Crumble Top Fruit Cake

Warm Luxurious PuddingI had never made a fruit cake before, but I had eaten plenty varieties in my life 😉  I made it to celebrate love, life and for someone very special who is a very long way away.  The outcome was a triumph.  It may not be the best fruit cake in the world, but I am really amazed at how far I’ve come on my cooking journey.  I was very proud of my kitchen performance because I learnt from past mistakes and weighed out every ingredient in advance.  Although the fruit cake is quite simple to make, the balance of flavours must be perfect because it is so rich and dense, but at the same time must be very moist.  To get the full taste of luxury eat the cake warm. More? Then add warm cream, whipped cream, toffee… any cake dressing you can lay your hands on.

Crumble Top Inspiration

Sometimes the best things rise out of the ashes… literally! Student accommodations are cheap for a reason,  many ovens will cause uneven cooking and the temperatures always need to be checked.  I have to switch my cooking ovens depending on what I want to make in case I am unable to use a fan option.  This cake takes a while to cook, so I had a feeling that the top was going to be hardened and slightly darker than the rest of the cake.  I was not worried about the fruit at the top because the fruit (being overly exposed to the heat) obviously would have become a little bitter.  (Therefore it is just the simple task of either layering or altering the design.)
I was not wrong about the top of the cake.  It became quite hard after I let the cake cool, but I made a genius back up plan!  I decided to cut off the top and use the bottom of the cut off part to create a crumbled effect on the top.  I also mixed in a bowl dried fruit, a little sugar, chopped walnuts and cake crumbs to sprinkle over the top.  Not only did this bring more flavour, but it provided another texture.  Go Saffy! Go Saffy! (Does the robot dance.)

This recipe was adapted from The Best Of Sainsbury’s Vegetarian Cooking (Reed Consumer Books Limited, 1992)

Ingredients:

175g Raisins, 175g Sultanas, 175g Currants, 250g Soft Brown Sugar, 1tsp Ground Cinnamon, 1tsp Ground Ginger, 175g Butter (spare for greasing cake tin), 250ml Water, 3 Eggs (beaten), 125g Plain Flour (spare for cake tin), 126g Self- Raising Flour, 1/2tsp Bicarbonate of Soda, 50g Glazed Cherries (chopped), 50g Mixed Peel, 50g Walnuts (chopped).

Method:

1. Sift the plain and self – raising flour into a large mixing bowl with the bicarbonate of soda, mixed peel, cherries and walnuts.
2.  Stir this until the dried fruit and nuts are covered in the flour.
3. Put the raisins, sultanas, currants, sugar, spices and butter into a saucepan with the water.  Let this simmer for 3 minutes then leave to cool.
4.  When the mixture/ syrup in the saucepan has cooled add the eggs in and mix this up together.
5. Pour what is in the saucepan into the mixing bowl with the other ingredients and mix together.
6.  Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C, Gas Mark 3.
7. Grease a cake tin with spare butter and sprinkle with spare flour.
8. Pour the mixture into the cake tin.
9. Bake for 1 1/2 hours.
10.  Wait for cake to cool slightly and make your crumble top.

Tuna & Mushroom Pitta Pizza

Healthy Student Grub

As a student I cannot cook gourmet food everyday, so to ensure I get all of my vegetables and nutritional goodness I need to make sure I create really tasty, quick and healthy snacks to keep me going during the essay period.  My pitta pizzas also reminded me of my time working in an American Camp.  We would make our own pizzas using pitta bread and various other ingredients around a camp fire. I can remember the American kids telling me about the wacky pizzas they had tried at various diners.  My pitta pizzas may not be as imaginative as the “Nacho Triple Cheese Mighty Meat Pizza”, but they are satisfying and enable you to get through Aesthetics and Politics!

This recipe was inspired by my trip to America and adapted from ‘Asda Fit For Life’ meal plans.

Ingredients:

Wholemeal pitta bread, Oregano, Basil, 1/4 Beef Tomato, 4 Button Mushrooms, 1/2tbsp Tomato Ketchup, 10g Mild Cheddar Cheese, 4 heaped tsps tinned Tuna.

