Your Favourite Recipes

Thanks for that Alfie, going to get everything together and make some over the next few days xxx

Let it marinate

Easy Dumpling Recipe
Ingredients:

* 2 cups of white flour
* 4 tsp. baking powder
* 1 tsp. salt
* 4 tbsp. soft margarine or butter
* 1 cup of milk (or more)

Method:

1. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
2. Cut in butter that's been kept at room temperature or use soft margarine.
3. Stir milk lightly into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon and adjust amounts to make sure that you have a moist dumpling dough.

Dumpling Cooking Tips

* Make sure your soup or stew is on a gentle simmer. The liquid does not have to be boiling to achieve tender dumplings. Remember that pot temperature rises with the lid on and you don't want the contents to stick and burn.

* Drop dumpling dough into the liquid by teaspoonfuls or for larger dumplings use a tablespoon. There's no need to worry about shaping perfect dumplings because they will puff up as they cook. Cover your pot with a lid so that the dumplings can steam.

I had these on Sunday and they are TO DIE FOR!!!!!!!!

Nanaimo Bars (or N.B.s for short) are one of Canada's favorite confections. The beautiful City of Nanaimo, British Columbia lays claim to these squares, telling us on their website that it all began when a Nanaimo housewife entered a recipe for chocolate squares in a magazine contest some 35 years ago. She called her recipe 'Nanaimo Bars' and when she won the contest, not only did her dessert become popular throughout Canada, so did the town they were named after. These no-bake, three layered bars are delicious; they start with a crumb base, followed by a layer of light custard buttercream, topped with a smooth layer of chocolate.

Read more: http://www.joyofbaking.com/NanaimoBars.html#ixzz0gI8NL0dr

Bottom Layer:

1/2 cup (1 stick) (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar
1/3 cup (30 grams) unsweetened cocoa (I use Dutch-processed)
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups (200 grams) graham cracker crumbs
1 cup (65 grams) coconut (either sweetened or unsweetened)
1/2 cup (50 grams) walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped

FILLING:

1/4 cup (56 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 - 3 tablespoons milk or cream
2 tablespoons vanilla custard powder (Bird's) or vanilla pudding powder
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups (230 grams) powdered sugar (confectioners or icing) sugar

TOPPING:

4 ounces (115 grams) semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon (14 grams) unsalted butter

Nanaimo Bars: Butter (or use a cooking spray) a 9 x 9 inch (23 x 23 cm) pan.

BOTTOM LAYER: In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Stir in the sugar and cocoa powder and then gradually whisk in the beaten egg. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens (1 - 2 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract, graham cracker crumbs, coconut, and chopped nuts. Press the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Cover and refrigerate until firm (about an hour).
FILLING: In your electric mixer cream the butter. Beat in the remaining ingredients. If the mixture is too thick to spread, add a little more milk. Spread the filling over the bottom layer, cover, and refrigerate until firm (about 30 minutes).
TOP LAYER: In a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter. Spread over the filling and refrigerate.
TO SERVE: To prevent the chocolate from cracking, using a sharp knife, bring the squares to room temperature before cutting.
Yield: Makes about 25 squares

Alfie wrote:I had these on Sunday and they are TO DIE FOR!!!!!!!!

Nanaimo Bars (or N.B.s for short) are one of Canada's favorite confections. The beautiful City of Nanaimo, British Columbia lays claim to these squares, telling us on their website that it all began when a Nanaimo housewife entered a recipe for chocolate squares in a magazine contest some 35 years ago. She called her recipe 'Nanaimo Bars' and when she won the contest, not only did her dessert become popular throughout Canada, so did the town they were named after. These no-bake, three layered bars are delicious; they start with a crumb base, followed by a layer of light custard buttercream, topped with a smooth layer of chocolate.

Read more: http://www.joyofbaking.com/NanaimoBars.html#ixzz0gI8NL0dr

Bottom Layer:

1/2 cup (1 stick) (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar
1/3 cup (30 grams) unsweetened cocoa (I use Dutch-processed)
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups (200 grams) graham cracker crumbs
1 cup (65 grams) coconut (either sweetened or unsweetened)
1/2 cup (50 grams) walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped

FILLING:

1/4 cup (56 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 - 3 tablespoons milk or cream
2 tablespoons vanilla custard powder (Bird's) or vanilla pudding powder
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups (230 grams) powdered sugar (confectioners or icing) sugar

TOPPING:

4 ounces (115 grams) semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon (14 grams) unsalted butter

Nanaimo Bars: Butter (or use a cooking spray) a 9 x 9 inch (23 x 23 cm) pan.

