F1 day and Sunday Dinner

Today we had my step daughter and boyfriend over to watch the F1 (boring), we had a great afternoon and a lovely evening too.
I made a lovely roast beef dinner with a hot choc fudge cake with fudge sauce and ice cream. Needless to say Meagan ended up taking most of the left over cake home and ive got a feeling she wont be sharing much of it.

Potato Soup

• 6 slices Thin Bacon, Cut Into 1-inch Pieces
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
• 3 whole Carrots, Scrubbed Clean And Diced
• 3 stalks Celery, Diced
• 6 whole Small Russet Potatoes, Peeled And Diced
• 8 cups Low Sodium Chicken Or Vegetable Broth
• 3 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
• 1 cup Milk
• 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt, More To Taste
• Black Pepper To Taste
• 1/2 teaspoon Cajun Spice Mix
• 1 teaspoon Minced Fresh Parsley
• 1 cup Grated Cheese Of Your Choice

Preparation Instructions

Add bacon pieces to a soup pot over medium heat and cook bacon until crisp and fat is rendered. Remove the bacon from the pot and set it aside. Pour off most of the grease, but do not clean the pot.
Return the hot to medium-high heat and add the onions, carrots, and celery. Stir and cook for 2 minutes or so, then add the diced potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes, seasoning with salt, pepper, and Cajun spice.
Pour in the broth and bring it to a gentle boil. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are starting to get tender. Whisk together the flour and the milk, then pour into the soup and allow the soup to cook for another 5 minutes.
Remove half to 2/3 the soup and blend in a blender/food process until completely smooth. Pour it back into the soup pot and stir to combine. Let it heat back up as you taste for seasonings, adding more of what it needs. Stir in cream, then stir in parsley, reserving a little for garnish.
Serve in bowls garnished with parsley, grated cheese and crisp bacon pieces.

Bacon and Stilton Rolls

Originally from Paul Hollywood’s Bread.
Makes 7 rolls.
500g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
7g salt
10g fast-action dried yeast
60g unsalted butter, at room temperature
320ml cool water
130g dry-cure back bacon rashers, rind removed
150g Stilton, at room temperature, crumbled
1. Put the flour in a large bowl and add the salt to one side of the bowl and the yeast to the other. Add the butter in small pieces and mix with your fingers. Add 240ml of the water and mix it into the other ingredients using the fingers of one hand and a clawing action. Now add the remaining water a little at a time until you have a soft, sticky dough and you’ve picked up all the flour from the sides of the bowl. You may not need to add all of the water; it will depend on the absorbency of the flour you’re using.
2. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead well for 5-10 minutes (or longer if you’re a beginner). It will become less sticky as you knead and eventually turn into a small ball with an elastic texture.
3. When the dough is smooth and stretchy, put it into a large bowl. Cover with cling film or a tea towel and leave to rise until doubled or tripled in size – at least 1 1/2 hours, but it can take up to 2 or even 3 hours.
4. In the meantime, heat your grill to medium-high and grill the bacon rashers for a minute or two on each side until cooked. Set aside to cool, then cut into small pieces (you need 90g).
5. Tip the risen dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knock back by folding it in on itself repeatedly until it is smooth and all the air has been pushed out. Use your hands to mix the crumbled Stilton and bacon into the dough, really crushing them in so they are evenly distributed.
6. Roll the dough into a long sausage and divide it into 16 equal pieces. The easiest way to do this is to cut the roll in half, then cut each piece in two, then repeat twice more. You can weigh the dough to be sure the pieces are the same size, and they’ll cook evenly.
7. Now roll each piece of dough into a ball between the palms of your hands. Alternatively, you can shape each one into a ball by rolling it around on the work surface using the cupped palm of one hand (or use both hands to roll two balls at a time).
8. Line 2 baking trays with baking parchment or silicone paper, unless you have good non-stick trays. Place a roll in the centre of each tray and arrange 7 rolls around it, so they are almost touching. The rolls will come together as they rise to form a tear-and-share loaf.
9. Put each tray of rolls inside a large plastic bag, making sure there is plenty of space above the rolls so they won’t touch the plastic and stick to it as they rise.
10. Leave the rolls to prove, or rise again, until they have doubled in size and come together. This will take about 1-1 1/2 hours. The dough is ready for the oven if it springs back when you push a finger into it. Meanwhile, heat your oven to 220C.
11. Spray the rolls with water, using a spray bottle, and then dust with flour. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool.

