When you live in a cold state like I do, there comes a time each year when you start thinking about what food and drink you can make to get through the winter months. For me, this means that I am always looking for inspiration for hot drinks that will warm me up on a freezing winter’s day.
Enter the cook.me recipe site where I found an amazing bunch of recipes for delicious comforting hot drinks which I knew would help me through the winter. Including a recipe which immediately caught my eye: Fluffy Hot Chocolate. Made with mini marshmallows melted into milk with added sugar and cocoa, it looked absolutely delicious in the recipe photos. I couldn’t wait to try it!
I gathered the ingredients: cocoa powder, milk, sugar, marshmallows and vanilla extract and set about making the fluffiest hot chocolate ever! I followed each step of the recipe exactly. It was really clear what to do at each stage thanks to clear Pinterest worthy images. I was not disappointed with the result. I curled up on the sofa under a blanket with my book and sipped my chocolate drink. Unbeatable!
If you are looking for a delicious hot chocolate with marshmallows, this cook.me recipe is the one for you! It is really quick and easy to make. Thanks to the step by step photographs, you can’t go wrong at any stage! Make sure you try this recipe on the next cold day!
Source:Fluffy Hot Chocolate
It had to be done. Tis the season and all that. The season for delicious rhubarb and strawberry desserts. Desserts such as Strawberry & Rhubarb Crisp. A family tradition going back bazillions of years!
Strawberry & Rhubarb Crisp is an old family favourite. It is something my mother made and her mother before her. It is a delicious dessert that I made for my own family when they were growing up and it is a dessert I still make at least once a year for my husband.
Even though it is not something I can still enjoy myself, it is something I can make for him and that he can enjoy to his heart's content. I have cut my original recipe in half to make only four servings because we are only two and he can only eat so much.
So if you are a larger family, or if you just plain want more of it, feel free to double up all of the ingredients and pop it into a 9 inch square baking dish. It will require the same amount of time to cook, or possibly a bit longer depending on your oven.
This delicious Strawberry & Rhubarb Crisp is the taste of Spring. Pure and simple. You can't get much more spring-like than this!
In our home it is enjoyed warm and topped with scoops of cold vanilla ice cream. Oh boy . . . those warm buttery crisp and oaty crumbs . . .
That delicious fruit filling, both sweet and tart at the same time . . .
That fabulous contrast between the warmth of that sweet fruit with the buttery crumb and that rich vanilla coolness melting slowly into its surface . . .
That topping so crisp . . . the filling so flavour filled . . . the rich creaminess of the ice cream.
Strawberries and rhubarb are a taste combination . . . a marriage . . . made in heaven. It is no accident that these two ingredients are ripe and ready at the same time.
This divine combination of flavours and textures was meant to be enjoyed together.
Oh sure, each one is delicious in its own right, but put them all together and you have an incomparable match that never gets old or tired or boring . . .
This is comfort plain and simple . . . traditional . . . a family pleasure enjoyed down through the generations. You just can't beat it.
Strawberry & Rhubarb Crisp
Yield: 4
A timeless classic that must be made every year because not only is it delicious but it evokes a bazillion memories.
Ingredients:
You will need:
- 200g chopped rhubarb (2 cups)
- 175g sliced strawberries (1 cup)
- vanilla bean ice cream to serve
For the sauce:
- 100g granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
- 120ml water (1/2 cup)
- 1 TBS cornflour (cornstarch)
- 1 heaped TBS strawberry preserves
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
For the crumble:
- 70g plain flour (1/2 cup all purpose)
- 50g rolled oats (1/2 cup)
- 100g soft light brown sugar (1/2 cup, packed)
- 60g butter, melted (1/4 cup)
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions:
- First make the sauce. Whisk the sugar, water and cornflour together in a large glass beaker. Cook in the microwave for about 2 1/2 minutes, stopping to whisk it every thirty seconds, until the mixure is thick and bubbling. (alternately you can do this in a small saucepan over moderate heat.) Whisk in the jam and vanilla. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter an 7 or 8 inch square baking dish.
- Whisk together all of the crumb ingredients until well combined.
- Put the chopped rhubarb and berries into a bowl. Pour the sauce ingredients over top and fold together to combine.
- Press half of the crumbs into the prepared baking dish. Pour the fruit mixture evenly over top. Sprinkle the remaining crumbs over top of th fruit.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes. The crumbs should be golden brown and the fruit mixure bubbling up around the sides.
- Leave to cool for about fifteen minutes. Serve warm, spooned into bowls with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Delicious!
What is your favorite thing to do with rhubarb and strawberries, either together or individually? I really want to know. Lets share!
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@aol.com
We are living in such strange times at the moment. Things are easing up a bit now, but I can't help but wonder if it is not a bit too soon. Perhaps I am just being extra cautious. But I would rather be that then the opposite. I do feel for the many businesses which have been feeling the crunch with loss of income, etc. I was recently contacted by PizzaSi and asked if I would like to try one of their 4-seerving size Pizza Quarantine boxes! They didn't need to ask me twice! I adore Pizza!
They are a young Italian company based in London that normally operates business to business, but due to this Covid-19 situation they decided to open their products on a home delivery service, offering Pizza Boxes to people like you and myself, rather than risk going out of business altogether! What a brilliant idea and concept and a wonderful example of making lemonade out of lemons!
