Chocolate Fudge Icing

• 5 oz of butter
• 5 oz of icing sugar, sifted
• 4 tablespoons of cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons of milk

(If you’re a proper choccy monster use double – I tend to make half as much again.)

Method

Slowly and gently melt the butter in a pan (skim it if you want to to remove excess salt and impurities).

Add the cocoa and up the heat, cooking it gently for a minute or so, then add the icing sugar.

Add the milk gradually (you’ll know when to do this, as the icing sugar will eventually make your cocoa and butter the consistency of cement) and keep stirring until you have a glossy, smooth paste.

Allow it to cool, and then use half to sandwich your cake together, and half for the topping. It looks fabulous and tastes divine.

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Chicken Potato Layer

• leftover cooked chicken
• onion
• mushrooms
• bacon
• garlic
• potatoes
• mixed herbs and black pepper
• cheese sauce

Line a greased ovenproof dish with thinly sliced potato.

Lightly fry some chopped onion, mushrooms and bacon (cut into little squares). You can use low fat bacon to make it even healthier. Add some finely chopped garlic at this stage if liked. Mix together with the cooked left over chicken, add a pinch of mixed herbs and a dash of black pepper if liked.

Spoon the mixture over the potato slices and top with another layer of potato slices and a cheese sauce made from semi skimmed milk and low fat cheese.

Pop in oven (180 C/Gas 4) for about an hour and a half or until potato is cooked. Just before serving add a sprinkle of low fat cheese on the top and pop into the oven to melt. If liked, you could add sliced tomatoes on the top too for more vitamin value and colour.

This is nice eaten with green vegetables for a winter meal or with a leafy salad for a summer meal.

Mince and Sweet Potato Pie

• 500g Mince - beef or lamb (beef is the cheaper option)
• 2 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 Large onion - peeled and chopped
• 2 Large carrots - washed and chopped
• 1 Cup frozen peas
• 1 Stock cube (optional)
• 1 Tin of baked beans
• 2 Large sweet potatoes (more nutritious than white potato)
• Handful of grated cheese to top (optional)

Pre-heat the oven to 190 C/Gas 5.
Peel and chop the sweet potatoes into chunks. Heat a large pan of water, and add the potato chunks when boiling.

In a large pan, heat the oil and add the chopped onions and chopped carrots and gently fry for 3-4 minutes until the onions have softened. Add the mince and fry off, ensuring it's browned all over. Cook on a medium heat for about 10 - 12 minutes.

Crumble in the stock cube and stir thoroughly. Add the peas and tin of beans and continue to cook for another couple of minutes, stirring occasionally.

Check the sweet potatoes and see if they are tender. Drain (but keep a small amount of water to help you mash if needed) and mash.

Empty the mince into a large ovenproof dish and spread the sweet potato mash on top. Sprinkle cheese over the top if desired, and pop it in the oven for 40 minutes.

Beef and Brocoli by Jamie Oliver

• 200g purple sprouting broccoli
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 x 300g good-quality sirloin steaks
• 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
• olive oil
• 1 red onion, peeled and finely sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
• a thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
egg noodles, to serve
finely sliced red chilli, to serve

Place the broccoli spears into a heatproof bowl and cover them with boiling water. Add a good pinch of salt and leave for 10 minutes. Drain and put to one side.

Slice the steaks into finger-sized strips and season with salt and pepper. Pound the coriander seeds in a pestle and mortar, then sprinkle over the meat so they stick to it and give it a lovely, fragrant flavour.

Heat a wok or large frying pan until very hot. Pour in a splash of olive oil and add the onions, garlic and ginger. Fry for a couple of minutes until the onions have softened a little. Drop in the seasoned pieces of beef and stir-fry for a couple of minutes. Add the broccoli spears and fry for a further 2 minutes, stirring all the time.

Pour in the soy sauce and sesame oil. Toss in the pan until everything is well coated. Serve with egg noodles or steamed rice, with some sliced red chilli sprinkled over the top.