English Muffins

Makes 8 muffins
25g (1oz) unsalted butter
2tsp caster sugar
300ml (½pt) whole milk
1 x 7g sachet dried yeast
450g (1lb 2oz) strong-white flour
A pinch of sea salt
50g (1¾oz) dry polenta

Put the butter and sugar in a small saucepan and heat gently until the butter has melted. Remove from the heat and pour in the milk. Whisk in the yeast and set aside.
Pour the flour and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook and set the machine on its second lowest setting. Gradually pour in the milk and yeast mixture until fully combined and mix for 10 minutes. Turn the dough out into a large clean bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Sprinkle the work surface with half of  the polenta and turn out the dough. Using your hands, gently flatten the dough into  a large rectangle, roughly 1.5cm (¾in)  thick, and dust the top with the remaining polenta. Use an 8cm (3¼in) round cutter  to cut out 8 circles of dough, re-rolling the scraps if needed. Space the muffins out evenly on a large non-stick baking tray and leave to rise for 20 minutes.
Heat a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and cook the muffins (you may need to do this in batches) for 10-12 minutes, turning occasionally, until risen and golden. Serve warm, cut in half and spread with butter.
If you leave them to cool, cut them in half and toast until golden before spreading with butter or topping with a poached egg and hollandaise sauce or with bacon, cheese and a fried egg

Pizza Bread

Here’s what you’ll need:
2 teaspoons yeast
1 ½ cups warm water
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 ½ tablespoons sugar
2 ½ cups favorite toppings, diced (I used pepperoni, sun-dried tomatoes, green onions, black olives, red pepper, green pepper, and roasted garlic.)
½ cup Parmesan
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 jar of marinara sauce for dipping

Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a large bowl. Let it sit for 3 minutes. Add in flour, salt, and sugar. Mix using a spoon just until it comes together. (There’s no need for a big stand mixer here.)
Add in the toppings and Parmesan and combine well. The dough will be tacky. Dust with a bit more flour if it feels too tacky. Let rise for about 1 hour, then put in the refrigerator to continue rising for another hour.
Take the dough out of the refrigerator. Flour your countertop, then roll out the dough into a rectangle about 11×17”. Sprinkle mozzarella over top. Then, fold along the long side, like an envelope. Seal sides so cheese is not exposed. Let your loaf rest while you preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Bake the bread, either on a pizza stone or baking sheet, for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden brown. About halfway through I added a piece of aluminum foil to the top of my loaf to prevent it from getting too dark. About 3 minutes before taking it out, lightly brush the top with olive oil and let it finish baking. Let rest on a wire rack to cool slightly before slicing.

Quick potato bread rolls

These are a very soft roll, they dont taste of potato just makes them so soft
Quick Potato Rolls
Makes 12 Rolls
3-1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 envelope of yeast
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup instant potato flakes or buds* (I used the instant flakes)
2 eggs
In large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, sugar, undissolved yeast, and salt. Heat water, milk, and butter until very warm (120o to 130oF). Stir in potato flakes; let soften 1 minute. Stir into dry ingredients. Stir in 1 egg and enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 4 to 6 minutes. Cover; let rest on floured surface 10 minutes.Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece to 12-inch rope. Coil each rope to make “snail” shape. Arrange rolls in a circle on large greased baking sheet with sides barely touching. Place large shallow pan on counter; half fill with boiling water. Place baking sheet on pan. Cover; let rise 15 minutes. Lightly beat remaining egg; brush over rolls. Bake at 375oF for 25 minutes or until done. Remove from sheet; let cool on wire rack.

