Toffee ice cream

Home made ice cream with no ice cream maker needed, and soft scoop to boot :-) easy to do honest ;-) 

Whip up a 300 ml tub of double or whipping cream, it needs to be soft but holding its shape. Then empty in a tin of condensed milk caramel. It's the tins right next to the condensed milk in the shops. Just whisk it through the cream until completely combined. Put into a freezable container with a lid and place in freezer for 8 hours or overnight. It is that simple. You can add choc chips or ripple through chocolate sauce or other delights to. 

Peanut butter cookies

Not the most attractive looking cookies I grant you. I don't like peanut butter but I loved these, go figure that one out! A spot of baking with my youngest son was on the agenda tonight and we made these simple but addictive cookies. There is no flour in these so don't go thinking it's been left out by accident. A friend gave me a recipe for these a few years back and I promptly lost it after making but I found one similar and think it's the same so here goes. Preheat an oven to gas mark 4 or 180/350 and prepare 2 baking sheets. In a bowl put 

1 cup of smooth peanut butter

1 cup sugar

I teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

1 egg

 Used my mixer and mixed until thoroughly combined. I used a small scoop but you could roll into walnut sized  balls and place on tray leaving room to spread. With a fork flatten slightly and make a cross hatch pattern on the top. Bake in oven for 11-14 minutes. They will be just starting to colour and very soft when you take them out. Leave on baking sheets for 5-10 minutes until firmer then transfer to a wire rack to go completely cool before putting in an airtight container or into awaiting mouth. We ended up with 16 of these. 

Very quick and simple make and brilliantly textured. Crisp on outside but not hard and crunchy. And dense with a slight chew in the middle. Well worth a go. I used smooth peanut butter but I don't see why crunchy wouldn't work as long as you didn't mind bits of peanut in your cookies. 

Sewing for Ever

Meet my eldest Granddaughter :o)  She's been on my blog before and is growing up so fast and beautifully. With my interest in sewing returning lately I came across a you tube video >>>>here<<<<

on the channel A fate so twisted for making a ruffled skirt. 3 tiers of wonderful girlishness.

 

I found this fabric in my local fabric land and fell in love with it. Only thing I did different was did the ruffling by hand as no ruffle foot here that fitted my machine. 

I'm glad Ever and her Mum love the skirt.  we have another colour combination planned soon.  A big thanks to the lovely Renee on a fate so twisted for the free tutorial on her channel :o) Made it so easy to follow

A quick photo of day I started it and 2 tiers into the ruffling

And a quick finished but not yet displayed on a pretty model. Love this material, it just takes me back to the 80's somehow 

Oreo/chocolate ice cream

I don't make ice cream often.  When I do I do not want to be faffing about with putting ice cream machine bowls in the freezer for a minimum of 24 hours before hand.  I am just not that organised most of the time.  So when I do make ice cream it is a version like this or one involving cooked meringue. This one made 3 500ml tubs and starts with a base of

450ml double/whipping cream whipped to firm peaks

1 tin of condensed cream whipped into the whipped cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

This in itself would be lovely just frozen in a container for 6-8 hours or overnight.  But Luke wanted oreo ice cream so we added extras to it

We melted and cooled 250-300g of dark chocolate and let it cool so it wouldn't melt the cream. We did this before we even whipped the cream. 

And chopped half of a pack or Oreo cookies.  We made 3 tubs of ice cream but only one had Oreos in it.

we stirred in the chocolate when it was evenly mixed in and 2 of the tubs were portioned out and labelled Oreos got stirred into the rest and a few reserved for the top.  

So simple yet so effective.  OH and son are very happy and I have bribery in the freezer for days I need brownie points ;o)

Don't like chocolate how about lime and coconut? Stir together 

1 tin condensed milk

1 tin coconut milk

zest and juice of 3 limes

stir together thoroughly place in an airtight container and freeze as above.  

