Cider & wholegrain mustard chicken

Tender chicken thighs in a creamy, cider sauce with a wholegrain mustard & parsley tang.

Best served with rice and tenderstem broccoli

Serves 2

- olive oil

- 250g chicken thighs

- 1 onion, chopped

- 1 garlic clove, crushed

- 200ml cider

- 100g crème fraiche

- 2 generous tsp wholegrain mustard

- handful of fresh parsley, chopped

1. Fry the chicken thighs in the olive oil in a deep pan until cooked, then remove and set aside.

2. Fry the onion and garlic in the same pan then add the cider and bring to the boil.

3. Return the chicken to the pan and cover and simmer for ten minutes, or until reduced.

4. Stir in the crème fraiche, mustard and parsley - bubble for 5 minutes then serve on a bed of rice.

Enjoy :)

Spaghetti with tuna & parsley

 This is the perfect pasta dish to make mid-week when you fancy something a bit comforting, a bit special, but quick and easy. It uses ingredients you will most likely already have which is a bonus (who doesn't always have a tin of tuna in the cupboard?)

 It would also make a super quick Valentine's meal, if you don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen but want to make something special for a fellow pasta lover.

(I made this just for myself but will double the quantities below to serve two)

Serves 2 

- 200g spaghetti

- 25g butter

- 2 garlic cloves, crushed

- 1 large onion, finely chopped

- 1 tin of tuna, in oil

- 50-100ml creme fraiche

- handful of fresh parsley, chopped

- parmesan, to grate on top

1. Cook the spaghetti according to packet instructions in salted, boiling water (around 10 minutes).

2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan and fry the garlic for a couple of minutes.

3. Then add the onion and cook until softened. 

4. Drain some of the oil away from the tin of tuna and pour the rest of the tuna oil into the pan with the onion and garlic. Tip the tuna into a separate bowl and mash with a fork, then add to the pan and stir.

5. Mix the crème fraiche and parsley into the tuna mixture and heat through.

4. Drain the pasta and add to the pan with the tuna mixture, stirring until combined.

5. Serve and top with a generous grating of parmesan!

 Enjoy :)

Creamy bacon and leek risotto

I have a really similar post here so I wasn't sure whether to bother putting this up, but this recipe doesn't have chicken in it and is more creamy because of the crème fraiche so it is kind of different! This is really simple, and really delicious so give it a try...

Serves 2
- knob of butter
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 4 rasher of bacon, cut into chunks
- 1 leek, sliced
- 175g rice
- 300ml water with 1 chicken stock cube
- 2 heaped tsp of crème fraiche
- parmesan, grated
- parsley, for garnish


1. Melt the butter in a large pan and fry the garlic for a couple of minutes. Add the bacon and continue to fry for a few minutes.
2. Add all the leeks and cook until separated and softened. Next, stir in the rice until coated.
3. Meanwhile, make up the stock and add to the pan - bring to the boil, then simmer for around 15 minutes - or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is soft.
4. Stir in the crème fraiche and serve with grated parmesan and a sprig of parsley!

Enjoy :)

Banana loaf cake

I had never tried banana cake until someone home-made it for a BBQ dessert last summer, and I absolutely loved it. I like bananas but don't usually like banana flavoured things, the exception being this cake of course. I used the recipe in Lisa Faulkner's cookbook, which worked really well. The good thing about it is that it requires very ripe bananas, so you don't have to waste those black bananas in your fruit bowl anymore! It's quite a dense cake but super moist and full of sweet flavour which is what I love most about it, and the end pieces taste particularly good, I don't really know why, it must be the change in texture? I grated some dark chocolate on top before baking, and next time I will probably put dark chocolate chips in to improve the texture and balance the sweetness with a more bitter taste - who doesn't love chocolate chunks in a cake!? If you like bananas, I would definitely recommend trying this recipe, don't be sceptical - it can be just as yummy as a victoria sponge or chocolate cake, it has lots of potential! I also always think of this as quite a British cake so would be the perfect treat to whip up for the jubilee weekend if you are having a party or spending time with family.

