Buttermilk Chocolate Cake

You would be right in thinking that this is not something which you will see very often in this kitchen . . .  chocolate cake.  The Toddster doesn't like chocolate cakes, pies or cookies, or puddings for that matter  . . .  and with my diabetes I try very hard not to eat this stuff, but when I was having four missionary elders for dinner a week or so ago I decided that I would bake them a chocolate cake for dessert.

Lemon Cake Pie

I want to tempt you just a little bit this morning with a tasty recipe from my Big Blue Binder. This is a big blue plastic covered binder that I have been carrying around with me since I was a little girl. (I was 9 or 10 when I started it.) It is old and tatty now, and bulging at the seams . . . but it is also filled with beautiful gems . . .

Maple & Mustard Chicken . . .

 One of the things I love most about chicken is it's ability to go so very well with a lot of other flavours. It's just so very adaptable, and delicious.  The breast meat is of course a lot leaner, but also very easy to dry out . . .  the thighs and legs have a lot more flavour in the, and require longer cooking so that they are nice and tender, but it's no surprise that they actually have more flavour as they are the part of the chicken that gets the biggest workout!  (If you are not buying factory farmed chicken that is.  If you are, none of it will have much flavour)

Amy's Mobile Kitchen . . .

AMY’S MOBILE KITCHEN TOURS THE UK WITH HEARTY LUNCHES TO
SUPPORT CHARITABLE ORGANISATIONS

#amysmobilekitchen

For the month of February 2016, vegetarian and organic food experts Amy’s bring you Amy’s Mobile
Kitchen - a vintage van that will serve delicious Amy’s soups and chillis across London, Manchester and
Glasgow, free to those who make a donation to local charitable organisations. The delicious & warming
soups & chillis will be accompanied by outstandingly good bread from local artisan bakeries.

The van will make its first stops in London, visiting a variety of locations from 1st – 14th February 2016.
Then it’s up North to bring some vegetarian goodness to Manchester from 16th – 21st February, followed
by its final stops in Glasgow from 23rd – 28th February. The van’s exact location will be announced each
day on Twitter and Instagram via @amyskitchenuk using the hashtag #amysmobilekitchen.

Using carefully selected organic ingredients, Amy’s Kitchen produces vegetarian frozen meals, soups
and chillis with delicious home cooked flavour. Amy’s is a company with a conscience - environmental
awareness and sustainability is at the heart of its production and contributing to community projects is
a big part of its ethos. With this in mind and in recognition of their great work, Amy’s Mobile Kitchen will
be partnering with charitable organisations that are making efforts to support the young and homeless across the UK, with profits from lunch service being donated in each city. In addition, all packaging used for Amy’s Mobile Kitchen will be from 100% recycled and ethically sourced materials.

 Details of charity partners in each city are below:

London: Café from Crisis - An inspirational social enterprise that provides on-the-job training and
experience for homeless people and ex offenders. http://www.crisis.org.uk/pages/-crisis-skylightlondon-cafe-62496.html

Manchester: Back On Track - A charitable organisation focused on supporting some of the most
disadvantaged in Greater Manchester through training, work experience and mentoring, helping them
to overcome major barriers and turn their lives around. http://www.backontrackmanchester.org.uk/

Glasgow: End Youth Homelessness – A national collaboration of charities and businesses across
the UK coordinated by Centrepoint who have come together to tackle youth homelessness by raising
awareness and lobbying government to make a change. http://www.eyh.org.uk/ 

Amy’s tasty vegetarian soups will be available in a variety of flavours including Organic Chunky Tomato (my personal favourite), Organic Cream of Mushroom and Organic Lentil Vegetable. There will also be the option of a vegetarian medium chilli for those after something a bit heartier. Quality artisan bread will be offered from local bakeries in each city; in London delicious sourdough from The Dusty Knuckle bakery, a social enterprise aiming to help disadvantaged young people. In Manchester visitors to the van will have the chance to try some mouth-watering spicy corn bread from Lancashire bakery Artisan Food Works and Glasgow residents can sample loaves from bakery47, who regularly have fans queuing round the corner for their creations.

