Slow Cooked Creamy Pork

So back to the recipes...

I love slow cooked pork at the moment.  There is something about cooking pork in a slow cooker that intensifies the 'porky' flavour.

This recipe is based upon one from the good food website.  I have changed it a bit and made it a touch more kid friendly and cheaper.  Also it's now cooked in a slow cooker so it's something that doesn't need fussing with once it's on.

Slow Cooked Creamy Pork - serves 2 adults and a toddler with leftovers

Ingredients

800g, 1lb, 12 oz Pork shoulder steaks
One onion, peeled, halved and sliced into half moons
1 tsp Olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
150ml, 5 fl oz, 2/3 cup apple juice
2 tsp Dijon mustard
4 tbsp Double (heavy) cream
2 bay leaves
1 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)

Method

In a non stick pan, dry fry the shoulder steaks until lightly browned and put into the slow cooker.  You might need to do that in two batches.  Then pour the apple juice into the hot pan to deglaze (i.e. scrape up any tasty bits from the bottom.)  Pour into the slow cooker and pop in the bay leaves.  Then reheat the frying pan with olive oil and put in the onions.  Cook until starting to brown and soften, add in the garlic and stir around again for a few more minutes and then put into the slow cooker.

Cook on high for 3-4 hours or if you prefer, heat until bubbling on high then turn down to low and cook for around 6 hours.  Adjust for your slow cooker, they do vary.  The newer the slow cooker I find, the faster it cooks which is slightly annoying because it rules out putting it on in the morning and going to work.  Not that you can really overcook things but once meat gets to a completely soft state, you do risk it disintegrating into something delicious still but more like soup!  So once you've cooked in your slow cooker a few times you will get the idea of what it's like.

Once the pork is cooked to the level you want, use a slotted spoon to scoop out the pork and put onto a plate and cover with a bowl to keep warm.  Pour the sauce into a saucepan, bring to the boil and add in the mustard and cream.  Mix the cornflour (cornstarch) with some water and whisk it in to thicken to your taste, add a bit more if you like.  Mix the pork back in but be careful, it will be easy to break up.

Serve.  I like this with cabbage, I think it has a natural affinity with pork and mushrooms were a big hit with the boy.

I've linked this up to Foodie Fridays with Diane Balch, here.

Chicken, Stuffing and Butternut Squash Pie for the Whole Family

Well I did say in my previous post that chestnut stuffing rocks in leftovers right?  Absolutely.  This is my favourite way to use it.  The butternut squash is a recent addition but I have to say I liked it, as it absorbed loads of chicken-y flavour in the pie.

That said, you could make this the ultimate leftovers dish if you liked and you could use cooked veg leftover from your sunday roast?

Chicken and Stuffing Pie - easily serves 2 adults and 1 toddler

Ingredients

1 chicken carcass (bones) or use turkey bones
1 chicken stock cube, use low salt if preferred
500ml water
1 tbsp Cornflour (cornstarch)
200g Butternut squash (peeled weight)
Leftover cooked roast chicken or turkey
Leftover chestnut stuffing

Pastry

150g, 5oz Plain (all purpose) flour
40g, 1.5oz Cornflour (cornstarch)
110g, 4oz Butter

1 tbsp milk

Method

Either in a saucepan or slow cooker, put the chicken carcass in with water and the stock cube and simmer for an hour on the stove or 3 hours in a slow cooker (if you are doing this on a hob, add more water and keep an eye on it as it could boil dry.)  The reason I use the stock cube is you can't quite get enough flavour out of one chicken carcass.

In the meantime, cook the squash by boiling for 10 mins in water.  Strain.

Strain the stock and throw away the bones.  I had 200ml once I'd finished.  Mix 1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) with cold water.  Heat the stock in a microwave until boiling then add the cornflour paste in stirring all the time until thickened slightly.  You want it to be a slightly thin gravy.