Chicken, sweetcorn and noodle soup

The weather today has been very wet and gray.  I had the dentist this morning which left me feeling a bit sorry for myself. So comfort food was needed tonight,  As a child I had a love for packets of Knorr Chicken noodle soup.  I think I may even still have a pack in the cupboard.  But I also found a recipe for chicken and sweetcorn soup in the Chinese takeaway style which I like.  So I made a compromise and made. chicken, sweetcorn and noodle soup.  It's not as 'gloopy' as the takeaway version but it could be with using more cornflour.  

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1.5 litres chicken stock ( using stock cubes is fine)

3 spring onions sliced, with green parts to

1 tin creamed sweetcorn

1 tablespoon cornflour

noodles

1 or 2 eggs

teaspoon of Thai fish sauce

I fond these noodles on my shopping travels a while ago from Lidl at 39p for 250g pack, they are ideal soup size.  However you could use any noodles or even broken spaghetti pieces or small pasta shapes.

Bring the stock to the boil in a big pot. place in your chicken and lower the stock to a simmer and leave to all gently simmer for 20 minutes. 

Remove the chicken to a plate or bowl and shred it with 2 forks.  Empty the creamed sweetcorn into the stock along with the spring onion and season to taste.

Mix the cornflour into a little water and add to the stock while stirring.  Stir in 100g roughly of noodles/pasta, and put the chicken back to the stock.  Give it a good stir and simmer for 15 more minutes with an occasional stir.  

At end of simmering time whisk up the egg with the fish sauce and stir the soup while dribbling slowly the egg to give the egg drop effect 

I love the eggy strands, just like I used to add to those Knorr packet soups years ago.

This went down well, even with the sweetcorn hater in the house. Decided I had better blog the recipe before I lose the recipe.  

Duffle or waffnut?

I just checked my email, and King Arthur flour announced tomorrow is National waffle day. I love waffles. Some days however, like today when wisdom teeth are causing me hassles, I don't have the drive to leap out into the kitchen and make them.  I was reminded about these though.  I made these back in May when I saw them done online.  Not sure where but thought I would share. They were sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo good.

To start you need as many plain glazed donuts as your heart desires.  Krispy Kremes were mentioned, I chose 4 for a £1 at my local supermarket though. 

A preheated waffle machine, This is mine, it is about 20 years old and it's looking it, she however works beautifully for our needs.

When your waffle machine is ready and heated around medium on mine, simply place suitable amount of donuts in machine and squish down.  Follow your machines guidelines, these took around a minute or 2 until the green light let me know they were ready

They came out smelling and looking fantastic, the glaze had caramelised leaving sugar strands as I pulled them off the hot plates. Insides were warm, soft, compact  and densely fluffy with classic donut flavour.  The outsides had a light crunchy caramel coating. 

I've also in the past used my waffle machine to bake cookies and toast sandwiches,  I have also seen people make french toast in them too.  If you have a waffle machine in your cupboard collecting dust, why not drag it out and show it some love.  And remember why you bought one in the first place

Roasted mushrooms

I am the biggest mushroom lover I know and that is saying something as my OH loves them almost as much. Anything with the word mushroom in the recipe title and you usually get my full attention.  I was cruising the internet last week looking for not a lot really but found a version of roasted mushrooms.  Then I googled Roasted mushrooms, all good things popped up.  Being I have been doing slimming world plan since May I then adapted what I read and was very happy with the results. For this I used 

Button mushrooms ( chestnut or white)

Frylight ( 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil if preferred)

and seasoning 

Preheat oven to gas mark 6-7. Start by trimming the stalks off the mushrooms so they are level with the cap and place in a bowl. I found a double one and had to show you the cuteness.  Spray a baking tray with frylight and put to one side

spray the mushrooms in the bowl with frylight/olive oil, toss around and season and toss around again, then when each one has a coating place them cut side down on the baking tray.  Place in oven for 25-30 minutes, then take them out turn them over and place back in oven for another 10 minutes.

Although the look leathery and shriveled they should still have moisture in them and taste concentrated. You could of course play with the flavouring using herbs, spices, garlic or garlic frylight perhaps? The possibilities are endless.  

Cheese soufflé

Cheese souffle used to scare me, or rather souffle in general did. why? I don't know. But I gave it a go and you know what? Apart from trashing the kitchen it went to plan and tasted brilliant.  

