General Chat

A slightly different variation on lasagna ..

Instead of using pasta use Flour tortillas

it really does work well. Made it last night

Good morning everyone, I hope that y0u all enjoyed your Easter and all the delightful food, chocolates etc.

I was eaten out of house and home by my son his girl friend and her son...not complaining just delighted that the various recipes taken from here all worked very well. Son etc went into town and also bought some food and came back and made a delicious pasta meal for us BUT before that some wonderful Cocktails where made by the girl friend who has just sold her Cocktail business in Barcelona.......She can come every weekend if she wishes!!!!!!!!

So I am going to start adding special or personal favourite drinks.

10.43 hrs Spain

As promised the Potato Dish

Devilled Potatoes Serves 4

Cook 1 lb new Potatoes, drain. In another pan melt 2 oz butter amd then add 2tsps dry mustard, 1 TBsp tomato puree(or sauce) 2 TBsps any sweet chutney, 2 TBsps Cider vinegar, 1 TBsp worcestershire sauce. Simmer for 5 mins. Stir in potatoes and then cook for about 12 mins. This dish is lovely hot or cold

I will lookout a recipe for Aunty Sherlock, cos that sounds familiar. I am also seeking a recipe called Norwegian choc cake, the topping which like a ganache was put on when the cake was hot...have googled and got lloads of recipes but not this one.

6.15pm Norfolk UK

this may not be what you are thinking of Aunty Sherlock but it is delicious.

No Bake Chocolate Cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degree F (177 degree C) and place rack in the middle of the oven. Lightly butter an 8 inch (20 cm) tart or cake pan.

If using hazelnuts: place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes or until fragrant and the skins begin to flake (peel). Remove from oven and place a clean dish towel on top of the nuts. Let the nuts sit (steam) for a few minutes and then rub the nuts in the towel briskly to remove the skins. Let cool and then chop coarsely.

If using almonds, walnuts, pecans, and/or macadamia nuts: Place nuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 - 10 minutes or until lightly brown and fragrant. Let cool then chop coarsely.

Then in a heatproof bowl, placed over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the butter and chocolate.

Meanwhile, break or chop the digestive cookies into small pieces (about 1/2 inch).

Once the butter and chocolate are melted, remove from heat and stir in the digestive cookies, along with their crumbs, and the chopped nuts.

Spread this mixture into a lightly buttered 8 inch (20 cm) tart or cake pan, cover, and refrigerate for several hours or until set. Cut or break into slices. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Makes about 10 slices. Preparation time 30 minutes.


15.45 hrs Spain

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I just had a thought. Well I do strange things occasionally. Perhaps some cookimpresario out there might be able to identify my recipe.

The story starts... many years ago I was given a cake recipe by the woman next door. And I mean many years ago. I lost the recipe. My feeble brain remembers something like this, but I can not remember the quantities.

Buy a sponge cake and put it in a cake pan. Cut the cake across several times so it is in pieces (but still in the pan). Make a mixture of...... and this is where I am lost...... melted chocolate, cream, and ........... You do something with the chocolate then add the cream. Pour the mixture over the cake in the pan, and refrigerate it overnight, or for a few hours if you just can't wait to get at it.

Turn the cake out onto a platter and decorate with additional cream and chocolate sprinkles. It does need to thaw a little before you cut it.
The recipe would have been around about early 1970.

There was one where a NZ woman won it, she served the entree at the table but for the main she did it smorgasbord style so they could help themselves to whatever they chose (bit like our family get togethers) and they all commented on how weird it was, She also followed up desert with a cheese board... which is another thing we quite often do or do grapes, berryfruit and a cheese board instead of pudding. I sound like I am always watching it - it was a case of filling in my afternoons with that and 60 minute make overs - as a change from reading when I broke my foot last year, I didn't have the laptop then.

I will have to dig out my chocolate Mississippi mud pie that I made a couple of christmases ago and put that on here.

Persie

The Best bit of Come Dine with me is the commentator Dave Lamb, his comments are sooooooo good wonder what the people taking part think of him !!!!!!!

Weather great here in UK will post a potato dish later

Best wishes everyone...Happy Easter

Good morning everyone and I hope that you are all enjoying Easter.

Persephone, you are quite right about Come Dine With Me. When it first started I thought it was good harmless fun with an occasional meal that was worth trying, nowc!! Well I simply do not understand why it is still being broadcast..it is a comedy, I am sure, although it doesn 't attract me at all.

I can also agree with your husband on some choices, I hate pineapple on meat, or fruit in some curries, I expectbthere are more dipoles but had a lot of Baileys last night. Well 3 glasses is a lot for me.

The weather was good yesterday but looking a bit grim this morning so hoping that it clears soon.
Bye for now,

09.21 hrs Spain

A lot of meat meals have fruit included in them but my OH is not a fan.He would not abide sultanas in a curry, no apple sauce on his pork - he was known for cleaning up the apple sauce jug for pudding when he resided in a boarding house in London. Doesn't like pineapple on his ham steak etc but (there's always a but) he likes beef ragout with prunes in it.

I think people are being far more adventurous and with all these cooking programmes on the box we learn more and more about food.

