I have always been a strong proponent of seasonal eating. Not only is locally produced seasonal food less expensive but it also tastes a lot better! It also helps to reduce your carbon footprint, and to be honest, I think that it's the most natural and healthiest way to eat.
I was just thrilled to be chosen as the CSMA's Seasonal Food Star of the Month! Yay!! If you click HERE, you can download their Seasonal Calendar of the month which includes some of my seasonal eating and cooking tips and recipes for August eating. You can also read my profile here.
I think August has to be one of my favourite food months as all of the local produce starts ripening and coming in for harvesting. You have all of the early apples and the blackberries are ripening in the hedgerows not to mention all of the blueberries, plums, tomatoes, beans, courgettes, peas, apricots, raspberries, gooseberries . . . there is no end to all the deliciousness which is available to us this month!
I thought it would be fun this morning to share some of my favourite seasonal August Recipes with you all! There's a bit of savoury and a bit of sweet. In short, something for everyone!
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- Beautiful tarts Marie..
and I have never seen those!
And while I can't do that I can give you each a free bookmark to stick in your favourite cookbook to mark your place! Just copy and paste it into Word, and print it out. I wish I knew how to do this but believe it or not I am severely challenged technologically!
In any case enjoy. You're all winners in my books anyways!
I didn't have anything to put into the slow cooker after church today and so I made us tuna melts which were quick and easy to make and quite, quite tasty! It's not something new . . . I've made all sorts of tuna melts, but these ended up being really delicious, sort of a combination of the best parts of all the past ones, but with a few new touches!
If you have never tasted an English Strawberry . . . freshly picked, with the straw still clinging to it's leaves and the warmth of the sun still on it's flesh . . . well, you have missed out on something very special indeed. That is not to say that you can't get lovely berries in other places . . . and I may be a bit biased in saying this . . . but I do believe that English berries are the best!
Blueberries were very hard to come by for the first several years I lived here in the UK.
I m happy to say that in the intervening years they have become readily available, and actually quite affordable. We can buy them in all of the grocery stores now, even the budget shops.
My husband and I also grow our own as well now. This means I have lots to use in a variety of ways.
My husband and I also grow our own as well now. This means I have lots to use in a variety of ways.
Being high bush ones, they are not quite as flavorsome as the wild ones from back home, but they are still pretty good!
We had the missionary elders for tea last night and so I baked them a little taste of home in the way of this fabulous Blueberry Coffee Cake.
The British idea of a coffee cake is a cake which is highly flavored with Coffee, as in a Coffee and Walnut Cake. This is NOT one of those . . .
Instead this is a coffee cake in the North America sense, which merely means that it is a lovely moist cake, sometimes with a crumble topping, perfect for enjoying with a hot or cold drink.
A cake that is perfect for brunches . . . and yes, also great dessert when served warm and topped with ice cream or cream.
This is exactly that kind of cake . . . with a moist and tender cake batter.
It is flavored and moistened by the use of lemon yogurt . . . with the fruity topping of a generous amount of fresh blueberries . . . and a moreish buttery crunch of cinnamon flavoured brown sugar streusel on top.
Delicious. Simple. Quick to make.
You can substitute butter for the vegetable shortening if you wish.
*Blueberry Streusel Coffee Cake*
Makes one 9 inch square cake
Makes one 9 inch square cake
Printable Recipe
This cake has no coffee in it. It is merely a moist cake, chock full of berries and topped with a cinnamony streusel topping, perfect for coffee break or elevensies with a hot drink.
for the cake:This cake has no coffee in it. It is merely a moist cake, chock full of berries and topped with a cinnamony streusel topping, perfect for coffee break or elevensies with a hot drink.
1/2 tsp vanilla
55g of lemon yogurt (1/4 cup)
Bake the cake for 45 to 50 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan until just warm. Lift out and cut into squares to serve.
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Making sure children who avoid gluten have a lunchbox which includes a good mix of nutritious and filling foods as well as a yummy treat can be quite an art, so Mrs Crimble's - the much-loved gluten free bakery brand - has come up with some tips on how to guarantee that your children can always enjoy a healthy, fun and gluten free lunch.
