Recipe Courgette and Potato Soup

Another tasty, tasty soup for you today- also made with produce from my MIL's allotment.

We've been over to visit this weekend, as my brother-in-law was up for a visit.  It's half term for both he and Dave, so it was a great way to start the week off.

Speeking of produce, while gathered, we shared out the giant pumpkin that my MIL has grown- I love pumpkin!  I think its the fact that it's only in the shops for the two weeks leading up to Halloween that makes it so appealing- hard to get hold of.  Anyway, I'll be sharing some pumpkin based recipes with you all shortly.

To the Soup- Serves 6

Ingredients
1kg Courgette, chopped
600g potoatos, chopped
2 onions
Glug of oil
1 pint of stock
(anyone seeing a pattern in this yet?)

1. Fry the onions until soft then add the potatoes and stock and boil for 10 min.
2. Add the courgette and boil for a further 5 min.
3. Blend.  Add extra water to get it to the consistency you want, and season.

Easy as pie, this will freeze for a couple of months.  I've made bags of this and all the soups I've mentioned for the freezer- ready for those chilly winter days (as if they're not here yet).

Hope you've enjoyed reading my soup recipes.  As you must see, soup is soo easy, I hope you have a go.

Freya May

Potato and Leek Soup Recipe

Autumn is really here, I unpacked my hats and scarf's today, stocked up on thick tights last week and honestly can't leave the house with out at least three layers (I really feel the cold).  If you didn't know, I'm not the biggest fan of autumn/winter.  Unlike most other bloggers I've read, I dread the cold weather, including having to wear layers!

There is, however a saving grace to the change of the seasons, and that is the food! I love soups and casseroles and all that hearty, comfort food that seems out of place in the warmer months.

I'm going to share with you some of my favourite soup recipes, this one is a classic. 

I make it in bulk and freeze it, as it keeps for up to 3 months.  This recipe serves four and is super easy!

Ingredients
Four large potatoes
One large leek or two medium ones
One pint of vegetables
Glug of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

• Chop up the vegetables, and sauté the leeks in the heated oil.
• Add the chopped and peeled potatoes and the stock, and bring to the boil.
• Let the pan simmer for about 10 min or until the potatoes are soft.
• Use a blender, we have a handheld, and blitz! 
• Add extra water if you like to get it to the desired consistency, I added about another half pint.
• Now is a good time to season if you like.
• Serve with a swirl of cream, and croutons or a grilled cheese sandwich- Yummy!

Enjoy!

Freya May

Chutney Crazy (Recipe)

As has happened over the last few years, we've been getting a whole lot of vegetables from David's parents allotment-  genuinely we get boat loads of courgettes, broad beans, cabbages, and blackberry's that need to be eaten, frozen or preserved.

I've been lucky over the last couple of weeks and had a lot of time on my hands, so I have been making lots, and lots, and lots of chutneys and preserves.

It's so fun, I love making things in general, and producing beautiful jars of colourful yummyness is totally up my street!

I've made Spiced Courgette Chutney, Sweet Tomato Chutney, Nectarine and Vanilla Preserve, and Bottled raspberry's and blackberry's.

You can find the recipe for the Spiced Courgette Chutney on the BBC Goodfood website- HERE

You can find the recipe for the Nectarine Vanilla Preserve on THIS website

Both the Sweet Tomato Chutney and the Bottled Fruit are from my 'Woman's Own Cookbook' by Alex Barker from 1981 that I was given when the Food Technology dept. at work were having a clear out last term- I love old cook books, they really are fonts of knowledge that is often missing in today's cookbook world.  Anyhoo, they are such good recipe's I just have to share.

Sweet Tomato Chutney
1.5kg Ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 green pepper, seeded and sliced
2 medium onions, sliced
1 tbsp salt
275g soft brown sugar
900ml malt vinegar
1 knob of fresh root ginger, bruised
1 clove garlic
2 bay leaves
6 cardamoms
6-8 peppercorns
6-8 cloves

Pop the chopped tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper, the onion, salt, sugar and vinegar in a large pan.

Tie the herbs and spiced in a small muslin bag, and add it to the pan.  Let the whole thing marinate for around 24 hours.

The next day, stir the mix and bring to a simmer and leave it bubbling away for an hour and a quarter, regularly giving it a good stir so it doesn't burn on the bottom.  Then boil until thick, you can tell when it's ready when you run a spoon through the mixture a small amount of liquid fills the trail.

Remove the muslin bag and bottle.

I didn't want to go over how to bottle chutney because I was sure that there would be a simple and consise explanations already out there on the web, but I have to tell you that in a quick search, I couldn't find one. So, this is what I do based on the instructions in the book and advice from other recipes.  I'm in NO WAY an expert, so please find other resources too.

Storing Chutney
Wash your jars and lids carefully in very hot water, then dry in a oven at 100 degrees for at least 30 min.

Put the food in the jars while both are still hot.

Fill to the top of the jars and top with a wax disc.

Recycling jars with pop up lids is possible, as the mixture cools, the lids button should stay down, if it doesn't the seal is not made and you should try to reseal or eat asap.

But if you haven't got those lids use cellophane jam pot covers.

Store in a cool, dark place, date and label all jars and rotate the store.


Freya May

Apple Crumble Tastiness

Apple Crumble is one of my favourite puddings to make for one simple reason- its super simple!  And it doesn't hurt that Hubby loves it :D

What is also great, is that it can be made in small portions as well as a whole dish.  I often make two ramekins of crumble for just the two of us during the week.