Nayaras Birthday cake

Breakfast out

Jeannette and i enjoying a very large full English in a cafe in Brunsum, this place has the best English breakfast...its huge and i didnt finish it but gave it a good go....haha

Turkey, stuffing & cranberry chelsea buns

	Ingredients
500	g/1lb 2oz strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
50	g/2oz caster sugar
10	g/1/4oz salt
40	g/11/2oz unsalted butter cut into small pieces, plus extra for greasing the tin
2	free-range eggs
2	x 7g sachets fast-acting dried yeast
150	ml/5fl oz lukewarm milk
90	ml/6 tbsp lukewarm water
280	g/10oz cranberry sauce
300	g/101/2oz roast turkey, shredded
200	g/7oz leftover sage and onion stuffing

1.	Preparation method
2.	Place the flour, caster sugar and salt into a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add the butter, eggs, yeast, milk and warm water.
3.	Mix the ingredients with your hands until a rough dough is formed.
4.	Tip the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead well for ten minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
5.	Place the dough into a clean, oiled bowl , cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise for one hour.
6.	Tip the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface.
7.	Roll out the dough into a rectangle about 50x28cm/20x11in. Turn the dough so that the longer edge is closest to you and “tack” the dough to the work surface by pressing it down firmly with your finger.
8.	Spread cranberry sauce onto the surface of the dough with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle the shredded turkey and stuffing on top.
9.	Roll the long side of the dough towards you quite tightly, forming a spiral inside. When rolled up, release the tacked edge and place it onto a floured part of the surface. With a sharp knife cut the sausage shape into 5cm/2in rounds.
10.	Place all spiral rounds, swirly side up, into a large, deep roasting tin or baking tray greased thoroughly with butter, leaving a 1cm/½in space between each one. You want them to be close enough so that they will bake with their sides touching.
11.	Cover with a damp tea towel and set aside in a warm place to rise for an hour. They should have expanded and be touching each other.
12.	Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
13.	When the buns are ready, put them in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes.
14.	After removing the buns from the oven, let them cool slightly before removing them from the tin and placing on a cooling rack.
15.	When ready to eat, pull the buns apart to reveal the soft edges.

Goulash Soup for slow cooker

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 lb / 500g braising beef

1 tsp white sugar

1 tbsp tomato purée

1 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp hot paprika

1/2 tin chopped tomatoes drained

2 carrots, thickly sliced

500 ml beef stock

1/2 tsp caraway seeds

1 red paprika sliced

1/2 lb / 250 g new potatoes, cubed...optional

After heating the stock on high for 20mins in slow cooker, i put everything straight into the slowcooker minus potatoes and cook on high for an hour then turn to low for the rest of the day...min 7hrs..30mins before serving i add the potatoes..

Paul Hollywoods Lemon Drizzle Cake

This has to be the best recipe ive done for this cake....its well worth a try

Preheat your oven to 180ºC (160 fan).
Butter and line a 2lb loaf tin with baking parchment.
Then beat together 75g soft unsalted butter and 125g caster sugar until light and fluffy. I beat for about 10mins
 Mixing all the time, add 150g self-rasing flour,
1tsp baking powder,  
2 medium eggs,  
1 tbsp lemon curd and 2½ tbsp milk.

Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for about 40 mins or until a skewer comes out cleanly from the mixture.

For the drizzle, mix the juice and zest of one unwaxed lemon with 2tbsp granulated sugar.
Prick the hot cake all over and pour on the liquid then let go cold.

Jammie Dodgers

Very simple recipe

300gr plain flour
100gr icing sugar
250gr soft butter
plus any flavouring you want...i used vanilla

mix all together to a soft dough and place in fridge for 30mins
roll out to thickness of cookie you would like (on a floured board), cut out into shapes and put on baking tray and back in fridge for 30mins, this way they hold their shape. Place in oven on 160 fan/180 electric for 12-15mins.

Tip: if you have trouble rolling out due to the dough sticking to the rolling pin, lay a large sheet of baking/parchment paper on your dough then roll out on the floured board.

You can also cut into shapes and freeze for upto a month then bake them as you need them after they have thawed out

Millionaires Shortbread

To make these...
175grm unsalted butter
75 grm castor sugar
225grm plain flour
Put in mixer till it forms a soft dough and press into a lined 8" square pan, then prick dough with holes and bake for 5 mins on 180 degrees then 35 mins on 150 degrees. Leave in tin to cool

For the caramel
150grm butter
150grm castor sugar
1 can of condenced milk

Melt butter in a pan...add sugar and continue to stir till sugar is melted.
Add milk and bring to a bubbling simmer stirring all the time...then bring to a boil and stir continually for 8 mins....and it hurts...lol...really hurts but it has to be done...do not leave it for 1 sec or it will catch.
When it looks thick and fudgy pour ontop of cooled shortbread and spread to cover. Put in fridge to cool down.

