As anyone who has been reading this blog for a while knows, the Toddster
is really not very fond of pasta at all. I do make it from time to
time, but more often than not I make something completely different for
him, or he has the sauce, but on a potato instead. I adore pasta myself and cannot imagine anyone not loving it, but then again, I would never eat snails or frogs legs, but there are a lot of people who adore them. I guess we all have our own likes and dislikes, and its okay!
Today I cooked a simple spicy tomato cream sauce to have with some cappellini. I chose this for a number of reasons . . . one . . . I quite
simply adore simple tomato sauces, using tinned tomatoes. (I always
use a really good Italian brand myself, Ciro brand . . . especially when it's a sauce
that isn't going to be cooked for a long time period.) You want to use a tinned tomatoe that has a really nice flavour, and Cirio are the best tasting in my opinion. (You probably get tired of hearing me say that I know!)
Two, this is a really quick, QUICK sauce to make. It's done in
approximately the same time as it takes to cook your pasta, 10 minutes
tops.
*Cappellini with a Spicy Tomato-Cream Sauce*
Serves 4Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil over high heat. While you are waiting for it to boil, heat the oil in a large deep saute pan. Add the garlic, pepper flakes and some salt. Cook, stirring, just until the garlic becomes very fragrant. Tip in the tomatoes and their juices. Bring to the boil, then reduce and simmer until fairly thickened, about 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the cream and heat through. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Keep warm. Add your cappellini to the boiling water, stirring to separae the strands, Cook according to the package directions. Drain well, reserving about a cup of the cooking water. Toss the drained pasta in the hot sauce, along with some of the cooking water and the parsley to combine. Top with some cheese and serve immediately, passing more cheese at the table.
Note - if you are watching the calories, you can use an equivalent amount of undiluted low fat evaporated milk in place of the cream. You can also cut the amount of olive oil in half with no problem.
I am one of those people who always has to have garlic bread with my pasta. I am not sure why that is, only that it is. I like to make my own. The ready made ones you buy in the shops just taste really foul to me. Yes, I AM a garlic bread snob.
Its such a simple thing really, making your own, and it tastes a bazillion times better! Mix together the butter, herbs,
seasoning and half the cheese and spread it on the cut edges of a loaf
you have cut in half horizontally. Then sprinkle on the remaining
cheese, cut almost all the way into 2 inch thick slices, wrap in foil
and bake. So yummy!
Its perfect for anytime really . . . with your pasta dinners,
or even as an appetiser while you and your family or guests wait for the
main course to be done. Oh, its even great with salads! And, simple
really. Such a simple thing to do.
*Herbed Garlic Cheese Bread*
Serves 8
125g of butter at room temperature (1/2 cup)
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
90g freshly grated Parmesan cheese (1/2 cup)
1 TBS finely chopped fresh basil
1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme
1/4 tsp fresh oregano leaves
fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 large french loaf or sourdough loafPreheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Have ready an oven tray and two very large sheets of aluminiun foil.
Cream together the butter, garlic, 1/2 of the cheese and all the herbs, salt and pepper. Cut your loaf of bread with a serrated knife in half horizontally through the middle. Spread half of the butter mixture onto each half loaf. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Using the same knife make cuts two inches apart down through each half loaf about 3/4of the way down, leaving it attached at the bottom.
Cover with the aluminium foil, leaving a gap at the top so that the cheese mixture doesn't touch the foil. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, open up the foil and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
Note - You can use dry herbs if you wish, just use roughly half of the amounts listed for each.
Pasta with a great sauce and crisp hot bread . . . this is heaven on earth to me. I dare say I am not alone in that! Bon Appetit!
We were feeling in a kind of a Mexicany mood the other day. I adore Tex Mex food and could eat it until it comes out my ears. I will tell you up front, I have never been to Mexico. The closest I have been is to a Mexican restaurant in Fredericton, New Brunswick called Mexicali Rosa's. Not sure if it is still in existance or not, but it was a place that my ex and I used to love to visit every now and then. There were chili pepper fairy lights hanging all over the place, Mexican music playing and every diner was treated to a basket of their homemade tortilla chips and fresh salsa to enjoy while they were perusing the menu and waiting for their meal, sometimes two if you were really eager!
