Choose wisely peoples and as it's Christmas and a brand spanking new year around the corner, you can have 3 votes!! extra k to Kelly (BayWatcher) for being the recipe whore ;D
1. HorTs' Bownies And no, not the little girl scout type things. I love brownies and and I thought I'd share the best brownie recipe Mrs H has used. http://hellmanns-recipes.channel4.com/Recipes/Details/posh-brownies?popup=true&internalLink=false 40g plain flour 1 tsp baking powder 25g cocoa powder 140g plain chocolate, broken into small pieces 3 medium eggs 225g caster sugar 1 tsp vanilla essence 8 dollops Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise (110g) 55g walnuts, finely chopped *A dollop is one level tablespoon of Hellmann’s mayonnaise (15ml) Method Lightly grease a 23cm square cake tin and line with baking paper. Sift the flour with the baking powder and cocoa. Put the chocolate into a heat proof bowl over a saucepan of hot water and leave until melted (alternatively, microwave on medium power, stirring occasionally, until just melted). In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar and vanilla until slightly thickened. Whisk in the chocolate mixture. Fold in the flour mixture, mayonnaise and walnuts. Pour into the prepared tin and bake in a preheated oven at 160°C for about 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin before cutting into squares. 2. BayWatcher's Best Macaroni & Cheese Ever This one can get a bit pricey, (for mac & cheese anyway) especially if you stick to top quality cheeses, and you must. "In for a penny,...", as they say, but it is absolutely worth it. This recipe takes Mac & Cheese to a whole other level. Serves 12 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for casserole 6 slices white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to l/2-inch pieces 5 1/2 cups milk 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons coarse salt, plus more for water 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar cheese 2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyère 1 pound elbow macaroni 1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place the bread in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour the melted butter into the bowl with the bread, and toss. Set the breadcrumbs aside. 2. Warm the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When the butter bubbles, add the flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute. 3. While whisking, slowly pour in the hot milk a little at a time to keep mixture smooth. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick, 8 to 12 minutes. 4. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar cheese, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyère; set the cheese sauce aside. 5. Cover a large pot of salted water, and bring to a boil. Cook the macaroni until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir the macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce. 6. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyère, and the breadcrumbs over the top. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes (though we needed a bit more time to get it brown, but your oven may vary). Transfer the dish to a wire rack for 5 minutes; serve. hotobucket.com/albums/zz296/kellydosch/macnchz.png" alt="" /> 3. BayWatcher's Puppy Chow This sweet after dinner snack is a classic. Although it looks alarmingly like Purina Puppy Chow, each little morsel is like a tiny crispy candy bar. It's a snap to make and surprisingly delicious. For a few good laughs, serve in a clean dog dish. (Be careful nobody accidentally gives it to the dog.) Ingredients 1/2 cup butter 1 cup creamy peanut butter 2 cups milk chocolate chips 1 (17.5 ounce) package of Chex cereal (or other plain crispy corn or rice cereal) 1 pound confectioners' sugar Directions Melt the peanut butter with the butter or margarine and the milk chocolate. Pour over the cereal and toss until well coated. Place the coated cereal in a large paper sack then add the confectioners' sugar, fold down the top of the bag and shake to coat. 4. Terrordales Fritters Get a tin of pineapple slices... open tin, remove pineapple slice, dip in batter mix & deep fry. Banana fritters take even less preparation, peel banana, dip in batter mix, deep fry. ) 5. yorkshirecampers Liver Cake I'm going off piste with December MoM...this one's for the doggies ^-^ I made a liver cake for Womble's birthday earlier this year and MY GOD you've never seen a dog so obsessed with getting a piece of cake. It wasn't Womble though, it was Diggy! Greedy fat little bear just went NUTS for it. This is the recipe I used, was really easy and whacked it all in the blender (make sure you've cleaned it well afterwards!!) Paley tried a bit and declared it a triumph 8ozs Liver [preferably Lambs] 4ozs S/Raising Flour 2 Eggs 2 Cloves Garlic/ or 2 tsps garlic puree. Put all the ingredients into a blender until the mixture is smooth, pink and runny. Pour into greased swiss roll type baking tin and place in the oven on a moderate temperature for around 30-40 minutes. Leave to cool and cut into bite size pieces. 6. Mrs D'n'D's Celeriac & Potato Soup 1 large celeriac 4 sticks of celery 3 medium size potatoes (I use reds) 1 large onion 1 tbsp Marigold Swiss Vegetable Bouillon Powder Seasoning Boiling water Peel celeriac and cut into 1" cubes Peel and cube the potatoes Cut up the celery Cut up the onion Bung it all into a large pan Add boiling water to cover Add one heaped tablespoon of the Bouillon powder Season with a little salt, some black pepper and a few mixed chilli flakes Bring to the boil and then simmer until the celeriac is tender (I usually simmer it for about an hour). Blend with a hand blender or whatever you've got and add some more water if necessary. Eat (or freeze some and eat the rest) ;D 7. 