IGGLE PIGGLE IN THE NIGHT GARDEN CAKE

THANK GOODNESS FOR SUGAR PASTE, TOOTHPICKS & FOOD GLUE

LOVE MODELING SUGAR PASTE IT IS ALL IN THE ACCESSORIES

PIRATES OF CARIBBEAN SCENE OF THE KRACKEN TAKING DOWN THE BLACK PEARL CAPTAIN JACK SPARROWS SHIP, 1ST THEMED CAKE I MADE FOR MY FAB BOY

PIRATE TREASURE MAP FOR CAPTAIN PIRATE OSCAR

Thank goodness for Ace of Cakes on the food channel, I am not a cake maker, I am a carnivore lol, but this obsession started a couple of years ago when I decided to make my sons pirate birthday cake, I decided to make him a pirate ship and did so fairly well and then I made him a treasure chest & a cannon, then the pressure was on so I watched Ace of Cakes and made him the pirate ship wreck scene from his favourite pirate movie when the Kracken attacks the ship, so ok what for the next birthday, so we talked and my son wanted a pirate map.  Now my friends are asking for cakes... I  have done the Walt Disney castle and now the Iggle Piggle in the night garden scene, and each time I attempt a cake I am really please with my progress, I am learning as I bake & create.

FABULOUS FRIENDS FOR DINNER, LOBSTOR THERMIDOR, SCALLOPS ST JAQUES MORNAY FOLLOWED BY 33 DAY DRY AGED STEAK AND TWICE FRIED HAND CUT CHIPS, CRISPY WHOLE FRIED ONION RINGS AND THREE SAUCES, BERNNAISE, RED WINE BORDELAISE AND A CREAMY THREE MUSHROOM GREEN PEPPERCORN SAUCE

GREAT FRIENDS FOR DINNER

FIRST TEQUILA SLAMMER !!!

LOVE THE 80'S, QUEEN, MEATLOAF, MADNESS, SPECIALS, FUN BOY 3 & THE JAM etc...

BESTEST FRIENDS

THE STARTER LOBSTER THERMIDOR & SCALLOP ST JAQUES MORNAY

MELBA TOAST FOR THE PATE

PORK & PANCETTA PATE FOR MY NON FISH FRIENDS

MAIN MEAL WAS FABULOUS STEAK, HAND CUT CHIPS & GREAT SAUCES BUT AS USUAL PARTY WAS IN SUCH FULL SWING I FORGOT TO PHOTO THE MAIN COURSE AND NO LEFT OVERS...

THANK GOODNESS FOR THE DISHWASHER & THE DOG!

COCKED UP KEY LIME BANOFFI FOOL...I AM THE FOOL FOR ACCIDENTALLY TURNING THE PAGE IN THE COOK BOOK FROM KEY LIME PIE TO BANOFFI PIE !!!

Fabulous time had with my great group of friends, we ate well and drank even better, and bopped our way through, meatloaf, grease 2 (I know sad!!!), suited and booted ska music & queen.  Two casualties and one passed out mate slept on the sofa, in all we should have come with a health warning.  Has taken all of us quite a few days to recover, well except the sensible one who had to have the kids on the rugby pitch 30 miles away at 9am, well done for succeeding.

Clearing up the next afternoon, as we did not stop partying till after 3am, I recalled a lot of great memories and now know why two of you were so hungover, it was all the shot glasses and empty tequila and jack bottles! 

MY MOST WONDERFUL GARDEN, I LOVE THE YEAR ON YEAR WORKING PROGRESS & VEGETABLE PATCH

 OUR WONDERFUL WOODLAND CHICKEN RUN WITH OUR CHERRY PLUM TREE

LAID NEW TURF AFTER CHICKENS RAIDED THE GARDEN !