The food was always excellent and we were always very happy with our meals. Other than that my only experience with eating out and Mexican food was Chi Chi's (a chain) in London, Ontario, and the local Taco Bell in Greenwood Nova Scotia, which I understand is no longer there. I did have plenty of experience through the years in trying to replicate my favourites at home via television programs and magasines. I am not sure any of it was entirely authentic or not, but I can tell you it was always delicious. I don't want any Mexican food purists knocking me or giving me grief. I do the best with what I have on hand, its as simple at that. IF it tastes good and even remotely similar to what it should, then that's good enough for me!
Mexican food here in the UK is something which is quite popuar, but the ingredients are very hard to find, making my food journey a bit of a challenge, but you can get some things in the shops. I always bring my own tex mex chili powder back with me when I go to Canada, and a really nice reader sent me some Pendery's a year or so ago that I have been REALLY enjoying!
Mexican food can be somewhat high in fat and calories however, especially since a lot of the Tex Mex stuff is fried, like chimichangas, tacos, etc. I am trying really hard to cut back on the fat and calories, and the carbs. ie, I am trying hard to eat healthier, but I still want to eat tasty.
I made us these Crispy Baked Sweet Potato, Corn & Bean Flautas the other day, which I adapted from a recipe I found on Peas and Crayons. I was really pleased with the results!! The filling was very simple to make and went together quickly. I had to adapt the recipe to what I had in the house. I didn't have any black beans (Or the horror, how did that happen!) so I used a tin of mixed beans, which had pinto, black, haricot, borlotti, etc. in the mix. They worked beautifully.
I also didn't have any corn tortillas, but I did have South American Kitchens Coconut and Black Pepper mini wheat tortillas, which happened to be six inch tortillas, which were the perfect size. I used salsa only for the filling and doubled up on the chili powder for a little extra heat.
Her method for baking them, filled up, rolled and secured with a toothpick, laid out on a rack over a baking tray, worked perfectly. Because my tortillas were wheat ones, they were soft enough to fill and roll without heating them. I also skipped the step of spraying the insides of the tortilla with cooking spray. I didn't think it was necessary.
I spritzed them only on the outside with some cooking spray and it worked perfectly. They turned out beautifully crisp and delicious! We loved them and they are something I WILL make again, maybe even soon because they are that good!
*Crispy Baked Sweet Potato, Corn & Bean Flautas*
Makes 8
To serve:
Salsa, low fat sour cream, salad leaves
Wash and prick the sweet potato all over with a
fork. Wrap it in paper kitchen towels and nuke in the microwave on high
for 5 to 6 minutes until cooked. (It should give easily when pressed
between your fingers once it is cooked.) Set aside to cool a bit.
Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Place a rack onto a baking tray. Set aside.
Toss
the beans, corn, onion, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, corinder
leaf, hot pepper sauce and salsa together in a bowl. Tear open the
sweet potato and scrape the flesh into the bowl. Mash all together
lightly. Lay out your tortillas. Spritz them all on one side with the
cooking spray and flip over. Spoon a line of the bean/corn mixture down
the centre of each. Sprinkle each with a portion of the cheese. Roll
up the tortillas to enclose, securing shut with toothpicks if need be.
Place slightly apart on the rack on the baking tray. Place into the
preheated oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until nicely crisped and
the cheese has melted.
Serve hot with your desired
accompaniments. I like to break them a bit open and spoon on a bit more
salsa, some sour cream and some salad leaves. I know, a bit
unconventional, but hey, it tastes great!
