Cake! Seriously what’s not to love about the stuff? The perfect sweet treat for (almost!) any time of day and the ultimate celebration food (it’s someone’s birthday somewhere…). However, so many people rely on the poorly made shop bought versions which just aren’t the same as a well baked home-made sponge, swiss roll or carrot cake…
The best place to start with home baking is to make sure you have some good quality kitchenware and baking equipment, you’ll need to make sure you have a form of measuring equipment be that a measuring jug, a set of scales or some measuring cups, then it’s the mixing equipment, a sturdy mixing bowl is a must-have along with a whisk, wooden spoon and perhaps a sieve or strainer too. Finally, you’ll need something to bake your cake in; the size, shape and style of your pan will depend greatly on the type of cake you’re making so make sure you have an idea of what cake you’d like to bake first!
Once you’ve gathered your bakeware and have found and followed a recipe it’s time to bake! Now almost every recipe you come across will have temperature and cooking time for your cake listed, however these can differ ever so slightly when using a slightly different shaped pan or a different style of oven, check out the guide below to double check and happy baking!
An Easy Pink Veggie Juice Recipe To Liven Up Your Rosy Summer
It's summer and it's hot, obviously. Unless staying in the air-con all day long is your thing, it's best to lie on the front yard with a cold drink clinking the song of ice.
Tired of getting into the kitchen in the raging heat? You'll be in and out real quick with this pink veggie juice recipe.
WATERMELON SUPER JUICE
Watermelon may not be everyone's favourite, but it surely relieves the pain of suffering in this heat. Since watermelons don't give you enough nutrients, it's best to "sneak" in some spinach!
Eating vegetables has been quite a problem for many people, but serving them this way guarantees that your drink won't taste any different than a normal beverage.
INGREDIENTS (for 1 serving)
2 cups watermelon
1/2 cup lime
1 cup spinach
1/4 cup sugar or to taste
THE JUICERS
One important note before making this is that we're using a masticating juicer for this recipe. In case you're a juicing virgin, there are two kinds of juicer: masticating and centrifugal.
Masticating juicers break fruits (or nuts) into small pieces, then have them pressed to get all the juice out while still maintaining a high amount of nutrients.
Centrifugal juicers work basically like a blender with a built in sieve, so they're usually cheaper than Masticators and not so good in taking juice from leafy greens or milking nuts.
If you do have a masticating juicer, feel free to add in several kinds of nuts (as recommended in the "alternative" section below) to increase the nutrient intake. Otherwise just follow the recipe.
It's summer and it's hot, obviously. Unless staying in the air-con all day long is your thing, it's best to lie on the front yard with a cold drink clinking the song of ice.
Tired of getting into the kitchen in the raging heat? You'll be in and out real quick with this pink veggie juice recipe.
WATERMELON SUPER JUICE
Watermelon may not be everyone's favourite, but it surely relieves the pain of suffering in this heat. Since watermelons don't give you enough nutrients, it's best to "sneak" in some spinach!
Eating vegetables has been quite a problem for many people, but serving them this way guarantees that your drink won't taste any different than a normal beverage.
INGREDIENTS (for 1 serving)
2 cups watermelon
1/2 cup lime
1 cup spinach
1/4 cup sugar or to taste
THE JUICERS
One important note before making this is that we're using a masticating juicer for this recipe. In case you're a juicing virgin, there are two kinds of juicer: masticating and centrifugal.
Masticating juicers break fruits (or nuts) into small pieces, then have them pressed to get all the juice out while still maintaining a high amount of nutrients.
Centrifugal juicers work basically like a blender with a built in sieve, so they're usually cheaper than Masticators and not so good in taking juice from leafy greens or milking nuts.
If you do have a masticating juicer, feel free to add in several kinds of nuts (as recommended in the "alternative" section below) to increase the nutrient intake. Otherwise just follow the recipe.
