Another knitting project..

Here's another venture into the knitting world..

I will have so many hats and gloves next winter I will be very cosy...

I've really enjoyed my knitting projects and I am looking for something different to knit, any ideas welcome, just remember I am new to the craft...

I could do that...

The other day while I was watching a celebrity chef on the TV cooking a fancy macaroni cheese,  I though, I could do that ...

So after a few alterations to their recipe this is how it turned out...

Leek and Spinach Macaroni cheese

Serves 2.

4oz Macaroni ( cooked )

half a leek

2 nuggets of frozen spinach..defrosted

1 large mushroom.. sliced

half a tub of ricotta cheese..1 egg,  beat these together

3oz cheese grated

salt and pepper

2 slices of bread made into breadcrumbs 

1 teaspoon of Parmesan cheese

Saute the leek then add the spinach, add the ricotta cheese and egg mix,  grated cheese , and mushrooms.and season to taste put into an ovenproof dish 

Mix some grated cheese and the parmesan to the breadcrumbs and put on the top of the mixture.

Bake for roughly 30minutes, serve with salad or vegetable.

More tasty meals...

Here are two recipes that both my OH and I enjoy, have a go at them yourselves and let me know how you enjoyed them, don't forget you can add things that you like, everyone's taste buds are different so you can add things or take things away from the recipes below ..

So go on experiment .............

Spinach and Ricotta Lasagne

Serves 6  (I halve the recipe for the two of us)

450g (1lb) thawed frozen leaf spinach

1tbsp vegetable oil

1 onion,  thinly sliced

50g (2oz) pine nuts

salt and pepper

250g (9oz) ricotta cheese

1 egg

175g (6oz) lasagne sheets

for the sauce

25g (1oz) butter or margarine

25g (1oz) plain flour

300ml ( 1/2 pint) milk

100g (4oz) medium cheddar cheese grated 

Preheat oven to 180oC (350o F) Gas Mark 4

Rinse the spinach and drain well, Cook over a high heat with no extra water for a few minutes, shaking the pan occasionally until the leaves are tender. Drain well.

Heat the oil in the pan.  Add the onion and saute until soft and just starting to brown.  Add the pine nuts and heat through.  Mix in the spinach mixture .

Beat the Ricotta cheese and egg together and stir into the spinach mixture

Spoon half the spinach mixture over the base of the oven proof dish and cover with sheets of lasagne. Repeat these two layers one more so that all of the ingredients are used up

Heat the butter or margarine in a small pan.  Stir in the flour then, off the heat, blend in the milk.  Return the pan to the heat and stirring all the time, bring the sauce to the boil.. Cook for a few minutes to thicken, then stir in three-quarters of the cheese and check that sauce for seasoning.

Spoon the sauce over the pasta so the sheets are completely coated.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the surface then bake for 45 minutes until golden brown.

Fish Pie

Serves 4-6

 (as before I halve the ingredients for the two of us)

450g (1lb) white fish

80g (three and half ounces) of butter

50g (2oz) frozen peas

600ml (1pt) milk

110g (4oz) grated cheese

50g (2oz) plain flour

3 large potatoes

salt and pepper 

Preheat oven to190o C /375o F/ Gas Mark 5

Place fish into an ovenproof dish, pour in 300ml (half a pint) of milk and add salt and pepper.

Place dish into the oven and cook for 25mins

Meanwhile boil the potatoes for about 15 - 20mins drain and mash and add (50g) 2oz of the butter and a little milk

Remove the fish from the oven and drain liquid into a saucepan or jug and add the remainder of the milk.

Cheese sauce

Melt the rest of the butter in a saucepan over a low heat, stir in the flour and cook on a low heat for  2-3mins remove from heat and gradually add milk, stir constantly and simmer for about 4 - 5 mins, when sauce is smooth and creamy  (I use a balloon whisk for making all my sauces) gradually add the cheese.

Add the peas and pour the sauce over the fish mix, spoon the mashed potatoes over the top adding a little extra cheese on top and bake for 20-25 mins....