As the gravy and squash are cooling, switch on the oven to 180oC / 350F.  Then make the pastry by rubbing the butter into the flour and cornflour (cornstarch).  The reason I use the cornflour is to get a shorter texture, i.e. to make the pastry more crumbly but you don't have to and can substitute it for more flour.  Once the butter is rubbed in, add 2-3 tbsp of cold water, a bit at a time until you can bring it together as a dough.  Chill in the fridge until everything is assembled.

Put the stuffing, leftover chicken, squash and the gravy you made into a baking dish.

Roll out the pastry and put on top.  Trim around the edge (I use a fork to press it to the edge too and make a patterned edge) and use the trimmings to make decorations if liked.  Make a hole in the middle as a vent.

Brush all over with milk and then bake for approx 40 mins or until well browned and the filling is bubbling.

Serve with vegetables and feel smug at making something so delicious with leftovers!

My toddler loved this.  Ate the pastry first, then the stuffing, then the squash then the chicken.  What is it with toddlers about having to eat each individual part on its own eh?

Chestnut Stuffing

Shhh.  Don't tell my mum I've shared this recipe...

When I was little, Christmas Day meant presents.  I was an annoying child for Santa and my poor parents though, I never really knew what I wanted.  So, every year, realising that knowing what you were getting anyway was a bit rubbish, I would ask for a "surprise".  I'm sure my parents looked at each other with forced smiles at my letter for Santa saying through gritted teeth "that's great honey, we'll just let Santa know to get his thinking cap on..."

I would love to say I'd grown up into an easier adult but frankly it's not true.  I love thinking really deeply about what someone might like for a present, what makes them tick.  I don't get it right every time but when I do, I love the feeling.  I love the feeling more than I love getting presents because, let's face it, I'm a difficult person to buy for.  So that's why I love Christmas, the sense of surprise but also the joy of getting presents for people that they never would have thought of asking for but actually are perfect for them.

After presents though was the joy of Christmas lunch.  For breakfast I would only eat grapefruit so my stomach would be rumbling come 2pm for the joy of Turkey, chipolatas, potatoes, brussels sprouts (picked that morning), carrots, peas, turkey liver wrapped in bacon, parsnips and of course, chestnut stuffing.  It was a once a year treat.  My mum would start the night before by roasting the chestnuts in the oven and getting me and my sisters to peel them.  Even though it was really annoying and the skin got under your nails, it was worth it knowing what you'd be eating tomorrow.

Nowadays, as with everything, we are kind of spoiled.  You can buy ready cooked, ready pureed chestnuts in a tin (which, shhh, I actually think makes better stuffing than whole chestnuts).  It does mean that a once in a year treat becomes a once every 2 months or so joy.  Is it diminished because of that?  Maybe a little, perhaps all things are diminished slightly when they are more accessible but it is still a wonderful thing and a very tasty thing.  I first made this for my son for Christmas 2011 when he was 18 months old.  He had a little pot of it just to himself (because he was going to be napping during Christmas lunch).  To say he loved it may have been understating things...  I love the fact I'm now passing on a love of another food close to my heart to my son.

I am not great at carving joints as you can tell...

Chestnut Stuffing - easily makes enough for 6 people but leftovers are good (see below)

Ingredients

1 tin of unsweetened chestnut puree, mine was 435g, 15oz (you can substitute whole cooked chestnuts but whizzing them up at home does give a coarser result and the flavour doesn't come through quite as well)
1 tsp Herbs; choose what you like, nothing too strong, e.g. thyme, parsley
600g, 21oz Sausagemeat, I buy decent herby, meaty sausages and squeeze it out of the skins
30g, 1oz ish Breadcrumbs (see below)

Method

Empty the puree into a bowl.  I find the texture of tinned chestnut puree can vary from being quite soft to very firm.  If the puree is soft, you might want to add a few more breadcrumbs.

Add the sausagement slipped out of the sausage skins, breadcrumbs and herbs.

Now get your hands in.  Squidge it all together until it makes a firmish textured stuffing.  Some people stuff their chickens or turkeys, being a food scientist, I don't because I want the bird to cook as quickly and as safely as possible.  Put the stuffing into a baking dish to about 4cm, 1.5 inches deep.  Bake alongside whatever roast you are doing at about 200oC / 400F for 45 mins or so.  It's pretty tolerant, if you're cooking your roast at a lower temperature, just cook for a bit longer.  Cover with foil if it's starting to brown too much.