Chilli Con Carne

2 medium onions
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 medium carrots
• 2 sticks of celery
• 2 red peppers
• olive oil
• 1 heaped teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 heaped teaspoon
• ground cumin
• 1 heaped teaspoon ground cinnamon
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 x 400g tin of chickpeas
• 1 x 400g tin of red kidney beans
• 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
• 500g good-quality minced beef
• 1 small bunch of fresh coriander
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Peel and finely chop the onions, garlic, carrots and celery – don’t worry about the technique, just chop away until fine
• Halve the red peppers, remove the stalks and seeds and roughly chop
• Place your largest casserole-type pan on a medium high heat
• Add 2 lugs of olive oil and all your chopped vegetables
• Add the chilli powder, cumin and cinnamon with a good pinch of salt and pepper
• Stir every 30 seconds for around 7 minutes until softened and lightly coloured
• Add the drained chickpeas, drained kidney beans and the tinned tomatoes
• Add the minced beef, breaking any larger chunks up with a wooden spoon
• Fill one of the empty tomato tins with water and pour this into the pan
• Pick the coriander leaves and place them in the fridge
• Finely chop the washed stalks and stir in
• Add the balsamic vinegar and season with a good pinch of salt and pepper
• Bring to the boil and turn the heat down to a simmer with a lid slightly askew for about an hour, stirring every now and again to stop it catching

Garlic and Chilli Beef

Ingredients

• 200g beef fillet, sliced into even-sized thin strips
• Few pinches Chinese five-spice
• Light soy sauce, to season
• 1 tbsp groundnut oil
• 4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 150g ong choi, washed, leaves and stems cut across the stem in equal 10cm lengths (or use spinach or watercress)
• 1 medium red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
• Toasted sesame oil, to season

1. Season the beef with the Chinese five-spice and a few dashes of soy sauce, toss together and set aside.

3. To serve, season to taste with light soy sauce, salt and a few dashes of sesame oil. Serve immediately.2. Heat a wok over a high heat. When hot, add the groundnut oil and garlic and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the beef and stir-fry for a few minutes, until browned. Add the ong choi and chilli and stir-fry until the leaves have wilted slightly. Remove from the heat.

Apple and Raspberry Muffins

• 2 cups plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 cup soft light brown sugar
• 1 large or 2 small eating apples, peeled, cored and chopped or grated
• 1 cup fresh raspberries or other soft fruit
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 50g unsalted butter (melted)

Preheat the oven to 200C°. Line a muffin tin with paper muffin cases.

In a large bowl mix all the dry ingredients together.
Beat the milk and egg together lightly, add the melted butter and then add the apples and raspberries.
Mix gently into the dried ingredients until just combined (the mixture will look lumpy, but that's OK!)

Spoon the mixture into the cake cases
Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden, well risen and firm to touch. Remove from the oven and cool in the tray for 5 minutes then remove from the tray and leave to thoroughly cool on a wire rack.

Chicken Jambalya

• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 900g/2lb chicken, chopped into small chunks
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 2 red or green peppers, seeded and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped finely
• 275g/10 oz long grain rice
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 1tsp dried thyme
• 1tsp dried oregano
• ¼ tsp dried chilli flakes or chilli sauce (optional)
• 225g/8oz chorizo sausage cut into chunks
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 570ml/1 pint chicken stock
• 3 spring onions chopped finely

Heat the oil in a large pot over a medium-high heat. Cook the chicken until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Remove with a perforated spoon and transfer to a plate.

Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and peppers. Cook for 5 mins or until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 min. Add the rice and cook for 5 mins stirring constantly.

Add the tomato puree, thyme, oregano, chilli, chorizo, and tomatoes. Season with black pepper. Cook for 2-3 mins.

Return the chicken and any juices to the pot. Stir in the hot stock. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 25 mins over a low heat, or until the rice is tender. or cook altogether in a slow cooker.

Remove from the heat. Sprinkle with spring onions and leave to stand for 10 mins before serving.

low Fat Banana bread

Ingredients

150g (5 oz) caster sugar

50g (2 oz) butter, softened

2 eggs

4 tablespoons water

3 very ripe bananas, mashed

200g (7 oz) plain flour

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder Preparation method 1. Preheat oven to 180 C / Gas mark 4. Line a loaf tin with baking parchment. 2. In a medium bowl, beat the sugar and butter until smooth and creamy. Beat in the eggs, water and bananas with the sugar mixture until well blended. 3. Mix in the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and baking powder just until the mixture is moistened. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to blend all ingredients. 4. Bake for about 60 minutes. Bread is done when the top is firm to the touch and a golden brown colour. Time will vary according to loaf size and oven type. When bread is removed from oven, allow it to cool on it's side for 10 minutes, then remove from tin and let cool on a wire rack.

