The Butcher, the Baker and the Candlestick Maker.

Brrrrrrr!  It is very chilly.  I have just read the weather forecasters are predicting a White Christmas.  Ooooh, I hope so.  Next week we are set for Arctic conditions that are predicted to last until the New Year.  We will see.  It will make a change from the terrible floods we have seen again in the UK over the last few weeks.  There were floods in Worcestershire, the county I live in, but personally I have not been affected by floods.  A work mate could not make the journey to work and the village my brother lives in regularly has it's bridge closed due to floods.  The only problem I have had is a very soggy back garden.  It has been like a sponge.  Each morning I have had to squelch squirch my way up to the chicken coop.  Out they run.  These chickens are happy to be alive whatever the weather.
              'Lavender' is over her broody month and I am very happy to report she is back to her usual self.  She is singing her pretty song again and bossing everyone around in the garden, chasing off the pigeons, magpies and blackbirds.  She seems to be good pals with 'Rosie' which is nice.  The two of them seem to be spending increasing amounts of time together.  Rosie was lowest in the pecking order and the most attention needy where I was concerned.  She is the one that likes to jump on me and climb onto my shoulder.  I am only getting two eggs a day as Lavender has not resumed laying and somebody is laying an egg a day but the shell is so thin it is always broken.  I have tried supplements and additions to the water but it has not helped.  The egg itself is fine, but I cannot get them to the house without breaking them.  I think it is indicating all is not as it should be with 'someone' I do not know who and as they all run around happily hoppitty skipping I am trying not to worry to much.
               I gave Henry and his friend a lift to work this morning.  Well, what is left of Henry:

This is Henry's hair 'Donation' for The Little Princess Trust.  He has raised in the region of £400 now for the charity which is really fantastic.  I am sad to see this hair go and would have liked to have done a weaving project with it.  Four days after having his first haircut in years Henry went for another haircut!  This made me chuckle.  He appears to be constantly preening and fussing over his hair now!  He likes it 'just so'.  This haircut has been quite a shock and the poor lad does not quite feel like 'himself' at the moment.  I am sure he will get used to it soon.
              Euan has been nagging me for months to use our 'Candle Making Kits'.  Today was the day.  He took all of the following 'Candle Making' photographs apart from the one of himself.

My Aunt gave me this kit for my birthday this year.

I bought this kit from a charity shop for £1.

We got out aprons on and got a serious look on our faces, ready to set about this important business.  I think my son could get a job in security or as a door man!  Would you cross this fella?. . . I know I try not to!

We dutifully followed the instructions and covered everywhere with newspaper and then we set about identifying the contents of the boxes.  I had to nag Euan a bit to read the instructions for himself.

We were both a little amused by this rubber mould. . . well I am the mother of two sons after all.  Say no more.

Euan manages to get Messy shots of the kitchen.  I bought the smaller of these two saucepans from a Car Boot Sale a couple of weeks ago.  It cost £1.50 and I got it specifically as the 'Candle Making Pan'.  It worked well as you heat the wax over a pan of boiling water.  We decided to go 'Advanced Candle Making' and add essential oils.  We made purple 'Lavender Candles' and Red 'Ylang Ylang and Cedarwood Candles'.

We liked the adding colours part.

We prepared the moulds with the candle wicks and poured in the molten wax.  Then we left the candles in the garden for hours to set.  Euan has decided a 'Lucky' recipient for each candle.  He will give them as Christmas gifts.

I am itching to have another try now.
           While we tried to wait patiently for our candles to set we did some baking.  I made some bread rolls to eat with Homemade Pea and Ham Soup for dinner.  We are determined to keep out the cold.  Euan made our favourite 'Cookie Recipe' of the moment.  He did a great job making 'Smartie Cookies'.  We used this 'Nigella Lawson' recipe Here.  They are a bit too quick and easy to make.  Euan managed it by himself.  I did the oven part.  They made the house smell lovely and were a welcome tea break.  Euan prefers 'warm cookies' with his cup of tea.  I however am not fussy. . . a cookie is a cookie is a cookie.  Eeeek cookies, Christmas and Weight Watchers do not mix very well do they?