For a 1kg cake - serves 8-10 (I halved it)

- 125g butter or margarine, softened

- 75g soft brown sugar

- 75g caster sugar

- 2 eggs, beaten

- 3 ripe bananas, mashed

- 250g self-raising flour, sieved

- 2 heaped teaspoons honey

- dark chocolate, grated

(How cute is this egg box!? I'm sure they're just normal eggs - I don't think the fact that they're called 'baking eggs' changes anything, but they were really large eggs and the best value at around £1.20 for 6! I got them in Tesco)

1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4 / 180 degrees. Grease a loaf tin.

2. Cream together the butter and the sugar until soft and fluffy. Whisk in the beaten eggs and the mashed banana until fully combined.

3. Fold in the flour, then stir in the honey.

4. Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and grate the dark chocolate on top.

5. Bake in the oven for around 30 minutes, or until golden on top, and a knife comes out clean when inserted into the middle.

6. Leave to cool for a few minutes in the tin, then turn out onto a wired rack and leave to cool. Serve on its own or with some crème fraiche, mm mm.

Enjoy :)

Strawberry, peach and yogurt trifle

 This is a delicious snack or dessert that is healthier than it looks! I named it a trifle purely because of the way it looks - it doesn't contain sponge, jam or whipped cream unfortunately, but it is a perfect substitute if you don't want to be so naughty or spend lots of time putting together a dessert. Although I made this with plain, natural yogurt, the syrup from the tinned peaches sweetens it so it doesn't taste bitter or bland. The fresh strawberries compliment the peaches well - the colours also make this look amazing! I topped it with full fat crème fraiche because it was all we had in the house, but opt for reduced fat if you want it to stay healthy. Do not be sceptical of a healthier dessert - this will seriously satisfy your sweet tooth! If you are craving chocolate you could grate some dark chocolate on top, or melt it to drizzle over the top. Don't forget that the tinned peaches in syrup will be quite high in sugar so don't be fooled in thinking this is perfectly healthy. The glass I used was quite big so I had half as a snack and am saving half for dessert later. It was hard to resist eating it all at once I must admit...

Fills 1 large glass

- 1/4 tub of low fat natural yogurt (I used Sainsbury's less than 2% fat probiotic natural yogurt)

- 1/3 tin of sliced peaches in syrup

- 5 or 6 strawberries, sliced

- small dollop of crème fraiche

- dark chocolate, grated or melted (optional)

1. Stir some of the peach syrup into the yogurt in a separate bowl to sweeten.

2. Spoon some yogurt into the bottom of a large glass, layer 2 or 3 peach slices on top. Spoon another bit of yogurt over the peaches. Top with some sliced strawberries. Repeat again.

3. Dollop some crème fraiche on top and garnish with some chopped peach and strawberry - delicious!

Enjoy :)

Oven-baked rigatoni with salami

Yay, I've finally followed a Jamie Oliver recipe! I always tab loads of recipes off his site that I want to cook, but for some reason I never get round to cooking them. This was a delicious pasta bake - something different from the usual thanks to the crisp, salty salami. It had strong Italian flavour from the tomato and balsamic, and lots of different texture from the melted mozzarella, crisp salami, soft pasta etc. What I liked about this dish was that the pasta wasn't coated in sauce, it was more like rigatoni with a topping, kind of like a pizza. Having said that, it wasn't dry or bland or anything, although some people do prefer a pasta bake to have more sauce. If you do prefer it this way then I suggest adding more tinned tomatoes, balsamic and crème fraiche than the recipe suggests. If you're worried about this meal being too unhealthy then cook less pasta to have a smaller portion, and use reduced fat crème fraiche and mozzarella (I did this - both in Sainsbury's be good to yourself range). I served this with garlic bread for a delicious Saturday night feast!

