In times gone by it was traditional on Shrove Tuesday to make pancakes to use up flour, butter and eggs. This pancake recipe is based on Jamie Oliver's recipe. There are a lot of toppings that are very tasty on pancakes such as Nutella, maple syrup or even just a knob of butter. Jamie Oliver's Pancakes Ingredients
150g (1 cup) self-raising flour 200ml (1 cup) milk 1 egg pinch of salt Method 1. Put the flour and salt in a bowl. 2. Add the egg and combine with the flour. 3. Very slowly add the milk, whisking well with a hand whisk or fork. 4. When the batter is nice and smooth, cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least an hr. (The batter can be used straight away but tends to have a better consistency when left to rest) 5. Heat the frying pan and add a little sunflower oil. 6. Either pour a thin coating of batter or thicken ones into the pan. When golden, turn the pancake over and brown the other side. 7. Add topping of your choice and enjoy!!
The Late Late Toy Show is tonight and I'm really excited. Hopefully I'll decide what I want for Christmas. My Mam made some treats for us tonight, but I wanted to make something myself.
Movie Night Popcorn
Ingredients
50g popcorn
handful of M&M's
50g milk/white chocolate
handful of smarties
Method
Put the popcorn and the sweets into a bowl.
Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water.
Pour the chocolate over the popcorn mix and stir.
Spoon the the mixture into a large container and
place in a fridge for a hour.
We are just back from an astonishing family holiday in East Cork. There was so much to do, from bowling to cinemas, from beaches to cliff walks together with all my family and my cousin Caoimhe. On one of the nights, my Mam and Dad went to Ballymaloe for their 11th Anniversary (I really wanted to go too!). My Mam and Dad's starter was this soup and they both loved it. My Mam found this recipe in Darina Allen's Book "Ballymaloe Cookery Course" and decided to make it. I helped my Mam to make it but first I had to dig the potatoes in the garden and pick the herbs. It's very filling and full of flavour.
Potato & Fresh Herb Soup
Ingredients
50g (2oz) butter
425g (15oz)
potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm (⅓in) cubes
110g (4oz) onions,
cut into 1cm (⅓in) cubes
1-2 tbsp of Parsley,
Thyme, Sage and Chives
900ml (1½ pints) Chicken
or Vegetable stock
125ml (4fl oz) Creamy
Milk
1 tsp salt
Freshly Ground
Pepper
Method
Melt the
butter in a heavy saucepan. When it foams add the onions and potatoes, and toss
in the butter until well coated.
Sprinkle
with salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cover with butter wrapper or paper lid
and the lid of the saucepan. Sweat over a gentle heat for about 10 minutes
Meanwhile,
bring the stock to the boil. When the vegetables are soft but not coloured, and the freshly chopped herbs and stock, and continue to cook until the vegetables are soft.
Purée the soup in a blender or food processor. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Thin with creamy milk to the required consistency. Garnish and Serve.
At last, its Summer and the weather is getting a lot warmer. This milkshake is a perfect drink for a hot day like this and it's so easy to make. Just get some help with the hand blender from an adult.
This cookies are from Rachel Allen's Food for Living. They are remarkably straightforward to make. They are crunchy on the outside and chewy in the middle . Cookies would absolutely be one of my favourite treats.
Rachel Allen's Polka Dot Cookies
Ingredients
225g (8 oz) Butter
375g (15 oz) Soft Brown Sugar (or light muscovado sugar)
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Eggs, beaten
350g (14 oz) Plain flour
½ tsp Salt
1 Level tsp Baking Powder
1 Level tsp Bicarbonate of Soda 150g (5 oz) Smarties / Chocolate Chips
Method
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 ̊C / 350 ̊F / Gas Mark 4 /
2. Cream butter and sugar together. Add in the vanilla extract and eggs.
3. Mix the flour and salt into a bowl. Sift in the Bicarbonate of soda and Baking Powder and mix well.
4. Add the dry ingredients into the wet.
5. Add the smarties last.
6. Roll into little balls (walnut size if you want small ones or golf ball size if you want larger ones. I pressed in a smarty on the smaller ones so that there would definitely be a smarty on the top of each cookie.
