Aubergine, Tomato and Parmesan Bake

Receiving my vegetables from Riverford organic farms means that I don't get to choose which vegetables I have.  Some vegetables are harder to know how use than others and aubergines fit that category for me.  I tend to always make ratatouille so was very grateful when my son in law gave me a new recipe to try.  He recommended BBC Good Food for their aubergine, tomato and Parmesan bake.  However, those who know me also know that it is almost impossible for me to follow a single recipe.  When I searched on line I found a variety of recipes with the same title ... so I looked at several.  The were all similar but with minor variations, and they catered for larger numbers than I would normally cook for.  I based my recipe on a hybrid of BBC Good Food and Jamie Oliver.  I decided to use as many tasty ingredients as I could and at this time of year the more garlic and onions, used all the better for beating colds. This amount should feed 2 hungry people with some to spare.

Ingredients:

2 Aubergines, sliced 1cm width

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, sliced

Olive oil

1 tin chopped tomatoes

2 Tbsp tomato puree 

40g grated Parmesan cheese

20g basil leaves, torn

handful fresh breadcrumbs

1 egg

Method:

• Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C, heat griddle pan until hot.
• Slice aubergine and brush with olive oil and griddle in batches until browned and cooked through, turn half way through and set aside.
• Fry onions and garlic in olive oil and then add tomatoes.  Simmer for 10 minutes. Add tomato puree and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Layer aubergines in ovenproof dish and top with part of tomato mixture and basil leaves. Sprinkle with Parmesan, repeat with remaining ingredients. 
• Top with beaten egg and a little extra Parmesan and finally fresh breadcrumbs.
• Bake in oven for 20 to 30 minutes until topping is golden.

Dish up and enjoy a tasty and healthy meal.

Steaks with Blueberry and Gluhwein Sauce

This recipe is from the Lidl magazine using their ingredients. It uses the Deluxe frozen Reindeer steaks but I didn't have any today so used a beef fillet steak ... it was just as good. If you get the chance to do it with reindeer I would recommend it as the meat is juicy, tender and tasty.

I pack of Deluxe reindeer steaks (4 steaks)

75g plain flour

sunflower oil

1 pack of Oaklands blueberries

2 glasses Lidl gluhwein (or make your own ... see my previous post)

30g butter

1/2 tsp salt and freshly ground pepper

Method:

• If the steaks are large, flatten a little before cooking. Mix salt and pepper into plain flour. Pat each steak dry with kitchen towel then dip into seasoned flour and set aside.
• Heat 2 Tbsp sunflower oil in a frying pan until very hot.  Add the steaks and leave for 2 minutes to get a good seared edge. Turn over and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Don't over cook. Remove to a warm plate to rest.
• Add the butter to the pan and throw in the blueberries (about a Tbsp per person ... although I use plenty, you can never have too many blueberries!)
• Add the wine and reduce. Pour over the steaks and serve with mashed potato.

The first time we cooked this I wasn't sure how it would turn out but we have now made it on many occasions and it is a quick, easy but indulgent meal to prepare.  Today's effort using fillet steak was incredibly good and this was mainly due to the steaks which we purchased from Lidl.  The steak was perfect in every way and was the most tender that I have ever cooked at home. Good Value and Good Taste ... perhaps I should get a job in marketing for them.

Gluewein ... a Taste of Christmas

There's nothing like Gluewein for getting into the winter spirit.  In England we call it mulled wine but my first taste was in Switzerland in my early twenties. It all tastes good!

Serves 10-15

10 cups claret

juice of 3 lemons 

2 cinnamon sticks

1/2 tsp cloves (I use whole cloves and stud them in citrus fruit)

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

3/4 cup (5-6oz) brown sugar

2 sliced lemons

4 cups lemonade, optional

(you can substitute oranges instead of lemons if you prefer)

Mix all ingredients together in a wine bowl and heat gently. Serve very hot, not boiling. Add lemonade if used and reheat just before serving.

