189. Mexican Inspired Cottage Pie

This Tuesday was Cinco de Mayo, a day in which Mexican's celebrate an army victory, and what better way to celebrate halfway across the world in wet old England, than with some Mexican food?!

As both S and I are huge Mexican food fans anyway (check out my review of Zapatista Burrito Bar in Newcastle if you are too!) we don't really need an excuse to cook up a Mexican inspired feast so Tuesday night was as good a time as any to try out a new dish!

I didn't fancy a trip to the shops in the rain so instead I made do with what we had in the house and improvised to create a Mexican Inspired Cottage Pie. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

1lb/450g mince (I used half Quorn mince, half Aberdeen Angus mince)

1 x onion, diced

1 x pepper, diced

1 x handful of frozen peas

1 x tin of chopped tomatoes/passatta 

1kg potatoes (I used Maris Piper but any would do)

Kidney (or baked) beans

Oil for frying

1 x tablespoon of butter for mashed potatoes

100ml milk for mashed potatoes

80g Mexican cheese (or just use a strong Cheddar if you have chilli flakes)

Seasoning (add more or less depending on your personal tastes)

Black pepper

3tsp Ceviche seasoning

2tsp Cumin

2tsp Very Lazy Chilli

2tsp Paprika

2tsp Hot Steak spice

Jalapenos (to top)

A squirt of tomato ketchup

I used the Gourmet Kitchen 4-in-1 Mexican Seasoning Mix (available from The Range)

Method

1. Brown your mince in a large frying pan, once cooked add the onions and peppers and cook until soft

2. Once the peppers and onions have softened, put your potatoes on to boil

3. Add the chopped tomatoes, frozen peas, beans and any seasoning you fancy to the frying pan

4. Leave the chilli to simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through

5. Mash the potatoes with the milk, butter and about 2/3 of the cheese until creamy

6. Pour the chilli into a deep baking dish and spoon the mashed potato on top

7. Garnish with the left over cheese and jalapenos, if desired

8. Bake in the oven at 220 degrees (fan oven) or 200 degrees conventional oven, for 20-30 minutes or until golden on top

9. Serve with salad

This dish should serve around 4 people. Or 2-3 people with big appetites!

162. Chilli Cheese Scone Recipe

Hello lovelies.

Today I'm sharing a failsafe, super simple recipe for cheese scones - with a (spicy) twist. I've made these scones several times and I've adapted the recipe slightly each time, and I think I've finally nailed it, so here is my recipe for Chilli Cheese Scones.

Ingredients

225g plain flour

50g room temperature cubed butter

3tsp baking powder

140ml milk

150g grated cheese (preferably mature cheddar)

Pinch of salt & pepper

1tsp chilli powder or chopped chilli's (Very Lazy Chilli works well)

Jalapeños to top

Cheese to top

Method 

1. Preheat your oven to 220c or Gas Mark 6

2. Mix together the flour, baking powder and butter with your finger tips to create a breadcrumb effect

3. Add the milk and cheese and quickly mix together

4. Add your seasoning (as much or as little as you want)

5. On a lightly floured surface, mould the mixture into scone shapes (I made 8)

6. Place the scones on a greased tray (I used Chilli FryLight to add some extra spice) with a decent space between each one, as they will expand during baking

7. Sprinkle the top of the scones with some cheese and add a jalapeno

8. Bake in the middle of the pre-heated oven for around 20 minutes but make sure to check on them as they can so easily burn

9. Serve with lashings of butter, or with pickle if you fancy!

160. Baking with Aldi - Carrot Cake

Hello lovelies.

Any of you that are aware of the rising cost of groceries, will know Aldi. Aldi is, compared to the other big supermarkets, a budget supermarket with great, low price products and its where S and I, without fail, do our weekly shop week in, week out. 

A couple of weeks ago, whilst browsing the aisles, I spotted their baking section and, within that, this carrot cake mix. Carrot cake is one of my all time favourites, it's got just the right amount of spice and doesn't feel too unhealthy (although it surely is!). I quickly picked up a packet - for £1.70 you can't go wrong - and put it aside to use for my sisters birthday, which we celebrated yesterday.