If you are a purist you might want to look away now. I enjoyed mine by tearing them open and tucking in some of those baby salad leaves (kale, rocket, spinach, chard) and then topping with a dollop of sour cream. Oh boy . . . those peppery leaves went really well with that gooey spicy filling. All in all these were a really delicious taste treat that was low in fat, high in fibre, and very health conscious! Provecho Amigos!
I know what you are probably thinking . . . Prunes??? In cookies? Stay with me here. I adore prunes, and often eat a couple of them out of hand each day. They are excellent in baked goods. Think Prune Cake for instance. They are filled with fibre and very good for you! And they are EXCELLENT in these good old fashioned drop cookies!
These are great cookies, very like the type of cookie that your Nan or Great Aunt might have baked eons ago. My Nan made lovely cookies. Big soft puffy Molasses Cookies were a real favourite, so were cousin Lydia's Junior Cookies which were very similar to these, with plenty of walnuts and sticky raisins and a bit of mixed spice.
The simple batter for these is composed of a mix of butter and cream cheese beaten together with soft light brown sugar. Nice and creamy. A large egg is beaten into that mix . . .
And then a mixture of self raising flour, salt and wheat germ . . . for a bit of goodness . . . and plenty of cinnamon. Two whole teaspoons! Yum!
After that you simply stir in some chopped pitted soft prunes and lovely toasted walnut pieces. I always toast my nuts before using. It makes them taste . . . nuttier . . .
There is no rolling, no fiddling about . . . just drop the batter in soft craggy dollops, spaced on couple of paper lined baking sheets and bake, until they are nicely puffed and golden brown.
I wish I could describe how very wonderful these smell when they are baking! Like your grandmother's lap and home sweet home . . . . your family will come running because there will be no doubt in their mind that something mighty tasty is afoot!!
They'll have to wait just a bit however . . . because there is still that cinnamon drizzle glaze to flick over the top of them, and you really want them to be cooled off somewhat when you do that. Oh boy, oh boy . . . these are the best cookies ever. I guarantee!
*Cinnamon, Prune & Toasted Walnut Cookies*
Makes about 20
2 TBS cream cheese
1 large free range, lightly beaten
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment. Set aside. (alternately butter two baking sheets)
Cream together the butter, sugar and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Stir in the flour, wheat bran, cinnamon and salt. You will have a soft sticky droppable dough. Stir in the prunes and walnuts.
Drop onto the prepared baking sheets, using a heaped dessertspoon, leaving several inches between the craggy heaps. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown and set. Let cool on the baking sheets for several minutes before scooping off onto wire trays to cool.
Whisk together the icing sugar, cinnamon and enough water to give you a thin drizzle consistency icing. Flick it over top of each cookie and leave to set before storing in an airtight container.
If you only bake one thing this weekend, let it be these delicious cookies! You can thank me later. 😙 They truly are all that and more!! Trust me on this. Bon Appetit!
Todd was just getting ready to throw the latest lot of over-ripe bananas the other day into the bin when I rescued them. Don't throw them away, I said! They are perfect for baking with!
I had been eye balling a recipe for a Chocolate Marbled Banana Bread in a book I have which is entitled The Best of Cooking Light, published by Oxmoor House in 2004.
Its a recipe I had been eyeballing for a very long time, but had never gotten around to baking until this week. Chocolate and Banana are two flavours that go very well together.
And at only 183 calories per slice, with less 5g of fat, it looked like a bread that someone who was watching the calories and fat could treat themselves to. Its a bit too high in the sugar department for me to indulge in however. That doesn't stop Todd from enjoying it though!
It is a very simple make. A cup of sugar gets creamed together with a small amount of butter. The original recipe suggested egg substitute, but I used regular large free range eggs.
Egg substitute is not something which is readily available over here, although you can get cartons of only egg whites.
I mashed and weighed the banana for the convenience of my British Friends. I had four smallish bananas and they worked out to the right amount of banana needed.
You will also need some low fat plain yogurt. This is something I always have in the house.
Also chocolate chips, which you melt and stir into a portion of the banana to provide the chocolate batter for the marbeling.
