Oh, I do love a good lasagne. Oftimes we will sto ourselves from making it as it can be a somewhat complicated dish, but this simple lasagne can be whiped u any time and what I love most about it is the simplicity of flavours. A simple tomato sauce, layered with bechamel and cheese . . . amongst sheets of pasta, and baked until golden. It is so good. And it is the simplicity of the flavours which make it even more delicious.
I think one of my very most favourite ingredients to work with has to be lemon curd. Well, actually one of my very favourite things to eat is Lemon Curd. I could eat it right out of the jar with a spoon. Yes . . . I am a glutton!
Lemon and Ginger are one of those flavours that go together just like peas and carrots. I would say jam and peanut butter, but that is not a combination they seem to like over here in the UK. The Toddster says we might as well eat fish and custard as eat peanut butter with jam. I guess it's a cultural thing!
Even though it's Winter and it's cold . . . I still find myself longing for the salad days of summer . . . there are some days when stodge just doesn't cut the mustard. I want lettuce, and I want it now!
Sadly there is a bit of a shortage of lettuce (and other veg) just at the moment with all of the bad weather they have had in Spain. Thankfully I was able to get a lovely head of Cos lettuce to make this. Whew!
I love fresh salads made with lovely fresh tomatoes and other salad vegetables, but in truth . . . the tomatoes at this time of year are decidedly anemic looking and tasting! There is no salvaging them!!
Instead, I choose to use fresh fruit. It adds beautiful colour, texture and flavours to my salad. eating apples and pears . . . the fruits of winter . . . along with some sweetly chewy dried cranberries, little jewels of colour . . .
Tossed together with some lovely cos (Romaine) lettuce . . . crisp and crunchy and slightly bitter . . . just perfect with the sweetness of the fruit . . .
Crunchy salty roasted cashew nuts . . . Creamy sweet nutty emmenthal cheese . . .
And a sweet and sour lemon and poppy seed dressing . . . homemade of course!
You get the tartness of the lemon combined with the sweetness of sugar . . . a little bite from some grated onion and the crunch of poppy seeds.
Oh, my . . . this is some good, and does the trick. I am happy . . . for now . . .
*Winter Fruit Salad with a Lemon and Poppy Seed Dressing*
Serves 6 to 8
Printable Recipe
A perfect blend of crunchy cos lettuce, sweet apples, pears and cranberries, salty cashew nuts and nutty emmenthal cheese, swathed in a tangy lemon and poppy seed dressing. Delicious!
1 pound of cos lettuce hearts, washed, dried and torn into bits
(Romaine lettuce, 16 ounces)
6 ounces emmenthal cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler (Swiss cheese)
150g of roasted salted cashew nuts (1 cup)
75g of sweetened dried cranberries (1/2 cup)
1 large eating apple, washed, cored and thinly sliced
1 large ripe pear, washed, cored and thinly sliced
For the Dressing:
95g of white sugar (1/2 cup)
125ml fresh lemon juice (1/2 cup)
2 tsp finely grated onion
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
150ml of salad oil (2/3 cup)
1 TBS poppy seeds
(This will make more dressing than you need, but you can store it in the refrigerator and
use it for other salads.)
To make the dressing, shake all of the dressing ingredients together in a large jar until emulsified. Set aside.
Toss the lettuce, cheese, nuts, cranberries, apple slices and pear slices together in a bowl. Divide amongst chilled serving plates. Give the dressing a good shake again and drizzle some of the dressing over the salads. Pass remaining dressing so that people can top it up as need be on their own salads.
Note - You can use an equivalent of artificial sweetener in the dressing if you like, or honey which works quite well.
Bon Appetit!
We have an Elder serving us here in the Chester Ward area at the moment from Australia. Elder Van Dyken. As you know I love to feed the missionaries and help them out whenever I can. Last Friday Elder Van Dyken and Elder Allen were sweet enough to bring us a meal because they knew that Todd might not be feeling well after his procedure on Thursday, and so I thought I would do something for them in return. I was always taught that you never give back a dish empty and so I decided to bake them some Azac Biscuits (cookies) in honor of Australia day which is on the 26th of January. (Today as you read this.)
I have been making my own chicken stock for as long as I can remember. Whenever we have the bones left from a roasted chicken I put them into a container in the freezer (if I am not going to use them right away). That way I have them at the ready to use to make a delicious stock and then soup whenever I need them. You can also use raw chicken backs and necks to make a stock, but there is a little bit more faffing required as you need to skim the broth frequently to remove any scum which rises to the top. I prefer to use the bones leftover from a roast chicken myself.
Here I am today with part two of yesterday back to the basics post with a delicious idea of what to do with your roast chicken leftovers. In all truth we eat a lot of chicken in this house and I have about a bazillion ways of dealing with it I am truly the Queen of Leftovers!
I don't think there is dish on earth that exemplifies home sweet home any better than a delicious roasted chicken. We love it in this house and we don't have it near often enough. Not only is it delicious, but its also economical as you are sure, with careful planning, to get at least three meals for your family from any good sized chicken.
I really, really like muffins. I really, really, REALLY like chocolate chip muffins, and not the double chocolate chip muffins, but the yellow buttery cake type of chocolate chip muffins.
