Oatcakes with filling.

Posted on January 11, 2020January 11, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Camembert, Food, Life, Lunch, Mushrooms, Oatcakes, Staffordshire oatcakes, Stoke-on trent, Taking my mind off things, Tasty, TomatoesLeave a comment

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I thought I would try and lighten my mood by posting about food.

These oatcakes (like savoury pancakes but more oaty,) with a savoury filling.

Traditionally its bacon and cheddar cheese, but that can be too greasy. So I cooked cherry tomatoes and button mushrooms on the hob with a little olive oil. Then when they were cooked I added camembert so I ended up with a melted creamy sauce.

In the meantime I put the oatcakes under the grill and toasted them on both sides so that they were crispy. Then I poured the mixture onto the oatcakes and rolled them up. Result, hot and tasty lunch.

Sprouts

Posted on January 1, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Cooking, Dinner, Food, Plants, Sprouts, Tasty, Vegetables12 Comments

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Sprouts to go with this evenings meal. I cut the bases off then cut a cross in the bottom of them. I don’t know if that’s what other people do but it seems to let them cook better. I put them on to boil with water from the kettle for about 15 to 20 minutes. I don’t like them over cooked.

I don’t have them very often. Usually just around Christmas and New Year. They are a seasonal vegetable, a winter crop. Some people think they have too strong a flavour and fry them with bacon. I don’t mind them at all. Definitely one of my five a day.

Coffee

Posted on December 29, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Coffee, Decaff, Hot, Humour, Poem, Poetry, Tasty, Warm drinkLeave a comment

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Warm brown liquid,

from Coffee bean

roasted and ground.

Squashed into powder,

granulated and freeze dried,

or steaped in hot water

in a cafetiere

and poured

into a tiny cup or mug.

Releasing its caffeine,

Or on my case?

Not.

Decaff.

Bored.

Not allowed.

Staffordshire Oatcakes with blackberries and lemon mousse

Posted on December 10, 2019December 10, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blackberries, Dessert, Food, Honey, Lemon juice, Life, Recipe, Staffordshire, Staffordshire oatcakes, Stoke-on trent, Tasty2 Comments

It doesn’t look much but I wanted to use up some blackberries and I also wanted to get some vitamin C. I rolled up the blackberries in the Staffordshire Oatcakes. I added a sprinkle of sweetener that I cook with. Then I drizzled honey and lemon juice over the top and heated them in the microwave for a couple of minutes. Topped with half a tub of lemon mousse which needed using up. I’m used to Oatcakes with savoury fillings like cheese but these were sweet and tasty!

Minced pies

Posted on December 7, 2019December 7, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Christmas, Food, Fruit pie, Mince pie, minced fruit, Santa, Shortcrust pastry, Soaked in rum or brandy, Tasty2 Comments

Short crust pastry pies, filled with minced fruit with rains, currants, possibly orange or lemon peel, a bit of fat (originally suet, but now a bit of vegetable sauce). The fruit mixture can be soaked or souced in brandy or rum.

My favourites were the ones mum used to make. The pastry was rich and buttery, but it crumbled as you bit into it. Not to much filling, so there was a good balance to the flavour. Not to sweet. Then served cold with a cup of tea, or when we got a bit older, warmed through in the oven and served with a little glass of sherry.

In our house we would leave a sherry and a mince pie out for Santa, and carrots for the reindeer.

Now there are a plethora of boxes of six mince pies in the supermarket, with a choice of rich butter pastry, or with added alcohol, normal, or with pastry lattice tops. Jars of various types of mincemeat (the original pies apparently had some meat in them, now it’s a fruit mix) are for sale so you can back your own batches of them. We used to give them to Carol singers. Which was OK because we only used to get a few who called. Nice memories. I might make a big pie for my hubby.

Sausage and egg oatcakes.

Posted on November 28, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Food, Oatcakes, Savoury and sweet, Staffordshire oatcakes, Stoke-on trent, TastyLeave a comment

Tasty with a bit of brown sauce. Local delicacy, you can eat them with savoury and sweet fillings. Try them with jam and butter, or cheese and garlic.

I prefer them hot, but you can eat them cold, or how about with ice cream? You get one of your fibre five a day I think….

Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire food! Lacy and Tasty, floppy and crispy, however you like them.

Mega Giga meals

Posted on October 13, 2019October 13, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Evening meal, Food, Half size meal, Huge meal, Large portion size, Mega, Not impressed, Pub grub, Tasty, Too much4 Comments

This is not a criticism of a particular place and I have not used an image of a menu as it will be copyright.

