Tag: recipes

Breakfast on the go – Overnight Oats

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Overnight oats were ubiquitous across the web. Every time I was online, I came across pictures of these oats in mason jars topped with fresh berries. Beautiful, as these images are, I thought I would never enjoy them, cold raw oats, no thanks. now however I am so happy that I did I love the flavour, creaminess and the simplicity. The night before it is just a matter of mixing a few ingredients together or adding all ingredients to a mason jar and shaking them together. Pop into the fridge and breakfast is good to go. The real appeal to me was that it meant I had breakfast ready to go and they do keep you full up for a long time. If I’m eating them at home, I just remove them from the fridge 20 – 30 minutes before eating. If on the go they will probably have reached room temperature by the time you have reached your destination. These are perfectly good straight from the fridge, but you can give them a blast in the microwave to take the chill out of them.

There is an unending amount of flavour variations for these oats. Below is my favourite or at least my favourite so far, apple and cinnamon I add a little maple to sweet and any eating apple for crunch I prefer Pink Ladies as they are both crunchy and sweet. Here are some other variations I do regularly banana, peanut butter and cocoa, strawberry and kiwi and orange and rose water. You can also add a variety of nuts and seeds to top these toasted flaked almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflowers seeds, chopped hazelnuts etc.

beef & guinness cobbler stew

Beef Cobbler

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I know it’s summer but it is a cold wet grey day so why not try this warming soul soothing stew with cheesy dumplings. I do call these cheese scones as they are a simplified version of dumpling that are made more like scones and look like scones. As they cook the top browns and gets firm add a delicious texture, whilst the underneath soaks in the beefy juicy of the stew and is out of this world. No matter how large a pot of this I make everyone goes back for seconds or thirds until we are scrapping the bottom of the pot.

You can cook this entirely in the oven, which will leave you free to potter about and get on with other things which I expect on a Saturday morning will be a bonus. Other than the scone topping feel free to swap and change any other ingredients that you like. This is the joy of long slow cooking with stews/casseroles you can add just about anything and the long slow cooking does it’s magic.

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Kitchen Banter

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Here you will find a conversation, the type that you would perhaps have whilst preparing a meal, the informal jabber one has to ones self or to whoever maybe present in the kitchen at that time. That like, which we might have with a friend with a mug of tea in the kitchen. The conversation will most likely come to fruition, in my head whilst cooking and I will continue this conversation here. It could be about a particular pan that I think is great, Rhubarb may have come into season and it may be running through my mind recipes, parings what to do with it, leftovers and what to do with them?, those clammy long stares into the refrigerator trying to decide how I could put what is there to use.Who knows where this conversation will lead? or, just how delicious the recipes that form will be.

I think there is nothing more relaxed and casual than the conversations we have whilst our mind is partially occupied. I find that cooking not only lets me escape my day when it’s required, but also allows me to be more open than I could possibly be in a direct conversation. I have always felt any awkward conversation is much less so when you are partially distracted by what you are cooking. I’m sometimes unsure if it’s me that uses the distraction and relaxed atmosphere of cooking to lessen the severity of a conversation or if it is the distraction of offering the other party a comforting bowl or plate of what is being cooked. Whatever the answer this could be looked at as the offerings of a guilty party making amends in a way that means most to them or offering the deepest comfort and sincerest sympathy. People respond, people open up and is why in part the kitchen will always be the heart of my home. Offering a sense of harbor, security, warmth, comfort and safety.

This leads me to the reason I had to make my kitchen an open plan. I wanted to spend as much time as possible in this comfort zone, to live here. Whether it be eating, cooking or lazing about on the couch watching TV. I think it helps making friends or guests in my house feel comfortable. That there is not a whole ceremony made of the meal it is more informal and comfortable. Which makes me happy and makes friends/ guests happy.