Take out and serve.  It's still good when it's warm rather than hot in case the timings all fall away (don't they always with a roast dinner?)

A must for Christmas day or Thanksgiving.

This is great for toddlers and older babies will have a go I would think, certainly baby led weaners.

As I said, leftovers are good.  This is almost like a terrine when cold, it's great in sandwiches or why not make a soup with leftover chicken and bones and add some stuffing to it?  It kind of melts into the soup slightly making it thick and delicious.  Alternatively I will be posting a pie recipe shortly so keep your eyes peeled!

I've linked this up to Mum's Crazy Cooking Thanksgiving Stuffing linky.

Pepper, Onion and Goats Cheese Tart

I have to be honest and admit my son didn't have any of this but only because he was in bed.  I think he'd like although I'd have to watch out for him picking the cheese off the top and just eating that (he does love his cheese).

Anyway even if the kids don't get any, it's a very simple teatime dish, especially if you get ready rolled pastry and most of the prep can be completed in advance.

Pepper, Onion and Goats Cheese Tart - serves 2 adults

Ingredients

2 Small onions, thinly sliced
1 Red pepper (capsicum), thinly sliced
1 tbsp Olive oil
1 tbsp White wine vinegar
1 tsp Sugar
1 Clove garlic
A small sprig of rosemary
A splash of milk
180g approx 6.5oz Puff pastry
6 Slices of goats cheese (approx 60g, 2oz)

Method

Fry the onion, pepper and garlic together with the olive oil on a gentle heat.  Cover it with a large saucepan lid and continue to cook slowly for around 15 minutes or until very soft.  Keep stirring now and again to make sure they're not burning.

Add in the rosemary and turn up the heat slightly.  Add in the sugar and stir until dissolved and starting to caramelise.  Add in the vinegar and allow to almost boil off.  Take off the heat and allow to cool.

Heat the oven to 220oC - 200oC, 430F - 400F (I used 210oC for my fan oven).

Roll out approx 180g of the pastry and cut a rectangle.  Then score a line approx 1.5cm or half an inch from the edge of the pastry.  Put the onion and pepper mix into the centre then top with the goats cheese and brush the edge with milk.

Put into the oven for 12-15 minutes or until the edge is risen and browned and the goats cheese is golden brown.  Ok, perhaps I should have taken mine out 1 minute earlier!

Serve hot or warm.

I've linked this up to meatless mondays:

Guest Post: Chicken and Butter bean Casserole

Things are hectic in the Mamacook household.  As many of you know, there have been some problems going on of late and things have been stressful and busy.  As a result, I have gratefully accepted the offer of a guest post from the lovely Best of 2 Sisters.

I was honoured to be given a few options on what I'd like them to cook for us and chose this because it sounded like something my son would love and seemed great for the increasingly chilly days.  I hope you enjoy too and also take a look at their blog, which has fantastic photography I think you'll agree.  And so without further ado, may I hand you over to Louisa and Camilla Best of 2 Sisters:

CHICKEN AND BUTTERBEAN CASSEROLE

Hi! We are Louisa & Camilla and we blog over at our blog Bestof2Sisters (www.bestof2sisters.com). Really excited to share one of our favorite recipes with readers of MamaCook

This hearty casserole has become a household favorite since we first introduced it 2 month ago. Our girls love the finely sliced vegetables together with the moist chicken, and always ask for second helpings (rare occurrence in this household, being skinny little rabbits and all). Also a really great dish for our 1 year old Lucia, who enjoys picking up bits of her food and giving it a good inspection before trying a bite, or too.

Ingredients

Olive oil

2 onions finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 carrots, finley diced

1 stick of celery, finely sliced

2 sweet peppers, finely sliced

3 baby leeks

6 flat mushrooms (I often leave this out)

1 tin chopped tomato

1 litre/ 3 pints of chicken stock

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tin of butter beans

4 chicken breasts, cut into cubes

Method

Heat olive oil. Add onions and garlic and fry gently. Add vegetables. Still gently. Add stock, soy sauce, and tinned tomatoes and simmer for 20-30 minutes (depending on size of vegetables, ours tend to be mini). Add chicken and butterbeans and simmer for another 10 minutes until cooked through. 