For topping melt 300gr of chocolate and pour over set caramel.....and then put in fridge to cool and set.
Cut into squares and enjoy

Shortbread Stack

             For the shortbread stack:

• 45g/1¾oz icing sugar
• 90g/3¼oz palin flour
• 30g/1oz cornflour
• 1 tbsp ground almonds
• 125g/4½ oz butter, cut into cubes
• 1-2 tbsp icing sugar, for dusting
  
  

  For the filling:

  • 250ml/9fl oz double cream
  • 150ml/5fl oz fresh cold vanilla custard
  • 75g/3oz strawberries, finely chopped
  • 400g/14oz raspberries
  • 1-2 tbsp icing sugar
    
    
    
    
  • For the shortbread stack, pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
    
  • Sift the icing sugar, flour and cornflour together into a bowl and add the ground almonds.
    
  • Using your fingers, rub or mix the butter in until there are no visible lumps of butter.
    
  • Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times, to just form a smooth dough.
    
  • Roll the dough out, about 3mm/1/8in thick and cut out 12 rounds, 7.5cm/3in diameter. Place on a baking tray and bake until they are a light golden-brown, about 8-12 minutes.
    
  • Remove them from the oven and cool completely.
    
  • For the filling, place the double cream into a bowl and whisk to soft peaks, then fold in the custard and whisk until it just holds a peak.
    
  • Fold in the chopped strawberries.
    
  • Place half the raspberries into a food processor with the icing sugar and blitz to a puree.
    
  • Pass through a fine sieve into a bowl, then check the sweetness level and adjust accordingly.
    
  • To assemble, place one disc of shortbread into the centre of the plate and top with a spoonful of cream mixture.
    
  • Place raspberries around the edge of the shortbread to fill tightly, enclosing the cream in the centre.
    
  • Top with another shortbread disc and repeat with the cream and raspberries.
    
  • Top with one more disc, then dust with icing sugar and finish with a sprig of mint.

Pulled Pork

 I use a fillet or shoulder of pork, put in slow cooker with a chicken stock and onions for around 4hours ( i use my slow cooker)...then i pour the stock off. Take pork out of cooker and with 2 forks, pull the pork till its in shreds,  put back into slow cooker and add the sauce take the lid off the slow cooker put on med/low heat and cook for the 1hr 15mins

This is the sauce i use for the pork

• • 2 cups ketchup
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 5 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 5 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1/2 tablespoon ground mustard
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 
  • In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring frequently, for 1 hour 15 minutes.  
  • To serve....i use ciabatta rolls and corn on the cob and coleslaw. 

Lazy Sausage Rolls

This is a recipe i made up years ago and only just found it again...its a lazy version, no pastry making..

1pk puff pastry slices
4 Pork sausages
Rosemary
Thyme
Sweet Chilli sauce
1 med potato
1 med onion
Grated cheese
Paprika

Peel and chop potato into tiny squares and boil till par cooked.
Peel and chop onion finely and fry till caramalised.
When both are done, leave to oneside to cool down.
Remove skins from sausages and put the sausage meat in a bowl, add some dried rosemary and thyme, salt and pepper to taste and some sweet chilli sauce to taste, now with hands mix till all sausage meat is combined and there are no lumps.
Then form a roll down the pastry sheet.

Then brush top and bottom edges of pastry and roll into a sausage shape. Sprinkle top with cheese and hot paprika. You can either cut in half before or after baking,

Bake for 25 mins (if smaller version) or 30-35 mins for larger ones on 180c, 350F or gas mark 4

Lemon Yoghurt Cake

From the Barefoot Contessa, but i am adding poppy seeds

• • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, if you use self raising dont add the baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
  • 1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
  • 3 extra-large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

• For the glaze

  • 1 cup confectioners' sugar
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 
  •  
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch load pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.

    Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
    Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.
    When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.
     

