Tag Archives: Dairy Diary

Halloween Pumpkin Gratin

Perfect for a chilly Halloween celebration.

Halloween Pumpkin Gratin from the 2012 Dairy DiaryServes 4
Time 50 mins
Cals 334 per portion
Fat 24g of which 9.5g is saturated
Suitable for vegetarians
Suitable for freezing

Pumpkin 1.8kg (4lb), peeled and deseeded
Parmesan cheese 50g (2oz), grated
Fresh breadcrumbs 50g (2oz)
Pecan nuts 50g (2oz), roughly chopped
Chopped thyme leaves 2 tbsp
Butter 50g (2oz), melted

1 Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Cut pumpkin into 2.5cm (1in) thick wedges. Place in a lightly buttered ovenproof dish. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

2 Mix together Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, pecans, thyme and seasoning in a bowl.

3 Sprinkle evenly over pumpkin. Then drizzle over melted butter.

4 Bake in oven for 30–40 minutes, until pumpkin is tender and topping is golden. Serve immediately.

Tip Rather than Parmesan cheese, crumble over some strong blue cheese.

Recipe taken from 2012 Dairy Diary.

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Cherry Cupcakes

Children will love them – if you don’t eat them first!

Cherry Cakes from the Dairy Diary 2012Makes 12 cakes
Time 30 mins
Calories 265 per cake
Fat 14g of which 8.5g is saturated
Suitable for vegetarians

Butter 175g (6oz)
Caster sugar 110g (4oz)
Eggs 2, beaten
Self-raising flour 110g (4oz)
Glacé cherries 50g (2oz), chopped
Icing sugar 110g (4oz)
White chocolate buttons and halved glacé cherries to decorate

1 Preheat oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas 5. Spread out 12 paper cases on baking sheets, or put them into patty tins.

2 Cream 110g (4oz) butter and all caster sugar together until pale and fluffy. Gradually beat in eggs, beating well after each addition. Fold in flour, then chopped cherries.

3 Fill paper cases half full and bake for 15–20 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

4 Beat remaining butter with icing sugar for butter icing and spread over top of cooled cakes.

5 Decorate with white chocolate buttons and glacé cherries.

Recipe taken from 2012 Dairy Diary.

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Sweet Spicy Nuts

Sweet Spicy Nuts | A Dairy Diary 2012 recipe

Wrap in cellophane and tie with a ribbon to make a tasty gift.

Makes 450g (1lb)
Time 15 mins
Calories 168 per 25g (1oz)
Fat 15g of which 1.6g is saturated

Blanched almonds 110g (4oz)
Cashew nuts 110g (4oz)
Unsalted peanuts 110g (4oz)
Pecans 110g (4oz)
Ground cinnamon 1 tsp
Ground cumin ½ tsp
Ground coriander ½ tsp
Olive oil 2 tbsp
Soft brown sugar 2 tbsp

1 Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6.

2 Place nuts in a bowl and sprinkle in spices and olive oil. Mix together thoroughly with your hands.

3 Spread evenly onto a baking tray and bake in oven for 5–10 minutes, turning halfway through, until aromatic and golden. Add sugar, mix well and return to oven for a few minutes until sugar has melted.

4 When cool, transfer to a serving bowl and serve with drinks. Tip You can store these nuts in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Recipe taken from 2012 Dairy Diary.

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Hello autumn!

Finally my Dairy Diary tells me it is Autumn, here in Sheffield it has felt like it for weeks.

For once my husband has managed to do a little house job at just the right time, well, a year previously would have been more of the right time, but it’s the critical time of this year, and I guess that’s what matters. He has fitted the remote thermostatic control to our boiler. Hurrah!