Meal time

Well, after being asked why don't you add main meals to your blog?, I had a little think and though well why not.....

So here we go.

The camera gets whipped out every time a meal is cooked now, so watch out for a few of Lizzie's inventions, you will find that I do like easy recipes but I hope that the end results are tasty ..

Vegetable soup

Serves 2

1 lb mixed vegetables (must include potatoes as this is the thickener/onions/ leeks/carrots/parsnips broccoli )

knob of butter

3/4 pint of water add a vegetable stock  cube/ or use chicken stock

4 fluid ounces of single cream

melt butter in a saucepan and add onion or leeks gently cook but not brown, while this is cooking chop all the other veg into small pieces, then add all the other veg with the liquid and simmer for 20 mins, take of the heat and blend with a hand blender, it doesn't matter if there are some larger pieces of vegetables add the cream leaving some to swirl on the top before serving,

serve with nice crusty bread.

Quick and easy Vegetable curry

Serves 2

half teaspoon olive oil

half an onion, chopped

1 clove garlic crushed

1 1/4 tablespoon curry powder

1 tablespoon tomato puree

200 g tin chopped tomatoes

1 tablespoon raisins 

1 vegetable stock cube

6oz frozen mixed vegetable

6 fluid ounces water 

salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan, over a medium high heat, heat oil and saute onion and garlic until golden

Stir in curry powder and tomato puree, cook for 2 to 3 minutes

Stir in tomatoes, vegetable stock cube, mixed veg, raisins, water, salt and  pepper and cook for approximately 20 to 30 minutes until vegetables are well done (not crunchy).

Serve with Naan bread and natural plain yogurt and enjoy...............

Bacon, Cheese and Mushroom Quiche  

Pastry

3 oz  hard margarine

6 oz plain flour

cold water

rub together margarine and flour then mix in water until it makes a soft dough

I have a patty tin that I can make 4 individual quiches, so I lined these with pastry.

Quiche filling

2/3 rashers of bacon

1 large mushroom

2 eggs

3 fluid ounces of milk

2oz cheese

seasoning to taste

Cut bacon into small pieces fry, add a large chopped mushroom and continue frying for a short time

Mix the egg and milk together with the seasoning

divide the bacon, mush and cheese and put into the pastry cases, then add the egg and milk mixture 

bake in a preheated oven (Gas Mark 6) for 30 mins or until cooked through

I hope that you try out these recipes and let me know how you get on or any alterations that you think improve the taste...

Doggie Treats

Well today I thought that I would treat my dog Herbie, I usually do make all his treats as he suffers from allergies, so today was treat making day.

Most people think he is a very pampered pooch,  they are probably right but hey why not give him a treat or two every now and then...

Below are a couple of recipes that are cheap and easy to make.

Dog Biscuits

6oz Wholemeal flour

1oz Margarine

quarter teaspoon yeast extract (Marmite) 

4 fluid oz of hot water

Parmesan  cheese

Rub fat into the flour.

Dissolve Marmite in  a little of the hot water

Mix into the flour to make a dough

Roll out to quarter of inch thick.  Cut into shapes and put on baking tray and bake in oven for 45 mins 

GM4 / 350 F/ 180 C

Honey Dog Biscuits

2 and half oz wholemeal flour

2 and half oz porridge oats

1 teaspoon baking powder

half oz of margarine

1 tablespoon honey

1 egg

little milk (if needed) for binding together

Mix the flour, oats and baking powder together.

Add the margarine in small flakes, honey, eggs and milk if needed

Knead together thoroughly.

Roll out on a floured board, cut into shapes 

Cook for 15- 20 mins.  Turn off oven and leave the biscuits in the oven and let them cool, they will harden when cold 

Preheat oven to GM5/  400F/ 200C

Beware they are so tasty your dog will demand homemade biscuits from now on!!!!

