17th Century Honey Cake

This is a delicious loaf cake that I baked a week or so ago and am only now just getting to show you.  I have adapted the recipe from a National Trust Cookery book, entitled, "Good Old-Fashioned Cakes," by Jane Pettigrew.  It is said that this recipe dates back to the 17th century, so its a very old recipe indeed!




Honey is one of the first sweeteners known to mankind and a daily dose of honey is said to be very good for you, boosting the body's supply of anti-oxidents which help to protect us from age-related diseases.  I'm all for good health!  Honey in a cake? Yes, please!



This is one of those cakes which seems to get better tasting with each day that passes . . . I love cakes like that.  It is also a cake which just begs to be enjoyed along with a cup of tea.  I love it with Lemon and Ginger tea myself, but you can enjoy it with whatever tea it is you enjoy drinking.



The cake itself is delicately flavoured with honey and almond . . .  after baking a drizzle of honey and lemon is applied to the warm cake, that soaks in, increasing it's moistness.  Then once it is cooled, it is iced with a lemon cream cheese icing.

 

Say what???  A dense rich cake.  A lemon and  honey drizzle icing and then a cream cheese frosting???  Do I need to say more????  Get baking!  You know you want to!

*Honey Cake*

Makes one 7 inch round cake

or 1 2-pound loaf cake

Printable Recipe 

This tender and delicious cake is said to date back to the 17th century.  Honey is said to boost the immune system and guard against age related disease. 

For the cake:

175g of butter, softened (3/4 cup)

175g of caster sugar (scant cup)

3 large free range eggs, beaten

175g of self raising flour.sifted  (1 1/4 cups)

1 tsp baking powder

1 TBS clear liquid honey

few drops almond extract 

for the glaze:

1 dessert spoon clear liquid honey

the juice of one lemon 

To ice:

150g of cream cheese (5 ounces)

the juice of half a lemon

175g of icing sugar, sifted (1 1/2 cups) 

 

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F gas mark 4.  Butter and line either a 7 inch round deep cake tin or a 2 pound loaf tin. 

Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.   Beat in the eggs, one at a time.   Sift together the self raising flour and the baking powder.   Stir this into the creamed mixture and beat well to combine.   Beat in the honey and almond.  Scrap the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top over. 

 

 

Bake for 1  to 1 1/4 hours.  Cover the top with a double sheet of baking paper about half an hour into the baking time to prevent it from over browning.  When done a toothpick inserted in the centre should come out clean.  Remove from the oven.   Stir together the glaze ingredients and then spoon this mixture over top of the cake allowing it to soak in.  Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin before removing from the tin. 

 

Beat together the cream cheese, lemon juice and icing sugar and spread over the cooled cake.  Cut into slices or wedges to serve.  Store in an airtight container.



Enjoy!  Bon Appetit!

Broccoli Pasta Salad

A week ago I was supposed to go to a Pot Luck lunch/meeting with the other Senior Missionaries.  It ended up that for reasons of health I was not able to go, however I had already made this delicious salad to take.  However some of the younger missionaries came over to borrow our BBQ for an activity they were having that day and so I gave the salad to them to have with their Hot Dogs and Burgers.  They were pretty happy about that!

 

I was pretty happy about that aas well because it meant that this delicious salad was not going to go to waste.  Result!



It's really colourful with plenty of greens and reds . . .  crispy tender broccoli (mildly blanched) and sweet green English petit pois . . .



 Pretty red cherry tomatoes  . . .  glistening like jewels amongst all that green . . .



I used two kinds of cheese and I used the lower fat versions of those  . . . an orange coloured strong cheddar and a strong white cheddar.  One cut into cubes for looks and texture and the other grated so that it kind of melts into the dressing . . .



You will want to use a type of pasta that will grab onto the dressing and hold it.   I used "Gnocchi Sardi" which is a traditional pasta coming from Sardinia.  It has a slight cup to it and lots of ridges.  Just perfect.

 

The dressing itself was a type of homemade Ranch style dressing.  You could use bottled of course, but I like to make my own using fresh herbs if I can.  No preservatives or chemicals.  It's delicious!



There is also a bit of crisp streaky bacon in the mix . . .  coz, well, you can never have enough bacon can you?  Feedback from the Missionaries was 10 out of 10 and they say I am the best cook in the Zone.  Well, I doubt that very much, but it is still nice to hear.  ☺  Enjoy!

