Gingernut Biscuits

I absolutely love gingernuts - I could sit and eat a whole packet in one sitting (and feel mighty sick afterwards mind you), so when I came across this recipe, I had to have a go!

All in all they were really easy to make, although I have made a couple of changes (like adding more ginger and a touch of cinnamon) - I have also amended the baking time from the original recipe - I know that all ovens vary, but I made the rookie mistake of leaving them in the oven for too long, so some of them had a slight burnt tinge which was a real shame. (Didn't stop me munching nearly the whole batch in bed though!!)

Ingredients:

Makes 16 biscuits

4 oz Self Raising Flour

2 tsp Ground Ginger

1 tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

1 1/2  oz Granulated Sugar

2 oz Margarine

2 oz Golden Syrup

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 190oC (Gas Mark 5), and lightly grease a large baking sheet (or 2 smaller ones).

2. Sift the flour, ginger, cinnamon and bicarbonate of soda into a mixing bowl. Add the sugar and then lightly rub in the margarine until you get a mixture that resembles breadcrumbs.

3. Add the syrup and then mix everything together to form a stiff paste.

4. Divide the mixture into 16 pieces of similar size, and roll each piece into a smal ball. Place them on a baking sheet, leaving plenty of room between them, as they spread out quite a bit during baking.

5. Flatten each ball slightly with the back of a spoon (it is easier to use a spoon than your fingers, but don't press down too much or the dough will stick to the spoon. Also, you want them to flatten naturally during baking).

6. Bake in the centre of the oven for approximately 10 minutes (or until they are golden brown, but not burnt around the edges!). Your ginger nuts should have spread out and cracked - just like the shop bought ones!

7. Once cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool on the baking tray for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

8. Store in an air-tight container, where they will keep for a week or so.........if they last that long!!!

Jam Sponge Pudding

This is a great recipe that works with any jam, treacle or golden syrup - it produces a really light and tasty sponge, and is great served with custard! This really is one of the ultimate comfort puddings that makes you feel great inside (that is until you get on the scales......!)

Ingredients

100g (4oz) Butter or Margarine

100g (4oz) Caster Sugar

2 Eggs, Beaten

Few Drops Vanilla Essence

175g (6oz) Self Raising Flour

Milk to mix

30ml (2tbsp) Jam (Or if you're like me - as much as you like!!)

Method

1.   Grease a 900ml (11/2 pint) pudding basin. Half fill a steamer or large saucepan with water and bring to the boil.

2. Cream together the fat and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the beaten eggs and vanilla essence a little at a time, beating well after each addition.

3. Sift half the flour over the beaten mixture, and fold in with a metal spoon. Then fold in the rest, adding just enough milk to give a soft, dropping consistency.

4. Put the jam in the bottom of the pudding basin and spoon the mixture on top. Cover with foil or greaseproof paper and secure with string.

5. Put the basin into the boiling water, cover pan and steam for 11/2 hours. Turn pudding on to heated serving plate. Serve with hot or cold custard

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Chicken & Chorizo Pasta with Mushroom Sauce

This was one of those last minute improvisation dishes (usually the best kind!), that me and the other half cobbled together for dinner tonight! Verdict - absolutely delicious! Definitely one to repeat, but just hope its not one of those that you can never get to taste the same again!

Ingredients (Serves 2)

1 x Large Chicken Breast, diced

3" of Chorizo Sausage, diced into small cubes

5 Nests of Quick Cook Tagliatelle

For the Sauce

1 1/2 oz Butter/Margarine

2 Level tbsp Plain Flour

Small Pinch of Cayenne Pepper

1/2 Pint Milk

Salt & Pepper

10 Small Chestnut Mushrooms

8-10 Green Beans, topped, tailed and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

Method

1. Spray a thin layer of oil into a frying pan or wok and fry the chicken over a medium heat for approx 3-5 minutes. Add the chorizo and cook for another 5 minutes approx, until the chicken has cooked through and the juices from the chorizo have coated the chicken. Remove from the pan into an oven proof dish with lid, and keep warm in the oven.

2. Put a pan of water on to boil for the pasta. Melt half the butter in the frying pan (use the same pan used to cook the chicken so the flavour of the chorizo infuses the mushrooms and beans) and fry off the mushrooms and green beans over a low to medium heat.

3. Meanwhile, melt the other half of the butter in a saucepan over a low heat. Once melted, add the flour and cayenne, and stir together to form a roux. Stir over the heat for 1-2 minutes. (By now, your pan of water should be boiling - add the Tagliatelle nests and boil for 5-7 minutes)


4. Gradually add the milk, and whisk gently to ensure no lumps occur. Bring to the boil over a medium to high heat, stirring/whisking continuously. Once the sauce starts to boil, reduce the heat down to low and keep stirring for 1-2 minutes until thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.


