The Toddster grew up during the War years.  He was born just before the beginning of WW2, and was only 7 years old when it finished.  His mom was a very traditional cook, and of course there was rationing for all of his growing up years.  He has very fond memories however of the dishes his mother made.  He especially loved her meat puddings.


When I talk about a meat pudding here I am not talking about a sweet pudding, but a very delicious steamed savoury pudding, stogged full of meat and gravy.  Some might think it a bit stodgy . . . but then again dishes which were popular during those years were designed to fill em up with less meat and more stodge.



Todd was longing for a meat pudding and so I did a search online to see if I could find a good one.  I found a fabulous one on BBC GoodFood.  It was called Beef, Ale and Parsnip Pudding and it looked fabulous!

Since it was my first time making a meat pudding, I followed the recipe exactly this first time.  It was very easy to do.  I think just about anyone could do it.  The only change I made was to substitute half of the beef suet for grated cold butter.



It was fabulously delicious!  I quite liked it myself, and Todd was in Meat Pudding heaven!  The gravy was rich and wonderful.  The pastry was nice and crisp, and the meat so tender.   Unlike the BBC recipe, I also cooked the filling the day before and chilled it overnight.  I didn't feel right about adding a hot filling to the pastry.   It worked beautifully.

I served it simply with some boiled potatoes and a mix of savoy cabbage, leeks and cavolo nero.  It went down a real treat!  Todd can't wait until he gets the leftovers tomorrow!


Butter a sheet of baking parchment generously.  Fold a large pleat in the centre.  Lay, butterside down, on top of the pudding.  Cover with a pleated layer of foil.  Tie with a string, making a loop that you can use to life the pudding out with at the end. 

Sit a small trivet or a large cookie cutter in the bottom of a deep saucepan which is large enough to easily hold the pudding basin.  Half fill the pan with water and bring to the boil.  Lower in the pudding.  Cover the pan tightly and simmer for 2 hours, topping up the pan with boiling water as necessary.

At the end of that time, reheat the cooking liquid, bubbling it down until you have reduced it to a delicious gravy.  Carefully lift the pudding out of the basin.  Run a knife around the rim and then turn it out onto a plate.

Serve cut into wedges along with some of the gravy and some cooked greens if you wish.


This is really, really, REALLY nice!  If you can't find parsnips you can use carrots or another root vegetable that you enjoy.

Bon Appetit!

You just can't beat having a delicious homebaked muffin for a great "Breakfast on the Go!"  Now that the school year has begun once more in earnest . . . those morning moments are all the more precious.  Breakfast being the most important meal of the day . . . it's also really important that you eat something which is substantial, fairly healthy and that will help to keep you going until at least coffee break time!


Children have early morning sports and club activities to dash off to, early morning buses to catch . . . mom and dad are trying to get everything sorted, showered and fed before they have to dash off to work . . . and the list goes on and on.  It soon becomes far much easier to pick up a donut at the coffee shop on the way in, or feed the hungry babes with a pop tart or other equally as chemical and additive filled portable "breakfast" goodie.  Not good . . . they might taste good . . . but they are just not good for you.


Wholesome and hearty muffins, baked with natural ingredients are a delicious and healthier alternative to a fast food breakfast sandwich or other "quick" choice.   Taste tempting muffins such as these fabulous ones shown here today . . .

Muffins made with whole grains . . . fruit, not a lot of fat, not a lot of sweetening . . . filling and tasty nonetheless . . . and reasonably sized, not gargantuan.  A muffin is supposed to be a muffin . . . not a cake baked in a muffin tin.


Breakfast on the go.  Portable goodness.  Very easy to bake ahead and freeze, and then just take out as and when you are wanting something quick, and wholesome . . . and filling.  This will put some lead in your pencil and help to get you and your family through the morning without  finding yourself hungry again half an hour down the road, and so starving by elevensies that you grab something very bad for you like a candy bar or a bag of crisps . . .

I used to have my own coffee shop years ago . . . and these tasty little babies were one of the most popular muffins on the menu.  You can substitute mild molasses for the maple syrup if you wish, and other dried fruits for the sultanas . . . if sultanas are not to your taste.

