Cous Cous with Pumpkin

1/4 pumpkin, cut into cubes
1 small onion, sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp pesto
100g wholewheat cous cous
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 handful pumpkin seeds

Put the pumkin and onion onto a baking dish, drizzle with olive oil, bake for 30 minutes at 200 degrees centigrade. Meanwhile, put the cous cous in a bowl and add 125ml boiling water, cover and leave to stand for 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice and pesto to the cous cous, mix well. Add the pumpkin and onions, mix and sprinkle the pumpkin seeds on top.

Cheese and Onion Potato

To make use of the leftover cheese and onion pasty filling: Bake a potato until nice and crispy, cut in half, heap on lots of cheese and onion mix, bake until bubbly. Top with chopped cherry tomatoes.

Smarties Cookies

350g plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda1 tsp baking powder
250g butter, softened
300g sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 bag Smarties

Beat the butter and sugar together, add the egg and vanilla, mix well. Sift in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and baking soda, mix well to form a dough. Roll the dough into 30 balls, place onto prepared baking trays and flatten slightly, allow plenty of room between the cookies as they expand a lot. Push in Smarties and bake for 15 minutes at 180 degrees centigrade. Allow to cool for 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Nutella Swirl Cupcakes

200g butter, softened
200g sugar
4 eggs
200g self raising flour
400g Nutella

Beat the butter and sugar until well combined. Add the eggs and stir well. Sift in the flour, mix. Put 2 teaspoons of cake batter into prepared cupcake cups, add one heaping teaspoon of Nutella then another teaspoon of cake batter. Use a toothpick and stir each cupcake to mix the Nutella and cake batter. Bake for 20 minutes until cooked through.

Cheese and Onion Pasties

2 onions, chopped
250g mature cheddar, grated
2 tbsp veg oil

Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onions and cook until softened. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Mix in the cheese. Roll out defrosted puff pastry to the thickness of a pound coin, add 1/4 of the mix, wet the edges of the pastry with water. Close the pasty and crimp the edges if you wish. Place on a baking tray and brush lightly with milk. Bake for 30 minutes at 200 degrees centigrade.

Beef Pasties

800g minced beef
2 onions, chopped
1 potato, peeled and cubed
2 onions, peeled and cubed
2 handfuls frozen peas
3 tbsp veg oil
1 beef stock cube
Gravy granules

Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onions and cook until softened. Add the beef and cook, stirring and breaking it up so it doesn't form into lumps. Add the potato, carrot and peas, crumble in the stock cube. Add enough water to cover, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Add enough gravy granules to thicken the sauce. Mix well and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, roll out defrosted puff pastry until it's the thickness of a pound coin. Using a small plate as a mould, cut out circles. Place 4 tablespoon of mince mix in the middle, wet the edges with water and close the pasty. Crimp the edges if you wish. Place on a baking tray and brush lightly with milk. Bake for 30 minutes at 200 degrees centigrade.

Unbaked pasties:



Just out of the oven:



Pasty and chips:

Chilli Chicken

8 pieces chicken
1 small red onion, chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
Salt

Place all the ingredients into a baking dish, mix well, cover with cling film and refrigerate for several hours. Bake for 30 minutes at 180 degrees centigrade.

Spinach and Olives

1/2 pack frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
2 tbsp vegetable oil
10 pitted black olives, halved
4 sundried tomato halves, chopped
1 red onion, peeled and chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced
Salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the spinach and stir until heated through. Add the olives, tomatoes, red onion and lemon juice, stir. Season with salt and pepper.

Steak with Garlic and Rosemary

2 rump steak
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp rosemary
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Salt and pepper

Put the steaks, olive oil, garlic and rosemary into a bowl, mix well. Cover with cling film and allow to marinade in the fridge for several hours. Heat a frying pan, add the vegetable oil and the steaks, cook to liking, season with salt and pepper.

Lemony Chicken

8 pieces of chicken
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp honey
1 lemon, zested
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chilli powder

Combine all the ingredients and marinade overnight. Bake at 180 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Pesto Potatoes

2 waxy potatoes, cubed, boiled
1 handful cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tbsp pesto
Salt and pepper

Put everything into a bowl, stir until combined, season with salt and pepper.