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Sandwich Substitutes - Rice or Quinaoa Salads with chopped red peppers and other crunchy vegetables are great, or try gluten free falafels. A mini pack of hummus with a packet of Mrs Crumble's Potato Bites or some carrot sticks also go down well.
Cheese & Onion Potato Bites Multi Pack (4 bags) £1.79
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Calcium - For growing bones, it's good to include a yoghurt (don't forget a spoon), or a milk drink. If your child is dairy intolerant, then some calcium enriched oat milk, cubes of cheese or some sardines (if they like them) are a good idea.
Single Serve Jam Ring, from £1.10
Drinks - Making sure your child drinks enough is vital. Water is best and fruit juice is also good, just be aware it can contain a surprising amount of sugar.
Cranberry & Almond Oat Cookie RRP £1.49
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Mrs Crimbles is the Official Free From Sponsor of England Netball, in particular supporting the Back to Netball scheme which encourages female players of all ages to get active and re-introduced to the much loved school sport.
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This is an incredibly delicious chicken salad, with a wonderful oriental style dressing and plenty of colour and crunch!
If any of you have been reading my blog for a while now, you will know that I am an absolute fan of gnocchi! It's one of my cupboard staples and something which I try to use in a variety of ways. I am always stretching the boundaries somewhat . . . seeing how far I can take it, usually with quite tasty results.
Oh yes I have been torturing the Toddster with pasta again. What's a pasta loving girl to do. We can't always eat meat and potatoes. I need a bit of variety! I need pasta!
We had the Missionary Sisters over for supper last Tuesday night and I cannot believe I am only getting to now tell you about these beautiful tarts that I made for our desserts!
I suppose half a week pretty much without internet has really made me fall behind on my posts. But I am showing them to you today and that is what counts!
The blueberries are ripening on our bushes at the moment and I took advantage of this fact to bake some lovely little blueberry tarts for us all. I have baked this before using apples and plums as a large tart, and it was gorgeous.
The blueberries are ripening on our bushes at the moment and I took advantage of this fact to bake some lovely little blueberry tarts for us all. I have baked this before using apples and plums as a large tart, and it was gorgeous.
You can find that recipe here. I decided that it would work very well as individual tarts and using blueberries.
It is a really simple recipe and always turns out. It made 5 individual tarts, but my tart tins were 4 inches across.
If you made smaller ones you would get more tarts out of the recipe. These were very filling and on the large side for delicate appetites.
The pastry is a real doddle to make. It goes together in the food processor, lickety split. And you can have it rolled out in no time and lining your tarts.
There is no need to pre-bake the pastry either. You just slap the filling in and bake them.
The filling consists of a vanilla sponge which bakes like a cake inside that sweet short crust pastry . . . puffed up and golden brown . . . clustered around those lovely sweet berries, all sweet and sunken into the delicate sponge . . .
I erred on the side of caution when adding the berries. When I make these again, and I will do just that . . . I will add even more berries. A tasty brush of warm apricot jam finished them off. We had them with clotted cream . . . of course!
*Summer Blueberry Tart(s)*
Makes8 servings as a tart
or 5 individual tarts
Makes8 servings as a tart
or 5 individual tarts
For the sponge:
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. The tart is done when the berries have sunk in a bit and looked cooked, and the sponge has risen and gotten golden brown in places. Also the pastry is crisp and golden brown. Allow to cool for several minutes before removing to a wire rack. Melt the jam in a small saucepan and push through a seive. Brush some on top of the tart (s). Serve warm or at room temperature with cream or ice cream.
If you are like me you get so busy during the week that it can sometimes be really hard to get a decent meal on the table.
Plus the weather this time of year is so hot, you don't really want to put the oven on for anything. Quick one pan suppers like this delicious Lemon and Chicken Stir Fry are just the ticket!
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Stir fries are quick and easy and are a great way to get in more than one of your five a day, especially at this time of year when the fresh veg is local and at it's very best.
This tasty stir fry contains fresh broccoli, snow peas, red onions and fresh cherry tomatoes . . . sliced chicken breasts.