STEP 1: PREP THE WATERMELON AND SPINACH
This recipe works best with super juicy watermelons. Cut your watermelon in halves, do a crisscross pattern all over it with a knife, then scoop the flesh out using a spoon.
Cut the spinach roughly into pieces small enough to make it easier to work with. Don't thinly slice it or its nutrients might come out on the cutting board intead of into your drink, which we all want to avoid, right?
STEP 2: PREP THE LIME
Cut out your limes and start juicing them. It's important to keep in mind that the way to juice a lime is completely different from oranges, lemons or citruses in general.
Instead of halving the limes do the following:
1. Put the lime on the cutting board with one of the pointy tips facing upward.
2. Make a lengthwise cut through the lime just to the side of the stem, which will result in 2 oval-shaped slices.
3. Continue cutting the larger piece by putting its flat surface down on the cutting board and cutting out the rinds. Now you should have 2 oval-shaped slices, 2 rectangular core, and 2 other pieces.
4. Twist the core to extract the juice, and squeeze the other 4 pieces to get the maximum amount of lime juice.
That might sound like a lot of work, but it's easy to do!
STEP 3: CRANK UP THE JUICER
Now, start plugging in your juicer. Put a glass under the juicer to get all that deliciousness. Hit the button and gradually throw in the watermelon chunks, roughly chopped spinach. Add some sugar into the juice if your melon does not taste so sweet.
By some, I mean enough to satisfy your tastebuds and still keep those hips in shape. Pouring cups of sugar into your juice is NOT how to lose weight people. ;-)
STEP 4: ENJOY!
That's it! Your rosy deliciousness that's worth just minutes of cutting and squeezing! Put it in the fridge for later serving, or put in lots of ice cubes if you just couldn't wait any longer. Do multiply this recipe if friends are coming over. Why spend the summer alone right?
PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES
TOTAL TIME: 15 MINUTES
ALTERNATIVES:
1. Substituting limes with lemons: I mentioned lime in the recipe because lime is the most popular source of sourness where I am from. However, you could substitute limes with lemons as they both have similar nutrition values and tastes.
2. Adding in sparkling water: If Coke is your favourite because of the gas going up your nose while burping, stop drinking them and instead go for this recipe, with sparkling water added for the same effect but with added nutritional value! Remember to keep the sparkling water cold before adding it in.
3. Adding in some nuts: Nuts like hazelnuts, cashews, walnuts, almonds . . . have a very high amount of nutrients. If you decide to add in some nuts, soak them for 12 hours beforehand, and skip the limes as we don't want any sour ingredients to combine with the milk coming out of the nuts. Throw into the juicer a cup of pre-soaked nuts and it should result in a milky, sweeter kind of beverage.
I quite like sandwiches. I am a bit like my Aunt Freda in that respect. She loved sandwiches also. A sandwich is like a portable meal for one. Easy to carry from one spot to another, easy to make, and oh-so-easy to eat!!
I especially love Breakfast Sandwiches, and have been known on occasion to send my husband to the local golden arches establishment at the weekend to get me an Egg McMuffin. The English muffins they use are always so soft and fresh.
I have never been able to buy an English muffin that fresh from the shops. A huge part of the appeal of those breakfast sandwiches for me has always been the English muffins!
I have now fallen in love with a different breakfast sandwich . . . the Breakfast Ciabatta. Its a recipe I adapted from one I found on a site called Three Many Cooks.
I have always been a huge fan of Pam Anderson. I was introduced to her when I worked at the Manor. Her recipes always work.
The site is a collaboration between herself and her two daughters. Clearly those acorns have not fallen very far from the proverbial tree.
This is one of those recipes which is made all the better for the quality of the ingredients you use to make it. If you use great ingredients, and put them together simply . . . you cannot lose.
One ingredient that you may not be totally familiar with is Pimenton. Pimenton is a type of smoked paprika which comes from Spain.
It is one of the predominant flavourings used in a good Chorizo sausage . . . smoky, sweet, and a tiny bit spicy. I love the stuff and it works beautifully here. A very little amount goes a very long way.
