Pizza Puffs

I've never made any secret of my love for pizza on here. I. LOVE. PIZZA. End of. I could eat it every day, all day . . . for breakfast, lunch or dinner!



Over the holidays I was food blog browsing and I found these tasty looking Pepperoni Pizza Puffs over on Lick The Bowl Clean. (Which is a very tasty blog I might add.) She, in turn, had adapted the recipe from one by Rachel Ray, who is an American cook who likes to create scrummy things for every day cooking. I have a few of her books in my library, but haven't tried any of her recipes yet . . . I wonder why? After baking these, I clearly need to take a second look at them!



These were incredibly easy to make. I didn't want to use meat in mine and so I substituted scrummy things like black and green olives, sun dried tomatoes and chopped red onion. I also pimped the cheese mixture by adding some strong cheddar and I made my own Italian spice mixture with basil, oregano, garlic and marjoram.



They are not muffins, even though they are baked in mini muffin tins. They are not quiches or frittatas. They are more like little mini yorkshire puddings . . . all crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, with full on pizza flavour. They puff up really nicely in the oven. The resting time is a big clue . . . the best yorkshire puddings, that puff up the most, always require a resting time.



Your kitchen will smell like a pizzaria big time when you bake these, which will only make your pizza loving guests even hungrier. I was so surprised at how delicious they smelled when they were baking. Pleasantly surprised!



I like to make my own pizza sauce. The recipe is the result of years of testing and trialing, a recipe which you can find here. I do think it's the best . . . but then it was created by me and I am a bit biased. It makes enough for two full pizzas, but freezes well. Do feel free to use a store bought sauce if you would prefer, or even a tasty jar of really good prepared marinara sauce!



Pizza Puffs. Do try them. They rock.



*Pizza Puffs*
Makes 24 bite sized puffs
Printable Recipe

A tasty little appetizer that most people love. I have chosen to keep mine meatless, but you can add chopped pepperoni, or chorizo or cooked and crumbledbacon if you wish.

75g of plain flour (3/4 cup)
3/4 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp dried basil leaves
1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
1/4 tsp dried marjoram leaves
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
pinch of chilli flakes
4 fluid ounces of milk (1/2 cup)
2 fluid ounces cream (1/4 cup)
1 large free range egg, beaten
120g of grated mozarella cheese (1 cup)
30g of grated strong cheddar cheese (1/4 cup)
45g of finely grated Parmesan cheese (1/4 cup)
85g of chopped mixed olives (I used green and black, the dry cured with herbs) (1/2 cup)
1/2 of a small red onion, peeled and finely chopped
a small handful of chopped sunblush dried tomatoes

To serve:
your favourite pizza sauce recipe, 1/2 cup
(reserve the rest for another use in the freezer)

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Butter a 24 hold mini muffin pan. Set aside.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, spices and cheeses. Beat together the egg, milk and cream. Stir this into the dry mixture. Fold in the chopped olives, onions and tomatoes. Let stand for 10 minutes. Spoon into the muffin tin, dividing it equally amongst them. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until risen and golden brown.

Warm the pizza sauce through.

Serve the puffs warm along with the pizza sauce for dipping.



Over in The Cottage today, some Tortilla Veggie Melts for two.

Parsnip Patties

Parsnips were not a vegetable we had very often if at all when I was growing up. My mother did not like them at all. In fact she tells a story of her father trying to tempt her to eat just a tiny piece of one in exchange for a piece of candy (when she was a child) and she hated them so much that she couldn't even be tempted with something that was only a very rare treat.

I remember her cooking them once when I was in my teen years. She pared and sliced them into coins and then fried them in butter until they were golden brown on both sides. Oh my but there were lovely. She had been wanting to see if her tastes had changed. Alas . . . they hadn't and so that was the only time we ever had the opportunity to taste them.



As an adult I have cooked them frequently for I love them. They are delicious in stews and soups . . . mashed with butter and cream, roasted, glazed . . . any way you cook or cut them, I find them most delicious. They are well one of my favourite vegetables.