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4.
2. Spread tomato ketchup on pitta bread.  (Do not bother slices the pitta bread in half.)
3. Wash and chop mushrooms into little pieces then place on top of the pizza.
4. Add the tinned tuna.
5. Slice or grate the cheddar cheese and add to the pitta.
5. Wash and slice tomato and add place on top.
6. Sprinkle basil and oregano over the top. (Roughly 5 shakes of each).
7. Cook for 10 minutes or until cheese has melted.

Saffy’s Top TipRather than go American, go Japanese and make a sushi style pizza with salmon and seaweed.  Fresh and healthy wins the race.  However, if you have finished your exams and you want to go Yankee Style then try melted white and milk chocolate with baked bananas and fresh cool whipped cream to serve on top.

Crunchy Quorn Spag Bowl

“It’s all in the mix!”

Making this dish really reminded me of that Twix advert with that song ‘It’s all in the mix!’ and it included different charachters which represented each aspect of the chocolate bar.  I say this because although each component of  my quorn dish is pretty simple, the combo of flavours tasted pretty awsome.  I was surprised by how tasty this dish actually was.  I am definitely getting to grips with this flavouring ting and ting.  I hope I can keep improving my skills.  When I made this I was really tempted to just buy chinese noodles from a local takeaway, but I’m glad I chose to try something new and experiment.  The hard work is starting to pay off. 🙂

I do not really have measurements so this is kinda just based on how much you feel like eating.  I made enough for 3 meals.Ingredients:

1 can tinned plum Tomatoes, frozen Quorn Mince, frozen Green Beans, Wholewheat Spaghetti, 1/2tbsp Basil, 1/2 tbsp. Oregano, a sprinkle of Salt and Pepper, 2tsps Lemon Juice, 1tsp Brown Sugar, 1tsp Parsley, 2tsps All-purpose Seasoning, a few leaves of fresh Coriander.

Method:

1.  Blend the tomatoes in a blender.
2. Start boiling the water for the spaghetti.
3.  When the spaghetti is in the pot, pour the tomato puree into another pot.
4. Add enough mince so the tomatoes cover it.
3. Turn on the stove to a low heat.
4. After roughly 6 -7 minutes add the green beans and other ingredients apart from the parsley.
5. Keep cooking until the mince meat and green beans are soft.
6.  Drain the pasta when it is cooked and serve with the quorn mix.

Strawberry, Apple & Banana Power Smoothie

“Power Up!”When I was a little girl I used to watch so many superhero cartoons like Batman and superhero tv shows like Power Rangers.  So much so that I wanted to feel super every single day.  I would sometimes wake up at 5am every morning to workout.  I was one superfit kid and I have never stopped that determination and ambitious attitude.  Wonderful fresh food also helps me to feel great and after my mum taught me how to make smoothies I have been re inventing them to make Power Ranger style drinks that will certainly give me the much needed boost to feel… well… super!

Ingredients:

1 small Banana, 5  Strawberries, 1/2 Apple (peeled and sliced), 2tbsps Flaxseed, 3 big dollops of plain low fat Natural Yoghurt.

Method:

1.  Put the apple pieces in a pot and put in enough water to just cover the apples.
2. Let the water simmer until the apples are soft.
3. Drain the apple pieces and put into a blender.
4. Chop up all the other pieces of fruit and put into the blender with the flaxseed and yoghurt.
5. Blend.

Birdspeed’s Yummy Mini Roast

Mini Roast

I woke up with the urge to have a roast dinner, but I decided to include a West Indian twist.  I used sweet potatoes rather than the traditional British spuds and included lemon reggae chicken with a side dish of red cabbage and peas.  I cheated with the gravy, but nonetheless it was delicious and gave me a lovely feeling of satisfaction. Gran Gran would be proud 🙂

Saffy’s Top Tip

Elevate your chicken before it goes in the oven. I creased tin foil into a rope shape to place underneath the chicken.  This way the juices run from the chicken easily to the sides of the pan and it doesn’t end up sitting in it’s own fat.

This recipe was inspired by the ‘Asda Fit For Life’ recipe range and ‘Levi Roots’ Reggae Reggae Cookbook‘ (Harper Collins Publishers, 2008).

