Try and try again biscuits

There are two reasons for the name of these biscuits. The first is the Rugby connection. The recipe comes from one of the masters' wives at Rugby School, found in a book called - surprise, surprise - The Rugby Cookbook. A small, spiral bound collection of recipes from various folk associated with Rugby School, it was produced to raise funds for The Home Farm Trust with sponsorship from, among others, Billington's Sugar.  It is noticeable how many of the sweeter recipes include sugar of the Billington variety!

The second reason is that these little biscuits are amazingly moreish. Try one, and you'll want to try one again.  So there we are...

Try and Try Again Biscuits

Cream together 4 oz (125g) each Stork (or similar) margarine and sugar. Mix in to a soft dough 4oz (125g) self-raising flour1oz cocoa powder and 2 oz custard powder or cornflour or a mixture of both.

Roll quantities of the mixture into balls the size of a LARGE marble, or roll the same amount into a rugby ball shape.  Put on a baking tin with a little space between each one - they spread slightly - and press down on each one with a fork or the back of a spoon.

Bake at 150 degrees C (Gas Mark 2) for 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Soup ideas

I love soup - but tend not to follow recipes - not always a good idea.  So thought I'd jot down a few good ones here and add to them as I come across them. The key to good soup is superb stock. Not always possible, but I need to remind myself of that and use stock I have stored in the freezer.


Ham and Corn Chowder (from Karen Ehman's blog). Basically, boil 1/2 a cup each of chopped onion and celery with 2 cups chopped potatoes in 2 cups chicken stock. When soft, add 1 tbspn butter, 1 cup finely chopped ham, 1 cup sweetcorn, 1 can cream of chicken soup (or just 1/2 cup stock and 1/2 cup creamy milk or cream, I guess) and 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese.  Just before serving, add 4 floz sour cream or creamy milk, thin if necessary.

Lentil and Tomato soup: onion, lentils, tomatoes, tomato puree and GOOD STOCK

Butternut Squash

French cinnamon toast

I decided to make this for my ladies who come to breakfast once a month. It seemed like a fun dish to eat together as we chat about what it means to be a Christian woman in a working world. 

Per person: 1 egg, 1 dessertspoon milk, 1 dessertspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract: beat together.
Dip both sides of a slice of white bread in mixture: do not completely soak through.
Grease a frying pan, fry for approximately 4 mins on one side until golden brown. Sprinkle with cinnamon, flip and fry other side. Serve warm with butter and syrup.

Caesar salad

Great recipe from Coconut and Lime cookery blog for Caesar salad. Very simple.

Strawberry and Spinach salad

This is from Janelle: Comfy in the Kitchen, found while I was 'blog trawling' and too good to pass by. Awesome!  This is what she says: 


Merry Christmas everyone...we are so blessed to have one another as Sisters in Christ...the internet is an amazing thing isn't it? We can "meet" one another from across the globe and share our love for Christ with each other! Even in areas that are not predominately Christian, a person can "log on" and feel connected in fellowship. God is good. 
Love to you all, Janelle

Strawberry Spinach Salad 
1 10oz bag of baby spinach (or appx 6 cups of leaves)
2 cups sliced strawberries (I use an entire plastic container)
1/2 cup slivered almonds

Dressing

1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 tsp worcestershire
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
1 Tbsp poppy seeds
1/4 cup minced white onion

Whisk all the dressing ingredients together. Place clean spinach in a bowl and top with sliced strawberries and almonds. Toss with dressing.

Chili!

I LOVE slow cooker recipes. I love that I can just throw everything into the pot, switch it on and forget about it. I love that the smell of food cooking is so wonderful to come home to. And I love that I don't have to throw myself into food preparation as soon as I get home.


I found this recipe, through looking at a friend's photo of jams and chutneys!  The fruit of a half hour on the internet of blog diversions...like going on a treasure hunt, or entering a maze where I'm not bothered about finding the 'right' way.  It is from a cookery blog called Coconut & lime.

