United Cakedom: cheese

Showing posts with label cheese. Show all posts

Butternut and Halloumi Burgers {Simply Nigella by Nigella Lawson}

I bought a butternut squash. It wasn’t part of the plan. Meaning it’s not in anything that I had planned for dinner nor was it even on the shopping list. It was there and I wanted it.

It sat on the counter for almost two weeks. I kept staring at it thinking “I need you, to use you before you go off that is. I just don’t know what to do you with you?” Curries and soups kept going in and out of my head, but it just wasn’t right.

So, I opened my new Nigella book, Simply Nigella and bookmark that I didn’t know was there opened the book right here:

Okay the picture doesn’t really tell us much, but it had a butternut squash in the picture. So, I turned the page to see what the recipe was and it was for Butternut and Halloumi Burgers.

The fact that I had halloumi cheese in my fridge as well seemed too much of a coincidence. The only thing I was missing was pittas. If you read my previous post you will know how I solved that problem!

So, with all the ingredients in my possession I made lunch! I love how there are very few ingredients and it made a filling and tasty meal!

Butternut and Halloumi Burgers:

1 butternut squash
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
225g halloumi cheese (or buy it already sliced)
pitta bread

Heat the oven to 200C. Slice the top thinner part of the squash into rounds. Not too thin, not too thick. Depending on the squash and how you cut there should be 4-8 slices. Spread the oil over the bottom of a baking tray and lay the slices of squash on top. Sprinkle half the oregano on top and flip the slice over and sprinkle the rest on top. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes.
Once the butternut squash is soft and browning around the edges add the cheese slices and bake for a further 10 minutes or so. If you have worked with halloumi cheese before you know it doesn’t really melt, but it does heat up nicely!
Before you take the slices out of the oven stick the pittas in your toaster for a few minutes to warm them up. Slice them to make a pocket and take the butternut/cheese slices out of the oven and add them into the pocket and enjoy!

note: recipe is adapted from Nigella's new book Simply Nigella - I had my copy signed! Find out more in my next post!!

If you want to make your own pittas check out my last post!!

Love Your Freezer Part 2: Vegetables & Herbs (General Tso’s Chicken & Frittata)

Yesterday I shared how I use frozen fruit to my advantage. Today I am going to share the way I use frozen vegetables and herbs with a recipe that highlights the best of both and another that is a family favorite!

When I was at University I used to treat myself to a General Tso’s Chicken from the local Chinese restaurant on the occasional weekend night I had to work late. I was shocked and appalled when I couldn't find General Tso’s Chicken on any menu here in the UK. So, I have tried a few different recipes trying to find the one that reminded me most of the one I used to get at home and this one so far has most resembled it!

This recipe really showcases frozen herbs as it uses 3 of the most common when it comes to making Chinese food: garlic, ginger, and chili! I also use frozen broccoli!

General Tso’s Chicken:

3 tbsp corn flour

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

vegetable oil

3-4 chicken breast, cubed

400g frozen broccoli, blanched

rice, cooked according to the package

sauce:

1 tbsp corn flour

120ml/4oz cold water

1 tbsp frozen chopped garlic

1 tbsp frozen chopped ginger

1 ½ tsp frozen chopped chili

3 tbsp honey

2 tbsp soy sauce

3 tbsp Chinese rice wine

Combine the corn flour, salt, and pepper and coat the chicken cubes in the flour and leave to one side.

To make the sauce combine the corn flour and cold water and mix until there are no corn flour lumps. Then add all the chopped herbs, honey, soy sauce, and rice wine and mix until combined. Set aside.

Heat a splash or two of vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan. Shake any excess flour off the chicken cubes and fry in the oil for 4-6 minutes. Add the sauce mixture, leave on a medium to low heat until the sauce has thickened. Make sure the broccoli is well drained before adding to the pan and coat in the sauce.

Serve with rice and enjoy!

I always have frozen spinach in my fridge because spinach is easily hidden in food and it’s super good for you. It works great it in Bolognese, curries, and as a side for almost any chicken dinner. However it is particularly great in this frittata from Jamie Oliver’s Save with Jamie.

