Favourite Recipe Friday - Lemonade

My gran bless her always gives me random bits of fruit, mostly because she's bought them on offer and can't use them.

Usually lemons, so I tend to make them into lemonade or use them in lemon drizzle cake.

Today is about lemonade a perfect addition to the jubilee celebrations.

Ingredients:

2 Medium/Large Lemons (juiced roughly 120ml and one long strip of zest, no pith)
75g Caster Sugar
510ml Cold Sparkling Water

Method:

Place the sugar in a pan with three tablespoons of water and the lemon zest.

Heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved and it is bubbling slightly, let simmer for a minute for the lemon to infuse the syrup.

Add the lemon juice and bring to the boil, let it simmer for two minutes.

Pour into your desired serving jug and leave to cool, cover with a tea towel (stops any flies).

Once cooled add the sparkling water to the lemon mix.

Serve over ice and enjoy.

Perfect for picnics too, or if you just need to use up some lemons!

Favourite Recipe Friday - Sunken Chocolate Dessert Cakes

If I haven't catered for pudding and one is called for this is my go to dessert, all of the ingredients are in my cupboards or fridge, it looks impressive and is super tasty with a spoon of ice cream.

Ingredients: Serves 4

125g Unsalted Butter
150 Dark Chocolate
3 Eggs
30g Plain Flour
115g Caster Sugar
Some extra butter and sugar for the ramekins

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180c. Melt the extra butter and grease four ramekins, coat lightly with the extra sugar to stop it sticking to the ramekin (Tip: I place a teaspoon of sugar in and shake with my hand covering the ramekin, it usually covers the whole of the inside and just tip any excess out).

Put the chocolate and butter in a small heatproof bowl and melt, either over a saucepan of hot water or in the microwave and leave to cool slightly.

 

Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a bowl using electric beaters until the mixture is pale in colour and thick.

Sift the flour into the egg mixture, then whisk in the flour.  

Once combined whisk in the melted chocolate and butter mixture until everything is mixed together.

 

 

Divide the batter among the prepared ramekins and place on a baking tray.

Bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until set and firm to touch. Allow cakes to cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto plates. If they don't want to come out then run a knife round the edge of the ramekin to loosen. Or if you prefer you could serve in the ramekins themselves but as long as you have greased and sugared them up enough they should be fine!

 

Serve warm with ice cream and enjoy!

Favourite Recipe Friday - Cupcakes

So in the past few months I must have made a batch of cupcakes every few weeks and so I thought it only appropriate this be my favourite recipe this week.

I use an all in one method, it is simple and easy and my son loves helping to measure out the ingredients and set the cases out into the tins.

The key is to make sure everything is at room temperature, I keep my eggs in the fridge as we don't have space anywhere else so always get them out a few hours before.

Ingredients:

100g Self Raising Flour
100g Caster Sugar (I always use caster sugar in my baking as it makes for fluffier cakes!)
100g Stork Margarine (I always use Stork as it makes them super fluffy too!)
2 x Eggs (I use large but medium are fine)

Method:

Place all of the ingredients in a food mixer/processor and blitz until smooth, you may need stop and scrape the sides using a spatula and then spin again to mix in.

Once it has reached a smooth consistency, spoon into your cake cases, this mix usually does about 14-16 but it depends on your cake case size.

Bake in a 160c oven for 15 minutes or until the cakes are a nice golden colour and spongy to the touch, you can also poke a skewer into the middle and it should come out clean.

 

Once cooled, decorate as required. Our favourite is some yummy butter cream and sprinkles, you can go mad with different colours, tastes and themes :)

Favourite Recipe Friday and Recipe Book Competition - Slow Cooked Shredded Barbeque Beef

Today's favourite recipe is not an old one but in the last few weeks we have had it three times after buying some brisket on offer at the local farm shop!

It is super tasty and really easy and can be served in so many ways...we had it with roasted herby new potatoes and peas one day and pittas and salad another.

In the recipe I substituted the chilli with two teaspoons of chilli flakes so I didn't have to buy chilli's just for this recipe, but if you have them great.

You don't need a slow cooker for this either, although it is perfect if you have as you just bung it all in the cooker in the morning and serve in the evening.

http://www.channel4.com/4food/recipes/popular-dishes/slow-cooker/slow-cooked-shredded-barbecue-beef-recipe

Also on today's Favourite Recipe Friday I have a recipe book to giveaway to one lucky person, all you have to do is enter via the Rafflecopter form below to win this fab book containing loads of simple, easy and classic recipes.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Favourite Recipe Friday - Chocolate Easter Cake

So the recipe for this cake is by the fabulous Nigella Lawson, since I saw this cake in a magazine about 5 years ago I have been making it every Easter since.

It is sweet but sooo yummy, the sour cream is a nice addition to the cake and for me the icing is one of the best I have ever made! Not only is the icing easy to make but very easy to spread too!

Other than what I adorn it with nothing has changed from this recipe which you can find here http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/old-fashioned-chocolate-cake-119

It really is a super tasty cake and if you are looking for something to bring to the table this Easter then I can highly recommend giving it a try.

It also makes a great birthday cake and is my go to cake when I need something special, I have even taken this to a pudding party and it went down a storm!

Favourite Recipe Friday - Super Easy Flapjacks

I love baking with my son and after a total fail of a flapjack recipe several months back I happened upon this one, it is super easy and the result is a scrummy flapjack. It has fast become a favourite with both my children wolfing it down as an afternoon snack.