 You would have to have a will of iron to resist one of these little beauties.  We have some wrapped and ready for Henry and his friend when we collect them from work.  He works hard and struggles to get a 20 minute break during the whole day.  So I am sure these cookies made with brotherly love will go down well. I feel like we have had a productive day at home.  The kitchen looks like a bomb has hit it!  I hope you are having a great weekend.
XXX

Pi Day? Pi Day? - Why didn't any one tell me?

This is Larry Shaw 'The Prince of Pi'

Here I know all about Pi Day.I did not know March the 14th was officially Pi Day.  I did not know there was a 'Prince of Pi'.  Now I have read Wikepedia a whole new world has been opened up to me.  Ha! 'A Prince of Pi', well doesn't he sound like my type of guy?  I thought he looked rather cool too, until I found out he was into numbers in a big way!  People who are into numbers scare me!  People who put numbers on their Pie scare me even more.  I prefer cream on my pie not numbers!  

Larry Shaw the founder of Pi Day looking very happy in his funky knitted hat

'Friday Pie Day' has had to be moved forward to today in honour of 'Pi Day'.  I have very nearly missed it too!  You are supposed to celebrate this official holiday with pie eating and discussing 'Pi'.  I cannot find anyone interested so I have had to tell you about it instead.  Then I have let Wikipedia do the explaining because quite frankly I never understood 'Pi' at school, I switched off altogether.  The only Pi I liked in school was in the canteen, a bit of 'Cheese and Potato Pie with Chips and Gravy' in the good old days before health fads when nobody cared if kids ate chips and gravy every day!  Happy Days.
              My Pi Day Pie is . . . . as promised. . . drum roll please. . . my first ever. . .

Blueberry Pie 'Tah da!'

 I really thought you would be hard pushed to make a tastier Pie than Cherry or Apple, but my word, Blueberry Pie, made with fresh Blueberries is the 'Mother of All Pies'.

I used shortcrust Pastry
300g of blueberries covered with water and bought to the boil.
I added 50g of sugar and a paste made with 25g of Corn flour and water.
This made a thick and quick pie filling.  I only cooked the blueberries for about three minutes.  Then you bake your Pie for as long as you can wait, or until it is golden.
Then you have to serve it with about a pint of cream!

Like this!  If you eat it in the dark on your own the calories do not count, because nobody knows you have had it!

What Larry Shaw has done for Pi and Pi Day, my lad could do for 'Squirty Cream' he had a bit of pie with his!  Larry will not mind if you celebrate Pi Day late, nor will I.  XXX  Happy Pi Day, but only just!
Go eat pie!

Pi Pie
www.geek.com

Pie Day Friday ( Better late than never) Bacon and Egg Pie

Yeah!  Wooo hooo!  It's Monday, my favourite day of the week.  Bah!  Who am I trying to kid?  I can't help it if I just like being at home too much.  I am fine once I get to work but I am even better on a Wednesday afternoon when I have finished for the week.  I used to work full time, but I felt like I was not doing a great job or being a great Mom.  Work/life balance is much much better now I work part time.  I do not take the situation for granted.  Every week I am grateful that I can 'come up for air' and do a couple of school runs myself.  The dog is also very happy when I am home, so is the budgie and the chickens!  We all prefer Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
          I wasn't late with Pie Day Friday, I am just late with this post.  I saw this Bacon and Egg Pie Recipe over at Lavender and Lovage last week.  I have never tried one.  The photographs over at Lavender and Lovage put my pie to shame.  I did bake it between 7am and 7.30am though in quite a rush.

 I also used my trusty enamel pie plate rather than a pie dish so this has turned out rather flat.  Not to worry it tasted great hot or cold.  I think it would make another good picnic pie too.  I am getting rather slap dash with these pies and should slow down a bit and take more care with the presentation.  I am not winning the sweet or savory pie 'battle' either, if it is not sweet, they are not interested in this house.  Blueberry Pie is on my list of Pies to make. . .I am sure that will be popular.
Hope You have a Happy Monday X

'Cherry Pie' Day Friday and Hooray it is National Chip Week!

This Pie is proof that beauty is skin deep.  It pie may not be the most beautiful of pies on the outside, but, oh my!  On the inside it is full of juicy, cherry lovliness.   Now this is what I am talking about. . . . this is what Pie Day Fridays are made for.