Sweet Potato, Spinach, & Feta Frittata

2 sweet potatoes, roasted

200-300g frozen spinach

½ tsp ground nutmeg

6-8 large eggs

splash of milk

70g feta cheese

40g cheddar cheese or red leister, grated

Roast the sweet potatoes with a little bit of oil and salt in a pre-heated oven at 190C for about 50 minutes or until soft and smushy.

About 10 minutes before the sweet potatoes are done start the rest of the frittata by frying the spinach with a splash of oil, salt, and nutmeg.

While you are waiting for the spinach to wilt and the excess water to evaporate beat the eggs with a splash of milk. Once mixed crumble in half of the feta cheese and half the cheddar cheese, mix until combined.

The sweet potatoes should be out of the oven by now and slightly cooled.

Once all the water has evaporated take the pan off the heat, pour the eggy mixture into the pan. Sprinkle chunks of the soft sweet potato (skin, no skin up to you) all over the mixture and top with the remaining cheese.

Place in the already heated oven for 13-15 minutes. It should be nice and fluffy when it’s ready to come out. We cut it into wedges and serve with hotsauce and a fresh green salad!

What recipes that use frozen vegetables or herbs do you make on a regular basis? Are their any freezer tips or tricks you use? I’d love to hear them, please leave a comment below!

notes: In association with Sainsbury’s for their campaign Love Your Freezer. General Tso’s Chicken recipe is adapted from The Chew: Food. Life. Fun. by the cast of The Chew. Sweet Potato, Spinach, & Feta Frittata is as it says before adapted from Save with Jamie by Jamie Oliver.

Pizza, Pizza!!

It’s not very often I share non-sweet things on here. It’s not because I don’t bake savory food, but because I don’t have the time to post everything I ever make. Which is why I limited it to the sweet stuff.

This pizza base has become a regular in our so I thought it was about time I properly shared it with you. This pizza base is simple and quick.

The recipe makes 2 pizzas and is easily doubled. Feel free to play with your toppings and pizza shape!

Classic Margherita:

200g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting

7g fast-action dried yeast

pinch of salt

140ml warm water

3 tbsp olive oil (extra if you have it), plus extra for brushing

Prepare 2 baking sheets; brush the olive oil over each sheet and the inside of a large bowl. (about 2 tbsp of olive oil)

Put the flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and add the water with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Use a large spatula or wooden spoon to bring the dough together. It will be wet or as I say sticky.

On a well-floured surface knead the dough for about five minutes, or 2 pop songs, until smooth and elastic. Place in the oiled bowl, brush the top with oil and cover with clingfilm. Leave to rise at room temperature for about 25 minutes or until doubled in size.

Pre-heat the oven to 200C/gas6

Once risen, turn out the dough and divide in 2 equal parts (as best you can). Use your hands to push each one out from the center, to create 2 round discs (sometimes oval) about 25cm in diameter. Place the pizza bases on the prepared baking trays.

for the topping:

200g passata (sieved tomatoes)

2 mozzarella balls, drained and cut into cubes or slices

a handful of grated parmesan (up to you)

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

8 fresh basil leaves

Salt and pepper to taste

Spread the passata evenly over the prepared dough and season with salt and pepper. Then divide the cheeses over the pizzas and drizzle over the olive oil.

Bake for 18 minutes until golden brown. Two minutes before the end of the cooking time scatter over the basil and finish cooking.
I always make a salad to go along with this homemade pizza!

See super easy! It’s also super tasty!! My girls don't like the basil leaves so I left them off. Also you can play with flavored passata. These pizzas I used a garlic and onion passata. An easy way to get yummy flavors!

notes: You have seen this pizza here before. Italian HomeBaking by Gino D’acampo

Parmesan Shortbreads! {hummingbird bakery Home Sweet Home}

These were perfect for wine night with my Mum/Mom friends last Saturday night! They are a bit spicy which one friend wasn't expecting and therefore was not very keen. But overall I think they went down okay.

I'll have to say too that I wasn't jumping for joy over them. Which is why I took so long to post them. That and since I took pictures of them at night the pictures aren't that good. However my 5 year-old ate the few that were left over with no complaints!

If you have yourself a copy of the hummingbird bakery's Home Sweet Home you can try these out for yourself. Although I am probably going to stick to the sweet stuff from here on out.