The low fat buttermilk makes them moist . . . sweetened naturally with some maple syrup and muscovado sugar . . . whole bran cereal and unbleached plain flour . . . naturally sweet sultanas, high in fibre and low in fat.   These are my breakfast winners!  (Sans the butter, of course!!  What can I say . . . I felt like indulging myself this morning . . . I can sometimes be quite naughty.)


*Everyday Maple, Bran and Sultana Muffins*
Makes 12 medium muffins
Printable Recipe


I like my Bran Muffins chock full of raisins, but feel free to subsitute other dried fruits such as blueberries, cranberries or chopped apricots or dates. 
Moist and delicious muffins!  Not too sweet.  I bake these and then store them in the freezer.  Then I take them out, one or two at a time and just reheat them for a few seconds in the microwave.


375ml of low fat buttermilk (1 1/2 cups)
2 large free range eggs
4 TBS unsalted butter, melted
60ml of sunflower oil (1/4 cup)
60ml of pure maple syrup (1/4 cup)
50g of all bran cereal (about 1 1/2 cups)
225g of raisins (1 1/2 cups)
100g of plain flour (1 cup)
30g of wheat or oat bran (1/2 cup)
50g of soft light brown muscovado sugar (1/4 cup packed)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
50g of toasted chopped walnuts, or pecans (1/2 cup) (optional)


Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.  Butter a standard sized  12 cup metal muffin tin(2 1/2 inch diameter cups) really well, including the top of the pan.  Set aside.


Combine the buttermilk, butter, eggs, oil, maple syrup, bran cereal and raisins in a large bowl.  Set aside for 5 to 10 minutes to soften the bran and plump the raisins.

Whisk the nuts (if using), flour, wheat bran, sugar, baking powder, soda and sea salt together in another bowl.  Make a well in the centre and add the liquid mixture.   Fold together just to moisten.  Divide the batter between the muffin cups, filling them just level with the edge of the pan.  Bake in the centre of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are golden brown, well risen and spring back when lightly touched.  A toothpick should also come out of the centre clean.  Don't overbake.  Allow to sit in the pans for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.  Serve on the day, or freeze in air tight containers for up to 3 months.  (Reheat for about 30 seconds in the microwave when you are ready to eat.)
Bon Appetit!

 

I've always been a great fan of chocolate and nuts together. When I was a child we always got a big box of Black Magic Chocolates given to us every Christmas time.    Next to the caramel ones, the chocolate covered nuts were a real favourite with everyone . . . with each of us vying to try to get our dibs in first.  Usually though my mom got there before any of us.  My dad got the cherries, my mom the nuts . . . and we children were left  to squabble over the caramels.  Nobody wanted the coffee flavoured ones.   Rank does have it's privileges . . .

 

 Do you know what today was? (Thursday as I write this.) Torture Todd with pasta day!  Yes . . . every once in a while, I have a day  in my kitchen, where I play Torture the Toddster with Pasta.  He hates pasta.  I love pasta.  Now and again I just have to have my fix.  He doth protest somewhat . . . but meh . . . you can't have things your own way all of the time can you?

These Quick Drop Danish are fabulously delicious breakfast buns that I have made over and over through the years.  I think that the recipe originally came from Bisquick, but I have adapted it to use my own homemade baking mix and it works beautifully that way.  (Recipe for both the buns and the mix below)

I made a nice Macaroni and Cheese for supper one night at the weekend and had a bit extra mac and cheese that didn't fit into the casserole dish.    I hate waste and so I decided to do what any who loves to cook, loves to eat and hates waste would do.  I created something tasty with it.  Don't shoot me because once you see this, your life will never be the same again. 💕  Sorry about that!

Meet the Grilled Mac, Cheese and Pancetta Sandwich.    I know . . . I can't help it, the wheels in my culinary head are always turning.


I can't claim to have invented this . . . but it's new to me.  If you've already done this, I haven't stolen your recipe.  We are just great minds that think alike!  (What a fab idea to think that the world is filled with great minds thinking alike!)  They say there is nothing new under the sun, only new ways of doing things.   I expect that is true.


