Roast chicken. It has to be a favourite meal, and has become even more so since I decided I was only ever going to buy organic, free range, corn-fed chicken. Of course with there only being two of us in this house, the cost of it doesn't matter all that much because even a small chicken is going to go a long way, but with proper planning, any chicken can go a long way, so it really will pay for itself in the long run, and the flavour really is much better than ordinary chicken. Seriously.
I would rather eat chicken a little less often and have it taste like a chicken should taste. This is a decision we both made together and one we have not regretted. This chicken was delicious. It was the first time I have roasted a free range, organic, corn-fed chicken and the taste was fabulous.
The meat was succulent and flavourful. It is quite obvious to me that chickens that are allowed to play and run around just taste better. I don't want to eat chicken that has been fed other chickens . . . I want to eat chicken that has been fed a grain based/vegetarian diet . . . not pumped full of hormones and anti-biotics.
I gave it a very simple treatment. I really did want to know for sure if this was going to taste better and if it would be worth the added expense. It got a simple rub of herbs and butter, with a bit of lemon . . . and then I stuffed it with an onion, rolled in those same herbs, the spend lemon and a knob of butter.
It was roasted in a moderate oven for a time, lightly covered and basted every 20 minutes or so, and then finally roasted uncovered so that it could brown to a lovely golden brown. We were so happy with the results. We had a dinner of tender flavourful chicken, perfectly cooked and a gravy that was to die for. You can't lose. Plus there were leftovers, for another dish and of course bones for a tasty and healthy chicken soup.
*A Simple Roast Chicken*
Serves 4
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3 TBS butter, softened
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Have ready a roasting dish large enough to hold the chicken with ample room around the sides.
Mix together the salt, pepper, thyme, parsley, sage, rosemary, and onion and garlic powders. Peel the onion and cut it in half. Roll it in the spice mixture and set aside. Rub the chicken all over with 2 TBS of the the butter. Rub the remainig herb mixture over the entirety of the chicken. Place in the roasting dish. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze it over all. Reserve the lemon halves. Place the remaining TBS of butter into the cavity of the chicken. Stuff in half the onion, half the lemon, half the onion and then finally the remaining half of the lemon. Cover lightly with aluminium foil and then place into the heated oven. Roast covered for 1 hour, basting every 20 minutes or so. At the end of that time, uncover and roast for a further 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown and the juices run clear when pierced with a knife. Remove from the pan to a heated platter, lightly tent with foil and allow to rest for 15 minutes while you make gravy if you want gravy.
Cut into slices to serve, along with any vegetables you have prepared and gravy, if desired.
I made a delicious Sage & Onion Bread Stuffing to serve with it. We love this homemade stuffing! You can't get much better than sage and onion!
225g fresh soft white bread crumbs (8 slices, 1/2 pound)
salt and black pepper to taste 
Of course you can use this method to roast a normal ordinary chicken and it will still taste good. But I have to say that the cornfed one we had was heavenly. Tune in tomorrow to see what I made with the leftovers! Bon Appetit!
I do get sent the most delightful things! Nick from Chewy Moon asked me a week or so ago did I want to review their snack boxes for children and I said sure! Chewy Moon is a wonderful concept, a healthy snack box for children and it gets delivered to your front door every single week. When I was a child I loved to get mail so I can imagine how thrilling it would be as a child to get one of these in the post, every single week! And as a mom, I know how much I would like that it was filled with healthy goodies for my child!
What a wonderful alternative to the high fat, high sugar content of most snacks which are available out there for children.
The packaging is very clever and very entertaining. Bright and colourful and cutesy. Very child friendly. The subscription box costs £4.99 a week. Before you can get snacking,
however, you have to pop online for a short questionnaire. Simply tell
the clever Chewy Moon people your child’s age, activity levels, body
type, hobbies and interests and rate individual snacks online. That way,
the nutritionists behind the site know exactly what your child likes
and dislikes and they can put together a box that your kids will
definitely love.
Each Chewy Moon box comes with five separately packaged snack boxes –
all of them with a different and fun design. They are the perfect size
for your handbag if you have kids that always get hungry on a day out.
But, of course, you could also pop them in their lunchbox or keep them
in your snack cupboard for an after school treat. This would be my option of choice. Kids are always feeling ravished when they get in from school.
Each box includes a fun activity pack for your kids. Mine included a pop out card character in the shape of Ninja Newt. Your child can put colect and these together themselves. There was also a fact card on geograpy (I think these vary from pack to pack, so also collectible and educational), a postcard and a little comic book type of thing, plus what looks like collectible trading cards. What fun little extras!
