Nigellissima - Third Helpings!

Here is a bumper  round up post for my cooking from Nigellissima, that I’ve not blogged so far.  Been a while since Nigellissima by Nigella Lawson published by  Chatto & Windus 2012 came out.  Whilst it isn't my very favourite book of hers, we have eaten a number of good meals from it.   As an aside I am so looking forward to her new book Simply Nigella due out October 2015! Not long to wait now….   Roll on October…..

Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

I first ate this cake at my friend Anna’s house. It was really good. I then made it myself, but I used too strong an olive oil and it was ok-ish, but you could taste the olive oil.  Still my friend’s cake was great, so it has potential with the right oil!

Italian Roast Chicken with Peppers and Olives

This was good, lovely Summery roast.

Vanilla Mousse with Berries and Pistachios

A nice simple pudding for when the berries are perfect.

Fettuccine with Mushrooms, Marsala and Mascarpone

I used spaghetti as we as a family aren’t that keen on Fettuccine. A rich vegetarian pasta.

Instant Chocolate-Orange Mousse

I halved this recipe, and it worked out just fine.  Chocolate and orange is one of my very favourite flavour pairings.

Chicken with Tomatoes and Peppers

I pepped this one up with some olives, bit of pancetta or bacon would have been good too.

Figs with Honey-Cream & Pistachios

I don’t think the figs I had were up to much to begin with, so even sweet cream wasn’t enough to perk them up.  However if you have some great fresh figs go for it.  I’d double the sauce.

Mock Mash

I was in two minds if or not I’d post this one, as if I really don’t like a recipe my usual stand is just not to post it.  Quite simply awful! Waste of good ingredients! At least to our tastes anyhow.  I’d imagine this is a marmite recipe love it or hate it, no middle ground.   

One-Step No-Churn Coffee Ice Cream

Amazing! Make it soon….

Mountain Macaroni

I’ll come clean and tell you that although this is a pasta and potato recipe, I dispensed with the potatoes. The reason for doing this was twofold. One although it was a cold, cold Winter’s night when I made it, I’d not been skiing or clearing snow, so didn’t need the double carb hit, and secondly my daughter would not have eaten the pasta if she found a potato bit in it, and as it was she ate it happily!  Still, it was comforting and delicious, so result.

Peas with Pancetta

Can’t go wrong with this one, peas, bacon, mint, wine, garlic…

Pasta with Courgettes

I made half of this recipe one lunch time for just me, I really liked it, but I love courgettes, alas my family don’t.  Going to add in some cream or crème fraiche next time, just a touch. 



New England Open House Cookbook

New Book!  I’ve been anticipating this book for months now. New England Open House Cookbook by Sarah Leah Chase, Workman 2015.   I have all Sarah’s book, and especially liked The Nantucket Open House Cookbook and also Cold-Weather Cooking.  She hasn’t written a book in a long while though, which has made for a long, long wait! 

 

 

It’s a lovely book, not a book if you need a picture of every recipe, because although there are pictures of some recipes and also scene setting ones too, there is not a picture of each dish. That aside it is a cooks’ book, one to read then cook from. I like the friendly way the pages are set out. It reminds me very much of the late, great Sheila Lukins’s books.

 

 

The geographical reach is bigger in this book, spanning New England or ‘300 Recipes Inspired by the Bounty of New England’ as the cover has it.  There are year round recipes and plenty of chat from the author in the recipe introductions. Some recipes are inspired by or from local eateries and people, and Sarah always credits them, a trait which I respect in a cookbook writer.

 

 

Now what to make first? Greek Girlfriend Baked Chicken and Orzo – Our House Vinaigrette (which her husband says he married her for!) – Maple Glazed Salmon – Maple Pear Muffins with Walnut Streusel – Daffodil Picnic Chicken Curried Salad – Blue Hill Blueberry Bliss (cake)……

Ree Drummond Raspberry Tiramisu

For quite a while now I’ve been having a bit of a Ree Drummond Pioneer Woman recipe obsession.  This recipe is a dessert I made this last weekend as a trial for having friends round later in the Summer. I know one of them can’t go past Tiramisu on a dessert menu, so I had to try this raspberry tiramisu to make sure it was good!

It was gorgeous, the raspberries add a nice fruity edge to the Tiramisu.  Now, I have a slight confession to make, I don’t really like mascarpone in sweet things, so I used light cream cheese, and it worked out just fine.   At the time of posting this it is not in any of Ree’s books, but you can find the recipe for the raspberry tiramisu here on the Foodnetwork website.

Rachael Ray Cashew Orange Chicken

Hello!  I’ve been gone from the blogsphere for a good while now.  In the meantime I’ve been posting (much more) regular updates in the Facebook page, and although I enjoy that I miss blogging.... so here I am, back again. J   Sometimes you’ll get food, sometimes recipes, sometimes pictures of my latest books, because despite attempting to curb by cookbook-aholic tendancies I still get such a huge thrill from holding a new book in my hand, sometimes I’ll read through them for ideas and sometimes cook from them, neither is a waste to me!

