I confess I am really, really fussy about the tuna I buy however.  I only ever buy Albacore . . .  white tuna, sustainably sourced. I know it costs a bit more than normal tinned tuna, but it is worth every penny in flavour.  It just tastes sooooo much better than the cheap stuff.  This is a case where you really do get what you pay for.



We humans are such funny creatures.  We will think nothing of paying 3 or 4 pounds for a pound of minced beef, but when it comes to a tin of tuna we balk at spending 3 pounds for that!


 A tin of tuna goes just as far when properly prepared and you don't pour half it down the drain, and let me tell you . . .  a tin of solid pack Albacore white tuna in spring water is worth every little penny!  Trust me on this.  That same Italian Nonna told me to only ever buy blunt nosed carrots.  She said they were sweeter, and once again she was right.  You have to trust those Italian Nonna's.  They know what they are talking about!


Back to the tart. This is such a simple bake and really won't heat your kitchen up that much.  The bake time in total is only about  10 to 12 minutes.  And it is sooooo good!  Simple and good!


The crust is made from baking mix and boiling water, which gives you something almost like a bread, but there is none of the waiting for rising etc.  I use my own homemade baking mix, which works very well.  You can find that recipe here.
 


You just roll it out and make a rim and bake it for a few minutes until golden and then top with the tuna melt mixture some sliced tomatos and cheese slices and then bake it for a few minutes longer.  This is absolutely delicious!  A salad on the side and dinner is served.  Your family will think you slaved all day! Kids love this easy bake!


Remove the crust from the oven. Spread the tuna mixture over top thinly, covering it completely. Top with the tomato and cheese slices in a decorative manner.  Return to the oven for 3 to 4 minutes to melt the cheese.  Cut into wedges to serve.  Serve hot.

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!