Every year he is away the first week in October exhibiting his wares at The Goldsmiths Fair.  As soon as he has driven out the driveway I go into ‘winter mode’. The winter duvets go on all the beds and I set the heating to come on, just for a couple of hours, every morning and evening. Out go the light suppers and in come dishes such as ‘Ruby Beef Stew‘ (Page 93 of the Dairy Diary). CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE

The trouble with living in a draughty old house is that some rooms feel tropical and others barely off-freezing.

18 months ago we bought the thermostat, with the hope that we could place the thermostat in the most used room of the house, leaving the heating to adjust itself accordingly. So, two weeks until he goes away, the thermostat has been fitted for three weeks already and he asked me if I’d used it yet. “No” I said quite truthfully, as that particular day it had been warm and sunny. “Will you?” he asked. “Now?” I said. “Yes” he replied. I fell off my seat.

As we all know most couples find the man is always hot and the woman always cold.
My man is no exception, wearing shorts from the end of the snow season until he returns from his October show, yet here he was asking me to put the heating on, on a mild September evening. On further discussion it came out that he wants me to use it to make sure it works before he goes away and this has led me to worry…. Could he be thinking of taking it with him? Will it work over a distance of 170 miles?

Wrap up warm.

Karen
Dairy Diary Team

Ruby Beef Stew

Ruby Beef Stew

Recipe taken from the Dairy Diary.

CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE

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Walks, castles and coast

Before I start this I think I should point out that Northumberland is a beautiful place, well worth a visit if you like the outdoors. Lots of lovely walks, castle ruins and rugged shoreline.

Last year we spent three nights with friends near Bamburgh, and were fortunate to get some lovely days to explore. So, when offered the chance to go back this year, for a week on our own in a caravan this time, we were quite keen.

Unfortunately for us it was the week of the severe weather warnings in the area. And they were not wrong! 

The first evening we made a plan of action as it was obvious that my summer packing was not going to cut it, we needed more supplies! In the morning we went to the local camping shop to buy myself and my husband some wellies, that made wading to the shower block considerably easier.

Chris admitted that his top of the range waterproof he’d brought along was not doing it’s job, and bought a pack-a-mac. Then we had a clothes stock check, and on our next supermarket visit bought the children more trousers and ourselves more thick socks, to wear in the wellies.

All was not completely lost, we managed a couple of picnics.
One day it was actually dry and quite bright inbetween the clouds rushing along, and we found a sheltered sand dune at Cheswick to sit in to refuel before we got the kites out. Another day visiting Lindisfarne the picnic was a good old-fashioned British eat-in-the-car-admiring-the-coast-view-through-the-windscreen affair.

Instead of picnics what we could have done with was some warming soup, maybe something like the Curried Soup on page 145 of this year’s Dairy Diary? The caravan although well-equipped, was not the place to be trying out creative cookery though.

We cut our losses and packed up a day early to return home. What a relief that was! The sun came out and I managed to dry load after load of muddy, damp washing outside.

Have a warm dry week!

Karen
Dairy Diary Team

Currie Soup with Bacon

Curried Soup with Bacon
A super tasty soup that’s so easy to prepare.

A Dairy Diary recipe.

.

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Curried Soup with Bacon

A super tasty soup that’s so easy to prepare.

Currie Soup with Bacon

Serves 4
Time 35 mins
Calories 171 per portion
Fat 9g of which 4.2g is saturated
Suitable for freezing

Butter 15g (½oz)
Carrot 1, peeled and chopped
Onion 1, peeled and chopped
Potato 175g (6oz), peeled and diced
Smoked streaky bacon 4 rashers, chopped
Korma curry paste 2 tsp
Chicken stock 450ml (¾ pint)
Milk 300ml (½ pint)
Chopped coriander 3tbsp

1 Melt butter in a large pan and gently sauté carrot, onion, potato and bacon for 10 minutes.

2 Stir in curry paste, cook 1 minute then add stock and season with salt and pepper. Bring up to boil, stirring, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

3 Purée with a stick blender or in a food processor. Add milk and coriander and reheat.

A Dairy Diary recipe.

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