Apple & Cinnamon Bran Muffins

These are the easiest and most versatile muffins you can make. No need for any scrabbling around in the back of your cupboard looking for that elusive beater for your electric mixer...no, no. These beautiful muffins require the absolute basic kitchen equipment.  

Pea and Spinach Soup

This bright green bowl of happiness will be ready to eat in ten minutes or less. A bold statement I know. This really is the quickest soup to make and in fact I think that it might be almost as quick to make as a packet of dried soup!

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!   

Nutella Bread with Tutorial

I've made this bread a LOT recently! It makes the most impressive centerpiece and it will certainly impress your family and friends. The bread is light and airy and the Nutella is rich and creamy, the perfect gift or treat for your loved ones.

Pulled Pork Sandwich with Barbecue Sauce

In my last post I shared with you my favourite Pulled pork recipe - which is really easy to make by the way way - and this is one of my favourite ways to eat it!! 

I just love this BBQ sauce recipe,  it is too tasty for words! I have used it on Spatchcock chicken, spare ribs and now most recently on pulled pork.

Cinnamon and Date Buttermilk Scones

It was on a day out with my children at a lakeside café that I came across these scones. It is a strange thing when something as harmonious as dates and cinnamon are combined, it takes you by surprise...now why didn't I think of that - it's so obvious! 

Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies

Smooth white chocolate the perfect companion for tart dried cranberries, to further my pleasure it's all wrapped up in a light crisp cookie!

Chunky Black Bean and Chicken Soup

This recipe came about after I had some leftover chicken and stock from my previous post - Whole Chicken in a Slow Cooker - so I decided that I could put both to good use in this warming nourishing soup. 

How to Make Bagels at Home

My children are well used to me taking photographs of food - usually their dinner or dessert- all without bothering to interfere with my set up. But I'm afraid the temptation of bagels warm from the oven proved to be too much for my daughter!

Crock Pot Brown Tin Loaf

I made this Brown Tin Loaf a couple of years ago and I really liked it, especially when it is toasted with real butter dripping down the sides.. yum. It is also the ideal bread for toasted sandwiches. With that in mind I thought I should perhaps update the recipe adding a new twist - cooking it in my slow cooker!

Apricot and Almond Granola Bars

Mid-morning I enjoy a mug of coffee, usually accompanied by some sort of snack, by snack of course I mean some piece of good for nothing processed rubbish. I know, I know you'd think that I would have a steady supply of my own baked goods to choose from, but alas not always.

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!

Homemade Garlic and Herb Cheese

You can smell it's pungent fragrance through the open window and see it's dedicated white flower all along the hedgerows, what else could it be but Wild Garlic (Allium ursinum). After a light rain shower last week and being very organised (for once) the children and I went for a walk to a wooded copse a short distance from our home. It took our breath away, firstly we were astounded by the sheer number of bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) elegantly hanging their heads, seeming almost as if they are looking demurely at us through their petals. The second was the smell of the garlic, in the steamy mist after the rain it was remarkable. The small white flowers are so pretty, so eager are they to catch your attention with their tiny upturned faces that you can't help but be drawn to them.

Very appealing indeed, which was a good thing really because I had a great hankering for some garlic cheese, now don't go running off in terror thinking that I'm going to talk endlessly about cheese cultures and curds, nope this is really very easy. In fact there is nothing really to do other that stir and leave in the fridge overnight or if you can stand it, for a full 24 hours! The result is a soft spreadable cream cheese that goes much easier on your waistline than Boursin cheese for example (a whopping 405kCal per 100g!!) and although not an exact replica it is very good to eat on all kinds of breads and cheese crackers. I prefer to use Greek yogurt as my main ingredient but feel free to experiment and let me know how it goes. If you would like a tasty dip instead then follow the method below but reduce the chilling time to 6 hours and you're good to go!!

Yield: 300g

Ingredients
500g Greek yogurt ( I used Aldi Greek Style Yogurt)
1 Clove garlic, crushed or finely chopped
1 tbsp Dried parsley or fresh parsley finely chopped
2 tsp Table salt

To serve
French baguette
Spring onions, sliced

Method
The equipment for this recipe is fairly basic, a large bowl for mixing, a square of muslin (I bought my Kilner muslin square in Heaton's, Cavan for €3.00), sieve and a smaller bowl to catch the excess liquid.

