Happy Birthday to Me

It was my 30th birthday on 21st February and I had the most amazing weekend. I haven't done any cooking or baking for a few days so am writing a post about my birthday instead.

On Thursday evening my wonderful husband Paul took me out to dinner to celebrate. We went to The Guildhall Tavern in Poole. We hadn't been there before but it had been recommended to us by a friend so Paul booked it up as a surprise. It was just a short walk from Poole Quay. We both love seafood so this restaurant was fabulous as the menu is mainly delicious seafood that has been caught locally.

After perusing the menu for ages I finally decided on what to have. There are so many delicicous sounding dishes that it was difficult to decide. Eventually I settled on mussles in a cream, white wine and garlic sauce followed by red sea bream filled with mango, pineapple and plum sauce. Paul had scallops followed by halibut in a champagne sauce. After all that we were both quite full so we shared a dessert of creme brulee which was scrumptious.

There was a French themed evening going on while we were there. I'm afraid to say that we didn't do very well in the French quiz and only scored 10 out of 20. That was with a few lucky guesses and a bit of help from a friendly waiter. The food was delicious and the staff were very friendly and helpful. I would definately recommend this restaurant and I hope that we can go back again soon.

After the meal we went for a drink in one of the wonderful traditional pubs on the quay. Paul then surprised me again with another birthday present. He has booked us a holiday to Cuba in May. It is for us to go diving and I am so looking forward to it. Isn't he wonderful? I did joke that he only got me that so that he could have a holiday too!

We then spent the weekend with my parents. My lovely mum and dad have bought me a cream KitchenAid mixer. I have been lusting after one for ages and am looking forward to trying it out. I told them off as it was too generous of them but so lovely all the same. My brother bought me some book tokens as he knows I love buying cookery books but didn't know which ones I would like. I have a bit of a thing about buying shoes and my sister bought me the most amazing pair to add to my collection.

On Saturday evening we went out for a meal with my parents and my brother and his girlfriend. We drove out to a pub called The Winterton Arms which is near Eartham on The South Downs. It was a real traditional country pub with roaring fires and it served the most delicious homemade food. If you are anywhere nearby then I would recommend a visit here. On the Sunday everyone came to my parents house for a roast dinner. My gran, auntie and uncle weere all there too and it was lovely to see everyone. We had a rib of beef with Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes and veg. I made a pavlova for dessert which tasted delicious even though it didn't look too good once I'd started to cut it up.

I had the most amazing birthday and weekend. Everyone has been so kind and generous to me so thank you.

Chicken Pie

I love chicken pie but haven't made it for ages. I roasted a delicious free range chicken for our dinner on Sunday and there was so much chicken left over.

We had enough for some in our sandwiches for lunch the next day and for another meal. I decided to use the remaining chicken in a pie and it gave me a chance to use my new red pie dish. I think you just see a glimpse of the wonderful red colour in the picture.

I used a packet of bought puff pastry for the top of the pie. It gives a really flaky, crispy top that is quick, simple and scrumptious. I served this pie with hot buttery mashed potato.

This pie would easily serve 4 I think.

Ingredients

Olive Oil

2 knobs of butter

Around 800g of cooked chicken, cut into chunks

2 medium leaks, sliced

2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

2 sticks celery, sliced

a small handful of thyme

2 tbsp flour

1 wineglass of white wine

half a pint of milk

2-3 large mushrooms, chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 good pork sausages

1 500g block of puff pastry

1 egg

Preheat the oven to gas mark 7/180C.

Put a glug of olive oil and the butter in a large saucepan and heat gently. Add the leaks, carrots, celery, thyme and mushroooms and cook slowly for about 10 minutes. Add the flour and stir in, then add the wine, a wineglass of water and the milk. Season with salt and pepper then cover and simmer on the hob for about 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Stir it every so often so it doesn't catch on the bottom.

Place the chicken in a pie dish and then pour the vegetable mixture over the top. Squeeze the meat out of the sausage skins and roll into small balls. Brown them in a little oil and then sprinkle them over the mixture.

Roll out the pastray so it is about 0.5cm thick. Egg wash the rim of the pie dish and drape the pastry over the dish. Trim the pastry to fit. Egg wash the top of the pie then pinch the edges to crimp them. Use the back of a knife to criss-cross the top of the pie. Cook the pie in the centre of the oven for 30 - 40 minutes until golden.

