I thought it would be fun today to show you my simple "go to" cupcake recipe that I use all the time when I want to make vanilla cupcakes. They are easy to make, always turn out and delicious. In short . . . they are the perfect vanilla cupcake.
Believe it or not I have only ever been to Ikea once in my whole life. I went with a couple of mates to the one in Warrington a couple of years back. I do have lots of furniture in my house from Ikea, but it was all delivered.
The one time I did go, I had to try their Swedish Meatballs. I had heard so much about them, and they were pretty good, but I have to say . . . they weren't as good as my homemade ones.
This is a mix of trial and error which began with a recipe from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook back in 1979. This was my base and throughout the years I have tweaked the recipe here and there and this is my final version and the one that I use all the time now.
The end result is tender and flavourful meatballs . . . a mix of beef and pork and spices . . . whole wheat bread crumbs . . .
Browned and then simmered in a simple gravy in the oven, which is enriched during the final fifteen minutes of baking with some rich cream . . .
The gravy alone is to die for. And there's plenty of it. Can you ever have too much gravy?
I think not. Mmmmm . . . moist, tender, flavourful meatballs . . . rich creamy gravy . . . served atop a nice pile of buttery noodles.
Of course Todd always has his with potatoes, which works well also. I hope you will give them a go. I would be surprised if you didn't think these were the best Swedish Meatballs ever.
*Swedish Meatballs and Gravy*
Serves 4-6
For the meatballs:
3/4 pound of ground beef (I like to use extra lean)
3/4 pound of ground beef (I like to use extra lean)
1/2 pound ground pork
3 slices of whole wheat bread, crusts removed and made into crumbs
1 large free range egg, beaten lightly
1 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp ground allspice
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 TBS oil for frying
For the gravy:
1 TBS plain flour
300ml of chicken broth (1 1/3 cup)
1 TBS dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp honey
300ml of double cream (1 1/3 cup whipping cream)
salt and pepper to taste
chopped parsley to garnish
buttered noodles to serve
First
make the meatballs. Mix together all of the meatball ingredients, with
the exception of the oil for frying, until well combined. Shape into 1
1/2 inch balls. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Brown the meatballs
lightly all over in the hot fat. Put them into a casserole dish. Whisk
the flour into the pan drippings. Whisk in the chicken broth,
mustard, Worcestershire sauce and honey. Bring to the boil, whisking
constantly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour this over the
meatballs in the casserole dish.
Preheat the oven to
180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Put the casserole with the meatballs in it
into the preheated oven. Bake, stirring occasionally for about 25
minutes. Whisk in the cream. Bake for 15 minutes longer. Serve hot
garnished with parsley flakes along with some buttered noodles.
We are great soup lovers in this house. Homemade soups for the most part. I only ever rarely buy a ready made soup. My mother was a fabulous soup maker. I grew up with wonderful homemade soups. I am not afraid to make my own soup. It's something which I find very easy to do and we often have a bowl of homemade soup and some crusty bread for a simple and easy supper. I was recently sent a lovely vegetable box and some of the new Covent Garden Souper Booster's to try out and spent several days last week experiementing with them to see what I could come up with.
I love beautiful tarts like this Jam Crostata I am showing you here today. A Crostata is an Italian type of baked pie or tart . . . but the pastry is very rich and almost cake-like.
It contains baking powder, egg yolks and lotsa lotsa butter . . . which makes it very rich and crumbly. Almost like a huge shortbread biscuit/cookie filled with jam!
You can fill them with all sorts . . . and you can have them in both savory and sweet variations. They usually have three layers . . . a base . . . a filling . . . and a topping.
I was recently sent a jar of Duerr's Rhubarb and Custard Homebaking Jam and I thought it would go perfectly in this Crostata that I baked. Launched on the 14th of April this is the first Duerr's Jam specifically designed to be baked with.
Making burnt bottoms and chewy tarts a thing of the past, the preserves, specially developed for domestic ovens, ensures jam retains its smooth and glossy consistency when heated. As a result you are guaranteed a moist jammy filling that does justice to your bake.