*Broccoli Pasta Salad*

Serves 8

Printable Recipe 

I love this broccoli salad because you blanch the broccoli first and it not only gives it a lovely bright green colour, but is easier on my tummy.  The dressing is amazing.  You want to use a pasta for this that the dressing will cling to.  Choosing low fat ingredients for the dressing, low fat cheddar and whole wheat pasta also makes it very healthy. 

For the dressing:

1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed

1/2 of fine sea salt

225g of good quality mayonnaise (1 cup)

125g  of sour cream (1/2 cup)

2 heaped TBS of finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

2 TBS finely minced fresh dill weed

1 TBS finely minced fresh chives

1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp finely ground black pepper

1/2 tsp white wine vinegar

1/4 tsp paprika

pinch cayenne pepper

dash tabasco sauce

buttermilk as needed (60 to 120 ml) (1/4 to 1/2 cup) 

For the Salad

2 medium heads of broccoli, trimmed, blanched and chopped

10 rashers of streaky bacon, drained and chopped

About 12 baby plum tomatoes, halved and drained

1 mug of frozen peas, cooked and drained

1/2 pound of pasta shapes, cooked, rinsed and drained

120g of strong cheddar cheese, grated (1 cup)

(I used low fat, half orange and half white, grated the white and chopped the orange) 

Make the dressing first.  Mash the garlic with the salt until it makes a paste.  Whisk it together wth all of the remaining ingredients, adding only enough buttermilk to give you a thick, but pourable dressing.  Set aside for the flavours to meld while you get the remaining ingredients sorted.

Mix the chopped broccoli, tomatoes, peas, pasta and cheese together in a bowl along with enough dressing to moisten and coat them well.   Stir in the bacon.  You may or may not need all the dressing.  It all depends on taste.  Some people like more.   Do note that as the salad sits it will absorbe some of the dressing, so I always like to hold some back to stir in just prior to serving.  Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary with salt and black pepper if desired.




Note - Using low fat ingredients for the mayo, cheese, sour cream etc. made it fairly healthy also.

Bon Appetit!

Chicken Rarebits with Melted Leeks

One thing I really love about chicken breasts is their complete versatility and ability to take on other flavours easily.  They are like a blank canvas for  an abundance flavours, textures and ingredients . . .  so long as you don't dry them out.  Over-cooked, they are quite tasteless and not very pleasant to eat at all.



I saw a recipe a number of weeks back for Welsh Rarebit with melting leeks and I thought to myself, oh boy that would be so good with chicken.  I wish I could remember where the Welsh Rarebit recipe was . . . but I can't remember. It might have been here.



Anyways, the idea stuck with me and I thought of my favourite recipe for Chicken Breasts which is Cheesy  Chicken Rarebits . . .  and I thought how very good it would be if I was to adapt the idea of using melting leeks  in much the same way.



And it turned out so fabulously it is now also a favourite recipe for using chicken breasts.  I really hope that you will try it out for yourself.  I think you'll see I am right when I say that this is truly delicious!



And not only that, but very simple to make.  I think these are also good enough to serve to company.  In fact I dare say I wouldn't hesitate!!

 

*Chicken Rarebits with Melted Leeks*

Serves 4

Printable Recipe 

A deliciously rich and indulgent chicken dish, which is simple to make and uses simple ingredients.  I like to serve it with boiled new potatoes (or mash) and a green vegetable on the side. 

4 skinless, boneless free range chicken breasts
70g strong cheddar cheese, grated (2/3 cup)

70g gruyere cheese, grated (1/2 cup)

1 rounded dessertspoon of grainy Dijon mustard
85 ml single cream (3 fluid ounces)

2 leeks, washed thoroughly and thinly sliced

1 TBS butter

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Chopped parsley to garnish 

Melt the butter in a large skillet.  Add the leeks and cook, over medium low heat, stirring regularly, until nicely softened (without browning).  This should take 7 to 10 minutes.  Remove from the pan to a bowl and set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F.  Slice the chicken breasts through the middle almost all the way, leaving a bit of a hinge at one end.  Fan them out and place them into a lightly oiled shallow baking dish.  (Make sure it is large enough to hold all of the chicken breasts in a single layer.)  Season them lightly with some salt and pepper. 

 

Once the leeks have cooled to lukewarm, stir in the cheeses, cream and Dijon mustard.  Spoon this mixture evenly over top of the chicken.  No need to smooth it down, it works fine in dollops.  Bang it into the oven and bake it for 20 to 30 minutes, until the chicken i cooked through and the juices run clear.  You should have a lovely cheesy leek sauce in the dish.