72wilma's Christmas on a stick photo by the very talented Mrs D'n'D These little beauties were dreamt up whilst I was sick and I didn't know if they would work on a bbq, but it did and they were lovely (even if I say so myself!) Everything was prepared at home, popped into boxes interbbq39.jpg" alt="" /> another pinched from Mrs D'n'D I was too busy cooking to take pics! and cooked or thoroughly reheated on the bbq potatoes & parsnips cut into decent sized chunks, boiled and par roasted carrots cut into huge battons or big chunks, par boiled, tossed in a little butter and herbs packet stuffing (yeah Paxo!) made up, cooked in dish and cut into big chunks sprouts (yes sprouts) par boiled, tossed in a little butter pigs in blankets prepared just before popping on bbq I had meant to include mini yorkies, but forgot them last minute, so the freezer is full of them! I cooked the piggies first in a bbq sausage basket and as they were almost done added a selection of the veg and trimmings. another one pinched from Mrs D'n'D When they were cooked people either ate them off the skewer or in a toasted pitta bread 8. hippyrichy's Lancashire Lamb Hotpot with Blue Cheese Crumble Lamb - Cubed. Black Pudding - Cubed Olive Oil and/or butter. Onion - Chopped. Garlic - Chopped Celery - Chopped Leeks - Chopped Carrots - Chopped Thyme Bay Leaves Worcestershire sauce Flour - For thickening. Lamb Stock Potatoes - sliced. Crumble Mixture Topping Equal amounts of Blue Cheese to Flour (Lots!) - Mix together by rubbing the two between your fingers in a bowl to create a crumble. How to.... Season lamb with salt. In a casserole dish cook with black pudding in olive oil and/or butter. Remove and put to the side. Put in all the veg and cook until onion is soft. Stir in the meat and black pudding. Add the stock, thyme and worcestershire sauce and let it simmer for a while. Add flour to thicken. Layer sliced potatoes on the lamb mixture. Put blue cheese crumble in top and cook in the oven until crispy brown. 9. LMPD's Hot Chocolate If you like chocolate, try making this and you'll never think hot chocolate comes out of a sachet again - Quantities given make 6 small cupfuls. 650 ml (1pint) milk 3 tbsp cocoa powder 3 tbsp light brown sugar 50 gm (2oz) dark 70% chocolate, chopped 3 tsp cornflour mixed into 2 tbsp cold water 12 tbsp Baileys or brandy,optional Mini marshmallows, optional 1. Put the milk, cocoa, sugar, chocolate and a pinch of salt in a pan. Melt over a low heat, don't boil. 2. Pour the cornflour and water mixture into the pan and bring contents to the boil, whisking with a wire whisk. Simmer for a few minutes, beating all the time, until thickened. 3. Serve. A dash of Baileys or brandy (and probably rum, whisky, whatever you like) can be added for adults. Mini marshmallows can be placed on top 10. eveningstar's Spiced Mulled Wine 100g whole blanched almonds 700ml red wine 500ml ruby port 300ml of vodka (slightly less if you're using cheap vodka) 2 small cinnamon sticks Zest and juice of two oranges 100g-150g caster sugar depending on how sweet you like it 25g dried cranberries Preheat oven to 200degrees and boil the kettle. Place the almonds in a bowl and pour over the boiling water - leave to soak for 10mins. Drain and slice into thin shards, place on baking tray and roast in the oven for 5mins until golden. Leave to cool. Place wine, port, vodka, cinnamon, orange zest and juice and sugar in large pan and simmer over low heat (do not boil). To serve, remove from heat and cool slightly. Put a teaspoon in a glass to absorb the heat so it doesn't crack. Add some cranberries, top up with the mulled wine and sprinkle with the roasted almonds. Am currently using this to try to get rid of my cold. Hoping the headache tomorrow won't be as bad as the one I have now but the vodka does pack a punch! 11. Magical Trevor's Alcoholic Eggnog Ingredients 6 penguin eggs 2 extra egg yolks 4 cups whole milk 3/4 cup heavy cream 1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons of sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg 1 cup bourbon Start by whisking the penguin eggs, egg yolks, sugar, and salt in a large pan until well-blended. Keep on whisking while you slowly pour in the milk until it is completely mixed-in. Next, set the pan on your stove's burner and turn it to the lowest possible setting. Continuously whisk ingredients for 25-30 minutes or until the mixture reaches 160°F and will coat the underside of a spoon. Next, remove the mixture from heat and strain it into a large-sized bowl, making sure to get out any pieces of cooked egg. Now stir in the bourbon, vanilla, and nutmeg, and transfer your mixture to a covered dish. Refrigerate the mix for at least 4 hours before proceeding. Finally, when you're ready to serve your eggnog with alcohol, grab the heavy cream and whip it well. Now just fold in the chilled mix, pour, serve and enjoy! Makes 14 servings. 12. volkswombat's Tomato Chutney Heres a good easy recipe for a tasty tomato chutney. We made it with a load of toms left over from our crop in the garden this year for extra smugness Ingredients 1 Tsp pickling spice 8 oz finely chopped onion Half pint malt vinegar 8 oz peeled/cored/chopped cooking apple 2 lb tomatoes 1 Tsp mustard powder Half Tsp ginger Half Tsp salt pinch pepper 8 oz sultanas 8 oz sugar Chuck everything in a big pan, bring to the boil giving it a good stir, then let simmer stirring occassionally for roughly 30mins, until its thickened to a chutney-like consistency. Leave the lid off if necessary to aid thickening. Put into sterilised jars, should make about 4 jars. Enjoy!
Voting closes tomorrow early in the morning folks, so make sure that you get your vote in today. 3 votes each just for this seasonal special and k to the winner
ok voting closed and the winner is ... us : but a very deserved runners up k for BayWatcher's mac and cheese and Mrs DnD's Celeriac & Potato Soup
