Halloween feast

Halloween feast - witches finger nails (roasted pumpkin seeds) and eyeballs (mozarella, roasted red pepper and olives) - bats nests with slime (onion bhajis with yogurt dip) - vampire steaks with dragon poo, maggots and insect eggs, swamp and spooky fingers (roasted steak, spicy baked potatoes, rice & lentils, pumpkin and calvolonero curried casserole, cajun sweet potato chips) - but we were all too greedy - so sadly no pics until - blood cake (lemon drizzle - but with thick raspberry couli/icing)

Cake of the week: Cranberry and green tea loaf

delicious and good for you - no fat, cranberries and the anti-oxidants of green tea.

British baking week: day 7: apricot and cherry crumble

Sunday dinner - roast pork with loads of veg - and then the crumble.

Cottage pie and cabbage

Saturday night's tea - by special request.  Tasted better than it looked! Soya beans in the cottage pie were a nice addition.

National Baking Day: Day 6: Sundried tomato and parmesan scones

Delicious!  They could easily have some chopped olives mixed through too.

British baking week: day 5: Lemon drizzle cake

I have made a number of drizzle cakes over the years - this one includes some ground almonds - and icing sugar rather than caster in the "drizzle" - but it looks moist (if not gooey) and I am looking forward to a slice tomorrow with a cup of tea.  Not indulging tonight as I had a toasted teacake (see day 3) and some apple cake from my firend at work already today - oh, yes and had to try a mince pie (OK, but need to make my own mince meat, was a bit bland and gritty) - pastry crumbly, but not as silky as previous batches.

Baking week: day 4: mince pies

Mince pies should NOT be around before December.  I have been pressured into baking these.... I have no backbone!  I used semolina flour instead of 00 flour, so am expecting a rich and very crumbly crust... but these have been swiped for distribution... so I'll have to wait for the next batch.

teacake with jam.... toasted on aga

National Baking Week: Day 3: teacakes

Yes - from scratch - the most packaged ingredient was dried yeast.  Have had one fresh with butter - which was yum - but re-toasted and dripping  with butter or other embellishment, will hopefully be even more heavenly :)

turkey chili

turkey breast zizzed to a pulp - added to veg and chili paste (onion, garlic, carrot, celery, garlic green pepper... ) - herbs and spices you like (eg - cumin, paprika) also zizzed - the usual softening and browning - add tomatoes and seasoning (stock cube, Lea & perrins, mushmroom or other ketchup.. etc to taste) - tin toms - later add tin of kidney beans and / or chick peas/ borlotti etc

British baking week: day 2 mini cornbread

 Mini cornbreads - well they were OK - but if I were to bother again I'ld make them with whisked egg whites and no baking soda - it gives them a dry chemically flavour - still an interesting idea, maybe one to develop for gluten free requirements. 

Some chili would be a good addition - but they were pretty good with some mature red leicester and chili jam.

linguine with chicken and red pesto

linguine with chicken and red pesto, olives, green beans and red pepper

Quick and tasty

National Baking week: Day 1

Earl grey and lemon tea bread - used about 6 internet recipes and adapted - but basically soaked (approx) 250g dried fruit (sultanas and blueberries cos that was what we had), (175-ish g) light brown sugar and zest of 1 lemon in cold strong (but not stewed) earl grey tea (300ml) for 8 hours - added lightly beaten egg (1 large/ I used 2 from our bantams - v. small eggs) and 300g SR flour = baked in medium oven (170?)  for an hour and 10 mins - skewer in center comes out clean.  Leave to cool in tin - totally cold on rack.  First slice was warm and moist, but I am really looking forward to tomorrow's with butter, or cream cheese, slurp, yum....

Stir fry with veg, chicken and rice noodles

It was quick and tasty - didn't look gorgeous - but after 95 minutes on the road and ready in 15 - I thought it was good to go!  I think victim wanted more chicken, more spice and less veg - but hey ho!

Beef and vegetable stew with DUMPLINGS

Beef and many veg casserole - celery, carrots, swede, turnip, onion, marrow, tomato ... that'll get some veg into the outlaws - with dumplings.  It's probably 30 years since I had a dumpling!  yum.  Victim scoffed seconds, outlaws sent home with at least 4 more dinners worth - and I've still got some left for nuking at work tomorrow!  Jobs a good un.

Death by chocloate

Half a kilo of the best dark chocolate - it's not kidding!

10/10/10 - and no post!

shocking

late dinner: red thai curry

No pic - for 2 reasons. 1. starving ... scoff, scoff, munch, scoff and 2 - it was re-heated (but home cooked) dinner, so there was a better pic first time around.

horrid cake

lemon, yogurt and poppy seed cake - not horrid at all - but very yummy.  Named with the help of my best mate who "saved" me by scoffing many slices years ago.

hallowe'en casserole

Obviously far too early in the month for a real Halloween stew - but had to find a name for this week's veggie dinner - what do you reckon to Autumn vegetables and black bean mess?  well, exactly!?  There was predicatble moaning - yeauchhh what's this green slimy stuff?  (chard - wilted briefly in last 5 minutes, so as not to dissolve, I loved it)  - and - "is there any brown sauce?".  But eventually victim reluctantly admitted "it's really quite nice" - before scoffing seconds!  Method - easy - onions, celery, carrots and garlic chopped and softenned - the added other veg (parsnip, swede, butternut squash, mushrooms, tomatoes... whatever is handy) - mixed herbs, worcs sauce and hot sauce - add some stock, add tinned toms/ passata - simmer - add black beans - simmer, taste - add chopped greens.  Serve with potatoes, couscous, rice, pasta - whatever.

Standby pie and veg

We were starving and had had a busy day - so cheated with standby pie and veg.  Disappointing once again.

chicken, mushroom and leek creamy pasta

Softened onion and leek, added garlic then chopped mushrooms and cooked chicken - sauteed until a bit softer.  Added chicken stock and simmered for 10 mins. Added good handful of chopped cavolo nero, simmered again for 5 minutes.  Boiled pasta.  Added splash of cream and small handful of grated cheese to sauce and mixed together. Lots of black pepper.

Simple and delicious.  Victim had seconds.

Chocolate brownies

From the Great British Book of Baking
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Great-British-Book-Baking-best-loved/dp/0718157117

substituted walnuts for pecans - lovely, sticky and chocolatey

Praised chicken

from Nigella Kitchen - saw it in the week, and it was just the thing to have ticking over when I had to fetch victim from the station after a trip to London.  The only addition was a handful of soya beans.  Comforting and tasty.  Thanks Nigella.  http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/my-mothers-praised-chicken-5155

Sea bream and cavolo nero

Very clean, simple and delicious.  Home alone tonight - could you tell?  Victim is not keen on fish or cabbage, so took the opportunity to indulge in some of the best of both - unadulterated except for some very light cream and garlic sauce.