FRUIT & NUT BITES

I’m always looking for ways to make healthy treats as I love sweet things. 

I managed to come up with this combination:

Dates; walnuts; raisins; cocoa powder and a little rice flour.

My first attempt is good but still a bit too sticky.  I moulded it and added more cocoa powder.  It was a little better but still a bit sticky. 

They are still very tasty and am happy to have these as a treat for a cup of coffee.

Anyone any ideas? 

PORK MEAT BALLS IN CREAMY COCUNUT SAUCE:

I like to buy these German Pork meatballs "Alpenmark" from ALDI.  They are ready to eat and are made with onion, breadcrumbs, herbs and spices. I find them great to keep in the fridge for a quick dinner, lunch or a cold snack with salad.  They are very versatile and very scrummy!

Here's a sauce I made for them for dinner with mash potatoes. 

This dinner was made with all store ingredients (things I will always have in the fridge or cupboard)

1.     First I gently softened sliced onion in some 1 cal fry spray.  Once softened (about 10mins) I added chopped garlic, frozen peas, the meatballs, about 2 tbsp of pepper sauce powder and a small glug of white wine.  Make sure to mix to combine the pepper sauce powder.

2.     Once the wine has cooked off, add a tin of coconut milk and combine.  Then to this add about a cup of boiling water and a seasoning of salt & pepper.  You just need to simmer it for a few mins to make sure the meat balls are cooked through.

Voila, a quick and simple answer to a busy day dinner! 

Went down a treat in our house and no body need know how quick it is to do!

Pineapples

PINEAPPLES:

Pineapples are not that scary!  They don’t have to be a hassle to prepare.  Don’t be fooled by their fussy exterior.  Go on…..admit it…..they intimidate you too!

But………. Here’s a very simple 4 step process for you:

1.      Cut the top/crown off

2.      Cut straight down the centre, in half then into quarters

3.      Cut the fruit from the shell

4.      Cut into chunks

Simples!

CHELSEA BUNS:

Here’s my version with chopped pear and chocolate.  They are so versatile though and you can add whatever filling you fancy.  Nuts and chocolate work great together here too.

I cheated here and used ready roll puff pastry I had in the fridge.  Ready rolls are great to have for easy peasy quick yummy recipes.

1.      Preheat oven to 190°C. 

2.      Roll out the pastry.  Brush with melted butter.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.

3.      Scatter peeled & chopped pears and roughly chopped dark chocolate all over the pastry leaving a border on the edges.

4.      From the long edge, start rolling the dough in tightly and then cut into slices.

5.      Bake for 30 minutes or until well risen and golden brown.  If the filling starts to brown too much, cover with tin foil.

6.      When finished cooking, remove them from oven and brush each one with maple syrup and leave for 10 minutes to cool.  Then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool.  

BLACKBERRY JAM

Blackberries are in array around our house.  I went out the other evening and picked a big basin full.  There were some juicy ones out there.  And some not so ripe.  I will go and collect more over the next while. 

For now though, I used this basin full to make some yummy jam. 

Once collected, I soaked the blackberries overnight in water and salt.  The salt will kill off any unwanted habitants that may be!

It is pretty simple to make and is a very yummy thick jam…..This amount made 4 small jars for me.......

CHOCOLATE FUDGE:

If ever there was an Easy Peasy fudge recipe…..this is it!

They are quite sweet but very nice. 

Keep in the fridge in an airtight container and that way they will keep for a while. 

BANANA CAPPUCCINO SMOOTHIE

Perfect for cooling down on a warm day.  Or just a cool coffee delight.
This is my favourite ever smoothie.  I love the cold coffee flavour....like a Frappe or Frappuccino.
(this makes one big smoothie glass)

In a blender combine:

• 1 banana 
• squeeze of honey (for sweetnes)
• 1 shot espresso
• 2-3 tbsp vanilla ice cream
• 200ml milk

Add ice at the end and pulse to crushed ice.  

Experience ITALY (through my sister!)

My sister sent me some pictures from a trip to Italy.  They visited Milan, Parma (home of Parma ham and Parmigiano cheese) and Bologna and many places in between. 

WHITE DINNER ROLLS

White bread rolls freshly made last night.  The boys in this house love them!  Great for lunch boxes too.

I use a white dinner roll recipe.  You can shape them into little rolls or one big bread pan.  However, for the bread pan you will need to make a slit in the top of the pan and cook a little longer. 

It is a long process as you will have to let the dough sit to rise and let the yeast do its work.  But the preparation and cooking is simple.

1.      Gently heat 50g butter, 1tbsp caster sugar & 225ml milk until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved.

2.      Sift 550g strong white flour & 1 ½ tsp salt into a large basin.  Stir in 2tsp dried yeast.  (This can be easily got….I bought a box of individual sachets in Tesco and it is inexpensive.) Make a well in the centre and add the milk mix along with 2 medium eggs beaten.  (Reserve about 1 tbsp of the eggs for later.)  Bring the mix together with your hands softly and topple out onto floured board. 

3.      Knead the dough for 10 minutes.  Just form the dough roughly into a round dough. Oil the basin and place the dough into it.  Cover basin with cling film and leave the dough in a warm place for 1 hour to rise to double the size. 

4.      Then, knead the dough again for a minute or two, then divide and shape into whatever shapes you like.  Place them on oiled baking sheets, cover again with clingfilm and leave to rise to double the size for 30 minutes.

5.      With 15 minutes to go, preheat oven to 220°C.  Mix the reserved egg with 2tbsp milk and brush over the dough.  If you like, here, you could add sea salt or poppy seeds or just leave them plain.  Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes (longer for bread pan) until golden brown.  I put a skewer through to see if baked; if it comes out clean, it’s ready.  Cool on wire rack and cover with clean tea towel while cooling to keep the bread soft.