NEW WOODLAND FLOWERS & BULBS PLANTED READY FOR NEXT SPRING

WINTER SPRING ONIONS UP AND READY IN APRIL

VEGETABLE BED'S ALL WEEDED AND FERTILISED READY TO RECEIVE ALL OUR VEG FOR  PLANTING OUT

OUR GARDEN

OUR GARDEN

NEW FABULOUS POST & RAIL FENCING

OUR NEW GATES

MY VERY FIRST BASKETS, PANSY & PETUNIAS, REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO ALL THE BLOOMING FLOWERS OVER SPRING & SUMMER

MY FABULOUS DOOR STEP, LOVE FILLING UP WITH PRE PLANTING OUT PLANTS AND ALL OUR KITCHEN HERBS & RHUBARB

FIRST STAGE TOMATO'S, ITALIAN PLUM & SALAD TOMATO'S, YEAR 5 FOR HUBBY AND  HE HAS TO HAVE HIS ITALIAN TOMATO'S, (All 180 plants), AMERICAN AUBERGINE'S & PEPPERS, ALL TUCKED UP & PAMPERED, THESE GIRL'S ARE LOVED, TALKED TO AND PAMPERED DAILY... of course...

OUR GARDEN & OUR SELF SUFFICIENT EFFORT
I am so pleased of how much our wonderful little garden has & will give us...  We were never gardener's we cleaned up and kind of weeded when we had to and when we moved to this home we new we would considered this as home for the rest of our lives, things changed, we are now one of those couples who compost's, re-cycles water, all water, eat's veg meals over meat as why not we grew it and it is less of a drain on the environment, this is yes from to major carnivores !!!  It just makes sense to us now.  We go to the garden centre on the weekend or mid week, eeek !!!! and we have lunch in the cafe, we are only 38yrs old !!

We love it and I am really pleased, the only down side to this passion is can be very expensive, I mean almost as much as clothes or shoe shopping !!!

SWEET LEEK & ONION EGG CUSTARD FILO TARTS

INGREDIENTS
1 pack filo pastry
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
50ml double cream
Full cream milk approx 200ml
1 tbsp ooil
1 knob of butter
1 leek fine sliced
1 onion fine sliced
Grated parmesan cheese
Mature cheddar cheese, grated
Salt & pepper
100g butter melted
1 red chilli de-seeded & sliced
1 tbsp fine chopped parsley

FILO PASTRY
Grease a small pie or deep tart tin with ooil or butter, take the filo pastry and paint each sheet, (4) per quiche, with butter and fold in half, do it again and again so you have folded the filo sheet three times, butter the top layer and place that butter side down in the tin. 

TO MAKE THE FILLING
Gently fry the onions in a dash of ooil and butter for approx 15 minutes until caramelised, add a pinch of sugar if needed.  Sweat the leeks in butter until soft.  Beat the eggs & egg yolk together until fluffy, add the cream and milk and whisk well, season.  Place some of the onion in the base of the tart then a hint of parmesan, now some leeks and then some cheddar, now pour in some of the egg custard, and then repeat the layering and finish off with a final dusting of parmesan.  Cook in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees for approx 10-15 minutes until just set with a hint of wobble.  To serve sprinkle with the red chilli and some fine chopped parsley.

PO - BOY IT'S ALL IN THE EATING...SCALLOP & PRAWN NEW ORLEANS SANDWICH WITH CAPER & CORNICHON MAYO TARTARE & CAPER SLAW

The history of this sandwich is a great history in the transport strikers of New Orleans in the early 1900's the patriot support of the public to the transport strikers, most community restaurant owners feed these strikers for free, the po-boy was originally named the poor-boy sandwich and it was know  when you saw a striker you would say there goes a poor boy.  A famous family restaurant feed hundreds of strikers for free every day with deep fried oysters in a french bread roll, this is a national heritage sandwich and has many variations, like this one using scallops and prawns.

INGREDIENTS
1 French stick
Butter
6 fresh scallops cleaned
6 fresh prawns
2 eggs beaten
1 cup plain flour
Salt & pepper
1 pinch cayenne pepper
Oil for frying

FOR THE COLESLAW
1/2 white cabbage sliced
1 onion fine sliced
1 carrot fine grated
6 tbsp mayo
2 tbsp milk
4 tbsp tartare mayo (see below)
1 dill sweet pickle sliced

TARTARE MAYO
3 egg yolks
2 tbsp cider vinegar
300ml rapeseed oil
110g capers chopped
150g gherkins chopped
1 small shallot fine diced
1 small bunch dill
2 tbsp parsley
Sliced dill gherkins for topping
1/2 lemon juiced

Pre heat the frying oil to 190 degrees ready to fry, place the beaten egg in a bowl & season, then season the flour, with salt, pepper & cayenne pepper, place in a bowl next to the egg.  To make the tartare mayo place the egg yolks in a bowl and whisk, keep whisking and slowly drizzle in the rapeseed oil until thick & light, add the rest of the ingredients and season to taste if needed.  Mix all the coleslaw ingredients together.  Butter the french bread ready to fill, layer the bottom with the coleslaw and then dip the scallops and prawns in the beaten eggs and then into the seasoned flour and fry for 2 minutes, drain on paper roll and stuff into the french stick and top with more of the coleslaw, tartare mayo and dill pickles.  Bite down with great gusto and enjoy...

