This is one casserole I make that Todd doesn't mind eating pasta in. Probably because it is off-set by plenty of broccoli, chicken and cheese!  And of course there is that tasty sauce!

 

This is a bit different than most chicken and broccoli casseroles out there in that you are not going to be using sour cream, mayonnaise or creamed soup.  Everything here is totally un-processed and I might add very yummy!

 

I use whole wheat pasta because I am a type 2 Diabetic and whole wheat pasta is more diabetic friendly and considered a healthy carb, or low GI.

 

I also tend to use low fat cheese and milk in this. There are plenty of other flavours going on that you won't miss the full fat versions of anything.  Trust me on this.

 

But of course, if you are not bothered about fat, calories or glucose, by all means use full fat ingredients and regular pasta!

 

Myself, I am rather fond of it just the way it is.  I quite like whole wheat pasta.

 

The sauce is very simple . . .  a simple bechamel, cream type of sauce, flavoured with garlic and Dijon mustard.  There are also some herbs, seasoning and of course cheese.  Don't be tempted to use the already grated cheese.  They add a starch to it to keep it from sticking together and you won't get the same velvet  texture to your sauce. I always grate my own for just this reason. This time I did use a mix of white and orange cheddars, mostly for colour.

 

 

Preheated the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.  Butter a large shallow casserole dish.  Set aside. 

Cook the pasta according to the package directions to al Dente, adding the broccoli florets the last two minutes of cooking time. Drain well and rinse. Toss together with the  chicken in a bowl. 

Melt the butter in a saucepan.  Add the garlic and cook stirring over medium low heat without browning until quite fragrant.  Whisk in the flour and Dijon mustard.  Slowly whisk in the milk.  Cook, whisking constantly until the mixture bubbles and thickens.  Whisk in the paprika, parsley flakes and Italian herbs.  Stir in 3/4 of the cheese and stir to melt. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.  Pour this mixture over the broccoli and chicken, tossing together to coat.  Pour into the prepared baking dish and scatter the remaining cheese over top. 

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until heated through and bubbling.  Let stand 5 minutes prior to serving.

 

A few notes: 

 

I usually use This Recipe for poaching my chicken and I poach it the day before I am going to use it.  You can also use leftover cooked chicken.  I often cut this recipe in half, but this time I cooked the full version because I wanted to put some in the freezer for quick and easy meals when I get rather busy!  I hope you will give it a go.  I think it is something your family will really enjoy!  Bon Appetit!

 

 

When it comes to desserts, I try to downsize them as much as possible.  This one today would not be too bad for me actually as it is not really high in sugar and if I used whole wheat flour, that would be better, but today it is all about creating a delicious dessert for my honey bun that he can enjoy all to himself! 

 

I find it quite easily actually to cut recipes in half or quarters.  For the most part they turn out very well for me, and the Oaty Apple Crumble for One is the perfect example of just such a recipe!

 

It takes only one apple  . . .  which I peel, core and chop and then mix with a blend of a tiny bit of sugar and plenty of spice.  Cinnamon, ground cardamom and ground cloves.  Just a touch of cloves because Todd loves them.  The flavour of clove is very strong though so be quite judicious if you add them.

 

The topping is buttery, sweet and oaty. I love the addition of oats in crumble toppings. They impart a wholesome nutty flavour and I love the extra texture they give.

 

This is the perfect dessert for just one.  You can top it with whatever floats your boat . . . a small scoop of vanilla ice cream, perhaps some whipped cream, or pouring cream  . . . 

 

Or like Todd with some warm custard.  He is a custard fiend.  He loves it with all his desserts.  He is so very British in that love!  I think Brits are born with custard in their veins.  Myself,  I prefer vanilla ice cream, but then again what is ice cream, but  . . .  frozen custard!

 

 

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.  Have ready a small lightly buttered ramekin or other oven dish small enough to hold just one serving.  

Toss the apples together with the sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, salt and cloves.  Put into the ramekin. 

Rub together the topping ingredients until crumbly and sprinkle evenly over top of the apples. 

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until the apples are softened and the topping is crisp.  Serve warm with your favourite topping. (Ice Cream, Custard, Whipped Cream, pouring cream, etc.) 

 

You can also easily double this to feed two people.  Just saying . . .  Bon Appetit! 

 

One of the things I love most about Autumn is that I now have a free mandate to bake all things pumpkin!  Funny how pumpkin cakes and bakes are not as appealing at other times of the year.  I wonder why that is.  Just the natural order of things I guess! 