The whole box is designed to fit through your letter box, so no waiting around for it to arrive, or messing about asking the neighbors to take it for you. You get to rate the snacks, to build up a profile of which your child
does and doesn’t like for future boxes. Each box currently costs £4.93
including 98p P&P, but you can get your first box free.
You select between fruit box, variety box or savoury box and you can
order for multiple children. The boxes are delivered weekly and you may
cancel your subscription at any time. This is a very competitive price in my opinion. I think it is a win/win option all around. Healthy snacks for the kids, decent pricing, and they taste good. I got Tuttie Fruit, Freaky Fruits, Crazy Crunch, Strawberry Munch and Cheeky Monkey snacks in my box and they were all really tasty. The snack choices range from chocolate to fruity and everything in between! These come with brilliantly designed packaging, are healthy, tasty and really fun for children.
Two Thumbs Up!
Click here to find out more about Chewy Moon & to receive your first box for free.
Disclaimer: I was gifted this box of Chewy Moon snack for free in exchange for an open & honest review. Any opinions are my own entirely.
The Toddster is a real meat and potatoes man. I could serve him meat and potatoes every night of the week and there would be no complaints from him!
He loves a pork chop more than anything else. We aren't real big eaters of red meat, but when it comes right down to it, if he had his choice, he would pick a pork chop over a steak every time!
I, on the other hand, would rather have a steak. With a baked potato and a salad on the side. That is my heaven.
This is a beautiful one dish bake that is perfectly sized for two people.
Layers of cabbage, potato, green beans are put into a baking dish, and then topped with pan browned chops. Apple juice is poured over all . . .
You then cover it tightly and bake it for a time . . . uncover, sprinkle with buttered bread crumbs and bake it for a little while longer to brown the crumbs.
The end result is flavourful, fork tender pork chops . . . succulent. I like to use old fashioned bone in chops . . .
I use frozen whole green beans and this keeps them from over cooking too much. They are just right. I cut my potatoes about 1/4 inch thick. They absorbe the meat juices and the apple juice, and that cabbage at the bottom . . . wow
I adore cabbage and do does Pork. Pork and cabbage are beautiful partners. The whole dish, with everything put together is simply marvelous! Whenever I cook this, Todd is one very happy camper!
*Autumn Pork Chop Dinner*
Serves 2
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/gas mark 4. Have ready an 11-inch by 7-inch by 2-inch deep baking dish.
Heat the oil in a skillet. Dust the chops with salt, black pepper, sage and thyme. Brown on both sides in the skillet.
Toss the cabbage together with the brown sugar and parsley. Spread out in the bottom of the baking dish. Season with a bit of salt and black pepper. Top with the potato slices. Season with a bit of salt and black pepper. Scatter the green beans over top and then lay the pork chops on top of everything. Pour the apple juice over all. Cover tightly and then bake in the oven for 45 minutes until the pork chops and vegetables are tender. Uncover. Mix together the bread crumbs and melted butter. Sprinkle over top. Return the baking dish to the oven and roast for a further 15 minutes until golden brown.
Quantities can very easily be doubled or tripled to feed more. I think you are really going to love this if you make it. In fact, if you like pork chops and cabbage, you are going to adore this! Bon Appetit and Happy Autumn!
Ever since I conquered my first loaf of perfect white bread I have been keen to branch out and try something else. I wanted to really master the white loaf first.
I have made it every week for about a month now and it has turned out lovely each time. Today was the day, I felt, for something completely different.
Back home I always loved the Cinnamon Swirl Raisin Bread you could buy at the shops. I wondered if I could replicate it.
It was lovely with a cinnamon flavoured dough . . . studded with sticky raisins and then a swirl of cinnamon inside so that when you cut into it you got a nice cinnamon swirl through every slice.
I used the basic recipe for the perfect white bread but added some ground cinnamon, some vanilla and lots of raisins to the recipe. As you can see it rose beautifully.
I tried not to overdo it with the raisins and they all stayed inside the loaf so we did not end up with any burnt raisins sticking out here and there.
I was happy about that. When I was ready to shape it, I patted it out, spread it with butter, topped it with some brown sugar and cinnamon and rolled it up tightly.
I don't think that I actually needed the butter, the cinnamon and brown sugar would have probably worked well in any case.