Going in they looked ok

Came out looking monsterous.  Although a little dark on top they tasted great, One flowed like a volcano but still tasted ok 

Insides were light and fluffly.  my recipe to come I just wanted to share my excitement of beating my fear of souffles.

Fakeaway craze in slowcooker

Oh boy when people started talking about fakeaway being as good as a doner kebab done in a slowcooker I actually rolled my eyes. no way was this going to be anywhere near as good right? wrong!!!! it took 2 attempts but I was praised highly and it's been requested again for our home made take away family film nights.  A lot of people have shown interest so I thought I would share.  The first attempt I made was to dry so was pleased when this worked. 

Start with

• 500grams lamb mince
  1 teaspoon salt
  1.5 teaspoon onion powder or granules
  1.5 teaspoon garlic powder
  0.5 teaspoon pepper
• (I added in 0.5 tsp of smoked paprika and 0.25 teaspoon of chilli powder as my lot are heat wimps and wouldn't of liked 1.5 teaspoons of cayenne but feel free to adapt.
• 1 teaspoon oregano or
  1 teaspoon mixed herbs

Put the whole lot in a food processor or mixer or squidge lots with hands until you have a sticky mass that holds together really well.  Shape into a log or lump and wrap in foil,  put a few foil balls in bottom of slowcooker and add a splash of water.  

poke 3 or 4 holes in bottom of foil meat package and put it holes down on top of foil balls.  

mine cooked on high for 3 hours but your slow cooker may cook differently. left to rest for 10 minutes before slicing thinly and serving

• 
  

looks not to lovely right

looks bit bigger than regular slices but texture and taste are great

I stir fried with very little heat a pack of mushrooms, 2 chunky cut peppers and a red onion sprinkled with lots of oregano

salad is mostly just fresh cut but the softer red or white cabbage is achieved I discovered is finely cut with red onion and carrot, then salt and lots of lemon juice sprinkled over and stirred through thoroughly.  Left in the fridge for an hour or so and then sprinkled with parsley.  Was spot on.  All I was missing was garlic mayo and jalapeno chillis.  next time maybe ;o) 

slowcooker sausage with onion gravy

I was pondering on some sausages I bought last week.  So I went a searching the internet for a recipe and decided on one from netmums  I changed it a little but not to much 

Ingredients (serves 4)

1 tbsp olive oil

8 sausages ( we had 9 lamb and meat butchers sausages)

3 onions (in half then in thick, half moon slices), sliced

2.5 tbsp plain flour

500ml beef stock (or chicken)

3 tbsp chutney (or pickle - any type we used Christmas chutney leftover from Christmas)

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp black pepper ( I used much less but to taste)

250g of small potatoes or cut into bitesize chunks 

250g chestnut or button mushrooms halved or sliced chunky

Set the slow cooker to HIGH

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan, add the sausages and quickly brown on all sides, then transfer to the slow cooker

Add the onions to the frying pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft but not brown - stir in the flour and cook gently for 1-2 minutes

Make sure you scrape all the flour from the bottom of the pan

Remove from the heat and gradually stir in the stock - bring to the boil, stirring continuously, until thickened

Stir in the chutney, Worcestershire sauce and pepper

Transfer to the slow cooker with potatoes 

Turn the slow cooker down to LOW, put the lid on and cook on LOW for 5-8 hours I cooked on high for 4 hours  adding the mushrooms around an hour before serving 

Serve with vegetables and mash

it's not the prettiest dish but it was a great everyday good tasting dish :o) Next time I will brown the sausages more and maybe add some more vegetables in the slowcooker.

Deliberating

2015 already.  I sit here typing at just gone midnight on January 1st.  I have my 2 beautiful granddaughters here on a sleepover and am thinking about new years resolutions as you do. 

 Yes I want to lose a shed load of weight, get fit, be prepared for Christmas next year, learn new skills and become amazing. All sound wonderful things don't they? But it got me thinking as to why our resolutions go out the window by mid January? I think we are all to hard on ourselves.