 

The recipe I am sharing with you today for this fabulous Pumpkin Molasses cake is one I adapted from one of my oldest and most favourite cookery books.  The BHG New Cook Book, published in 1982.  This book has travelled around the world with me and for good reason. It is quite simply an excellent recipe source.

You can serve the cake plain or dusted simply with icing sugar.  You can see both versions here.  It really needs nothing else . . . this cake stands well enough on it's own. 

 

Dense and moist with plenty of pumpkin, buttermilk and soft light brown sugar and  . . .

 

That  delicious warmth of molasses and of course the sweet baking spices . . .  ginger and cinnamon.  It is like a pumpkin gingerbread.

 

It is beautiful served warm, and it is beautiful served cold.  It also rises surprisingly high despite only having a tsp of baking soda as it's leavening. 

 

It does stand beautifully on it's own, served with a hot drink  . . . but for dessert, a nice dollop of softly whipped cream goes down a real treat! 

 

 

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.  Butter a 9 by 13 inch baking tin and lightly dust with flour, shaking out any excess.  Set aside. 

 

If you can get your hands on a copy of this cookbook, it is really a book worth having in your cookbook library!  You can sometimes pick them up second had at used book sales, etc.  (Although I cannot imagine anyone wanting to get rid of their copy!)  Happy pumpkin season and Bon Appetit!

Note - Here in the UK I have seen tinned pumpkin in Morrisons, Tesco and of course at online sites such as Skyco and Amazon.  I always pick up several tins when I see it!  I have even occasionally gotten it at Aldi. Molasses is a bit harder to come by, but you can get it at health food shops.  If you can't find it, just use golden syrup in its place and DARK soft brown sugar instead of the light.

 

Bread Crumb Fried Potatoes.  Oh . . .  my, my, my . . .  If you are a fried potato lover, I have the perfect recipe to share with you today.

I started dating my first husband our last year in high school.  I used to love going up to his house for supper on a Friday or a Saturday night.  

His mother Lois was an excellent cook. She was a farm wife, and a hard worker, and she was an expert in the use of simple ingredients and knew how to both make them stretch and taste good!

 

They had a farm hand that she used to feed and of course her boys and husband who had hearty farmhouse appetites.  I can remember the first time I had her fried potatoes.  

They were gorgeous.  She cooked them in an electric skillet and used rendered salt pork to fry them.  I thought I had died and gone to heaven! They were so delicious.

 

I learned a lot about cooking from her and the art of thrift.  My mother also taught me well in these areas.

I always think that I was truly blessed to have had the tutelage of these two very fine cooks early in my life.

 

My mother used to fry her potatoes differently than Lois did. Mom always cut leftover potatoes into thin slices, and then fried them in butter.  

They were also seriously tasty.  We could never get enough of them and would have quite happily had my mother standing at the stove all night frying them if she would have done so!

 

Farmhouse ingenuity meant adding a slice of stale bread, crumbled into crumbs, to the potatoes when they were frying.  

This made the potatoes go a tiny bit further and added interest . . .  you got gilded golden brown potatoes, fried onion and crispy bread crumbs.  

Adding the herbs has always been my own idea, and adds another depth of flavour to the dish. 

 

I like to use "new" or salad potatoes, which are naturally low GI, and I use whole wheat bread for it's nuttiness and lower GI qualities.  

Altogether this combination is a bit healthier for me as a Diabetic than using old potatoes and white bread.  

Not that you could ever count this dish as  "healthy" option, but it is  rare and delicious treat that I hope you will be keen to try. 

 

 

If your potatoes are very large cut them into quarters.  You want them cut into about 1 inch sized cubes at any rate.   Heat the oil and butter in a heavy bottomed skillet until the butter begins to foam.  Tip in the cold potatoes. Season lightly and then brown them in the hot fat, turning them occasionally.  Add the onion, and continue to cook until the onion has softened.  Add the bread crumbs and dried herbs.  Stir to coat the bread crumbs in any fat and continue to cook until the crumbs have crisped up, stirring occasionally.  Serve hot.

 

The potato is my favourite vegetable.  Always has been and probably always will be.  I know that they are not that good for me so I try to consume less of them than I did in the past and when I do, I use new potatoes whenever possible.  

Of course when it comes to mash, only an old potato will do.  Pan frying however . . .  new or salad potatoes tend to keep their shape much better. Look at all those golden brown edges.  Mmm . . .  these make for some good eating! 

As Gomer Pyle would say  . . .  Gawwwly!  Bon Appetit! 

 

Oh, I am a real pastry lover.  I swear you could put anything in a crust and I would be all over it like a rash. I come by that love honestly.  Everyone in my family is the same.  Crust crazy!