With the holidays I had quite a few of them in the vegetable bin . . . parsnips love nothing more than to be roasted and glazed and served with a roast turkey or beef . . . or ham and pork. I always get in lots because they are my favourite side dish of the holidays.



I did get in rather a lot this year though . . . but no worries for today I had enough left to make these delicious Parsnip Patties. Oh my but they are some good.



Crispy and buttery on the outsides . . . creamy and mildly spiced with a delicate flavour and sweetness on the insides . . . such a pleasure to eat.



I like to make a Cranberry Mustard to eat with them. I just whisk together equal parts of a wild cranberry sauce and Dijon mustard. It is the perfect accompaniment.



Of course you can make them a lot smaller for appetizer sized servings, about the size of a one pound coin or silver dollar will do. You'd get quite a few of these and of course would need extra oil for frying.



They are easy to make ahead of time and then just reheat in the oven when you want them. If you like parsnips, you're going to love these!



*Parsnip Patties*
Serves 4 to 6
Printable Recipe

Creamy and sweet on the insides, crunchy on the outsides. Delicious! I like to serve them with a Dijon Cranberry Mustard which I make by whisking together equal parts of a whole berry cranberry sauce and Dijon mustard.

8 to 10 parsnips, peeled and sliced into coins
1/2 tsp salt
boiling water
to finish:
1/2 tsp onion salt
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
a dash of cayenne pepper
1 medium free range egg, beaten
1 1/2 ounces fine dried bread crumbs (about 1/3 cup)

more dried bread crumbs for rolling
oil and butter for frying
snipped parsley for garnish

Cook the parsnips in the boiling water with the 1/2 tsp of salt until tender. Drain and mash well. Allow to cool. Stir in the first lot of bread crumbs and all of the seasonings, along with the beaten egg. Cover and place in the refrigerator to chill well.

Scoop the well chilled mixture out using a small handful and shape into patties. Coat with the additional bread crumbs.

Heat a few TBS of butter along with an equal amount of oil over medium heat until the butter begins to foam. Add the parsnip patties and cook until golden brown on both sides. Drain and then serve hot along with some cranberry mustard. Delicious! Garnish with chopped parsley if desired.



Baking in The Cottage today, some delicious Celebrations Brownies!

Pea and Pancetta Soup

Oddly enough, the term 'comfort food' is not something I ever grew up hearing in France. I think it's because so much of the food really is, inherently, comfort food that it would make for quite a redundant label. From creamy potato puree, to seared duck breast, pot au feu (beef stew), salade de chevre chaud (frisee lettuce topped with melted goat cheese on crusty bread) to even just a cheese platter with a good baguette and cornichons (small French pickles) - there are very little foods in France that don't make you feel good inside. Our conception of food in France is something I have rarely seen elsewhere, if I have to be perfectly honest. The knowledge of food of even those who don't like to cook always strikes me a little when I make my way back home.
Read more »

A Slow Cooker with a wonderful Difference and some tasty Meals!

In October as a part of the Morphy Richards House Proud Innovator scheme I was sent a lovely 4.5 litre Flavour Savour Digital Slow Cooker. As a House Proud Innovator I am encouraged to put the appliances I am sent through their paces and to really give them a good work out, something which I am always happy to do.





I am no stranger to slow cooking. I often use my slow cooker and in fact have two sizes already, both Morphy Richard's as well. I use them most often on Sundays and will cook a meat dish in the larger one and then a side dish in the smaller one.

The new Flavour Savour Digital Slow Cooker though is a machine with a big difference. You can use it in three different ways, which makes it very versatile and useful for more than just slow cooking. The Flavour Savour has 3 in 1 cooking functions, meaning you can seal, fast stew and slow cook all by using the one machine. The pan heats to around 200 degrees giving you an excellent sealing functionality, which means that you are able to brown any meat you are cooking without having to use a separate pot for that purpose. You can now brown and slow cook in the same pan. That is one function that I really loved with this machine.

It has a beautiful glass lid, which means that you are able to look inside and see what's going on without lifting the lid, with cool touch handles which makes it very easy to transport from one location to another. With the older models that have a ceramic insert, this just isn't easy to do. The cooking pot is also dish washer safe, which is a real bonus!