This pie was far far more popular than Pilchard Pie.  Cherry Pie with a bit of Squirty Cream, what more could you ask for?. . . Well yeah . . . ok. . . .  maybe a nice bit of clotted cream, or double cream or ice cream.  The boys deserved a Cherry Pie before they became 'Pie Phobic'.

Ingredients
Shortcrust Pastry
2 jars of Dark Cherries in Syrup (470g jars)
20g of cornflour
30 mls of water
25 g sugar
egg and milk beaten together to glaze the pie.

Method
Strain the syrup from the cherries and place in a pan.  Warm the pan of syrup, until it reaches a slow simmer.  Add the sugar and stir.  Mix the cornflour with the water and add it to the syrup, simmer and stir for a couple of minutes until the syrup has thickened.  Gently stir the cherries into the syrup and let it cool.  Line your pie dish with pastry.  Put the cherries in the pie and top with a pastry lid.  Brush the lid with a mixture of beaten egg and milk.
Bake in a medium to hot oven for 30 - 40 minutes until the pie is golden brown and shouting 'Eat Me!' when you look at it!

Your comments on yesterdays post made me laugh, yep I was/ am happy, sunshine and Spring flowers are meant to do that!  I also discovered wisdom in my Doormat. . . . If you are going to be a doormat . . . there is nothing to stop you being a glam, happy doormat.  Hoorah for doormats everywhere.  Love your doormat today!  I think National Doormat Day would be good, the one day where you pay homage to trusty old doormats, a bit like 'Mothers Day'.  Talking of National Days...my day got even happier when I discovered Here at Lavender and Lovage it is National Chip Week!  Blimey life is so bright you gotta wear shades!  Pancake day and National Chip Week in the same week.  If National Chip Week has passed you by so far, the great news is you still have time to catch up.  Chips chips chips!  Eat as many as you can!  Chip Butty for lunch and Egg and chips for tea!  Now that is fine dining!   Pop over to Lavender and Lovage for fascinating chip facts and a new spin on the humble chip 'Crispy Squashed Chips'  I am definitely crisping and squashing my chips from now on.
Happy Pie Day Friday Folks. . . hope you are all having a good one.  X 

Pie 'In the Sky' Day Friday

There won't be a pie today in this house.  My 'One Woman Decluttering Mission' is to blame.  More of that after the 'Pie' which is actually Quiche.  I made this last week.  It is a very simple and tasty 'Leek Quiche'.  Very few ingredients but a very tasty 'pie'.   Quiche is not appreciated by my brood but it is appreciated by my parents so I had half and they had half.
 
Leek Quiche:
Ingredients:
Shortcrust Pastry Base (blind baked)
Filling:
1 Leek finely chopped
1 Onion finely chopped
Butter for frying
150g strong Cheddar cheese, grated.
2 eggs (From your bestest Chickie Friends)
100ml milk

Method:
Gently fry the onion and leek gently in butter, until they are soft but not coloured.  Spread over the base of the quiche.  Sprinkle with the grated cheese.  Beat the eggs with the milk.  Pour the eggs and milk over the quiche filling.  Cook in a medium/hot oven for 20-30 minutes until it golden brown on top.   Enjoy.

I feel I must take this opportunity to update you with my 'One Woman Mission' to Declutter the house.  It certainly cures your insomnia!  Not that I had insomnia, but I did have to have an early night, which has meant this morning I was awake before the Sun had put his hat on and before the birds!  Yesterday I achieved what I set out to do, declutter my room and make trips to the tip and the Charity Shop.

I made a list using a tally chart of what I manged to declutter.  There were 71 items for the chartity shop.