FABULOUS COURGETTE FRIES & AILOI DIP

INGREDIENTS
1 courgette
1 cup plain flour
Salt & pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper
Oil for frying
2 eggs beaten

Make the dipping station, place the beaten eggs in a large bowl & season.  In another large bowl mix the flour, salt & pepper & cayenne pepper together and place next to the beaten egg bowl.  Heat the oil to 190 degrees.

Cut the courgette in half, then each half in half and then into 4 quarters, trim off the centre with the seeds & then toss in the beaten egg and then into the seasoned flour, gently knock off any excess flour and then drop the courgette fries into the hot oil, these take a couple of minutes to cook to a golden brown, drain on kitchen paper and season with a hint of salt and serve immediately, I like to serve with a ailoi dip.

AIOLI DIP
3 tbsp mayo
6 cloves of garlic grated

Mix the two together and taste, season if needed, yummy.

BUFFALO CORN HUSH PUPPIES

INGREDIENTS
1 corn on the cob
1/2 cup plain flour
1 egg yolk
1 egg white whisked
1/2 cup of milk
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
Pinch cayenne pepper
2 tbsp west indian hot sauce (BUFFALO SAUCE)
Salt & pepper, lots
2 tbsp coriander fine chopped
1 tbsp fine diced chillies
Oil to fry in

TO FINISH OFF
3 spring onions fine sliced
1 red chilli fine sliced
2 tbsp corinader fine diced

Take the corn off the cob & boil for 15 minutes, drain & mix all the ingredients together to a smooth ish batter.  Heat the oil to 180 degrees, drop desert spoons of the corn batter mix into the hot oil and fry till golden, drain on paper roll and sprinkle with chopped spring onions & chillies.

HOME GROWN BLACK OLIVES, BRINED FOR 6 MONTHS & MARINATED IN GARLIC & CHILI OLIVE OIL

 FIRST CROP OF HOME GROWN BLACK OLIVES

MY WONDERFUL OLIVE TREES

INGREDIENTS TO BRINE

600ml  of water

100g salt

1 red chili pieced

1 tbsp red crushed red chillies

4 whole garlic cloves crushed

Heat the water, take off the heat and add the salt to dissolve, leave to cool and add the chili, crushed chillies and garlic cloves, add the olives and when completely cool pour into a jar and seal.

Leave for 6 months, turn the jar regularly.  The brine will over the time take on the colour of the olives so don't worry about it discolouring.

At 6 months drain the olives, using a cherry de-stoner, de-stone the olives and place the olives in a jar and top up with some crushed fresh chillies, garlic cloves and olive oil, you can add any flavour you like at this point like rosemary or lemon etc.

I am soooo pleased my dad is a olive expert and he could not believe how fabulous these olives were, he said they are the best he has ever eaten, only down side is they are not that big, hence British sun!!!

SOOO PROUD ASPARAGUS SPRING YEAR 3

Really proud, year 3 for my asparagus bed, when I first planted the asparagus seeds in 2010 they were raised up high with troughs and grew like a fluffy tall dill looking plant, however Mr Badger decided to did out my bed for me, I am sure he thought he was being helpfull !  I re-planted the bed for it only to happen again the following year, I honestly gave in and just weeded the bed and felt that was that for the asparagus, so I was really pleased this spring to find all these stems of asparagus strong and healthy growing... soooo excited and really looking forward to cutting them in a few months time.

ROASTED TOMATO & CREAM SAUCE WITH TUNA & TAGLIATELLE

INGREDIENTS
200ml single cream
10 fresh tomato's halved
1 half bulb garlic
1 onion fine diced
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Pinch of celery salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tin tuna or fresh seared
50g Parmesan grated
ooil & butter

Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees, toss the tomato's in ooil & place in a shallow roasting tin, add the garlic & season with sea salt & fresh black pepper, roast for 45 minutes.  Take out and place in a sieve, push through with the back of a spoon or ladle & reserve.  In some ooil and butter soften the onion, add the puree from the roasted garlic cook for approx 5 minutes, add the roasted tomato juice and simmer, add the sugar and season, cook down for a few minutes,  add the cayenne & celery salt, taste and adjust the seasoning if required.  This is one of those sauces that improves with resting, so I like to make this early on.