Spinach and Goats Cheese Cannelloni

I'm very tired.  I had the amazing gift of a day off being a Mummy on Saturday so I went to London to see the Preraphaelite exhibition at Tate Britain.  It was an amazing experience.  So many paintings I thought I knew well but seeing them in real life felt like poetry.

So after a full day on Saturday making a roast dinner felt like the last thing I wanted to do on Sunday and something about tiredness brings out the creativity in me so I came up with this off the top of my head.  I have to say even if I'm blowing my own trumpet, it was a success.  The wee man ate two cannellonis and half a slice of garlic bread all on his own occasionally looking up to say "hmmm".

What's best though is apart from this being a cheap meal (as meals without meat often are), it's delicious and it contains at least four hidden vegetables which are great for you; spinach, tomatoes, pepper and carrots.  Perfect for the little (or big) fusspot in your life.

Goat's cheese and spinach cannelloni - serves 2 adults and 1 toddler

Ingredients

9 Cannelloni tubes mine weighed about 90g (I used Asda own brand cannelloni tubes) but I suspect they vary in size
350g Home made tomato sauce, I used some from the freezer, the recipe is here

Filling
150g Soft, rindless goat's cheese
160g Frozen, chopped spinach, defrosted
20g Extra Mature (Sharp) cheddar, grated
A few grindings of nutmeg

Topping
60g Extra Mature (Sharp) cheddar, grated

Method

Preheat the oven to 180oC / 350F.

Drain off any water from the spinach and mix with the 20g of cheddar, nutmeg and goat's cheese.

Put half of the tomato sauce in the base of a dish then fill each tube up with the mixture.  This is a messy job.  When pumpkin is a bit older, he's so getting roped into this.  Put them in a single layer then pour over the rest of the tomato sauce and top with the rest of the cheddar.

Cover with a piece of foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Increase the heat to 200oC / 400F.  Remove the foil and bake for 10 more minutes.  Serve with vegetables or salad and garlic bread if liked.  I've linked this up to meatless mondays here.




So the exhibition.  I can't get over how beautiful it was; it filled my heart with love, joy and emotion.  The perfect antidote to the not so good bits in my life right now.  If you get the chance, go visit; if only to see Millais' Ophelia in real life, prints don't do her justice.

Top 10 Great recipes for your family from your freezer

What is it about autumn which starts you thinking about filling up the freezer?  Perhaps it's a throwback to the times of plenty; harvest time and the bottling, curing, drying and preserving which would have gone on then.  Whatever it is, at this time of year I dust off the slow cooker, start soaking pulses and buying big packs of beef mince.

In that vein, I thought I'd do a bit of a summary on recipes I know freeze brilliantly, those recipes where it's really worth making double and having a night off later!

1.  Meatballs are great.  They're a bit of a labour of love to make but set yourself an hour with your partner looking after your little one and make some for the freezer!

2.  Bolognaise, obvious but still worth a mention.  I make mine with chicken livers.  Delicious from the freezer and great to make into lasagne or a quick version of cottage pie.

3.  Dahl.  Very simple and super cheap lentil dish.

4.  Muffins, be they sugar free or savoury, they all freeze well.  My favourite is these apple ones.

5.  Beef stew.  Anything slow cooked seems to freeze like a dream.

6.  Pancakes.  My favourite is banana pancakes.  A bit of effort to make fresh just on how long they take to cook but then layer them up between layers of non stick baking paper so they separate from the freezer.  Defrost at room temperature or in a microwave.

7.  Soups, I made some tomato and bacon soup tonight, the leftovers are going in the freezer!

8.  Tomato sauce for pasta.  Can be just stirred through hot pasta or used as a base for other dishes like vegetarian lasagne or add in ingredients like chicken, ham or prawns.