BOTTOM LAYER: In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Stir in the sugar and cocoa powder and then gradually whisk in the beaten egg. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens (1 - 2 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract, graham cracker crumbs, coconut, and chopped nuts. Press the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Cover and refrigerate until firm (about an hour).
FILLING: In your electric mixer cream the butter. Beat in the remaining ingredients. If the mixture is too thick to spread, add a little more milk. Spread the filling over the bottom layer, cover, and refrigerate until firm (about 30 minutes).
TOP LAYER: In a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter. Spread over the filling and refrigerate.
TO SERVE: To prevent the chocolate from cracking, using a sharp knife, bring the squares to room temperature before cutting.
Yield: Makes about 25 squares

Those sound good!

Dijon-Tarragon Cream Chicken
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes Ready In: 45 Minutes
Servings: 4


"Chicken breasts bathed in a delicate mustard tarragon sauce. A quick and simple recipe that you can serve on a weeknight but tastes like a French chef came to your house!"


Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken
breast halves
salt and pepper to taste 1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons chopped fresh
tarragon

Directions:
1. Melt the butter and heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper, and place in the skillet. Brown on both sides. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and continue cooking 15 minutes, or until chicken juices run clear. Set aside and keep warm.

2. Stir cream into the pan, scraping up brown bits. Mix in mustard and tarragon. Cook and stir 5 minutes, or until thickened. Return chicken to skillet to coat with sauce. Drizzle chicken with remaining sauce to serve.

Ingredients
4 tablespoons olive oil 2 cups chopped onion 1/2 cup chopped celery 2 cloves garlic, crushed 2 cups diced peeled sweet potatoes 2 teaspoons paprika 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 1 teaspoon dried basil 1 teaspoon salt 1 pinch ground cinnamon 1 pinch cayenne pepper 1 bay leaf 3 cups chicken stock 1 tablespoon tamari 1 cup chopped fresh tomato 1 1/2 cups cooked garbanzo beans 3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
Directions
Heat olive oil in a stock pot over medium-high heat. Saute onion, garlic, celery and sweet potatoes for about 5 minutes, or until onion is soft. Season with paprika, turmeric, basil, salt, cinnamon, cayenne, and bay leaf. Stir to blend, then stir in chicken stock and tamari. Cover, and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
Add tomatoes, garbanzo beans and green pepper to the soup, and simmer for another 10 minutes, or until all of the vegetables are tender. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.


Tamari:

Tamari is a type of soy sauce, specifically Japanese soy sauce. When compared side by side, you’ll immediately notice that tamari is deeper brown, and slightly thicker, than ordinary soy sauce. Now dip your finger in for a taste: the dark, thick appearance translates into a deeper, richer flavor compared to regular soy sauce.

So when should you use tamari in place of soy sauce, and why? A general rule of thumb is to use tamari for seasoning in cooking, and use regular soy sauce (shoyu in Japanese) on the table (much like table salt).

Oven Baked Pork chops in Maple BBQ Sauce:

$ Pork Chops
TBL Spoon Olive Oil
1 Dessert Spoon Lemon Juice
1 medium Onion, Peeled and chopped
Salt 'n' Pepper


Sauce:

2 Tbl spoons maple Syrup
75 Ml red wine
4 Tblspoons Soy Sauce
2 Tblspoons red wine vinegar
Heaped tblspoon tomato puree
Heaped teaspoon ground Ginger
1 heaped teaspoon Mustard powder
2 cloves Garlic peeled and crushed
1 1/2 teaspoons Tobasco sauce

To finish:

55Ml red wine
Watercress..........................................



Mix the Olive oil with the lemon juice, place the chops in a roasting tin, onions tucked amongst them. Season, then brush the chops with the oil and Lemon juice.

With the oven at gas mk 6 (200), cook for 25 mins on the top shelf.

Combine all the sauce ingredients in a jug and whisk.

After 25 mins, remove the roasting tin, drain off fat, pour over the sauce and give everything a good coating.

Back in the oven for 25 mins, basting twice during that time. After that time remove from the oven, put it on the hob on a medium heat. pour on the rest of the red wine, stir it in and let it bubble for 1 minute.

Serve with rice and a few sprigs of Watercress.......

Trust me............Bloody lovely!!!

That was 4 Pork Chops! lol

Ea asked me to put this up for her :-)

Thanks El that's great, will give me something to do with the Grandkids.

My Moms Orange Chicken.......Delish!!