Here it is:

Slow Cooker Cincinnati Chili

Ingredients:
1 1/2-2 lbs lean ground beef
28 oz can crushed or coarse ground tomatoes (or whole, smashed)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon chipotle pepper
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
Instead of all these different spices, I used garam masala which has them all and more... because I love shortcuts. Didn't have any Worcester sauce, either, which didn't seem to matter.

To serve:
1 lb spaghetti
sour cream
chopped raw onions
dark red kidney beans (heated through)
shredded extra sharp cheddar

Directions:
In a large skillet saute onion, garlic, ground beef, and chili powder until ground beef is just barely cooked. Take care to break the meat into small bits. Drain off any excess fat. Add to a four quart slow cooker. Add all of the remaining ingredients. Stir. It might look a little dry but that is okay. Cook for 8-10 hrs. Stir.

Cook spaghetti according to package instructions.

There are several ways to eat Cincinnati style chili:
3-way: Spaghetti topped with chili, covered with shredded cheddar cheese
4-way: Spaghetti topped with chili, cheese, onions
5-way: Spaghetti topped with beans, chili, cheese & onions

Carrot cake

A simple carrot cake recipe always seems hard to find. This one is adapted from three different versions!  It seemed to work, anyway. I thought I'd better write it down as I'm bound to forget it later...
Using a food processor is easiest for grating carrots and beating wet mixture together.

From BBC Good Food:
175g light muscovado sugar or a mix of brown and white sugars
175ml sunflower oil  - perhaps even only 5 fluid ounces
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
140g grated carrots (about 3 medium) or 1 carrot and 2 bananas
100g raisins or 75g marmelade
grated zest of 1 large orange
175g self-raising flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp grated nutmeg (freshly grated will give you the best flavour)

Mix altoether lightly, bake 180 degrees for 40 - 45 minutes.

Ice with butter/icing sugar/lemon or orange juice. OR for a sticky topping: heat 2tbsp thick-cut marmalade and 2tbsp orange juice together. Make small holes all over the top of the cake with a skewer and brush the marmalade mixture all over. Leave to cool completely before slicing and serving.

Also, for a larger cake:

Grate 12 oz/360g carrots.  Beat in 8 oz/225g sugar (any combination of white/brown sugars and honey if wished), 4 fl oz oil and 4 eggs.
Sift together  9oz/ 260g self raising flour, pinch of salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 - 2 teaspoons mixed spice (I used garam masala, ginger and cinnamon). Mix into wet mixture.
Bake in 8 inch square deep tin for 25 - 35 minutes or in 2 shallower tins for 20 - 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Optional: finely grated rind of half an orange, if you can be bothered.  I couldn't.

Ice with normal orange flavoured butter icing, or a mixture of 240g/8oz low fat soft cheese or mascarpone cheese beaten with 1 - 2 tbspn orange juice and 2 tablespoons icing sugar. However, I've always found this cream cheese icing too runny.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

I began to use the slow cooker a lot when we were living in Rugby and my job meant that I didn’t arrive home until 6.30pm, late to start cooking for hungry teenagers. The slow cooker was a gift from my friend Carol, and I bless her for it. It is so useful and the wonderful smell of stew or soup warms and fills the kitchen. This is just normal stew, but the day I made it I had run out of onions. I didn’t miss them but could add if necessary.


Layer 750g thinly sliced carrots, 750g thinly sliced potatoes, 5 crushed garlic cloves and 500g topside or stewing steak in the slow cooker. Add 3 tablespoons tomato puree and 1 tablespoon fruit chutney, mix slightly. Pour in enough water to almost cover the potatoes. Season generously with salt and crushed pepper.

Cook on High for 6 hours.

Mix half a cup of flour with a little water to make a paste. Add a ladleful of liquid from the stew to mix, then add the paste to the stew and stir to mix in. Add 2 cups frozen peas if wished, or serve separately.

Cook on High for a further 2 hours. Serve in wide bowls as the gravy might be quite runny.

Good with French bread and green vegetables.