My first try out of homemade Crumpets

This is a recipe pinched from my daughter. I was quite pleased how they turned out, I kept saying that I would cook them for John and finally I did and we had them for tea tonight.

Home Made Crumpets

8oz plain flour (sifted)

quarter teaspoon of salt

half a teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon fast action dried yeast

quarter pint warm milk

quarter pint warm water

vegetable oil

4 crumpet rings or plain pastry cutters well greased

Place the flour and salt into a large bowl and stir in sugar and yeast making a well in the centre.

Pour in the warm milk and water and mix to give quite a thick batter.  Beat well until completely combined and cover with a tea towel or cling film

Leave in a warm place to rise for about an hour until it's a light, spongy texture, stir well to knock out any air and pour into a large jug.

Heat a non-stick frying pan over a very low heat with a drop of oil.  Wipe the pan with kitchen paper to remove excess oil.  Sit the greased crumpet rings in the pan and leave to heat up for a couple of minutes.

Pour enough mixture to fill the rings just over halfway up the sides.  Leave to cook until plenty of small holes appear on the surface and the batter has just dried out.  This will take about 8 - 10 mins

Remove the rings and turn over the crumpets to cook for a further minute or two on the other side.

Put crumpets on a a wire rack to cool.

Toast as shop brought crumpets

Another busy baking weekend

A snowy weekend led to lots of baking to pass the time, trouble is full cakes tins means lots of eating.

The Bakewell Tarts are my own recipe so I hope that you enjoy them.

The sponge cake was made as a birthday cake and the biscuits are just so moreish no one will resist them!

 

Bakewell Tarts

Pastry

4oz plain flour

2oz butter

about 5 tablespoons cold water

Rub flour and butter together to resemble breadcrumbs bind together with the water to form a ball, put in fridge for about half and hour.

Roll out and either line a baking tin or put in patty tins.

Put Jam in the bottom of the pastry case.

Sponge Cake for middle of Tarts

2oz Self Raising flour

1oz Ground Almonds

1 egg (beaten)

2oz Caster Sugar

2oz Margarine

1 tablespoon milk

Mix all ingredients together and put on top of the jam.  Bake in a preheated oven Gas Mark 6  200 C or 400 F

Icing for top of tarts

4oz Icing Sugar

Vanilla Extract

1 teaspoon Butter

Beat all ingredients together with warm water until smooth and when the tarts are cold spread over the top finishing them off with half a cherry.

Sponge

8 oz Self Raising Flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

6oz Caster Sugar

6oz soft margarine

3 eggs

3 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

( This recipe can also be used to make a Chocolate Cake by using 6oz SR Flour and 4 tablespoons cocoa powder, Coffee Cake by using 3 tablespoons of made up strong coffee instead of the milk)

Sieved the flour and baking powder together, add all other ingredients together and mix well together with a hand mixer

Line two sponge tins with greaseproof paper and divide mixture into them and bake in a preheated oven for 25mins at Gas Mark 5

Butter Icing

3oz butter

3oz icing sugar

1 teaspoon butter

Beat all ingredients together and when smooth spread, one half with the butter cream and one half with jam and put both together.

Icing for top of cake

6oz icing sugar 

teaspoon vanilla extract

teaspoon butter

warm water to mix 

Sift icing sugar and add other ingredients and beat together, spread over top of sponge cake and add  decoration of your choice

Oatie Biscuits

6oz Self Raising Flour

6oz Oats

6oz Hard Margarine

6oz Caster Sugar

2oz Golden syrup

pinch of Bicarbonate of Soda

Cream together margarine and sugar together, add Flour ,Oats, bicarb, Sugar and Golden Syrup and mix together, I find that I mix and form into balls and the best way is to use your hands.

Roll into ball the size of walnuts and put on well greased baking trays, lightly press with a fork before baking in a preheated oven Gas Mark 4-5 for 15 - 20 mins.. 

I like to press the biscuits again when they come out of the oven but that is my choice it is not in the recipe.

Cool on a wire rack when cold eat and enjoy .............