This fits the bill perfectly. It pretty much cooks itself.  With just a bit of peeling and chopping, your work is pretty much done, and if you use frozen chopped onions and buy your meat already cubed, then it doesn't take long to throw together at all.

 
There is no browning on top of the stove.  You just put the meat, onions, garlic and seasonings into a casserole dish/roaster and bang it into a really hot oven for about 10 minutes. Your meat will have started to brown itself by then. There is no messing about and no fat spatter all over the top of your stove.


Everything else simply gets stirred in.  Cubed potato and swede, sliced carrots and parsnips.  A tin of tomato soup, some water, Worcestershire sauce and a small packet of cream of mushroom cup-a-soup . . .  dry.
 
You stir that all together, pop on a lid and then let the oven do the rest.  I find about 2 hours does the trick nicely, but have left it in even longer than that sometimes when I get super busy.  Just make sure it doesn't bake dry.  

 
The soups create a delicious thick gravy, the meat gets lovely and tender, the vegetables just right.  I like to serve this with buttered bread and pickles beets.  Oh boy but it is some good.


 
1 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
I like to serve bread with this for mopping up the gravy!


I've also heard this called Lazy Man's Stew.  Lazy or Easy, no matter what you call it, you and your family are sure to love this simple stew.  Bon Appetit!

 
One thing which I really love about autumn is that we start to want to eat soups, stews and casseroles and to move away from lighter eating.  Our bodies begin to crave heartier!  Heartier doesn't always have to equate with heavier, or calorie laden however!  This soup is a great example of hearty sustenance, yet light!

 
A simple mix of root vegetables are cut up and roasted in the oven with just a touch of oil to help to caramelize them a bit.  Roasting and caramelising vegetables really brings out their natural sweetness and earthiness in some cases . . .   Carrots and parsnips are especially suited to roasting.

 
Today I roasted parsnips, carrots, sweet potatoes, swede (rutabaga), red onions and shallots.  But you could use any combination of vegetables you like.  Butternut squash would also be lovely.   I scattered some herbs and seasoning over the veg before roasting.




Once that happens I use my stick/immersion blender and blitz them util they are smooth. You could also put the soup through a sieve to make the mixture really smooth.  I'm rather lazy so I just use the immersion blender. You could also use a regular blender or a food processor, but be careful to vent it by leaving off the cap of the blender and cover with a towel, holding it down.  Hot things tend to expand and explode under the pressure of blitzing in a completely closed container. The last thing you want is hot soup all over the kitchen or your skin!

 
You also don't want to be eating vegetable puree, so keep some additional stock that you can add to the finished soup to thin it out if you think it is too thick.  I like my soup thick, but not too thick!  I want it to be soup!

 
I always toast some bread croutons to float on top.  Because it is pretty much autumn now, I cut some buttered whole wheat/rye bread out with an oak leaf cutter, sprinkled it with some herbs/seasonings and toasted in a hot oven until they were crisp and golden.  Seriously tasty on top of soup and they look really nice too!

Heat 1 1/2 litres of the chicken stock in a saucepan.  Add the roasted vegetables and heat through.  Remove from the heat and, using an immersion blender, blitz until smooth.  Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.  If the soup is too thick, thin with the remaining chicken stock until you have the consistency you want.  Heat through again and serve hot, ladled into heated bowls or mugs.


Low in fat, high in fibre and vitamins, and easy on the pocketbook, this soup spells winner all round!  It is a really tasty way to get in some of your five a day! Serve some crusty bread or rolls on the side and nobody will be complaining!  Bon Appetit!

Today you are going to see something which you do not very often see in my kitchen.  CHOCOLATE CAKE!  And not just any CHOCOLATE CAKE, but a delicious CHOCOLATE MERINGUE CAKE!  Combining two of the things that the Toddster loathes . . .  chocolate cake and meringue.  ☺ I know  . . .  he's not normal!


This is a delicious flourless chocolate cake . . .  so it's great for those on a gluten free diet.  No leavening except for eggs and there are rather a lot of them, but no mind.  It was all in a good cause.  Too bad it wasn't fat free too, but alas, it is not . . .  there is butter and sugar in it too . . .  and lots of goooooooooood dark chocolate.



And that is just the base . . .  the meringue on top is loaded with plenty of chocolate as well, grated instead of melted . . .  and folded in.  That way you get a crisp shell . . .  with a marshmallow centre, stogged full of  lots of flecks of ooey gooey chocolate.


Decadent . . .  Tick.    Rich . . .  Tick.   Delicious . . . Tick.  Irresistable . . .  Tick.

Yes, this one ticks all the boxes.  This is a cake that will be very much enjoyed, by all . . .  well, maybe not by Todd, but meh . . . you win some you lose some. 😀 More for me.  



I find that frozen chocolate is easier to grate.  It doesn't melt in your hands.  Use the coarse side of a box grater.

This is the perfect cake for entertaining.  Decadent and delicious.  It will have everybody oohing and ahhing.  And Gluten free. What more could you ask for??  Fon Appetit!

This is a recipe I first posted about 8 or so years ago when I first started this blog.  I felt that it needed updating, and certainly needed better photographs than the original one I had.  That was very early on in my food blogging days, and I really didn't know what I was doing and I did not have a very nice camera.  Since then I have integrated things into the blog like posting dual measurements, for both North America and over here, and I must admit, much nicer photographs. At least I think they are!


I have to confess when I first heard the name of this British Pudding I was quite captivated. It sounded quite rude and I remember giggling rather nervously when someone mentioned it. It did rather intrigue me though. I suspect this is a rather naughty name given to it by rather naughty school boys.


