Wet fruit

The postponed-from Sunday, 3 generation Christmas cake bake is now definitely on for tomorrow afternoon...so the dried fruit is well and truly soused and smelling bloody gorgeous, but it's not wise to work out how much it actually costs to make, it's probably cheaper to go out and buy one at M&S!

The programme for the Berlin trip was finalised this morning (note to Imp and SD : and Thursday afternoon is officially 'free' if you are?) and I got my expenses in a plain brown envelope this afternoon....that makes it 'real' somehow, roll on Sunday!

A couple of assorted frivolities:
A rather nice free download if you're feeling creative, Livebrush
They say...."Livebrush is a drawing application. It employs an easy-to-use brush tool that reacts to your gesture. By combining simple motion controls with brush styles, Livebrush offers a fun and unique way to create graphics." You have to have Adobe Air installed (but that comes with the download if you haven't already got it) and there's versions for Windows, Mac and Linux



Still feeling creative? Soundation Studio looks like fun if you fancy playing with audio

It's an online app and they say:
"Soundation Studio is the web based sequencer that enables you to make music, ringtones and audio clips directly from the internet without downloading any software. This beta version includes over 400 royalty free audio loops, 9 different effects, track automation, basic loop editing, loop audition, master channel control and mix down to desktop." (not that I understand a word of that!)

And here's some recipes....no reason!
Middle Eastern Cookery

A few bread recipes

Granny Whites Bread Recipes

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Do-it-yourself Nutrition easy recipes

Vintage product placement

Things were a lot simpler in the 40's and 50's.....I love this up-front advertising spiel for Clippercraft Clothes.... they sold them hard at the beginning of the programme then left you alone. Picture of 50's clippercraft coat at left...now it looks well worth the $40 quoted (but if I was a bloke I'd possibly add a pair of trousers to the ensemble), however it will now set you back $125...though no doubt the moths' quarantine charges are included in the shipping costs. Soundclip lasts about 3 mins


But what the hell is a "Tom and Jerry" I wondered...good old Google came up with the cocktail recipe. (you're just going to have to listen to the soundclip to understand the reference!)

Recipe

Sunday dinner

Before you ask....not my picture, it's just gone in the oven. I've got one of those 'google gadgets' on my iGoogle homepage courtesy BBC Good Food Recipes ...and this one looks like it might hit the spot.

Rosemary and balsamic chicken with roasted onions

Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Starting at the neck, carefully loosen the breast skin away from the flesh, trying not to tear it, then place a branch of rosemary down the side of each one. Put the rest of the rosemary in the cavity. Season the chicken inside and out, place in a roasting tin, then sit an onion in each corner of the tin. Drizzle the olive oil over the chicken and onions, then roast everything for 1 hr 20 mins.

Meanwhile, stir the vinegar and honey together until the honey has dissolved. When the chicken has had about 40 mins, whip it out of the oven, drizzle the chicken and onions with the vinegar mix, then continue to roast until the time is up. Remove the chicken to rest, turn the onions over and continue to roast them in the oven while the chicken rests, about 20 mins. Serve each person a portion of chicken, a roasted onion and some of the sticky pan juices.

(I added a quartered lemon to the cavity stuffing, just because I had one, and basted a couple of times towards the end of the cooking time) Update when it's cooked and scoffed!

LATER....highly recommended, and what little that was left of the carcase also made some yummy soup.....maybe not very seasonal, but then neither is the weather!

Possible entry in the "End-of-Term-Party" stakes.....

MEDFOUNA....A sort of middle-eastern take on an all-in-one mega burger.

For the dough
1 sachet dried yeast
175ml/6fl oz lukewarm water
250g/9oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
½ tsp salt
1 tsp caraway seeds
olive oil, for brushing
sea salt flakes, for sprinkling

For the filling
1 onion, finely chopped
½ large stick celery, finely chopped
2 tbsp thyme, leaves picked and chopped
4 tbsp flatleaf parsley, chopped
1 tsp ground coriander
500g/1lb 2oz fillet steak, finely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
2. For the dough, add the yeast to the warm water and mix to dissolve.
3. Mix the flour, salt and caraway seeds in a bowl. Add the yeast and water mixture to the flour and mix to form a dough.
4. On a floured work surface, knead the dough for ten minutes.
5. Divide the dough into two equal pieces and place in bowls. Cover the bowls with a tea towel or cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes, or until the dough has doubled in size.
6. Meanwhile, for the filling, place the onion, celery, thyme, parsley, coriander and meat into a bowl. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix well.
7. To make the medfouna, once the dough has risen, roll out both portions into large rounds the size of a dinner plate.
8. Place one of the dough rounds on a baking tray. Place the filling on top and spread evenly, leaving a 2cm/1in edge. Brush the edge with a little water. Place the second dough round on top and press the edges gently together to seal the bread.
9. Brush the top with some olive oil and sprinkle lightly with sea salt flakes, taking care not to oversalt the bread.
10. Transfer to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden-brown.