I found the instructions very easy to follow, which is also a bonus. I find that as I am getting older I often have a difficult time understanding instructions . . . blame my menopausal mind! I had no problem with this. The instructions were clear and concise.



Here it is plugged in and warming up to brown some meat in the cookpot. That function worked really well. I was well pleased.

The first dish I cooked in it was a proper slow cooking recipe, using pieces of chicken and a sauce, called Crock Pot Barbeque Chicken. As you can see it turned out quite deliciously scrummy! This I served with rice and a vegetable on the side.



*Crock Pot Barbeque Chicken*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Tender, sticky delicious chicken. You can use only breasts or a combination of breasts and thighs. Delicious.

4 to 6 pieces of boneless, skinless chicken
1 bottle barbeque sauce (I used the Jack Daniels one)
1 ounces white vinegar (1/4 cup)
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 ounces soft light brown sugar (about 1/4 cup)
1/2 tp 1 tsp garlic powder

Place your chicken pieces into the slow cooker. Stir together the barbeque sauce, vinegar, pepper flakes, brown sugar and garlic powder. Pour this over top of the chicken and give it a stir. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.

The next recipe I tested on it was for a Crock Pot Beef Dip Sandwich. I love Beef Dip Sandwiches. It was always one of my favourite things to order when I lived in Canada and we would go out for supper. I remember having a particularly delicious one in Winnipeg Manitoba back in 1977 whilst we were waiting to board a train for Calgary. (You know something is good when 30+ years later you are still thinking about it!)

This recipe is one I found online (forgive me as I can't remember where right now). The meat turned out deliciously tender and we both enjoyed this very much. I will make again. It was almost as good as that one back in 1977, and I loved that I could brown the roast a bit first by using that function in the Flavour Savour.



*French Dip Sandwiches in the Slow Cooker*
Serves 6 to 8
Printable Recipe

Easy to make and oh so delicious with meltingly tender beef tucked into a soft roll, topped with cheese and then served with a beef broth for dipping.

1 medium brown skinned onion, peeled and thinly sliced
6 fluid ounces beef broth/stock (3/4 cup)
2 fluid ounces dark soy sauce (1/4 cup)
4 fluid ounces water (1/2 cup)
1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
1 TBS grainy mustard
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
3 pounds beef roast for braising (I used a rolled brisket)
Salt and pepper to taste

To serve:
6 to 8 soft sandwich rolls
6 to 8 slices of provolone cheese, or an equivalent
amount of grated emmenthal cheese
one pint of beef broth (about 2 1/4 cups)



Rub the beef all over with some salt and pepper. Place the onion slices in the bottom of the crock pot. Stir together the beef broth, soy sauce, Worcestershire Sauce, mustard, garlic and water. Put the beef into the crock pot on top of the onions. Pour the broth mixture over top. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours until meltingly tender.

To serve, warm the rolls and cut open. Shred the cooked beef and pile onto the warmed rolls, top with some of the onion and a bit of the juice from the pan, along with a slice of cheese. Close over, cut in half diagonally and serve along with a small bowl of beef broth for each person to dip their sandwich in.

I then decided to test out it's normal cookery function and did a tasty stew in it. I was able to brown my meat and vegetables perfectly and then proceed as per the recipe. At the end we were rewarded with a deliciously tasty Irish Lamb and Barley Stew.



As you can see the lamb was beautifully browned. Stews gain a lot of their flavour from the browning step. All those rich caramelized meat juices really add a lot of taste and colour to the gravy.



*Irish Lamb and Barley Stew*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

A delicious stew that cooks either on top of the stove or in the slow cooker.