Also joining the Amy’s family for this very special project is artist Alice Stevenson, who has previously
created illustrations for fashion designer Marc Jacobs. Alice has created a bespoke logo for Amy’s
Mobile Kitchen as well as designing the bright illustrations that will adorn the van, making it impossible
to miss as it travels the UK streets.

About Amy’s
Amy’s is a family owned business founded by husband and wife team Andy and Rachel Berliner in 1987 and
named after their daughter Amy. It all started with a mission to create delicious vegetarian food that is full of
organic ingredients and home cooked flavour, yet quick and easy to prepare.

Every product contains certified organic ingredients and there are absolutely no additives, no MSG, no
preservatives and no GMOs. The Amy’s range is a best seller in the UK and is stocked in all of the well-known supermarkets as well as independent retailers and health food stores such as Whole Foods and Planet Organic.

Amy’s also caters for a variety of diets, including gluten free, dairy free and vegan so everyone can enjoy the
delicious home cooked flavour. Amy’s products are all Vegetarian Society approved, and all products in their
gluten-free range hold the Coeliac UK Crossed grain Symbol Licence.

https://amyskitchen.co.uk/
https://twitter.com/amyskitchenuk
https://www.instagram.com/amyskitchenuk/
https://www.facebook.com/AmysKitchenUK

Apple & Cinnamon Tea Cake

 

Apple & Cinnamon Tea Cake. I had some apples in my fruit bowl that needed using up pronto, and so I dug out this delicious cake recipe that I have had in my repertoire for quite some time now.  

Who doesn't love an apple cake after all.  I thought it would be the perfect way to use them up.





Actually, I do love cake, in any way shape or form.  That's why being a diabetic is so hard for me.  I cannot resist cake . . .  it's one of my weaknesses.

When I do indulge however I try to be on my best behaviour and only have nibbles. Okay, maybe lots of nibbles, but its hard . . .



Especially when it's a lovely buttery cake like this Applie and Cinnamon Cake.  It is sooo delicious.

It is stuffed full of lovely warm baking spices. Like cinnamon for instance.  I do love cinnamon, don't you?



And cinnamon goes so well with apples, don't you think? 

Funny that.  Because on its own cinnamon is not really very palatable in the least, howeve good it smells.

 

This is a  fabulous cake, really.   It's really moist and fruity.  Pretty hard to resist.

 

But its also a very pretty cake to look at. I love food that delights the eyes first and then the tummy.



Just look at those cute little apples nestled in amongst that lovely moist batter. Apples that are slivered and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.

 Baked in the oven along with the cake, until golden.  Then the whole thing is glazed with apricot jam.



I love it when that happens.  Dust with icing sugar or not . . . as you wish.  Do serve with lashings of softly whipped cream.   

You won't regret it.  Your hips might, but you won't.  I dare say . . . you may even get a little bit ecstatic!

 

*Apple and Cinnamon Tea Cake*
Makes one 9 inch cake, serving 8 to 10
Printable Recipe

A deliciously moist cake, filled with lovely apples and cinnamon flavours.   Serve warm with softly whipped double cream for a real treat!

185g of unsalted butter, softened (3/4 cup)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
126g of golden caster sugar (2/3 cup)
3 large free range eggs, lightly beaten
150g of plain flour (1 1/2 cups)
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
78ml of whole milk (1/3 cup)

To top:
4 small Granny Smith Apples, peeled, halved and cored
1 tsp caster sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

To finish:
a heaped dessertspoon of apricot jam, gently warmed (about 1/4 cup)

To serve:
Softly whipped double cream



Preheat the oven to 170*C/325*F/ gas mark 3.  Butter a 9 inch round spring form cake tin.   Line the bottom with baking paper.  Butter the paper.  Set aside.