 My resolution is to be easier on myself and enjoy life more.  I don't spend half as much time on myself as I should. I have some lovely make up, hardly wear it.  I love to cook and create food that makes people smile, but find myself only cooking for the rushed evening meal, or not bothering to take photos and sharing. I love to read, I struggled to read 52 books this year.  I love to learn new arts and crafts but hardly dabble in new areas.  Love to papercut but I am to busy doing things for others.  Love to knit and am so out of the habit. 

So I hereby announce my new years resolution as I am going to take more time for me and enjoy more in life. I am no longer going to complain about things I don't do I am going to do them :o) I might need a kick up the rear now and again but let us hope this doesn't happen. 

When I started this blog I did say it wasn't just going to be for baking/cooking so lets see if I can blog more because I do enjoy it. But I think I do limit myself thinking I must come up for a new recipe before I blog.  Maybe I can share what other things I have gotten up to as well. 

But for now I will sign off and wish you a happy, safe and healthy new year.  Remember to be kind to others and yourselves 

Jules xx

Chinese style pork

This may not be the healthiest or best looking plate but oh my it was melt in the mouth and delicious.  I cooked it in the afternoon and reheated when I cooked the veg and noodles later in the evening.  Worked a treat and although the ingredients are a little vague I think you could use your own tastes to adjust them. I don't see why you couldn't use spare rib chops  or shoulder of pork.  You need a fatty cut for the melt in the mouth quality. Only other thing I would add is your pan needs to be big enough to have the meat in one layer and have a lid. Or you could cover tightly with foil maybe?

4 slices pork belly cubed

3 garlic cloves sliced

Knob ginger shredded

Cinnamon stick ( 3 inch bit)

Star anise 2 small

2 slices orange peel

Shasong wine big big slug

Dark soy sauce ( around 3 tablespoons  think)

one pack of chestnut mushrooms 250g smallish cut in half or if big quarters 

Heat oil and put in pork ginger and garlic. Stir briefly until coloured. Pour in wine and few tablespoons of soy sauce. Add in all apart from mushrooms. Put on lowest heat and leave to simmer for 40 minutes. Turn over and lay mushrooms on top. Lid on 20 minutes then lid off and simmer until liquids reduce to saucy consistency. 

Sweet vanilla popcorn

Something I tend to keep in my cupboard is a jar of vanilla sugar.  I rarely buy vanilla pods but when I do I tend to make the most of them and keep the used and dried pods in a jar of caster sugar.  After a few weeks I have a lovely jar of vanilla flavoured and scented sugar.  It's great for using in baking or anywhere you use sugar,  even just in your coffee.  I did go through a phase of having none as kids kept eating it but they are over that phase now luckily.  When the jar gets any used I just top up the sugar and give it a shake and put back in cupboard ready for the next time.

I was asked for popcorn today to eat while watching a DVD.  i wasn't in the mood for doing a caramel popcorn and went simple.  And it turned out great.

2 tablespoons oil, vegetable or sunflower is fine

100grams popcorn kernels

65 grams vanilla sugar

This turned out to leave a fair bit of the sugar in bottom of the bowl so next time will try just 50 grams 

Heat a large saucepan that ha a good fitting lid over a medium heat.Then add the popcorn kernels in one layer and put the lid on.  When the popping starts shake the pan every few seconds so none of the popcorn burn.  

When the popping slows down to one pop every couple of seconds or so we need to work a bit fast  and tip the popcorn into a large bowl and sprinkle on and stir through the sugar while it is all still warm as it will help the sugar stick to the popcorn.  

Then just sit down and enjoy it.  My youngest says the sugar in bottom of the bowl reminds him of doughnuts. 

From starting weighing things out to walking the bowl into the boys watching a DVD this took less then 5 or 6 minutes.  Would have taken me a lot longer to walk to shops to buy some and cost me  a lot more to buy than make.

Welsh Rarebit

Today apparently is Welsh Rarebit day. I can't remember where I read that fact but it was enough for me to start dreaming of it.  I don't think I have ever had it since my Nanny Kate made it for me when I stayed with her last. Must of been a good 20 years ago.  So a bit of research and adjusting to what I had I came up with this. Not maybe true to form but it was luxurious and sinful poshed up cheese on toast that should not be forgotten for another 20 years.