2 TBS olive oil
1 kg (2 pounds) diced lamb shoulder
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped coarsely
2 sticks of celery, trimmed and chopped coarsely
1 large parsnip, peeled and chopped coarsely
1/2 small swede, peeled and chopped coarsely
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 litre of chicken stock (4 cups)
1/2 litre of boiling water (2 cups)
200g of pearl barley (1 cup)
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
3 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped coarsely
1/2 of a small savoy cabbage, finely shredded
a handful of flat leaf parsely, coarsely chopped



Heat half of the oil in a large saucepan; cook the lamb, in batches until browned. Remove from the pan. Add the remaining oil and heat. Add the vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally until they begin to soften. Return the lamb to the pan, along with the stock, water, barley and thyme. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, for 1 hour, covered. Add the potato and simmer for 20 minutes, uncovered, until tender. Add the cabbage and simmer for about 10 minutes longer, uncovered, or just until the cabbage is tender. Discard the thyme. Serve the stew ladled out into heated bowls and sprinkled with the parsley.

Note: if using the slow cooker, brown the meat and vegetables and then put them into the cooker along with the barley, hot stock and water and the herbs. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours. Add the potatoes and recover. Cook on high for 35 to 40 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook, uncovered on high for 10 to 15 minutes.

Finally I decided to try making some buttery toasted nuts in it. This is the time of year when these are really handy to have around. People will be dropping by off and on during the holidays which are coming up all too quickly and savoury nuts are a delicious little bite to serve along with a drink. (Next time I am going to try a sweet variety) As you can see they turned out fabulous in the Flavour Savour!



*Crock Pot Butter Roasted Pecans*
Makes 6 cups
Printable Recipe

Moreishly buttery and scrummy.

4 ounces butter, cut into pieces
1 1/2 pounds pecan halves
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Optional ingredients:
garlic powder
onion powder
dried herbs (savoury, basil, oregano)

Place the butter into a 4.5 litre slowcooker. Heat on high for about half an hour to melt the butter. Add the pecans and toss to coat with the butter. Cover and cook on high for 1/2 hour. Uncover and cook on high for another 2 1/2 hours, giving them a stir every 1/2 hour. (You want to keep an eye on them and stir them often so that they don't catch as you are cooking them on a high temperature.) At the end of that time they should be nicely roasted. Spread out onto a baking sheet and sprinkle with the sale and pepper, and any optional ingredients you wish to use. Give them a good stir together and allow to cool. Store in an airtight container.

All in all I am very pleased with this machine. It has a lovely round shape which fits well into my kitchen. The cord is of a nice length and also stores very easily in the base when you want to put it away. I love that the cooking pot and lid wash up beautifully in the dish washer. I love that I can brown and stew with it, as well as slow cookin on a low, medium or high temperature . . . and I just adored the keep warm function, which means that it will hold your food for a further 2 hours at a warm temperature without over cooking it.

I would give the Morphy Richards Flavour Savour Digital Slow Cooker a full 10 out of 10 points for ease, looks and functionality.

Many thanks to Chris and the Morphy Richards people for having afforded me the opportunity to put it through it's paces. I would highly recommend this machine to anyone, absolutely.



Over in The Cottage today, some delicious Maple Glazed Ham Steaks.

Smashed Roasted New Potatoes and a Giveaway Winner!

We have a lot of potatoes in our cold room now . . . all homegrown, three different varieties, and all of them small. The Toddster learned an important lesson this year on how to plant and care for potatoes. Unfortunately it is a lesson he learned the hard way, as we are now stuck with tons of baby potatoes to use up. Not so good for mashing I'm afraid . . . but great for salads, boiled and roasted like this!



These get all crispy on the outsides . . . and stay moreishly fluffy on the insides.



That final breaking open, cracks the skin so that some of that tasty fluff pours out and crunches up a bit in the final baking . . . with the help of a bit of Olive Oil.



A few flakes of sea salt . . . a good grinding of black pepper . . . and some fresh rosemary leaves . . . and you have tasty little bits fit for a king.



These even make good appetizers especially when you use the really tiny ones and serve them with a moreish dip . . . adjust the times accordingly as smaller ones won't need to bake as long.



We love 'em just as they are. It's a good thing too . . . as I forsee a lot of these tasty little babies in our future. ☺




*Smashed Roasted New Potatoes*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This is a great way to cook baby new potatoes. Crisp on the outsides and soft and fluffy inside.

