Tag: recipe

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Slow Cooker Fudge Recipe

chocolate fudge with vanilla

Ingredients
1 tin sweetened condensed milk
500g chocolate, chopped (I prefer milk chocolate only, but dark is also fine and gives a richer flavour)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method
I recommend placing a heatproof dish or jug inside your slow cooker to make this recipe. Simply because it makes it easier to lift out the contents when the ingredients are melted together, you can make this recipe by placing the ingredients directly into the cooker.

Pour the condensed milk and chopped chocolate into the cooker/container and stir.

Put the slow cooker on low. Stir the contents every 15 minutes or so, making sure to scrape down the sides of the container.

After 1 hour, all your ingredients should be melted together and combined. If not, allow for a further 15 minutes.

Turn off the slow cooker and remove the lid, allowing any steam to escape. Line a 20cm square baking tin with non-stick baking parchment. Pour the fudge mixture into the tin and leave to cool on the counter, uncovered (this prevents condensation on top).

Once cold, cover the tin and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before tipping out the contents and slicing them into fudge cubes. Allow the fudge to come to room temperature before serving.

Recipe Notes: This fudge will keep in a sealed tin in a cool, dark space for up to 3 months. It may crystalise a little if stored for over a month. I prefer to make it about a week in advance of gifting. Place in a pretty glass jar decorated with ribbon to give as a Christmas gift, and expect loads of oohs and aahs at how clever you are to make your handmade fudge!

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Baked Chicken & Rice Recipe

Serves 6 hungry adults

Ingredients
1 tablespoon oil
700g chicken thigh fillets (boned and skinless)
Salt & Pepper
1 large onion, diced
1 pint vegetable or chicken stock
2 large peppers, diced
2 tablespoons Tikka Masala Spice Paste
300g basmati rice
1 tin coconut milk
Flaked Almonds to serve


Method
Take a heavy bottomed pan (with a lid) and heat to medium with oil in the bottom. Sear off the chicken in the pan until coloured then remove the chicken and put to one side on a plate.
Cook the onions until a little softened in the pan juices, add a little vegetable stock to help loosen the caramelised pieces. Then add the peppers and tikka masala paste. Stir well so that the paste begins to cook out on the heat.

Pour the dry rice directly into the pot and cook dry ( this is important) so that the rice begins to toast slightly in the heat. Turn off the hob. Pour stock into the pot and stir, make sure that the liquid is not boiling or simmering. Add the coconut milk and stir slowly until combined. If the liquid is too hot the milk will split.

Add the par-cooked chicken to the saucepan and stir one last time. Put the lid on and cook in the oven at 170 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Toast the flaked almonds on a dry pan until golden.
Serve the rice dish with the flaked almonds on top. Fresh coriander if you have any as well.
I like to stir in some frozen peas for the last 3 minutes of the cooking process but you might prefer spinach or eating it plain as it is!

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Lemon Drizzle Cake Recipe

cake with a lemon drizzle

Make a large batter for twice the joy.
Ingredients
* 227g unsalted butter *
* 350g caster sugar *
* 6 free range eggs *
* 400g self raising flour *
* 3-4 organic lemons *
* 250g icing sugar for the drizzle *

~ Method ~
Preheat a fan oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Beat together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Slowly add the eggs, one-by-one, until combined. Add half the flour, beat and then add the second half. Grate the rind of 2 lemons, add to the batter and mix. Squeeze in the juice of 2 lemons (that you grated the rind off). Mix well. Pour your batter into 2 baking tins. This is the perfect amount for 2 large loaf tins. Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes until a skewer test comes out clean. Allow to cool before icing. To make the icing combine 250g of icing sugar with lemon juice until you get a dropping consistency – see the video for how this should look. Ice and slice

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Gin & Grapefruit Cranberry Sauce Recipe

grapefruit juice and cranberries and gin mashed together

Ingredients

Juice of 1 & half grapefruits
600g fresh cranberries
Good glug of decent gin
150g sugar

Method
Take the juice of 1 & a half grapefruits and place into a large saucepan on a medium heat. Add the cranberries, cover the saucepan and wait until the contents begin to bubble lightly. You will hear the cranberries begin to pop in the pan. Add a glug of decent gin and the sugar. Stir so that all the ingredients are combined.

Simmer for 10 minutes before mashing. Mash until all the cranberries have popped. Simmer again for a further 6 minutes. Decant the sauce into a warm, sterilised jar, allow to cool completely before placing the lid on top. This sauce will keep for up to 10 days in the fridge

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Soy Garlic Chicken Recipe

Soy chicken, which is served in a bowl with veggies and rice


Mouth watering chicken which is perfect served in a bowl with veggies and rice (serves 4 hungry adults).

Ingredients
10 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 scallions (spring onion) chopped
1 tablespoon each of ground white pepper, coriander, and cumin
A pinch to a teaspoon of chipotle chilli flakes (season with your heart folks)
4-5 tablespoons of soy sauce
8 chicken thigh fillets (boneless and skinless)

Method
Add the garlic, white section of the scallions, spices, and soy sauce to a large tray. Stir. Add the chicken thigh fillets to the marinade and coat well.

Cover the tray and allow the chicken to marinate in the fridge for 1-3 hours.