13 tops/shirts/jumpers
5 T shirts
3 pairs of children's trousers
3 Cardigans
25 books
14 magazines
1 Toiletry set
3 bottles of Body Lotion
2 preschool games
1 video
1 blank audio cassette

71 items to the Charity Shop!  I have a bit of a thing for round numbers...so today I may look for another 29 things, then that will make a nice round 100.  Which sounds fantastic.  I must have got rid of over 100 items but some of it went to the 'Tip' so sadly destined for landfill.  This included:

Very old clothes
2 Dead Vacuums (It is a long story!)
Old work files
Floppy Disks
A black sack of general junk

I also recycled a big box of paper.  I rediscovered parts of my bedroom carpet!  I have also found some lost treasures, including a favourite crochet hook and bookmark.  I actually found cash!  I also found coupons £15 and saving stamps £30 (of course you have to be disorganised enough in the first place to lose them)!  It was good to be reunited!  It was like finding a fiver in your old coat pocket!  All was going well and I was feeling rather smug.  Euan has been very complementary about my efforts and has been and had another look today and consolidated his praise!  Yes that's right all was going well....  I had three loads of washing to do last night.  I put the first load in my trusty old tumble dryer...it is older than my oldest son so that makes it about 17 years old...well its given up the ghost!  Hasta la vista Baby!  It will be destined for landfill ASAP!  I did not wish to declutter large electrical appliances!  Today I will have to go and find a new one.  It puts the stoppers on my 'One Woman Mission' to Declutter, it interferes with 'Pie Making' and it makes a mockery of delusions of imminent 'Tah Dah!' crochet moments.

Pie Day Friday - Another Under Rated Pie To Try

"QUALITY CANNED FISH FOR OVER 50 YEARS. CONTAINS OMEGA 3. GLENRYCK PILCHARDS are of the finest quality and freshly caught from the ocean for canning. "In value for money, GLENRYCK PILCHARDS provide more first-class protein than does beef steak." GLENRYCK PILCHARDS contains more calcium than cow's milk. A serving of GLENRYCK PILCHARDS can provide 33% of the "Recommended Daily Intake". (One can contains four servings). "Omega-3 fatty acids naturally found in GLENRYCK Pilchards add to the dietary value of a good, hearty meal". Allergy Advice Free From Additives, Free From Artificial Preservatives Ingredients South Atlantic Pilchards (64%), Tomato juice from concentrate (34.7%), Salt, Modified Maize Starch, Thickener - Guar Gum, Spices" 
(Taken from the Information on the can).

Sounds like good stuff to me.  Not to anyone else in the house though.  I am continuing with my plight to work my way through our 'Store Cupboards' and the Freezer.  If I get on my hands and knees and feel about in the back of the cupboard, I am coming across all sorts of things like these Pilchards.  It is a shame to throw food away if it is edible.  As a child I can remember eating Pilchard Sandwiches, Pilchard and Tomato Sandwiches, Pilchards on Toast and once a delicious Pilchard Pie made by my Uncle.  Uncle Keith whose name was Dave was my dads older brother.  There was a lot of that in those days wasn't there?  Jack who was Reginald, Nancy who was Kathleen, Bill who was James, I have never really understood how that happens.  Uncle Keith went back to being called Dave after about thirty years, but I never got the hang of it, he was always Uncle Keith to me.  He sticks out in my memory for many things, he was an ex Paratrooper and suffered with a very bad back.  He told me 'You are not safe unless your feet are on the ground!'  That makes perfect sense to me.   He had four children and I think home cooked nutritious meals that did not break the bank were crucial to many families.  I can remember a very tasty Pilchard Pie that he bought to our house for my Dad.  Pilchards seem like a 'super' food to me if you read their nutritional resume.  My sons would rather go hungry than eat a pilchard though!  Not for all the tea in China would they eat a Pilchard.  I am on my own again with this Pie.  I am really getting the hang of this 'Pie Making' lark and can rustle one up in about ten minutes, I used to think pies were tricky but like anything the more you make them the easier it gets.


Ingredients
2 x 150g Cans of Pilchards in Tomato Sauce
1 tablespoon of Olive Oil
1 Large Onion Peeled and finely chopped
1 small yellow pepper finely diced
1 small red pepper finely diced
1 small green pepper finely diced
1 tablespoon of tomato ketchup
A Jolly good squeeze of lemon juice
Salt and pepper


Method
Line a pie dish with shortcrust pastry and roll out the top of the pie crust.
Fry the vegetables in olive oil until they are tender.  Mix all the ingredients together well and season well to taste.
Put the pie filling in to the pie and place the pastry lid on.  I liked decorating the top of my pie with two little smiley fish, with little swishy tails and scales and everything!  Ok I had a bit too much fun making little fishies to decorate the pie.