The recipe here is one I have made so many times, it’s from Rachael Ray’s Look + Cook book from Clarkson Potter 2010.  Rachael gets a bit of a rough ride sometimes, but you know I can’t help but like her.  Especially when she comes up with recipes like this one, make your own takeout Cashew chicken with orange sauce and scallion (spring onion) rice.  I’ve made it with broccoli or tenderstem broccoli and both are good. I also thicken the sauce with 1 level tablespoon of cornflour slackened with 2 tablespoons of cold water added in right at the end to thicken. Other than that little change the recipe can be found here.  

 

Sophie Conran Boards Product Review

I was approached recently to see if I fancied working with the Sophie Conran website by doing a product review. I said yes (it was a no-brainer!) as I’ve been a fan for a long time of Sophie’s Portmeirion range of dishes, plates, mugs and glass ware. Indeed I know some of my readers have spotted the distinctive white beauty of them before on le blog.

Anyhow, Sophie Conran has recently branched out into a few different areas, and one of the newest ranges she has designed is her wood boards by T&G Woodware, made from natural beech wood, harvested and manufactured in Europe.

There is a great selection of different boards to suit every taste and need:

Small, medium and large paddle boards, there are also medium and large versions of these with a band motif.

Small, medium and large rectangular boards in two colour ways, greys and blues. The shades of grey/ neutral are called Chalk, Dove and Seal. The blues Forget-me-not, Bluebell and Violet.

Lovely round ones, the medium one says ‘Made with love’ and the large ‘Beautiful day’.

Then there is my favourite the Dot and Dash design, how pretty to display bread or biscuits on. Love the cricket bat shape.

I was sent a board, like the one Sophie is holding here, and I love the idea of having a wooden cake board. It makes for such a pretty presentation.

These boards are lovely, to use, serve on or just to make something look good. The Sophie Conran range is synonymous with style, so of course they make for very stylish presentation. A final note, is that if you are in the habit of taking food pictures they’d make for great blog pictures too. Full range available at

 http://www.sophieconran.com/

Next Up: John Whaite Bakes at Home 

Sally's Baking Addiction Cook Book - Review

Sally's Baking Addiction Irresistable Cookies, Cupcakes & Deserts for your Sweet Tooth Fix by Sally McKenney. Published in 2014 by Race Point Publishing.

I collect cookbooks, but it would be fair to say I’m obsessed by baking books, I can’t get enough. I don’t think a baking book is a waste if I never use it, I’m happy to read them too. This one however, most definitely falls into the category of ‘a book to bake from’ too.

Do note that as this book hails from the U.S. the measurements are in American cups, though often, helpfully, grams are given too for things like flour and sugar. Recipes are cleanly laid out and easy to follow. The pictures are fabulous, and all say eat-me-now!

Chapters are *Bread & Muffins * Breakfast * Brownies & Bars * Cakes, Pies & Crisps * Candy & Sweet Snacks * Cookies * Cupcakes * Healthier Choices*.

Some of the bakes on my to-do list are: Mint Chocolate Fudge Brownies, Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Bars, Oatmeal Scotchies, Cake Batter Chocolate Chip Cookies, Apple Cinnamon Raisin Breakfast Cookies and Dark Chocolate Butterscotch Cupcakes.

I find Sally’s website http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/ really appealing, it is so easy to browse and find something yummy to look at and then bake. The book is just the same, a pleasure to flip through and each time I pick it up I see something else I’d like to bake. That coupled with the bakes turning out really well is the mark of a fabulous baking book. My daughter picked it up and oohed and ahhed about what she would like to make too.

It was really hard to actually choose a first make, as so many things looked tempting, but the day it arrived I HAD to make something, and I already had a baked something or other under the cake dome, so I plumped for granola!

Here are the things I’ve made so far.

Death by Chocolate Brownies

These were so good, moist and slightly gooey with the chocolate chips in them when warm and just as good cold. My hubby warmed one up in the microwave for desert one night, and it came out as if it had been freshly baked. I’ve worked my way through a number of brownie recipes down the years, and these are our new favourites.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Blondies

I do like a blondie, and these were lovely especially with the macadamias providing a nice crunch.

Maple Pecan Granola

The name says it all. I made this for my hubby, but I should really warn you that if you make this one, it’s hard to stop nibbling it whilst it’s cooling down! Lovely with some apple compote and Greek yoghurt.

Chocolate Glazed Orange Macaroons
The coconut ones (as opposed to the French macaron). These were great. Not too sweet, but a nice orange flavour and a little chocolate drizzle on top to bring the orange and coconut together.

Next Up: Next up: Sophie Conran product review

Next Book Review: John Whaite Bakes at Home

Sally's Soft Gingersnap Molasses Cookies

Here is a little bonus before the proper Sally's Baking Addiction Cook Book review in a few days.

A recipe from her fabulous website.  I printed off this one (and three more while I was looking!). My friend Jodie of Jo Blogs, Jo Bakes ( http://joblogsjobakes.wordpress.com/ )  pointed me in the direction of these, a couple of days ago, and loving ginger as I do they had to be made!  Here is the link for Sally's recipe. 

http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2012/11/26/soft-gingersnap-molasses-cookies-4-ways/