Halloween Biscuits - Basic

Halloween Biscuits and Cupcakes are a family tradition...in October- obviously. 

I bought my new cutter in Asda - £1. 

I just love Halloween! 

Ingredients:

100g Butter

100g Caster Sugar

175g Plain Flour

1 Egg Yolk

Black writing Icing.

Method:

Oven- 160'C

Mix the butter, sugar and flour till like breadcrumbs, then add the egg.

Mix till a dough, then put it into the fridge for 15 minutes (may as well wash up while you wait).

On a floured surface, roll out the dough and cut out the Halloween shapes.

Place them carefully onto a floured baking sheet on your tray and bake for 20 mins.

Leave to cool.

Using the writing icing, go around the outline of your biscuits and add any detail you can think of.

Again, leave to set then enjoy!   :)

Beef Casserole with Dumplings

We had a few slices of thin steak left over along with some beef chunks, so I decided to mix them together and make a casserole! 

Also, this is my 1st attempt at making dumplings!

Serves 2-4

4-6 hrs (Slow Cooker)

Ingredients:

Beef

Beef Stock

2Carrots

1 Onion

1-2 Potatoes

Salt

Pepper

Parsley

250g Self Raising Flour

125g Cold Butter

Method:

Casserole:

Chop all of your veg, including the potatoes into small chunks and throw into your cooking pot.

Add your meat, also chopped into chunks.

Add the herbs and stock.

Leave to cook for 4-6 on low (slow cooker).

Dumplings:

Place your flour into a mixing bowl.

Grate your cold butter into the bowl.

Rub gently with your fingers till like breadcrumbs.

Gradually add splashes of water till mixture is a dough.

Roll into about 12 small balls.

Add to the casserole 30mins before the serving time.

Chicken with Philadelphia and Bacon.

This dish is marvelous! A family favourite. Please give it a try.

Serves 2

30 mins

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
1 tub of Philadelphia spread (we chose garlic & herb)
bacon (as much as you like)

Method:
Preheat your oven to 200'C
Slice the chicken breast almost in half.
Spread a healthy dollop of Philadelphia and sandwich the chicken together.
Wrap your chicken in bacon
Place on a baking tray
Cook for 20-30 minutes.

Delicious Bacon & Potato Gratin

This is such a delicious meal. Everyone that I have made this for has loved it! Its simple and easy and soooo yummy. You must try it!

Serves 2-4

1 Hour

Ingredients:

Bacon (as much as you like- we used 2 packs for 4 people)

3 or 4 Large potatoes

1 onion

Thyme

Pepper

Salt

Cream

Cheese (Grated)

Method:

Preheat oven to 200'C

Slice the potatoes into thin slices and part-boil.

Slice the bacon into chunks and fry with the chopped onion and herbs.

Once boiled, drain the water from the potato pan and use half, making an even bottom layer in your oven dish.

Add the bacon mixture, making a second layer.

On top, add the rest of the potatoes, creating a third layer.

Pour the cream over the top, making sure it seeps into the cracks and down all the layers. 

Cover the dish in tin foil and cook for 45 mins.

Take out and sprinkle the grated cheese.

Cook for a further 15 mins, without the tin foil.

Enjoy this deliciously unhealthy meal.

We served it with Green Beans!

Nanna's Flapjacks

Here is another of my Nanna's recipes. These flapjacks are something she has been baking for me for many years now. You will love them!

Makes around 20

20-30 mins

Ingredients
100g Butter
75g Golden Syrup
75g Brown Sugar
225g Oats


Method
Preheat the oven to 180'C/280'F
Put the Butter, Sugar and Syrup in a saucepan and stir on a low heat til melted.
Stir in the Oats and mix well.
Spread onto a greased/lined 8x12 inch tin and smooth with a knife.
Bake for 20-30 mins.
Leave to cool, then cut into finger slices.

Nanna's Sausage Rolls

Having spent the weekend with my Nanna, it seemed only fair to share with you, our baking experiences!

This recipe is a bit of a cheat (we didn't make our own pastry), due to time.

20 mins

Makes 16-20 small

Ingredients
375g Sausage Meat
1 Puff-Pastry Pre-Rolled
1 Egg


Method
Preheat oven at 200'C
Lay out the Pastry.
Cut the Pastry in half horizontally.
Half your Sausage Meat (1 for each horizontal strip).
Stretch and roll the meat to fit the pastry strip.
Fold over the pastry and flatten the long side with a fork (like around the edge of a pie).
Cut your long sausage roll into bite-size pieces (or large ones if you like).
Lightly score the top of your rolls with a knife.
Transfer onto a lined baking tray.
Glaze them with beaten Egg.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Leave to cool.

Sausage Casserole

Today my darling J decided to make a sausage casserole for our dinner, once again we used the slow cooker. As you will notice, J likes to add a lot of...stuff to his food. Feel free to go with the basics! 

Another quick and easy meal!