Beef Noodles

2 cakes wheat noodles
2 pieces rump steak, sliced
1 tbsp rice wine
2 tbsp soya sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp cornflour
1 red onion, peeled and sliced1 cloves garlic, minced
3 slices ginger, minced
1 green chilli, deseeded and chopped
3 tbsp vegetable oil

Put the steak, rice wine, one tablespoon soya sauce and cornflour into a bowl and mix well. Cook the wheat noodles in boiling water according to instructions on the package. Drain and refresh with cold water. Heat half the oil in a frying pan, add the noodles and stir until beginning to brown, remove from the pan and set aside. Heat the remaining oil, add the garlic, ginger and chilli, stir then add the marinaded beef. Allow the beef to seal and then stir, add the red onion, stir well. Add the noodles, season with soya and oyster sauce.

Raisin Cookies

1 cup plain flour
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp milk1 large egg
125g butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup raisins

Beat the butter and sugars in a bowl. Add the milk, egg and vanilla, beating well. Sift in the flour, baking powder and baking soda, mix to combine. Fold in the oats and raisins. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees, drop tablespoons of the mix onto a baking tray and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Spinach and Sundried Tomato Pasta

1 cup pasta, cooked in water, drained
6 blocks frozen spinach
4 halves sundried tomato in oil, chopped
2 tbsp pitted black olives, halved
1/2 lemon juiced
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

Bring water to the boil in a saucepan, add the spinach and cook, drain and squeeze out excess water. Place all the ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Season to taste.

Turkish Delight Jelly

4 leaves gelatine
3 tbsp rose water
1 lemon juiced
10 tbsp sugar

Soak the gelatine in cold water until softened. Put the rose water, lemon juice and sugar in a pan with 400ml water and heat until the sugar is dissolved. Squeeze the gelatine and add to the pan, stirring until dissolved. Strain into a bowl, chill until set.



The original recipe had only 6 tbsp sugar but it was too sour so I added more. Next time I'm going to omit the lemon juice and use more gelatine to obtain a better set.

Cuter Than Cupcakes

Q: What's cuter than cupcakes?

A: Mini cupcakes.

Butter Bean Mash

Butter beans mashed with some olive oil, parsley and seasoning.

Moroccan Chicken Stew wtih Lemon and Olives

2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
5cm root ginger, minced
1/2 tsp tumeric
4 portions chicken
1 small stick cinnamon
1 pinch saffron
600ml chicken stock, hot
1 lemon, zest grated and juiced
1 handful fresh parsley, chopped
1 handful fresh mint, chopped
200g cous cous
25g small black olives, pitted

Heat the oil in a pan, add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until soft. Add all but 1 tsp garlic along with ginger and tumeric, cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken, cinnamon, saffron, stock and lemon juice. Season, bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, uncovered. Meanwhile, mix together the remaining garlic, lemon zest, parsley and mint, set aside. Remove the chicken from the pan, cover to keep warm. Increase the heat and reduce the sauce for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, add 250ml boiling water to the cous cous and cover. Return the chicken to the pan with the garlic and lemon zest mixture. Heat up, add the olives and serve with the cous cous.

Green Bean Salad

A salad of green beans, butter beans, cherry tomatoes, sundried tomatoes and red onion. It's dressed with lemon juice and olive oil and a little parsley.

Beef in Guiness

1kg stewing or braising beef, cubed
2 tbsp plain flour
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
500ml Guiness
1 beef stock cube
1 tsp thyme
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper

Put the beef and flour in a large heatproof dish, mix well. Bake at 220 degrees centigrade for 20 minutes. Add the onion a garlic, bake for another 10 minutes. Add the Guiness, thyme and bay leaf, crumble in the stock cube, add enough boiling water to cover the meat and season with salt and pepper. Cover the dish with foil or a lid. Reduce the heat to 170 degrees centigrade and cook for 2 hours.

Protein Logs

1 cup natural chunky peanut butter
1 cup unflavoured whey protein
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup Splenda
1/2 cup dessicated coconut

Microwave the peanut butter for 30-60 seconds until soft. Add the other ingredients and mix well. Add water, a tablespoon at a time, until the mixture binds together. Form into log shapes.

Originally I intended to roll the finished logs in dessicated coconut but it wasn't sticking very well so I decided to add the coconut to the mixture.

Turkish Delight, Part 2

675g sugar
100g cornflour
30g powdered gelatine
25g icing sugar
2 tbsp rose water
1/2 tsp red food colouring

Put the sugar and 300ml of water into a large bowl. Mix 75g cornflour with 200ml cold water, stir then add to the sugar. Sprinkle the gelatine over and mix well. Microwave at 100% until bubbling, stirring every two minutes. Remove from the microwave and stir well. Microwave at 30% for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Remove from the microwave and stir well. Line a dish with clingfilm. Mix the remaining cornflour and icing sugar, sprinkle some into the bottom of the dish. Add the rose water and colouring to the bowl, stir well, pour into the lined dish. Allow to set in a cool place overnight. Dust a chopping board with some of the cornflour and icing sugar mix, carefully tip out the set Turkish delight. Cut to desired size, dust with cornflour and icing sugar mix, store in a box with pieces of baking parchment between layers.

