The Chicken Keeper's Kitchen

Banana and Cinnamon Muffins

2012-02-23T16:55:00.000Z

These banana and cinnamon muffins are a wonderful warming snack for chilly winter evenings (or any other time of day!).

You will need

2 medium bananas that are past their best!
200g plain flour
0.5tsp baking powder
0.5tsp bicarbonate of soda
1tsp cinnamon
130g light brown sugar
1 free range egg
75g Flora

Mash the bananas and add to the sugar, egg and Flora. Mix well.

Fold in all the dry ingredients.

Spoon into 12 muffin cases and bake for 20mins at 180C.

Sprinkle over a little icing sugar to serve.

These muffins definitely have a healthier taste to them, with most of the sweetness coming from the banana. The cinnamon takes away the over-bananary taste that some banana cakes have!

Pancake Day... Scotch style!

2012-02-21T14:30:00.000Z

I’myet to meet someone who doesn’t like pancakes, but they can feel a bit of afaff. Worrying about them sticking and the inevitable flipping issues couldmake you want to give it a miss. If this sounds familiar you are going to lovethis simple Scotch Pancake (aka drop scones) recipe! It’s super fast to makeand surprisingly low-cal, that’s if youcan resist eating the whole batch!

Youwill need (makes 18)

100gself raising flour

25g castersugar

1 freerange egg

150mlmilk

Chuck all your ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. I gave mine a good blast with my ~~ancient~~ retro Kenwood handmixer to get plenty of air in.

Oil and preheat a sturdy flat bottomed frying pan or griddle and then spoon in a dessertspoon of mixture. It should naturally form a circle of batter about 3-4 inches across and about 5mm thick.

Cook until bubbles start to rise to the surface...

And then turn with a spatula or a palette knife.

Cook for about 30 secs more until golden brown.

To serve spread a little Flora over...

Or go American by piling them high and adding a good dose of golden syrup, some warmed fruits and a generous spoonful of ice cream. Yum!

As an added bonus these Scotch pancakes can be saved to eat over the next few days, just pop in the toaster or the microwave for a few seconds to warm before serving!

Fajitas!

2012-02-19T15:52:00.000Z

After a busy day with the chooks, especially with the snow and freezing weather making every task outside take twice the time, a quick and easy dinner is the perfect antidote. Fajitas are a real favourite and are so easy to make!

You will need -

1 red pepper
1 large red onion
Some thinly sliced free-range chicken breasts (the amount depends on how hungry you are!)
1tsp paprika
pinch of ground cumin
1 lime
Olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 hot chilli pepper
A handful of mushrooms
Flour tortillas
Sour cream
Avocado (or some guacamole)
Homemade Salsa
Chedder Cheese
Fancy salad (at this time of year I buy a bag, but in the summer it's fresh-from-the-garden cut-and-come-again salad leaves!)

Add thinly sliced pepper, onion and chicken to a bowl and add in the paprika and cumin. Squeeze over the juice of half a lime and a drizzle of olive oil. Grind some black pepper over and allow to marinade for 20mins.

Fry off the marinaded mix in a pre-heated heavy bottomed pan or griddle and cook for about 6-8mins until cooked through.

Add the mushrooms and chilli and season with more spice to taste! I like it nice and hot! Before you serve squeeze over the rest of the lime juice.

Warm the tortillas in the microwave for a few seconds and serve! I'm not a fan of guacamole (I don't like the texture), but a bit of avocado goes down treat!

Chuck some of the chicken/veg mix into your tortilla and add in the salad, sour cream, salsa, avocado/guacamole, and cheese before wrapping up and eating!

Oatmeal and Sunflower Muffins

2012-02-17T16:51:00.000Z

Because porridge oats sounds a bit weird to be a muffin ingredient, I'm going with the US nomenclature and calling these Oatmeal and Sunflower muffins. These are definitely a healthier option and could even be a breakfast muffin ! I'm voting to have one with a mid-morning cup of tea!

You will need -

5oz plain flour
1tbsp baking powder
4oz soft light brown sugar
5oz porridge oats
3.5oz raisins
4.5oz sunflower seeds
2 medium free range eggs
9fl oz semi-skimmed milk
6tbsp sunflower oil
1tsp vanilla extract

Mix all the dry ingredients (save 1oz of the sunflower seeds for later) together in a bowl.