Perfect for tarts, roly poly and sponge puddings, the innovative bake-stable formula has been developed by renowned innovators Duerr’s – the UK’s oldest family owned jam company.
The fruit-packed jams are also ideal straight from the jar and the easy-to-spread texture provides a must-try filling for sponges and cakes, in addition to a lip smacking topping for toast. You can find them at Aldi shops.
The fruit-packed jams are also ideal straight from the jar and the easy-to-spread texture provides a must-try filling for sponges and cakes, in addition to a lip smacking topping for toast. You can find them at Aldi shops.
Rhubarb and Custard is a real favourite flavour of boiled sweet (hard candy) over here in the UK. It's been one of the most popular ones for years and small wonder . . . rhubarb and custard is a flavour that can't be beat.
With this jam you got the nice tanginess of the rhubarb with an underlying tone of vanilla custard. Simply fabulous. We quite loved it and I will have to pick up more of it as I am sure it would be just wonderful as a cake filling.
It went beautifully in this crostata . . . with it's rich and buttery base . . . and rich buttery topping.
You use the same pastry as the base in this recipe . . . rolled out and cut into strips which are then laid out crosswise across the top of the jam filling.
The pastry is too delicate to weave as a lattice weave . . . but it worked beautifully this way. All you need on top is a light dusting of icing sugar. (confectioner's)
We all really enjoy a nice crostata . . . especially when it is filled with delicious jam . . . I think you will too! (The pastry is really easy to make. You do it in the food processor.)
To see my Apple Crostata you can check out the recipe here.
*Jam Crostata*
Serves 8
Many thanks to Duerr's for sending me this lovely jam. I quite simply adore rhubarb anything!
As you probably noticed in my earlier post I was recently contacted by Flamingo Gifts and asked if I would like to review a few gifts from their magnificent gift site! Flamingos stock a varied and unique range of gifts to suit everyone and all occasions. From kitsch to traditional, from adults to children, there is sure to be something on their pages to suit just about every taste. Really, really lovely things. I was hard pressed to pick a few items as there were just so many nice items to choose from! After a couple of days of perusal I managed to narrow my wish list down to a few and within 24hours of my voicing my wish list . . . a big box arrived on my doorstep. I have to say that delivery was quick and everything arrived well packed and undamaged in transit. Perfect packaging and delivery. Positive number one!
I showed you the lovely Folklore Coffee Pot earlier today. It's on sale right now at 10% off the regular price. You can read what I thought about it here. So cute!
I am a big fan of Orla Kiely anything. I adore her fresh designs, with their very distinctive patterns, colours and texures. I fel in love with this set of Three Herb Pots On a Tray. The patterns used are Flower Stem, Scribble Stem and Daisy Spot. Ideal for growing herbs, each pot fits comfortably on the tray, which makes it very easy to water them from below.
Mine have been planted and are sitting on the windowsil in the dining room, where I am eagerly awaiting in anticipation of something green showing up. Oh, I know . . . I could have just gone and bought already growing herbs, but experience has taught me that those herbs you can get in the pots at the shops are not meant to last for very long. Seriously. Orla Kiely deserves much more than a flash in the pan. These are also on sale right now at 10% of the regular price. Check them out!
Another item which I fell in love with was this Sparrow Serving Set, which consists of 4 serving utensils (spaghetti server, Ladle, Slotted Spoon and Solid Spoon) and a unique tree branch holder (which slides apart for flat storage.) You all know how much I love watching the sparrows at play in my back garden and this caught my eye from the get-go. The sparrow server set would look great in any kitchen and is ideal to leave on the side. This pretty set of kitchen utensils looks like 4 sparrows sitting on a tree. Pretty and fun.
Made completely from recycled materials this set is great for cooking or serving. Very stylish. It's out of stock at the moment, but you can ask to be notified for when more stock arrives. I just love it! Check out more details here.
Finally I chose the Abode Egg Cups. This lovely set of four porcelain egg cups is the result of a collaberation with Mengsel and features Luzelle van der Westhuizens illustrations of 4 animals each on an egg cup of their own.