I haven't baked a lot recently. With so many baking books, I'm not short of recipes. I am short of people to eat what I bake. Have a few quick and easy recipes to try this week. Next week, I'm planning a much needed coffee morning with my mum friends to try some coffee I had sent to me to review. I will probably bake something to go along with the coffee. Then I finally spent the rest of my Lakeland's vouchers on a swiss roll tin, so should probably make a swiss roll! In March I've joined up to my local Clandestine Cake Club. The theme is Bake me a ... Song. My inspirational song is Savage Garden's Cherry Cola. Have so many different ideas of how to execute a cherry-cola cake. I can't wait to share with you what I finally decide.

So, a bit slow at the moment, but planning a few things already for this weekend! If you have the hummingbird bakery's Home Sweet Home, what have you tried so far??

notes: Home Sweet Home review; Peanut Butter & Jam Pinwheel Cookies; Lakelands; Clandestine Cake Club, Savage Garden- Cherry Cola

Red Velvet Layer Cake!!

If you follow me on Twitter, you most likely saw these last week, but here they are again!

Made for my father-in-law's retirement party!!

Do feel I need to work on my piping/icing skills.

Ah well as long as it tastes good who cares right??

Everyone who had a slice said it was amazing!!

Made from Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days.

If you want to make this cake times this recipe by 4! or buy the book.

It's probably easier buying the book.

Nobody likes doing math.

Sticky Maple-Apple Traybake!! {review: The Great British Bake Off App}

It’s that time of year…The Great British Bake Off has started again! I know this Tuesday will be the fifth episode and that I haven’t said too much about it here on my blog, but I watch every week!!

I love watching the bakers show their skills and creativity when being presented with a challenge. I think to myself if they can do it, then surely I can as well, right? The show has inspired many to take up baking; with books and an iPhone app (out last month) home bakers have lots to choose from for inspiration!

Not owning any of the books that accompany the show, when I was given the opportunity to check out the app I jumped at it!

The app contains fifty amazing recipes selected from The Great British Bake Off: How to Bake and the new book for this year, How to Turn Everyday Bakes into Showstoppers. The recipes will look and feel familiar if you are an avid fan of the show like me.

It didn’t take me long to decide what to make first. As it’s officially fall now all I think about are apples! When I saw the Sticky Apple-Maple Traybake on this app I didn’t have to look any further.

The cake is super moist and full of flavor!! I am finding it really hard at the moment not to go and grab another slice!

The directions say 30-35 mins I only needed 25, so know your oven!

My littlest one saying she "want that" gotta love baby talk!

Big pieces of apple and walnut in a light moist cake!!

The best part of using this app was I didn’t have to touch the screen of my iPad with mucky fingers to get to the next screen! This part took me a minute to figure out… first you need to turn the iPhone, or in my case my iPad, horizontally! It was a light bulb moment for me! Then you touch the little hand picture (see picture above) and you just wave your hand above the screen and it scrolls through as you go!

This app is great for all levels of bakers! Within the app you can take pictures and share on Facebook or Twitter. I am on both under United Cakedom! ;0) At 2.99 you can’t really go wrong with this app!!

links:

The Great British Bake Off App

The Great British Bake Off website

Red-Velvet Cupcakes!! {Mexico Theme} #AugustBreak

To make these cupcakes double this recipe!!

I made these for my father-in-laws co-worker!
I was really pleased with the way the frosting turned out!
Red-Velvet's are generally loved by all! Hope they go down well!!

Red Velvet Cupcakes {Martha Stewart} #August Break

Martha Stewart's Cupcakes

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Pizza!! #AugustBreak

I used a recipe from Gino D'Acampo's Italian Home Baking!

Very easy and very yummy dinner!!

Jarlsberg Twist Bread!!

When I buy a bake book these days it really has to have something different- The Hairy Bikers’ Big Book of Baking offers exactly that! I bought it some time ago now (March), but have just gotten around to using it!

I don’t watch a lot of TV that isn’t cartoons at the moment so; I was unaware of the TV tie-in Hairy Bikers’ Bakeation. Luckily I have the BBC app and was able to catch a few episodes before they removed them. Does anyone else find that annoying? Find something you want to watch and then it's gone before you get a chance to watch it! Anyhow, the show was really good and I really like the book. It has interesting recipes from all over Europe: Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Austria, Italy, France, and Spain. Also the titles of the chapters!