Mix all the wet ingredients together and then mix into the dry ingredients. Don't over mix - it should be just combined!

Spoon into 12 muffin cases and sprinkle the remaining sunflower seeds over.

Bake for 20mins until golden brown on the top. Serve warm.

Cookie Monster Would Be Proud - Cookie Muffins

2012-02-15T17:43:00.000Z

These un-assuming little muffins hide a yummy secret - they have a crunchy bottom!

Until this week I'd never eaten an Oreo, but I didn't let this deter me from making some Oreo Muffins! I chose the ones with a chocolaty filling!

You will need - (makes 16)
Oreos - one each for each muffin, plus a few extras!
10oz plain flour
1tbsp baking powder
4tbsp cocoa
4oz caster sugar
2 medium free range eggs
9fl oz semi-skimmed milk
6tbsp sunflower oil
1tsp vanilla extract

Place an Oreo into the bottom of each of your muffin cases.

Mix all the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, sugar, and baking powder together in a bowl.

Add the milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract and mix. (Don't over mix!)

Once mixed, crumble in the remaining Oreos (don't crumble them too fine, you want to keep a few chunks!) and then mix gently.

Spoon into the cases and bake at 200C for 15mins until the top springs back a little when gently pressed.

These Muffins are totally scrummy! You can see from the bottom that the Oreo is totally intact at the base of the cake, and the mixture envelops the cookie holding it securely in place. Yum!

Light and Fluffy Chocolate Cupcakes

2012-02-13T17:33:00.000Z

This is a classic Victoria Sponge Cake recipe (from my Nanny Joan's handwritten recipe card!) but with some added cocoa to make the lightest chocolate cakes you could ever hope for!

You will need -

6oz Flora
5oz golden caster sugar
3 free range eggs
5oz self raising flour
1oz cocoa
1.5tsp baking powder

Cream the flora and the sugar together in a bowl.

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until lovely and smooth.

Spoon into 12 muffin cases and bake for 25mins a 180C.

In a vain attempt to make this a bit healthier I omitted a fancy topping with a more modest light dusting of icing sugar!

Pinkish Valentines Cakes

2012-02-11T08:00:00.000Z

Valentine's is as good a reason as any to knock up some yummy cakes and with the prospect of some new silicone moulds in cute heart shapes it's too tempting not to have a go!

After a couple of not-so-successful attempts at a Red Velvet cake I decide to lower my sights and go for a all together pinker pudding.

First I took my favourite Madeleine sponge recipe and after mixing thoroughly I added about 10 drops of Dr Oetker red food colouring until I got a decidedly pinky shade. The mix was added to a heart sandwich tin and some well greased and floured and very cute heart cupcake moulds.

After baking they definitely had a pinkish tinge, but if I'm honest I think my super-fresh and amazingly coloured eggs from my lovely hens were working against me!

So undeterred, the only option was to go full-on pink with some pretty pink icing. Add water slowly to icing sugar mixing thoroughly. When it's very nearly as runny as you want it (just runny enough to run over the top of your cakes) then add a few drops of the red food colouring. Take it slowly or you'll end up with something better suited to a Halloween cake!

Then simply spoon over your cakes and add some fun sweets or cherries to top them off!

Barm Brack

2012-02-09T17:47:00.000Z

While this might sound like a recipe the current US president might enjoy, it's actually a traditional, yummy tea-bread.

We used to buy this during my childhood camping holidays to wales and Mum picked up a novelty postcard with this recipe on to recreate it... all these years later it's still a favourite!

You will need -
3/4 pint of cold tea
6oz soft brown sugar
12oz mixed dried fruit
12oz self raising flour
1 free range egg

Put the fruit and the sugar in a bowl and pour over 3/4 of a pink of cold tea (no milk!!). Cover and leave to soak overnight.

Beat the egg and add to the fruit mixture along with the flour. Mix well.

Bake in a 2lb loaf mould (mine's silicone!) at 180C for 1hr 45mins

Serve thinly sliced and buttered!

Not Many Cherries Cake

2012-02-07T16:42:00.004Z

This cake came about when I had a good rummage through the baking shelf of my larder. I found some ground almonds and some glace cherries , left over from making my Christmas pud.
The result a cherry cake with not many cherries, that still tasted yummy!