I don't think that I actually needed the butter, the cinnamon and brown sugar would have probably worked well in any case.
But it did make the filling a bit gooey, which was nice also. This is an almost to the end piece that you are looking at . . .
I can promise you it is a lot more swirled in the centre of the loaf than what you see here, and it is absolutely flipping gorgeous toasted!
*Cinnamon Swirl Bread*
Makes 2 loaves
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 TBS unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into bits
150g raisins (1 cup)
3 TBS melted butter, for brushing
For the swirl:
softened butter for spreading
200g soft light brown sugar ( 1 cup, packed)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
Dissolve the yeast in the 178ml (3/4 cup) of warm water, stirring. Let sit for 5 minutes. Add the remaining water, vanilla, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, sugar, salt, room temperature butter and 625g (5 cups) of the flour, and the raisins, stirring to combine. Using a wooden spoon stir in the remainder of the flour a little bit at a time until the dough is soft and tacky, but not sticky. Continue to knead until a soft ball of dough forms that clears the side of the bowl. This will take about 10 minutes. Not a problem. Just put some music on that you love listening to and lose yourself in the music as you knead. Shape into a smooth ball and place in a lightly greased bowl. Cover with a clean tea towel and set aside in a warm draft free place for 45 minutes to 1 hour until the dough has doubled in size. A finger inserted into the dough should leave a hole that doesn't fill back in. Tip out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently press all over to remove any air pockets.
Divide the dough into two. Pat each half into a 9 by 12 inch rectangle. Spread each half with softened butter. Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle half over each loaf, leaving a border around the edges. Working from the short edge, roll tightly into a cylinder. Pinch any seams shut and tuck in the ends. Generously grease two 9 by 5 inch loaf tins. Place the cylinders of dough into them seam side down. Cover loosely and place into a draft free place to rise, once again until doubled in size. 30 to 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Place the oven rack to its lowest position in the oven.
Brush
the loaves with some melted butter. Bake in the preheated oven for 30
to 35 minutes, rotating it halfway through the bake time until the
loaves are golden brown all over and the bottom sounds hollow when
lightly tapped. Let stand for 10 minutes, tip out onto a wire rack and
turn right side up, brush with the remaining melted butter and allow to
cool completely before slicing. Store in an airtight container for up
to 4 days. Alternately it can be frozen for up to one month.
I put my had up and admit, I have come very late to the Pulled Pork party. It has been popular for a long time in North America and has gained in popularity here in the UK over the past several years.
I first had it about four years ago at my youngest son's home. He had made it in the slow cooker by pouring a can of DR Pepper over a pork roast and letting it simmer until it was falling apart. Shredded and mixed with BBQ sauce, it was quite good!
I confess however, I am not a great lover of shredded meat. It is a texture thing. I don't like long stringy strands of meat in my mouth.
It's partly texture and partly the fact that I am missing some of my back molars, which makes long strands very hard to chew. (Even spaghetti! I know TMI!!)
Truly authentic pulled pork is actually a barbecue dish, cooked for hours over a charcoal pit until it falls apart, ready to be easily shredded or ‘pulled’ apart to serve.
Most people don't have pits to cook their meat in however, so we must resort to cooking it in the oven. My heart longs to be able to try fire pit pulled pork, but this is the next best thing!
Rubbing your meat with a spicy mixture and letting it "marinade" in that mixture for a time prior to roasting it, is a great way to really get some fire pit flavour into the meat, and works a charm. I did this in the refrigerator.
You also don't want to use a really lean cut of pork. It would dry out too much during the long slow cooking in the oven.
You want a cut that
is succulent and that will fall apart beautifully. Pork shoulder is perfect for this use.
While the pork was roasting, I made a flavourful homemade BBQ sauce into which I inorporated some of the pork juices that are gathered during the roasting process.
This really adds another level of flavour to the finished product, but if you are feeling lazy, you can use a bottled BBQ sauce. I like Sweet Baby Rays. Paul Newman's is also very good.
As you can see I tend to leave the pork a bit chunky. I like it that way. (See above) Mixed with the sauce and served on soft white buns, it is absolutely wonderful.
You could also serve some coleslaw on this if you were truly wanting authenticity. I'll give you my recipe for a great version at the end.
On the day I served these I made homemade oven chips to have with the pulled pork.
I just cut some potatoes into thick wedges/strips and tossed them together with some garlic and onion salt, pepper and paprika and a bit of oil and then stretched them onto a large oiled baking sheet and roasted them in a very hot oven for about 20 minutes. They were great!