7. Bake for 12 – 16 mins. If you want chewy cookies, bake until the edges are turning brown but the middle is still pale. If you want crunchy all the way through then bake until golden all over.
8. Cool on a wire rack.
A few weeks ago, my Mam got Donal Skehan's new book, Kitchen Hero. When I was flicking through the book I found these beef fajitas and they sounded delicious so I made them for dinner. Then last night Donal's show Kitchen Hero was on RTÉ 1 and he made these fajitas also!! The first episode was great and if you missed it you can watch it on Donal's Website.
Donal Skehan's Dig-In Beef Fajitas Ingredients 400g (14oz) striploin steak, thinly sliced 4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped Juice of 1/2 lime 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce 2 tsp chilli powder 1 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground black pepper 1 tbsp sunflower oil 2 red onions, peeled and thinly sliced 3 peppers (red, green and yellow), sliced into strips A small handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped Sea salt 8 wholemeal tortilla wraps
Method 1. In a large bowl, combine the garlic, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, chilli powder, oregano, cumin and black pepper then add the beef and toss until coated. Cover and place in the fridge. 2. Heat half the sunflower oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the onion and peppers and fry for 3-4 minutes until caramelised. Set the vegetables aside in a dish. 3. Add an extra drizzle of oil to the pan and fry the marinated beef for 3 minutes until cooked but still tender. Make sure the pan is hot before cooking the beef. 4. Add the reserved onions and peppers and the coriander and stir through then season with salt to taste. 5. Heat the tortilla wraps in the microwave for 40 seconds and cover with foil to keep warm. 6. To assemble, spread a little guacamole on a tortilla, add some steak, peppers and onion and then top with soured cream and cheese.
Last night, Me and my Brother Tiarnán were watching Junior MasterChef and we went to bed dreaming of desserts. This morning, Tiarnán asked my Mam if we could make Chocolate Muffins. So I searched for some Chocolate Muffins and the first one I found was this one. These muffins are simple and its something everyone loves.
Last Saturday, I went with my cousin Caoimhe to Clodagh McKenna's Cookery School. We made lots of scrummy recipes including this Strawberry Smoothie. I can't wait to go back again!
Strawberry Smoothie
Ingredients
150g strawberries
2 tbsp clear honey
250ml greek yoghurt
handful ice
Method
Place all the ingredients into a food processor and blend until the mixture is smooth.
This is another recipe from Killachonna Cookery School. This recipe is really easy and quick to make. For this recipe, you have to have the cheese, the tomato sauce and the naan bread (or else its not a pizza naan!)
I only use a few toppings (pesto, cheese, ham and chorizo) but you can add as many ingredients as you want.
Pizza Naan
Ingredients 1 naan bread 2 tbsp Real Irish Food Co. Tomato and Basil sauce (or any pasta sauce) Grated cheese Slice of ham Tomato, sliced Onion, finely chopped Mushroom, sliced Chorizo, chopped A few teaspoons Pesto Method 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. 2. Spread the sauce over one side of the naan. 3. Cover with toppings of your choice. 4. Bake in the oven for 10 mins until the cheese is golden and bubbling. 5. Serve and Enjoy!
This recipe is from Nigella Lawson’s Nigella Christmas. These chocolate biscuits taste a lot like chocolate shortbread and their so easy to make. The video below is of Nigella Lawson cooking the chocolate biscuits.
For the top of the cookies you can use Nigella's festive topping but I just used melted milk chocolate.
