Burger night tonight with Simpe Turkey Burgers.  Nothing fancy here, but so delicious, especially if you make the Cranberry Mayonnaise to go along with them!


Its a very easy burger mix . . .  just ground turkey, with a minced red onion, some minced parsley, salt, pepper and garlic.


Nothing fancy, but it doesn't need to be . . . more often than not, simple ingredients put together in the proper proportion and way taste utterly fabulous . . .  proof positive that there is no need to really complicate things!


Do make the cranberry mayo however . . .  it's just perfect with these tasty burgers, giving them just a little bit of extra oomph!


My turkey patties today were extra thin, and so melted Dutch Masaam cheese on top and layered them double decker style in the bun . . .



That cheese is so holey that two slices don't make up much more than one slice of cheese anyways . . .  just look at how delicious these look  . . .  I added some shredded lettuce on top of that delicious mayo . . . and with a bit of additional chopped red onion on top, these were nothing short of perfection!

 
1 large bunch of fresh parsley, washed, drained and finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
Mix all of the ingredients together and store in a covered container. Will keep for up to 1 week.



This delicious Cranberry Mayo is also fabulous on chicken or turkey sandwiches.  We just love it!   I served these with a  delicous Caesar salad on the side.  You can look forward to that recipe tomorrow! Bon Appetit!

And it doesn't have to be anything fancy either.  Delicious and sustaining is all it needs to be and this soup is exactly that.  

Delicious and sustaining. Did I mention it was delicious?  Let me tell you again. Delicious.

All you need is a jar of sauerkraut, some fresh veg, stock, tomato puree and a bit of smoked sausage and you have the makings of a deliciously simple dinner. 

In fact you could not get much easier than this. (or tastier!) Have I told you how delicious it is yet?

I always have smoked sausage in the house, but I am sure even hot dogs would work, or scraps of ham, or even bacon.  

Anything smoky . . . this is so simple to do and so flavourful . . .

Another thing I love about it is that cooking it doesn't heat up my whole kitchen.  That's a bonus in the summertime, and lets face it, there are days when you want more to eat than a salad or some other cold coalition . . . when you want something a tiny bit heartier. 


This tasty soup fits the bill on all counts. Hearty and economical.  Delicious.  You can't get much better than that.  Simple ingredients put together in a simple and easy way. I have never had anyone turn a bowl of this down.

Combine all of the ingredients in a large slow cooker, stirring to mix well together.   Cover and cook on high for two hours and then low for 6 to 8 hours.  Check to make sure the vegetables are tender.  If not you may need to cook it a while longer. Spoon into heated bowls to serve.



Another plus for us is the leftovers that are so easy to reheat the day after.  This is one of those things that the leftovers, if anything, taste even better!  This is so delicious it might even turn the most ardent sauerkraut hater into a lover of the same.  I hope you will give it a go!  It also makes a great midweek supper!  Bon Appetit!

This is  a delicious dessert to make when the blueberry bushes are just dripping with fruit. We are not quite there yet in our garden, but it won't be long now, so in the meantime I make do with what I can find in the shops.  They mostly come from Poland at this time of year, but in a few weeks time our own bushes will be filled with lovely berries.

When I first moved to England 17 years ago  I thought that I was never ever going to be able to have fresh blueberry anything ever again . . .You never know how much you will miss something until you don't think you can have it. Thankfully now blueberries have become quite common over here. To my way of  thinking . . . you can NEVER have too many blueberries.

They are considered to be one of the superfoods, being high in anti-oxidents and vitamins A & C, and fibre too. When you put them together with fresh peaches in a delicious low fat dessert like this one, well . . . you have a real winning combination!

Yes, I DID say low fat, and I really meant it. Low fat, with only 5g of fat per serving and high in fibre, this is a dessert that might be considered kind of good for you . . . that is until you pour the custard or cream over top . . . but . . .

We just won't talk about that.

This is an oldie but a goodie taken from the book Smart Cooking, quick and tasty recipes for healthy living by Anne Lindsay, one of Canada's favourite food writers. I've had this kicking around for eons . . .well at least 30 years anyways. (I know, I find it hard to believe I'm that old too!!) I topped mine with plain yoghurt and it was every bit as delicious as it would have been with cream, custard or even ice cream. Truth.

*Blueberry and Peach Crumble*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe


Not only is this delicious, but it is also very low in fat.  Serve it warm with custard or ice cream!


600g of peeled and sliced fresh peaches (6 cups)
200g   fresh blueberries (2 cups)
66g (1/3 cup packed) soft light brown sugar
2 TBS plain flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon

 Topping:
85g of quick cooking oats (1 cup)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
50g (1/4 cup packed) soft light brown sugar
3 TBS butter, softened


Preheat the oven to 180*C/ 350*F/ gas mark 4.