Cream together the butter, cinnamon and sugar until light and fluffy.   Beat in the eggs, a bit at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.   Add to the creamed mixture, alternately with the milk.  Spread the batter in the prepared pan.  Cut little slits in the apples almost all the way through working from the rounded top down, taking care to leave them intact on the flat side.  Place the apple halves evenly spaced around the cake on top of the batter.  Stir together the sugar and cinnamon.  Sprinkle evenly over top.

Bake for 50 minutes.  Remove from the oven.  Gently brush with the apricot jam.   Return to the oven and bake for a further 10 minutes, or until the cake tests done when a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Serve warm, cut into wedges along with some softly whipped double cream. 

 

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 at aol dot com. 

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Dauphinoise Hasselback Potatoes

I am always looking for a different way to cook potatoes.  I love  potatoes.  Unfortunately I need to watch how many I eat these days.  

The days of having nothing but a baked potato for supper are long over.  But I can enjoy half a one, and today I enjoyed a half a one of these delicious babies.  

A delicious twist on an old favourite . . .  or two old favourites combined.  Either way . . .  worth it.

 






These are somewhat of a blue-moon treat and not something you would want to eat every day of the week, but boy oh boy, when you do, they are definitely something which will be enjoyed.  

Baking potatoes, sliced almost all the way through at 1/3 inch spaces and then the spaces stuffed  . . .

With seasoned and herbed butter, alternating with thin slices of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese . . . then baked until golden brown, drizzled with some cream and sprinkled with a bit more cheese and baked again . . .

 The potatoes end up tender with tasty golden edges . . .  cheese and cream melting down into those crisp crevices . . . perfectly seasoned.

 

 







Deliciously indulgent.  Like I said  . . . once in a blue moon . . .  a real treat.

*Dauphinoise Hasselback Potatoes*

Serves 2 generously

4 realistically

Printable Recipe 

Delicious.  Simple. Cheesy and creamy. A real treat!  

2 baking potatoes, well washed and dried and rubbed with a bit of olive oil

2 TBS butter (cold)

1 (2 inch) piece of Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese, thinly sliced

1/4 tsp each, fine sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and garlic powder

1/2 tsp dried thyme

60ml heavy cream (1/4 cup)

2 TBS grated strong cheddar cheese

2 TBS finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese  

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.  Taking a sharp knife, cut through the potatoes, almost all the way through to the bottom, leaving about 1/2 uncut, and slicing  about 1/3 inch apart all the way across the length of the potatoes.

Place the sea salt, pepper, garlic powder and thyme in a small bowl.  Cut the butter into thin slices and sprinkle with the herb mixture.  

Press one butter slice in between the slices of the potatoes, alternating with the Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese.  Place into a baking dish and then bake in the oven for about 45 minutes or until tender and golden. 

 






Drizzle the cream over top of each evenly and sprinkle evenly with the cheddar and Parmigiano cheeses.  Return to the oven for a further 5 to 10 minutes.  Serve hot.

Bon Appetit!

French Onion Cottage Pie

Red meat isn't something which we eat in this house very often.   I know we had that BBQ Beef Pie last week.  The week before I had made this French Onion Cottage Pie for a supper one night and it was fabulous.  I used my slow cooker and cooked the beef overnight so that it was fork tender, and the gravy was absolutely delicious.   I just used the method etc. that I normally use to do a pot roast in the slow cooker.  It worked out really well.

Apple and Cranberry Baked Oatmeal

Source: care2.com via Dawn on Pinterest

When I was a child I was not overly fond of oatmeal . . . not for breakfast or any other time . . . unless it was baked into cookies . . . then I could be gently persuaded to eat it.  I wasn't eating cooked oatmeal for love nor money.  It was just not my cup of tea . . . at all!

 

Clearly my mother was not all that persuasive or inventive . . . I dare say if a bowl of these lovely baked oats had been put down in front of me . . . I'd have gobbled it up . . . no problem!  Sorry mom!