5. Remove the sauce from the heat and add the mushroom/green bean mix to the sauce. Stir through, then add the chicken and chorizo and stir until combined.


6. Drain the cooked pasta and return to the pan, then add the sauce mixture and stir thoroughly until pasta is evenly coated.

 

Volume Conversion

This is another handy one to have - I have two different measuring jugs in my kitchen and they both measure in different units, so this little chart is incredibly handy for a quick look up when grabbing whichever jug is closer!

Oven Temperature Conversions

Another handy one is oven temperatures - how annoying it is when the recipe you are following only has one type of oven temp listed?! (Quite rare, but it does happen!) I have the whole range of conversions stuck to my baking cupboard, so they are easy to refer to and saves valuable time searching through hundreds of books!

Weight Conversion Chart

If like me you work in both lbs/oz or g/kg, you will be glad of conversion charts to switch easily between the two. I've found the below very useful, so hope you will too!

Scones

My favourite thing to go with jam......scones and clotted cream! Yum!

Have made a few scones in my time, but still I struggle with rolling out the correct thickness, as I always try to get as many scones out of a mix as possible...I will learn one day!

Question - Narrower and taller? Or Wider and flatter?

Answer - As long as they are smothered in jam and clotted cream - who cares?!?

Ingredients (Makes approx 10-12 scones if you use a 5cm cutter)

225g (8oz) Self Raising Flour

1/2 level tsp Salt

1 level tsp Baking Powder

25-50g (1-2oz) Butter or Margarine

150ml (1/4 pint) Milk

(If you like a slightly sweeter scone, Add 1-2 level tbsp Caster Sugar to the dry ingredients and replace the milk with 1 beaten egg and 75ml (5 tbsp) Water or Milk)

To glaze, optional: Beaten egg or milk

Method

1. Preheat a baking sheet in the oven. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into a large bowl, then cut or rub in the fat until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. (Or, if you are limited for time or can't stand getting your hands messy, put it all in a food processor and whizz until resembles fine breadcrumbs - much quicker than using your fingers!)

2. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and stir in the milk to make a soft dough. (Or, again, add to food processor and whiz until just starting to combine).

3. Turn the dough on to a floured surface and knead quickly and lightly to remove any cracks. (Mine always has cracks.......but they still turn out OK!).

4. Roll out the dough lightly with a rolling pin or pat it out evenly with your hand until it is about 2cm (3/4") thick. (Mental note to self - remember to stop rolling at 2cm thickness!!).

5. Using a floured 5cm (2") cutter, cut out dough rounds as close to each other as possible.

6. Place the rounds carefully on the hot baking sheet and, if you wish, brush them with beaten egg or milk to glaze.

7. Press the trimmings together and re-roll to make more rounds. Bake at 230oC (450oF) Gas Mark 8, for 8-10 minutes, until golden in colour.

8. Remove from the oven, transfer scones to a cooling rack and allow to cool.

Jam Making - Blackcurrant Jam

Today was my very first attempt at making jam!

I've been in possession of an old jam pan for many years, but like many others, I haven't ever gotten round to using it, and for Christmas I was given a jam thermometer and funnel - what was stopping me now?!

7 months later......

Blackcurrant picking in my landlords garden - very sticky job and tedious as the berries are so small!! Still, managed to pick nearly 2lb of berries before my back told me it was time to stop.

I dug out one of my gran's old jam recipes, and away I went - boiling, sieving, boiling, then potting - verdict - success!! Jam set and very tasty - all in all not bad for my first attempt!

See recipe and method below if you fancy a go:

Ingredients (Makes approx 12-14 jars)
4lbs Blackcurrants
3 Pints Water
6lbs Sugar

Method
1. Add the blackcurrants and water to the jam pan, and boil for 20 minutes.
2. Remove from the heat and sieve the cooked blackcurrants into a large bowl.
3. Transfer the sieved mixture back to the jam pan, and then return to the boil.
4. Add the sugar and stir in until it dissolves.
5. Boil for a further 10 minutes (if you have a jam thermometer, ensure it reaches 105 degrees Celsius).
6. Check that the jam has set by spooning a little onto a cold plate. Allow to cool, then run your finger through it - if it wrinkles then the jam is ready to set.
7. Using a jam funnel and ladle, transfer the hot jam into clean jars and allow to cool completely. Cover the tops with wax discs, then lid.

Welcome to my blog!

As an avid foodie who loves to cook, I have kept scrap books and cook books for years (as I'm sure many of you do too!). I've recently been introduced to the World of blogging, and I thought what a good way for me to share some of my all time favourite recipes with others. I don't claim to be the best cook in the world - far from it! But I do love it, and have had many successful (and just as many un-successful) cooking experiences. Please feel free to add your favourite recipes and experiences too, and thank-you for visiting. Bex