Egg & Bacon Bread

Egg & Bacon Bread

Servings: 16

8 oz (250 g) streaky bacon
1/4 cup (50 mL) grainy or Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp (1 mL) each pepper and hot pepper sauce (optional)
Pinch salt
Buy a bread mix and "do" to dough stage and prove once.
4 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
1-1/2 cups (375 mL) shredded extra-old cheddar cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten

Grill the streaky bacon thill crispy. Chop or crumble into small pieces.
In small bowl, combine mustard, garlic, pepper, hot pepper sauce (optional) and salt.
On floured surface, roll out dough to 14- x 12-inch (35 x 30 cm) rectangle. Brush with mustard mixture, leaving 1/2-inch (1 cm) border; sprinkle bacon, hard-cooked eggs and 1 cup (250 mL) of the cheese over mustard. Starting at long side, roll up jelly roll-style; pinch seam to seal. Place, seam side down, in greased 10-inch cake tin. Cover with greased plastic wrap; let rise until doubled in bulk, 30 minutes.
Brush loaf with egg. With serrated knife, cut slashes in top; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake in centre of 375°F (190°C) oven until golden and loaf pulls away from sides of pan, about 45 minutes. Let stand in pan on rack for 10 minutes. Turn out onto serving plate; let cool for 20 minutes to set cheese.

Sloppy Joes

Photo and recipe from Simply Recipes

Sloppy Joes Recipe

The trick to this recipe is to brown the meat well, on high heat. Don't crowd the pan, work in batches, and don't stir the meat until it is well browned on one side. It helps to use a large cast iron pan, or an anodized aluminum pan, as these pans can handle the heat and are relatively stick-free.

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup minced carrots (can sub chopped bell pepper)
• 1 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium onion)
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt
• 1 1/4 lb ground beef
• 1/2 cup ketchup i use HP brown Sauce
• 2 cups tomato sauce (or 1 15-ounce can whole tomatoes, puréed)
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• Pinch ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 2 turns of freshly ground black pepper
• 4 hamburger buns

• Method

  1 Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium high heat. Add the carrots and sauté for 5 minutes. (If you are using bell pepper instead of carrots, add those at the same time as the onions.) Add the chopped onion and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally until onions are translucent, about 5 more minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 more seconds. Remove from heat. Remove vegetables from the pan to a medium sized bowl, set aside.
  2 Using the same pan (or you can cook the meat at the same time as the vegetables in a separate pan to save time), generously salt the bottom of the pan (about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon). Heat the pan on high. Crumble the ground beef into the pan. You will likely need to do this in two batches, otherwise you will crowd the pan and the beef won't easily brown. Do not stir the ground beef, just let it cook until it is well browned on one side. Then flip the pieces over and brown the second side. Use a slotted spoon to remove the ground beef from the pan (can add to the set-aside vegetables), salt the pan again and repeat with the rest of the ground beef.
  If you are using extra lean beef, you will likely not have any excess fat in the pan. If you are using 16% or higher, you may have excess fat. Strain off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat.
  3 Return the cooked ground beef and vegetables to the pan. Add the ketchup, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar and brown sugar to the pan. Stir to mix well. Add ground cloves, thyme, and cayenne pepper. Lower the heat to medium low and let simmer for 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste.
  Serve with toasted hamburger buns. Serves 4.
   

Chocolate Cherry Fridge Cake

For the chocolate fridge cake:

• 200 g good quality dark chocolate
• 1 heaped tbsp golden syrup
• 120 g unsalted butter
• 1 egg, beaten
• 90 g amaretti or digestives (also ginger nuts will do)
• 1 tsp kirsch
• 50 g Marcona almonds, coarsely chopped
• 50 g walnuts, coarsely broken
• 25 g shelled pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped
• 50 g Morello cherries from a jar, drained of syrup, halved
• Line a 900g loaf tin with foil or greaseproof paper.  Melt the chocolate, golden syrup and butter together gently in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir to combine and take off the heat. Let cool slightly, then stir in the beaten egg. Break the amaretti into large chunks, place in a bowl and sprinkle over the kirsch. Add in the chopped almonds, walnuts, pistachios and cherries. Pour the warm chocolate mixture over, stir gently until evenly mixed and the into the loaf tin. Place in the fridge for 4 hours to set (or longer if you want to make it in advance). A quick cheat is to place it in the freezer for 30 minutes. When ready to serve, remove from the fridge (or freezer) and turn it out onto a board. Peel off the foil or paper and cut the cake into thin slices, using a sharp knife. It's lovely served with cream  or creme fraiche and red berries on the side.