Ingredients:

A whole Chicken (washed and prepared), 1 large Sweet Potato, Garden Peas (as much as you like for a side), 1/4 red Cabbage, 1 Lemon, 1 Onion, All-purpose Seasoning, 2tbsps Dill, 1tbsp All-purpose Seasoning, Salt, Reggae Reggae Sauce.

Method for Chicken:

1.  Chop up the onion into 4 segments and push inside the cavity of the chicken.
2. Do the same with the lemon.
3. Place the chicken ontop of the foil or rack to elevate it. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C/ Gas 6.
4. Rub your seasonings into the chicken, but not the Reggae Reggae sauce.
5. Drizzle a little oil over the chicken, this should be the only moisture.

6. Roast the chicken for an hour.

7. Spread the reggae sauce over it, then cook for a further 20 minutes.

Method for Sweet Potato and Veg:

1. Peel the potatoes then slice into quarters.
2. Put the segments in a large pan and cover them with water.
3.  Add a little salt, cover the pan and then leave the roast potatoes to boil.
4. Drain the potatoes in a colander.
5.  Shake the potatoes around the colander to roughen up the edges.
6. Put a little oil in the roasting tin.
7. Chop up the potatoes into the sizes you want then splace in the pan.
8. Sprinkle the potatoes with a little salt.
9. Roast for 30 minutes then turn and cook for 20 minutes.
10. Place the cabbage in a pan half full of water, cook on a medium heat for roughly 8 minutes, then add the peas until they are both cooked.
11. Drain these vegetables and serve with the rest of the food.

Coconut and Lime Cake

Tropical ParadiseThis cake is simple but heavenly. I am astonished that I have never used coconut and lime together.  If paradise tasted like anything it would taste like this, I am certain every West Indian would agree.

This recipe was adapted from ‘Levi Roots’ Reggae Reggae Cookbook’ (London: Harper Collins Publishers Ltd, 2008).

Ingredients:175g/ 6oz Self- Raising Flour, 1 tsp Baking P, 175g/ 6oz low fat unsalted Butter, 175g/ 6oz Caster Sugar, 75g Desiccated Coconut, 3 Eggs lightly beaten, finely grated zest and juice of 2 Limes.

Method:

1. Beat the butter and sugar together into a large bowl until it is creamy.  (Make sure all of the mixing is done with a wooden spoon.)
2. Mix in the eggs.
3. Mix in the flour and baking powder, try and make sure you get all the lumps out.
4. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/ Gas Mark 4 and line a loaf tin with a little butter sprinkled with the flour.
5. Add the coconut, lime zest and juice into the cake mix.
6. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 45 – 55 minutes.
7. The cake will be done when the knife comes out clean and the cake is risen, moist and slightly firm.
8. Cool for 10 minutes.

 

Spicy Chicken Fajitas

Caliente!

My spicy fajitas are a real Mexican style treat.  They are quick to make and are so fun to eat! Perfect for watching films and essay writing breaks.  I intensified the heat of my fajitas by adding a little more chilli then I usually would.  However, make sure you know your limits because during my chilli experiment there was a point were my eyes were watering about a foot away from the stove.  You can alter the sweetness and heat by changing the amount of honey and peppery flavours.

This recipe was adapted from ‘Good Housekeeping’ April (Good Housekeeping Publications, 2012).

Ingredients:

8 wholemeal Tortilla Wraps,  4tsps oil, 3 Garlic Cloves (chopped), 1 medium Chilli (shopped) Old El Paso spice mix (or use paprika and various over spices), 2tbsps Tomato Puree, 1 1/2tsp runny Honey, 2 packets sliced Chicken Breast strips, 1 Red Pepper (chopped), 2 handfuls of fresh chopped Coriander, (to serve) mild Guacamole, low fat grated Cheddar Cheese, mild Sour Cream.

Method:

1. Heat the oil in the pan, and when hot fry chicken.

2. When chicken is almost cooked (all white) add garlic and Old El Paso spice mix or other seasonings.

3. Fry for 2 minutes then add puree, honey and 2 tbsps water.

4. After 3 minutes and the peppers and chilli.

5. Keep frying until the chicken is cooked through.

6. Make your fajita wraps and using the other awsome components and don’t forget the coriander because it brings a beautiful fragrance and a lovely touch.

