Sticky Toffee Pudding

225 g dry & pitted dates
1 tsp baking soda
200 ml boiling water

1/2 c butter, softened
3/4 c brown sugar
2 large eggs

1 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pumpkin spice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp Ovaltine

2 Tbsp buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Butter and sugar 10 ramekins

Put dates in a bowl with the baking soda, and cover with 200 ml of boiling water. Leave to stand for a few minutes. Whiz dates, gradually adding water from bowl until you have a puree.

Meanwhile, cream butter and sugar, add the eggs, then dry ingredients. Fold in puree and buttermilk.

Fill ramekins, bake for 30 minutes.



For the Toffee Sauce:

1 c butter
1 c brown sugar
1 c cream

Cook together over low heat for approximately 10 minutes until thickened and darkened in colour.



(adapted from Jamie Oliver)

Irish Lamb Stew

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 pounds thickly sliced bacon, diced 6 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 2 inch pieces 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 large onion, chopped

1 can beef consumme, 1 can beef broth 4 cups diced carrots 2 large onions, cut into bite-size pieces 6 potatoes 1 teaspoon dried thyme 2 bay leaves 1 cup white grape juice

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside.
2.	Put lamb, salt, pepper, and flour in large mixing bowl. Toss to coat meat evenly. Brown meat in frying pan with bacon fat.
3.	Place meat into stock pot (leave 1/4 cup of fat in frying pan). Add the garlic and yellow onion and saute till onion begins to become golden. Deglaze frying pan with grape juice and add the garlic-onion mixture to the stock pot with bacon pieces, and beef stock. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
4.	Add carrots, onions, potatoes, thyme, bay leaves to pot. Reduce heat, and simmer covered for 20 minutes until vegetables are tender. (allrecipes.com) I used 2 Costco packages of lamb chops, cooked them with bone on, then removed meat from bone at the end. I found this actually was a little thin, and at the end I added a roux of flour, butter, and broth to get it to the thickness I wanted in a stew.

Irish Brown Soda Bread

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups whole wheat flour 1 cup white flour 1/3 cup rolled oats

1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vital wheat gluten 2 1/2 cups buttermilk

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly grease two baking sheets.
2.	In a large bowl, stir together whole wheat flour, white flour, rolled oats, baking soda and salt. Gently mix in the buttermilk until a soft dough is formed. Knead very lightly. Divide dough into 4 pieces; form into rounded flat loaves. Mark each loaf with an 'X' and place on prepared baking sheets.
3.	Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 40 minutes. (allrecipes.com)

Nutty Granola

5 c. oats

1 c. malted milk powder or protein powder 

1 c. coconut flakes

1 c. whole roasted almonds

1 c. pecan pieces

1 c. dried cherries and/or Craisins 

1 c. dried apricots, diced

1/2 c. pepita or pumpkin seeds

1/2 c. roasted sunflower seeds

1/4 c. flax seeds

Then mix in a saucepan:

1/4 c. packed brown sugar

1/2 c. coconut oil

1 c. honey

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. cinnamon

Heat until sugars are well dissolved but not boiling:

Pour wet into dry ingredients and stir well.

Spread out on a cookie sheet and bake at 325 for 12 minutes. Remove from oven, flip over by sections and bake for 10 more minutes.

Let it cool completely before removing from pan.

via: 71 toes

Cream of Tomato Soup

This is one of those recipes from my Mom and sister where "it's a little of this and a little of that".  Hope it works..(let me know if it doesn't)

1/4-1/2 onion
1 clove garlic
2 large carrots
3/4 red pepper
Cook the above in 3 tbsp of butter  (or olive oil)

Add 2-32 oz can of tomatoes to the mixture
Cook-add fresh basil
Cook a few more minutes
Blend with braun (hand blender)

White Sauce
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
3 c milk (use some cream in this)

Add the white sauce to the tomato.  Don't overcook or it could separate.  You can add some more cream if you want.

Salt and Pepper to taste.

Eat with homemade croutons.

Jenny-Lynn

Ward Party Turkey Dressing for 20-25

Ingredients:

1 ¾ - 2 loaves thick sliced bread

8 stalks celery chopped

1 ½ cups butter or margarine, reserve ½ c to spread on top

2 onions chopped and fried

½ cup oxo chicken broth mixture

3 Tablespoons poultry seasoning

¼ tsp garlic salt

¼ - ½ tsp cayenne pepper

2 Tablespoons parsley flakes

3 cups chicken broth or turkey neck broth

1 cup cooked rice

Break up bread into chunks. Lay out on cookie sheet to dry overnight. When dried, put in a greased large tin foil pan or roaster. Fry celery, 1 cup of butter, and onions until soft. Add broth and seasonings – simmer. Add rice to bread chunks. Slowly add broth to bread mixture until saturated. You may not need all the broth. Spread ½ cup soft butter on top. Cover with tinfoil and bake in oven at 275’ for approximately 1 ½ hours, stirring every half hour. 

INSTANT CHOCOLATE MOUSSE (CHOCOLATE CHANTILLY)

Recipe by Herve This & Heston Blumenthal

Ingredients

4 servings

• 9.35 ounces (265 grams) bittersweet (%70 cocoa solids) chocolate, chopped (preferably Valrhona Guanaja)
• 1 cup (240 ml) water
• 4 tbsp sugar, optional

Method

1. Place a large mixing bowl on top of another slightly smaller one, filled with ice and cold water (the bottom of the large bowl should touch the ice). Set aside.
2. Put chocolate and water (also sugar and/or liquor if you’re using) in a medium-sized pan and melt the chocolate over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
3. Pour the melted chocolate into the mixing bowl sitting on top of ice and water, and start whisking with a wire whisk (or an electrical hand-held mixer) until thick. Watch the texture as you whip and make sure not to over-whip as it will make the mousse grainy. If the mousse becomes grainy (which is possible at your first try), transfer it back into the pan, reheat until half of it is melted, pour it back to the mixing bowl and whisk again briefly.
4. Divide into four serving cups and serve immediately.