.  I usually send half of it to my good friend Doreen and we enjoy the other half ourselves.  If you have a family it will be inhaled in no time at all.  Great for elevensies, and for any time really.  Note, it also freezes well, so you can also freeze what you don't eat for a later date.



*Strawberry Cardamom Bread*
Makes one 9 by 5 by 3 inch loaf
Printable Recipe

A deliciously moist bread stogged full of fresh strawberries and glazed with a tangy lemon glaze.

4 ounces unsalted butter ( 1/2 cup)
150g granulated sugar (3/4 cup)
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
280g plain flour, sifted (2 cups)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cardamom
(remove the seeds from green cardamom pods and grind them
with a pestle and mortar or a coffee grinder if you cannot find it already ground)
175g sour cream (1/2 cup) or plain yoghurt
55g toasted walnuts (1/2 cup), coarsley chopped
300g of fresh strawberries, chopped (1 1/2 cups)

For the glaze:
the juice of 1/2 lemon
enough icing sugar to make a drizzable glaze

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter and lightly flour a 9 by 5 by 3 inch loaf. Set aside.

Beat the butter until softened. Add the sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the vanilla.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cardamom together. Add to the creamed mixture alternately with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix only to combine. Gently fold in the chopped strawberries and the nuts.

Spoon into the prepared and bake for about 1 hour, or until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let stand in the pan for 10 minutes before removing from the pan to a wire rack to cool.

Whisk together the lemon juice and enough icing sugar to make a drizzle glaze. Drizzle over the cake. Let set.

Serve warm or at room temperature. This bread also freezes very well.



I usually like to make a special breakfast at the weekend and during strawberry season these buttermilk pancakes are a real favourite of ours, especially when I serve them with my special honey and vanilla butter!  The Toddster just loves these and I reckon the Toddster in your life will too!



Serves 4    
100g self raising flour (14 1/2 TBS) 1 tsp baking powder 25g caster sugar (2 TBS) pinch fine sea salt 2 large free range eggs,separated 175ml butter milk (scant 3/4 cup) 40ml whole milk (3 TBS) 45g sweet butter, melted (3 TBS)
For the honey and vanilla butter: 100g butter, soft (scant 1/2 cup) 3 TBS clear acacia honey 1 tsp vanilla bean paste

First make the butter.   Tip all of the ingredients for the butter into a bowl and simply beat together with an electric mixer until pale and creamy.   Spoon into a small bowl and cover.  Chill in the refrigerator for about an hour to firm up.

Sift the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a bowl.   Whisk together the egg yolks, buttermilk and milk.   Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture.  Tip in the wet ingredients along with 15g of the butter (1 TBS).  Whisk together until smooth.   Whip the egg whites until they form soft peaks.  Fold these into the pancake batter.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Brush with some of the remaining melted butter.  Add 3 to 4 large spoonfuls of the batter, spacing them well apart.  Scatter the tops of each with a few slices of berry.  Cook for several minutes, until the surface is covered with bubbles and the bottom side is golden brown.  Flip over and cook for another minute until cooked through and golden brown on the underside as well.  Place onto an ovenproof platter, cover with a clean tea towel and keep warm in a low oven until you have cooked them all.

Serve hot at the table with the butter.  Delicious.    Crisp slices of streaky smoked bacon go very well! (It's that sweet and salty thing you know . . . )

Note:  If you really want to be decadent you can add crumbled crisp meringues and then call them Eton Mess Pancakes!



You just have to have strawberry shortcake at least once or twice during the season.  I showed you my mom's the other day, and here today I want to show you another delicious version which uses elderflower and black pepper.  This is fabulously delicious!  You pepper the berries and infuse the cream with elderflower cordial, but don't worry if you can't get the elderflower cordial, you could also use rose water and it would be just as gorgeous!



*Strawberry Shortcakes with Black Pepper and Elderflower Cream*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

A unique and delicious twist on the traditional dessert, with the addition of snappy black pepper and a delicate elderflower cordial infused cream.

4 large buttermilk biscuits, topped with some demerara sugar before baking
(I use my recipe which you can find here)
1 pound (16 ounces) fresh strawberries
3 TBS caster sugar
freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the cream:
225ml of double or whipping cream (1 cup), well chilled
3 to 4 TBS elderflower cordial
3 TBS caster sugar





Wash the berries and gently dry them. Hull and then slice into a bowl. Stir in the sugar and some freshly ground black pepper to taste. Set aside to macerate for about 15 minutes.