As it was Father’s Day this weekend and we aren't big present people. (Both my Mini-Bakers were born the winter. It works for us to spread their gifts throughout the year then all at once.) For little holidays like Father’s Day we celebrate with food and time! It might be we go out for a meal or I make a favorite dinner etc… So, I made our favorite beef roast and instead of a dessert (there has been a lot of sweet stuff in the house recently) I thought why not a bread!! There is so much from this book that I would like to try that it's going to be hard to know what to make next!

With so many books to choose a recipe from, it was hard to decide on one. From watching the show (see above) The Hairy Bikers made bread making look easy! And it is!! I had a little trouble shooting with the dough being sticky, but in the end it’s turned out very well! It’s very tasty and a perfect compliment to the beef roast! I am hoping that one of the loaves holds out until Tuesday for a picnic! ;0) Enjoy!!

Makes 4 mini-loaves

1 x 7g sachet of fast-action dried yeast

1 tbsp caster sugar

250ml warm water

500g plain flour, extra for dusting

275g Jarlsberg Cheese, grated

2 tsp fine sea salt

100ml whole milk

50g butter, cut into cubes

1 medium egg, beaten

sunflower oil , for greasing

3 tbsp finely chopped parsley

Put the yeast and sugar in a medium bowl, add 125ml of the warm water and whisk well. Set aside in a warm place for about 10 minutes or until you can see a light, beige froth floating on the surface of the mixture. Mix the flour, 100g of the cheese and the salt in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Keep the rest of the cheese for later!

Pour the milk into a saucepan, add the remaining 125ml of water and the butter. Over a low heat melt the butter and bring the mixture to a lukewarm temperature. Don’t let the mixture overheat. Stir the warm buttered milk and the beaten egg into the yeast mixture. Gradually stir it all into the flour with a wooden spoon and then mix with your hands until everything comes together to form a soft, spongy dough. Here I accidentally dumped the liquid into the flour mixture so it wasn’t gradually at all!

Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. My dough was very sticky. I don’t have a lot of experience with bread so not wanting to do anything wrong I left it and worked with it the best I could. I think I washed away half a loaf from my hands, bowls, and work surfaces!! Put the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover loosely with oiled clingfilm. Leave the dough to rise in a warm place for about 40 minutes or until it has doubled in size!

Return the dough to a floured surface and knock it back with your knuckles. Since the dough was so sticky I heavily floured my surface and hands and it seemed to be okay. Divide the dough into 4 balls and roll each ball into a rectangle about 25x20cm. Mix the remaining 175g of cheese with the parsley and sprinkle over the dough rectangles, leaving a 1cm gap around the edges. Beginning with the short ends, roll up the rectangles tightly like Swiss rolls and squeeze the ends to seal.

Place 1 of the dough rolls vertically in front of you and cut through the center up to about 5mm from the top. Twist each half of the dough over the other to form a braid, leaving the open sides, revealing the cheese and parsley, on top if possible. Repeat with the other dough balls.

Carefully transfer the loaves to a large baking sheet lined with baking parchment. Space them well apart and tuck in the ends neatly to preserve the twisted shape. Leave to rise for 30 minutes or until doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 200C/fan180C/gas6. Bake the loaves in the center of the oven for 35-40 minutes or until well-risen and golden brown. The bases should sound hollow when tapped. Leave to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Normally I would have taken more pictures of the process, but as it was so sticky (see above) and I was trying not to get distracted, I didn't. Next time I will though as the more and more I make bread like stuff the more confident I become!

I like doing a book review with a recipe! Kills two birds with one stone!!

Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes!!

I made these cupcakes for my husband's birthday. I wanted to try yet another Peanut Butter Cupcake recipe. This one was a hit with my cream-cheese-frosting-loving friends but not so much with my family (we don’t like cream cheese frosting in my house!) We still prefer the peanut butter chocolate swirl cupcakes. I really liked the cupcakes though, and would make them again with a peanut butter butter cream. :) ~Janet

cupcakes:

1 2/3 cup flour

3/4 cup cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 cup sour cream

2 tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter - room temp

1 ½ cup sugar

2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350 deg.
In a medium bowl, combine wet ingredients - sour cream, milk, and vanilla - set aside
Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl - set aside
In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
Add eggs to butter and sugar one at a time
Blend in dry and wet ingredients, alternatively - set aside