Divide the chicken amongst four heated plates, spooning some of the leek mixture over top of each.  Garnish with parsley if desired.



This ticks all the boxes.  Simple to make.   Using simple ingredients.  Quick and easy.  Delicious.

Bon Appetit!

Wildo, Functional and Attractive

I confess I am a great fan of Swedish Design.   I love everything about it.  I love the colours, the simplicity, the fact that everything they do is meant to not only look good, but have great function.  That's why I was really excited to have been asked to tell you about these new Wildo Camp-A-Box's!  I have to say . . .  I am very impressed.


 

The Wildo Camp-A-Box Original is a compact mess kit, developed to meet all of your camping needs, and yet not weigh an ounce more than needed.  Made of a durable and light weight composition, it is completely functional and of perfect design.  (In my opinion.)  It also comes in three versions, the Complete, the Light and the Basic.

I was sent the Complete.



Included in the Complete (from left to right, top to bottom back to left)  A large Fold-a-cup, a Fold-A-Cup, Deep Camper Plate/bowl, Spork, Shaker and Cutting Board.

 

The Wildo Shaker has not one, not two, but THREE different closable compartments where you can keep up to three different, separated spices.



The cutting board is small, durable and completely functional.  You can also use it as a strainer, say if you have put some instant noodles in your bowl and then want to drain off the water. (just an example)



I love, LOVE the Spork.  It is three utensils in one . . .  a working spoon, a fork and a serrated edged knife.  A hybrid utensil where you get all of your cutlery in one and still hav a good grip.  Sip your souop, hook your food and with just a 90* turn you can cut with your knife.

 

The two Fold-A-Cups fold down for storage, but easily pull out to make some pretty decent sized cups, with very handy handles/holders on the sides.  Fold-A-Cups are made to go wherever you want to go and pop open from their folded position to form a fully functional cup or bowl.  The fold also ensures that it won't drip after being emptied.  And one fits perfectly inside the other for storage.  There is a large and a normal sized one.

And it all fits together in a small compact, lightweight unit.



Lightweight, durable, functional, attractive coming in a variety of colours.  To meet all your camping needs and made from carefully selected and BPA-free matirials.  Made to be trusted.



This is the perfect size to use in our 72-Hour Emergency Kits.  In all honesty we were both so impressed with this that we want to purchase another one so that we can each have one, and we may even get a couple of bowls for Mitzie, because when push comes to shove and we have to flee, we are not going to be leaving her behind, that's for sure!

I have to say that of all the things we have been sent, we LOVE LOVE LOVE this.
 


This product gets the Two Thumb's up English Kitchen Seal of approval!

For more information do check out  their website.
Follow them on Facebook

Wildo Sweden AB
Industrigatan 24
504 63 Boras, Sweden
Tel:  +46 (0) 33 299700

Many thanks to Wildo for sending me this lovely mess kit to try out!

Note - Although I was sent a Wildo Camp-A-Box for review free of charge, any and all opinions are my own.  I was not required to write a positive review.

Simply Ramen

 I recently received this lovely book, Simply Ramen, a Complete Course in Preparing Ramen Meals at Home by Amy Kimoto-Kahn to review.   I confess I have never had ramen, although I know a lot of people who have and who rave about it.  I was very excited to get this book!




I have to say that it is one of the most extensive books on the subject I have ever seen with a variety of chapters taking you from the very basics of Ramen Soup bases and Noodles to a variety of toppings, different varieties and sides!



There is Chicken Ramen, Pork Ramen, Beef, Seafood, Spicy, Vegetable Ramen.   Also Cold Ramen and Specialty Ramen.  And then the sides . . .

I have always been fond of those dry packets of Ramen noodles.  This goes above and beyond those into a magical slurpy delicious world of Ramen goodness.  One look at the gorgeous photography and I wanted to slurp up this book too. Everything looks so delicious.  The pages are filled with fabulous sounding ramen recipes extensively researched directly from the masters in Tokyo, Japan. I had no idea there were so many variations of ramen.

 


The stunning photos, along with Amy's mouth watering recipes, will make you want to take your chopsticks out and eat it page by page. The recipes are broken down into steps easy enough for a home cook to conquer as she walks you through the noodles, the soup bases, and then about 70 mouth watering toppings!  I think even I can conquer this, and master this skill myself.