Superwoman Lunch

Food For AthletesA great quick meal rich of iron and protein  and low in fat.

Ingredients:

5 frozen Quorn balls, 1/2 can chopped Tomatoes, 4 chunks of frozen Spinach, 2 tsps mixed Herbs, 2 tsps Basil, 2 tsps Oregano, 1 tsp Paprika.

Method:

1. Put chopped tomatoes, quorn and spinach into a saucepan then heat for roughly 8 minutes, then add the other ingredients.

2. Stir occasionally and make sure all of the ingredients are blended together.

3.  The meal will be cooked when all of the spinach has combined with the tomatoes and the quorn balls havee softened.

Cheese and Herb Omlette

A Quick Snack

 As tempting as it is to grab that packet of crisps it is much better to make something more filling, but quick so you don’t have to suffer to eat something nutritious.  An omelette served with wholemeal bread and hot pepper sauce works wonders against hunger.  I made a few simple changes to my omelette and not only did it give me fuel for serious research, but it tickled my taste buds.

Ingredients:

2 Eggs, a little Cheddar Cheese (roughly 10 – 20g), Parsley, Oregano and Mixed Herbs, 1 tsp Olive Oil.

Method:

1. Heat oil in a frying pan.
2. Whisk eggs together.
3. When the oil is hot add the eggs and let it cooked on a low heat.
4. Sprinkle the eggs, cheese and herbs on top.
5. When the bottom has browned and the sides of the egg curl from the pan flip over.
6. When egg is cooked serve with some salad, bread and/ or hot pepper sauce.

Chocolate Hot Cross Buns

Chocolate Easter Treats

These are really fun to make and combine the two foods associated with Easter, chocolate and hot cross buns.  I really gave my buns a super chocolate flavour by making the buns ooze chocolate. I really love sharing my food and making  extra special gifts from the heart.  It is also okay if the buns do not look perfect, the gooeyness, intenseness, homely goodness is enough to make someone smile.

Making Dough

I have really improved my dough making skills and this is simply through practise.  Even though I always use the recommended amount of ingredients, I always find that I have to keep altering the recipe, as the dough may be too sticky and dry.  My number one tip when following a dough recipe is always have spare flour, water or milk, depending on the dough you are making.

This recipe was adapted from ‘Morrisons Magazine’ March/ April (Result Customer Communications, 2012).

Ingredients:

150ml Skimmed Milk, 1 x 7g Satchet Dried Active Yeast, 400g Strong White Flour, 2tsp Baking Powder, 3tsp Mixed Spice, a pinch of Salt, 100g Caster Sugar, 200g Chocolate Chips, 2 Eggs beaten, 2tbsp Honey, 150g white Chocolate (buy a big bar so you can break off segments to insert into the dough).

Method:

1. Sift the flour, baking powder, mixed spice and a pinch of salt into a large mixing bowl. Mix.
2. Add the sugar and chocolate chips and mix.
3. Warm the milk in a pan, then remove from the heat and add in the yeast. Stir this and leave for 10 minutes.
4. Make a well in the large bowl and add the beaten eggs, then add the milk and yeast.
5. Stir to combine all of the ingredients, then using your hands form into a soft dough.
6. Flour a work surface lightly then knead the dough until it is elastic.
7. Grease a medium sized bowl, place the dough inside and cover with clingfilm.
8. Leave the dough in a warm place for 2 hours.
9. Make muffin cases with baking paper and put into a 12 holder muffin tin which has been greased. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C/ Gas 7.
10. Divide the dough into 12 balls and gently knead each one with a tiny bit of flour. The break a segment of white chocolate and insert 1 segment into each dough ball.  Place each dough ball  in the muffin tin.
11.  Bake for 8 minutes, then reduce the heat to 180 degrees C / Gas mark 4 for 10 minutes.
12. Heat honey and glaze each bun.
13. Melt the rest of the white chocolate and make a cross or drizzle over the buns.

Saffy’s Top Tip

You can also use 1/2 the amount of chocolate with 1/2 the amount of currants or another dried fruit.