Kicking BBQ Sauce
Definitely worth making your own… Read more »
The Secret to Preparing the Perfect Paella
According to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, paella is a saffron-flavored dish made with varying combinations of rice, vegetables, meat, chicken and seafood. The Dictionary also explains that in the Old French and Catalan languages, paella means frying pan or pot. The traditional paella pan is flat and of large diameter, it can also have handles on each side. Read more »
How To Make YUMMY Croûtons
These little squares are so much more than mere fried bread. They are a taste sensation: Guaranteed your mouth will light up, your taste buds will linger over the flavours, your teeth will revel in the crunchy texture and your tongue will tingle with the excitement of it all!!¦
Have them is soups, salads or on their own as a tasty snack.
True, croûtons are tiny pieces of fried bread, but it’s HOW you prepare them that makes the difference..let me guide you in preparing THE most YUMMY croûtons. Read more »
Yummy Mushroom Soup
For the last few weeks the fields around our piece of paradise have been full of field mushrooms and button mushrooms all FREE for the picking. And pick them we have… Read more »
How To Make Real Custard
Or Crème Anglaise to give it its real name, so much nicer don’t you think?
Making real custard is a dying art in today’s busy world, but you really cannot beat it.
I know the ‘ready made’ cardboard cartons are quick and easy, but it’s not really custard. Just a yellow glob tasting of cardboard.
Do yourself a favor and make a real custard and you will not regret that extra five minutes, I promise you. Read more »
Ham and Cheese Omelet
Omelet’s are not just for breakfast, they are quick and easy to whip up for a nutritious lunch or dinner as well. They can also be served with a salad on the side. Read more »
Know Your Chicken
Chicken as a popular food source is nearly as old as recorded history itself. First domesticated around 2000 B.C. in India, early chicken eaters were also found in China and Babylon. Brought to the U.S. by Columbus, the early colonists first bred chickens more for their eggs than their meat. Easy to breed and care for, and easy to digest, chicken has become an American staple. Read more »
Quick and Easy Sweet and Sour Chicken
This recipe, which serves four, takes about 20 minutes to prepare and close to 15 minutes to cook. Read more »
Toll House Crumb Cake
A cross between Toll House cookies and coffee cake this delicious and versatile cake works well both as a snack with coffee or tea or as a dessert after a meal. Read more »
How To Make Pastry
You can line a flan dish with the pastry and bake it blind, you do this by putting a piece of cooking paper on to the base of the pastry and then covering the paper with baking beans or dried uncooked rice, add just enough to weight down the pastry so it doesn’t ‘rise’ up too much. Pop the flan into a pre-heated oven and bake until it just begins to colour.
Remove from the oven, remove the paper and beans/rice allow to cool then add the filling of your choice.
this mix can be used for sweet or savory fillings
the mix can be used as a pie crust – a topping only
the mix can be used for the base and the tip of a pie
Infact the uses are only restricted by your imagination!! ENJOY.
What You Will Need
250g Plain Flour
125g Butter
1 Egg (medium size)
Sprinkle of Caster Sugar
What To Do
Put the flour in a mound on a clean work surface, this would be better if it was marble as the coolness of the marble makes the pastry easier to handle. Make a well in the centre.
Break the butter into little pieces and pop them onto the well along with the egg and sugar.
This is the part I like:) Using your CLEAN fingertips, mix all the ingredients in the well together.
As you do this gradually collect the flour from the edges of the well, rubbing the mixture gently through your fingertips until everything is all mixed together and what you have resembles a sandy colour and looks rather like breadcrumbs. This is known as ‘rubbing in’
Now I REALLY like this part… Gradually add up to a total of 40mls of cold water. Now the secret is NOT to add it all at once, otherwise you could end up with a soggy mess.
Add it gradually as eggs are never uniform in size, and you may have under or over done the butter or flour measurements.
Be patient, add enough water to make the pastry in to a light, smooth ball that doesn’t stick to the work surface or your hands.
Now you have a traditional flan pastry mix
This traditional flan pastry can be used in several ways as mentioned above, an absolute must have skill for the kitchen.
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