This is so tasty   . . . yes . . .  more than  tad bit hedonistic to be sure.  But once in a blue moon a gal just has to do what a gal has to do . . . and as you know by now I like to push the envelope a tad bit now and then.

Each bite brings the taste of buttery toasted bread |(Garlicky if  you have used garlic mayo instead of butter), salty crisp pancetta and creamy peppery macaroni and cheese!  WOWSA!  This was FABULOUS!

I was too afraid to eat the whole thing.  My arteries were constricting just thinking about it so I tortured the Toddster with half of it.  He seemed to enjoy it as well.   Now I am pondering what else I can do to this to take it even further over the top. Any ideas???  (I think some rocket/arugula would be a nice addition.  Next time!!)


My instructions and amounts are for one sandwich, but can easily be upped to more.  I used my homemade macaroni and cheese for this, before it was baked in the oven.  I just removed about a cup of it and then put the rest into the casserole dish to bake a bit later on.  
2 slices good white bread 4 slices of pancetta, cooked until crisp softened butter or garlic mayo about 1 cup of prepared good macaroni and cheese
a small handful of grated cheddar cheese Fresh ground black pepper

Note:  If you really want to be hedonistic, you can brown them in the fat leftover from cooking the pancetta.  I'm not going to admit to this.  ;-)

You can find a really good Mac & Cheese recipe here. 

When I first moved over here twelve years ago . . . there were some things that you just couldn't find. Things like Betty Crocker cake mixes, Marshmallow Fluff,  and Skippy Peanut Butter, amongst other things.  You never know what you will miss until you can't have it any more . . .

 

Over those years I have had to learn to adapt some of my favourite recipes to use other ingredients that are available over here . . . but there were still some things that you just couldn't adapt no way . . . no how.  I used to bring back oodles of stuff each time I went over to Canada to visit my family.  Todd used to do a lot of moaning about that . . . but I just reminded him of how he would feel if he couldn't get marmite anymore!

 

Some days you just want a cookie . . . or biscuit as they are called over here.  That inner child in you just crys out for something sweet . . . something which feels like a reward.
A tasty treat that is equally at home with a glass of cold milk . . . or with a cup of something hot, for dunking . . .

The people at debbie & andrews recently sent me a package of their new Buttered Onion & Mustard sausaged to try and so I created a delicious supper dish with them that celebrates not only the flavour of these delicious sausages but also lovely autumn flavours. 

 Serves 4.
Printable Recipe


2 apples, peeled, cored and cut into wedges
(I like to use Granny Smith because they hold their shape well and have a lovely tartness
2 TBS whole grain Dijon mustard
2 TBS runny honey
a good splash of cloudy apple juice
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.  Put the sausages onto a baking tray along with the apple wedges.

Whisk together the mustard, honey and apple juice.  Pour over the sausages and apples, tossing to coat all over.

Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, shaking stirring now and then to prevent sticking.

While the sausages are baking place the squash and sweet potatoes into a lightly salted pan of boiling water to cover.  Bring back to the boil, then cover and simmerto 15 minutes until tender.  Drain well and return the vegetables to the hot pan.  I then placed the pan back over low heat and mashed them until they dried out a bit.  I stirred in a knob of butter and a good seasoning of salt and pepper. 

Serve a generous scoop of mash piled with two sausages, some apples and some of the sticky pan juices to each lucky person.



 Note - I was sent a pack of sausages free of charge but not required to write a positive review. (Many thanks to debbie & andrew's!) Any opinions are my own. I quite simply like these sausages and they are always my sausage of choice.  I use them all the time.  My favourites are the Harrogate 97% and the Cumberland.  These were lovely too.

If you are looking for a first course this holiday season that is not only simple and quick to make but delicious as well you need look no further.  Curried Harvest Bisque is a fabulously tasty soup!  Simple ingredients . . .  butternut squash, chicken stock, butter, flour and single cream with a few bits and bobs combine beautifully to create a wonderful soup with not a lot of fuss involved.