Polka Dot Crispie Treats

Have you ever had a day when you really didn't feel like cooking at all, or even doing much of anything??? It doesn't happen to me very often, but yesterday was one of those days.  I was having a horrible no good rotten day.  Nothing that I could put my finger on . . . I just felt a bit blah.  Not sick . . . just a bit tired, run down . . .  and frustrated by nothing in particular . . . yet frustrated with everything, at the same time.  Grumpy.  Out of sorts.

For lunch I rifled through the fridge and put together a pizza.  There was a few bits of cheese that needed using up, some leftover cooked sausages that needed to be used, and some spring onions and black olives left from the other day when I made some Mexican dip.  They all ended up on top of the pizza . . .



and it was good . . . but it didn't chase the blues away.  I still felt out of sorts.  Then I remembered those lovely herbal teas I was sent the other day.  They looked and smelled delicious . . .  so why not.  A hot drink is often a nice pick me up.

BBQ Beef Croissant Pie

When my kids were growing up I used to make these little biscuit cups for them called BBQ Biscuit Cups.   They were really simple and very delicious, but it did make a lot.   

You pressed some biscuit dough into muffin cups and filled them with a BBQ Beef filling and topped with cheese prior to baking.  The kids loved them!  

I had a tin of croissant dough in the refrigerator today and a package of extra lean ground beef I needed to use up and so I put my thinking cap on and decided to adapt my BBQ Biscuit Cup recipe to use the croissant dough, with very delicious results!








The BBQ Beef filling is very easy to make.  You simply brown ground beef in a skillet.  I like to use the extra lean ground beef.  

You do need to spray the skillet first with a bit of non-stick spray, but it's nice and lean.  I mash it up with a potato masher when I am browning it so break it all up nicely.








The sauce is very simple also . . .  some tomato ketchup, a bit of cider vinegar, some brown sugar (naughty I know), some seasonings and some chili, onion and garlic powders.  (Not salts)  

You just stir these into the ground beef and heat through.

The crust is made by using a tin of ready roll croissant dough (Pillsbury Crescent Rolls in North America).  

You separate them and press them into a pie tin . . .  leaving the points overhanging over the sides and covering the interior completely.

 






A layer of cheese on the bottom, that scrumptious BBQ Beef filling over top and another sprinkle of cheese over that (save a bit of cheese for the very end), and you pull those points over top to meet in the middle.  There are little windows in between that the cheese can be seen.  

Baked in the oven until golden brown and you scatter that saved cheese over top and pop it back into the oven to melt it.  Dinner is served!  A simple salad and veg on the side is all you need and everybody's happy!

*Barbeque Beef Croissant Pie*

Serves 6

Printable Recipe 

A delcious and easy pie that makes use of refrigerated croissant rolls.  All you need is a salad and vegetable on the side for a complete meal!  

1 pound extra lean ground beef

165g of tomato ketchup (3/4 cup)

3 TBS soft light brown sugar

1 TBS cider vinegar

1 tsp mild chili powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

240g grated strong cheddar cheese (2 cup)

1 can of refrigerated croissant roll dough 

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.  Spray a 9 inch pie pan with non stick cooking spray.  Set aside.

Spray a non-stick pan with some cooking spray.  Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until it is completely broken up and nicely browned.  Set aside. Whisk together the ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, chili powder, seasonings, garlic powder and onion powder.  Stir this into the cooked beef, mixing it together well.

Separate the croissant dough and place in the pie plate in a spoke pattern, with the wider part in the centre of the tin and the tips overlapping the sides of the tin by about 3 inches.  

Press the dough out to cover the sides and bottom of the pan.  Sprinkle with 1/2 of the cheese.  Cover with the meat mixture.  Sprinkle 1/2 of the remaining cheese over top.  Fold the points over the meat to meet in the middle, without overlapping it.  Reserve the remaining cheese for later.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.  Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and return to the oven just to melt the cheese.  Allow to stand for about five minutes before cutting it into wedges to serve.