Nigella Lawson's Christmas Chocolate Biscuits
Ingredients
250g soft butter
150g caster sugar
40g cocoa powder
300g plain flour
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
For The Festive Topping
2 x 15ml tablespoons cocoa powder
175g icing sugar
60ml boiling water, from a kettle
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Christmas Sprinkles
Smarties (optional)
Method
1.Preheat the oven to 170̊C/ gas mark 3 and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2.Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl and, when you have a light, soft whipped mixture, beat in the 1/3 cup cocoa powder (sifting if it is lumpy) and, when that's mixed in, beat in the flour with the baking soda and baking powder. Or just put everything in the processor and blitz, if you prefer.
3.This mixture is very soft and sticky and I find it easiest to form the cookies wearing my disposable vinyl gloves, so pinch off pieces about 1 tablespoon in size, roll them into balls, then slightly flatten into fat discs as you place them, well spaced, on your cookies sheet. You should get about 12 on at a time.
4.Bake each batch for 15 minutes; even though the cookies won't feel as if they've had enough time, they will continue to cook as they cool. They will look slightly cracked on top, and it's this cozy, homespun look I love.
5.Move the cookie sheet to a cold surface and let it sit for 15 minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire rack, with a sheet of newspaper under it (to catch drips while topping them).
6.To make the topping, put the cocoa powder, confectioners' sugar, water and vanilla extract into a small saucepan and whisk over a low heat until everything is smoothly combined. Take off the heat for 10 minutes.
7.When the cookies are cool, drizzle each one with a tablespoonful of chocolate glaze—it will help "glue" the sprinkles on in a minute. Use the back of the spoon to help spread the mixture, though an uneven dribbled look is part of their charm.
8.After you've iced 6 cookies, scatter with some of the Christmas sprinkles and continue until all the cookies are topped. If you ice them all before sprinkling, you will find the cocoa "glue" has dried and the sprinkles won't stick on.
This is another recipe from The Good Mood Food Blog. This banoffee pie is really nice. The base is simple. It’s just mixing digestive biscuits and butter together! I find the flavour of the banana in the banoffee pie is a bit strong, but it’s still nice.
Donal Skehan's Crunchie Sticky Banoffee Pie
Ingredients Serves 6 1 can condensed milk (297g) 230g digestive biscuits, about 16 crushed finely 115g butter, melted 3 bananas 250ml of cream 3 crunchie bars, roughly chopped
Method
1. In a small high sided pot, cover the tin and boil the unopened can of condensed milk for 2 hours, keep an eye on it making sure the water level is always above the top of the can.
2. While the can is boiling, prepare the base of the pie. Mix together the crushed digestive biscuits with the melted butter until they are combined and then spread the mixture evenly over the base of a 18cm cake tin with a removable base.
3. Cover and chill for 2 hours in the fridge. When the can has finished boiling remove from the water and allow to cool. When the can is cool to the touch, open and spread the caramelised condensed milk over the biscuit base.
4. Slice the bananas evenly and arrange over the caramel. Whip the cream until it is just about stiff and spread on top of the bananas.
5. Sprinkle the crunchie bar over the top of the cream as artistically as you feel necessary! Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.
This recipe is adapted from one of my Mam’s cookery school recipes - Killachonna Cookery School. This makes a perfect supper on a cold winter’s night. It’s as simple as a toasted sandwich but it tastes better! In this recipe you don’t need to put in the ham or chives but you can add extra ingredients (onions, salami etc.). My Mam loves brie (I love it too!!!) and my Mam always puts it in her pan-fried sandwich.
Pan-Fried Ham and Cheese Toastie
Ingredients
25g (2oz) butter
4 slices wholemeal bread
100g (3oz) cheddar cheese, grated
1 teaspoon snipped fresh chives
100g (3oz) ham, chopped
Method
1.Butter the bread and arrange the cheese and ham over half of the slices, buttered side down.
2.Sprinkle over the chives and cover with the remaining slices, buttered side up.
3.Preheat a frying pan and cook the sandwiches for 2 mins on each side, until golden brown and the cheese has melted.
1 egg