Ingredients

Wright's Carrot Cake Mix (500g)

4 tbsp oil

200ml water

Method

1. Pour the oil and water into a large mixing bowl

2. Add the contents of the cake mix

3. Stir until well mixed and a smooth consistency

4. Add any extras, e.g. raisins, extra carrot, etc

5. Separate the mixture into twelve cupcake cases or a loaf tin

6. Bake in a pre-heated oven (gas mark 6) for 20 minutes or until cooked through

I then left the perfectly risen cupcakes to cool for an hour, before returning to the kitchen to decorate them. For this, I used some of Aldi's Cake Angel's vanilla icing which comes in a large tub for less than £2. The flavour is absolutely delicious - sweet but not sickly and it's the perfect consistency to either top muffins and cupcakes, or sandwich two layers of cake together.

I used around 2/3 of the tub to generously cover the twelve cupcakes, and the rest is back in the fridge ready to be devoured. 

To make these birthday cupcakes look even prettier, I used a gorgeous cupcake box from The Range, although I unfortunately can't find this product on the website - I don't think it was any more than £1. Bargain.

I took the cupcakes with me down to Sheffield to visit my sister, Fi, for her 20th birthday and they went down a treat. It's so lovely to be able to bake something tasty for someone to enjoy on a special day and, if you're looking for something simple and - dare I say it - cheap and cheerful, this is the perfect solution.

152. Toad in the Hole Recipe

Hello lovelies.

If the weather is anything like it is here where you are then you'll be in the mood for comfort food. Wind, rain, snow and hail can dampen even the most optimistic of peoples' spirits and after a long, miserable January day back at work I'm always hankering for something easy, warm and filling for my dinner. 

To me, Toad in the Hole is a classic. My whole family always had smiles on their faces when we heard that we were having it for tea; who doesn't love sausages? And Yorkshire pudding? Together? Oh wow. And since moving in with S, we've enjoyed this delicious meal a few times, so I thought I'd share my recipe (which is a mixture of several that I've tried and tested) for anyone else out there who loves it - or who has never tried it before!

Ingredients (serves 3 people, or 2 with MASSIVE appetites)

6 sausages of your choice

125g plain flour

2 eggs 

125ml milk

125ml water

Mustard

Salt & pepper

Oil (I prefer to use FryLight as there is so much fat in sausages already)

Method

Pre-heat your oven to 220 degrees/gas mark 8

Oil a large, deep baking tray and place your sausages in, evenly spaced

Cook the sausages for around 15 minutes or until golden

Whilst cooking the sausages, mix together the rest of your ingredients in a bowl

Add a teaspoon (or two, depending on how spicy you like your food) of mustard and season with salt and pepper to taste

Once the sausages have turned golden, remove the tray from the oven and pour the batter mix in

(It should sizzle as you pour it in, just like it would with a Yorkshire pud)

Return the baking tray to the oven and cook for a further 20-30 minutes or until golden and risen

Serve with whatever you like! We always go for a mountain of veggies and either some mash or roasties and, of course, lashings of gravy!

98. Recipes // Honey, Apple, Chai & Oat Muffins

Yesterday, after getting a little sick of being practically bed bound for three days, I decided to try and cheer myself (and my tummy) up by doing one of my favourite activities: baking. 

Although I'm trying to avoid fatty, processed and oily foods at the moment, I thought I'd try a recipe which involves lots of good stuff (and quite a bit of naughty stuff too) to balance it out, and from that brainwave Honey, Apple, Chai & Oat Muffins were born.

Unfortunately, I can't find my cable for my camera so you'll have to make do with the one photograph that I took on my phone (sorry) for this post. Next time I'll make sure I'm more prepared, so here goes...