This new range is a Make Your Own Pizza Kit. In a nutshell, it is a proper 4 serving food quarantine box, which is available to be delivered all over the UK. And for each box purchased they donate £5 to the NHS! (FABULOUS!) Making an authentic Italian Pizza at home has never been easier or more fun! All you need to do is to open the box and follow a few steps!
This box is jam packed with everything you need to do to feed your family and entertain them to a fun Pizza Night in! Every box contains:
4 X Hand-stretched 10-inch Pizza bases
500g of diced Mozzarella cheese
450g of Tomato Sauce
- 2 X Rosemary Foccacias
- 2 X portions of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 X portions of Balsamic vinegar
- 1 X jar of Green Pesto
- 2 X Puccia Breads
- 4 X soft drinks
Every product is well labeled so that you can carefully check them for ingredients and any allergens. Also included is this pamphet giving you detailed instructions on how to prepare everything included, as well as a recipe for a Pizza Margherita, heating and serving the Puccia Bread and how to prepare the Foccacia. Simple!
I went old school with one of the crusts, and prepared a Pizza Margherita according to the pamphet insructions. I drizzled the finished pizza with some of the pesto and added a handful of rocket with a drizzle of balsamic. YUMMO! Those hand stretched crusts are amazing and the cheese and sauce are exemplary. Excellent. I recommend using a pizza stone if you have one and getting it really hot so that you can achieve a nice crisp crust. I am in love!
I used another one of those beautiful hand-stretched crusts to make some easy Cheese Garlic Fingers which I served with a Sweet Garlic Dipping Sauce, very similar to the sauce that you can get with your Donairs back home in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
This was as simple as brushing the crust with some garlic butter and sprinkling it with cheese then popping it into the oven, again on a pizza stone.
While it is baking you can quickly whisk together the dipping sauce.
The two together are totally amazing! I really felt like I was having a yummy Pizzaria experience!!
Yield: 4
Cheese Garlic Fingers with Sweet Garlic Dipping Sauce
Rich and garlicky and the dipping sauce is to die for.
Ingredients:
For the garlic fingers:
- 1 (10-inch) hand stretched pizza base
- 2 TBS melted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- pinch salt
- 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded or chopped
- small bunch chopped fresh parsley
For the sauce:
- 160ml sweetened condensed milk (2/3 cup)
- 60ml white vinegar (1/4 cup)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Instructions:
- Preheat a pizza stone in your oven which has been preheated to 220*C/425*F.
- While they are preheating, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the garlic and cook for several minutes. Whisk in the salt.
- Brush your pizza base all over with the garlic butter. Sprinkle with the cheese and parsley.
- Transfer to the pizza stone and bake for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown in spots and bubbly.
- While the pizza is cooking, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk with the vinegar and garlic powder until smooth.
- Cut the baked pizza into fingers and serve hot along with the sauce for dipping.
I did a type of Vegetarian All Dressed Pizza with another one of the crusts. I added the sauce and cheese and then topped with some sundried tomatoes, thin slices of red onion, green garlic olives and chopped sweet cherry peppers. Again I baked it on the pizza stone to pizza perfection.
I scattered the top of it with some fresh basil leaves from the garden when it came out of the oven. Oh-so-tasty!
I accompanied everything with a delicious Heirloom Beetroot and Tomato Salad on the side and some of the foccaccia warmed up and ready to dip in some of the basil pesto.
The salad was amazing also, roasted heirloom beetroots with sliced heirloom tomatoes, a maple balsamic dressing and of course that cheddar. An artisinal cheddar I happened to have in the fridge. It went so very well with the smokiness of that maple balsamic dressing.
Heirloom Beet & Tomato Salad
Yield: 4
A beautiful summery salad that goes with just about anything. Bright, colourful and tasty!
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds of heirloom or summer tomatoes
- 1 1/2 pounds of heirloom beetroot, roasted and then peeled
- 1 -2 cups of rocket (baby arugula)
- pinch flaked sea salt
- 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
- 2 TBS good olive oil
- 1 TBS good balsamic vinegar
- 1 TBS pure Maple Syrup
- 2 ounces crumbled strong cheddar cheese
Instructions:
- Cut the beetroot and tomatoes into wedges. Arrange the rocket on a serving platter. Scatter the roasted beetroot and tomatoes over top. Season with some salt and black pepper. Whisk together the oil, vinegar and maple syrup until well combined. Drizzle over the salad. Crumble the cheese over top and serve.
Altogether this was a fabulous meal! I was very impressed with the service of this company. Everything was delivered intact and contactless to my door, well packaged and still cold, ready for me to regrigerate until I was ready to get stuck into my Pizza Night.
I have to admire their ability to derive something positive out of something which could have been very negative. They did not put their head between their legs and quit. They moved forward with positivity and determination to succeed and I think that they did. I also love the fact that they are also donating some of this to the NHS, which is our National Health Service here in the UK. They need all the help they can get at the moment! I am very impressed with their product, their service and their ethos! If you would like to know more and perhaps arrange a Pizza Night Delivery for yourself do check out the following links!
Website: www.pizzabellissima.co.uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bellissima_Uk
Youtube tutorials (how to make it a Pizza Night)
Many Thanks to PizzaSi for affording us this delightful opportunity to try something new. We loved it!
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