What you need

A deep 7 inch cake tin greased and floured
Glace cherries- as many as you can lay your hands on! Preferably 5oz, I had only 2oz
8oz self raising flour
2oz ground almonds
1.5 level teaspoons baking powder
7oz butter or flora
7oz caster sugar
4 large eggs

Cut cherries into halves , rinse excess sugar off , and dry with kitchen towel
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl, then add cherries.
Turn mixture into prepared tin, cook at 150 degrees for 50 mins-1 hr until well risen, golden and firm to touch.

Then cool,slice and enjoy!

Simple Soda Bread

2012-02-05T08:30:00.000Z

Bread without a bread machine can be a bit of a labour of love and not least because it takes such a long time! So for a quick addition to your meal try this soda bread recipe. My mum used to often make this for my brother and I to go along with our dinner and The A-Team on a Saturday night!

You will need -

350g Plain white flour
175g Wholemeal Self raising flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
3 tsp of dried herbs
300ml milk

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl.

Add the milk and mix to a pliable dough.

Knead lightly on a floured surface. Form into a round shape and place onto a oiled baking sheet.

Use a knife to mark the top into quarters.

Bake for 30-40mins at 190C

Tear into 4 portions and eat with some butter or flora while still warm!

The bread is wonderfully herby and would be perfect with soup or even curry to soak up those last bits of liquid!

Marbled Muffins

2012-02-03T17:51:00.000Z

I remember having marble cake as a child. It was a classic that was always well received so a great option for a tasty muffin recipe.

You will need -

10oz plain flour

1tbsp baking powder

3.5oz caster sugar

2 medium free range eggs

9fl oz milk

6tbsp sunflower oil

1tsp vanilla extract

2tbsp cocoa

Mix the dry ingredients except the cocoa together.

Beat the wet ingredients and then stir into the dry ingredients.

Split the mixture between two bowls and mix the cocoa into one of them.

Put 12 cases in your muffin pan and spoon in the mixture alternating between the plain and chocolate mixture. The smaller the spoonfuls the more marbly the muffins will be.

Bake at 200C for about 20mins until the tops pop back up when gently pressed.

Yummy!!

Easter Devils Bundt Cake

2012-02-01T17:59:00.000Z

With Easter products hitting the stores earlier and earlier (I think my local shop had then out on Boxing Day!) it's tempting to start planning Easter baking right now! I'd set my heart of making my first ever Bundt for my Easter cake and after picking up a silicone Bundt pan on ebay I thought I should have a trial run in case it all went Pete Tong. I had visions of slaving over a hot-oven only for it to get stuck in the pan, so better safe than sorry I decided to try my favourite Devils Food Cake recipe to see if it was doable!

Before adding the mixture I greased the mould VERY thoroughly and dusted the inside with a little flour. Once cooked (it took a little longer than usual as the pan was much deeper) I was pleasantly surprised how easily it came out... First I inverted the centre part so it was sticking out and then turned the mould over onto a plate! And voila... One intact Bundt!

I finished it off with a chocolate ganache (using cooking milk chocolate) and couldn't resist topping it off with the mini-eggs that should have been destined for the ACTUAL Easter cake!

Harold's St Clements Cupcakes

2012-01-30T17:46:00.000Z

This is a old family recipe created by my Grandad Harold. It's mostly lemony, but the addition of the orange is what makes it 'St Clements'. It makes lovely, light and fresh cupcakes which could have icing or a drizzle topping.

You will need

Zest and juice of half an lemon
Zest and juice of half an orange
5oz self raising flour
2oz caster sugar
2tbsp homemade lemon curd
4oz Flora
2 medium free range eggs

Mix everything together along with the zest and about half the juice.

Beat in the eggs.

Spoon into cupcake cases (makes about 10) and bake for 15-20mins at 160C.

For the citrus icing

Mix 8oz of icing sugar with the remaining juice and pour over. Simple!

Cheesy Chicken Pockets

2012-01-28T17:50:00.000Z

I'm pretty sure everything is improved by wrapping in bacon so this cheesy chicken recipe is a sure fire winner!

First take a chicken fillet per person and slice it open from one side. You are aiming to make a nice cosy pocket. Next scoop up about a dessert spoon full of light Philadelphia and press into the pocket.