9.  Date cake.  I didn't try to freeze this until recently but if you freeze in slices separated by non stick paper, it's great to take out a slice for my husband's lunch and it's defrosted by midday (it's also not got any added sugar but shh.  Don't tell him that!)

10. Raw biscuits.  My favourite are these cheesy biscuits.  Freeze them raw and cook from frozen.  So simple!

So with not much more effort you can fill your freezer with a myriad of dishes and treats to make your life easy!  No need to reach for a preprepared jar!

Broccoli and Ham Pasta

It would be wrong of me to call this 'carbonara' but that was the inspiration for this recipe.  It is pretty far removed from the original but still retains that creamy deliciousness.  Like all the best carbonara recipes (in my humble opinion), this might taste creamy but contains no cream so as the only dairy is from hard mature cheese, some lactose intolerance sufferers may be able to get their creamy pasta fix from this as a result.  Definitely good enough for adults and enthusiastically devoured by my 2 year old.

This isn't one for babies though because the eggs are lightly cooked, make sure you use Lion eggs but still there is a small risk.  Also the salt is a little high but fine for a toddler portion.  The recipe below is for what I would call an 'average' adult appetite and a toddler bowl, it's not a huge bowlful but something about carbonara makes it pretty filling I think.  Add more pasta though if you know you're really hungry.

Broccoli and Ham Pasta - serves 1 adult and 1 toddler

Ingredients

2 slices of cured ham or bacon.  At a real nod to inauthenticity I used Black Forest Ham
1/2 tsp olive oil
1 clove of garlic, peeled but left whole
1 egg (if halving the recipe, use the egg yolk only)
30-35g, a generous 1oz extra mature, vintage (sharp) cheddar, parmesan or pecorino
1 tbsp cold water (if halving the recipe, still use 1 tbsp)
70g Dry spaghetti
70g Broccoli cut into small florets

Method

Cook the spaghetti following pack instructions, 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time, add the broccoli to the boiling water.

In the meantime, grate the cheese and mix with the egg and cold water.  Heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the whole garlic clove with the ham or bacon until the bacon is cooked.  Remove from the heat and remove the garlic clove.

When the pasta and broccoli are cooked, drain, reserving some of the cooking water and put the drained pasta and broccoli in with the ham.  Mix then add the egg mix, mixing quickly, adding a bit of cooking water from the pasta if needed to make a sauce which clings to the other ingredients.

Serve.  I cut up the spaghetti into short lengths for my son (he's not got the twirling thing down yet) but he absolutely loved this and ate his whole portion including all of the broccoli!  It's amazing what a bit of cheese and ham can do...

All cooked in 10 minutes from start to end.  Genius!

Make it Thrifty:
Use extra mature cheddar instead of parmesan
Buy the 'offcut' packs of 'cooking bacon' as they're really cheap
Use regular oil instead of olive oil or if using bacon, just dry fry it

Crispy Baked Paprika Chicken for the Whole Family

Suitable for toddlers upwards and maybe younger, this is a way of getting really crisp chicken pieces without frying.

I'd seen a few American recipes using corn flakes as a coating for chicken and Annabel Karmel sometimes uses corn flakes or rice krispies.  I've taken that idea and made a dish suitable for the whole family.  If you wanted to make it just for adults, maybe include a bit of chilli into the coating.  If you're concerned your little ones might find the flavour a bit full on, reduce the amount of smoked paprika and miss out the chilli and mustard (or some variation of that).

Crispy Baked Paprika Chicken - serves 2 adults and 1 todder

Ingredients

5 Chicken thighs (bone in)
Spray oil

Flour mix:
60g, 2oz Plain (all purpose) flour (swap this for cornflour or cornstarch to make gluten free and make sure the stock is gluten free too.)
1 chicken stock cube (use low salt if cooking for very young kids) can substitute for 1 tsp boullion powder
Ground pepper
1 tsp sweet paprika

Milk mix:
I crushed dried chilli
200ml, 7fl oz milk
1 tbsp Dijon mustard

Krispies mix:
25g, 1 oz Rice Krispies
1 tsp Mild (Sweet) Smoked Paprika (you can buy hot versions but I wouldn't use a spicier version if kids are eating it)

Method

Preheat oven to 200oC / 400F

Skin the chicken and discard the skin.