Ingredients:

300g Porridge Oats
6 tablespoons Golden Syrup
200g Unsalted Butter

Method:

1. Grease a rectangular tin (about 20cm x 25cm) and line the base with baking parchment.

2. Place the golden syrup and butter into a saucepan and heat gently until all the butter has melted into the syrup. It is better to use heaped tablespoons of the syrup and have a little too much, they are better gooey than crumbly.

3. Tip the oats into a large mixing bowl with a pinch of salt, pour over the syrup/butter mixture and stir until all of the ingredients are combined and the oats are evenly coated.

4. Once you have mixed the oats and syrup/butter mixture together tip into the greased baking tray and flatten out with a spatula so it as evenly spread as possible.

5. Place in the oven at about 180c/Gas 4 for 25 minutes or until it is a nice golden brown colour (you can remove from the oven whilst it is still slightly soft as it will harden when it cools).

6. Take out of the oven and place on a cooling rack, cut into squares whilst they are still warm as they will be difficult to cut once cooled and they have gone hard.  Once cool remove from the tin.

7. I drizzle some melted chocolate on top but you don't have too, there are so many things you can add to flapjacks. A few ideas are dessicated coconut, raisins, mixed seeds or even cherries.

Once the chocolate has hardened you can serve with a nice cup of tea.

Favourite Recipe Friday - Merguez with Halloumi and Flame Roasted Peppers

This recipe is one of my all time favourite and super simple dishes, I first saw it on an episode of Nigella and then when I got the book I was even more determined to make it.

Super simple ingredients that be in your store cupboard

It was the one meal I had all prepared for after my son was born as it could all be kept in the fridge or freezer for weeks and it was simple enough that my husband could put it in the oven.

The tastes are amazing and I had never heard of Merguez let alone had them before this recipe, now it is one of our staple sausages for pasta dishes, BBQs and this dish.

I don't feel I need to write the recipe up as I haven't changed it from Nigella's and the whole point of  Favourite Recipe Friday is sharing recipes you have tried and tested not necessary that you created.

Merguez sausgaes are very tasty but chorizo style would do also.

You can find the recipe here http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-express/merguez-with-halloumi-and-flame-roasted-peppers-recipe/index.html

 

Please feel free to add your favourite recipe below and if you want to use our badge above then you can find the details on our Favourite Recipe Friday page.

Favourite Recipe Friday - Meringues

We often have a spaghetti carbonara and with the left over egg whites I always make meringues.

I remember my mum trying to make them when I was younger but she never quite seemed to get them right and home made ones are just so much yummier than the overly white ones you get in a supermarket.

I always use golden caster sugar as they turn out a gorgeous golden colour and super sticky in the middle, they are then perfect for making into Eton Mess.

Ingredients:

I use one egg white to 2oz of sugar so in this recipe I used:
2 medium egg whites
4oz golden caster sugar

Method:

1. If you have kept the egg whites in the fridge then take out and leave to warm to room temperature, they always fluff up more if they are warm.

If you are keeping them in the fridge then take out to warm to room temp

2. Whisk the egg whites with a hand whisk until they are fluffy like cotton wool.

3. Add the sugar a bit at a time and keep whisking until the mixture forms stiff peaks.

When you lift the whisks up it should form stiff peaks

4. I always add a little meringue to the baking tray before placing the paper on top as it stops the paper from lifting up.

Dab a little meringue on the tray before placing the paper on

5. Spoon the meringue mix onto the tray and pop in the oven on 110c for 2 hours

6. Once cooked remove from the oven and leave to cool and voila, gorgeous sticky in the middle meringues.

Like I said before you can serve as part of an eton mess or my favourite just with cream!

Favourite Recipe Friday - Roast Lamb Shoulder with Caper & Mint Gravy

I have gone on about this several times, I love lamb it is so flavoursome and I very rarely have a bad piece of it.

If cooked slowly it should fall apart and taste divine, perfect for children as well as it is melt in the mouth and easy to eat.

I have cooked this recipe so many times now I know it off by heart and it is probably my most favourite roast.

The recipe is simple and I haven't needed to change it so am just going to link to it today it is by one of my favourite chefs Mr Jamie Oliver, I love how enthusiastic he is about food.

The great thing about this dish is it looks as good when it goes in the oven...

as when it comes out of the oven...

I normally serve as a roast dinner but the smashed veg that Jamie serves it with sounds lovely too.

The gravy without a doubt is the best I have ever tasted, I don't normally drink gravy but if there was ever any left over I think I could with this.

Favourite Recipe Friday - Vanilla Biscuits

I love these biscuits they are super easy, tasty and my son loves to help make them!

Ingredients:

150g unsalted butter cut into small pieces
225g plain flour
125g caster sugar
1tsp vanilla essence
3-5 tablespoons of milk

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180c. Lightly grease a large baking sheet (or if you'd prefer you can line a tray with baking parchment).

2. Sieve the flour into a large bowl, add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs (if you want to save time you can blitz together in a food processor).

3. Stir in the caster sugar and vanilla essence and then add a tablespoon of milk at a time and mix together until it forms a firm dough (if you need a little more milk just add a bit at a time or if you add too much add a little more flour).

4. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface to a thickness of 2.5cm/1inch. Stamp out with your desired shape, this would be perfect for valentines day if you had a heart shape but we used a new dinosaur cookie cutter we got for Christmas and stars.

5. Arrange the shapes onto the prepared baking tray.

6. Put in the oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes or until they are a light golden brown. Once cooked transfer to a cooling rack and leave to cool. Add decoration or just simply sprinkle with sugar before serving.

Perfect with a cuppa on a cold afternoon!