Next wrap the pocket with a rasher of streaky bacon and season with black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.

Bake for about 45mins at 180C

The mix of the flavours is just sublime! The light and fluffy Philadelphia blends wonderfully with the chicken and bacon. Yummy!

Madeleines - A Family Tradition!

2012-01-26T18:10:00.000Z

Madeleines are one of those things that are talked about with alarming regularity at our family gatherings! Sandie (my auntie) and my mum used to make them with my Grandad when they were children and they both adore them. However they were always a bit of a nightmare to make. The tall dariole tins where always a right pain to get the cakes out of, so when we spotted silicone darioles it was inevitable that this was next on the cake agenda!

You will need -
8 Dariole Moulds (mine are silicone and came from ebay!)
100g butter (softened)
100g caster sugar
2 large free range eggs
100g self raising flour
1tsp baking powder
2-3 drops vanilla extract

Grease the moulds (do it well... you'll thank me later!).

Mix all the ingredients together until the mixture is well blended and smooth.

Spoon into the moulds making sure you don't have big gaps at the bottom of each mould!

Bake for 15-20mins at 180C - you want them fairly firm (but not overdone) as it's a bit of a challenge to get them out totally intact otherwise.

Allow to cool thoroughly before attempting to turn out. With these silicone moulds it's best for one person to push gently from the bottom while someone else guides it from the top.

Trim the tops level and stand upside down like a sandcastle!

For the decoration -
Jam - I used some homemade redcurrant and strawberry jam
50g Desiccated coconut
4 glace cherries (halved)

Warm the jam in the microwave and roll each cake in it (don't get any on the bottom!)

Roll in the desiccated coconut and then stand the cake upright. Pop half a glace cherry on top!

If you don't have darioles you could easily use the same recipe in cupcake or muffin cases and just add a jam and coconut topping for the same great taste but without the worry!

Apple and Carrot Muffins

2012-01-24T17:55:00.000Z

I seem to have got a bit over-excited the last few weeks when doing the online shop as the fruit bowl is beginning to look a bit like the apple counter at Asda. Therefore an apple recipe to use some up was definitely called for. The addition of grated carrot and some raisins makes them extra special. I'd planned to put a cream cheese topping, but sadly the cream cheese never found it's way onto my shopping list! I munched mine with ice-cream instead!

You will need..
280g Plain flour
1tbsp Baking Powder
1/2tsp Mixed Spice
115g Soft Light Brown Sugar
130g Leftover Eating Apple (cooking would also work fine)
130g Grated Carrot
50g Raisins
2 Medium Free Range Eggs
9floz Semi-skimmed Milk
6tbsp Sunflower Oil

Mix the flour, baking powder, mixed spice and sugar in a bowl.

Finely chop the apple and grate the carrot. Add to flour mixture along with the raisins.

Lightly beat the eggs and add along with the milk and oil to the mixture.

Stir gently and don't over mix!

Spoon into muffin cases.

Bake for 15-20mins at 200C (makes about 12 depending on the size of your Muffin cases.

You could easily have one of these as a low-guilt breakfast muffin especially if you tell yourself that apple + carrot = two of your 5 a day!

Shrove Tuesday - Summer Fruits Pancakes

2012-01-22T17:41:00.000Z

Most years I forget all about Shrove Tuesday and end up having a panic-pancake on the Wednesday, but not this year! I'm fully prepared and have even heroically trialled some pancake recipes so you can be too! First up is the basic recipe plus a delicious but quick and easy fruity topping!

You will need -

100g plain flour

pinch of salt

1 egg

250ml milk

1tbsp sunflower oil

Oil for frying

Put the flour and the salt into a bowl. Add the egg and milk and whisk to a smooth batter - you are looking for a nice bubbly surface as this shows you have lots of air in the batter.

Add the oil and mix again.

Let the batter stand for at least half an hour to let the gluten expand (my Nanny Joan always said it was best if the sun saw it... not sure what you do in the evening tho!).

Heat a tiny bit of oil in a pan until it's smoking. Add enough mixture to thinly cover the bottom of the pan.

Cook for a few seconds until the top starts to bubble and then turn (there's no tossing in this house as there is always a pair of hungry hounds waiting to intercept any stray pancakes!).

If you are a conventional sort, serve with lemon or orange juice and a sprinkling of sugar or try this....