But… We live in an age of excess for some and austerity for others.

I was looking for something I really liked on the menu and I spotted a mega meal of a full rack of pork ribs, a huge portion of chips, two corn on the cob and coleslaw and baked beans. But here is the but…. That is far too much for me. I could have shared with my hubby, but he doesn’t like ribs. So I thought I would ask for half of it. The mega meal was almost £16, so I hoped I could get something for £8. The answer? NO. But I said, there’s no way I can eat that. I want to eat less. Well, came back the answer, just eat what you want, or take the rest home for later!?

Huh, but I won’t eat it and I don’t want to take it home for later…..

Well we are sorry, but the half rack of ribs was taken off this menu….

I paused to think about this. Anyone without a huge appetite cannot have ribs, there is no other option. If you buy it then you are paying double the usual price. Its promoting greed and spending too much on a limited budget.

I had to choose something so I had a cheese burger in a brioche bun. It was adequate but dry, and the French fries were dry too. I smothered everything in ketchup and mayo to try and make it a bit more edible. I left half the bin, but I was not happy. I think they have lost a customer.

Made my own Tiramisu.

Posted on August 27, 2019August 27, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Dessert, Food, Ingredients, Recipe, Sweet, Sweetener, Tasty, Tiramisu?Leave a comment

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I decided I wanted to make my own Tiramisu with no sugar.

Ingredients :

5 or 6 tablespoon fuels amaretto liqueur,

1 small tub of mascapone cheese,

1 teaspoon of granulated sweetener – the sort you can cook with (sucralose type)

1 tablespoon of cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon of coffee powder.

Layered on top of bananas ( per person)

Method :

Chop the bananas into slices and put in bowls.

Put mascapone cheese in a seperate bowl, add 4 or 5 tablespoonfulls of amaretto liqueur. Drizzle half a tablespoon of it onto each bowl of bananas.

Stir the liqueur into the cheese then sprinkle the sweetener, the cocoa and the coffee into the mix. Stir in together.

Sprinkle a little cocoa over the bananas and place half the mascapone mix on each portion of bananas.

Sprinkle a little cocoa on top.

Serve

Hope this is OK, it’s totally made up, but I hope if you make it you enjoy it.

Trying to make Beetroot Hummus

Posted on August 11, 2019August 11, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Beetroot, Beetroot hummus, Bread, Cooking, Food, Garlic, Lime juice, Meal, Olive oil, Potato, Recipe, Tasty, Walnut halvesLeave a comment

Tried to make this from just a list of ingredients.

Beetroot, potato or brown bread, garlic, a little olive oil, walnuts, cider vinegar (I only had malt vinegar). You can substitute bread for potato.

Method.

I peeled the five Beetroot and two Potatoes , chopped them, put them in a pan to boil for half an hour.

Then I took four cloves of Garlic and crushed them in a pestle and mortar. Then crushed the Walnuts and mixed them with the garlic. I added a little olive oil to help.

Watch the Beetroot and Potato and when you can push a knife into them and they are soft, drain off the water.

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Allow the Beetroot and Potato to cool, then add the crushed Walnuts with the garlic. I had to add a bit more to improve the consistency. I also added the juice of half a lime to give it a kick. _20190811_224230

I mashed the Walnut and Garlic into the Beetroot mix.

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The final result, in a covered bowl in the fridge. _20190811_231423

Meal, jacket potato with coleslaw, chopped tomato, Beetroot hummus and sausages (apologies to vegetarians and vegans). I could have used a food blender, but decided its easier not to have to clean it and waste electricity.

Yesterday was Oatcake day.

Posted on August 10, 2019August 10, 2019 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Arthur Berry, Artist, Author, Breakfast, Food, Lunch, Oatcakes, Oats, Poem, Poetry, Tasty, TeaLeave a comment

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And I forgot! I don’t know if it’s the same day every year. Anyway I’ve written a little poem in its honour. The best Oatcake poem I ever read was by the artist Arthur Berry. Look it up if you can.

Oatcakes are a pancakes cousin,

designed for savoury

not sweet.

Try with cheese and tomato,

can be eaten cold,

but I prefer heat.

Chilli sauce would add a tickle,

beetroot would be neat.

Oatcakes are a breakfast tipple,

with a good strong cup of tea.

Lunch you find with salad topping

grated cheese and pickle too.

Tea for two an Oatcake feasting,

Maybe sweet with cream or jam.

Versatile the little Oatcake,

Made with simple love you see,

Stoke-on-Trents tortilla, tasty.

Makes a meal for you and me

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Tasty