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.