Here's a chance for cooks/chefs/bakers to shine! Post your favourite recipes here. As an added challenge, if you want, you could write them in the form of a poem, but only if you want. The ethos of this thread is just sharing recipes and giving tips. I shall share my recipe for a good cuppa tea later, when I'm at home and can access the file. Have fun recipe fans!
sweet I shall add a few as we go along.
All Alone my latest story.
This recipe was shown to me by my friend, whom I call Maw, because she's like a second mum to me. It's simple and great for satisfying a craving and keeps quite well in the fridge, also it get stronger, the longer it's left. Incidentally, it's the only way I can eat banana
Ingredients:
Large tub of natural or Greek yoghurt, generally, the thicker the better.
2 or 3 Bananas, depending on how strong you want it to taste. I've found that they work best when they are just on the verge of turning black. Experimentation is encouraged with this one though.
Chocolate, dark or light, your preference, but must be refrigerated so it is hard (this is the killer app!)
Method:
In a large bowl or jug, scoop the yoghurt from the pot, chop the bananas and add to the yoghurt. This is where it gets cool. Grab your hand blender and use the attachment with the blades. Give the bananas a right good mushing and get them all gooey. Now use the whisk attachment and whisk until everything is all smooth. Put in the fridge for 2-3 hours to let it thicken, or try putting it in the freezer to make ice cream (I've never tried this, but it might just work). Once it has thickened sufficiently - if you scoop it and it runs off the spoon very slowly, it's ready - spoon into ramekins or hi-ball glasses and take your chocolate from the fridge and grate some on top. Share amongst your friends and watch their smiles. Try it with different fruit, too and different chocolate. It tastes great with a mars bar grated or blended in with it. The best thing about this recipe is that you can fiddle and experiment with it and make it your own.
this is my all time favorite recipe. I learned how to make this back in 7th grade home economics class.
3 eggs 1 tsp. baking soda
2/3 c. pumpkin 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 c. sugar 3/4 cup flour (regular all purpose)
mix all together and pour into a lined jelly roll pan. Parchment paper works best for lining. back at 375* for 15 minutes. sprinkle with powdered sugar. place a new piece of parchment on top of the roll. roll into a log and let cool.
filling:
2 tbsp. butter 1 4-8 oz container of cool whip
8 oz cream cheese 3/8 tsp. vanilla
1 c. powdered sugar
mix together when logs are cooled off unroll and fill. roll back up and place in the fridge or freezer for later use.
there will be filling left that can be used on other items. this makes one roll.
hope you all enjoy it.
All Alone my latest story.
Cocktail time!
Ingredients:
Lady Vodka, a good Lady is essential, as much as you want.
A good handful of Brambles, blueberries, raspberries or a combination of both. The fresher the better, wild ones are great too.
3 Oz Gelatin.
6 Oz water.
Method:
Pour boiling water onto the gelatin sheets and stir until it's all dissolved.
Crush or roughly blend the berries but leave some whole, pour into the dissolved gelatin.
Pour your Lady Vodka in and stir.
Refrigerate for at least two hours, overnight is recommended though.
Eat and be merry!
Note: I prefer my Lady straight, but this is a nice alternative.
Thank you both for the sugar update. I shall have to look for it. I'm sure one of our many stores carries a finer grain of sugar.
All Alone my latest story.
Rhubarb Pie
4 C. Fresh or frozen Rhubarb, cut in 1/2" long pieces
1-1/2 C. Sugar
6 T. All Purpose Flour
2 Unbaked frozen pie crusts
1 T. Unsalted Butter (optional)
Preparation time (exclusive of baking and cooling) about 15 minutes.
Yield: one 8" pie
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
While the oven is heating,
In a large mixiong bowl, combine flour and suger till well-blended.
Put about 1/4 of the sugar/flour mix inbto one pie crust, and tilt and shake it this way and that til it seems to be roughly evenly distributed, and completely coats the entire crust below the edge.
Put the rhubarb into the rest of the sugar/flour mix, and stir till blended. NOw, dump all that into the shell on top of the sugar and flour you already put in.
If you want butter in the pie (it makes it a little richer, but a lot messier) now's the time to dot the top of your pile of rhubarb with butter.
Wet your fingers and dampen the edge of the bottom crust all 'round.
Now, carefully lay the other pie shell atop the whole thing and coax it out of the aluminum pan, gently pressing the edges together with the bottom, to seal it all. Try not to crack or destroy te top crust, but if it does sort of break up, all is not lost. Just sprinkle a little bit of water on the break, and skoosh it back together with your fingertips (also slightly moistened).
Puncture the top crust in several places with the tines of a fork (I generally nail it about five or six times, all over)
PLace on the lower rack in the oven for 15 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees F, and raise the pie to the middle rack bake for 40-45 minutes, untill the top crust is an even golden brown.
Cool on a rack to room temperature or a little coolerr before trying to slice it, otherwise it will fall apart as you take the slices out.