Whisk the cream along with the caster sugar, until it forms soft folds. Gently fold in the elderflower cordial.

Split the buttermilk biscuits and place the bottom half of each onto a dessert plate. Top with one forth of the macerated berries. Divide the elderflower cream between each, placing on top of the berries. Top with the biscuit tops. Serve immediately.

Note: The cream can be whipped ahead of time and kept covered and chilled in the refrigerator. I do not advise preparing the berries too far ahead of time as they will become too soft and release too many of their juices. You don't want to leave them to macerate much longer than 15 minutes for optimum flavour and texture. The biscuits are best made ahead and stored in an airtight container until you are ready to use them. When baking simply brush the tops with some milk and sprinkle with some demerara sugar for a nice look and texture.



Rock Cakes may be one of Harry Potter's favourite teatime treats, but I have news for you.  They are one of our favourites too, especially these fresh Strawberry Shortcake Rock Cakes!  These . . . pardon the pun . . . quite simply ROCK!



*Strawberry Shortcake Rock Cakes*
Makes about 3 dozen
Printable Recipe

Tender, sweet and chock full of sweet strawberries! As with any rock cake, they are best eaten on the day, but will keep in an airtight container for up to one day.

12 ounces fresh strawberries cut into 1/4 inch dice (about 2 cups)
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
9 TBS granulated sugar, divided
8 1/2 ounces plain flour (2 cups)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fine seasalt
6 TBS cold butter, cut into small bits
5 1/2 fluid ounces double cream (about 2/3 cup)
demerara sugar for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

Stir together the diced berries, lemon juice and 2 TBS of the sugar. Set aside.

Whisk the flour, remaining sugar, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Drop in the butter and then rub it into the flour mixture with your fingertips, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the cream just until the dough begins to come together and then fold in the berry mixture until combined.

Drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets by heaped tablespoons, leaving some space between each one. Sprinkle with some demerara sugar.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until well risen and golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before eating. Your family will love you.

 

A good crumble never goes amiss.  We do love our crumbles and this Strawberry Rhubarb Oat and Walnut Crumble is one of the best, I kid you not!  Lashings of custard or cold ice cream . . . or if you are feeling a bit indulgent, clotted cream are a MUST!

 

*Strawberry, Rhubarb, Oat and Walnut Crumble*
Serves 8 to 12
Printable Recipe

This is worth waiting all year for.  Delicious, delicious, DELICIOUS!

For the Crumble Topping:
3.75 ounces plain flour (3/4 cup)
2 ounces rolled oats (1/2 cup)
3.75 ounces soft light brown sugar (1/2 cup packed)
3 ounces of chopped toasted walnuts ( generous 1/2 cup)
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
2 ounces butter, melted (1/4 cup)

For the filling:
7 ounces granulated sugar (1 cup)
2 TBS cornflour
16 ounces rhubarb, cut into 1 inch pieces (a generous 6 cups)
16 ounces strawberries, cut in half (a generous 6 cups)
1 TBS pure vanilla extract

Pouring cream to serve

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.  Butter a large glass baking dish and set aside.

Make the crumble first.  Mix the flour, oats, sugar, salt and walnuts together in a bowl.  Pour the melted butter over top.  Stir and press together to make a few clumps.  Put in the freezer while you make the filling.

Stir together the cornflour and sugar, mixing it together well.  Add the fruit and vanilla.  Toss together gently to coat.  Pour into the prepared baking dish.  Remove the crumble from the freezer and sprinkle over the top.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbling around the edges.  Cool for about 20 minutes before serving.

Spoon out into bowls to serve and pass the cream!

Note:  This is best eaten on the day.  You can halve the recipe quite successfully if you don't want to make that much.  Chill any leftovers, wrapped in the refrigerator.  They're quite nice eaten for breakfast the morning after.  *blush*    

 

This is a lovely dessert of simple pan roasted berries served warm with a nice dollop of softly whipped honey cream.  Sometimes it's the simple things in life which bring us the most joy, and this certainly is one of those!

 

*Roasted Summer Berries, with Honey Whipped Cream*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

One of the tastiest of summer treats!

