Cup of tea and cake?

I make this cake every week, its very simple, and all the family love it, and its actually quite nutritious, as there isn't much fat in it, or sugar, compared to many sweet treats, and the big portion of dried fruit will count towards one of your 5 a day! Very filling, yummy and moist!


                                                              Fruitcake

                                                          You will need:

4oz  unsalted butter or Margarine ( I only use stork if I run out of butter)
6oz caster sugar
340g dried fruit mixed (raisins, sultanas, cherries, whatever you fancy or have in store cupboard)
1tsp bicarbonate soda
3 heaped tsp mixed spice (this is my preference-use less if you wish)
1 level tsp salt
4oz plain flour
4oz self raising flour
2 beaten eggs
8 floz water
100ml orange juice

Preheat oven to Gas 4/350f/180c

Place  butter, fruit, sugar, bicarb,mixed spice, and water into a pan and  bring to the  boil, and simmer, until bubbling and melted.                                           

Pour into a large mixing bowl, and allow to cool, I usually get my little daughter stirring it, to cool it quicker.

Once cooled, add the beaten eggs, and flours,and salt, stir well and finally add the orange juice, stir one more time, and pour into a deep greased and lined cake tin.

Cake needs to be on the centre shelf of  the oven, half way through cooking time  approx 45 mins, I cover the cake with a disc of foil to stop the top burning.  Test with a skewer after an 1hr and 15 mins, if it comes out clean your cake is done! allow to cool in tin for 5 mins and turn out onto a wired rack.

This cake will keep for a week to 10 days, in an airtight tin, if it's around long enough of course!

                                   Luverly with a cup of Rosie Lee, Enjoy! :)


                          

Halloween pics



I went to a  Pre Halloween bash last night, it was great fun, but I have suffered today with a hangover from hell... anyway a few pics of our goings on...

Spooky cupcakes

Werewolf  cakes

Daughter had fun dressing up as a witch

Little witch

Goth bride

This was my attempt, at kind of fancy dress... the make up was more vivid in real life than in this pic, but it looked good overall, a fun night was had by all, too much wine was consumed by myself, as well as some strange concoction from Germany, which I downed 3 shots of....  I need a week to recover!

Looking foward to half term, with the kids, with more pumpkin carving at the weekend, and an extra  hours sleep on Sunday!

Comfort food...

BBRRR,well, its turned very cold hasn't it? Hats, scarves and gloves for us, on school run yesterday and today, heating on. On cold days like this, don't we all want and crave, warm comfort food.

I fancied  pasta bake today, and its always quick, and easy to cook,  (20 mins prep, plus 20-25 mins in oven), you could make this up in the morning, and pop into oven, when you get back from school, or work. I just made this up as I went along today, with stuff I had that need using up, and it turned out rather superb!

                                                         Smokey Sausage Pasta Bake
                                                       
                                                                  Should serve 6                                  


                                                         1x 500 g packet penne pasta
                                                          6 Cumberland pork sausages
                                                                      I large onion
                                                                     2 cloves garlic
                                                              1 tin chopped tomatoes
                                                          1 heaped tsp smoked paprika
                                                              2 slugs dark soy sauce
                                                              2 slugs balsamic vinegar
                                                                        1tsp sugar
                                                            1tsp wholegrain mustard
                                                             Salt and pepper to taste
                                                       100 ml double cream (optional)
                                                 Grated medium cheddar to cover the top
                                                              
   Preheat oven to gas 6/200
  Boil pasta  in salted water, until nearly cooked, drain, set aside in a large baking dish
  Grill sausages, until cooked through. slice diagonally when cooled.
  Slice onion, fry until soft, add chopped garlic, cook for 1 min, add tomatoes, and all other ingredients, except the cream, bring to the boil, then simmer for 5 mins. Season to taste.
Add the cream, personally I love it, makes it a little more luxurious, but not so healthy, hey ho, it's ok  once in a while ;) heat through add a slug of milk so its not too thick, then mix into the pasta, into prepared oven dish, add the sausages, mix everthing together then sprinke with cheese. cover with foil.

                                                    
   Bake in centre top of oven for 15 mins, take foil off cook for further 10 mins until golden and crispy.

Serve with some green salad.

Yummy!

I also made the kids some very moreish chocolate brownies.

  These are dead simple to make and don't need any expensive chocolate, just plain cocoa, but they taste luxurious!