Easy isn't it?  There's no excuse.  I've just made a much smaller amount to use in a recipe for steak.  The beauty of cooking (or drinking) is that you can alter everything to suit your own tastes, or what's in the cupboard ... so get off the internet and get mixing!

Felt Sandwich Bar

My obsession with felt food is taking over my life and I have studied so many other sites and visited numerous Pinterest boards.  In preparation for the visit of my granddaughters I have been stitching into the small hours.  My first attempt at slices of bread leave a lot to be desired but I have consoled myself with the fact that at three years old they are unlikely to be critical.  I will find out in 24 hours. 

wholemeal bread slices with very uneven crusts

Having visited predominantly American sites this is peanut butter and jelly (jam to those of us on this side of the pond).  It could be blackcurrant jam, and the brown splodge could easily be transferable to a savoury sandwich as pate.  These are all machine stitched and after several false starts with setting the tension I realised I'd used the wrong colour thread but I certainly wasn't going to redo them.

Now for the savoury additions to make your own sandwich and some are machine stitched and others hand stitched with blanket stitch (something useful remembered from my childhood).  I agonised over how to create tomato slices and had several sleepless nights (literally) trying to think about how to do it ... but I decided to stop procrastinating and just take scissor to felt.  And I'm very pleased with the outcome, at least you can tell it's a tomato.  The cucumber was much easier and I love the egg slices. The cheese is Swiss and the pink stuff is meant to be ham but could be luncheon meat.  The lettuce leaf at the back is hidden as it is disastrous and not made out of felt.  I think I'll have another attempt at a later date.

As the girls have a play barbecue and a fish cage I thought they ought to have a fish to cook.  The examples I saw on line were either fish for swimming in the sea .. and who wants to cook Nemo?  or so in depth in their construction they'd look better in an anatomy book.  So I used my limited imagination and created an unknown species of fish small enough to fit on the barbecue:

This only leaves dessert and I couldn't be bothered to faff around with the incredible efforts of ice-cream cones and cupcakes that I've seen on line.  I settled for a haphazard blob of ice-cream and stewed berries:

After all these efforts of food preparation for two weeks I have spent a happy hour playing in the children's playhouse and arranging the food ready for their visit tomorrow.

The kitchen hob is filled with breakfast cooking: 

  

The vegetables are kept warm in a casserole in the oven

The second oven is keeping the pasta warm

And finally the table is laid with salad ingredients and cold pizza

There is a part of me that is worried the girls will not be interested in playing with this but it almost doesn't matter.  I've had fun creating it and I thoroughly enjoyed arranging it all in the playhouse.  And I can play with it any time I like!  I might even branch out and creating it for other people's children. This is an addiction that is beneficial rather than harmful.  I am sure that our grandson will enjoy it when he comes as he's already shown great interest in the plastic cakes and burger which was previously our only play food.

I hope it will still all be in place by tomorrow because some of the wood fairies are a little mischievous and they may decide to rearrange things when I turn my back.

After all .... they do have their own door!

Felt Food ... a Whole New World Awaits

Since last week's first steps into the world of felt I have discovered that it is indeed a whole new expansive territory.  I feel like a new explorer following the path trodden by those before me.  I am almost embarrassed to admit that the fascination with felt has become an obsession and I have even been dreaming about my next projects.  Rather than have yet another disturbed night it seemed preferable to actually get creative in the flesh (or felt) again.

Pepperoni Pizza is ready in the oven and my ability to create it is all thanks to the inspiration and instruction on Pinterest. Talented crafters out there have shown me that it is possible to create an entire smorgasboard of food, but I am making do with a small menu.  

Step by step instructions enabled me to prepare this pizza and I would never have done it without the talent and help of cyberspace crafters ... thank you Andersruff for this tutorial.  I am not great at sewing but this was easy enough for me to follow.