Bon Appetit!

Newby Teas, Valentine's Day: Love Boxed Up

Newby Teas presents two luxury options for adding romance and a touch of health to your Valentine’s Day this year, both available in Harrods and online at Newby’s e-boutique for busy lovers.

How To Eat Well When the Cupboard is Bare

 I don't know about you, but my pocketbook is really feeling the pinch this January.  There are days when I go to the cupboard and I feel like Old Mother Hubbard.  My cupboard looks bare.  That doesn't mean that you can't rustle up a tasty meal however.  Here are some great ideas for super meals that will satisfy and please, created from next to nothing!

The Well Dressed Crock Pot

There are certain times of the week, month and year that my Crock Pot is my best friend and the most valued and used tool in my kitchen!  On Sundays when I know we are going to get home from church absolutely famished, it is such a simple thing to do to pop something into the crock pot before we leave, making sure that something tasty is waiting for us when we get home.  In the summer when you want something hearty and don't want to heat up the kitchen, the Crock Pot is a great ally, and in Winter, when the cold winds doth blow, there is no better way to create rib sticking hearty and comforting meals for the whole family!   Nothing could be easier.  Just pile it all in the pot, cover and turn it on.  The pot does the rest!

Layered Tuna Bake

Christmas and the holidays are all over now . . .   it's back to boring food again . . .
Or is it boring??? It doesn't have to be!

Vegetable Soup with Bacon Dumplings

 


We are definitely having winter weather now.   It's been positively frigid and today is no different. It's definitely the type of day you want to spend indoors next to the fire!

Spicy Potato Tacos

There are two things in life which I really enjoy.  One is potatoes and the other is Mexican Food.  When I first moved over here to the UK, it was extremely difficult to get the ingredients to make Mexican anything.  I used to bring them back with me every time I went to Canada for a visit, or order them from a very expensive  North American supplier here inthe UK.  Happily it is a lot easier now and most grocery stores have a dedicated Mexican Food section in them.  It is very much a Briticized version of Tex Mex . . . but at least it isn't the vast no-man's land that it used to be!

Apple & Mincemeat Brown Betty

 Todd is not overly fond of eating raw apples, but if you cook an apple, he is the first in line wanting to tuck  in!  He just loves baked apple desserts.   I had about half a jar of mincemeat that needed using up  in the refrigerator and I also had some apples that had seen better days as well as about 1/3 of a loaf of stale bread.   I decided to use all three and make a Betty with them.

Baked Apple Donuts

I have several recipes posted on here for donut muffins.  This recipe for Jam Donut Muffins is very good.   This recipe for Glazed Donut Muffins is also excellent!  This recipe for Donut Muffins is my absolute favourite.  They are also filled with jam, but are more cakey than the first one.  All are good.   Today I am showing you a recipe for Baked Apple Donuts, which are a mini muffin that greatly resemble donut holes when done!

Friday Fried Rice

I love these kinds of recipes.   You know the type I mean . . .  the kind where you just go to the fridge and see what you have in there and then throw it all together to come up with something tasty?  Yeh . . .  I love those.  I used to love watching Ready Steady Cook when I first moved over here to the UK.

Spiced Sweet Potato Soup

It's been colder than blazes this week.  Winter has finally arrived.  Not as cold as it gets in North America of course, but cold is relative.  It's a damp cold here and it feels positively frigid coz it gets right through to your bones!  It's soup season!

Tomato and Herb Baked Chicken and Cirio for healthy eating

 

After all the comforts of the Christmas period, the thought of a detox can be daunting. But what if you could still eat foods packed with flavour AND be healthier at the same time? The ‘Mediterranean diet’ is exactly this, having been at the forefront of the media in recent years due to its appealing balance of delicious food and enormous health benefits. The tomato is a key ingredient in many Mediterranean dishes and tinned tomatoes are used just as frequently as fresh produce, with Cirio’s authentic tinned tomatoes being the best loved in Italy!