500g of English Strawberries (about 1 pound)
2 TBS butter
4 TBS soft light brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground cardamom

For the Cream:
225ml of double or whipping cream (1 cup)
2 TBS runny honey (I like wildflower or clover)
a few drops of vanilla extract  




Preheat your oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Wash and then gently dry the berries with some paper towelling. Hull them and if they are large, cut in half.

Whip the cream with a wire wisk until it just starts to peak. Stir in the honey and vanilla. Set aside and keep cool.

Melt the butter in an ovenproof skillet. Add the sugar and cardamom and stir to melt the sugar. Once the sugar is melted, turn off the heat and add the berries, tossing them gently to coat them in the mixture. Bang the pan into the oven. Roast for 2 to 3 minutes, give them a stir, and roast for a further 2 minutes. Remove from the oven.

Spoon the roasted berries into serving dishes and top each serving with a dollop of the honey cream. Drizzle any juices over top. Serve immediately.

 

We don't just eat them for desserts either.  You can't beat a delicious salad, especially when it's composed of lovely ripe berries, proscuitto, rocket and mozzarella!  This always goes down a real treat.   The pickled shallot dressing is a winner/winner!    We love THIS fresh and tasty salad!

  

 *Strawberry and Mozzarella Salad*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

A delicious salad, which is not only simple and quick to make but makes a great  and unsual use of seasonal berries.

2 TBS Apple Balsamic Vinegar
3 TBS extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp caster sugar (fine sugar)
2 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
Freshly ground black pepper
2 X 80g packs or Italian Proscuitto Crudo (about 8 thin slices)
1 ball of Buffalo Mozzarella Cheese, drained and torn (about 1/4 pound)
250g of strawberries, rinsed, hulled and sliced (1/4 pound)
2 X 50g packs of wild rocket leaves, washed and dried (about 4 cups, arugula)

Whisk the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, sugar and shallots together in a large bowl.  Season well with black pepper.  Set aside.

Divide the proscuitto between 4 chilled salad plates.  Scatter with the mozzarella.  Toss the strawberries and rocket into the bowl with the dressing.  Toss gently to coat.  Divide equally amongst the salad plates, placing it on top of the meat and cheese.  Drizzle any leftover dressing over top .  Serve immediately.

Note - You won't need any salt as the proscuitto is quite salty.  

I hope that I have wet your berry whistle and that strawberries will be on your menu this weekend like they are going to be on ours!

 

I have never been to Italy, but I have long loved Italian Food.  The Toddster, he's not so fussed.  He, as you all know, is not fussed about pasta or pizza and so he says he doesn't think he would enjoy visiting Italy.  I always tell him though, they eat a lot more than pasta and pizza in Italy!     I could quite happily live on just those two things alone, but I really do hope that one day I will have the opportunity to find out for myself.

 

Yesterday I took a boo in the refrigerator and decided to make myself a dish that used up some of the bits and bobs that I had hanging in there . . . some spinach, a few TBS of sun-dried tomato pesto, a handful of button mushrooms, some leftover seasoned tinned chopped tomatoes and a rather tired looking banana shallot in the vegetable drawer.  I felt a little bit like an Italian Grandmother when I was doing it . . . or as how I perceive that an Italian Grandmother would cook . . . kinda like my grandmother, but with more exotic ingredients!

 

This is the type of cooking that I really like to do most of all . . . being inventive with what I have on hand.   When I first moved over here to the UK there used to be a show on every afternoon at about 4 pm called Ready Steady Cook.

 

There would be two guests and two celebrity chef's,  a moderator/presenter and a studio audience.  Each of the guests would give their chef a bag filled with a few ingredients and the chef would then have to live up to the challenge of creating as many tasty dishes as they could with these ingredients in 20 minutes of cooking time.

 

Oh how I loved that show.  I was always so amazed at what the chef's came up with and in such a short time.  Truth be told, they probably had somewhat of an inkling ahead of time what was going to be in the bag . . . but it made for interesting viewing at any rate!

 

Anyways, that is what I like to do here at home.  Take what I have and then try to create something tasty out of it.   I also like it to look good.  Sometimes I am successful, and sometimes I am not.

 

Today I think I was.   I loved all of the colours and flavours of this dish.   It was simple and yet it tasted divine . . . and I got to indulge in a a tasty rare treat of pasta.  I called it Kitchen Sink Pasta because it has a bit of everything in it . . . all but the kitchen sink!