Once I tasted it, I was truly smitten, and could well understand how this was one of Todd's favourite desserts, or puddings as they are lovingly referred to over here. My first taste of it was from a tin that we had bought at the local shops, which in no way compares to the real thing, made with your own little hands. Imagine a sweet, slightly stodgy but light dough studded with sweet currants, served up warm with lashings of lovely sweet custard . . . this truly is good.


I have also heard this pudding referred to as spotted dog and figgy duff. It's quite like a roly poly, studded with dried fruits, or in this case dried currants. By a roly poly I mean a sweet suet dough shaped into a sausage, wrapped and tied in greaseproof paper and then steamed until done.


Note - Alternately you can spoon the dough into a buttered pudding basin (medium sized).  Cover lightly with a sheet of pleated buttered greaseproof paper and secure with a string, then steam, covered, over simmering water in the top of a double boiler for the same length of time.



*Proper Custard*
Makes about 3 cups
Printable Recipe


This is also known as creme anglaise. Be sure not to let the mixture boil once the eggs are added, or you wil end up with a curdled mess. You only need to heat it up enough to cook the eggs. The custard is ready when it coats the back of a wooden spoon.


8 egg yolks
75g caster sugar (a generous 1/3 cup)
300ml whole milk  (1 1/4 cup)
300ml double cream (1 1/4 cup)
1 vanilla pod, split


Beat the egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl until well blended. Place the milk and cream in a saucepan with the vanilla. Scrape the insides of the vanilla pod into the mixture before you add it. Bring the mixture just to the boil.


Pour a little of this mixture into the eggs to temper them, and beat it together well. Pour this back into the pan and whisk together. Return to the heat and using a whisk, lightly stir until it begins to thicken. DO NOT BOIL.


As the egg yolks warm, the cream will get thicker and create a custard. Keep stirring until it coats the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat and pass through a fine sieve. Leave to cool a bit before using. Serve warm or allow to cool completely,stirring occasionally.
The dish was originally mentioned in Alexis Soyer's "The modern Housewife or ménagère", published in 1849, in which he described a recipe for "Plum Bolster, or Spotted Dick".  The name has long been a source of amusement or embarassed titters.  Whatever the case . . . its delicious and well worth the time and effort to make it.  Bon Appetit!

Today I get to show you what I did with some of my leftover roast chicken.  This is a combination that sounds quite different I am guessing.  It is a pie that my MIL used to make many moons ago.  Quite an unconventional filling, but very delicious.  I had been craving it for a long time, but had been quite unable to find the recipe!

 
Funny how it goes.  When you get divorced you often lose half your family and all things attached to that half of the family.  Not always, but often.  It was so in my case at any rate! This was a pie that I have been craving for at least 25 years now, but never thought I would ever taste again.  It's delicious.


I had done searches on line in every combination possible, but never come up with any results.  Then, the other day, I was going through my big blue binder and lo and behold . . .  there it was, in my own handwriting.  I had no idea that I had copied it down all those years ago, and I was thrilled to find it!
 
 
This pie has a triple layered crust.  Bottom, middle and top.  The crust is like a cross between a tea biscuit and a pastry . . .  and it is lightly flavoured with onion . . .

 
It puffs up nicely and has a beautiful buttery texture.  I could dine on the crust alone, its that good . . .  but the filling ups the ante because there is not just one tasty filling in it, but two!

 
You fill the bottom crust with a hamburger filling . . .  simple.  I use extra extra lean ground beef, browned with onions, and a few seasonings.  You then stir in half a tin of cream of chicken soup.  You cool it and then spread it on the bottom crust and then cover it with the middle crust.

 
On top of that middle crust goes a filling of shredded or finely chopped cooked chicken, mixed with the other half of the tin of soup, and some more seasonings.  You spread that all out to cover and then apply the top crust, tucking it in and fluting it all around . . .

 
A few slashes in the top to vent the pie and I brushed it with a bit of milk to give it a golden touch.  It really takes a negligible amount . . .  just a touch.  You then bake it in a moderate oven for 35 to 40 minutes  . . .  until the filling gets bubbling and that crust is golden brown.

 
Todd always likes mash with his pies, but really this would be quite filling and ample on its own with only a salad on the side and some vegetables.  I think you are really going to like this! 

 

Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes until golden brown and bubbling.  Serve hot,cut into squares.


If you have an abhorrence to using tinned soup, you can make your own substitution for this by making a simple sauce.

substitutes for one 295g (10 3/4 oz) tin
Printable Recipe 
 
Shake the milk and flour together in a jar until well mixed without any lumps.  Heat the chicken  broth together with the onion and garlic powders, salt and pepper and paprika in a saucepan.  Slowly whisk in the flour/milk mixture, whisking constantly. Continue to cook and whisk for a further 3 minutes or so.  Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.  This can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week if stored in an airtight container.

 
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.



1 small onion


 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.

Note - to make gravy.  Pour all of the juices into a measuring jug.  Remove 2 TBS of the fat to a saucepan and discard the rest.  Add some boiling water to the roasting tin and scrap up any sticky bits and add to the remaining juices in the measuring jug.  You should have 450ml or 2 cups.  Heat the fat in the saucepan.  Whisk in 2 TBS of plain flour.  Cook, stirring for 2 minutes.  Whisk in the reserved juices/water, whisking constantly and cooking until the mixture bubbles and thickens.  Cook for several minutes to cook out any flour taste.  Taste and adjust seasoning as 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!

 
Note - One potato mashed can be stirred into the bread crumbs along with the onion and then you have Bread, Sage & Onion Stuffing.  This is as my mother always made it.


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!