...why God made MIL's

ok so I would have sneered at a breadmaker at one time. However, once I discovered that kneading does not actually tone your arms AT all, I swiftly began to ponder about them...

Now I love to make and bake from scratch, but, this thing is unreal. The resulting loaf is just beyond perfection and slathered with a good dose of irish butter (uber salty), you could easily eat a whole loaf!!!! (not my mother in law's intention).

So MIL, this one goes out to you and your genius presents. The Scottish Clan salute you...

WOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO bread!!!!!!!!!!

...I can't believe it's flora buttery

Ok so I used Flora buttery for these cupcakes - for the cake AND the frosting. I mean a cupcake with Omega 3 and 6 HAS to be good for you right??

Cake was 8oz of flour, flora and castor sugar, 4 eggs, 1tsp baking powder and I added a vanilla pod from my stash. I creamed the sugar and eggs first until it was ginormus. Then added the flora and the vanilla - finally folding in the flour and baking powder. Fill up 8 large muffin cases and bake for 25mins until stick comes out clean when tested.

Once cooled I mixed up a lump of flora with a good few cups of icing sugar and more vanilla and frosted them.

Very moist cake and honestly a much better result and flavour than with butter!!

...plum tart tatin

This was such a simple tart to make - but I was quite worried about getting it out of the pan!!

Just 200grams Sugar and 150grams butter to make the caramel, which I did in a non stick frying pan (lovely heavy base one from Tesco, get it, it is divinable) - then I put the plums on top, halved and stoned. I think you are meant to put them skin side down so you get a nice mound of plum when you flip it over. I fancied having the cut side showing. Anyway, plums on top of slightly cooled caramel then a circle of puff pastry and tuck in the edges. Into a 180c oven for about 25-30mins or until pastry is golden and crisp on the top.

I let it cool in the pan until I could handle it without oven gloves as I reckoned the flip out onto the plate would be tough enough without fear of freak caramel grade burns. I just put the plate over it, tipped it upside down and out it came!!!!!!!!!!!!

The caramel was a lovely deep amber from the plums and tasted lush. Would really try this again with any firmish fruit at all - the plums I used were not good enough for eating (hard and over ripe) so this wasa fab use for them!!

Hope you try it...

....silence is golden??

So I know it has been pretty quiet on the food front these last few weeks, but I am not well at the mo and am certain I will be back in the saddle fairly soon. So watch this space fellow food lovers xo

....hot & sour soup

I always mean to get round to having a "temple" food week - so called by Nigella Lawson. A few days even, were you eat only fresh light asian inspired soups/stir fries etc.

Hot and sour soup falls into this category for me. It is something I eat frequently, do not make often enough!! The addition of an overdose amount of tumeric makes me think that any inflammation I may be having post op will be severely dealt with!! I also meant to eat this each day in addition to other meals after my babies/op's, but again never got round to making it!!!!!!

There are many many versions out there it seems, this is my interpretation....

3 garlic cloves crushed

1 red chilli chopped

3 large spring onions chopped (keep some of the greens back for scattering on finished soup)

3 tbs Tom yam paste (I had thai green curry paste this time)

3 tbs soy sauce

1tbs tumeric

4 tbs vinegar (I used red wine as all I had - should be rice wine)

1tbs sugar

1/2 tbs ginger grated

1/2 tbs sea salt

1 sheet sushi seaweed rolled up and cut into fine strips with scissors

1 red pepper finely diced

1 can water chesnuts/bamboo shoots/bean sprouts (this can be bought in a tin altogether)

2 carrots finely sliced

1tsp black pepper

1tbs chicken stock (or equivalent stock cube - for 6 pints water)

juice of 1 lime

juice of 1 orange

1 breast cooked chicken

1 pack soya bean curd/tofu

1 cup of prawns (I did not have any this time)

handful of cashews smashed up a bit in pestle and mortar

good bunch of fresh coriander - espec stalks - chopped up

So........ I just cubed up the soya bean curd/tofu and fried it until lightly brown and crispy while I got on with the stock. Fry off the paste in a little oil and then add the tumeric, garlic, spring onions and ginger, fry for about a minute. Then add all the water and let it come up to boil. Add sugar, salt, soy, vinegar, pepper, stock (if not already in) and carrot. Boil for maybe 20mins (I added the bones from the breast of cooked chicken I had).

Take tofu out of frying pan and drain on kitchen paper, you can do this frying bit way ahead if you like, and it is not totally necessary of course, but it does add a nice texture.

So if you added bones while boiling, take them out and discard. Add torn up chicken, red pepper, chilli, canned veg, orange and lime juice, seaweed, coriander, tofu and cooked prawns if using. Put lid on, turn off heat and leave for 5 mins.

Ladel into bowls and heap some of the green parts of spring onions over along with bashed up cashews........

Obviously this is a recipe which is open to throwing in a little of what you fancy. It is a class fridge emptier!! If it is a wee bit thick, add more water/stock. So if I forgot anything or did not tell you when to add something - fill in the blanks...........

Great for colds or blue mondays........ so ladel it into freezer tubs and freeze for such times as this makes a fair bit of soup!!!

..."I sparagus"

Lucy loves "sparagus"..... Known to you and I of course as asparagus!!

She prefers them steamed with a good dollop of mayo to drag them through, before nibbling daintily at them for the first few....

Sometimes a little balsamic/grana/ex virg/salt/pepper in the oven for a few and hey presto - yum......

....roast potatoes, never as good as Bangor!!

For my hubby, my roast potatoes are definitely a deal breaker!!? When we stayed in Bangor we made the best roast dinner we have ever had, the potatoes were just perfect and ever since then we have tried to replicate them!!

Alas, this has not yet been achieved.... I used to roast them in ex virg and butter, which is a great result but likes a LOT of seasoning, so more salty as opposed to savoury. Goose fat is also class and seems to be the winner at the moment, more savoury, less salty. Beef dripping has also been tried and, don't laugh, can be just a tad too beefy!!!

So the quest continues, someday i will get them just right again!!! Roll on winter!!!

(ps the weather here at the moment is just like it is in mild winter here!! - bonny scotland eh?)