Do you love anyone enough to give them your last Rolo?

I bought a copy of Country Kitchen magazine the other week after reading that Hannah from Hannah's Country Kitchen had written a Valentines day article for them. I've not bought this magazine before but it was very good and there are lots of lovely recipes inside.

I love Rolo's and when I saw a recipe in this magazine for Rolo cupcakes, I just had to give it a try. I thought it was the perfect recipe for Valentines day and it also went well with the February challenge from Violets on the pantry to cook something that was to do with love.

Valentines day is a chance to show that special person just how much you love them. Although it is now quite commercialised, Valentines day is steeped in history. Since the 18th century people have been sending cards to their loved ones or to someone that they secretly admired. For me Valentines day is an excuse to bake something lovely for my husband. We don't normally buy cards or presents but I think a lovely homemade gift is wonderful.

If you love anyone enough to give them your last Rolo then these cakes with a squishy Rolo centre are perfect for Valentines day and are really delicious. I made these over the weekend and used my pretty new heart cake cases.

Ingredients

112g softened butter
112g caster sugar
2 large eggs
85g self raising flour
30g cocoa
12 Rolo's

For the icing:
125g softened butter
2tbsp milk
1tsp vanilla essence
heart shaped sprinkles

Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/180C.
Put the softened butter and sugar in a bowl and cream them together until they are light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time and whisk after each addition.
Add the flour and cocoa to the mixture and fold in gently.
Place 12 cake cases in a bun tray and place a spoonful of the mixture into each case. Place a Rolo in the centre of each and then top with some more mixture. Ensure that the Rolo is covered. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes until they spring back when lightly touched.
Leave the cakes to cool completely.
To make the icing, add the icing sugar, vanilla essence, milk and butter into a bowl. Mix until it is light and creamy. Pipe the icing onto the cupcakes and then decorate with the heart sprinkles.

Note: There are only 11 Rolo's in a normal packet of Rolo's so you will need to buy 2 packets. This means that you will end up eating the remaining Rolo's from the other packet. Or maybe that is just me.

Pancake Day

It is Shrove Tuesday today and as I'm sure you all know that means that it is pancake day. Pancakes are a type of flatbread traditionally made from a sweet batter. English pancakes are made from three key ingredients which are flour, eggs and milk. The batter is quite runny and forms a thin layer on the bottom of the frying pan. Pancakes are normally eaten as a sweet dessert and the traditional topping is a sprinkling of sugar and some lemon juice. This is my favourite topping for pancakes but other sweet fillings can include chocolate spread, maple syryp or fruit. Pancakes can also be wrapped around savoury fillings and eaten as a main course.

There are many different variations to pancakes in the different regions of the world. Scottish and Irish pancakes are similar to American pancakes and often known as drop scones or griddle cakes. French crepes are very thin pancakes and are usually served with a large amount of sweet or savoury fillings ranging from fruit to seafood. In the Netherlands pancake restaurants are popular and serve many varieties of sweet, savoury and stuffed pancakes. Pancakes in South Africa are similar to English pancakes and are traditionally prepared on gas stoves. They are called pannekoek and are commonly served with cinnamon flavoured sugar. The sugar may be left to dissolve onto the pancake and if eaten straight away it will have a crispy texture.

It is traditional to toss pancakes in the air using just the frying pan. This is a tricky manoevure that I have yet to master.

A popular event on Shrove Tuesday is a pancake race. Each participant carries a pancake in a frying pan and as they run they must toss and catch their pancakes in the frying pan. This event is said to have originated in the town of Olney in England in 1444. A housewife was busy cooking pancakes to eat before the Lenten fast when she heard the church bells ringing to call call everyone to the Shriving service. Eager to get to the church she ran from her house, still wearing her apron and carrying her frying pan complete with pancake. Since 1950, the people of Olney and those of Liberal, Kansas in the USA have competed in an international pancake race. The two towns competitors race along a previously agreed course. The times of the two towns competitors are then compared to determine the winner. After the 2007 race Liberal was leading with 32 wins compared to Olneys 25.

I shall be enjoying pancakes tonight and I hope that you all enjoy some as well. Don't forget to have a go at tossing them in the pan and try not to get them stuck to the ceiling.