Summer Fruits Pancakes

You will need -

Frozen Summer Fruits (about 100g per person) Mine came from Morrissons and had a lovely mix of fruit - sadly I don't have any left over from the garden this year - it was all made into jam months ago!

Sugar

Ice-cream

Flake

Defrost the fruit in the microwave. Sprinkle a little sugar over to taste and heat on high for about 30 secs to heat through.

Fold the berries into the pancake and top off with ice-cream (I'm reliably informed I created quenelles using hot dessert spoons to shape the ice-cream!) and a sprinkling of flake!

Spicy Chocolate Potato Cake

2012-01-20T17:45:00.000Z

I love to use produce that's in season... and at this time of year about the only thing left from the veg plot (apart from sprouts!) is plenty of yummy homegrown potatoes! This year I grew about 6 varieties of spuds from delicious salad varieties like Charlotte to main crop varieties like Kind Edward. It's always a treat to have homegrown spuds for Christmas dinner so I planted plenty to make sure there would be some left. Of course plenty means too many so here's a way of using the odd one up!

You will need - 185g of butter
1/3 cup soft brown sugar
2 free range eggs
1/3 cup golden syrup
3/4 cup self raising flour
1/3 cup plain flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup raw grated potato (I used a King Edward)

Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mix until light and fluffy.

Beat in the eggs and the syrup.

Stir in all the dried ingredients and the grated potato.

Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake for 55mins.

Allow to cool before making up some Ganache Topping and pouring over, topping off with a sprinkling of crumbled flake.

Lard + Leftovers = Happy Birds!

2012-01-18T17:12:00.000Z

As we've seen, using up leftovers in exciting and unusual ways is not only delicious, but incredibly satisfying! But as the leftovers get more and more sparse there is one way to use up the last bits and pieces after you've enjoyed the treats!

As the first few frosts of the year hit the south coast I've been supplementing the chickens with warming treats but the wild birds don't have as many luxuries. I always have feed on hand for the garden birds, but surely everyone deserves a homemade treat now and again!

First grab those leftover bits and pieces... I used some digestive crumbs from the bottom of the biscuit barrel...

And the last knockings of the Christmas cake...

I added in some of the chicken's mealworms... (these are super-high in protein - hence why they are great for chickens, especially when they are moulting)

Some Niger seed (this is great for seed-eating birds like goldfinches and siskins)...

And any other seed mixes you have to hand...

And peanuts for the tits (I'm especially proud to have a colony of long-tailed tits in the garden at the moment!)

Mix it all together...

And pop it into a suitable container. I'm using the coconut husk from an old shop-bought bird treat)...

As well as a regular pot so I can pop one on the bird table for those birds that prefer not to hang to feed (robins for example).

Next take a cheap pack of lard and melt it in a pan. Pour into your containers and pop in the fridge for a few hours.

Once it's set the lard will revert back to it's usual opaque state and once it's nice and hard it's ready to hang up in the garden!

Now all that remains is to sit back and wait for the grateful garden birds to enjoy the feast... it's also the perfect opportunity to get ready for the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch on the 28th and 29th January. This annual nationwide count monitors changes in numbers of different bird species in our gardens. A great way to help look after our precious native species. Check out the RSPB site for all the info.

Spice Up Your Life

2012-01-16T15:35:00.005Z

Nice, easy one today! A quick and delicious way to perk up your plain and ordinary cooking oil in to something delicious, and it only takes a minute!

I chopped a red chilli in half lengthwise, picked a couple of sprigs of fresh rosemary, but you could use thyme if you prefer, and grabbed a small handful of peppercorns.

Next, I tipped about 50ml of oil out of my bottle to make enough room for the herbs, chilli and peppercorns to go in .

Next job is to pop them in, and that's it ...all done! Told you it was easy.

I love to use extra virgin olive oil as its flavour is really enhanced by the additions. The flavoured oil is delicious with pasta, chicken and as a dressing for salad. Would love to hear your ideas of how to use it too.

English Chocolate Brownies

2012-01-14T16:47:00.000Z

These quick to make brownies have that classic squishy inside but are more spongy and less dense than the typical US brownie recipe.

It uses a melting method with chocolate and flora rather than just using cocoa so are extra yummy!