Cheesy

Did you know that collecting camembert cheese box labels is known as Tyrosemiophily? Put some quality time aside to check out some collections here and here.....maybe make yourself some yummy Baked Camembert with Garlic Ciabatta Toasts to get yourself in the mood first. Then when you're done you're going to need some ideas for things to do with the empty box(es)...fear not, Agence Eureka to the rescue........

The Country Housewife And Lady's Director

The Country Housewife And Ladys Director - Get more Creative Writing

Tomorrow's tea is "Whitley Goose"

No picture....haven't made it yet!

450ml (¾ pint) Single Cream
110g (4oz) Cheddar Cheese, grated
4 Onions, whole, peeled
Butter
Black pepper

Pre-heat oven to 200°C; 400°F: Gas 6. Place the onions in a saucepan, cover with lightly salted water. Bring to the boil, simmer for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Remove from the heat. Roughly chop the onions, mix with half the cheese, season to taste. Butter an ovenproof dish, add the cream. Add the onion mixture, stir gently. Top with the remaining cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with crusty bread.

......and as you can see from the ingredients list, not the slightest hint of anything feathery. Something very similar to this was a 'regular' on the family menu in my youth....Ma insists that it was called "Welsh Rarebit", I tend more towards the more prosaic "Cheese and Onion Pie" No matter, it was very tasty.....hope this recipe lives up to expectations!

Petri dish desserts....

Perfect for your next horror themed evening
Found at Make Magazine

Anyone for a cocktail?

Another raffle win of a bottle of booze (Jack Daniels this time) had me searching for ideas for something palatable to do with it (I'm not keen on raw spirits).....along with the Cointreau, the Southern Comfort, the Cassis, the Vodka etc left over from Christmas. I came across this site that looks as if it might just 'help'. You can search for recipes using combinations of ingredients, very handy....pass the ice, maraschino cherries and paper umbrellas!

Alex's Cocktail Recipes

Vintage recipe

A Collection of Above Three Hundred Receipts in Cookery, Physick, and Surgery For the Use of All Good Wives, Tender Mothers, and Careful Nurses By Mary Kettilby

The joy of leeks

Bob Bell from Ashington shares his love of leeks on BBC Radio4 (Saturday Live, Feb 2 2008)

You'll have to dip into the boxfiles to listen....my earlier attempt to embed a player failed dismally.....and there's dishes to wash (hey, and copyright be damned.....in a few days this audio snippet will disappear from the BBC website, probably never to be heard again until some arty worthy many years in the future decides to dust off the archives and make it available to the nation!)

Bob mentions the fabled geordie "Leek Pudding", so here's the recipe I use....

1 lb self-raising flour
8 oz suet (beef or the vegetarian variety works equally well)
1 tsp salt
1 lb finely sliced leeks, including the green bits!
cold water to mix

Mix the dry ingredients and sliced leeks in a bowl and add enough cold water to make a just slightly sticky dough (that'll be the technical term!). Now you have 2 options, either use the mixture as dumplings (mould into small balls and add to a casserole for the last 30 mins of cooking time) OR you can do it the traditional way and wrap the whole mixture in muslin and steam for an hour or so until cooked through. (oh, and the leftovers are delicious sliced and fried until crisp and brown round the edges in bacon fat "the morning after". Look, to be honest that's the best bit.....so my advice is: make twice as much as you think you can comfortably eat!)

LATER....Whoops, forgot to add the link to the British Leeks website!

Sounds like a good idea

They say......
"Supercook is a new recipe search engine that finds recipes you can make with the ingredients you have at home. To begin, simply start adding ingredients you have. The more ingredients you add, the better the results will be."

Found the original review on Webware and I thought I would give it a whirl after a quick check on the contents of the kitchen, see how it performed. I gave IT minced beef, cabbage, potatoes, garlic and onions and it gave ME

BEEF CABBAGE HASH

1 lb ground beef
4 medium baking potatoes, peeled and julienned
4 cups shredded cabbage
1 large onion, sliced and quartered
3/4 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

In a large skillet, cook beef over a medium heat until no longer pink;drain.
Add remaining ingredients.
Cover and cook over a medium-high heat for 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

OK, so it's not particularly exciting.....but then, neither were the ingredients (but it might have been better if they'd included the garlic!)