This makes a fairly tart pie, which I prefer. If you like yours sweeter, you can add more sugar. Fannie Farmer recommends a ratio of 2:1 Rhubarb to sugar, but I find that a little too sweet for my palete
"Any book not worth reading twice was not worth reading the first time." Oscar Wilde
KATE’S SUPER FUDGE BROWNIES
(copied from Ladies Home Journal interview with Kate Hepburn)
First, melt two squares of unsweetened chocolate and ¼ pound sweet butter (1 stick) in a heavy saucepan.
Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup sugar. Add two eggs along with ½ teaspoon vanilla and beat like mad.
Stir in ¼ cup flour, ¼ teaspoon salt and a cup of chopped walnuts –not smashed up, you know, just chopped into fairly good-size pieces.
Now mix all that up. Then you butter a square pan (8X8 inches) and dump the whole thing quickly into the pan.
Stuff this pan into a preheated 325 degree F. oven for 40 minutes.
After that, take out the pan and let it cool for a while. Then cut into 1 ½ inch squares and dive right in.
"Any book not worth reading twice was not worth reading the first time." Oscar Wilde
This I'd probably one of the simplest recipes you'll ever come across. I call it 'ghetto spaghetti'.
Ingredients:
Packet to cheap (ramen) noodles, I use 18p ones from Lidl.
Tomato (or other flavour, if you like) cup a soup.
Warm water, best from a kettle that has been boiled and cooled for a few minutes. This helps soften the noodles.
Ok, bash the noodles so they are broken up into fine bits. Bung it into a microwave safe bowl, add the flavour sachet and cup a soup, pour water so that noodles are covered and microwave for 3 minutes and 10 seconds. The soup makes a really nice thick sauce, almost like canned spaghetti, only thicker. Great in a pinch when all you have is noodles and soup. Also cup a soup makes a good sauce for a lot of things, if thickened enough. Sometimes thickening isn't even needed.
Loaded Potato and Buffalo Chicken Casserole:
2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, cubed (1")
8-10 medium potatoes, cut in 1/2" cubes
1/3 cup olive oil
1&1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. paprika
2 Tbsp. garlic powder
6 Tbsp. hot sauce
Topping:
2 cups fiesta blend cheese
1 cup crumbled bacon
1 cup diced green onion
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Spray a 9X13" baking dish with cooking spray. In a large bowl mix together the olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and hot sauce. Add the cubed potatoes and stir to coat. Carefully scoop the potatoes into the prepared baking dish, leaving behind as much of the olive oil/hot sauce mixture as possible. Bake the potatoes for 45-50 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes, until cooked through and crispy and browned on the outside. While the potatoes are cooking, add the cubed chicken to the bowl with the left over olive oil/hot sauce mixture and stir to coat. Once the potatoes are fully cooked, remove from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Top the cooked potatoes with the raw marinated chicken. In a bowl ix together the cheese, bacon and green onion and top the raw chicken with the cheese mixture. Return the casserole to the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the topping is bubbly delicious.
Serve with extra hot sauce and/or ranch dressing.
All Alone my latest story.
CHEESY SMOKED SAUSAGE & POTATO CASSEROLE RECIPE
Ingredients
3 cups Idaho potatoes, peeled, boiled and cut into cubes when cool, approx. 1 lb
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 lb Velveeta cheese, diced
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 lb skinless smoked sausage
1/8 teaspoon paprika
Directions:
1
Cut skinless smoked sausage in half, lengthwise, and then chop into 1/2 inch "half moon" cuts. Cook in a frying pan for about 15 minutes, turning frequently to SLIGHTLY brown.
2
Meanwhile, put cooked & diced potatoes in 2 quart casserole. Add cooked meat and give it a gentle toss.
3
Mix all remaining ingredients (except for shredded cheddar cheese & the paprika) in a saucepan over medium heat until warm, melted and smooth. (Use a whisk and stir constantly.).
4
Pour white/cheese sauce over potatoes and meat. Sprinkle shredded sharp cheddar cheese on top, and then sprinkle paprika evenly over the top.
5
Bake in preheated 350°F oven for 35-45 minutes (watch, until golden brown on top).
6
NOTE: You can substitute: 1/2 lb. hot dogs, sliced into 1/2-inch slices OR 1/2 lb. ham diced into 1/2-inch pieces OR 12 oz. can of Spam diced into 1/2-inch dices, instead of the smoked sausage.
Apple Pie Apples!!!!
You will need
5-6 granny smith apples (make sure they can stand on their own)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup stevia
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Pie Crust (either home made or pre made)
Step 1: Cut off the top of 4 apples off and discard. Remove the inside of each apple with a spoon or melon baller very carefully, as to not puncture the peel.
If you’re a skilled interior apple excavator, salvage as much as you can so you can use it for Step 2. I, on the other hand, am not skilled so I just had to throw my interior apples away and chop up additional apples for filling.
This recipe will make 4 baked apple pies (in the apple).
Step 2: Remove skin from remaining apple(s) and slice very thinly. These apple pieces will give you the additional filling needed to fill the four apples you are baking.