Place the fruit into an 8 cup casserole dish.  Combine the peaches, and blueberries in the dish.  Mix the flour, sugar, and cinnamon together in a bowl.  Add to the fruit, tossing lightly to mix.


Measure the topping ingredients in a bowl and cut in the butter with two knives or a pastry blender, until crumbly.  Sprinkle over top of the fruit mixture.  Bake for 25 minutes until the mixture is bubbling and the fruit is barely tender.  Serve warm or cold.


Note:  This can also be cooked in the microwave on high for 10 minutes, which makes for a really quick dessert.  (Even if I cook it in the microwave, I like to pop it in the oven for a few minutes to crisp up the topping.  Just my preference.)

You would be forgiven for thinking that these are Molasses Crinkle Cookies at first glance, but you would be completely wrong.  Although they might look quite similar in appearance, they are quite different, albeit just as delicious to munch on!



These are much larger for one thing  . . .  about 3 inches in diameter.  So quite big . . .


These are  also quite a bit softer . . .  chewy . . .  moreishly so . . . they use not one but two kinds of soft brown sugar, both the dark and light. If you don't like lumps of sugar in your cookies, sift the sugars. Myself, I am not opposed to small nuggets of  chewy, almost caramel-like sweetness studded here and there in my cookies.  But suit yourself . . .


They are aso sweetened with molasses as you can see from the title.  If you cannot get molasses and I appreciate that it is somewhat difficult to come by here in the UK, combine equal parts of dark treacle and golden syrup, 30ml of each should work.




They bake into beautiful big round dense and fudgy almost . . .  chewy wonderfully flavoured cookies that would not entirely be uncomfortable served with an ice cold glass of milk!!


The recipe only makes 16 rather large cookies, but upon tasting them you will be glad for that fact because, lets face it . . .  you will not be able to leave them alone and having any more than that would be sure to tip you over the edge into full on gluttonly.   They are nigh on impossible to resist!


 

130g granulated sugar for rolling and sprinkling (2/3 cup)

Cream together the butter and both brown sugars until light. (If you are opposed to lumps of sugar in your cookies, which I am not, seive the sugar first.) Beat in the egg, molasses and vanilla. Stir in the soda water.  Stir in the flour mixture until well combined.  The dough will be quite sticky.


Measure the granulated sugar into a bowl.  Scoop out dessertspoon measures of the dough and shape into ping pong sized balls. Drop into the sugar in the bowl and roll around to coat.  Place onto the baking sheet leaving plenty of space in between. You should be able to fit 8 cookies on each sheet.  Press down lightly with the palm of your hand until they are 1/2 inch thick.  Sprinkle with a bit more granulated sugar.


Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 10 minutes until puffed and beginning to crack, rotating pans halfway through the baking time.  Allow to sit on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes before scooping off onto a wire rack to cool completely.  Store in an airtight container.  


Will keep well for three days, not that you will have them around that long!



You are seriously about to fall in love.  You can thank me for these after . . .  Bon Appetit!

I have a really delicious recipe to show you here today that you are just going to love.  This is absolutely fabulous!  

One thing that North Americans find very confusing is that the British call cookies Biscuits.  In North America a biscuit is well, a biscuit!  A type of quick bread similar to a scone, but actually quite different.  I love biscuits . . . both the North American type and the cookie type!


I'm honest if nothing else.  I adore buttermilk biscuits.  So moist and light . . .  and these Peppered Buttermilk Biscuits are no exception.  They are buttery, moist and light!


I love the sparky addition of coarse black pepper to these.  You might think it would be over-powering, as there is a full teaspoon of it, but it is not overwhelming in the least.  Its just perfect.


Another thing  I like about this recipe is that it only makes six, which is the perfect amount for a small family like mine.  There are only two of us and so small amounts are what I prefer, unless we are having company.


These are equally at home nestled next to a warm bowl of soup, a stew or along side of a tasty salad, which makes them an all year around quick bread to enjoy!


They are nice served warm, of course  . . .  with lashings of butter melting down into that peppery tastiness  . . .




They do differ a bit than most biscuit recipes in that they use butter and not shortening or lard.  I am all for that.  I love butter. And it shows. Meh . . .


Oh well . . .  we all have our weaknesses and one of mine is butter . . . and biscuits  . . .  and chocolate . . . and fried chicken . . . ice cream  . . .  pie  . . .  I could go on and on, but you get the idea.


I just plain love to eat.  Guilty as charged!


Note - You can make these ahead on the day and keep at room temperature for several hours, reheating briefly in a 150*C/300*F/ gas mark 3 oven for 10 minutes, or in a micro-wave until just heated through, about 30 seconds on medium.





I was going to try to bake bread today, but it got so hot and humid and sticky I gave up on that idea, so I baked biscuits instead.  That's another thing biscuits are good for. They are a quick to make alternative to a loaf of bread.  Quick, easy,  and satisfying.  Bon Appetit!