5 Comfort Baking Recipes

I have rounded up some of my favourite recipes, from an elevenses treat to a jaw dropping nutella centrepiece. One of my most popular blog posts of all time is my How to Make Bagels at Home (link below) tutorial, I always have helpers in the kitchen when I bake bagels, the shaping always leads to high spirits!! 

Delia's Creole Christmas Cake

This is the easiest Christmas cake to make! My stand mixer lay idle while I stirred and folded, that is a first for me, especially when it comes to the making our Christmas fruit cake! Yes it's true, it didn't plug in any gadgets when I mixed this cake, that alone makes this cake a winner! 

I have been in love with this recipe for a long time, it just screams Christmas with all the spices, alcohol, the chopped nuts and the smell...so Christmassy!

I was slightly dubious about the long list of spirits and lets be honest I was totally put off by the addition of Angostura bitter! It sounded like one of  those dusty bottles that your grandparents would have at the back of their drinks cabinet, stood beside tiny lime green bottles of Snowball or Advocaat!! Remember those? 

Well I thought this year was the year that I would make it no matter what obstacles I faced :) I did some research and discovered that this could be made without any effort. So here is how I got on, remember no electric mixers were used in the making of this sumptuous Christmas cake!! Enjoy.

Oreo Cupcakes

Delicious aren't they, soft with a bit of crunch. Now don't be fooled into thinking that these are difficult to make, au contraire my friends. I wouldn't tempt you with such mouthwatering photos and then set about putting you to work for hours in the kitchen. 

St. Patrick's Day Milkshake

So this year, St. Patrick's day is the start of two and a half weeks of school holidays...Yay!! We can't wait.

Now lets be clear here, it's not as if we've been killing ourselves with spelling tests, Irish reading and history projects, last week was a four day week -with the school being closed for the election - the previous week was mid term and prior to that we had a snow day!

Tiffin Christmas Wreath Cake

Oh tis the season to be indulgent! This easy no bake tiffin wreath cake is the perfect centerpiece for your festive celebrations.   

Crumbled biscuits, dried fruit and nuts are all coated in a buttery chocolatey mix, chilled and then topped in velvety white chocolate. What more could you want for your christmas day dessert! 

2- Ingredient Chocolate Mousse

This recipe is inspired by All About Home Economics by Deirdre Madden, which has been my faithful companion since my first year in secondary school, so that would make it erm (counts on fingers)....25 years old...oh that's a shock....I need to sit down.... no wonder my copy is in tatters!
When my mother went to buy a copy of this text book, she couldn't buy it secondhand (yes we had hand-me-down school books, very pre-boom times). Everyone kept their copies, it was such a brilliant comprehensive text book packed with recipes, sewing basics, how iron a shirt, basic nutrition and everything in between. As it happens this text book has been reprinted in the last few years and is available to buy again, nothing like a little nostalgia and a good cause.

Cheese and Ham Pastry Ring

This is my favourite time of year, not just because school is back - although having a routine again is wonderful - but because it's just a really beautiful time of year. The leaves are beginning to turn on the trees around our house and the mornings are cool and crisp. 

With those cool mornings come the cool evenings and that's where this tasty dish come into it's own. It has only 3 ingredients and it bakes is 20 minutes or less! The perfect warming after school snack, I am cheating slightly with the pastry but when you are pushed for time and have hungry children waiting for something hot and filling to eat, then I think that it is only smart to have few tricks up your sleeve!   

Chocolate and Black Bean Cupcakes

I've been meaning to share this beautiful recipe with you for a couple of weeks now, I wanted to share it with you around the time I posted my Chunky Black Bean and Chicken Soup recipe adapted from A Girl Called Jack. It seemed appropriate that your dinner and dessert should both contain black beans and dark chocolate...yum!

No Bake Chocolate Nests

An Easter treat that all the family can help make (and eat!!). These beautifully simple rice krispie treats are the perfect reminder to spend some family time together in the kitchen. 

4 Ingredient Red Velvet Cookies

Over the school mid term the children and I spent some time in the kitchen, we baked a couple of cakes and by total accident we discovered this recipe for cookies!

Biscuit Base Lemon Meringue Pie

I have been working on my fitness the last couple of months, with getting older and all, I thought I should try and take a little time for myself and get fitter. 

I have tried many activities over the past ten years and as much as I love going out on my bicycle, it can be somewhat time consuming and with winter months closing in it can be a bit dangerous too. So I have found my newest love.....YOGA!!

One Year Older (but not wiser!!)

It is a funny thing getting older, people look to you for advice, expecting a pearl of wisdom to drop from your lips. I'm not sure that I am any older or wiser than I was ten years ago! My birth certificate says one thing but my mind says another, to be honest I feel like a teenager inside, a slightly giddy one at that.

Donal Skehan's Brownies

This has to be my most favourite time of the year! I just love to catch up with friends after a beautiful summer of days out with our families. Part of this ritual is doing some home baking. These Brownies reign supreme on that front!! 