It's super cute, and would make a lovely gift for any special occasion or birthday. It comes in a sturdy and attractive box. From the abode range, they also have stacking tins, plates and espresso sets. The cups are also dishwasher and microwave safe. These are also on sale at 10% off at the moment.
I really love all of the items I received and feel that if you are looking for a gift for that special occasion or someone, or even as a treat yourself, you could not find a much nicer site to get it from than Flamingo Gifts. They cater for every budget and offer the lowest prices possible for extremely high quality goods, with a top class service and a simple mission, which is to provide amazing gifts to you at a great price and quickly, and to deal with any problems even faster so you enjoy your splurge!
Many thanks to them for indulging my wish list. I really am thrilled with all my goodies.
You would be forgiven for thinking this is a somewhat ugly dessert . . . but this is one dessert where you don't want to judge the book by it's cover, for it's fabulously delicious!
I have to say I am especially fond of Cod or Haddock, responsibly sourced of course. I grew up with salt cod which is what we used to make fish cakes with back home . . .
I will guarantee that were you to take any one person in my family out for a meal, dollars to donuts . . . they'll choose either cod or haddock and chips. It's a given. It's our celebration meal of choice!
Fresh fish can be quite expensive these days and I was really pleased a few weeks back when I was able to buy about six large fillets of fresh Cod at Costco for not much more than what I had paid for just one fillet at Morrisons a couple months ago.
My husband almost had a fit when I told him I had paid about £12 for one piece of fish . . . he was really pleased however with my Costco deal.
I splurged the other day and used two fillets (cut into pieces) to make this delicious Gratin. Oh boy . . . was it some good.
Delicious sweet cod . . . delicate and perfectly cooked beneath a delicious creamy sauce flavoured with mustard, cheese and summer savory.
I always pick up a package of Summer Savory when I visit my mom. You don't need it though as dill and tarragon are also very good.)
I served it simply with some leftover new potatoes (lightly browned in butter), carrots and swede It mad for a very delicious meal altogether. We all quite, quite enjoyed this.
I hope you will give it a go. It is sure to become a firm favourite in your house as well. As far as treats go . . . this did the job very well.
It's not low calorie, but . . . sometimes you just have to let go and enjoy without thinking about the consquences.
Rich and delicious. If you can make a cream sauce, this will be a doddle.
2 large fresh haddock or cod fillets, cut into 4 serving portions
3 TBS unsalted butter
3 TBS plain flour
340ml of milk (1 1/2 cups)
110ml of double cream (1/2 cup)
2 TBS Dijon mustard
1 tsp finely grated fresh lemon zest
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 TBS finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp summer savory, dill or tarragon leaves
150g of grated medium cheddar cheese (1 1/4 cups)
60g of crushed buttery cracker crumbs (1 cup)
olive oil spray
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/gas mark 5.
*A Gratin of Haddock or Cod*
Serves 4
Put
the milk and cream together in a saucepan. Heat only until bubbles
appear around the edges. Set aside. Melt the butter in another
saucepan. Whisk in the flour. Cook for two minutes and then slowly
whisk in the milk and cream mixture.
Whisk in the mustard and lemon
zest. Add salt and pepper to taste. Whisk in the Parmesan cheese and
whichever herb you are using.
Butter a square baking dish. Put the fish into the baking dish. Pour the sauce over top. Scatter the cheddar cheese over all.
Cover with the
cracker crumbs. Spritz with olive oil spray. Bake in the heated oven
for 45 to 50 minutes, until the fish flakes easily and the dish is
golden brown. Serve hot.
Today I baked Todd's favourite Jam Filled Scones. You know we love jam in this house . . . I make no secret of it, and I always have lots of it in the cupboard and refrigerator. I have several varieties that I prefer over others . . . Strawberry being my top favourite, followed closely by seedless raspberry and Blueberry. Cherry jam is also a real love of mine.
One thing that Todd and I are both really crazy about is Jam. We eat a lot of it here. I use it for baking and all sorts, and sometimes when we are both feeling really lazy we have nothing but bread and jam for a light supper. We both really enjoy it and it feels like a real treat. Especially if I have some crusty or homemade bread in the house!