Scoop the yogurt into a large clean bowl, add the garlic, parsley and the table salt.

Combine the ingredients together, make sure all the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Place the sieve over the smaller bowl, line the sieve with the muslin square and spoon in the garlicky yogurt mixture. 

Gather the muslin together, gently twist and lay on top of the yogurt. Leave in the fridge for 18-24 hours depending on how firm you want the finished cheese to be.

Immediately the yogurt will start to drain away the excess liquid.

This is how the cheese will look after 24 hours, it is much firmer and a has the consistency of  cream cheese.

After 24 hours I usually have about 150mls of liquid left in the bowl.

Spread on freshly toasted sliced baguette and devour!!

Bacon and Cabbage Fuilletées (Puff Pastries)

Last year Goodall's Ireland asked food bloggers to submit recipes for their new cookbook,  A Modern Irish Cookbook, as the name suggest these recipes had to be a modern take on traditional Irish recipes, I was one of the lucky few to have a recipe chosen. The recipe that made it into print was my Sweet Potato Bread recipe, which is a twist on our favourite pan fried potato bread, this was my other submission. Living in Cavan I am very lucky to be surrounded by some of the finest pig farmers in the country, with that in mind I thought why not jazz up one of the most recognised Irish culinary combinations bacon and cabbage. I'm not sure what my granny would make of this fanciness but believe me it tastes as good as it looks!! These tasty little morsels are perfect for a starter or as finger food......Enjoy! 

* Inspired by Petra Carter and Prudence Magazine 

Serves 4-6

Ingredients
1 tbsp Butter
150g Bacon, cubed
190g White cabbage, washed and finely chopped
375g Ready rolled puff pastry
1-2 tbsp Plain flour (for dusting your work surface)
1tbsp Milk
2tbsp Butter
3tbsp Plain flour
400m Milk
White pepper

Method
Preheat the oven to 220ºC/425ºF/Gas Mark 7, line two large baking sheets with baking paper. Add a tablespoon of butter to a medium sized frying pan, when it begins to foam add the bacon and fry gently until crisp and golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the cabbage to the frying pan and sauté  the cabbage in the bacon juices until it is tender and slightly translucent. Set aside with the bacon.

Meanwhile, dust a clean work surface with the plain flour, roll out the puff pastry. Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, cut out 12 equal sized squares.

Lightly score a square either using a square scone cutter or with a sharp knife leave a 2cm border.

Brush the puff pastry with milk and bake in the preheated oven for 5-7 minutes or until golden and risen.

Cool on a wire rack for 1-2 minutes before removing the lid and allow the steam to escape (this will keep the pastries crisp).

To make the sauce, melt two tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat, when the butter has melted add three tablespoons of plain flour, whisking all the time to prevent lumps. Slowly add the 400mls of milk, whisking all the time until the sauce begins to thicken. Add the cooked bacon and cabbage to the sauce and warm through. Season to taste with white pepper.

Spoon the filling into the pastry cases, top with the lid and serve with some baby salad leaves.

Morning Madness Muffins

I'm an early riser, my alarm clock starts shouting for my attention at 06.30 and if it is persuasive enough I'll crawl out of bed (I think a main line IV of espresso would also be very helpful, especially on dark winter morning to jump start the day!) That said I am very diligent about providing a proper cooked breakfast, all at the expense of eating something proper myself. They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and although I agree I sometimes find that I'm the one eating on the run! Getting lunches made, uniforms on and school bags in order can eat up a lot of time. This is my fallback breakfast plan, as I usually end up having my breakfast after the school run is finished.
These muffins are full of traditional breakfast ingredients but all wrapped up in a muffin, the batter is a mix of porridge oats and dried fruit, all of which is filled with gooey marmalade or apricot preserve topped off with crunchy porridge oats, what more could you ask for when time is against you!