 

*Kitchen Sink Pasta*
Serves 2
Printable Recipe

One of those quick and easy meals for when you are short on ingredients, except for little dabs of this and little dabs of that.  Quick, simple and delicious.

130g (6 ounces) dry pasta (1 1/3 cup)
1 TBS olive oil
1 banana shallot, peeled and chopped
1 small clove garlic, chopped
1 handful of fresh button mushrooms, sliced
1 TBS sun dried tomato pesto
370g of chopped tomatoes with oregano and basil (a generous cup ful)
1 TBS Balsamic Vinegar
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
a couple handfuls of baby spinach leaves
Finely grated Parmesan Cheese to serve



Bring a pot of lightly salted water to the boil.  Add your pasta and cook as per package directions.  (Today I used a cup shaped pasta that would hold the sauce well.)  Drain well. Rinse with hot water.  Drain again and keep warm

Heat the olive oil over medium high heat.  Add the shallot and cook, stirring until golden brown.  Add the mushrooms and garlic,  Cook until the mushrooms begin to brown, stirring occasionally.  Stir in the pesto, tinned tomatoes and vinegar.  Bring to the boil and cook rapidly until the sauce reduces substantially.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Stir in the spinach leaves allowing them to just wilt.  Add the cooked pasta and toss together.   Divide amongst two serving bowls, topping each with a grating of cheese.

I have decided to enter this recipe into a fab contest going on at the moment over at the Tuscany Now Blog.   They are offering some really nice prizes and I think this recipe is contest worthy! #TuscanyNowCookOff  What have I got to lose?  Nada, or as the Italians would say  . . . Non un diamine de molto!  MWHA!

When I worked at the Manor one of the hors d'ouvres I made frequently for the luncheons was these delicious little cherry tomatoes which were stuffed with a mixture of bacon, spring onions and mayonnaise.  All of the ladies loved them.

 

They were very popular and I liked making them because they were not as fiddly to create as some of the other hors d'ouvres I had to make were.  In comparison they were a doddle, the fiddliest bit being hollowing out all of those littl cherry tomatoes!



I decided to create a pasta salad using some of these same flavours.  I had been sent some delicious Newman's Own Blue Cheese Salad Dressing and I felt it would be the perfect match!  I was not wrong.



It went beautifully in this salad.    This is a lovely salad, with the heartiness of pasta  being combined with the crunch of celery, the snappiness of spring onions and the sweetness of cherry tomatoes . . .



With a hefty addition of crisp smokey bacon bits, it's a winner/winner I believe!  Save some of the bacon to sprinkle on top of the salad when you serve it.  I guarantee that everyone will love this.   If they don't  . . .  then they just ain't human!  That's all I got to say!

 

*Bacon and Tomato Pasta Salad*


June 2014 will see the launch of two brand new salad dressings from family favourite Newman’s Own. Both new sauces; the Blue Cheese and Santa Cruz Chilli and Lime Dressing will add extra flavour and add depth to any light summer salad. Available from early June 2014, the American-inspired Blue Cheese Dressing is perfect for recreating a taste of the States for your own summer BBQ. The creamy sauce works amazingly well with a simple salad of iceberg lettuce and bacon lardons, or on the side served with chicken wings or crudités. The Santa Cruz Chilli & Lime Dressing has a hot and fruity flavour, offering a fresh and well balanced addition to any meal, great for dishes of fish and chicken, or with a pasta salad.

Authentic, traditional and full of American flavour, the new sauces bring the USA to UK supermarkets ahead of the summer season. Perfect for family BBQs and get-together’s, the new sauces are a great accompaniment for a food fuelled summertime. The new dressings will join the recently launched Pasta Sauces and new sauce range which includes All Star BBQ Sauce, Hot Pepper Sauce and Smokin’ Hot Dog Sauce. Founded by Hollywood actor Paul Newman, Newman’s Own already has a popular range of salad dressings, BBQ sauces and marinades available. What’s more, Newman’s Own Foundation donates all post-tax profits to charity, with over £1million already being donated to a wide range of charities in the UK alone and over £250 million donated around the world.

They will be widely available at ASDA nation wide at a suggested retail price of £1.79

I really like their hot dog sauce and the barbeque sauce and was already a bit fan of the Caesar Salad Dressing.  Needless to say I have fallen in love with this Blue Cheese Dressing as well.  It has a lovely rich flavour and texture.   It's quite moreish really.   I also love that I am supporting charities when I use the Newman's Own products.