These are proper brownies, rich and fudge like that just melt in your mouth. In the past year I have tried all sorts of "healthy" brownie recipes and to be perfectly honest they varied from fair to a complete disaster. Now my quest still goes on for that good for you brownie (as if!!), but for now I'm going to stick to what works.

Kale Crisps

Regular readers of my blog will have noticed that I have changed the look, this new minimalist approach has taken time to build and will be tweeked in the coming weeks. I wanted to focus on the food and to highlight the photography, I hope you like it and to celebrate here is a feel good snack recipe :)

I have to admit I really love eating snacks, especially in the evening time when things calm down after a busy day. I have tried plenty of healthy snacks but few can compare with these delights. I'm all for health but I am equally for taste. I find that I will eat a healthy snack for a couple of days but alas, if it is more healthy than tasty I will eventually give up! These are different, they are light and crisp but above all they are really tasty.

Now like any parent I sometimes lose the battle of getting green vegetable into my children's diet, these were welcomed with open arms!! So now the kale is in season (until early in the new year) and very easy to get, try these handy snacks out and see what you think.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients
200g Fresh kale leaves
Light oil spray or olive oil
Salt

Method
Wash the kale and dry completely in a clean tea towel. Preheat the oven to 170ºC/340ºF/Gas Mark 3.

With a kitchen scissors or vegetable knife cut the kale into bite size pieces and discard the tough salk.

Lay the kale in a single layer on two flat unlined baking sheets. Spray or drizzle with the oil and season with salt. Bake in the preheated oven for 5-10 minutes, checking frequently. The crisps are cooked when they are light and crisp but not burned around the edges. Allow to cool slightly before placing in a serving bowl and season with salt again if necessary.

These are my second batch because the first didn't make it off the baking tray, they were eaten straight from the oven by the whole family!

Real Chocolate Sauce

I think it is fair to say that my favorite dessert recipe of all time is David Lebovitz, Vanilla Frozen Yogurt. It is creamy, sweet and really too easy to make!! Now top all that off with a real chocolate sauce, topped with sprinkles and it is really irresistible. It is that childlike feeling of satisfaction when you crack the chocolate with your spoon and dig in... heaven.

The recipe for this little piece of heaven is thanks to Gimme Some Oven so why not drop over there and indulge.

I made my sauce with a mix of dark and milk chocolate and some vegetable oil, this recipe will work with any chocolate. Enjoy!

Cool Ice Lollies

There is nothing nicer than a cool ice pop on a hot day, especially if you've made them yourself. There is no special skill or equipment needed to make these tasty treats. If you have the molds (that are no doubt languishing at the back of your cupboard!), then root them out and have a crack at these quick and easy ice lollies. 

I have become somewhat of a fan of frozen yogurt recently, because it is so easy to work with. Just add the flavour or fruit of your choice, pour into molds and then freeze. That's it! In fact the only tricky bit is the weather!!    

*Recipe adapted from Kirbie's Cravings

Makes 6-8 depending on your molds

Ingredients

250ml Fresh pomegranate juice (about 2 pomegranates)

250g Greek yogurt

60g Caster sugar

A few drops of red food coloring

Hungry for more?

Vanilla Frozen Yogurt 

Blueberry Frozen Yogurt

Method

Squeeze the juice from the pomegranates through a sieve into a large bowl.

Add the greek yogurt and sugar and stir.

If necessary add the food coloring for a deeper shade of pink.

Pour the mixture into the molds and freeze for 3-4 hours or until firm. This frozen yogurt can be made with an ice-cream machine if you prefer, but the mix should be chilled overnight if possible beforehand to get the best results.

  

Homemade Baked Beans

There is a lot to be said for simple, undemanding food, baked beans are that for me, they are one of the most sustaining and satisfying midday snacks out there. I love them on a slice of good quality toasted bread, especially on chilly days. I'm warmed and ready to tackle whatever the weather throws as me. This is also a brilliant after school meal or in a lunch box with potato salad and crusty french bread. This recipe is quick and can be adapted to suit your needs, perhaps you like yours to have a smoky flavour or with the kick of chilli, you decide. Enjoy!

Serves 4 (yield 800g)

Ingredients
2 tbsp Olive oil
1 tsp Onion salt
1 tsp Garlic granules
1 level tsp Mustard powder
400g can Tinned tomatoes
3-4 tsp Soft brown sugar
5 level tbsp Tomato puree
2 tsp Dried mixed herbs
½ tsp Salt
2 x 300g cans Haricot or Cannellini beans in water, drained and rinsed
4 Basil leaves
Thick slices of toast to serve

Method
Heat the oil gently in a large saucepan and fry the onion salt, garlic granules and mustard powder for 1 minute, stirring. Add the tomatoes, sugar, tomato puree and dried herbs. Heat to a simmer and cook gently, uncovered, for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat, blitz with a hand blender until smooth.

Return to the heat, add the rinsed canned beans.