Sprinkled throughout the book are delightful stories about Amy's life, Japanese culture, and the history of Ramen so you feel that this is not just a cookbook, but a stroll into a whole new world and culture.  This is one of the things I loved most about it.



She makes it all seem very uncomplicated and do-able with recipes broken down into simple steps for building amazing broths and complex flavor combinations.   This book makes is very clear how very versatile and delicious Ramen is.

Athough recent health problems have actually kept me from cooking a recipe from this book I can promise you that I will be doing so in very short order, but I did not want to let another day pass without telling you about it.  This book rocks.  With uncomplicated and mouthwatering sounding recipes, it is a book which  I know I will go to time and time again.  I highly recommend.

 


 Simply Ramen, A Complete Course In Preparing Ramen Meals at Home
by Amy Kimoto-Kahn
Published by Race Point Publishing
Hard Cover, Colour, 176 pages
ISBN 978-1-63106-144-8
$22.99 US/ £14.99 UK/ $27.99 CAN

About the author -  Amy Kimoto-Kahn is a yonsei, a fourth generation Japanese-American, based in the San Francisco Bay Area.  She is a graduate of the Miyajima Ramen School in Osaka, Japan, and has taught a popular series of Asianinspired cooking classes for Williams-Sonoma.  She shares her Japanese-American homestyle recipes for the entire family on her blog, easypeasyjapaneasy.com

 

Hawaiian Pizza Pasta

Remind me not to buy such a big ham next year.  When there are only two of you it takes a while to use it all up.  We had roasted gammon on the day, then I did the omelette thing, then the next day we had it just re-heated in a pan with the vegetable leftovers and now today I have done a pasta dish with it. (Not Todd's favourite but he declared it quite edible.  I thought it was rather tasty myself, but then again, I do love pasta!)  And there is still ham to use up . . . I may just have to freeze it to have another time, when we are not all "hammed" out as it were!

 

I adapted this recipe today from one I found on the blog Taste and Tell.  I changed it up a bit . . . as you do.  I added some garlic and chopped sweet peppers and onions.  I also added oregano and I used cubes of Pancetta instead of bacon.



I also used a flat pasta instead of a tubular one.  It's what I had in the cupboard and what worked for me.  These are called Malfalda and they are a ruffle edged short flat pasta noodle type of thing.  I quite like them.



They did a good job of holding the sauce as well.  I really liked the added colour, crunch and flavour of the peppers.  The pineapple added just a touch of sweetness.  And actually, with the herbs it did taste awfully like a Hawaiian Pizza, which is Todd's favourite kind of pizza if he is forced to actually eat a pizza.  (He's not fond of them either, lol)



It was delicious.  It was different.  It used up some of my leftovers in an unusual way.  It went together lickety split.   It was simple and easy to make.  And  . . .  there was minimal mess and clean up.  You can't argue with any of that!

*One Pan Hawaiian Pizza Pasta*

Serves 4 - 6

Printable Recipe 

All the flavours of a Hawaiian Pizza in a one pan pasta dish which all cooks together in one pan! 

1/2 pound of  pancetta cubes

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 pound of leftover cooked ham, cut into cubes

2 cups of tomato sauce (500ml of tomato passatta)

2 cups of hot chicken broth (500ml)

(may need more)

1/2 each yellow, green and red pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried basil

black pepper to taste

1/2 pound of uncooked pasta

1 small tin of pineapple tidbits, drained

1 cup of grated mozzarella cheese  (130g) 

Place the olive oil in a large skillet.  Add the pancetta cubes.  Cook until they are crisp, scooping out the bacon to a paper towel lined plate.  Keep 1 TBS of the pan drippings and discard the remainder.  Add the chopped vegetables and ham.  Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables have softened and the ham is lightly browned.  Add the tomato sauce and hot chicken broth, along with all of the herbs and seasonings.  Bring to the boil then stir in the pasta.  Bring to the boil again, then reduce to a very low simmer and cook, tightly covered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender.  This might take 15 minutes or more and you may need to add more broth if you find it is being absorbed too quickly.  Stir in the pineapple tidbits and pancetta cubes.  Taste and adjust seasoning as required.  Scatter the mozzarella cheese over top. Cover and allow the cheese to melt.  Serve hot.



 Note:  I like to pass Parmesan Cheese at the table.  A Pizza would not be a pizza for me without this extra touch. Delicious!

Bon Appetit!