I’m cooking for a gang so it’s quicker to sear the chicken off on the griddle, then return to the tray and bake in the oven at 180 degrees for 15-20 minutes until cooked through.

Serve on a bed of sticky rice with fresh vegetables. Pour over the marinade from the tray for additional sauce and sprinkle with the green sliced scallions

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Last Minute Limoncello Recipe

lemon vodka and sugar

You only need 4 days to make this incredible zingy limoncello which makes the perfect handmade Christmas gift. Makes just over 1 litre of limoncello in total. I decant it into 100ml bottles for gifts.

Ingredients
6 organic lemons (washed)
70cl bottle of vodka
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Method
Peel the lemons, taking care to cut as little of the white pith as possible. Place the lemon peel into a large jar. Pour the vodka on top. Put the jar into a cool dry place for 4 days.

After 4 days, combine 1 cup of sugar with 1 cup of water in a saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer until all the sugar has dissolved and allow to cool.

Decant the cooled sugar syrup into a large jug, strain the lemon vodka into the jug. Mix until well combined. Fill up bottles of your choice.

Serve neat over ice or diluted with soda water. Always drink responsibly.

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Legendary St Stephen’s Day Pie


Do you have one recipe that a family member adores and repeatedly requests? That’s the legendary pie that our 23-year-old begs me to make every year. In truth, it’s all about the leftovers from the main event but you could use fresh ingredients if you really wanted to.
You will need a very large baking dish or several medium sized dishes to make this in large quantities but it freezes very well.


Ingredients
• 400ml warm cooking stock (I use the ham water from the day before)
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 sticks of celery chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic chopped
• 80g flour
• Ham, cooked and chopped
• Turkey, cooked and chopped
• 200g frozen peas
• 200g frozen sweetcorn
• 2 packets defrosted pastry
• 1 egg for egg wash over the top
Method
Heat 3 tablespoons of pan juices in a saucepan on a medium heat. Add in the onions, celery and garlic. Cook gentley until tender.
Sprinkle the flour on top and with the vegetables. You are essentially making a type of roux sauce. Ladle in spoons of the hot cooking stock or hot water to the saucepan and stir constantly until you get a runny sauce-like texture. Stir in 1 tablespoon of wholegrain mustard (or more if you like mustard). There is no need to season this sauce because the seasoning comes from the salty stock made when the ham was boiled the day before.

Stir the meat and frozen vegetables into the sauce. Lay any leftover cooked vegetables into the bottom of the baking dish.

Spoon the sauce on top of the cooked vegetables. Cover the dish with a layer of pastry. Use a fork to poke holes on top and wash with a beaten egg for a glossy coating.

Cook in a fan oven heated to 180 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Serve with plenty of buttered mash.

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Blueberry Muffins



Top Tip! Roll your frozen fruit in some flour before adding to the batter to stop the fruit from falling to the bottom of the muffins/cake.

Bear in mind this is a muffin recipe so it’s not overly sweet like cake.

Ingredients
• 30g self raising flour
• 150g frozen blueberries
• 400g self raising flour
• 150g caster sugar
• 150g butter at room temperature (this is important)
• 3 medium eggs
• 75ml whole milk

Method

Preheat a fan oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Mix 150g of blueberries with 30g self raising flour. Set to one side to use later.

Mix together flour and sugar in a large bowl. Using your hands rub the butter into the flour and sugar mixture until you get a breadcrumb like texture.

Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture. Crack in 3 eggs and pour in 75ml of milk. Using a fork draw the batter together. No need for a stand mixer for this recipe!

Once you have a batter, stir in the coated blueberries.

Divide into muffin cases and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown on top and cooked through.

This is a great recipe to batchcook and freeze.

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Carrot Soup



Use whatever you have in the fridge to make a yummy wholesome soup for all the family!

Ingredients
• 1 tablespoon of cooking oil
• 2 onions, sliced
• 3 sticks of celergy chopped (hold onto the leafy bits for a garnish)
• 5 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 litre of veg stock (use a stock cube)
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Method

Cook off the onions in a little oil until softened. Add the celery and season well with salt and pepper. Cook again until the celery begins to soften. Add the rest of the vegetables. Pour the vegetable stock over and put a lid on the saucepan.

Bring the soup mixture to a simmer and cook until all the veggies are tender. Blitz using a stick blender or eat as it is.

Garnish with chopped celery stalks

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Smokey Fried Rice



Originally this recipe was meant to have chorizo but the kids snaffled it all out of the fridge for their lunchboxes.

Ingredients

• 200-300g of ham, chopped (but I’d rather chorizo!)
• 2 red onions, sliced
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 level teaspoon chipotle chilli flakes
• Lots of chopped garlic (who am I to tell you know much)
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 red pepper sliced
• 150g broccoli sliced
• 150ml water
• Leftover steamed rice

Method
Saute off the meat in the pan to release the oils, then add onions and allow to soften. While softening add the smoked paprika, chilli flakes and garlic. Season well with salt and pepper.

Add in the red pepper and broccoli, stir so that they are coated in all the ingredients. A glass of water starts the steaming process, then the leftover rice should be stirred around until coated in all the ingredients and completely heated through.

Serve immediately. I know certain people would like mayonnaise or chipotle sauce on top but I’m a bit of vegetable fan so like to keep things simple