An Extremely Chocolately Mousse

I adore all things to do with chocolate, from a humble cookie to the most decadant dessert. When we go out for dinner, nine times out of ten, I will choose the chocolately dessert. It is definately my weakness and I don't think I could live without a little bit if chocolate in my life.

We don't often have desserts at home. Desserts are a treat for us occasionally or something we have when we go out or have friends or family round for dinner. I rarely make a dessert when it is just the two of us. I just really fancied some chocolate mousse though so decided to make us both a little pot. I think that chocolate mousse is one of the simplest but nicest chocolate desserts of all.

This recipe came from Delia and I have made it a couple of times before. It is very easy to make and delicious. I served it in glass ramekins with a big blob of whipped cream and some grated chocolate on the top. It was very well recieved by my husband and he thinks we should have desserts more often.

Chocolate Mousse

Serves 2

120g dark chocolate
2 eggs, separated
30 caster sugar

First of all melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water or in the microwave if you prefer. When it has melted, remove from the heat and give the chocolate a good stir until it is smooth and glossy.

Let the chocolate cool for a couple of minutes and then stir in the egg yolks.

Whisk the egg whites to a soft peak in a clean bowl. Then whisk in the sugar, about a third at a time.

Next using a metal spoon, mix a spoonful of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Then carefully fold in the rest of the egg whites into the chocolate. Be gentle when doing this so that the air is retained which keeps the mousse light.

Divide the mousse between the ramekins or use wine glasses. Place in the fridge and chill for a couple of hours.

When ready to serve, whisk a little cream and spoon on to the top of the mousse. Serve and enjoy.

Steak With a Peppercorn Sauce

On a recent trip to our local butcher, I bought some pieces of fillet steak. It had been well hung and had a wonderful dark red colour. I think that steak this fantastic deserves the best treatment. So I decided to cook it simply and serve it with some homemade chunky chips and onion rings. Before cooking, I seasoned the steak and then just seared it over a high heat for a few minutes.

I then rested the steaks while I made a pepper sauce to go with them. I have never made this sauce before and when my friend George of Culinary Travels of a Kitchen Goddess posted a recipe for it on Violet's Pantry, I thought I would give it a try. It was very easy to make and also very delicious so a huge thank you to George for posting the recipe. This was a meal made from simple good quality ingredients but it makes a delicoius and satisfying plate of food.

Brocolli and Stilton Soup

I have been making quite a lot of soup recently with varying degrees of success. Some of them have been delicious and others not quite so nice. Brocolli and stilton soup is one of my favourites so I thought I would have a go at making some. My first attempt was only OK but this recipe was really yummy and I will definately be making it again. I love to have a bowl of warm and comforting soup on a chilly evening.


This soup is so easy to make and truly satisfying. I used a stick blender which I find easier than having to pour the soup into a blender. This is a lovely creamy soup and I would really recommend that you try it. It makes a wonderful meal served with some crusty bread.

Brocolli and Stilton Soup

Serves 4

120g cream cheese - I used Philadelphia
75g Stilton, crumbled
a little olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 head of brocolli broken into florets
1 onion, chopped
900ml vegetable stock
fresh chives to garnish

Pour the olive oil into a large saucepan and heat gently. Then saute the onion for about 3 mintues until softened.

Add the brocolli and vegetable stock to the saucepan and bring to the boil. Cover and cook over a low heat for about 15 minutes or until the brocolli is tender.

Using a stick blender, blend the soup for about 10 seconds. If you don't have a stick blender then transfer the soup to a blender or food processor and blend.

Reserve a small amount of the soft cheese and then add the remaining to the soup. Stir the cheese into the soup until it has melted in. Add the blue cheese and blend for a few seconds until smooth.

Reheat the soup gently and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and spoon a little of the reserved soft cheese onto the top of each portion. Sprinkle with some chopped chives and serve.

Another New Book

My wonderful husband gave me The River Cottage Fish book for Christmas. There are some wonderful recipes in the book along with loads of information. As the book was so good, I decided to get the meat book as well. It is a lovely book and I am really looking forward to using it and making some of the delicious sounding recipes. The only conundrum I have is one to make first.