Serves 4
- drizzle of olive oil
- pack of sliced salami (I used milano)
- 1 red onion, chopped
- sprinkle of garlic
- 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 3 tbsp crème fraiche
- fresh basil leaves, chopped (I didn't have any fresh basil so bought chopped tomatoes with basil in)
- salt & pepper
- 300-400g rigatoni
- ball of buffalo mozzarella, sliced


1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees/gas mark 5. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry half the salami until crisp. Add the onion and garlic and cook slowly until the onion is soft.
2. Add the balsamic, chopped tomatoes crème fraiche and basil. Mix together, season to taste and simmer for a few minutes.
3. Meanwhile, cook the rigatoni according to the packet instructions (around 12-14 mins) and drain once cooked. Tip into a baking dish and pour over the sauce.
4. Lay the mozzarella over the top with the rest of the salami. Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden.

Enjoy :)

Blueberry pancakes

These American-style pancakes are a perfect breakfast treat, or make a great brunch. I had never even eaten blueberry pancakes before today, so I was a little weary about making them, but everything went fine and they were delicious. The blueberries poking out of the batter in the pan makes it harder for the pancake to cook through, but if you squash them down it isn't a problem and the blueberries go warm and jam-like mmm. This recipe made about 10-12 pancakes so I heated the oven to keep them warm as the stack got higher and higher. I am ashamed to say that my boyfriend and I ate all of these between us with no struggles (food blogging is stretching my stomach!) I served them with a drizzle of honey and topped with some extra blueberries. We also had blueberry jam and crème-fraiche - the cold cream went perfectly with these warm fluffy pancakes, and it was the Sainsbury's 'be good to yourself' version yay. I definitely recommend making these! 

 Makes 10-12 pancakes
- 250g plain flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 250ml milk
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 50g butter/margerine, melted - plus extra for frying
- 100g blueberries

To serve:
- honey or maple syrup
- blueberry jam
- blueberries
- crème fraiche

1. Sift the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder into a mixing bowl.

2. Combine the milk, eggs and melted butter in a jug. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk together. Stir in the blueberries.

3. Heat a frying pan and add a small knob of butter. Ladle some batter into the pan and flip when the underside starts to go golden brown. 

4. Repeat until all the pancakes are done; keeping them warm on a plate in the oven until you have a huge stack of them.

5. Drizzle with honey or syrup, top with blueberries, and serve with crème fraiche.

Enjoy :)

Spaghetti alla carbonara (al forno)

I love pasta and I'm always tempted to order carbonara whenever I go to an Italian restaurant even though I always leave half of it because it's too rich, and even though I know I can make it easily at home! I remember going to stay with a friend in the South of France and there was this restaurant where we always used to order carbonara, and on top of the thick creamy sauce, was an egg exploding with the rich yolk - it was delicious but only for about 2 or 3 mouthfuls. This recipe I prefer because it is much lighter, but can be too dry for some people so just make sure to add more double cream depending on the consistency you prefer. I also love that it is baked (al forno) in the oven because it means the top layer of spaghetti is crisp, as is the parmesan. I wish I had added a bacon breadcrumb topping because that would have made this dish!

(The photos above were taken before I baked it in the oven, sorry)

Serves 2

Ingredients:

- 200g spaghetti pasta

- 4 rashers of smoked bacon, chopped

- 150g mushrooms, sliced (optional)

- knob of butter (for frying)

- 1/2 garlic clove, finely chopped or 1 tsp powdered garlic

- 1 egg, beaten

- double cream or crème fraiche (as much as you want to add)

- parmesan (as much as you want)

- handful of parsley, finely chopped

1. Boil the spaghetti in salted water, following cooking times on the packet.

2. Meanwhile, fry the bacon with the mushrooms, if using, in the butter and garlic.

3. Once the spaghetti is cooked, drain, and return to the pan, adding the bacon and mushroom.

4. Stir in the egg, double cream, half the parmesan and half the parsley. Season to taste.

5. Transfer the spaghetti to an oven proof dish, and sprinkle with the remains of the parsley and the parmesan. (This is where you can add a bacon crumb - chopped bacon fried with breadcrumbs).

6. Bake in the oven at 180c/gas mark 4 for about 20-30 minutes, or until the golden brown colour and crispiness you desire.

Enjoy :)

The basis for this recipe comes from my Comfort Food book which I love - every page is mouthwatering!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Comfort-Food-Love-Parragon-Books/dp/1405456833/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330773975&sr=1-2