Bake in a medium to hot oven until it is golden.
Serving suggestions:
This pie is tasty hot served with New potatoes and green vegetables such as peas or beans or it is also delicious served cold with a salad.

Late 'Pie Day Friday' Post - Banoffee Pie

Pie Day Friday has been lacking support in this house.  I have been informed 'Pudding Pies' are still acceptable.  I have never made a Banoffee Pie before.  I don't like the idea of making the caramel, I worry it will burn in the pan or explode in the tin.  Seriously I know what I am like.  So when I saw this:

I knew there was no excuse.  There really is no 'Cooking' as such with this pie, it is more a case of assembling.  It appears to be a favourite in this house.  I used a classic crushed biscuit and butter base in a flan dish.  Plonked the canned caramel on top.  Topped the caramel with slices of banana and topped the banana with cream.

What this pie lacks in presentation and technical skill, it sure made up for in taste.  

Pie Day Friday - Cheese, Potato and Onion Pie Mmmmm

I like the left over pastry snacks on Pie Day Friday sometimes more than I like the pie.  These are Cheese and Marmite Pinwheels.  (The little Bart Simpson plate says 'I do what I want, when I want!'  Very apt!)  I topped the Pin Wheels with a three seed mix and they were delicious baked.  Enthusiasm is certainly dwindling for 'Pie' in this house.  My brood are fussy little 'so and so's'!    I took it upon myself to consume almost the entire 'Cheese, Potato and Onion Pie' single handed, it does keep for at least three days well!  It is also delicious cold.  I love the simple combination of cheese, potato and onion. It's a good job too when you are eating it for breakfast, dinner and tea, for three days!)  I am amazed three simple ingredients can make such a delicious flavour.  Obviously I am on my own in that opinion in this house. They thought that it was an 'Apple Pie' and never got over the shock or disappointment.

I made a batch of Shortcrust Pastry.
Ingredients for the Filling:
200g of Grated Strong Cheddar
2 Onions peeled and Finely sliced
3 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
200ml cream
1 egg

Method
Line a pie plate with half of the pastry.  Layer the base with the potatoes, onion and cheese.  Beat the cream and egg together and pour it carefully over the filling, reserve a tablespoon of this mixture to brush on the lid of the pie before baking.  Put the Pastry lid on the pie.  Brush with remaining egg and cream mixture.  Bake in a medium oven for 45 minutes.  Voila, one magic pie, made from very simple ingredients.

I am sure these boys would eat my Pie!  They don't look fussy!

Hope you are all set for a relaxing weekend.  X 

Tea Time Treats - January 2012

This months 'Teatime Treats Blogging Challenge' theme over at Lavender and Lovage is sweet pastries and breads.   'The Tea-time Treats Blogging challenge' is hosted on alternate months by Kate at What Kate Baked and Karen at Lavender and Lovage.  Any one can enter and at the end of the month there is a 'Showcase' round up of everyone's delicious contributions and ideas.  I will be entering  'Cinnamon Rolls' this month.  I have blogged about these beauties twice before Here and Here.  If you haven't made them yet, I strongly recommend you give them a go.   

Ingredients

Serves: 12

• 15g (1/2 oz) dried active baking yeast
• 7 tablespoons caster sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 450ml (16 fl oz) warm water (45 C)
• 800g (1 3/4 lb) plain flour, divided
• 2 eggs
• 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 8 tablespoons caster sugar
• 1 dessertspoon ground cinnamon

Method

(I put the dough ingredients in my trusty old Bread Machine and let him do all the work.  Then I have time to write my blog!)  

1.

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and 7 tablespoons sugar in warm water. Stir in salt and half of the flour. Beat mixture for 2 minutes. Beat in eggs and oil. Stir in the remaining flour, a little at a time, beating well after each addition.

2.

When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. In a small bowl, stir together remaining sugar and 1 dessertspoon cinnamon; set aside.

3.

