Breakfast and Cardboard Boxes

The girls and I rediscovered an old favourite for breakfast whilst we were having our little holiday.

Drop Scones – These are made using the Recipe from Hugh Fearnley – Whittingstall’s Family Cookbook. Although evidently I have to make alterations to compensate for using gluten free flour, which is so much thirstier than wheat flour. As a gluten free diet can be a little lacking in fibre, I sprinkled Linseeds onto one side of each of my own scones, the girls thanked me for not doing it to their own!

Very more-ish and the Smallest especially continued to eat them cold with a little something spread on top for the next day or two.

and what do you do with the empty boxe that the new fuel tank comes in?

I am amazed by the little worlds that the Girls create when offered something up so simple to play with, it’s as if it is a blank canvas for them to work on, this boxe has been a tractor, a pirate ship, it has spent the majority of it’s time as a house, and even has an opening window cut into it now.

The wonderful fact that we are all born and blessed with such creative minds, and with just a small amount of nurturing and encouragement, there will be another generation of family experiencing the wonderful sensation of creating something, making something, feeling that connection with the material world by way of something’s worth through time and energy spent making it, rather than the much more abstract concept of (paid) working to purchase items.

And thinking of paid work, it’s about time I thought about getting ready to go there.

Broken washing machines and leftovers

:: Apologies once again for the length of time between posts, but we have been busy enjoying the company of my brother (who lives in Devon) and his three very energetic children. The day after their arrival we were waiting for the washing machine repair man again! But with it being a beautiful May day the girls and I launched into a bit of hand…or maybe that should be…foot washing…::

:: Has anyone spotted the purple boobs in the background?! ::

:: I have so much respect for those that hand wash all the time, even though this was an enjoyable thing to share with the children on a warm day, I don’t think I’d be too keen on doing the cloth nappies in January! The time that it took up was also very noticeable, so whilst I won’t be giving up the convenience of the machine anytime soon, I’m much more appreciative of it of late that’s for sure! ::

:: I’ve also been trying to use up the leftovers that inevitably arise in a household with small children, and wanted to share these tasty little potato cakes with you…okay not share as such, rather let you witness the wonders that can be achieved with a few leftovers ::

:: These made a lovely change to our usual breakfast, just leftover mashed potato, mixed with grated cheese, egg and herbs, with enough flour to keep the ‘dough’ dry enough to fry, and one tin of tomatoes and a couple of squirts of tomato puree in the blender later – a healthier alternative to the usual ketchup. Those ‘Get well healthy people‘ as the Tallest calls them have a few decent ideas to be honest ::

:: Enjoy the rest of the week xx ::

Recovering from a long weekend…

:: It was our villages Scarecrow and Yard Sale weekend last weekend, both things of which we participated in. So apologies for the lack of posts but we were either busy participating, or cleaning up! ::

:: The Fair was in town for the weekend – we try to limit the time spent there as they are generally a terrible waste of money, but we couldn’t resist letting the children have a little go! ::

:: The way she threw herself down this thing was truly terrifying – but I guess it just goes to show – the girls got confidence! ::

:: I haven’t managed to download any photos of our scarecrow, I’ll be sure to post them when I find them, I did however wanted to leave you with the most delicious Butternut Squash soup ever. ::

:: This was DeLiCiOuS! and sooo incredibly simple, I simply Roasted a halved butternut with a small onion and about four cloves of garlic placed in the hollow where the seeds were removed and seasoned with salt and pepper, once roasted and cooled I scooped the whole mixture out into a blender and then added as much milk as required to thin it and just blitzed away to my hearts content. The girls absolutely lapped it up and we had it for lunch two days running. Mr GT however was not so impressed, so I have promised to make his favourite of Broccoli and Stilton some time over the weekend ::

:: Have fun whatever you are doing this weekend ::

Gluten Free Cheese Straws

:: Those of us who follow a gluten free diet all know how easy it is to grab a bit of puff pastry, grate some cheese and voila! Fabulous cheese straws in 5 minutes. Not quite that easy when you are gluten free, but these I have to admit, are pretty good. I admit they won’t take 5 minutes, maybe 10! But well worth the effort. ::

Preheat your oven 220′c / 425′f

Ingredients:

4oz / 120g           Grated Cheese (your choice, but something hard)

40z / 120g          White Gluten Free Self Raising Flour

2oz / 60g            Fibre / Brown Gluten Free Flour

Heaped Teaspoon Xanthan Gum

Pinch of Salt

8floz / 250ml     Double Cream

What to do:

Flour a baking tray, they WILL stick!