   This  recipe is from my fellow blogger Choc girl here

4 tablespoons cocoa powder

100g butter

200g sugar

2 eggs

75g plain flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

*Tweak* I like couple small handfuls nuts, hazlenuts, pecans and walnuts are good!

 preheat your oven to 180°c/gas 4/350°f

grease or line a 20 x 20cm baking tin

over a low heat melt the butter and cocoa powder :

* I give it a quick zap in the microwave until melted*

leave to cool :

In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients together and add the vanilla extract :

break the eggs to your cooled chocolatey-butter mixture and stir well :

now tip the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry stuff and mix carefully :

don't over do it!

your mix will be quite thick and gorgeously glossy :

Spoon into your prepared tin, smooth over and bake for

15 - 20 minutes ~ it should be springy to touch but squidgey inside

You need small child or older ones to lick the bowl clean! 

Gooey chocolately heaven

    I'm off to my halloween party tomorrow, so pics to follow of  cakes, outfits etc, as mentioned in previous post.   Happy weekend to you all :)

                                                                                          

    

                                       
                                             




Rainy October...Halloween fun!

Rain, rain, and more rain, so far this month! I really love the autumn (when its dry!) the damp is horrible, it just takes a bit of getting used to, being stuck in so much, after the glorious summer we have had. But  yay!we have all the festivities to look foward to, Halloween, Bonfire night, and Christmas.. dare I mention it yet?

Saturday was a mega busy day, we layed laminate in our lounge, WOW what a killer that was, hubby and myself are hobbling about, like we are both 85! both have a dodgy back now! Still its a job well done, and we will be warm for winter with no draughts.

Whilst hubby was laying floor , I had a cooking fest, and  made a scrummy chicken chorizo, and chick pea casserole, with  home made foccacia with red onion, and rosemary (sorry no pics, because I forgot, what with all the commotion! ) but MY it was fabulous! Definitely be making it again, a real peasant dish with max flavours, it was so good to tuck into after all that hard work.  I did take some pics of the choc chip muffins I made, they were very good too! I only had 1 of course.;) 

Choc chip muffins

I then took daughter to park,  as weather was quite pleasant , we found conkers, fed the ducks, went squirrel spotting, and daughter got filthy on the slide as she went down head first at least 15 times!

Conker stash





Vampy inspired  dress!

 I am really looking foward to Halloween, my stepmum revels in this celebration in a big way, so is throwing a BIG bash this year, it is fancy dress (compulsory, or no entry)  I am NOT one for dressing up, I always feel really silly, think its for kids! but this year i'm wholeheartedly going the whole hog,and going for the black gothic bride look, make up, hair and all, (pics to follow) daughter is going to pumpkin carving the week before, and we have got her a cute little witch outfit,with broom, and I will paint her face green. Whether I get my man dressing up is another thing, I may have to bribe him...                                                   


Loving this gothic make up!

I'm going to HAVE to make some spooky cupcakes, to take  to the kids party I never need an excuse to make them, I LOVE, LOVE making cupcakes, so much more fun, and more intricate than everyday baking, I wish we had a local cake suppliers shop, I hate paying the extortionate delivery prices online, just for a few sprinkles, decorative bits and bobs, etc, so will have to drive 10 miles or so to a good one that always has everthing I need, and stock up!  Have found some fab ideas online, here are some I may steal ideas from!









Black and orange combos

 



Spooky spiders

What's the betting I get roped into doing 100 + cakes for adult party, hmmm......

Village Green

Had a potter at the Village green on Saturday,  at one of our large local parks.

Funky bags



Beautifully crafted wooly birds

Scrummy Kidsonesque vintage fabrics



Mosiacs




Daughter Bollywood dancing!



Abtract artworks

Smashed!

The quirky glass piece above, which HAD to be mine was once a smashed car windscreen,  heated in a kiln, the glass pieces all meld back together, looks great on my mantlepiece! £2 BARGAIN!

 A  most enjoyable 2 hours, scouring all the stalls, lots of gorgeous homemade goodies. Daughter was very fed up, as was cold and windy, I would have stayed longer...

Friday night Curry feast!

I LOVE CURRY!!

As you can tell, I am mad about the stuff, I crave it all the time, I can't go a week without having one, hence my expanding waistline....

 I was very virtuous back in  May, in preperation for my wedding. I planned my wedding over two years, but bought a dress that was 4 sizes too small for me , determined not to be a fat bride!  but never lost an ounce in those two years, because of my love of food, and aversion to excersise.With only 8 weeks to go, my dress was no where near to fitting , I needed to lose at least 2 stone, so enthusiasically embarked upon a liqiuid only diet, it was just 3 shakes a day, amounting to a mere 400 calories a day, starvation level bascically... with litres of water, well I did it, I lost 2 stone in 5 weeks, it was painful... very painful, but I still carried on baking for my children, and cooking lovely home cooked meals, I just used to take in the smell...,