Ingredients

* 1 cup orange juice
* 1 tablespoon soy sauce
* 1 (1 ounce) packet dry onion soup mix
* 2 cloves minced Garlicr, or to taste
* 8 chicken thighs

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. In a small bowl, stir together the orange juice, soy sauce, onion soup mix and garlic; set aside. Rinse chicken, and pat dry. Place chicken thighs into a 9x13 inch glass baking dish. Pour the orange juice mixture over.

3. Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour and 30 minutes in the preheated oven, basting every half hour. If using boneless chicken, reduce cooking time to 1 hour.

Also great cooked in a slow cooker

I'm crap at puddings!!

Apparently, this recipe was a round in the 70's, saw Gordon Ramsay make it last night, looks divine, going to try it tomorrow.

MAIN COURSE: Steak Diane With Sautéed Potatoes And Peas

Serves 4

Ingredients

Steak Diane

* 4 x small sirloin steaks, approx 7 ounces each
* 3 shallots, peeled
* 4 ounces crimini mushrooms, cleaned (if crimini unavailable use button mushrooms instead)
* 1 tablespoon salted butter
* 1 garlic clove, peeled
* 1 -2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, to taste
* 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
* 1/3 cup brandy or cognac
* 1 cup heavy cream
* Small handful of flat-leaf parsley

Sautéed Potatoes

* 1 pound small waxy potatoes (like Yukon Gold or any small new potato) cut in half
* 3 small sprigs of rosemary
* 2 garlic cloves
* 1 tablespoon salted butter

Peas

* 2 cups peas, defrosted if using frozen
* 1/2 tablespoon salted butter
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* Olive oil

Method

Pre-heat oven at a low temperature (170c/325f/Gas3).

Cook the potatoes in a pot of boiling salted water for 10 minutes or until just tender. Drain the potatoes and set aside.

Using a rolling pin, roll out the steaks to flatten and cut off any excess fat. Season the steaks on both sides with salt and pepper.

Steak Diane With Sautéed Potatoes And Peas

Heat a little olive oil in a skillet pan large enough to accommodate the 4 steaks in one layer. Quickly sauté the steaks for up to a minute on each side then remove from the pan and set aside to rest.

Drain any excess oil from the pan and re-heat with some fresh olive oil. Put the potatoes in cut-side down and season with salt and pepper. Leaving their skins on, lightly crush the garlic cloves and add with the sprigs of rosemary. Once the potatoes have begun to color toss through the butter and cook for a further 1 -2 minutes. (The potatoes can be kept warm in the oven once cooked.)

To make the sauce for the steaks, heat some olive oil in a separate pan. Slice the shallots and add to the pan, allow to soften briefly before slicing and adding the mushrooms with a tablespoon of butter. Crush in the garlic using a garlic press.

Add the Worcestershire sauce, then the mustard and heat through for a minute. Turn up the heat and tilt the pan away from you. Pour the brandy into the far end and allow it to ignite - be careful that the flame that flares up doesn't singe your eyebrows! Once the alcohol has burnt off, swirl the juices around the pan. Add the cream and allow the sauce to thicken before turning down the heat.

Introduce the steaks back into the pan and cook a little further depending on how well done you would like them. Chop the parsley and add half to the pan.

Cook the peas in a pot of boiling salted water for a minute until tender. Drain, season to taste with salt and pepper and stir through a little butter.

To serve, remove the rosemary and garlic cloves from the potatoes before dividing them between plates with a spoonful of peas. Arrange the steaks alongside, spoon the sauce on top and sprinkle with the remaining parsley.

Tip on Making Perfect Dosa:

Making thin Dosa is probably the trickiest part. Do it by quickly pouring the batter on pan/griddle. Then, evenly and gently spread it out with the ladle or big spoon by drawing concentric circles on the batter.
Ingredients

Dosa shell:
1½ cups basmati rice
½ cup urad dal
salt to taste
oil

Masala Filling:
2 large potatoes (aloo)
1 medium onion (chopped)
½ teaspoon toor dal
½ teaspoon mustard seed
½ teaspoon turmeric
1-2 green chili
1 tablespoon oil
salt to taste

Preparation
Dosa shell
1 Separately soak rice and urad dal at least 6 hour or overnight in water.
2


Grind to paste.
3


Mix together, add salt with water to make batter.
4
Leave in room temperature overnight.
5


Mix onion and chilies to the thin batter.
6


Heat pan or griddle with little ghee or oil.
7


Spread the mix on pan in circular motion to make thin Dosa.
8


Cook on both the sides, if desired.
Masala Filling (Spicy Filling):
9
Heat oil. Add mustard seed, peas, onions and spice.
10 Fry for about 5 minutes on medium heat or/until onions are turned into golden brown
11 Add potatoes and mix and cook some more
Serve
12 Add filling inside Dosa and roll. Serve hot with coconut chutney.
Number of Servings: 6


Here is the link to a great Southern India website, full of lovely recipes.

http://www.food-india.com/recipe/main.htm

Does anyone have any tasty vegetarian recipe's .