Divide the dough into twelve equal pieces. Take each piece of dough, roll into a log and roll in cinnamon sugar mixture. Then roll up the log into a pinwheel. Place the pinwheels in a lightly greased 23x33 cm (9x13 in) baking tin. Cover the rolls with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180 C / Gas mark 4.

4.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, until golden.

Tip:

For a delicious addition, you can add sultanas, Craisins, pecans, or walnuts to the cinnamon and sugar mixture just before you make the dough into pinwheels.  I have also left mine over night so they are ready to bake in the morning.  You are hard pushed to find a better start to the day than a warm Cinnamon Roll and a house that is filled with a sweet cinnamon aroma.

Ye Olde 'Coconut and Raspberry Tarts' ;) 'Pie day Friday.

It is lovely to see new followers on this Happy Pie Day Friday.  Hello (Waves), Happy Pie Day Friday.
Here is a bit of a twist on Ye olde 'Bakewell Tart'.  I made these Coconut and Raspberry tarts.  Bakewell Tart traditionally has ground almonds in the mixture, I didn't have any almonds but I did have desiccated coconut, in true 'Inthesky' style I made a substitution and even if I do say so myself they were quite agreeable on ones palette.  These were a thrifty nifty little bake as they use the homemade Raspberry jam that I made in the Summer.  I didn't fuss too much with the quantities, they are basically a Jam tart with a Coconut Sponge topping.  I can make these by guess work and live with the imperfections.

Pie Day Friday has been scuppered with lack of enthusiasm of the family front.  Henry is in his fourth week of being a vegetarian.  The other half has given up red meat.  I am using meat from the freezer but have not bought any and Euan is trying very hard to remain an omnivore.  We have been eating a lot less meat as a family.  Nut Roasts on Sunday, Vegetable curries, Vegetable stew, Vegetable soup, Vegetarian Lasagne, Vegtable 'Shepherds' Pie, Falafel,, Bean Burgers and other concoctions.  I wonder how long we will keep it up?

The Hairy Bikers like meat in their Pies!

Pie Day Friday (4) 'The Queen of Hearts' 'The Humble Tart'

The Queen of Hearts

The Queen of Hearts

She made some tarts,

All on a Summers day;

The Knave of Hearts

He stole those tarts

And took them clean away.

The King of Hearts

Called for the tarts

And beat the Knave full sore.

The Knave of Hearts

Bought back those tarts

and vowed he'd steal no more.

According to Wikipedia this poem was first published in 1782.  A lot of tarts have been eaten over the centuries!  This little plate of Jam Tarts were made all the tastier for placing a little heart on top of each one.  It is like sandwiches in this house they always taste better in triangles, rather than rectangles or squares.  Everyone knows triangles taste better than squares!
Yeah it's Friday!

Pie Day Friday (3) - Delicious Calzone

My word is it 'Pie Day Friday' already?   I followed the recipe exactly from my 'New' Hairy Biker Pie Making 'Bible.

Calzone is basically and inside out Pizza.  You use a Pizza dough like a 'Pasty Shell' and put all you Pizza topping inside as a filling.  Henry's High School canteen sells them as 'Pizza Pockets'.  They are very portable and would make a great lunchtime snack for 'Teenagers' with places to go and people to see.
They use a basic Pizza Dough.  I made these once before but they were not a hit as the dough was about  3cm thick.  This time I got it right and used the rolling pin to roll out the dough to about half a cm.

I wanted to get creative with the topping/filling but kept to the recipe, which turned out delicious.  I found it useful to assemble all my ingredients together in smaller bowls as soon as the dough had been put to rise.  The Kitchen looked like a bomb had hit it, but these are really worth the effort.

Tomato Sauce:
Finely Chop an Onion and fry it gently until it starts to brown.  Add one clove of finely chopped garlic.  Cook for one minute.  Add 1 tin of chopped tomatoes and a teaspoon of sugar.  Let it cool.

Fry 150g of finely sliced Mushrooms in butter until they start to brown and let them cool.

I had some pepperoni in the fridge but in future would keep these 'Vegetarian'.

Two Mozzarella Balls, drained and diced.

Ground Black Pepper for seasoning.

Fresh Basil leaves.

Assemble your Pizza Topping, then I used water to moisten around the edge of the dough so it would stick when I folded it over.