Serves 2

6-8 hours (slow cooker)

Ingredients:

4 Sausages

2 Spring Onions

1 Stick of Celery

1 Red Pepper

1 large carrot

1/2 Sprig Broccoli

Dash of Salt

Dash of Pepper

1 tsp Mustard

Dash of Oregano 

1 can Chopped Tomatoes

Handful of finely chopped walnuts

200ml water

2 Pork Stock Cubes

Dash of Cumin 

Dash of Cinnamon

Chop all of your vegetables and Walnuts and them to your pot.

Cook off your sausages and chop them into bite size pieces before adding to the pot.

Add the chopped tomatoes to the pot, but keep the empty tin.

Now with the tin, add the boiling water, stock cubes, Cinnamon, Cumin, Oregano, Salt, Pepper and Mustard. (making a tasty broth)

Add your funky broth to the pot.

Stick your slow cooker on LOW for 6-8 hours.

J would like to warn you, that after making your broth in the Tomato tin, that it will now be hot, so please use a tea towel for protection! 

He calls this dish a wet summer warmer! 

Enjoy!

Pork Chop Chow-Stew

We have named this 'Pork Chop Chow Stew' because it is a cross between a stew and pork chow mein. It is ever so simple, but does require a slow cooker, however you could use a large crock-pot on the stove/oven.

It was absolutely delicious! I wish we had made double!

Serves 2-3

6-8 hours (slow cooker)

Ingredients:

2 Boneless Pork Chops

1 Sprig Broccoli

1 Celery Stick

1 Red Pepper

3 Spring onions

2-3 Handfuls of beansprouts

Handful of Baby Carrots (or 1 Large)

1 Pork Stock Cube

200ml Boiling water

125g Plum Sauce

Quick and simple- chop up all the veg and chuck it into your pot, add the Bean sprouts.

Chop your meat and mix it into the pot. 

In a jug, mix the stock with boiling water and add the plum sauce.

Stir it into the pot.

Put on a LOW heat setting on your slow cooker, for 6-8 hours.

Simple. Yummy. Perfect to come home to after a long day at work! Enjoy!

Pork Tenderloin (Bacon & Apple Sauce)

At the supermarket J bought a reduced Pork Tenderloin. Neither one of us had cooked one before, but this is how we did it! It was delicious, served with a variety of vegetables.

Don't worry about the 'burning' on the photograph, its just the sauce on the tin foil.

Serves 2-3

1hr

Ingredients:

Pork Tenderloin

Beef or Chicken stock cubes

4-6 slices of bacon

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

1/4 cup Apple Juice

Heaped tsp Mustard

2-3 dashes of Cinnamon

Oven to 190'C

The Meat:

Line a baking tray with tin foil.

Trim any excess fat off the Tenderloin.

Cover the meat in crushed up stock cubes and wrap in bacon.

Cook for 30-40 minutes.

The Sauce:

Put Brown Sugar, Apple Juice, Mustard and Cinnamon into a saucepan and bring to the boil.

Pour it over the meat after allotted cooking time and cook for another 10 minutes.

Leave to rest for a few minutes before serving.

Paleo Cookies - Choc or Nuts

I tried a slightly different style of baking- using only natural ingredients so no processed sugar, butter, wheat etc. A diet known as 'Paleo' gave me a recipe which I adapted slightly.  They are very yummy, you would never know they are Paleo! 

I have included both the nuts and the chocolate in the recipe, either use both or pick one, remember though, that when taking a measurement out you must substitute it with something else!

[ photo coming soon ]

Ingredients:

1 & 1/4 cup Ground Almonds

1/4 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Baking Powder

1/4 cup Honey

1-2 tsp Water

1/8 cup Almond oil (any oil will do)

1tsp Vanilla Extract

1/4 cup Dark Chocolate Chips / 1/4 cup Walnuts or Almonds

Oven 190'C

Mix the Ground Almonds, Salt and Baking Powder together in a large bowl.

Add the oil, vanilla Extract and Honey.

Mix in your Chocolate Chips or Nuts.

Using your hands, scoop the mixture in balls or just use a spoon to dollop some onto a lined baking tray.

Bake for 6 minutes, then take out and LIGHTLY flatten them, as they will not spread out themselves.

Bake for a further 6 to 10 minutes, then leave to cool before eating.

Little Ducky Biscuits

Using a basic biscuit recipe and the new cutter set I received for Christmas, I decided to use the Duck shape and have some fun with icing too! 

They are sooo cute!

Ingredients:

100g Butter

100g Caster Sugar

175g Plain Flour

1 Egg Yolk

Water

Icing Sugar

Yellow Food Colouring

Black writing Icing.

Oven- 160'C

Mix the butter, sugar and flour till like breadcrumbs, then add the egg.

Mix till a dough, then put it into the fridge for 15 minutes (may as well wash up while you wait).

On a floured surface, roll out the dough and cut out the duck shapes.

Place them carefully onto a floured baking sheet on your tray and bake for 20 mins.

Leave to cool.