Truffles

Ingredients

20-25 digestive biscuits

100g butter

2 tablespoons drinking chocolate powder, plus more for coating

1 tin condensed sweetened milk 1. Put digestive biscuits in a mixing bowl and crush with a rolling pin until fine, tiny crumbs. 2. Add 2 tablespoons drinking chocolate powder and mix. After this put butter into a saucepan and melt on stove or cooker. Once completely melted add to mixture and mix. 3. Open tin of condensed milk and pour into mixture gradually while mixing. 4. Put some drinking chocolate into a small bowl. Dampen your hands. Take a bit of mixture and roll into a ball. Roll in drinking chocolate and put into a box. Continue process until all mixture is used. Put box in fridge for 20-25 minutes to harden.

Flapjacks

225g (8oz) margerine
225g (8oz) demerara sugar
75g (3oz) golden syrup
275g (10oz) rolled oats.
method
grease 2, 8 inch tins (20cm)
put margerine, sugar and golden syrup into a medium saucepan and heat gently untill the margerine is melted and the sugar is dissolved.
remove from the heat and stir in the oats.
press firmly into the greased tins. press down with a sppon to level the surface.
cook for 30 mins at 160 degrees/325 F/ gas mark 3.
cook untill just golden brown, do not over bake or they will be hard.
when cooked, loosen the edge of the flap jack around the tin and leave to cool for 10 mins. then cut and cool on wire racks.
have fun baking.

Chewy Cookies

• 100g/4oz softened butter/margarine
• 100g/4oz soft brown sugar
• 1 tbsp golden syrup or honey
• 150g/6oz self raising flour
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
• 50g/2oz chocolate chips or Smarties

Preheat the oven to 170°C/160°C fan/Gas 3.

Beat the butter, sugar and syrup together until soft and creamy.
Mix in the flour, vanilla extract and add the chocolate chips.
Divide the mixture into about 15 pieces and roll into balls using your hands.
Place well apart on greased baking sheets. Do not flatten them.

Bake for about 10 mins until a pale golden colour (don't cook any longer or they'll go crispy!)

Leave to cool on the tray for a few minutes and then remove from the tray and finish cooling on a wire rack.

Christmas Cake

Ingredients
12oz Plain flour
1 Teaspoon mixed spice
4oz Ground almonds
8oz Currants
8oz Sultanas
8oz Raisins (stoned)
4oz Cherries (halved)
8oz Butter
8oz Soft brown sugar
6 Eggs, beaten with 8 tablespoons of milk
1 Tablespoon black treacle

Method
(1) Mix flour, spice and ground almonds together.

(2) Clean and mix fruit.

(3) Beat butter and sugar to a cream.

(4) Beat the eggs and milk together.

(5) Mix all these ingredients together.

(6) Add the fruit last. Bake for about 4 hrs.

First hour in a moderate oven 180°C (Gasmark 4), then slow oven at 150°C (Gasmark 2).

Christmas Cake Recipes

Boiled Fruit Cake by Jules' Mum
Ingredients and Instructions:
3 cups fruit
1 tsp Bicarb
4 ounces of butter
1 cup sugar
1 ½ cups water
Place all these ingredients into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Allow to simmer for 25 minutes Stirring to prevent burning.

ALLOW TO COOL and ADD:
2 cups flour
1 large egg
1 heaped tsp baking powder
Mix thoroughly. Place in a greased deep pan cake tin and bake at 170 C for 1 ½ hours



SpideyClaire's Recipe
1lb plain flour
2tsp baking powder
2tsp mixed spice
12 oz chopped glace cherries
2lb 6 oz dried fruits (apricots, plums, raisins, cranberries, sultanas and so on)
1lb dark sugar
7 eggs
5oz chopped nuts
1lb butter at room temperature, cubed
1 large glass brandy or sherry
pinch of salt

Soak the fruit in the alcohol and leave overnight stirring occasionally.