Make sure the Calzone is sealed well to keep all those flavours in while they cook.  Bake in a hot oven for 15 - 20 minutes.  I made eight of these lovlies.  Very tasty, economical and filling...might make a change from turkey :)  

Teatime Treats Blogging Challenge -December 'Festive Mince Pie Somosas'

I have my entry ready for this fun Blogging Challenge 'Teatime Treats' hosted by Kate at 'What Kate Baked' and Karen at 'Lavender and Lovage'.  This month the theme is 'Christmas'.
My Festive little offering is a newly invented creation by moi and let me tell you they have gone down a storm in this house.  Let me reveal...in true Willy Wonka genius style (apart from there is no Chocolate!)
'Mince Pie Somosas.'  Yeah Baby Yeah!
These are a cheeky little twist on the old Festive favourite.  If you are greedy then can be eaten in one substantial mouthful, if you are more demure, you can have two tasty little bites, or just go how the mood takes you!  They are delicious hot or cold.
Ingredients
250g of Plain Flour
1 egg (from your bestest clucky friends)  Separate the egg.
2tbls of vegetable oil
Water to make a dough
1tsp of ground mixed spice


Filling
1 Jar of Mincemeat

Method
Add the egg yolk, oil and spice to the flour, mix quickly to make a breadcrumb like mixture.  Add enough water to make a smooth dough.  Roll out onto a floured surface, to about 3mm thickness.  Cut out Circles and cut each circle in half.  Using the egg white to seal the Somosas wrap the semi circle into a cone, place 1tsp of the Mincemeat inside the cone and use more egg white to seal the edge by pinching.  Deep fry in small batches until golden.  Drain on Kitchen Paper and sprinkle with Caster Sugar.

Happy Pie Day Friday (2) - Tasty Vegetable Somosas

I was delighted to find a 'Hairy Biker' Somosa Recipe in my New Bible of Pie Making.  I will take the opportunity to just flash you another picture of the 'Sacred Text' here:

Oops!  Sorry wrong Picture....

Aaah, that's the one...this is a truly spiffing book.

I would be delighted over the festivities to find Authentic Indian Food on offer.  In fact I would cheerfully eat these Somosas in place of much of the 'traditional' Christmas foods.  Supermarkets do sell ready made Somosas but they are disappointing imposters.  I always though 'Somosa' making was out of my league, until I discovered this recipe (Which as usual, I have adapted a wee bitty bit!).  I can't believe how simple these are to make.

Ingredients

For the Pastry

250g of Plain Flour

1 egg ( from your bestest Clucky Friends) Separated in to the Yolk and the white.

1 tsp of salt

2 tbls of vegetable oil

75 - 150 mls of warm water

For the Filling

1 Onion finely chopped

2 Cloves of Garlic finely chopped

1 Medium Potato (diced)

1 Sweet Potato (diced)

50g of Frozen Peas

2tsp of Garam Masala

1 tsp of Chillie Flakes

50ml water

The Juice of 1 Lemon

Salt and pepper

fresh Coriander

Method

Gently fry the onion until it is soft.  Add the garlic and fry for 1 minute.   Add the potato, Sweet potato and the spices and fry gently for five minutes.  Add the water, lemon juice and peas, cook gently until the potatoes are tender.  Season with salt and pepper.  Leave to cool.  When Cool stir in chopped fresh coriander.

    The pastry is very easy to make.  Put the egg yolk, flour, oil and salt into a bowl.  Mix lightly until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.  Add enough water to make a ball of 'pastry dough'.   Roll out the pastry so it is approximately 3mm thick.  Cut into rounds (I used a tea plate).  Cut the rounds in to semi circles.  To fill, fold the semi circles in to cones, half fill with the filling and use the egg white as 'glue' to seal each somosa.  Deep Fry the Somosas in small batches for 4-5 minutes and drain on Kitchen paper. 

I enjoyed mine dipped in Home made 'Tamarind Sauce'.  I will definitely be making these again and will experiment with Aloo Chana Chaat (Chick pea and Potato Curry as a filling).  I will let you experiment with whatever filling you like.  I am thinking of making my 'Mince Pies' Somosa style today.