Mix all the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix together.

Add your cheese and mix in well

Add the cream and work the mixture with a fork at first, when the mixture starts to form a dough begin to work it onto a ball with your hands, it will be crumbly at first, but bear with it, it will come together eventually.

Knead your dough on a floured board until it becomes smooth and shiny, when I say knead, think more along the lines of wedging clay! This dough is firm, but don’t fear it’ll all come good in the end.

Roll out to around 1cm / 1/2″ thick, and then cut to desired length and shape. (I put a twist in mine, but admittedly only to show that even though its gluten free it hasn’t crumbled!)

Bake in the oven until golden, around 15 minutes

Leave to cool, and then fight off your children before they eat them all!

:: Enjoy! ::

Seeded Breakfast Bars

100g / 2oz          Sunflower Seeds

100g / 2oz          Pumpkin Seeds

100g / 2oz          Sesame Seeds

200g / 4oz         Dried Fruit (I used dates and raisins, but have also used cranberries, bluberries even banana it’s what ever is in your store cupboard                                     really)

100g / 2oz         Either gluten free oats or gluten free plain flour

150g 3oz            Butter

Can of Condensed Milk

Your own selection of spices ( when I feel like cheating I use a mild curry spice mixture)

• Weigh out all the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl
• Melt the butter and warm the condensed milk in a bowl over boiling water
• Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well
• Pour into a straight sided flapjack type baking tray, which should be lined with greaseproof paper
• Bake in a hot oven for 20 minutes

:: A little basic I admit, but a very tasty treat for the the lunch box, or a perfect addition to a nice cuppa ::

Pancake Day

:: The  occurance of Pancake day is never needed as an excuse to cook pancakes in this household, but I have to admit that I do make a concerted effort on the day itself  by cooking a savoury dish as well ::

:: These are loosely based on a Hugh Fearnely Whittingstall recipe, and by happy co-incedence there were several leftovers in the fridge to be used. The filling was fried (already cooked) potatoes, mushrooms and bacon. I normally add onions but the Tallest was ‘supervising’ the meal and wouldn’t allow them in!  A spoonful of  this mixture in each pancake with a spoonful of cheese sauce on top, rolled in an oven proof dish and then covered with the remaining cheese sauce, and a sprinkling of grated cheese. After about 20 minutes in a hot oven, once the cheese is brown and bubbling it’s ready to eat ::

:: Mr GT and I only need two of these each as they are incredibly filling, but super tasty! Hope you’re not suffering with pancake overload this evening. xxx ::

Good Gluten Free Pastry

:: Following the gift of a rather large chicken, which was Thank Goodness already plucked and drawn (hooray and thank you Val!) After half of it had been frozen, and the other half roasted – probably only half of that had ben eaten, so the next day’s dinner? A lovely Gluten Free Chicken Pie of course ::

Gluten Free Savoury Pastry Recipe

9oz / 225gms Gluten free plain flour plus extra for dusting

1 heaped teaspoon Xantham Gum

Pinch of Salt

5oz / 150gms Butter

1 Free Range Egg, whisked and mixed with 3 tablespoons of cold water

• Sift the flour, Xantham Gum and salt into a bowl and mix well, cut the butter into cubes and rub into the flour mixture.
• Make a well in the centre of the mixture, and add enough egg and water mixture to bring the pastry together using a fork.
• Begin to work the pastry into a ball with your hands, if it is too dry add a few more drops of liquid, try not to add too much liquid as although a wet dough is easier to work with a dry dough produces a better taste and texture after baking.
• Knead and flatten the dough for a minute of two, if you have the time wrap the dough in clingfilm and place in the fridge to help prevent too much shrinkage, but if not don’t worry too much as after all it is gluten free so less elastic than a ‘normal’ wheatflour dough.
• Roll out between two parchment sheets (if necessary) and use as desired.