Simmer over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes. If you want to at this stage, you could add a dash of sweet chilli sauce for a bit of warmth or BBQ sauce for a smoky flavour.

Garnish with fresh basil and serve over slices of thick crunchy toast. To freeze beans, allow to cool to room temperature, transfer to an air tight container and freeze. Allow to defrost completely before reheating.

*Recipe slightly adapted from  Asda  Magazine January 2013

ANZAC Biscuits

While I was perusing some of my cook books recently, I read Nigella's original inspiration for her Grasshopper Pie recipe, she was watching television at home with her family and became absorbed by the main character devouring slices of the pie on screen. This made me laugh, because I do this all the time, although, mainly while I'm reading.
Last week, I was reading a soppy romance novel which was situated in Australia, the heroine was baking these biscuits (all of course while making doe eyes at her hero!!). I was hooked, on the biscuits that is, (perhaps I missed the whole point of the book!). In the book there was talk of cinnamon, but I wanted an original recipe so I Googled ANZAC biscuits and was very pleasantly surprised by this simple and tasty recipe. These ANZAC (Australian New Zealand Army Corps) biscuits are an eggless, sweet chewy biscuit, perfect for lunch boxes and seducing tall dark heroes in romance novels!

Makes 40 approx

Ingredients
90g Porridge Oats
150g Plain Flour
75g Dessicated coconut
200g Caster sugar
110g Butter
1 tbsp Golden syrup
2 tbsp Boiling water
1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda

Method
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas Mark 4, line two large baking sheets with baking paper. Combine the porridge, flour, coconut and sugar in a large bowl.

Melt the butter and golden syrup together in a small jug in the microwave or over a low heat in a saucepan. Meanwhile mix the bicarbonate of soda and boiling water together until it starts to fizz. Pour the bicarbonate of soda mixture into the melted butter.

Add the now fizzing butter mixture into the dry ingredients, stir to combine, add more boiling water if needed until a soft pliable dough is achieved (I usually add about 2-3tbsp more boiling water).

Place hazelnut sized balls of dough on the baking sheets about 5cm apart, flatten slightly (with wet fingers) and bake for about 10- 14 minutes or until they are slightly golden around the edges.

Each oven is different and my temperamental oven is different nearly every time I use it, so my advice is to watch and time the first batch closely until you are happy they are nicely golden, usually 11-12 minutes for me.

Allow to cool on the baking tray for a couple of minutes or until firm enough to transfer to a wire rack.

Store in a an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Recipe with thanks to Bob Lawson, an ANZAC present at the Gallipoli landing and the Australian War Memorial website. 

Chicken Chow Mein

There are times when I feel very lazy, dithering between ordering take out or cooking! The very thought of ordering a Chinese take-out is extremely tempting, however I am of an age when lifting the phone will have consequences, namely on the weighing scales!! I wonder how in my twenties I got away with practically living on take-outs and how it didn't really effect my weight...well those days are well and truly over! Now the mere thought of a Chinese take-out has me regretting it....so here is a compromise. This tastes much better that take-out, full of vegetables and is quick to make...what's not to like? Use whatever, noodles or stir-fry vegetables you have, sit back and enjoy!

Serves 4

Ingredients
4 Chicken breasts, thinly sliced
1 tbsp Chinese 5 spice
2 tbsp Dark soy sauce
1 Heaped teaspoon cornflour
300g Dry noodles (such as Blue Dragon Instant Noodles)
1 tbsp Groundnut or vegetable oil, plus extra for the noodles
1 Red pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced
100g-150g Beansprouts or any fresh stir fry vegetables
1 Medium courgette, washed and sliced
Sliced spring onions to garnish (optional)

Method
In a small bowl, mix the Chinese 5 spice, 1 tbsp dark soy and chicken. Mix all the ingredient together with your hands, making sure the chicken is completely covered in the marinade. Cover, leave to marinade for at least 20 minutes (or overnight if possible).

Meanwhile cook the noodles in boiling water for 3 minutes (or according to the pack instructions), drain and drizzle with oil. Set aside.

Prepare the vegetables, it's better to have everything prepared in advance, because the whole cooking process only takes a couple of minutes.  

Uncover the marinaded chicken and mix in a heaped teaspoon of cornflour, this will thicken the sauce but also protect the chicken keeping it moist and tender while cooking. Heat a large frying pan or wok until it is smoking hot, add 1 tbsp of oil.

Add the chicken to the wok, allow the chicken to "settle" in the hot wok for about a minute, this will seal in the juices. Brown the chicken an all sides, add the prepared vegetables (except the spring onions). Cook for 4-5 minutes or until the chicken cooked through (not pink in the middle!).

Add the noodles and season with 1 tbsp dark soy sauce, mix every together. Cook for a further 1-2 minutes until the noodles are warmed through. Add a tablespoon of water to the wok if it all starts to get too brown.

Garnish with the spring onions if using and serve immediately.

*Recipe adapted from Ching-He Haung Chinese Food Made Easy