They are also a very economical as they make a little bit of meat and a little bit of veg go a long way! With the cost of groceries these days, any thing that helps to stretch things a bit further is a welcome thing!
They are also a very economical as they make a little bit of meat and a little bit of veg go a long way! With the cost of groceries these days, any thing that helps to stretch things a bit further is a welcome thing!
Stir fries are just the ticket for doing this!
This one has a delicious sauce, with lovely lemon flavours . . . created by using fresh lemon zest and some lemon pepper seasoning, which also gives it a bit of a punch.
Unusually there is also a bit of an herby touch from fresh thyme, which I grow in my kitchen garden year round . . . but you can use dried if that is all you have.
The stir fry itself goes together very quickly . . . and it is served on a bed of capellini pasta, which also cooks very quickly, so the kitchen doesn't heat up overly much.
Dinner's on and it's colorfully appealing and delicious . . . and it all came together in less than half an hour. My husband enjoyed his with leftover mash. Meh! There's no accounting for some people's taste!!
*Lemon and Chicken Stir Fry*
Serves 4
1 TBS chopped fresh thyme leaves, or 1 tsp dried thyme leaves
225ml of chicken stock (1 cup)
Set a pot of lightly salted water on to boil for the pasta.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken, broccoli stems and onion wedges. Stir fry until the chicken is beginning to brown, about five to six minutes. Add the broccoli and sugar snaps. Cook, stirring frequently until the vegetables are all crispy tender. 
Whisk together the chicken stock, corn flour, lemon zest and lemon pepper in a small bowl. Pour over the chicken mixture and toss together and cook until the sauce has thickened and the vegetables and chicken are coated. Stir in the tomatoes and heat through. Keep warm while you cook the capellini.
I am happy to announce that I have finished my latest cookbooklet entitled Just Desserts! I think this is my best one yet. It is certainly one of my largest ones with a total of 42 pages filled to overflowing with lovely dessert recipes, and handy hints and tips from my kitchen to yours.
It's broken down into no less than EIGHT delicious chapters, including . . . "It's only Fruit" . . . (Hot Buttered Cherries, and Stuffed Figs plus more) . . . "Indulgently Creamy" . . . (Chilled Rose Souffle's, Rhubarb Fool and more) . . . "Trifles" . . . ( three very different versions) . . . "Let Them Eat Cake" . . . (Sour Cherry Cake, Pineapple and Macadamia Cake, to name just two) . . . "Pies, Tarts and Crumbles" . . . (Bramble Pie, Plum and Almond Crumble plus more) . . . "Meringues and Clafoutis" . . . (Strawberry Meringue Cake, Chocolate Vacherin, Blackberry Clafoutis and yes, more) . . . "Cookies, Brownies and Bars" . . . (Spicy Aztec Brownies anyone?) . . . "Bits and Bites" . . . (all those finishing recipes for sauces, pastry, curd, etc.) All in all, there are FORTY THREE delicious recipes that are some of my family favourites and are destined to become yours.
Interspersed amongst the recipes are little snippets of art, hints and tips and delightful quotes. Have you always wondered what the secrets are to baking really good cakes? Wonder no more. All of my secrets to success are right here, and it's available to you now for the same low price as all of my others at only £5.
This will be delivered to your e-mail as a downloadable PDF file, ready to print or store on your computer as you desire within 24 hours of your payment clearing. If ordering please make sure you have the latest version of Adobe Reader enabled, and that my e-mail address is in your safe folder! Also as the file is rather large make sure you have enough room to receive it!
Also at this time I would like to offer you the option of buying four out of my cookbooklet collection for the low price of £15. You can choose any four titles you wish. Just be sure to message me on the payment invoice which four you want to purchase! This is a real bargain, giving you one title for free!
Available Titles include . . .
A Very Royal Tea Party
The Great British Picnic
Christmas in the English Kitchen
Recipes to Keep
Spring Into Summer
Any four titles including the latest one for the low price of £15. Please note that all booklets come with my same no quibble refund guarantee if you are not satisfied with your purchase.
Thanks so much for looking and have a super day!
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