I love September.  It always reminds me of when my children were growing up and it was back to school time.  I always endeavored to have something delicious to pop into their sac lunches, or waiting for them when they got home from school.  I love to bake and my kids loved to eat what I baked.   No kiddos in my home anymore . . .  but that doesn't stop me from baking.   Today I baked these lovely Lemon Butterfly Cakes using a recipe that I picked up on the Flora Baking Pages.

This is something which I used to make every once in a while when my children were growing up.  It started with a recipe I found in an old Shaker Cookbook, but gradually morphed into my own recipe through the years.  The original recipe used leftover chicken and had no vegetables in it.  I adapted it to  include some vegetables as well as poached chicken for tenderness, but do feel free to use leftover roast chicken if you wish.

 Several weeks ago I was contacted by a company called Hopps & Woolf and asked if I would like to try out their innovative Milk Maker. I always like to try new things and so I agreed.  I've also been really interested over these last few months in non dairy alternatives to milk.   They can be really pricey however.   This was another reason that I was interested in trying this machine out.

























The Hopps & Woolf Milk Maker is an innovative machine which enables a person to make pure and natural nut or soya milk using raw ingredients with no added preservatives or flavourings.



















 This unique machine is the result of the creative endeavours of two young Bristol Uni graduates, Alex Hoppenbrouwers and Thomas Woolf. Inspiration struck when Woolf, who studied engineering, was tasked with coming up with a business idea as part of a project. He says: "A girl in the group was saying 'I find it annoying, I can't buy the soya milk making machine I use in China in the UK'." Woolf mentioned the idea to Hoppenbrouwers, who was president of the university entrepreneur society, and the rest is history.  In July their Milk Maker, which makes milk out of soya beans, almonds, and hazelnuts, was launched, and they also supply ingredients available through a weekly subscription.

 

It's a very attractive machine, not much larger than a kettle.  This is important to me.  I don't have a lot of room in my kitchen and I have come to learn through the years that things which take up a lot of space usually get relegated to the bedroom closet or the shed and end up only ever rarely being used.

 

 It came with a simple to read and easy to use instruction manual, a handy cleaning cloth, a step by step instruction card, a strainer to strain the resultant meal from the milk  . . .  and . . .





Two 120g bags of one each organic soya beans and whole California almonds.

The machine itself  has a very attractive brushed stainless steel body,  high grade stainless steel blade, an 800W heater and a 250W motor.



You measure out your ingredients and then let them soak in water over night.

 

The next day you just place them into the milk maker with the requisite amount of water, put the lid on and press a button.   The Milk maker automatically gently heats the ingredients and blends and pasteurizes them to a pre-set program.   It takes about 25 to 30 minutes.  The 25 minute cycle slowly releases nutrients to achieve great flavour.



This is what you find at the end of that time.  



You simply then strain out the meal with the handy strainer which is included and presto chango . . .

  

There you have it  . . .  a lovely big jar of almond milk (in this case) or soya milk.   All natural and additive free, and it will stay fresh in your refrigerator for up to five days! 

And it costs pennies in comparison to most factory made alternative milks . . .  and contains many more nutrients.   Did you know that most nut milks are created by only using about 4 nuts?  How nutritious can that be?   And all those flavourings and chemicals, stabilizers, preservatives, etc. they add.  How good can that stuff really be for you?

I love that this is all natural.  I love knowing that it has been made in my very own pesticide free/clean kitchen. 

You can also use it to make simple soups and or use it a a blender. 

To find out more about  this machine and how to get one of your own,  do check out the Hopps & Woolf site. 

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Many thanks to Hopps & Woolf for sending me this machine and making me a believer!  The milk is tasty and so easy to make.   I have been truly converted.  (It's great on cereal, etc.  YES IT IS!)

One thing I have always been fond of is tinned salmon and tuna, not so much other tinned fishes myself, but the Toddster really loves Sardines and Mackerel.   I was really pleased recently to receive a fabulous Bumper Pack  from the people at John West containing a lovely variety of their newest products.  I used some of them to make these lovely Salmon Melt Sliders,  the recipe of which I will share with you today, but first  . . . a little  bit about what was in this truly fab hamper!

John West offer a range of succulent fish products soaked in different flavours including tuna, salmon, mackerel, sardines and crab amongst others. We’re also excited to introduce our season and stir; tender chunks of fish with a flavour to add taste to your dish as well as our brand new steam pots. These are the perfect lunchtime snack for work or home.

I think most of the schools here in the UK are back in session today, with possibly a very few exceptions.  They went back to school in Scotland last week.   The summer seems to have passed by very quickly.  It seems it no sooner started and it is now ending . . .  sigh . . .

 



One of the most popular series on British Television over these last few years has to be the Great British Bake Off. Running over a number of weeks, it takes a group of ordinary baking enthusiasts through a series of baking challenge.  It is the ultimate Bake Off Battle.  Each week the bakers tackle a different baking skill, which become progressively more difficult as the competition unfolds.  As the shows go on, bakers are eliminated with one finalist being crowned the winner at the very end.   It is compelling viewing to say the least, especially if you like baking!  (And who doesn't!)

 

Shhh!!!  I'll let you in on a little secret, but you have to promise not to tell anyone else.   The recipes you see on this page  . . .  well they aren't the only activity which goes on in this English kitchen.   Lots of other things get cooked and enjoyed, but for one reason or another, just don't cut the mustard photography wise, so they get shelved . . .  never to be seen.   I'm going to fix that today.   Who cares if there aren't a bazillion pics of each recipe for you to drool over.   A good recipe is a good recipe right?   Right!  And so today I'm going to show you some of the ones that didn't quite make the final cut . . .  but which are quite bloody delicious irregardless of how they look!

Just don't tell Marie I was fooling around on here.   Mum's the word . . .   oh yeh, and I'll be back walloping the pots and pans in the Grantham's kitchen at the end of September.  Can't wait!

One day recently I found out that our little Spanish girl loves pancakes.  It just slipped out in a conversation as these things do . . .  and so I decided to treat her to a lovely batch of them one morning.   I know . . .  I am spoiling her, but it's just so darned nice to have a young person around.  I truly am enjoying the experience and her! 

One of the nice things about having someone else in the house is that Ariana likes Pasta and now I have the perfect excuse to cook it and not feel guilty about it.   Today I made this simple and yet incredibly tasty pasta dish that  Ariana and I both really enjoyed, and the Toddster dined on leftover meat and potatoes.  Everybody was happy!

I have to admit that broccoli is not one of the Toddster's favourite vegetables.  I love the stuff, but he's not so keen.   It's one of those vegetables however that is really very good for you and so I am always looking for ways to incorporate it into our diets, that are appealing to him at least in some small way.

I love, love blueberries and we are right in the midst of our blueberry season here in the UK at the moment.  I know my sister has been picking the juicy little blue jewels for a few weeks now in Canada.  I can never get enough of them during the season and I always freeze tons to use in the Winter months.  Today I decided to make a delicious sauce with them!

 

I have to admit, that of all the sandwiches out there, and all the sandwiches I have eaten in my lifetime, my favourite has to be the good old fashioned Cheese Toastie, or Grilled Cheese as it is also called.  Over here they call sandwiches sarnies in some places.  Or Baps . . . 

Bap. Sarnie.  Toastie.   Sandwich.  Truth be told no matter what they are called this carb loving heart of mine just adores them whatever they be called, and the grilled cheese is my most favourite-est indulgence of all!

Occasionally you see something which is totally outrageous and yet strangely appealing at the same time.  That's the way it was for me when I saw these toasted Spaghetti and Cheese sandwiches popping up all over the net.