Mmm... Cupcakes...

Chocolate Cupcakes

210g self raising flour
50g cocoa
250g butter, softened
250g brown sugar
5 medium eggs
4 tbsp milk

Beat the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs and milk and continue to mix. Sieve in the flour and cocoa, mix well. Spoon into paper cupcake cups and bake for 15 minutes at 180 degrees. Allow to cool thoroughly before icing.




Chocolate Buttercream

150g butter, softened
200g icing sugar
4 tbsp cocoa
2 tbsp milk

Beat the butter until soft, sieve in the icing sugar and cocoa, add the milk and beat well. Use to ice the cupcakes. Decorate with sprinkles, malteasers, silver balls etc.

Red Cabbage Salad

1/4 small red cabbage, shredded
1 small red onion, sliced
1 lemon, juiced
Glug of olive oil
Handful of pumpkin seeds
Salt, to taste

Combine the cabbage and onion in a bowl. Add the lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and mix well. Sprinkle the pumpkin seeds on top.

Turkish Delight, Part 1

8 leaves gelatine
500g sugar
Rosewater
Red food colouring
2 tbsp icing sugar
1 tbsp cornflour

Pour 300ml of water into a pan, add the gelatine and leave for 5 minutes. Place the pan on a low heat until the gelatine melts. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in rosewater to taste and a few drops of red food colouring. Wet a dish with cold water and pour in the syrup. Allow to set in a cool place for 24 hours. Sift together the icing sugar and flour, use to dust a chopping board. Gently ease the Turkish delight out and cut into squares. Dust all surfaces with the icing sugar mix, store in a box with greaseproof paper between layers.



This Turkish is a little jelly-like in texture and not solid enough. I've seen other recipes with cornflour added to the syrup which I think will produce a firmer Turkish.

Butter Twists

225g unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg white
1 1/2 cup plain flour plus a little more for dusting

Beat the butter and sugar together, add the vanilla and egg white, mix well. Sift in the flour, mix then form into a dough. Divide the dough into eight pieces, roll into a thin sausage shape and twist together. Place the twists onto a prepared tray and bake at 180 degrees centigrade for 13-15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Spicy Pumpkin

1/2 pumpkin, peeled and cut into pieces
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
1 1/2 cm piece fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika8 cardamon pods, lightly crushed
Large knob butter
Salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a frying pan, add the onions, stirring. Add the garlic, chilli and ginger, stirring. Add the spices and stir well. Place the pumpkin in a baking dish, add the onion mixture, stir well and season. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees centigrade for 60 minutes, turn once or twice to ensure the pumpkin cooks evenly.

Melting Moments

210g plain flour
60g cornstarch
30g icing sugar, plus extra to dust
225g unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract

Beat the butter and vanilla. Sieve in the flours and icing sugar, mix well. Cover and refrigerate for an hour until firm. Form into small balls, place onto a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees centigrade for 12-14 minutes or until beginning to brown. Transfer to a wire rack fro 5 minutes, then roll the biscuits in icing sugar and allow to cool on the rack.

Sausages and Lentils

250g green lentils
6 rashers smoked streaky bacon, chopped
1 pack nice pork sausages
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 sticks celery, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 tsp rosemary
1 can chopped tomatoes1 tbsp parsley, chopped
1 tbsp veg oil
Salt and pepper

Put the lentils in a saucepan, cover with water, bring to the boil. Boil rapidly for 15 minutes then reduce the heat and cover, simmer 30 minutes then drain well. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the sausages and bacon, remove the sausages when brown. Add the onion, garlic, celery, and carrot, fry until the onion is beginning to brown. Add the rosemary and tomatoes, stirl well. Add the sausages, season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer until the vegetables are soft. Stir in the parsley.



Note: this recipe produced enough lentils for four people while the sausages were only enough for two. The lentils were lovely heated up the next day with some roast chicken.

Banana and Chocolate Cake

150g unsalted butter
300g plain flour
100g dark brown sugar
85g white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
150ml milk
5 small, ripe bananas, mashed
100g plain chocolate, cut into chunks

Beat the butter and sugars together. Add the eggs and mix well. Sieve in the flour and bicarbonate of soda, beat well. Add the milk and mix. Fold in the bananas and chocolate chunks. Pour into a lined tin and bake at 180 degrees centigrade for one hour or until cooked through. Allow to cool for 15 minutes in the tin before transferring to a wire rack.