My sister made this recipe that she found on Pinterest a couple of weeks ago and put a picture of it on her facebook page. It looked so good that I immediately wanted to try it myself. We love cabbage and potatoes in this house and the recipe incorporated both of those along with some onions, chicken pieces and bacon! If it's got bacon you just know it's going to be good!
We normally have our Sunday Dinner on Saturdays. Sundays I never have the time to cook a big meal. We spend half the day either getting ready for church or in church and then when I get home, I have phone calls to make to Canada, etc. so Sunday is usually catch as you can.
Saturday is the day I make us a Sunday type of dinner, complete with dessert. Today I treated my husband with one of his favourites . . . the most hedonisticly scrumptious dessert ever . . .
Golden Syrup Dumplings. With lashings of vanilla custard. You just must have custard with a dessert like this . . . or at least Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. It's a given.
Rich, stodgy, and oh soooooo scrumdiddlyumptious!
Very "School Dinnerish!"
Imagine puffy little buttery dumplings . . . poached in a buttery golden syrup and brown sugar sauce . . . spooned all hot and scrummy into a bowl and then covered with lashings of warm vanilla custard.
I know . . . I oughta be ashamed of myself.
*Golden Syrup Dumplings*
serves 8
Printable Recipe
Quick, easy to make and oh so delicious! Lashings of custard or vanilla ice cream are a must!
7 ounces butter (3/4 cup plus 2 TBS)
8 ounces soft light brown sugar (1 cup packed)
4 ounces golden syrup, plus 2 TBS (1/2 cup plus 2 TBS)
400ml of milk (1 3/4 cup)
450ml of water ( 2 cups)
500g of self raising flour (3 1/2 cups plus 2 TBS )
Put the water, half of the butter, all of the sugar and 4 ounces of the golden syrup into a large wide pan. Bring to the boil and then reduce immediately to a simmer.
Warm the milk just a little bit. Place the flour and remaining butter in a food processor and pulse until it resembles bread crumbs. Whisk the warm milk and 2 TBS of syrup together. Add to the flour mixture and blitz until it comes together.
Bring the liquid back to the boil and drop in dessertspoon size pieces of the dough. Turn the heat down to a simmer again and gently cook for 10 minutes, turning the dumplings gently a few times. You may need to do them in a few batches, so that they don't stick together. Just scoop out the first lot with a bit of the syrup, and place into a baking dish,covering with foil. Keep warm in a very slow oven while you cook the rest. Serve warm, spooned into heated bowls along with lashings of vanilla custard! (Vanilla ice cream is also nice.)
Note: Golden Syrup is very similar to corn syrup but has more of a caramel type of flavour. You could use light corn syrup and add about a teaspoon each of both butter and vanilla extracts for extra flavour.
I've been collecting the Waitrose Recipe Cards for years now. Every month they used to put new ones out and I would dutifully collect the ones that looked delicious to me. I haven't collected them much since I moved back to Chester, but every once in a while I like to dig them out and make something from one of them. Today it was this quick and easy dessert made with blueberries. You all know how much I love them!
I have always been a foodie. When I was really young my mom used to give me her old magazines and I can remember clipping recipes from them. I can still tell you how very delicious a slice of her lemon meringue pie was . . . yellow and transparent, covered in a seemingly mile high pile of sweet and sticky meringue . . . this remembered from lunch time when I was about 8 years old. She used to make my brother a small bowl of lemon pudding instead of pie because she didn't think pastry was good for wee ones . . . and it probably wasn't.
I have made no secret on here of my love of lemons. It's very clear that I can't get enough of them! Todd . . . well, he says lemon is not his favourite thing, but that fact doesn't seem to stop him from indulging in my cakes and cookies . . . it is my dream to have a lemon tree, filled to overflowing with lovely organic and unwaxed lemons . . . sigh . . .
One of the tastes I have come to really enjoy over here is Golden Syrup. A pale thick amber coloured syrup, it is a form of inverted sugar syrup, made in the process of converting sugar cane juice into sugar. Oh, it is soooo scrummy and has a lovely caramel like, almost buttery flavour.
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