Spinach and White Bean Soup
Spinach and White Bean Soup If you are looking for a meatless comfort soup, this recipe is for you. A favorite recipe of mine from my Spinach Collection, this is a delicious, mild soup that you can prepare in minutes. While I use chicken broth, if you want to make the soup vegetarian, use vegetable broth as a substitute. The combination of broth, beans and spinach is delicious on a cold night. You know they say chicken soup is good...
Three economical soup recipes from WW2
World War 2: Economical soup recipes Soup is surely one of the foods of the gods? A good, homemade soup is nutritious, inexpensive, easy to make and so very tasty. During the Second World War, soup was an essential part of the diet in Britain. It was warming and nourishing and the clever cook could create delicious soup-based meals despite rationing and food shortages. Today, we have a lot to learn from the frugal habits of wartime....
A Delicious Spinach Salad for a Healthy Brain
A Delicious Spinach Salad for a Healthy Brain If you are going to get back to healthy eating with the new year, here is a salad that will work in more ways than one. Most salads are good for you, as long as you control the dressing and some of the ingredients. But many salad veggies can be eaten in big quantities to fill you up without high calorie or fat content. This particular salad was first created for brain health. It contains...
Perfect English Roast Potatoes
Michael Caine’s recipe for perfect English roast potatoes Actor Michael Caine has been involved in several restaurant ventures But he also loves to cook. In his autobiography(see below) he doesn’t only give us stories from his fascinating life and career, he also passes on some of his favourite cooking tips. To make proper English roast potatoes, he says, the important thing is to choose the right variety. He strongly...
Making Homemade Bread the Easy Way: Using a Bread Machine
Easily make bread at home Since I suggested you try these cinnamon rolls for a Christmas morning treat, it seems only fair that I give you a little more information on my own favorite bread machine. Mine is the The Panasonic SD-YD250 Automatic YeastPro Bread Maker. It is fantastic! I received this long lasting machine as a Christmas gift a couple of years ago. I think I held out a long time. It was one of those appliances that I felt...
Mushrooms fried in the lightest batter you can imagine
The best battered mushroom recipe Is there really a healthier way of making battered and fried mushrooms? Indeed there is. Many of us try to avoid fried foods these days but these gorgeous mushrooms are a fairly guilt-free pleasure. They are fabulous to serve as a meat-free meal – try them with a fresh green salad, sliced tomatoes and a delicious wholewheat bread. They are a great idea as an appetiser too and if you are...
Brunswick Stew, the Recipe and the Controversy
Brunswick Stew, the Recipe and the Controversy Who would expect a simple stew to have a debate over its origination? If you know anything about Brunswick Stew, you are probably aware that it does. Virginia and Georgia each claim it was first prepared in their fine state in the 1800’s, but some think it began in the first Brunswick city of Braunschweig, Germany. It was also said to be a favorite of Queen Victoria which would also mean...
A Quick and Tasty Appetizer to Delight Your Guests
A Quick and Tasty Appetizer to Delight Your Guests Need another appetizer for your holiday event? Try this simple recipe for Marinated Mushrooms and Olives. It only takes minutes to prepare these bite sized taste treats. Whip them up at the last minute, or make them a day or two ahead for convenience. Warm or cold they have a wonderful flavor your family and guests will love. Since I first tasted them at a party more than thirty years...
Mushroom Wellington recipe
Mushroom Wellington – elegant & easy recipe Mushroom Wellington is an easy-to-prepare, meat-free version of the famous Beef Wellington. If you’re expecting guests who don’t eat meat then this is a lovely alternative but best of all, it’s quick and easy to make. Here’s what you need I’m not giving exact quantities here because it depends how many people you’re feeding. It also depends on...
Cheese & Garlic Bread Wreath
Festive Cheese Garlic Bread This is a lovely way to make a quick – and delightfully edible – centrepiece for a celebration meal. It’s simple to make and looks very impressive. Your guest will think you’ve spent ages preparing it. I cheat and use ready-made dough but if you make your own bread, so much the better. The ‘wreath’ can be decorated in so many ways to make it suitable for the occasion....
A Dinner to Impress Your Guests
A Dinner to Impress Your Guests Whether you are looking for a recipe for your family dinner tonight, or want an easy dish that presents beautifully to guests, Chicken Dijon with Snap Peas will be an excellent choice. Thinly slicked chicken breast, are sautéed quickly, served in a light sauce with fresh sugar snap peas and a tasty blend of mashed cauliflower and potatoes. It tastes wonderful. The recipe is easy. The chicken cooks...