Make all of the mixes as above.  Crumble the stock cube into the flour and mix with the paprika and pepper.  Put onto a plate.  Whisk the milk and mustard together with the crushed chilli and allow to stand for a few minutes.  Crush the rice krispies by putting them into a clean food bag and rolling a rolling pin over them to break them up.  Pour the crushed cereal onto a plate and mix with the paprika.

Take each thigh and roll in the flour, dust off the excess.  Once all are dusted with flour, take each and dunk in the milk, shake off the excess then roll in the krispie mix.

Put all of them onto a baking tray or dish as they are coated and spray with spray oil.

Bake for approx 35 minutes or until browned, crispy and cooked through to the bone with no sign of pink.

Allow to cool a bit if serving to a young child and probably better to cut off the bone into convenient size pieces.

I've linked this up here.  I've linked this up to this Friday linky.

Lunchtime inspiration

The kids are back at school or you and your partner are back at work, I know what it's like, it's difficult to get out of the rut of having cheese sandwiches every day so here are a few ideas to liven up that lunchbox whether it's for your child or anyone else!  You all deserve a decent lunch, it's that little moment for you in the middle of the day!

Savouries:

Mini quiches, quiches are a great thing to make for teatime and then have leftovers for lunch.  One of those use what's in the fridge recipes but ham or bacon is traditional but why not try something a bit different like broccoli?  (Sneak those vegetables in!)

Sandwiches, why not try something a bit more unusual like pate and mango chutney or grated carrot and hummus?  Or why not try a stuffed naan?

Cooked chipolatas, again a great way to make teatime into lunchtime too.  Cook a few extra, great with salad on the side.  I prefer to use good quality long chipolata sausages and twist them into little ones, they tend to be better quality.

Salad for example tomato salad, coleslaw, potato or courgette salad.  Great to have alongside some of the leftover goodies above and no reason why it can't be made with leftovers.  Something about a pot of salad says "I've made more effort" than when it's between two slices of bread.  Why is that?  If you look at my cous cous salad recipe above for example, it's all leftovers!

With that lovely salad, some cold tandoori chicken (made as drumsticks would be great) would be a tasty nibble, perhaps with a little pot of mint raita and some cucumber sticks?

Sausage plait.  Hot for tea and a cold slice in your lunchbox, sneaky hidden vegetables.  What could be better?

Don't discount the savoury baked goods.  Pepper and cheese muffins are delicious and if you fancy something a bit more traditional, there's always the humble cheese scone or spanakopita if you're feeling a touch more exotic (a great way to get spinach into the diet of the reluctant vegetable eater.)

Puddings:

Berries and a little pot of cream.   Why does this feel so luxurious?  My husband loves it when I put this into his lunchbox and it's the kind of thing that makes people look over at your lunch and go "ooo" like they never would for a chocolate bar!

Yoghurt and honey.  Greek yoghurt is cheap as chips, add a tsp of honey and it's a lovely pudding.

Mini muffins, my favourite is date and ginger.  No added sugar, no nasties, all natural.  Freeze brilliantly, take one out of the freezer and put in a bag, it will be defrosted come midday.

Jelly!  Why not?  As long as it's kept cool, this would be great and it's so simple to make without all the unnecessary colourings, sugar and flavourings!

There are loads more sugar free and low sugar pudding recipes on the blog so take a look around.

One last word:

When I was a child, no-one really bothered all that much about food hygiene.  No-one said you had "food poisoning" either, you just had a stomach bug, stayed off school for the day and then went back in.  Nowadays, schools have adopted similar controls to food factories and insist kids stay of for 48 hours after their symptoms have cleared.  This is because many food poisoning bacteria or viruses can easily be spread from person to person (especially with kids).