*BBQ Pulled Pork*
Serves 6
1/2 TBS dry mustard powder
1/2 TBS coarse black pepper
1 1/2 TBS coarse sea salt 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
To serve:
Soft white buns
Mix together all of the ingredients for the rub. Remove any rind and skin from the pork and discard. Leave a thin layer of fat. Rub the roast all over with the rub ingredients. Place on a plate and then refrigerate for several hours uncovered.
Preheat the oven to 150*C/300*F/ gas mark 3. Put the pork into a roasting pan with a small amount of boiling water. Roast in the oven, turning it every now and then for about 3 to 4 hours, or until the meat is basically falling apart.
While you are roasting the meat, make the sauce. Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a saucepan, stirring to dissolve the sugar over medim low heat. Simmer gently for about 10 minutes. Set aside.
When the pork is done, remove it from the oven. Place it on a plate, lightly tent and allow to rest for about 10 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of water to the roasting pan drippings. Cook over medium heat, stirring to deglaze the pan and get up any scrummy bits. Bring to the boil and reduce by half. Stir the mixture that is left into the BBQ sauce and reheat the sauce over low for about 5 minutes or so.
Place the pork into a bowl and pull the meat into chunks and shreds using two forks. Add half of the BBQ sauce and toss together to coat.
To serve spoon the pork mixture into white buns and pass any remaining sauce on the side. Pickles and closeslaw go very well with these.
*Creamy Coleslaw*
Serves 8 to 10
Serves 8 to 10
A deliciously cream coleslaw that has just the right amount of crunch and flavour! There is no sogginess here!!
10 ounces of white cabbage, trimmed, cored and very thinly cut
(about 1/2 of a medium cabbage)
5 ounces of carrots, peeled, trimmed and juilienned
(1 medium carrot)
4 inches of an English Cucumber, trimmed, seeded and cut into small dice
(Do not peel)
2 - 3 large dessertspoons of good quality mayonnaise
1 TBS of Dijon mustard
2 TBS white wine vinegar
1 tsp caster sugar
1/2 tsp celery salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 tsp onion powder
Place the vegetables into a large bowl. Whisk together the mustard, mayonnaise, white wine vinegar, sugar, celery salt, black pepper and onion powder. Mix well. Pour over the vegetables and toss to coat. Cover and chill for at least one hour before serving.
Note - the amount of mayonnaise you use depends on the cabbage, some cabbages take more mayonnaise than others. It also depends on how creamy you like your coleslaw!
Whether you choose to have coleslaw with these or not, or oven chips or whatever . . . I think you will agree that these BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches are quite, quite delicious! Bon Appetit!
Today I decided to bake us a cake. I normally like baking a cake at the weekend. It seems the perfect time and as today was a rather blustery and rainy day, a delicious cake was just the ticket to make a gloomy day all the better.
I found a delicious looking recipe in a Tamasin Day Lewis cookery book of mine, entitled, "Supper for a Song." Its filled with lovely recipes that are economical and delicious. I think Tamasin is a fabulous cook and largely unknown outside of our borders. I have all of her cookbooks and they never fail to inspire me.
This book is one of my favourites, with decadent recipes and beautiful photographs. Not sure how economical some of the recipes are, but they are all taste-tempting at any rate and she does manage to squeak everything she can from a roast chicken.
We totally adore almond cakes . . . . cakes where they use some ground almonds to replace some of the flour. We love the density it brings to a cake . . . you grind the almonds yourself for this cake, marcona almonds . . . lovely and almondy. So fresh. If you don't have marcona almonds you could use any blanched almond, and in a pinch, already ground almonds, but you really need to try it this way once. Trust me on this.
We also totally adore jam in any way shape or form, and this cake has a beautiful glaze of jam. You can use whatever kind of jam you like. I used sour cherry today because that is what I had and cherry flavours go very well with almond.
The cake turned out to be a truly beautiful cake with a tender and moist crumb, just a bit dense . . . the jam gets warmed with a bit of water and spooned over the warm cake . . . it soaks in a teensy beensie bit and dribbles a bit over the edges. In short. Perfect.
*Jam Glazed Almond Cake*
Makes one 8 inch cake
Makes one 8 inch cake
the finely grated zest of one unwaxed lemon
Lashings of thick cream or ice cream would not go amiss with this. Nor would custard or ice cream. All are fabulous. I do hope you will bake this lovely cake. Its a real treat! Bon appetit!
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