When ready to begin grease and line two round tins. Preheat the oven to 170 deg C.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix.
Sieve the flour, salt, spice and baking powder together. Add gently to the mixture.
Add the fruit, nuts and alcohol dregs and stir with a wooden spoon until a thick consistency.
Spoon into the tins.
Bake for 30 minutes at 170 deg C. Reduce the heat to 140 deg C and bake for 4 hrs 15mins- 4hrs 45 mins until a skewer comes out clean.
Cover during cooking if the top starts to brown.

Allow to cool for an hour in the tins before turning out. Wrap in greaseproof paper and clingfilm and feed with alcohol once a week.

Banana Bread

Ingredients

225g/8oz self-raising flour
100g/4oz butter
150g/5oz caster sugar
450g/1lb bananas (the softer the better), peeled and mashed
½ tsp salt
2 eggs
175g/6oz mixed dried fruit

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
2. Mix all the of the ingredients except the dried fruit together. You can do this in a food processor or by hand in a mixing bowl.
3. When the ingredients are all thoroughly combined, fold in the dried fruit.
4. Spoon the batter mixture into a 1kg/2lb non-stick loaf tin, spread it out evenly and bake it for one and a half hours. (NB. Oven temperatures vary so the banana bread may not need the full one and a half hours to cook through. Check the progress of the banana bread regularly to make sure it is not burning. If the top of the loaf is browning too quickly, but a skewer inserted into the centre does not come out clean, cover the loaf with aluminium foil and continue cooking until a skewer pushed into the centre of the loaf comes out clean.)
5. When the banana bread has risen, golden-brown on top and cooked through, remove it from the oven and set aside to cool on a wire rack. Slice before serving.

Turkey Meatloaf

• 500g free range turkey mince -
• 1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped -
• 1 onion, finely chopped -
• 1 apple, peeled, cored, and grated -
• 1 free range egg, beaten -
• 50g oatmeal -
• 1 low salt vegetable stock cube, finely crumbled -
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce -
• 1tbsp vegetable oil -
• 500g baby new potatoes -
• 25g butter -
• 1tbsp garlic puree -
• 200g frozen sweetcorn -

Fry the pepper and half the onion in a little oil until softened. In a mixing bowl, combine pepper, onion, and uncooked onion with the rest of the meatloaf ingredients, plus a dash of pepper.

Lightly oil a 2lb loaf tin and press the meatloaf mixture into the tin, smoothing out the top. Cook in a preheated oven at 190 C/Gas 5 for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Boil the new potatoes until tender; whilst hot add the butter and garlic puree. Season with pepper to taste.

Prepare frozen corn according to pack instructions, serve with hot garlic potatoes and meatloaf.

My Mum's Chicken

Marinate chicken in chopped onion green chilli, lemon grass and cardamom for 10 mins to half an hour.
Put in frying pan all metal if putting in oven.
Add anything you have lying about in the vegetable line and put in mushroom sauce.
You can use a tinned one or packet or make your own with cream fraiche put in tin of mushrooms at the end and put in oven for half an hour.
Tinned mushrooms are better cos fres ones shrivel up during cooking.
Serve with rice and mixed veg.

Crumble Topped Pineapple Muffins

PREP TIME 15 Min
COOK TIME 30 Min
READY IN 45 Min
Original recipe yield 16 muffins




* 250 g all-purpose flour
* 100 g white sugar
* 10 g baking powder
* 3 g salt
* 1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple
* 1 egg, beaten
* 180 ml milk
* 55 g butter, melted
*
* 55 g butter, melted
* 0.6 g ground cinnamon
* 75 g packed brown sugar
* 60 g all-purpose flour




DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour muffin pans, or line with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl, stir together 2 cups flour, white sugar, baking powder and salt. Drain pineapple, reserving 1/4 cup juice. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour in the reserved juice, egg, milk, and 1/4 cup melted butter. Mix just until blended.
3. In a separate bowl, stir together the cinnamon, brown sugar, 1/2 cup flour, and 1/4 cup melted butter to make the topping.
4. Spoon batter into muffin cups, then spoon crushed pineapple over the batter and sprinkle with the cinnamon topping.
5. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the crown of the muffin comes out clean.