Here is my fool-proof recipe, enjoy!

Ingredients

• Apples (aprox 1.5 per person)
• Sugar (or sweetener if you prefer)
• Flour
• Butter
• Brown Sugar

Method

Cut up your apples, pop in a pan, with a cup of water and a table spoon of sugar/ sweetener.

Stew until soft.  Now, you have two choices, you can stew until the apples are just soft- how I prefer my crumble- or until you've got apple mush (also very yummy).  Obviously the second choice takes longer, so you'll need patience.

Once it's soft, about twenty minutes later, drain excess water and pop the apples into a ceramic dish.

For the topping on a pudding for 4-6 people use a cup and a half of flour and two heaped table spoons of butter, and rub them using your finger tips into the consistency of bread crumbs.  Then add a cup of brown sugar.  Pour this mixture on top of the apples and bake for 25 minutes.

If you like, add cinnamon into the mixture before pouring it on the apples- yummy!!!

Serve with custard or cream or ice-cream.  Like I said, easy, yummy and perfect for week day meals.

Freya May

Mothering Sunday

Happy Mother's Day Everyone!  I hope you've all remembered to, at least, send your mother a card.

We've had a lovely day!  Been to the Baptist Church in town this morning which was really great.  We made prayer cards to hang on a tree, and card decorating and planted a flower, all in the name of worship and prayer.  It was dead fun! People were really friendly and they've loads of weekly activites and student type socials to get stuck in with.  We're away next Sunday, but we'll be back again soon!

Anyway- We invited both our mother's, David's dad and my little sis over for sunday lunch to treat our mums to a relaxed and, hopefully, stress free day. 

Roast chicken dinner, dessert, cupcakes made by little sis, and a very happy day! 

Freya May

Pancake Day :D

Happy Pancake Day!

Hope you all enjoyed tasty tasty treats:D  I had a great selection, I started with classic lemon and sugar, then went on to Nutella, then finished off with a maple syrup one- yay!

(is three too many?)

Freya May

* I know this was late, but Blogger was playing up :(

Gastronomique Fantastique V

One of my absolute favourite things about the Christmas holidays is a little party we like to call The Gastronomique Fantastique...

"What on earth is that??" I hear you cry.  Well, let me tell you a little story.

In 2006, Husband and his mate Tom decided that what they wanted to do, more than anything else, to really challenge themselves, was to cook a seven course meal.  And, not just seven courses to push them, but a seven course meal for (roughly) 20 people.

I don't know about you, but until I actually went to this meal, I couldn't guess what the seven courses could be- that is a lot of food!  so here they are, to give you an better idea of what the boys were in for (and what our stomachs had to stretch out for!).

A seven course meal comprises of:

1. Aperitif
2. Starter
3. Soup Course 
4. Fish Course
5. Main Course
6. Dessert
7. Cheese Board

The night was awesome, the food, delicious and the boys, very proud of them selves.  So this became a tradition, happening every Christmas holidays since, all be it a ever so slightly less extravagant affair now.

This year we had 18 people come for a beautiful 4 course meal (they gained some sense, those boys did).  Including a wonderful, very rare beef wellington and my very own chocolate roulade.

This is a tradition that I love so much because, especially while people were at university up and down the nation, it was the opportunity to meet up with them all and catch up.  now that we've all graduated from undergrad, some people have stayed in the Leicester area, but it is still a fabulous occasion, and I look forward to it happening every year, from here to forever.

Freya May

Christmas is never quiet

Source: google.com via Sherri on Pinterest

Hey y'all!  How was your Christmas's???

I am still in the middle of a very busy week but I wanted to take the time and write about our Christmas. 

This was our first Christmas in our own home, having spent our first married christmas on holiday from university with David's parents.  I was so lovely to just relax and hang out together, starting traditions such as opening stockings and having pancakes for breakfast. 

After church my Dad and little sister, Grace, came over for dinner, which Dave and I cooked together.

It was so much fun, and it was one of my goals from 25 before 25! Yay!  But I feel like a fool, because I forgot to take any photos from the whole day!

I've heard that it takes women until the age of 38 to feel confident about cooking Christmas dinner, and a further 5 years before they think of it as 'easy'. 

I don't know if that's true for everyone, but I think our start this year at lest set me off on the right foot! :-D

Merry Christmas!!!

Freya May

Pudding Date

*pic

Settling in to our new town, finally working out some ways to try and live cheaply, Hubby and I went on a pudding date this evening, to Cafe Rouge.

The idea is that we eat at home then head to a restaurant to have pudding, thereby enjoying the excitement of going out in the evening with out forking out a ton of money for the pleasure- we do worry about becoming hermits sometimes.

However, Hubby enjoyed a large glass of wine with his pudding, so the bill came to roughly the same as a meal out in a cheaper restaurant, heyho :-)

Perhaps we're finally get used to being poor once we've started bringing home some money?  You never do know...

Freya May

A late nights randomness

I'm up late, not quite feeling ready for bed yet, though the I know I will be shortly.

I'm feeling rough, nothing major, but a sore throat all day and a constantly runny nose.

And I've had one of those days where I have really only eaten one thing, Peanut butter and bread, with the odd chocolate too.

I always find those days odd, like, there is really nothing else I want to eat, so, why not just eat what I want.  I do worry about them though, really haven't had my 5-a-day, or any substantial food.  But, I'm full, and I hear peanut butter is actually good for you. 

Never mind, hey, tomorrow I'll be a model balanced diet citizen.

Freya May