Since being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes several years ago however, I have been trying my hardest to avoid things like pastry. Oh, I do cook them for Todd, and trust me, it is really hard to have things like that in the house.  I have become an expert at cutting the quantities of recipes down so that I only make a few of most things. That way Todd doesn't have to suffer and I don't have to be overly tempted.  Its a fine line!

 

This No Fail Quiche makes the perfect quick supper dish, and if you use whole wheat self raising flour and low fat cheese and milk, is quite diabetic friendly.  You can load it with lots of vegetables or just a few vegetables.  You can use ham instead of bacon . . .

 

You can raid your fridge and get rid of all the bits and bobs that are laying about waiting to get used up.  Peppers, sweet corn, broccoli, cauliflower, cooked carrots, sprouts, etc. Just throw in whatever you have, making sure of course that the flavours go together.

 

Today I used mushrooms, onion, two rashers of bacon, some romanesco cauliflower and grainy mustard along with low fat cheddar and milk.  You can use chutney or pesto instead of the mustard. It is a very forgiving recipe, that turns out perfectly every time I make it.  A bit of salad on the side and dinner is served!  Leftovers heat up very nicely the next day also.

 

 

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F gas mark 4.  Spray a 9 inch deep round quiche dish with some cooking spray and place into the oven while you mix up the filling. 

Put a few drops of oil in a skillet and add the onion, mushrooms and bacon. (peppers if you are using them)  Cook gently for a few minutes until softened. (You can also use low fat cooking spray)

Place the eggs, flour and milk into a food processor and blitz to combine. (alternately you can whisk together by hand)  Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Add the mustard (or pesto and chutney), oil, cheese and parsley.  Mix together well. Stir in the onion/mushroom mixture.  Remove the quick dish from the oven and pour this mixture into it.   Scatter any additional vegetables over top.  Return to the oven and bake  for 45 minutes until puffed, golden brown and set.  Remove from the oven. Scatter  few extra tablespoons of cheese over top.  Let stand to melt the cheese.  Cut into wedges to serve.

 

A small tin of boneless skinless salmon, along with cooked broccoli and basil pesto are also a magnificent combination.  You can really let your imagination go wild with this.  Chopped ham, sweet corn and a red onion chutney are also awfully good. You really cannot fail! Bon Appetit!

 

I love, LOVE the traditional recipes of the UK.  They are typically very regional and often historical, having a great deal to do with the farming practices, traditions, landscape and history of the area in which they have been developed.

 

Whittingham is a small village deep in the moors of Northumberland. The recipe for them is a very local recipe, which might or might not have been discovered by accident.  Happy accident or not, they can be found at most bake shops in Northumberland.  I have not been lucky enough to taste one  in Whittingham, but I do have a very nice cookery book  from the National Trust, which shares a multitude of these local, regional and historical recipes . . .  and from the moment I discovered the recipe was keen to bake my own at home. 

 

The recipe has been adapted from one I found in the National Trust, Complete Traditional Recipe Book, by Sarah Edington. 

The photograph in the book of these biscuit/cookies was very visually appealing.  From the moment I saw it I could just envision sitting down to one or two of these along with a nice hot drink, and we are into hot drink season for sure!

 

The ones in the book look really puffy and I think you can tell by me putting the two side by side, mine and theirs  . . .  mine did not actually turn out the same, although they are still very delicious. 

 

I used this instead, but I don't think it was exactly the same thing as the Bird's Custard Powder because my cookies were not in the least bit puffie.

 

They spread out a lot and I actually had to cut them apart with a round cookie cutter, which was not a problem and left us lots of nice crispy trimmings to munch on.  I also had to re-poke the holes in the centre, which I did with the smaller end of a chop stick.

  

At first I thought they were inedible and despaired at the waste of my time and ingredients, but actually, they turned out to be VERY delicious indeed, if not totally the same as those in the photograph.  I would not call these a failure in the least, although if you want to have puffie ones I would use the Birds Custard powder.   

 

 

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/gas mark 4.  Butter a large baking sheet. 

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Add both the flour and custard powder and mix together with the creamed mixture to form a firm dough.  Break off pieces the size of a large walnut and roll into balls the size of a large whole walnut. Place on the baking sheet and flatten slightly, leaving some space in between.  Make four button holes on the top with a skewer. 

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until lightly golden.  Cool on a wire rack.   

Store in an airtight container. 

Note- they will spread so leave plenty of space in between so they don't run together. 

 

These are crisp, sweet, buttery and very moreish.  I wonder what Paul would say.  I think he would like them, but I'm not entirely sure I would get a Hollywood handshake!   Bon Appetit!