I like to use fresh free range, rspca approved large eggs. The provenance of what I eat really matters to me. I like to think that the eggs I eat are from happy hens.
That used to mean free range, but I now understand that what I think of as free range is not always what the supplier/farmer thinks of as free range.
That's why I have added rspca approved to my requirements for eggs. I know that if they approve them, then I can be pretty sure of their humane production.
This is the time of year that fresh tomatoes are at their very best. You cannot beat the flavour of a fresh ripe tomato, with the warmth of the sun still on it's skin.
Normally I would use a larger tomato for these, but today I used fresh British Tomkin tomatoes. They are so sweet and juicy. Really, the flavour of them is amazing.
I have been eating them out of hand all week, like apples.
I stuck a couple in the oven with my hash brown nuggets during the last five minutes of baking to enjoy along side of my sandwich. So so so good, and I wish I had done more!
A good strong cheddar cheese. You can either use it sliced or grated. Today I grated it . . . I love adore British Cheddar. It is usually white, unless it has been dyed . . . it has such a beautiful flavour.
I do believe it is one of my favourite cheeses ever. I like the strong because it has a wonderful depth of flavour, but you could use a milder cheese if you prefer. I felt a strong cheddar would hold up best next to the pimenton and the tomatoes.
The roll . . . a great, fresh store baked Ciabatta roll . . . soft and chewy at the same time, with a bit of crunch at the edges from being grilled nicely, just on the open cut sides. I spread it with a tiny bit of softened butter, but you don't have to if you don't want to.
That's it . . . that's all that is in here. Simple ingredients, put together in a beautiful way. That is good cuisine at its finest!
*Breakfast Ciabatta*
Serves 2
I
have fallen in love with these simple and yet very delicious breakfast
sandwiches. Move over Mr McMuffin, there's a new kid in town and he's
much, much tastier.
1 tsp light olive oil
2 large free range eggs
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp smoked paprika (known as Pimenton)
2 fresh ciabatta rolls, split
softened butter to spread
4 large ripe tomato slices, sprinkled lightly with salt
4 slices of strong cheddar cheese 
Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once
it is hot, swirl it once to coat the pan and break in the eggs into it.
Break the yolks with a fork or a knife. Season with some salt and pepper
and a generous sprinkle of the Pimenton. Cook until the edges are a
bit ruffled and golden and the egg has begun to set. Flip over and cook
the other side, seasoning with a bit more Pimenton. Set aside and keep
warm.
Heat the grill/broiler on your stove/oven to
high. Spread the cut sides of the ciabatta with a small portion of softened
butter and pop them under the grill to toast lightly. Remove the tops
and set aside. Place two slices of tomato on each bottom and cover
with the sliced cheese. Pop back under the grill just to melt the
cheese.
The Clever Cook could add a few fresh crisp rocket/baby arugula leaves to the sandwich, which would add another fantastic layer to all of the amazing flavours going on here.
I don't think there are enough words in the English Dictionary to adequately describe how very delicious these sandwiches are. They are so tasty that, here I am a few days later and I am wanting to make them all over again, and I just may well do so! Bon Appetit!
I am very fond of Chinese food of any kind, although to be sure I have never actually had any "real" Chinese food. I have only ever had the Westernised stuff, which is good enough for me. You would think that Westernised Chinese food would be the same all over the place, but that isn't the case. Chinese food here in the UK, is somewhat different to the kind I was used to back home. Its still pretty tasty however.
As a young bride I can remember going to a place in Granville Ferry back home, called The Continental Kitchen. It was an old farm house that had been converted to a restaurant. People came from miles and miles away to eat there. You had to book ahead it was so popular. They did all you can eat Buffets. All homemade from scratch food. They had both a seafood and a Chinese buffet.