A Geordie Recipe.....

"Water is composed of two gins, Oxygin and Hydrogin. Oxygin is pure gin. Hydrogin is gin and water."

Can't remember where I found that.......but that's probably no bad thing!

Scottish recipes

Unfortunately currently out of stock, but I've ordered it anyway! (at Amazon)
Expect Mince and Tatties and Clootie Dumplings next time you call!

Vinegar tips

Nothing more, nothing less. 1001 uses. (found while pickling red cabbage!)

vinegartips.com

Burns Night is on the culinary horizon (25th January)

And alongside the "noble beastie" and spring cabbage I'll be doing Orkney Clapshot.....recipe follows

Clapshot

An Orkney recipe that's perfect with Haggis (or anything else for that matter!).
Enough for 3 or 4

Ingredients
1 pound boiled potatoes
1 pound boiled turnip or swede
2 tablespoons chopped chives or finely chopped spring onions
Salt and pepper
2 ounces butter

Method
Cook the potatoes and turnip separately.
Beat the two vegetables together while still hot.
Mix in the butter, chives and seasoning.
Stir over heat till it is piping hot before serving.

Information on Burns.......the man behind "the night", just in case you're completely confused by the reference!

Home grown recipe

Sorry, no picture....I ate it all!!

Chilli Soy Mushrooms

2 tablespoons olive oil mixed with 1 heaped teaspoon minced garlic
500g flat or button mushrooms, sliced
6 spring onions, chopped
1 finely chopped red chilli, seeds and all
3 tablespoons mushroom soy sauce (though ordinary soy would do)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Heat the oil and garlic, fry the veg, add the soy sauce and balamic vinegar after a couple of minutes, cook gently until the mushrooms are tender.
Delicious on wholemeal toast, though it makes it a bit soggy!

(Next time, and there WILL be a next time, I might try replacing some of the olive oil with sesame oil and serving it on toasted ciabatta)

The day after Boxing Day......

......and I'm clearing out the fridge to fit in various leftovers......the way you do!

There's a lot of cheese....

Maybe there's some ideas here.........

http://www.cheeserecipes.net/

http://www.recipe-ideas.co.uk/cheese-recipes.htm

http://www.cheeseboard.co.uk/recipes.cfm

http://www.cookitsimply.com/category-0020-01g6.html

http://www.ilovecheese.com/recipes.asp

http://www.stiltoncheese.com/simple.cfm

http://uktv.co.uk/food/homepage/sid/5912

http://www.lactalis.co.uk/recipes/recipes_awt_list.asp

Sample 'Nosh' search

I typed in Couscous (because that's what I was planning on for tea) and this was the first in the list.....looks yummy (though I'll probably replace the saffron with a pinch of turmeric!)

Couscous Salad with Almonds, Raisins, Orange Zest and Saffroned Onions

This recipe serves:8

1 cup raisins
1/4 teaspoon crushed saffron threads with 2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup roasted almonds
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
grated zest of 1 orange
2 cups instant couscous
1 cup water
1 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
lemon juice to taste
chopped parsley

1. Put the raisins in a small saucepan, cover with water and bring to a simmer. Set aside to plump. In a small saucepan combine the crushed saffron filaments and water and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat to steep.
2. Heat the olive oil in a medium sauté pan over moderate heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 7 minutes. Add the saffron mixture and orange zest and simmer 3 minutes. Drain the onions and set aside.
3. Place the couscous in a medium sauce pan. In a separate pan, combine the water, 1 cup of the raisin soaking liquid, orange juice, spices and salt and bring to a boil. Pour this over the couscous and cover with foil. Let sit for 10 minutes then fluff with a fork.
4. Drain the raisins but reserve any liquids that remain in case you need more moisture for the couscous. Toss the raisins, onions, and almonds with the couscous. Adjust seasoning. You may want to add a bit of lemon juice to bring out the spices. Add salt to taste. Top with parsley.
Variation: Chopped, dried apricots may be added to the dish or can replace some of the raisins in the salad. They also need to be plumped in hot water.
To roast whole, slivered, chopped or sliced almonds: Spread in an ungreased baking pan. Place in a 350°F oven and bake 10 minutes or until golden brown and fragrant; stir once or twice to ensure even browning. Note that almonds will continue to roast slightly after removing from oven.