One of the things I enjoy about being a Food Blogger is that from time to time I get to enjoy new food products.  I am really picky about what I choose to try actually. I get offers all the time that I turn down.  I only choose things which I think might benefit my readers or that I think they would be interested in.  I was recently asked would I like to try these new chocolate dessert bars called Magija.  Made from a sweet cheese curd, it sounded intriguing enough to inspire me to want to try some so that I could tell you about the experience. 

This is a chilled dessert bar containing chocolate chunks, surrounded by sweet curd and all wrapped up in a bitter chocolate glaze.  A very innovative creation which originated in Lithuania, it m akes th most of fresh, calcium-ric curd cheese which has been gently fluffed and beaten to make it light and creamy to eat.

 

Roughly about the size  in length of your index finger (but as thick and dense as a candy bar) it needs to be kept in the refrigerator because it is fresh . . .  ready to use as a delicious pudding option or as a light bite to indulge in.  It contains no artificial colours or flavours.  I had no idea that Lithania was one of the leading exporters of dairy products in the world!  I like learning new things, and this was a new thing for me.

 

It tasted like a really dense chocolate cheese cake,  almost with the consistency of a New York cheese cake  . . . . studded with real chocolate bits.  I loved the outer coating of dark chocolate.  I am a huge fan of dark chocolate and I really enjoyed the satisfaction of the crisp snap when biting into it.  Altogether it has a delicous, rich flavour, not too cheesy, but with just a slight tang, which was quite agreeable. They are not overly large, but they don't need to be.  This bar packs a lot of flavour punch for its size and we both quite enjoyed this experience. 

If you would like to exerience this for yourselves, these delicious bars are available now, nationwie through Sainsbury's, Tesco's and other specialist food retailers at an average cost of under £1.00.  They can normally be found in the ethnic food chiller cabinet alongside the cheese and meats from Eastern Europ.

Note - Although I was sent these bars for free to try out, any and all opinions are completely my own.

 

Todd picked up a Rotisserie Chicken at Costco the other day, so all I had to do was provide some side dishes to go along with it. 

 I love roast chicken, and I especially love the Rotisserie ones.  They are so tender and flavourful. 

 

I knew he was going to be bringing one home, so I put together a baking dish of Dauphinoise Potatoes while he was out so it would be ready to eat when he got home. 

 

Dauphinoise Potatoes, it sounds much fancier and elegant than it is.  Its merely a fancy type of Scalloped Potatoes, but a whole lot easier to put together.

 

The most labour intensive part of making these is the peeling and cutting of the potatoes.  If you have a mandolin or vegetables slicer this gets a whole lot easier!   

I use this Essential 5-in-1 Vegetable Slicer/shredder from MyKtchn.  It does a fabulous job and has a handy bowl that the sliced vegetables go into as you slice them, keeping the mess all in one place. 

 

Once you have the potatoes peeled and sliced, the rest is a doddle!  You simply layer them in a buttered baking dish.  

I like to run a clove of garlic around the dish after I have buttered it, which helps to impart a light garlic flavour.

 

The potato slices themselves are seasoned with grated nutmeg, sea salt and white pepper.  You could use black pepper if that is all you have. 

 I use white because I like the flavour of it and it doesn't leave unattractive black smudges in the sauce like black pepper can sometimes do. 

 

Once the seasoned potatoes are all in the baking dish, you pour a mixture of milk and cream over top.  

Yes, I know  . . .  in equal parts . . .  rich, but oh so tasty.

 

A final scattering of grated cheese on top and a dotting of butter and the dish is ready to cover with foil and pop into the oven.  

I do place it on a baking tray, just in case the milk mixture bubbles up and overflows. 

 

You can use grated Gruyere or Cheddar Cheese, or a mixture of both. They are both delicious. 

 

As the potatoes cook, they absorb the cream and milk, and what doesn't get absorbed thickens into a luscious sauce coating them.  Rich but delicious.  

It takes about an hour or so, depending on how thick your potato slices are.

  

A final flash under the grill/broiler once the potatoes are knife tender finishes the dish off perfectly.  These are potatoes that go well with just about anything.  

They are also an excellent side dish for entertaining!

  

A tasty variation of this classic dish can be made by infusing the milk and cream mixture with a few sprigs of rosemary and a couple of bruised garlic cloves.  Simply add to the mixture and heat just to the boil, then set aside to cool for about 15 minutes.  Remove and discard the the rosemary and garlic cloves.  Season generously with salt and white pepper before using.  Delicious! 

 

I don't know if you are like me, but I always get in too much stuff over Christmas.  Afraid I will run out of things  . . .  I always make my own cranberry sauce, but I always get in a few jars just in case  . . . and when they are only £1, I can't resist.

 

Then there are the cookies/biscuits.  I usually bake my own, but this year I was gifted with two boxes of a variety mix.  You can only eat so much . . .

  

This lovely fruit crisp always comes in really handy after Christmas.  It uses a tin of slices peaches.  I always have sliced peaches in the cupboard.  I buy the ones in fruit juice to cut down on the refined sugars  . . .  

 

Then the topping uses crumbled biscuits/cookies  . . .  which affords me the chance to use up some of those.

 

The original recipe (from the Taste of Home Busy Family Cookbook) calls for sugar or oatmeal cookies. 

 

Today I used Digestives.  I suspect that short breads would also work well.  The only kind of biscuit/cookie I wouldn't use would be cream filled ones.  Hob Nobs would be great.  So would Nice!