This is an EXCELLENT recipe for those. It might look like a very basic muffin, and it is. Simple ingredients.
Simple to put together . . . but that is where simple ends because this muffin is anything but simple when it comes to taste.
Moist and buttery and stogged full of chocolate chips, this is the most delicious chocolate chip muffin you could ever want to eat.
So delicious its dangerous, but no worries there because it only makes six muffins.
Just enough for a small family like us, just the two of us.
You can double it if you wish, but if you are looking for a small batch recipe, that only makes a half a dozen muffins and is tremendously delicious . . . this IS the one for you!
I can't believe I am telling you this, but . . . true confessions here. I baked them this morning and have eaten two already.
These are dangerously good and now you know why I only bake six at a time. I cannot be trusted with any more than that. The simple truth.
*Small Batch Chocolate Chip Muffins*
Makes 6 medium muffins
(or 12 mini muffins)
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Line a six cup muffin tray with paper liners, or butter really well. Set aside.
Cream
together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg
and vanilla. Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder. Add to
the creamed mixture alternately with the sour cream,mixing just to
combine. Stir in the chocolate chips. Divide the batter between the
muffin cups, filling 2/3 full.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes
until well risen and golden brown. (9 to 12 minutes for mini muffins)
Remove to a wire rack and cool. Delicious served fresh and slightly
warm.
If you don't run right into the kitchen today and bake these I am warning you, you will be missing out on something really, really special. Bon appetit!
There are a few things I always keep on hand. One is a jar of Lemon Curd (I also make my own, but having a jar of ready made is a great store cupboard ingredient.) Another is frozen all butter puff pastry. The Lemon curd comes in handy for all sorts and the puff pastry is great for making impromptu tarts, or topping pies and one of my favourite things . . . for making these fabulously tasty breakfast pastries!
It doesn't take much to mak the Toddster incredibly happy. He's a simple man with simple tastes. Rice pudding does it for him every time. I am one of those cooks who can't leave well enough alone however . . . and today I just about outdid myself with this lovely version of rice pudding I created just for him. I had been sent a lovely jar of Manuka Honey a while back and I decided that it would be perfect for both sweetening and flavouring this delicious dessert.
I have been making my own granola since the mid 1980's. My next door neighbor used to make her own granola and she taught me how to make my own. I've been a huge fan ever since.
I hesitate to post this as a recipe, but it is just so darned simple and just so delicious that I cannot resist sharing it with you.
Invariably, if you are like me, the beginning of the week finds me wondering what I can do with the leftovers from the weekend roast dinner.
I do often make a hash or pot pies, and sometimes sandwiches . . . but every so often I like to shake things up a bit and do something different.
This week I had a craving for spaghetti. I know my husbandhates dislikes pasta intensely, but this pasta loving heart of mine just has to fill the craving from time to time.
This week I had a craving for spaghetti. I know my husband
I remembered something which I used to make when my kids were growing up that they always liked. Stove Top Spaghetti dinner. And I do confess . . . I always enjoyed it too.
I often used leftover roast beef or pork in this, but you could brown some ground beef and turkey in equal amounts and use that instead.
I don't think there would be any complaints either way.
It's a delicious way of disguising leftovers in such a way that the people you are serving it to forget completely that its leftovers they are eating!
You get to use up everything. They enjoy it. Its win/win all around!
You get a delicious sauce that the pasta actually cooks in, giving it even more flavour, chock full of lovely chunks of roasted meat . . . with only one cooking dish to wash at the end of it.
Of course slathering it with lots of cheese and serving it with garlic bread also adds to the curb appeal of this economical time saving meal.
My weekdays are always super busy and if I don't have to spend a lot of time putting together supper, then that's always a bonus! A salad on the side makes this complete.
*Stove Top Spaghetti*
Serves 4
Serves 4
I created this to use up leftover roast beef, but you can use browned ground beef, or turkey if you wanted to instead.Makes a little go a long way and it's delicious!
1 small jar of marinara sauce (1 1/2 cups)
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt and black pepper to taste
splash of hot pepper sauce
1 bay leaf
1/2 pound of uncooked spaghetti noodles, broken into bits
1 cup chopped leftover roast beef or browned ground beef or turkey
a handful of grated mixed mozzarella and cheddar cheese
finely grated Parmesan cheese
Put the beef broth and spaghetti sauce in a large skillet ong with the seasonings and the broken spaghetti. Stir to coat the pasta well.
Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook on low for about 15 minutes, stirring a couple of times. Stir in the cooked meat and cover again.
Let it cook for a further 5 minutes or so to heat through, adding a further 110ml (1/2 cup) of water if need be. Remove the pan from the stove.
Cover with the cheeses. Place lid on for another 5 minutes to melt the cheese and serve.
I am one very happy camper when I get to feed both my lust for pasta and my passion for preventing waste! When I can do both at the same time, I am an ULTRA happy camper. Bon Appetit!
Bangers and Mash have to be Todd's favourite meal of all time. He is a meat and potatoes man through and through. If both are on the menu then he is a very happy camper. He hasn't been feeling the greatest lately. Very, very tired. He is a very thin man to begin with and it is a struggle to keep the weight on for him. (I wish!) In any case I decided to make him a comfort meal consisting of Sticky Maple and Mustard Glazed Bangers with Irish Champ!
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