Cook the tagliatelle al dente.  Meanwhile heat the tomato sauce to a gently simmer, add the cream and tuna, season to taste, toss the drained tagliatelle in the sauce and serve with fresh grated Parmesan & black pepper.

SUMPTIOUS TARTE AU CITRON IN SWEET PASTRY

INGREDIENTS
275ml lemon juice
3 lemons zested
190ml double cream
4 eggs
2 egg yolks
275g caster sugar

SWEET PASTRY
350g plain flour
150g butter
2 eggs beaten
100g icing sugar
1 small pinch salt

To make the pastry, take the flour and salt and place on a worktop, make a well in the centre, place the soft butter in the well and with a pecking action soften the butter further gradually incorporate the sugar into the butter and mix together, add the eggs and mix together.  Now gradually incorporate the flour by flicking it onto the mixture and then chopping through it until you have a rough dough.  Bring together with your hands & knead a couple of times till a smooth dough, wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour. 

Pre heat your oven to 180 degrees.

Roll out the pastry into a circle and line your loose bottom tart tin.  Place bake in the fridge for another 10 minutes.  Place some parchment paper in the bottom with some baking beans and blind bake for  10 minutes, remove the parchment & beans and bake for a further 3-5 minutes, keeping the pastry pale.

Turn the oven down to 150 degrees.

Make the filling, whisk the eggs, egg yolks & sugar together until light and fluffy, add the cream whisking all the time, and then add the lemon juice and zest.  Place the tart on a oven tray and fill the tart 90% full, transfer to the oven and top up the remainder of the tart to the very top.  Cook for approx 35-40 minutes until the filling has just set, leave to cool completely before serving.

WONDERFUL MEXICAN PEPPER, CORIANDER, AVOCADO & QUESO QUESADILLA WITH PICO DE GALLO, SOUR CREAM, GUACAMOLE & SWEET CHILLI SAUCE

QUESADILLA CON QUESO
2 flour tortillas (recipe below)
100g grated cheese
1/2 red pepper fine diced
2 spring onions fine sliced
1 tomato de-seeded & fine diced
1 bunch coriander chopped
Sweet chilli sauce

If making your own tortillas, recipe below, when you cook the tortilla on the skillet, just cook one side of two tortillas first, (this you don't have to do if you are using shop brought), then when you put the raw side of one back in the skillet, leaving the cooked side up load with the cheese, red pepper, onion, tomato, coriander and drizzle over the sweet chilli sauce, place the cooked side of the other tortilla on the topping side, cook for 2 minutes and the turn over and cook the other tortilla for approx 1-2 minutes.  Take off the heat and rest for a couple of minutes then I like to cut into four triangles and serve topped with pico de gallo, sour cream, guacamole, coriander and more sweet chilli drizzle. 

SWEET CHILLI SAUCE
500g red chillies stalks removed
50ml water
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar (possibly more to taste)
80ml rice wine vinegar

This makes approx 200ml of sweet chilli sauce, take the red chillies and water and simmer gently for approx 10 minutes until soft, take off the heat and mix in all the other ingredients, leave to cool slightly and then blend, taste and if needs more sugar add while still warm and stir in till melted.

PICO DE GALLO
1 small onion fine diced
1 tomato de-seeded & fine diced
1 bunch coriander chopped
1 red chilli fine chopped
Salt & pepper
1/2 lime juice

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and season with salt & pepper and the lime juice to taste.

SOUR CREAM
100ml double cream
1/2 lemon juiced
If you want to make your own, whisk the double cream, as it comes to a thick peak, drizzle in the lemon juice and stir in gently, taste and add more lemon if needed.

GUACAMOLE
1 ripe avocado
1 bunch coriander
1 lime juiced
1/2 red onion chopped
2 green chillies fine chopped
Black pepper

Traditionally you would make this in a pestle & mortar, but a bowl and the end of a rolling pin is just as good or a potato masher and the back of a spoon, start by pounding half of the coriander & onion in the pestle, add the avocado and pound, stir in the lime juice and remainder of fine chopped red onion, coriander & green chilli, season to taste.  MAKE THIS MOMENTS BEFORE YOU ARE ABOUT TO EAT IT, the lime juice will help stop the avocado from browning, but it is a dish that will not keep.