 

It is also a recipe which goes together in a flash . . .  you can put it together and then pop it into the oven while you are eating dinner . . . . by the time you have finished it will be done, ready to serve and eat. 

 

Its really, really, really delicious!  I remember the first time I made it, I thought it was going to be a bit iffy, but it is really tasty.

 

Todd really loves a crumble/crisp.  I think that next to apple pie, it is one of his favourite desserts.

 

Especially if I top it with a dollop of clotted cream  . . .  but custard or vanilla ice cream would also be nice.

 

I've also tried it with other combinations that work very well for the fruit.  Sliced pears and instead of cranberry sauce, mincemeat works very well . . . (something else I usually have lots of that needs using up this time of year.)

 

I think it is destined to become a firm family favourite in your home also.  Simple to make, using store cupboard ingredients  . . . 

  

Quick, and easy  . . .  and best of all delicious.  This is a winner on all counts!! 

 

I really hope that you will give this a go! I think you and your family will be happy that you did!  Bon Appetit! 

 

Every once in a while when I was growing up, my mother would pick up some doughnuts for us as a treat.  They were never yeasted doughnuts, only the cake type.  To make them extra special for us, she would pop them into a paper bag and warm them gently in the oven.  Oh . . . . but they were some good, especially when served with a glass of cold milk!!!

 

My Great Aunt Orabelle used to make "Cake" style doughnuts from scratch.  I can remember her fingertips being burnt from when she slipped them into the hot fat.  She basically didn't have any feeling in her fingertips and so consequently she wouldn't actually notice them going in.  (Its funny the things you remember.)  Nothing tasted as good as her doughnuts, although I only ever really got to taste them a few times. 

 

Occasionally I would make doughnuts for my children as an after school snack.  I always fried them in my heavy deep cast iron skillet.  For some reason I thought everything tasted better when cooked in that!

 

I never thought of baking doughnuts back then, and I didn't have a doughnut baking tin in any case  . . . baked doughnuts would have been a lot healthier for the kiddles  . . .  

 

Sugar aside (we won't think about that) these baked doughnuts would be a lot lower in fat and not quite as greasy as a fried doughnut.  Doughnuts are a bit hard to fry without some of them ending up greasy. 

 

If the oil isn't just the right temperature, they can't help but absorb more of it.  No amount of shaking them in a paper bag with the cinnamon sugar will compensate for a doughnut which has absorbed too much oil! 

 

These are ever so much easier to make. There's no frying involved and they are as simple as beating a batter together  . . .

 

and then spooning it into a dedicated doughnut baking tin. I have two of those (from Wilton).  Each one bakes six doughnuts.  They are basically non-stick, so all I have to do is lightly spritz them with some low fat non-stick cooking spray.  Easy peasy.

 

Don't worry if you don't have a doughnut pan, you can also use a muffin tin, or (to make doughnut holes) a mini muffin tin! 

  

After baking and once they have cooled, you simply dip the tops in melted butter and then a bowl of cinnamon sugar.  Tasty, tasty!  You can also dip the bottoms if you like so both sides are cinnamon sugared, but bear in mind you will need roughly double the amount of butter and cinnamon sugar! 

 

These will keep nicely for several days if stored in an airtight container.  They really very tasty. You won't miss fat fried doughnuts at all.  I actually prefer these and I hazard to think you will too!!  Bon Appetit! 

 

There is an old saying that the sure way to a man's heart is through his stomach.   I am not sure where the saying comes from, but I am sure it is true.  

If I had to re-phrase it to describe my husband, it would be that the sure way to my man's heart is through a good stew!  He loves stews.

 

And if there are dumplings on top, well . . .  so much the better.  

He is a real Stew and Dumpling aficionado/lover!  Meat and gravy and starch. That is the way to his heart. 

 

Of course the dumplings are not totally necessary, but you will surely love these.  You whisk them together,  and drop them onto the stew for the last 20  minutes of cook time.  

Since the stew is cooked in the oven, they end up being a bit like little biscuits/breads . . .  all crusty and golden brown and going perfectly with that delicious oven baked stew! 

 

The stew itself is very simple.  Browning onions in hot butter in a Dutch oven  . . .

I love the smell of onions cooking, don't you?  It is a smell that really fuels the appetite.

  

Once the onions are done you begin adding in the remaining ingredients one at a time, until they are all involved  . . .

 

Cubed beef brisket, garlic, paprika  . . .   

 

 . . . marjoram, caraway seed, salt, tomato ketchup and a good beef stock  . . . some quartered peeled potatoes. That's it.

Nothing else added.

 

There are no other vegetables in the stew, which is a bit different for me.  

I grew up with stews that were resplendent with carrots and swede, parsnips . . . those vegetables were always in the stews of our childhood.

 

This has none of those in the stew  . . .  just the  potatoes.  

Instead you cook another vegetable and serve it on the side.  It works . . . totally.

 

You end up with a delicious stew, filled with tender pieces of beef brisket and chunks of potato, in a rich and luscious gravy  . . .

 

I chose to serve carrots on the side, but you could serve green beans, or cabbage, sprouts, whatever you wanted to serve  . . .  whatever you love most.  We like carrots.

 

Like I said the dumplings are totally optional, but why not go for it . . . 

   

Crusty, buttery little drop biscuits . . .  tender in the middle and going oh-so-well with that beautiful gravy and those tender chunks of meat!

  

My husband was in comfort food heaven with this.  And there is plenty left for him to enjoy another time.  The beautiful thing about stews is that they taste even better on the second day!  

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