Mix sliced apples with sugars and cinnamon in a bowl. If you prefer more or less cinnamon make adjustments as desired. Same goes for the sugar.
Scoop sliced apples into hollow apples.
Step 3: Roll out pie crust and slice into 1/4 inch strips. You can also add a strip of pastry inside the top of the apple almost like a liner to add a little more texture/sweetness to the pie.
Cover the top of the apple in a lattice pattern with pie crust strips.
Step 4: Place apples in an 8×8 pan. Add just enough water to the cover the bottom of the pan.
Cover with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Remove foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown and sliced apples are soft.
How neat does that look? The entire thing is edible and best served with ice cream if you ask me. Enjoy!
Drop brownies (well more like brownie cookies to be honest)
You need:
One 12 oz bag of chocolate chips
One 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk. (NOT evaporated milk)
1/2 cup of butter
and 1 cup of flour.
First turn the oven on to 350F and in a 2qt. Saucepan melt chocolate, sweetened condense milk, and butter; on low heat, until smooth. Add flour and thoroughly blend together. In rounded tablespoons, place the mix an inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 7 minutes. (Do not over bake) cool for 2 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.
Quick, easy, and fast party snack...
Pig Candy
cut bacon strips into thirds.. put in plastic bag with brown sugar and shake to cover.. wrap each strip around a L'il Smokie sausage link.. skewer with toothpick to hold bacon around link.. cook at 375 until bacon is as done as you like it.. variation.. sometimes I add a small piece of jalapeno to each link before I wrap bacon..
enjoy..
So, you like Scotland? You like Scottish folk? Here, have a Scottish breakfast.
Whit ye need:
2 slices square sausage
2 slices tattie scone
1 slice black pudding
1 fried egg
1 bread roll
butter or margarine. Butter’s better.
Cook it a’ tae yer likin’. Ah like aboot two minutes each side of a’ the ingredients. Noo, here’s where ye huv tae follow ma instructions. Butter yer roll. Loads ae it. Shove a tattie scone in the bottom. Then shove a slice of square sausage in there. Then the black pudding. Then the other slice of sausage. Noo the tattie scone and finally the egg. Shove the toap oan the roll an’ munch.
Copied and pasted from Karista's Kitchen... so not my recipe at all. They don't say how to season the salmon but I commented and asked and she said just the basic salt & pepper would work. I'm think maybe a wee bit of lemon pepper instead of regular since it does have lemon juice in it (if you don't use white wine or white wine vinegar). Anyway, enjoy!
Savory Strawberry Sauce over Grilled Salmon
Savory Strawberry Sauce
4 servings
Ingredients
1 lb fresh organic strawberries (watch for local organic strawberries at your Farmer’s Markets)
1 teaspoon grapeseed oil or butter
¼ – ½ teaspoon fresh grated ginger
¼ – 1/2 teaspoon Chipotle chili powder or 1/2 teaspoon Thai Kitchen Roasted Red Chili Paste
¼ cup white wine (can substitute with water and a teaspoon of white wine vinegar or lemon)
1-2 tablespoons strawberry preserves (or more to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste
Serve over grilled salmon or try it over grilled or roasted pork tenderloin.
Directions
Slice the strawberries. Transfer the strawberries to a sauce pan, add the oil or butter and heat on medium heat.
Stir in the fresh grated ginger, chipotle chili powder or chili paste, white wine and preserves. Bring the sauce to a lively simmer and let the sauce simmer on low for about 5 minutes.
Take it off the heat and let it sit while you grill the fish or roast the pork. The longer it sits the more the flavors will develop. It can be served room temp over hot off the grill fish or hot out of the oven pork.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Options: A nice chipotle substitution is Thai Kitchen’s Asian Roasted Red Chili Paste. If you prefer savory but not spicy, omit the chili powder/chili paste and add a teaspoon or two of lemon zest.
Recipe tester, Ann Detlef, recommended substituting Gran Marnier for the white wine (less than 1/4 cup), especially if serving with roasted pork. Ann rolled her pork in olive oil, spices, kosher salt and ginger and then grilled the pork. You could also roast the pork as well. Yummy!
Carrots a la Orange:
+ 1 (16 ounce) package carrots, peeled and sliced
+ 1 tablespoon white sugar
+ 1 teaspoon cornstarch
+ 1/4 teaspoon salt
+ 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
+ 1/4 cup orange juice
+ 2 tablespoons butter
1. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil in a saucepan and cook carrots in the boiling water until just tender, about 15 minutes. Drain. Transfer carrots to a serving dish and keep warm.
2. Whisk sugar, cornstarch, salt, and ginger in a saucepan until thoroughly combined; turn heat to medium and whisk in orange juice. Bring to a simmer, whisking constantly, and cook until sauce is smooth and thickened, about 3 minutes; stir in butter. Pour sauce over carrots, stir to coat, and serve.
(I'm thinking of making this and salmon with the strawberry sauce for mother's day, what do you think? This one's from Allrecipes by the way)