16 small new potatoes, unpeeled
2 TBS light olive oil
a few sprigs fresh rosemary
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 230*C/450*F/ gas mark 8. Place a baking tray into the oven to heat.

Toss the potatoes together with 1 TBS of the oil to coat. Spread them out onto the hot baking tray. Roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven. Flip the potatoes over and then gently squash them down with the back of a large metal spoon. Strip the leaves from the rosemary sprigs and sprinkle over top along with some sea salt and black pepper. Drizzle with the remainder of the oil.

Return to the oven and bake for a further 10 minutes, until the potatoes are crispy and golden brown.



I hope you all remember this little Giveaway I posted before I went away on Holidays, and I hope you'll all forgive me for having taken overly long in picking a winner! I've been spending lots of time coddling the Toddster, and thankfully he is now starting to feel a lot better. Your patience in waiting has been rewarded however, as I am adding a Bero Baking Book to the Prize!



It's a tasty little book, chock full of good basic home type of baking recipes. I am sure it will go great with the Cook's Measure.

I don't know how to post it here, but I used one of those online number pickers and it picked the number 22. Suze, you are the winner. Please send me your postal details at mariealicejoan at aol dot com and I'll pop it off to you asap!

(Post Script) Alas I counted wrong, Janet is indeed number 22, so Janet you will also be getting a Cook's Measure. Two lucky winners!)

Thanks so much to all of you good sports who played along, and take heart . . . knowing me I'll be giving something else away sometime soon!!



In The Cottage today, Beans and Weiners Under Cornbread.

Zesty Honey and Lime Chicken Wings

Prepare to be bowled over. They might not be the prettiest things to look at, but these delicious Chicken wings are the best I've ever tasted! And that's NO exaggeration!!



I don't mind admitting I just love chicken wings. They are a rate treat as they are rather high in fat . . . but every once in a while I just can't help indulging myself.



Back home they have the most delicious ones at the Chinese Buffet at the mall . . . I could just eat a plateful of those and nothing else. Yes, I am a chicken wing glutton!!



Hot wings are pretty nice too . . . but I have a confession to make.
These wings here today are more delicious than all the rest put together!
I found a tasty sounding wing recipe in the Gooseberry Patch "Autumn in the Country" cookbook. Entitled Jen's Zesty Honey-Lime Wings they sounded really scrummy.



I took that basic recipe and I pimped it up a notch or two. I added some cayenne for a bit of heat and then I opted to double the sauce ingredients and then pour it over the fried wings and bake them in the oven until they are sticky and scrummily moreishly addictively fingerlickingly glazed to perfection!!



Your family will love you for these! You will become the most popular hostess with the mostess! Destined to mark you for life as the chickie poo with the bestest wings! (That doesn't sound too bad does it?)



*Zesty Honey and Lime Chicken Wings*
Makes about 3 dozen

These deliciously sticky, tangy and spicy wings will be gobbled up quick time. They're fabulous!

4 fluid ounces of runny honey (1/2 cup)
the juice and freshly grated zest of two limes
2 fat cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

For the wings:
3 pounds of chicken wings, tips discarded and cut
into two joints
2 ounces plain flour (1/2cup)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Cooking oil for frying

Whisk together the honey, lime juice and zest, garlic, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Set aside.

Place the flour and second amount of black pepper and salt into a plastic bag. Add the wings and shake well to coat completely.

Have ready a large baking sheet which you have lined with aluminum foil.

Fill a skillet to 1 inch depth with cooking oil. (I like to use sunflower oil.) Heat over medium high heat until hot. Add the wings in batches and cook until golden brown and the juices run clear, turning occasionally. When done place onto the baking sheet and repeat until all are done. Turn off the burner.

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Pour the honey mixture over top of the wings, turning to coat. Place into the heated oven and roast for about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven. Turn the wings over and then return to the oven and roast for another 5 minutes. They should be sticky glazed and beginning to crisp. (Do not allow to burn.)

Remove from the oven to a tray for serving. Pour any residue of the honey sauce over top. Pass the napkins!!



Cooking over in the Cottage today, a delicious Fresh Blueberry Pie!