You will need -
2oz chocolate (I didn't quite have enough as today is grocery delivery day so replaced about a tbsp of flour with cocoa to bump up the chocolate ratio!)
3oz Flora
4oz golden caster sugar
4oz self raising flour
2 medium free range eggs
Optional - small handful of chopped nuts/choc chips.

Melt the chocolate and flora together over hot water. (I use a pyrex jug in a saucepan of water as there is less chance of the water splashing into the chocolate)

Add to the eggs and sugar and mix well.

Mix in the rest of the ingredients and pour into a 7" tin (I used silicone of course!)

Bake for 25mins at 175C until the top just comes back up when you press it gently. Don't over-do it, there's nothing worse than a dry and chewy brownie!

I sprinkled a bit of icing sugar over for a quick finish but you could add your favourite topping too.

Chocolate Chip and Ginger Blondie Muffins.

2012-01-12T18:26:00.000Z

While this is a traditional (non brown) brownie recipe (hence blondes!) we couldn't resist using some fun new foiled muffin cases that had just arrived so these are blonde muffins!

You will need - (makes 12)
4.5oz softened butter
6oz golden caster sugar
4 small free range eggs (these came from Sandie's young chickens so are quite wee still!) you could use 2 large ones!
9oz plain flour
1tsp baking powder
1.5tsp ground ginger
4oz dark cooking chocolate cut into chips

Cream the butter and the sugar together until pale and creamy. Gradually add in the eggs.

Add the flour, baking powder and ginger and finally the chocolate chips.

Bake for 25mins at 180C.

Once cool they have have a lovely crunchy top and a wonderful gooey inside, just like a brownie should be. Just dust with a little icing sugar and enjoy!

For optimum yumminess I warm these up for a few seconds in the microwave to reactivate the big chunks of chocolate... but it's probably best to take them out of the case if you use foil ones...

All Wrapped Up! Joan's Sausage Meat Plait

2012-01-10T18:15:00.000Z

Continuing the theme of things wrapped in other things is today's warming recipe... Herby Sausage Meat Plait. It uses up the leftover stuffing from yesterday and just a few more bits and pieces! It was the brainchild of my Nanny Joan who just loved this recipe!

For this recipe you'll need some shortcrust pasty. You could buy it ready made, but we followed Uncle Joe's famous pastry recipe (in fact he even made it for us!).

For the pasty, rub 8oz of butter with a pound of self raising flour until it resembles breadcrumbs and then add in about 4tbsp of milk until you have a lovely doughy texture. Roll out the pasty into a nice big rectangle.

Now for the innards!

You will need
1.5lb of sausages (or use sausage meat.... my supermarket doesn't stock it all year round!)
3oz of stuffing mix made up as directed on the pack
A pinch of Paprika
1tsp dried thyme (dried earlier in the year via the microwave method!)
Optional - grated lemon zest.

Slice open your sausages and pop the meat in a bowl - I used some yummy Cumberland sausages that had added cayenne and black pepper. If you want a bit of a childish giggle just squeeze the sausages until the insides pop out. :)

Mix in the made-up stuffing and add the herbs and spices. Arrange in a long oblong in the centre of the pastry leaving a gap at either end. Fold the ends over to hold the mix in.

Cut the pastry either side of the sausage-meat outwards and diagonally into 1" strips. Then fold over, alternating to make a plaited effect. I added a hand cut pastry leaf in homage to my grandad who always did the same.

Brush a beaten egg over (check out how yellow 'proper' eggs are!) and pop in the oven at 200C for approx 45mins.

This is a pretty huge plait, enough to serve 8 or to have loads left over to eat cold the next day! It would make a yummy lunch!

Quick and Easy Stuffed and Wrapped Chicken

2012-01-08T18:47:00.000Z

I love a nice roast, but if you want something a bit quicker, this quick and easy bacon-wrapped chicken is a real treat. It's also reminiscent of Christmas Dinner without the hours of preparation!

Grab your favourite stuffing and make up a small amount. I used half a small pack and still had loads left over so made some stuffing balls to have on another day. I added in a bit of my home dried sage I talked about yesterday to this basic supermarket bought sage and onion stuffing to make it extra herby!