I weighed the batter needed for that process as well. You're welcome!!
I could have done a bit better on the marbeling I think. I didn't want to mix it in too much so I erred on the side of caution, but I could have been a bit more aggressive.
It doesn't make a massive loaf either, which suits us well as there is only Todd and myself, and he will basically be the only one eating it, which works.
I did have a taste however because I wanted to be able to give you my honest opinion of it!
*Chocolate Marbeled Banana Bread*
Serves 16
Whisk together the flour, soda and salt. Set aside.
Remove 210g (1 cup) of the batter from the main bowl to a smaller bowl. Stir in the melted chocolate chips to combine well. Spoon the batters alternately into the prepared pan. Swirl together lightly with a round bladed knife.
Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until a wooden pick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, prior to removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Wrap tightly to store. Cut into slices to serve.
It was not quite as moist as most banana breads, probably due to the lack of fat in the recipe. I wonder if that might change by using some brown sugar for a portion of the white? I will have to bake again, try that out, and let you know how it goes! In the meantime, this was a very good banana loaf and quite tasty for something which is half healthy for you! Bon Appetit!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
I have never been much of a flower arranger, just cut and drop, but I have always wanted to know the secrets and how to's of making beautiful arrangements. When I worked at the Manor down South, the Lady of the Manor always did all of her own flower arrangements for the dinner parties and luncheons. Money was really no object, and she created really stunning arrangements every time. She whetted in me an appetite for and a desire to know more. I was recently afforded the opportunity to review a book on the subject of flower arranging entitled . . . My Soulful Home, a year in flowers, by blogger Kelly Wilkness. I was really excited about this as I have been a fan of her beautiful blog for a few years now.
Kelly writes a lovely blog about her Soulful Home, a beautiful Victorian she and her
husband are renovating now. You really need to check it out. It is a feast for the eyes, as is this gorgeous book!!
If you are a novice flower arranger, or a well seasoned one this book holds something for every range of experience and aptitude. It takes you through all the back ground information that you might need to know from the basic principles and rules of flower arranging to the whats, wheres and hows of purchasing flowers for your arrangements. . . plus a whole lot more! "Key" concepts that can be applied whenever you want to add a little beauty to your day and your home!
A wealth of knowledge, it also includes 12 complete tutorials for beautiful arrangements to take you through every month of the year . . . complete with pictures and with step by step instructions which I think even I could handle. This book is for you if you are a novice flower arranger, if you love
flowers, if you love stories woven in about gardening and flowers, if you love filling your life with beauty, and if you have a desire to make arrangements easily
and inexpensively.
The photography in the book is simply breathtaking. No surprise that Kelly took all of her own photographs of the book, and, I believe . . . grows most if not all of the flowers herself! All I can say is WOW!
There is a wealth of ideas and information in the book for so many styles, types, and colors of flowers, whether you buy them at the grocery store or if, like Kelly, you grow your own.
This book covers all aspects of cut flowers, such as when and how to cut, what to grow, where to buy, how to handle, etc. along with her fool proof formula
for design, as well as her step by step tutorials. I can't wait for the coming growing season to see if I can't do something beautiful with what I already have in my own garden. It is somewhat limited, but I feel very confident I can do something with what is there with maybe only the purchase of a few others to make up the difference.
With tons of inspiration, beautiful photos and excellent tutorials, this book would make an excellent gift for any flower lover. Mother's Day is only a week or so away here in the UK, and a few months away in North America and I highly recommend this book as a gift for your flower loving mum/daughter/friend, perhaps with an arrangement you have put together yourself! What a lovely gift that would be!
In addition to writing this book, Kelly authors the blog My Soulful Home, is the creator of the app bHome & produces/co-hosts the popular podcast Decorating Tips & Tricks.
MY SOULFUL HOME, a year in flowers
by Kelly Wilkniss
Published by Passageway Press, 2017
ISBN 978-1-223-99908-6
Available via Amazon worldwide, and by order through your favourite book shops.
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