20g butter

20 g plain flour

100ml warm milk

150g mature cheddar, grated

1 scant teaspoon English mustard

150 ml ale, I used a local one

1/2 scant teaspoon marmite ( run out of Worcestershire sauce)

Start by making a REALLY thick white sauce by gently melting the butter over a low heat and then stirring in the plain flour and gradually add in the milk stirring the whole time until you have a thick white gloopy lump almost.  Stir in the mustard and grated cheese well to combine and take it off the heat.  Mine still looked a bit lumpy as cheese hadn't quite melted 

Then heat your chosen ale in a pan until it's reduced by half.  I then stirred the marmite through this until it had dissolved and took it off the heat to cool very slightly

Stir and beat the ale mix through the cheese mix and you are left with a lovely thick shiny mix.

In our case we toasted 3 slices of bread, although the mix would of done 4, on one side.  Turned the bread over and spread the Rarebit mixture over the bread and placed back under the grill until brown in places and bubbling.

I think I might of slightly overdone the cheese topping here. We used bread from an uncut loaf and not the 'plastic' slices of bread which seem to support the topping better. 

Happy Welsh Rarebit Day 

Chicken kebab

We are on a lifestyle change, eating more healthy with better portions.  But I love the chicken kebabs from the kebab house that delivers to my house.  Although I don't like green peppers I also love their green peppers, mushrooms and onions so I needed to find a good substitute for these or I was going to crave what I was deprived off.  So I tried to do this at home and this version was received well by all.

For the chicken I chopped 2 chicken breasts for 3 skewers in bite size pieces and put in a bowl with a marinade of

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons white vinegar ( white wine, cider or rice wine is fine)

2 cloves garlic crushed or finely grated

1 teaspoon cumin

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 pepper

stir to mix, cover and put in the fridge for 2 hours plus.

when you are ready to cook thread the chicken onto skewers and either cook in a preheated griddle pan or frying pan until charred on all sides and cooked all the way through. It took about 8-10 minutes I think turning so all sides were cooked.  I've done similar to this just stir frying in a pan to

meanwhile I chopped an onion, green pepper and some chestnut mushrooms up so there is roughly a third of each

while the chicken was cooking I heated a little vegetable oil and stir fried these in a frying pan over a high heat with a little seasoning and a good sprinkling of oregano.  the pepper should be slightly charred, onion should of lost its rawness and well cooked. 

I warmed through a pack of pitta, Gave everyone a skewer of chicken and put salad and the pepper mix on the table.  It all vanished.  Even the not liking green pepper kid ate his share with enthusiasm. 

Will in the future invest in a jar of pickled chillis.  I am only one who likes them ;o) And maybe do a low fat yogurt dressing to.  But for now it's good as it is. 

Mixy mixy mix muffins

OR 

Mincemeat and cranberry muffins 

Not a brilliant first photo but the light was strange at this point due to the weather.  With school out and my daughter at work I was pleased to have my son Luke home and Granddaughter Ever round to play.  I mentioned baking and Ever was in the kitchen and had oven gloves at the ready 

I started to get things out and the wash basket was flipped over and Ever was in there quick as lightening and pushing everyone out the way to be in charge of the dry ingredients bowl.

In the dry ingredients bowl we measured out

250g self raising flour

150 g caster sugar

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

50 grams dried cranberries

2 teaspoons of mixed spice

These were stirred together well with a wooden spoon while Ever was chanting and singing mixy mixy mixy mix

I preheated the oven to gas mark 6 and then we put out 12 muffin cases in a tray and Luke was in charge of the dry ingredients, he whisked together

200ml semi skimmed milk

85 ml vegetable oil

2 eggs 

Happily still mixing Luke then added the wet to the dry mix and it was kind of mixed between the pair of them, Luckily being muffins not being totally combined is fine. we added 

125g of mincemeat left over from Christmas mince pie making and folded through.

I just about convinced the kids to let me put it in the cases and we got 11 out of the mix, baked for 18 minutes or until skewer comes out clean.

we dived in while still only just warm.  A cup of tea with them would of been perfect.