Caramelised Balsamic and Red Onion Tarts with Goats' Cheese

The long, slow cooking of red onions and balsamic vinegar gives a lovely sweet, concentrated caramel consistency. These are then spooned into crisp cheese pastry cases and topped with melted goats' cheese and sage. Serve them as a special first course with some balsamic-dressed salad leaves, or 2 tarts per person make a brilliant light lunch.



Makes 8
Ingredients
For the filling:
6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 lb (900 g) red onions, very finely sliced
2 x 100 g goats' cheeses
1 oz (25 g) butter
1 level dessertspoon chopped fresh sage
8 sage leaves
a little olive oil
cayenne for sprinkling
salt and freshly milled black pepper
For the cheese pastry:
3 oz (75 g) butter, at room temperature
6 oz (175 g) plain flour
2 oz (50 g) strong Cheddar cheese, grated
½ level teaspoon mustard powder
pinch cayenne
1 egg, beaten
Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4, 350°F (180°C).
Conversions

Equipment
You will also need eight 3½ inch (9 cm) diameter x 1 inch (2.5 cm) high mini flan tins, greased, and a 5 inch (13 cm) pastry cutter or plate to cut around.


Method

First make up the pastry by rubbing the butter lightly on to the flour, then adding the cheese, mustard and cayenne plus just enough cold water to make a smooth dough. Then place the dough in a polythene bag to rest in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. After that, roll it out as thinly as possible and use a 5 inch (13 cm) cutter, or a saucer or something similar, to stamp out 8 rounds. Line the greased tins with them, then bake in the oven, centre shelf, for 15-20 minutes or until the pastry is cooked through but not coloured. Then cool the pastry cases on a wire rack and store them in an airtight tin until they are needed. To make the filling, melt the butter in a heavy-based, medium-sized saucepan, stir in the onions, balsamic vinegar and chopped sage, season and let everything cook very gently without a lid, stirring often, for about 30 minutes until they have reduced down and taken on a lovely glazed appearance and all the excess liquid has evaporated away. Then let the mixture cool until you are ready to make the tarts. To bake them, brush a little beaten egg on to each pastry case, pop them back into the oven, same temperature as above, for 5 minutes – this helps to provide a seal for the pastry and helps it from becoming soggy. Now spoon the onion mixture into the cases. Top each one with a slice of goats' cheese and a sage leaf that has first been dipped into olive oil. Finally sprinkle with a little cayenne and bake for 20 minutes.

Thanks angel I will defo try them next shopping day, I can only get the strong goats cheese round here though is there a vegetarian alternative cheese I could use , we have plenty of them lol.

Feta cheese might work as an alternative :-)

Banana Cream Pie with Chocolate Lining


Ingredients

* 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
* 1/4 cup butter, melted
* 2 tablespoons brown sugar
* 2 (1 ounce) squares bittersweet chocolate
* 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
* 3 cups low-fat milk
* 3/4 cup white sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 2 tablespoons Irish whiskey
* 4 bananas
* 2 tablespoons lemon juice
* 1 cup heavy whipping cream
* 2 tablespoons Irish whiskey

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Combine the graham-cracker crumbs with the butter
and brown sugar in a medium bowl, and stir well. Transfer the mixture to a 10 inch pie plate,
and pat it evenly along the bottom and sides.

2. Bake the crust for 7 to 9 minutes, or until edges darken slightly. Let the crust cool.

3. Melt the chocolate with the 2 tablespoons cream over simmering water in the top of a
double broiler or in a heat proof bowl set on top of a saucepan. Whisk the chocolate and
cream until they form a smooth liquid. Take the pan off the heat, and spoon the chocolate
mixture onto the graham-cracker crust. Let the chocolate cool for at least 15 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, make the filling. Heat the milk in a heavy bottomed saucepan. When the
milk is just about to boil, take the pan off of the heat.

5. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, and flour. Slowly add the hot milk to
the bowl, whisking constantly. Then transfer the mixture to the saucepan.

6. Whisking constantly, bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, and continue
whisking while it boils for 3 minutes. Take the pan off the heat, and add the 2 tablespoons
whiskey. Let the filling cool for 20 minutes.

7. Slice the bananas, and toss them with the lemon juice. Lay the banana slices on the
chocolate lined crust. Pour the filling over and chill the pie for at least 2 hours.

8. Whip one cup cream to stiff peaks, add 2 tablespoons whiskey and serve with pie.