Later on when I moved out to Western Canada, my ex and I used to go out for a Chinese meal every now and then. We would dress up in our finest duds and go to this place in downtown Calgary. It would be a really special evening for us. My ex BIL was also very good at cooking Chinese food. He would make lovely Chinese meals for us that I always really enjoyed. I know they were a lot of work, preparing all of the vegetables and meats, sauces etc. I always really appreciated all that he did. It was so delicious!
One of my favourite dishes at the buffets, aside from the sweet and sour chicken and the broccoli beef has always been the chicken wings. There is something incredibly yummy about those little bits of skin and fat and chicken meat, seasoned perfectly the way they do it, and then fried until crisp. I think they were very popular with everyone, because they always seemed to be almost empty whenever I would go to get some. You had to be quick!
This recipe I am sharing today is a play on those, albeit quite a bit healthier. Yes, healthier . . . but but every bit as tasty . . . . believe it or not . . . . maybe even tastier! A bold statment I know!
I cut boneless skinless chicken breasts into strips (do it diagonally, for some reason the shape is nicer) and soak them in dark soy sauce and then I coat them in a special seasoning I create which uses things you probably have in your kitchen right now.
Montreal steak seasoning, lemon pepper seasoning and coarsely ground black pepper, that is all. I make my own lemon pepper seasoning because it is a very difficult ingredient to find over here in the UK, but you really do need to have it. It adds a unique layer to the flavours. If you would like to know how I make mine, just ask. It does involve a bit of time and oven cooking to dry out the lemon zest.
Once coated the chicken strips are baked in a hot oven . . . 8 minutes on one side, and then 5 to 6 minutes on the other side. (I flip them after the first 8 minutes) I think any longer than that they would dry out. These timings keep them just moist and delicious.
They have a bit of a spark, yes, but it is a spark that I heartily enjoy! I like to serve them with a homemade sweet and sour sauce for dipping.
It goes really well with the flavours of the chicken and is also really easy to make. I am betting you already have everything in the kitchen now to make the sauce right now as well . . .
Apricot jam, tomato ketchup, rice wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce . . . that's it. I blitz it together in my mini food chopper because I like it to be smooth.
This is the one I use, the Cookhouse Premium 400W Mini Food Processor. I won this recently in a giveaway and have stopped using my old one altogether. This one is so easy to use and to clean (always important). It makes short work of throwing this sauce together. Just pile it all into the glass base, pop the lid on and blitz. It works by pressing down on the lid, and has two speeds. I really love it and have been using it just about every day. Mine came from here. Its really a beautiful piece of kit.
You will love this sweet and sour sauce. Its thick and flavourful with just the right amount of sweet and sour. Its a sauce we use often in our house, on everything from salmon to chicken to pork and even lamb. I haven't tried it with beef yet, but it would probably be great with meatballs!
*Salt & Pepper Chicken Strips*
Serves 4
Spicy and finger licking good!
900g boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into strips (2 pounds)
2 TBS soy sauce
2 tsp Montreal Steak Spice
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
for the sauce:
235g of apricot preserves (3/4 cup)
3 TBS soy sauce
3 TBS tomato ketchup
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Pre-heat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Spray a foil lined baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
Place
the soy sauce into a bowl. Combine the spices and seasonings in a
plastic bag. Roll the chicken strips in the soy sauce and then shake
them in the plastic bag to coat with the seasonings. Place in a single
layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes, flip over and bake for a
further 8 to 10 minutes, or until the juices run clear, and they are
golden brown.
While the chicken is cooking, put
all of the sauce ingredients into a deep wide mouthed jar and blitz
with a stick blender, or alternatively blitz together in a regular
blender/food processor until smooth.
Oh boy but these are some tasty. I served mine with some steamed rice and vegetables. Juicy, tender chicken with a bit of a spicy bite . . . and that tangy sweet and sticky sauce . . . what a beautiful combination this is. If you can resist this, you are a much better than me. I love how quick and easy it is as well. BONUS! I love taking something I love and then making it a bit healthier, don't you? Baked, not fried. No skin. Even tastier in my opinion! Bon Appetit!