This book has so many amazing recipes that cover both the more familiar cuts of meat along with the less well known ones. The book is also educational and there is a lot of information about where our meat comes from. It is not just a recipe book, but a book that covers everything you would need to know about meat. The book is well written and wonderfully designed and illustrated. The photographs are amazing the food pictures make my mouth water. I am so pleased that I have bought this book and can't wait to try out some of the recipes.

Swimming in soup

After all the excesses of Christmas I have been trying to eat a little healthier. I seem to have a bit of a thing for soup at the moment and have been trying out lots of different recipes. There is nothing nicer than a hot bowl of soup and some crusty bread. It is one of my favourite things to have especially when it is cold and wet outside.

One of my favourite foods is curry. I like all different kinds of curry and when I found a recipe for curried vegetable soup I just had to give it a try. I thought all the vegetables would be good for my new healthy eating lifestyle too.

Luckily I had everything in the house so I set to and made the soup. It was ever so easy to make although did take a little while to chop up the different vegetables. I don't mind doing this at all although chopping up onions always brings a few tears to my eyes. It was very easy to prepare and then just took about twenty minutes to cook through.

I served this soup with some crusty bread as I just love that with soup. I think pitta breads might go really well with this too. I really like vegetable soup and the curry paste that was added to this recipe was really nice. I got slightly carried away and put in a bit extra so my soup was very spicy. If you prefer it milder then it would be fine to just use a little bit. I have bought the left overs into work today to have for my lunch. I just hope that no one will mind the curry smell when I heat it up. I would really recommend this soup as it was lovely and we will definately be having it again.

This recipe makes about 4 bowls of soup.

15g butter or oil of your choice
1 onion, chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
200g mushrooms, sliced
1 litre vegetable stock
1 carrot, chopped
1 parsnip, chopped
2 tablespoons medium curry paste
chopped fresh coriander
salt and freshly ground black pepper
plain yoghurt

Melt the butter in a large saucepan and saute the onion, celery and garlic until softened but not browned.

Add the mushrooms and cook for 2-3 mins.
Pour in the veg stock and bring to the boil.

Reduce the heat, add the carrot, parsnip and curry paste and cook for about 20mins untl the veg is tender
Transfer half the soup to a food processor and blend for about 15 secs until smooth. Return it to the rest of the soup in the pan.

Add some chopped coriander and reheat gently.

Ladle the soup into warm bowls and top with a spoonful of yoghurt and a bt of coriander.

Seared Swordfish Steaks with Salmorglio

I love almost all kinds of fish and was really pleased when I was given Rick Stein's Mediterranean Escapes Book. There are lots of lovely recipes in the book from all over the Mediterranean area. One of the recipes that caught my eye was for seared swordfish. I have only ever had swordfish couple of times before and have never cooked it myself. So I took a trip to my local fishmonger and bought two wonderful swordfish steaks. This recipe is from Sicily where grilled fish is very popular. I have never been there but would love to visit one day. According to Rick Stein salmoriglio is the only show in town in Sicily where grilled fish steaks are concerned. This was delicious so I think I am inclined to agree with him. The combination of lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and oregano was perfect. The swordfish steaks were delicious with this simple dressing and we will definately be having them again. I think that tuna would also make a good alternative if you can't get hold of swordfish.

This recipe serves 4 but I halved the amounts as there were only 2 of us.

4 200-335g swordfish steaks that are about 2 cm thick

A little olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Peperoncino or crushed dried chillies

For the salmoriglio:

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons water

1 and a half tablespoons of lemon juice

1 garlic clove, very finely chopped

1 tablespoon chopped oregano

1 tablespoon chopped celery herb or celery tops (optional)

1 tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley

Firstly make the salmoriglio. Whisk the olive oil and water together in a bowl until thick and creamy and then whisk in the lemon juice and some salt to taste. Stir in the garlic, oregano, celery herb if using and the parsely. Leave to one side until serving.

I cooked my swordfish steaks using a ridged cast iron griddle pan. Put the pan on a high heat and let it get smoking hot, then reduce the heat to medium. Brush the swordfish steaks generously with olive oil and season with salt, peperoncino or crushed dried flakes and black pepper. Cook over a medium high heat for about 4 minutes on each side.

When they ready move to a plate and pour over the salmoriglio. I served my swordfish with home made potato wedges as that is what my husband requested. I think this would be lovely in the summer when you could cook it outside on the BBQ and serve with some lovely salad.