These are my stages of pizza construction:

Create a stuffed crust

                            Add a rich tomato sauce

Top with some mozzarella slices 

Add a selection of sliced mushrooms

And finally scatter some pepperoni and sliced peppers .... Good enough to eat!

Having got into the swing of this I still had time and the inclination to make a few more courses:

Farfalle with meatballs and cherry tomatoes in tomato sauce 

Ravioli with fresh herbs and tomato sauce

Thanks so much for humouring my current obsession ... be warned there is more to come.

I am now mulling over sandwiches, wraps, cookies and desserts.  I'm not planning a work of art but some practical representational food that will be good fun for play.

Remembering Summer Fun

Having lost my motivation and mojo I decided it was time to let CSI challenge me again.  I have been meaning to scrap the memories of summers with my baby brother for a long time and this seemed the ideal time to do it.  Unfortunately I have no photos of these times.  I can't even remember which years he came to stay but I know that he visited when I lived in two different houses.  He must have been about 6 years old and we both have wonderful memories of playing on the beach.

The title was a Kaisercraft Collectable from the Sandy Toes collection and was the perfect sentiment to make a title.  

The evidence I used were: stripes, triangles, arrows, signs, a solid brad and to hang something.
The testimony was that my journaling was behind the title which was hung by a peg from a sign and used the inspiration word 'Summer'.

Creating this layout was a challenge with no photographs to scrap.  I scanned a school photo of that time period and then took a trip to Weymouth to photograph an inflatable crocodile ... that in itself was a memorable visit.  Scrapping this has brought back so many wonderful memories and the layout encapsulates the joy of summer.  Bunting was the perfect way to hang something and mirrored the bunting hanging above the crocodile outside the shop.  Bunting is also quintessentially British Summer Time.

The journaling reads: 
I can’t believe that I took no photos in the summers 
that you stayed with me. Perhaps it’s because we were 
too busy having fun. We bought an inflatable crocodile
and had fun on the beach and in the sea.  I remember you
ran into the water and then rushed back to say: “Daddy 
says I can’t go in the sea without you”. I had my clothes 
on and didn’t want to go in but I assured you that I could
 see you and that if you needed me I would rush in to get 
you. I have memories to  last a lifetime, images engraved 
on my heart that will always bring a smile and I know 

that those summers will forever be a bond between us.

As I could not remember the dates that my brother visited it seemed fitting to use washi tape that listed days of the week. It is almost irrelevant when he came ... it's the memories that are important. I had wanted to try some different crafting techniques but I seem to stay within my comfort zone.  I am getting better with using stamps and am developing a love of collectables, but still struggle to 'cluster' in the same way that I admire in others' layouts.

Thanks for looking and thanks for all the inspiration over on CSI

Preparing Food the Crafty Way

Having grandchildren has given me a different outlook on life.  They love the new playhouse that we've put in our garden and as they seem to enjoy the play kitchen I thought it would be good to have some food to cook.  I looked at all the plastic stuff for sale and the expense of the wooden food and then I was inspired by a friend of mine. She had made food out of felt for her daughter and granddaughter.  An idea was born and today I have created breakfast and dinner.

It is not a masterpiece and I wont win any prizes but it has kept me out of mischief today and I hope will stimulate the imagination of our grandchildren next time they visit.  I will welcome any ideas of how I can make more convincing food but in the meantime this will do.

The egg is frying nicely and the streaky bacon, sausage and baked beans are ready to serve.  The beans are wooden beads sewn onto scrap material and the yellow button was the perfect find in a charity shop.  

Pork chop served with sweetcorn and peas

I hated art at school and would often cry in lessons at my failure to achieve what other children managed with little effort. My felt pork chop may not be award winning, and some people may think that I've wasted an afternoon but I am impressed that I managed to create this in a few hours. 

My next project will be pizza but I'm still working out how to manage that one.

Any ideas for adding to my larder will be greatly received ... Thanks for dropping by