Take one free-range chicken breast fillet per person and slice it open from the side to make a pocket. Try not to cut all the way through, but make the pocket big enough to jam in plenty of stuffing! Add a sprinkling of pepper and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

As you may have noticed I do most of my cooking in silicone dishes. Life's too short to be scrubbing at dishes... these can be chucked straight in the dishwasher and come out good as new!

Next up is some streaky bacon. Wrap it around the stuffed breast and fold it under the chicken to hold it in place.

Sprinkle a bit more pepper on top and pop it into a pre-warmed oven at 200C for about 30-40mins depending on how big your breasts are (so to speak!).

It's not long before a yummy aroma emanates from the oven and when Martha came to sit hopefully in the kitchen I could tell it was done!

The finished result is some deliciously moist and succulent. I served it with some simple boiled home-grown Anya Potatoes and carrots cooked with just my dried mint. Yum!

DIY Herbs - Dry It Yourself!

2012-01-07T18:21:00.000Z

The rockery is a feature that's rather fallen out of fashion in recent years. Time was that no self respecting home owner would dare do-without a wonderful collection of alpines and heathers nestling between a carefully arranged pile of boulders. My rockery had been rather neglected. A mass of rampant bulbs and weeds had overwhelmed the structure and the rocks had sunk to a rather disappointing scale. So last summer I decided SOMETHING had to be done. Rather than do-away with the much maligned feature I thought I could give it a new lease of life with a rather more useful purpose. I tore it apart with my bare hands, disposed of all the weed-roots and reconstructed with a more stately arrangement and some lovely new compost.

And thus the Herbockery was born. I'm sure you can guess that the new purpose of my rockery was to house my collection of herbs (sadly I don't have a pic of it in it's summer glory so you'll have to use your imagination!), including 4 types of mint, lemon balm, chives, rosemary and borage.

The first thing you learn about mint is not to plant it directly into the garden. It's a rather rampant person and soon ran rather wild! As such I had a bumper harvest of delicious home-grown mint to grace my potatoes (and frankly every other dish!).

Of course mint is a perennial plant (like most herbs it dies back to nothing in the winter and comes back each spring) so after the summer glut I knew there would be a winter mint-famine. But there is no need to resort to supermarket dried herbs, just read on for the simple solution.

You could freeze mini portions of mint in ice cube trays, but life's too short to be digging around the freezer every time you want some herbs so I prefer to dry my own herbs using the microwave...

First lay out your leaves onto paper kitchen towel. This will adsorb any moisture in the leaves.

Next pop the leaves on the paper into the microwave for just a few mins (2-4 is normally enough) until they resemble drying autumn leaves.

Next use your fingers to scrunch the leaves to your chosen size.

Then pop the dried leaves into a jar (you can buy pretty mini-kilner style jars or just reuse an empty herb/spice jar to be extra eco-friendly!), you will need to do several batches to fill a whole jar!

This technique works a treat for all sorts of herbs. I also dried a nice big pot of sage and a mixed 'Italian' herbs pot (Basil and oregano), perfect for pasta and pizzas.

Old School Gingerbread

2012-01-06T19:07:00.000Z

Gingerbread nowadays seems to refer to the classic, crunchy Christmas cookies, but even better is traditional bread/brownie style gingerbread! An aged family recipe card offered up this treat...

You will need -
8oz self raising flour
2tsp ground ginger
3-4oz raisins
2oz flora
2oz light brown sugar
4 oz syrup
1 free range egg and enough milk to make up to 1/4 pint

Mix flour, ginger and raisins in a bowl.

Melt flora, sugar and treacle in a pan. Add to the flour mix with the egg and milk. Mix well but don't beat!

Pour into a greased 7" tin and bake for about 35mins. I used a silicone tin so if you have a regular tin, you may need a little longer.

This would be a perfect tea-time treat so serve with a nice cuppa!

More leftovers!!!

2012-01-05T18:38:00.007Z

If like Katy and myself you are keen veggie growers you are probably starting to think about what you might like to grow this year. But do you have any leftover seeds from last year that you could put to good use first? A few weeks back, I had a rifle around and came up with some half used packets of salad leaves and radish seeds. I sowed them and so far, so good.....in a couple of weeks these tender shoots will be ready to add crunch to my salads and make my sandwiches extra yummy! I planted mine in the greenhouse but they would do really well on the kitchen windowsill too. Not sure how much of it I will actually get to eat, Kitty and her 3 friends will try to get there first I'm sure.....