*This recipe is a hybrid of two brilliant recipes   To Die for Blueberry Muffins  and Odlums Morning Muffins 

Makes 8- 9 Muffins



Ingredients
190g Plain flour
150g Granulated sugar
50g Porridge oats
3g Salt
9g Baking powder
125g Raisins or chopped dried apricots
80mls Vegetable oil
80mls Milk
4 tbsp Orange juice
1 Egg

Filling
9 tsp Marmalade or apricot preserve

Topping
50g Demerara Sugar
75g Porridge 
2 tbsp Sunflower Oil

Method

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas Mark 6. Line a 12 hole muffin tray with 8 or 9 paper cases (I usually use Dr. Oetker Muffin paper cases). Stir together the plain flour, sugar, porridge oats, salt, baking powder and dried fruit together in a large bowl. Meanwhile in a small jug or bowl combine the oil, milk, orange juice and the egg with a fork. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, add wet ingredients, combine gently but thoroughly (this makes for softer muffins if you don't over mix the batter).   



Divide the muffin batter between the muffin cases, I find it's best to only ¾ fill the paper cases allowing room for the topping. With a floured thumb, make a deep hole in the centre of the muffin batter.



Fill the each muffin with a teaspoonful of the marmalade or apricot preserve, using the teaspoon to coax the jam into place (a rather satisfying part of the whole process I must say).

Don't they look so pretty, all ready and waiting for the topping!



For the topping combine the sugar and porridge oats with the vegetable oil, thoroughly mix everything together.



Divide topping evenly (about 1½-2 tsp per muffin) between the muffins. Heaping the topping over the jammy centre should prevent sink holes appearing in the porridge topping!

Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until the muffins are risen and golden. To test if they are fully cooked, gently press your finger slightly off centre if it springs back it's good to go.

Cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes allowing for the jam to cool and serve with a mug of coffee on the go!

Succotash Soup (Vegetarian / Vegan)

I'm reading The Great Gatsby at the moment, I'm just at the point where I'm about to find out what it is that Gatsby is up to...where all his wealth comes from, it's very exciting. I've fallen in love with F. Scott Fitzgerald  descriptive writing, I feel like I've become part of the story, imagining myself in a shimmering 1920's dress at one of Gatsby many parties. You become one of the characters drifting among the glamours guests trying to piece together what it is that Gatsby is hiding.
As a result of all this day dreaming I have discovered an old recipe. This healthy soup can be knocked up for a light lunch or snack in no time at all. It is a vegetarian/ vegan dish, but if you prefer to add some cooked chicken or bacon cubes go right ahead. Succotash is a traditional North American Indian dish of sweetcorn and lima beans or other shell beans that is well worth having at your disposal if you get lost in the pages of a good  book!

Recipe adapted from The Vegetarian Kitchen edited by Linda Fraser 

Serves 4

Ingredients
50g Butter or margarine (I used Pure Soya Spread)
1 Large onion, chopped
2 Lg carrots, peeled and cut into short batons
900ml Milk or unsweetened soya milk
1 Vegetable stock cube (the better the quality the better the taste)
2 Medium-sized waxy potatoes, peeled and diced (I used two Rooster potatoes)
1 Thyme sprig
225g Sweetcorn, frozen, canned or fresh
225g Butter beans or broad beans, canned, frozen or fresh
2 tbsp Fresh parsley

Method
Prepare the vegetables before melting the butter or margarine over a low heat in a large saucepan.

Add the onions and carrots to the saucepan and sauté in the butter or margarine over a gentle heat for 3-4 minutes, until the vegetables are softened but not coloured.

Don't be tempted to add the potatoes to the saucepan before adding the liquid as the starch will cause them to stick to the bottom of the pot and burn!

Add the milk or unsweetened soya milk, vegetable stock, potatoes, thyme, sweetcorn and the butter beans or broad beans. Turn up the heat slightly but not too much as the milk might split.



I'm beginning to think that my can opener is finally kaput! It has been mangling tins for some time now, this was my fifth (!) attempt at opening the tin of sweetcorn. Finally I managed to manhandle the lid off enough for the sweetcorn to pour out!

I digress..back to the soup. Simmer the soup for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender but not falling apart. Season to taste and serve in warm bowls, garnished with the fresh parsley.

I like to serve this with brown bread (not traditional I know) or corn bread if you can get it.

Yep that's my reflection in the soup spoon. My camera body is bright red, which casts a soft pink hew on all my macro shots, especially on sunny days! Thank goodness for photo editing software, although I decided to leave this shot as it was :)