Make up your icing by adding around 4 tablespoons of Icing Sugar to a bowl and slowly adding water till it is a spreadable consistency. Also add your colouring, not too much, just a drop.

Use a knife to carefully spread the yellow icing onto your biscuits. Leave to set.

Using the writing icing, go around the outline of your biscuits and use a dollop for the eye.

Again, leave to set then enjoy!

Heart Shaped Jammy-Dodgers

I was feeling rather creative, so dug around for some pastry cutters. I found a heart shaped cutter and proceeded to bake Jammy-Dodgers. Very simple, but require a little patience.

Makes 10-20

Ingredients:
175g Plain Flour
125g Butter
50g Light Muscavado Sugar
2tsp ground ginger
Raspberry Jam


Preheat oven to 180'C/360'F/Gas Mark 4


Place flour and butter into a large bowl and rub till breadcrumbs.
Add the sugar and ginger and mix till sticky.
Tip the dough onto a floured surface and knead into a smooth ball. Place into the fridge for 10 mins (why not wash up while you wait).
Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out onto a floured surface ( approx 5mm).
Use your cutter, leave half of them full, but on the other half use a sharp knife and your artistic flare to cute a hole (like photograph above).
Put them onto a lined baking tray and Bake for 20 mins, till golden.
Leave to cool, spread a little jam in the center of the 'full' biscuit and stick the 'holey' biscuit on top. 
Leave to set for a few minutes then EAT!

White Crusty Bread

As a couple we go through so much bread! I decided to take the plunge and bake some. I was so proud of myself and the best thing is that it really wasn't that hard!

Makes 1 Medium loaf

1-2 hours

Ingredients:

1 Egg

1 Egg Yolk

Hot Water (to the touch)

500g White Bread Flour

1&1/2 tsp Salt

2tsp Sugar

1 Sachet of Easy-Bake Yeast

2 tbsp Butter

PUT YOUR OVEN ON LOW!

In a jug, beat the Egg and Egg Yolk lightly, then add the hot water to make 300ml, give it a stir.

In a large bowl add the flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Add the butter (diced) and rub till breadcrumbs. Make a well in the canter and slowly add the egg mixture, kneading the dough as you go. Once added knead till smooth.

On a floured surface knead the dough adding flour if too sticky, do this for roughly 10 minutes. Oil a loaf tin, add the dough and cover with cling film. Place this in your oven, which should now be nice and warm if you turned it on earlier. Leave for 30-60 mins, or till it has doubled in size.

Removed the cling film and knead the bread again, make sure it will spread evenly into your loaf tin again by stretching if necessary. Cover it again with clingfilm and back into your warm oven for 30 mins. 

It should now have risen above your tin, this is where you turn the heat to 220'C/425'C/Gas Mark 7. Bake for 30 minutes, or till golden brown.

Test that the loaf is cooked my tapping the bottom- it should sound hollow.

Allow to cool for a few minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.

Almond Bakewell Slices

I for one, love Almonds. My favourite cake at my Nanna's was Mr. Kipling's Almond Bakewell Slices. So today, I decided to bake my own!

Easy Almond Bakewell Slices.

Makes around 20

45-60 mins.

Total List of Ingredients:
Plain White Flour
Golden Caster Sugar
Semolina
Butter
Jam (cherry, strawberry, raspberry)
5 Eggs
Ground Almonds
Flaked Almonds
Vanilla Extract
Baking Powder
Icing Sugar (optional)


The Base:
300g Plain White Flour
50g Golden Caster Sugar
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
275g Butter


Preheat the oven to 180'C/360'F/Gas Mark 5
In a Large Bowl, place the flour, sugar, semolina and baking powder, then rub in the butter with your fingertips or a blender if you wish. Once it is mixed through tip into a lined (tin foil with a splash of oil) 8x12inch tin. Cook for 20 minutes and leave to cool.


The Filling:
Jam!
I used roughly half a jar of jam. Using a spatula I scooped it out and carefully onto the base, spreading it evenly. Add as much or as little as you like!


The Topping:
4 Eggs
1 Egg yolk
175g Golden Caster Sugar
175g Ground Almonds
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
175g Butter


Whisk all of the eggs in a large bowl, then add the sugar, ground almonds and vanilla.Once mixed, melt the butter and whisk into the almond mixture. Pour the mixture over the jam and cook for 25 minutes.


Decoration:

Flaked Almonds
Icing Sugar (optional)


Sprinkle the flaked almonds over the top then cook for a further 15 minutes, until the top is golden. Leave to cool for a few minutes then cut into fingers and place on a cooling rack to cool. 
Dust with icing sugar before serving, if you wish to do so!

Welcome

Welcome to my blog, I am Amy, the Little Housewife.

I have recently moved out of my parents and in with my boyfriend, J.

The past few months have made me realize that I love baking and creating delicious food for him.

This blog will be my way of sharing the ups and downs of my kitchen trials.

Please feel free to post yours!

xx