 However, I still gained sooo much pleasure from baking, during those long weeks ,I just love doing it, and my children  love eating it, they  go to the cake tin when they return home from school, what surpise awaits in there today? There were 3 different cakes on Tuesday to choose from, my eldest son said " you have too much time on your hands"!  bloody cheek! I could spend my very little spare time catching up with my oil painting, but I am addicted to baking! If there is no cake in the house which is a rarity these days, they soon complain,  NO CAKE!! , what have you been doing all day   I'm not mad keen on the sweet stuff myself, i'm more of a savoury gal, cheese, and bread is a major downfall, and spicy stuff, and wine! good job too or I would be twice the size...although I am partial to chocolate brownies, and chocolate in any form in small doses;)

All in all ,I have been  a very busy bee in the kitchen this week, I made my first batch of vegetable soup, great to have in freezer, when you want a quick and easy meal.  Always making Fruitcake, hubby's fave, banana cake( because I always have bananas that are going off, and can't throw food away)they are staples in this house , delicious chocolate brownies, they went down a treat! Recipe from fellow blogger:) Big batch of  Chutney yesterday,  and all these curries, which have taken about three days in all, as I make a base gravy, one day, which I use in all my curries ( they do this in restaurants), it's what gives it its really authentic taste, I will blog this recipe another day, or if requested, then marinating of  meats, then pre cooking stages, gives the meat more flavour, then final day today of cooking it all last stages, with Pilau rice and  Onion bajhees. My house is going to smell nice for days...

What has been even more wonderful about cooking all of this stuff, is that I have had peace and quiet to do so, as my little daughter started nursery at the school she will be going to, full time next September, so I have 5 mornings a week (9-12) FREE!!, it is bliss I can tell you! Even though its a little sad she 's growing up so fast...

Anyway, the reason i'm blogging this, is that it's going to be my last feast of curry for a while, as I am endeavouring yet again to get in shape, in time for Xmas, as have gained all the weight I lost back in May.

I must try and walk more too, it's about the only form of excersise I can bear, aside from swimming which I love! I am very lazy!

Anyway hope these pics get you drooling! I am going to  really enjoy this tonight, knowing that I cooked it all myself, followed by a  few glasses of white wine, nice  music, and chat, with my lovely hubby. Perfect start to the weekend :)                                           


                                     


Beef Madras



Tandoori Chicken and Onion Bajhees




Bombay Aloo

 

                                





Pilau Rice

Chicken Korma



Have a lovely weekend all! Thanks for looking at my blog!

Back for Autumn, with recipe!

Well I'm back, I've been so lazy, haven't blogged since March!! Although I haven't stopped reading everybody elses blogs, I've been busy, got hitched in May, been on a couple of  holidays in July, and September, and have enjoyed the glorious summer we have had!

Autumn is however my favorite time of the year, and I've come over all Mrs Beeton, and have been making Jam and chutney, it's very satisfying foraging for  food, and my little girl really enjoyed blackberry picking!

 Have been given a windfall  of apples, by my mum, and making wonderful jars of goodies, that will have many uses, and keep us going through the long winter months, and all for free!!


                                        Anyway as requested by fellow preserver Dee,


                                         A recipe for Tomato, Apple and Chilli chutney:


I made a huge pan of this, but you can halve the quantities:


4lb ripe tomatoes roughly chopped ( i didn't skin them)
400 g Onions,  chopped , same as above
9 cooking apples, peeled, cored, and chopped into biggish chunks
3 mild red chillis, chopped fine, seeds n'all (optional)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Thumb size piece fresh ginger, finely chopped, or 2 heaped tsp dried ginger
4 tsp black mustard seeds
5 cloves
350 g light muscavodo sugar,( I didn't have it so used white granulated)
500 ml malt vinegar
Handful fresh  coriander chopped.(save for the end)

                              You will need a big, preferably  heavy based stainless steel pot.

                                      
                             And lots of jars, ask people to save them for you, to build up a supply.

                               

                                           Mix everything up except the vinegar and coriander

Now add half of the vinegar, give a stir and place over a med heat and heat gradually, until the sugar starts to dissolve, continue stirring, bring to a simmer,  and leave for 30-40 mins.

Stir in the remaining vinegar, and season with salt and pepper to taste, you will have to taste until it's right! and continue simmering for another 30 mins, until it starts to thicken, if  its a little runny, then give another 15 mins.

Add your coriander in 5 mins before you turn off heat.

Ladle into hot sterilised jars, seal straight away (I put my clean jars and lids on a baking tray, in the oven on a low heat gas 1 for 15 mins.)

All that remains is to label your jars, kids will enjoy getting involved with this :)


                                                        I got all this! really pleased!

                                      This chutney will be best left to mature for a couple of months...
                                  
        That's if I can resist not opening one before Xmas, to have with a lovely mature cheddar and crackers!

Will also be lovely with cold meats....

I will be giving away a few for Xmas gifts!

Now what to make next?