Can you ever have too many coleslaw recipes? I think not! I love coleslaw and I am always figuring out new ways of presenting it, flavours to add to it, etc. I especially like this version here today, which is a tad bit different than the usual variety. Salad season is one of my favourite seasons! But then having said that, I could eat coleslaw any time of the year!
This just might be one of the ugliest desserts you have ever seen, but it also might be one of the most delicious. This is a case where you definitely should not be judging a book by its cover because this fabulous cobbler is one of the tastiest I have ever eaten!
I love desserts that include buttery biscuit cobbler toppings. My Apple Pan Dowdy is very similar to this, except it uses apples instead of pineapple and you actually create a molasses vinegar syrup to cook the apples in. Its a very old recipe. There is no faffing about with creating a syrup in this recipe.
It begins as a Pineapple Upside Down Cake would begin . . . with creating a base of melted butter and brown sugar to lay your fruit on, in this case chopped fresh pineapple. I am no stranger to Upside down Cakes. I have an excellent recipe for a Pineapple Gingerbread Upside Down Cake on the blog along with another recipe for a Pear and Maple Upside Down Cake, both of which are excellent cakes!
This differs in that it is a dessert not topped by cake, but by buttery biscuit cobbles . . . all shaggy and craggy and buttery with lovely crisp edges . . .
I like to use fresh pineapple when I have it. Tinned would do, but if you have fresh pineapple then there is no excuse not to use it really. It tastes incredible!
The pieces of fruit caramelise in that brown sugar and butter, creating something quite magnificently moreish . . . I could just eat the fruit on its own . . .
but then again, that buttery biscuit topping is to die for . . . and some a lot of that syrup soaks into the bottom of that lovely topping . . . creating, once again . . . something which is really quite moreish.
Served warm and topped with a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream, you will find it very difficult to resist . . . your spoon wants to dip into it again and again . . .
Carrying that sweet, sticky almost jam-like brown sugar fruit, with that buttery crumble . . . mixed with the sweet coolness of the vanilla ice cream up to your lips . . . you can't help but close your eyes and go . . .
Mmmmm . . . . mmmm . . .
and mmmmmm . . . again and again . . .
Just look at that tasty mouthful . . . impossible to resist . . . almost dangerous. Turning something quite ugly into something most beautiful indeed!
*Downside Up Pineapple Cobbler*
Serves 8 - 10
(Depending on how hungry people are)
Every bit as tasty as an upside down cake, but a whole lot easier. Serve warm with ice cream.
150g soft dark brown sugar (3/4 cup, packed)
3 TBS butter
345g chopped fresh pineapple (1 1/2 cups)
For the biscuit topping:
280g plain flour (2 cups)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
86g butter, frozen (6 TBS)
240ml cold buttermilk
Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Heat the butter and
soft brown sugar for the pineapple over medium low heat until melted and
amalgamated. Pour into a 9 inch round cake tin and swirl to spread over
the bottom. Top with the chopped pineapple.
Sift
the flour into a bowl along with the baking powder and soda. Whisk in
the sugar and salt. Using a box grater, grate in the butter. Quickly
work in with your fingertips until evenly distributed. Stir in the
buttermilk with a fork, mixing in just until all of the pieces are damp
and moistened. You may not need it all, or you may need more. For some
reason this seems to depend on the weather. Drop by dollops on top of
the pineapple and brown sugar mixture.
Note - if you think the cobble is browning too quickly towards the end, lightly tend with foil.
The original recipe is adapted from one I found in the book entitled, Perfect One Dish Dinners, by Pamela Anderson. (No, not that Pamela Anderson! This one is a great cook!!)
The Clever Cook could add some halved Maraschino Cherries, or even fresh cherries and coarsely chopped pecans to the base along with the pineapple.
If you make one dessert this weekend, you really can't go wrong with this one! Bon Appetit!
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