Category: Cooking

My children got me a pasta maker for last xmas. It is so cool. I am still amazed at how the billiard ball sized dough becomes metres long! And it tastes amazing. I usually play around with menu’s but I do not even want to try to deviate from perfection!

Well, when I open a jar of this, I gorge! I have also been told that others do the same! It is nice. So I have some doing now, just as long as I don’t forget and let it boil away! When it is sticky it is done. Recipe follows:-

I am not sure if I am just a bit stupid, or totally stupid?  Probably the latter!

Well I am about half way through a 5kg sack of pickling onions – and although they are small, they are still too big for my 350ml jam jars (I only get 6/7 in a jar).  I have started to jar them, basalmic vinegar,  red wine vinegar, malt vinegar, some with chilli flakes (just a few), and I just got 5ltr of white wine vinegar for when my bigger jam jars arrive.

The sloes this year of epic quality and quantity. I picked 1.5kg in about 20 minutes.

My recipe

300g sloes and 300g sugar in a 1ltr jar or bottle, then fill with gin (500ml fitted exactly).

Shake regularly to dissolve the sugar and once a week after that. ready by xmas, but better by next summer.

A success story – I will also post my disasters!

1 tbsp chopped rosemary

1/4 tsp chopped chilli flakes

100g  flour

100g  cheddar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

100g butter

Mix all together and make a roll in baking sheet Swiss Roll sort of size, maybe a bit smaller).  Put in FREEZER for 30 minutes.  Pre-heat oven to 180C

Take out and cut 3/4mm thick rounds and put on baking tray and bake for 12-15 mins.  Let cool for a few minutes, then on to wire rack for 30 mins.  Delicious!  I rarely make things that I think are really good – but this one is! 

On things not going well!!! My piccalilli is rubbish – I thought I had followed the recipe fairly well (I am not good at this bit of cooking!).  But basically I have pickled veg in a spicy vinegar sauce.