FLOUR TORTILLAS
450g masa harina
600ml hand hot water
30ml ooil
1 tbsp sea salt

Mix the masa harina, salt & ooil together, add half the water and leave to rest for 10 minutes.  Slowly start adding more water & kneading with your hands, you are looking to get a soft slightly sticky formed dough, cover with a damp cloth a leave to rest for 30 minutes.  Pull off a golf ball size of dough and place on a sheet of clingfilm, with the heel of your palm gently push down to flatten the dough, cover with another sheet of clingfilm, this is to stop the dough sticking, roll out to a 2mm thick disk.  To cook pre heat a non stick skillet or frying pan and cook the tortilla for 2 minutes on one side, at this point if you are going to stuff, cook one side of another tortilla and then turn it over and load with the queso ingredients, and top with the other tortilla then cook for 1-2  minutes on both raw sides.  It is so worth making your own tortillas, really quick, easy and so satisfying.

PERFECT FLUFFY RICE

INGREDIENTS

1 measure of rice

2 measures of water

1 knob of butter

Take your rice and soak in water for 15 minutes, rinse well & drain.  Place the rice in a pan with the water, bring to a simmer & place on the lid, simmer for 6 minutes, do not stir.  Take off the heat & add the knob of butter, replace the lid quickly & do not stir.  Leave the pan to one side for 10 minutes, then the rice is ready, fluff up with a fork to serve.

YELLOW THAI CHICKEN CURRY & JASMINE RICE

INGREDIENTS
1 jar yellow Thai curry paste
2 chicken breasts chopped
1 lemon grass stick fine sliced
1 inch ginger fine chopped
1 shallot fine diced
4 spring onions fine sliced
1 red chilli fine diced
1 can coconut milk
Seasoning to taste
1 cup jasmine rice, soak 15 mins
Dash ooil
1 tsp butter

Heat the ooil in a pan and add the lemon grass, ginger, shallot, spring onions and chilli pan fry for a few minutes gently, add the chicken stir in, add the Thai yellow curry paste and stir well, cook for approx 10 minutes medium slow, add the coconut milk and bring to a simmer, taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.  Meanwhile take the soaked rice and rinse, add to a pan with 2 cups of water and bring to a rolling simmer, do not stir, place the lid on and leave for 6 minutes, take off the heat, add a knob of butter, quickly re-placing the lid, do not stir, this will give you perfect fluffy rice.  Fabulous quick dinner with maxium flavour.

FOR THE HORSES CARROT & APPLE OAT CUPCAKES

INGREDIENTS

1 cup of whole wheat flour

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup stewed apples

1 apple diced

1 cup diced carrots

1 tsp cinnamon

3 eggs beaten

FOR THE TOPPING

150g cream cheese

100g fine zest grated carrots

Put the cup of apples to be stewed in 50ml of water and simmer to a pulp.  Mix all the dry ingredients in one bowl and mix all the wet ingredients including the stewed apples in another bowl, combine both bowls and fill muffin cases to the very top, as these cakes will not rise.  Cook in a pre heated oven at 170 degrees for 10 minutes, leave to cool and top with the carrot & cream cheese mix, sprinkle on some shredded carrots for decoration or horse cod liver crunchy treats.

TEA PARTY FOR THE DOGS, APPLE & OAT CUPCAKES WITH BACON & PEANUT BUTTER CREAM CHEESE TOPPING

INGREDIENTS
1 cup of whole wheat flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup stewed apples
1 apple fine diced
1 tsp cinnamon
3 eggs beaten

FOR THE TOPPING
150g cream cheese
3 tbsp peanut butter
Assortment of dog treats

Roughly chop two apples and with approx 50ml water simmer till broken down.  Mix all the dry ingredients, flour, oats & cinnamon together, in a separate bowl beat the eggs and mix in the stewed & diced apples.  Mix both bowls together and fill your muffin cases full to the top as this mix will not rise.  Bake in 170 degree oven for 10 minutes, leave to cool & top with the peanut cream cheese mix, then decorate with the dog treats.