But the one that beats them all is "Come dine with Me" - where do they get some of these people? One woman who was supposed to be the hostess took to her bed for a lie down half-way through the courses. And the bitchiness and I am not talking about the women here.. some of the blokes take the "biscuit."

P xx

The use of the soup comes from book of uses of soup put out by a very famous soup canner. Surprise, surprise. My version is adorned with childish scribble which means it must be about 40 odd years old. The book has no date on it.

Let me see you can have:
Creamed Chicken with Almonds over pancakes.
Spread a burgers
Tomato Crab Cup (which is a cold soup and does not appeal to me at all)
Meat Loaf - two versions

and lots more.

.

Aunty Sherlock

I can't wait to try these. Thanks for posting them. Please add more.....

09.20hrs Spain

Wow never heard of tomato soup in cake....

There is a chocolate cake that has beetroot and I quite like zucchini cake and zucchini bread and then carrot cake so why not tomato soup indeed.

For an old recipe it sounds very in vogue.

Persie

Second recipe is called Polpette which I think means Meatballs.

rind of a small lemon,
2 teaspoons parsley,
granulated garlic to your taste,
500 gm mince beef,
salt and pepper,
pinch nutmeg,
slice white bread soaked in milk,
1 beaten egg,
flour for coating meatballs
¼ cup cooking oil

Mince (I usually just stir) together zest of lemon, garlic and parsley. Add mince beef with salt and pepper and good pinch nutmeg. Stir in slice bread, crumbled and squeezed. Stir in beaten egg. On floured board form into small flat patties. Do not handle too much. Brown cakes in oil, 2 minutes each side. Serve hot with noodles, sauce and salad.

Thought you might like a couple of unusual recipes. These come from cookbooks which are bordering on antiquity, as is their owner. Yell at me if you already have them. I haven't read through your entire thread, there is something nauseating about a grown woman sitting drooling all over a keyboard.

You will need to do whatever mathematical calculations necessary to bring the instructions to your understanding.

Tomato Soup Cake (One Bowl Method)

1 ¾ cups sifted flour
1 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ cup shortening (butter or margarine)
1 can (10½ ounces) condensed cream of tomato soup
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour two 8 inch round layer pans. Sift dry ingredients together into large mixer bowl. Add shortening and half can of soup. Beat on medium speed for two minutes (150 strokes per minute by hand). Add remaining soup and eggs. Beat two minutes more, scraping bowl frequently. Pour into pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand in pans ten minutes; remove and cool on rack. Ice with cream cheese icing or use your favourite white icing.

Variations

Add 1½ cups chopped dates and 1 cup chopped walnuts into mixture and bake in a loaf tin for about one hour.

Or add one cup chopped nuts (or chopped raisins) and bake in the layer pans for 30 to 35 minutes.

Cream cheese Icing.

Blend a 4 oz packet cream cheese with about 1 tablespoon milk. Gradually add 2½ cups icing sugar. Mix well. Mix in half teaspoon vanilla essence (optional). Makes enough icing for two 8 inch layers

Persephone, thanks for your suggestions, they are all noted!

I will look out for some cutters when I am back in the UK for a few days next month.

09.04hrs Spain

Or....Make him my chocolate toasties,,,, if you have a cookie cutter you can make icing sugar patterns on them. I have a childrens' plastic baking cutter set for playdough just for this purpose - It has a rabbit, heart, butterfly, star and even a truck and elephant plus some others. I have often found toy shops have all sorts of little things you can use.

It is the same with books - often the childrens' ones have better explanations than trying to find an adults one.

My grandchildren like chocolate brownies with patterns or otherwise it is banana cake with chocolate icing and I use M&Ms or Smarties etc to make a design on top.

P xx

Greenfingers
Thank you. Today is one of my not so good days, and I do not know why< Oh well at least now I shall have a good cake to give to the visitors.I am sure that the young boy will love it.

I have bought the young boy a chocolate Chicken with some small chocolate eggs inside. Sure now that I am getting old as I was surprised at how much it cost 13 euros!! However I know that my children and grandchildren love having Easter eggs so I am sure he will as well.

16.00hrs Spain

Make a sponge cake instead 6oz SR,,6 Oz Butter, 6oz caster, 3 eggs...whisk altogether pour into 2 greased 6" sponge tins. Cook at 180oC for about 25 mins until skewer comes out clean. Make up butter cream I am afraid I always guess that, put in cocoa instead of some of the icing sugar. Sandwich together with some and put rest on top, roughly like a nest and fill top with small choc eggs and a chick if you can get one. The 6 year old you have coming with love it...not all little uns like marzipan etc, it is easier to have a sponge cake Hope this is of some help

2.45 pm Norfolk Uk

nudge

I am so cross with myself!!

With most of my attention being on getting the garden and the pool ready for the weekend, I have to admit that about an hour ago I realised that I had NOT cooked an Easter Cake. I normally do the whole thing, rich fruit cake, with almond Paste on top. 11 almond paste balls around the edge to represent the 11 disciples, not 12 because he was a traitor, and then I also make a small one if children will be here that is made from a sponge cake and put Easter bunnies on it.

ARRRRGH

Oh well better go and see what I have in the cupboard

11.00hrs Spain