In praise of toast: Plus three recipe ideas
Toast: The perfect snack or meal When I was growing up, I estimate that four or five days a week, we had something-on-toast for tea. We also had toast for breakfast, either with jam or marmalade, or even toasted bread soldiers (see above) to dip into our boiled eggs. And of course, what better treat on Sunday afternoons that hot buttered toast? Toast had – and still has, many advantages.It’s cheap, quick to make and...
Recipe: Spicy onion fritters
The secret batter for onion fritters Does your cholesterol level give a quiet lurch at the very thought of battered onion fritters? Well here’s a lovely recipe for onion fritters that really is much lighter – and actually much more tasty than anything similar you’ve ever tried before. They are truly delicious. Here you see them served with a simple salad – tomato, spring onions, a little coriander and a...
Three Easy Spinach Sautes
Three Easy Spinach Sautes You may have seen my recipe for Spinach Pita Pizzas and my other favorite, Spinach Mushroom Pasta. Like I said, I am crazy about spinach. It adds to anything, so I have found, though I still haven’t tried it in a dessert. Sometimes I am just hungry for the spinach itself. In winter especially, something hot tastes good for lunch and dinner. I tend to eat less salads then because I’m craving warmth. That’s...
Spinach Mushroom Pasta
Spinach Mushroom Pasta You can’t go wrong with this dish or these ingredients. Three of my favorites tastes, combined in with garlic, onion and olive oil for a tasty and filling dish. Spinach has become a passion of mine. I enjoy seeing how many ways I can prepare it or add it to various meals I cook. Happily, it goes in nearly anything from pasta, to burgers. This recipe makes a low calories meal considering the pasta. An entire...
Quick Food for the Single Man
Quick Food for the Single Man Well I don’t know about you, but as a single guy I feel underrepresented in the recipe world. Sure there’s tons of glossy books that claim to cater for the single, but it isn’t the kind of food a single guy pieces together when he’s hungry in the real world. Make no mistake – if Gordon Ramsey didn’t have a wife and family to impress, he’d be knocking up beans on...
Eating out when you follow a special diet
Vegetarian, gluten-free, low-fat? Eating out on a special diet It sometimes seems to me that everyone these days has an eating plan that differs from the regular diet. But what is the regular diet? As we become more knowledgeable about nutrition, and with the wealth of information that’s available to us, it’s hardly surprising that so many of us have decided to adjust our diets to maximise our health. This can making...
Two favourite veggie salads
Two favorite salads: Seven Layer & Italian Pasta Two of my favorite veggie salads to make is a Seven Layer Salad and a Zesty Italian Pasta Salad. Both of these salads can be made the night before then chilled for serving the next day. With each salad you can substitute veggies in or out of what you like or don’t like. Here’s how I make them: Let’s get it layered! You start with lettuce in the bottom then you layer celery,...
Spinach Plus Pita for a Gourmet Pizza
SPINACH plus PITA for a gourmet PIZZA Quick and easy have become the two key words I use when making dinner lately. With so many things on the to do lists, cooking has become a lower priority. Still, the goal is to eat healthier. That’s how this recipe came about. Spinach is considered on of the top foods to eat for a healthy brain. It’s packed with vitamins and nutrients that are good for the entire body. This leafy green vegetable...
Raspberry Scones with White Chocolate
Scones are a favorite of mine for breakfast or brunch. The seem mildly sweet which makes them lighter in my mind. They are wonderful plain served with jam, or with a variety of additions that might include fresh fruit, dried fruit, nuts, spices, pumpkin and even chocolate chips. I’m constantly searching for the perfect scone recipe. Once I found a recipe I loved it look a lot of sampling before I could narrow down my favorite...
Frosted Cherry Squares
At your next party, you will want to include these Frosted Cherry Squares as one of your dessert options. Whether you need a pretty dish to serve at your event, or simply want something to please your family, these are sure to satisfy. These bar like treats are contest winners as well as one of my most requested recipes. If you don’t like cherries, you could try it with apple or lemon pie filling instead. It is an fast recipe to mix...
Wakes Cakes
Wakes Cakes The origins of Wakes Cakes dates back to the 7th century. Wakes days (and later weeks) in Britain were periods of localised celebration in honour of a patron saint of a particular church or parish. It was traditional to keep watch, or ‘wake’, in church on the eve of the dedication day, but over time the wake became an evening of feasting, often in the church-yard. This gradually degenerated into drunkenness and...
Yorkshire Cooking: Sly Cakes
Sly Cakes. Sly Cakes originated in the North of England, probably early in the 19th century, and is likely to be a regional variation on Eccles Cakes, which were sold commercially in the Manchester area from 1793. Sly Cakes have a pastry surround with an inner core of dried fruits and nuts. It is baked in a rectangle brick-like shape, then cut into squares when cold. It can still be found made in the Northern English counties of...
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