Ingredients

300g porridge oats

200g plain flour (I used wholemeal)

200g brown sugar

250ml semi-skimmed (or skimmed) milk

2 medium eggs

3tbsp honey

1 x apple (finely diced)

4 Chai tea bags (rip open and pour the contents into a bowl)

3tbsp baking power

1tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Pre-heat your oven to gas mark 5

2. Mix together the sugar and eggs until well mixed

3. Add the oats and flour and mix until a nice, thick consistency (don't over mix)

4. Add everything else and mix until even

5. Spoon into muffin cases (fill them about 3/4 full)

6. Bake in the oven for between 15-20 minutes

7. Serve warm

As you can see, this is a lovely, simple and quick recipe. These muffins are ideal for a tasty pick me up in the afternoon, or even as a yummy breakfast, served with natural yogurt and fruit (which is exactly what I'm about to do...)

53. Recipes // Oreo Cheesecake

I've been craving cheesecake all weekend. I don't know what set it off but I've not be able to get the thought of a delicious creamy cheesecake off my mind so when, whilst browsing recipes this morning, I came across an Oreo cheesecake I knew that it was 'the one.'

I improvised the recipe a bit, as I always do, but there are a few things that didn't get really go according to plan, so I'll write a little note of what I'd change next time, at the end of the recipe. If you'd like to give this recipe a go, it is super easy (and even more delicious).

Ingredients

120ml double cream

150g Oreo biscuits

200g cream cheese 

2tbsp sugar

2 x Kinder bars

80g butter

Method

1. Separate the Oreo biscuit and the cream filling (I used a knife to scrape the filling off)

2. Break biscuits into a consistency you'd like the base of your cheesecake to be

3. Melt butter and mix in biscuits; cover the base of a dish and place in fridge to chill

4. Whip your double cream until it resembles soft peaks

5. Melt Kinder chocolate (I also added a little bit of cream)

6. Mix cream cheese, Oreo filling, sugar and melted Kinder chocolate together

7. Add cream to cream cheese mixture 

8. Once base has set, spread the mixture evenly over the top

9. Crumble a leftover biscuit over the top and leave to set

Notes

When it says 150g of Oreo biscuits, I think this means just the biscuit (not including the filling) so I'd suggest you use two packets of Oreo's and add a little more butter if needs be. As you can see from the picture below, my base didn't amount to much, so I had to make individual cheesecakes instead. 

I also forgot to save an Oreo biscuits (oops...) so I had to use chocolate buttons as decoration instead.

Despite the couple of little mistakes I made, the end product was GORGEOUS. Seriously creamy, rich and indulgent. I'd highly recommend making this for yourself if you like a sweet treat. I'll be making it again soon!

Hope you're all having a lovely weekend,

Becci xo

35. Recipes // Victoria Sponge Butterfly Cakes

I'm a huge fan of homemade treats (especially cakes!) and I love to bake them for birthdays as it's something I'm half-decent at, it's fun and it's a lot better for my bank balance than shelling out on an expensive present.

My boyfriend also loves cake and so, this year for his 25th birthday along with several other homemade presents, I baked him a batch of Victoria sponge Butterfly cakes, using my Granny's traditional recipe. They went down a treat.

It's a very simple and memorable recipe and so quick - you only need one spoon and one bowl! This recipe should make 12 average sized buns.

Ingredients for the Sponge

3 x eggs 

Butter (softened)

Self-raising Flour

Caster sugar

Ingredients for the Filling

1/2 jar of jam (whatever flavour you prefer)

140g butter (softened)

280g icing sugar

Icing sugar to dust

The trick: weigh your eggs (say, for example, they weigh 200g altogether)

You would then use 200g of butter, self-raising flour & caster sugar respectively.

Method

Mix together all ingredients in a bowl until it forms a smooth mixture

Spoon into bun cases and cook in a pre-heated oven (180 degrees) for approx. 20 minutes

Whilst cooling, mix your butter and icing sugar until smooth yet thick

 Using a sharp knife, cut out a circle of sponge

Fill the hole firstly with jam and then the butter-cream 

Slice circle of sponge in half, place on cake to look like a butterfly

Blob a bit of jam in the middle for some colour

Dust with icing sugar 

And finally: Scoff.

Tip: For more colour, add some icing colour to the butter-cream and use sprinkles/glitter

Lots of love,

Becci xo