The thing that confuses me though is I believe that there are very few if any schools who provide facilities to keep lunches cool.  It is really important to keep your kids lunch cool because most sandwich fillings, salads etc could be a perfect breeding ground for pathogenic (illness causing) bacteria.  Keeping it all cold helps stop them multiplying.  To do this, get some freezer packs (and get loads of spares to keep them in the freezer, you will forget to put them back in the evening) and use an insulated lunch box or bag.

The same applies to adults too.  Not all workplaces have fridges so it's definitely worth keeping your lunch cool.

I've linked this up here, here and here.

Ginger Parkin (or thank you for babysitting)

It was my birthday recently and the weekend before my in laws babysat at short notice so I could get out for the evening.  To say "thank you" to my Yorkshire born Father in law, I made some ginger parkin.

This is not the traditional recipe as that contains oats but this is adapted from how my mum made it so apologies if it's not authentic.  Ounces first because this is how the recipe was written, it's pretty old...

Ginger Parkin

Ingredients

2oz, 55g Margarine
5oz, 140g Brown sugar, I used molasses sugar for that real dark hit
2 tbsp Black treacle
9oz, 250g Self Raising Flour (or plain flour plus the recommended amount of baking powder)
2 rounded tsp Ground (powdered) ginger
7 fl oz, 200ml milk
1 rounded tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
1 tbsp Boiling water
1 Egg

Method

Grease and line a tin approx 11 inches by 8 inches.  If you haven't got a tin that size or shape, check your baking dishes and aim for approx 88 square inch area so 9 by 9 would do.  Err on the side of slightly smaller than bigger if you need to, you don't want it too shallow.

Preheat the oven to 180oC, 350F.  (170oC in my fan oven.)

Cream the butter and sugar together as best you can, unrefined sugars can be a bit tough going on this.  Add the egg and beat until fully mixed in.

Sift the flour and ginger together.

Mix the treacle in then alternate mixing in the milk and the flour and ginger.  Mix well and then lastly mix the bicarb with the boiling water and quickly mix into the batter.  Work quickly pouring into the lined dish and bake for 45-60 minutes (45 in my fan oven) or until the sponge springs back when pressed and an inserted sharp knife comes out clean.

Cool for 20 mins or so in the tin, then lift out onto a cooling rack.  Cut into squares when cool.

This keeps very well getting stickier over a few days if you can stop people eating it!  My mum likes to serve this split and buttered but I like it as it is.  It tastes rather like a well known brand of Jamaican Ginger Cake.

This was more for the adults than for pumpkin because it's heavy on the sugar but he did have a little bit of Grandad's when everyone thought I wasn't looking!

I've linked this lovely old recipe up to the Spice Trail Ginger challenge.

Mushroom Stroganoff for kids

This is loosely based on this recipe from the good food website but I've made a few changes to make it my own.

My son loves mushrooms, along with prawns he'd eat them for every meal if I let him.  I'd had the idea of making a mushroom stroganoff for him for a while but never attempted it, to be honest knowing what he's like I was worried it would be too bland but with some tweaks to this recipe it really wasn't, if perhaps it was a bit redder than normal recipes due to all the paprika but tasty!

I served it with rice but all the mushrooms were eaten and the rice was ignored.  I think he's on some "why should I eat rice unless it's got interesting bits in it" vibe at the moment.  Well who can blame him I guess?

Mushroom Stroganoff - serves 1 mushroom obsessed toddler or possibly 2 kids with normal attitudes to fungi(!)

Ingredients

Vegetable or olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 clove of garlic
100g mushrooms
1/2 chicken or vegetable stock cube made up with 150 ml water (use low salt for younger kids if liked or home made stock)
2 tbsp double (heavy) cream
A squeeze of lemon juice
Parsley

Method

Fry the onion gently in the oil for 5 minutes or until softened.  Add the garlic and paprika, add the mushrooms with a little more oil if needed and cook for 2-3 mins or so.  Add in the stock, bring to the boil and then add in the cream.  Bubble until thickened and the mushrooms are cooked.  Add a squeeze of lemon and serve sprinkled with parsley with rice or noodles on the side.

Hmm, tasty!

I've linked this up to Meatless Mondays:

I've linked this up here and to Herbs on a Saturday here.