:: I used up my leftover chicken in the pie, I chopped it into small pieces, added plenty of freshly ground black pepper and seasoned with salt to taste, poured in enough double cream to fill in all the gaps between the meat pieces and covered it over – rather delicious – and super simple too ::

Slow Cooked Sausages in Apple Juice

With the advent of my returning to work two days a week, the slow cooker has been dusted off and put to good use on the days when I am out of the house, as work is fifteen to twenty minutes away by the time I pick up the girls and get home they are well in need of their dinner and won’t wait for a meal to be cooked. I’ve tried a few things this being one of the more successful.

Bare in mind that this recipe is using gluten free sausages, but as long as they are a good quality thick pork sausage you won’t go too far wrong.

Ingredients

2tsp Olive Oil

6 – 10 good quality gluten free pork sausages (depending on how many you’re feeding)

5 rashers smoked streaky bacon cut into small slices

4 eating apples, peeled, cored and diced

2 leeks trimmed, cleaned and cut

300ml of apple juice as this is a family recipe or you could use cider for a fuller flavour

• Heat the oil on a large frying pan, on a medium heat and brown the sausages, once coloured evenly spoon into slow cooker
• Return pan to heat and add the bacon and the leeks and fry until softened and coloured (about 3-5 minutes) spoon into slow cooker dish
• Add the apples together with the apple juice (or cider) cover with the lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours
• Serve with lashings of creamy mash and your favourite vegetables, I recommend purple sprouting broccoli, the kids recommend carrots!

I really enjoyed this and felt that it warranted sharing with others.

Bon Appetit!

Gluten Free Mince Pies

In an attempt to keep the Tallest on the go today in the hopes of a relatively trouble free bedtime (it worked!). I decided to revisit my mince pie recipe as the pastry in such small quantities just hasn’t been surviving in the oven. Since my diagnosis with Coeliac my pastry making has been the one area where I have struggled the most to make a passable end product, but today SUCCESS!

Et Viola!

To make 12 Mince Pies

8oz / 200g Gluten Free Plain Flour (I used Juvela Fibre Mix)

2oz / 50g Lard

2oz / 50g Butter or Margerine

Medium Egg

2tbsp Caster Sugar

Water (approx 3-4tbsp)

Jar Mincemeat

• In a mixing bowl, cut fats into small pieces and rub the Flour and Sugar into it using fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
• Gently stir in a beaten medium egg, and begin to bring the mixture together.
• You may need to add some water to clean bowl of  the dough, when the bowl is clean move the dough onto a suitable surface for kneading.
• The dough will still be quite crumbly and you need to knead for 2 minutes at least, so that the dough starts to smooth and become shiny.
• You do not have to prove gluten free dough but it will be easier to work if you place it in the fridge for around 20 minutes.
• Roll out, taking care to turn the pastry but not to turn it over (it will end in tears!) cut bases and place into prepared tins.
• Fill bases with mincemeat and place a dough star on top.
• Brush a little mix onto the stars to help prevent burning.

If you do not have bun tins, you can use a normal baking tray, line it with parchment, and cut rounds with a cookie cutter, place a blob of mincemeat into the middle and then cut a larger round and place it over the top, ‘gluing’ it with a little milk. You will have ‘upside -down’ mince pies, but they will still taste just as nice.

Edible Christmas Gifts

Using the recipes in the last three posts, they needed to be prettied up a bit. I was fortunate that I had some Cellophane card sleeves so I folded the bottom corners into themselves to turn it into a tube and then filled with the said goodies. Sealed the top and then gathered with a bit of ribbon and a label or tag. They look fab and taste even better.

In all honesty they take very little time to make, I made all the sweets during the smallests 1 hour nap the other morning when the Tallest was at Nursery, i’s the presentation that wants a little thought. I have even just been to my local florists, bought some of their flower wrap and the stapled little pouches together and they were also surprisingly effective.

I have to thank my friend Sarah for the Rocky Road and Cherry Recipes, but I have no idea where the easy fudge comes from – it is just written down in my collected recipes book, and I am sure that it is just a variation of a common recipe.

These are great extra gifts for family members, older members of the family who are not so easy to buy for, and for work colleagues, Nursery Staff (guess where some of ours went!) School mates etc.