Devil's Food Cake and Ganache Topping

2012-01-04T20:44:00.000Z

Sometimes you just need a big gooey chocolate cake. Who am I kidding??! You ALWAYS need a big gooey chocolate cake.... So when I wanted a chocolate cake for a special birthday this seemed to tick all the boxes.

I think the sunflower oil in this recipe is the key reason that this cake is super-spongy and moist. It's so light and fluffy and it's very difficult to stop at just one slice.

You will need -

2 medium free range eggs
5fl oz sunflower oil

5fl oz milk

2 tbsp golden syrup

4.5oz sugar

6.5oz self raising flour

1oz cocoa

1tsp baking powder

1tsp bicarbonate of soda

Beat the eggs and then add all of the rest of the ingredients into a bowl. Mix thoroughly for a couple of mins.

Divide the mixture evenly between two well greased 7" sandwich pans (mine are silicone!) and bake for 30 mins at 160C for 30mins.

Once cool turn out and make the filling/topping.

For the ganache filling

125g dark cooking chocolate

125g flora spread

Chop the chocolate quite small and pop along with the flora into the microwave and heat in 30 second blasts stirring in-between until it has melted together.

Pour over one of the sponges so it just reaches the edges and then pop the second sponge on top. Pour over the rest of the topping helping it to reach the edges if you need to.

I'm not a big fan of those crunchy-sugary frostings so this easy ganche was perfect for both filling and topping this yummy cake. It's smooth, delicious and looks great too!

I made a fun cake topper using some patterned paper, cardstock and some alphabet stickers, and using some cocktail sticks to hold it in place.

Hope you enjoy!

Mint Chocolate Muffins

2012-01-03T21:23:00.000Z

There comes a time when you've had just about enough of Christmas chocolates. It's the law to have a box of After Eight mints at Christmas but as I don't really like them, they are always the ones to hang around the longest.

This is a yummy classic chunky muffin recipe with the added excitement of some minty goodness!

You will need -
10oz plain flour
1tbsp baking powder
4oz caster sugar
2 medium free range eggs
9fl oz milk
6tbsp sunflower oil
1tsp vanilla extract
Thin mints
4 tbsp cocoa

Line muffin tins with paper cases - green is always a nice choice for mint!

Mix the cocoa, flour, baking powder and sugar in a large bowl.

Lightly beat the eggs in another bowl and mix in the milk, oil and vanilla extract.

Gently stir the wet and dry ingredients together - don't over mix!

Divide between the cases and then break the mints in half. Push vertically into the mixture so they are just sticking out.

Bake for 20mins at 200C and eat while still warm!

The mints partly melt while cooking, but are still intact enough to be a surprise in the centre of the muffin. Yummy!

Quick and Easy Cheese Straws

2012-01-02T20:24:00.000Z

Another ingredient that will inevitably be haunting you after Christmas is the traditional cheese platter. After munching through countless crackers, something different, but still worthy of showing off to your visitors, to use up the leftovers is always welcome!

You will need

4-6 oz of cheese (hard enough to grate) - I used regular mature cheddar and a bit of red leicester.

Ready rolled shortcrust pastry - I use a light version! (or you may have some leftover from making mince pies)

1-2tsp of mustard (hot), if you have milder mustard you might need a bit more.

1tsp paprika

Unfurl the ready-rolled pastry and spread the mustard over with a knife.

Grate most of your cheese over the top. Save a bit for later! Sprinkle with a little paprika.

Scrunch up the pastry and kneed to mix the cheese thoroughly through the mix.

Roll out using a pinch of flour to stop it sticking your surface and pin.

Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over and lightly squish it in so it doesn't drop off.

Slice into inch strips and twist each strip. Sprinkle with the rest of the paprika.

Bake for about 10mins at 180C.

These straws are simply yummy and look good enough to offer up for a post festive-season gathering! I like to nuke the cold ones for a few seconds in the microwave as they are super-delicious when hot!

Mincemeat Bread and Butter Pudding

2012-01-01T20:09:00.000Z

After Christmas we inevitably have a motley crew of leftover bits and pieces that are just gagging to be used up before the festive spirit deserts us....

Back in the summer I was lucky to receive a glut of home grown plums from Sandie and made some of the chunkiest and most delicious mincemeat. After creating countless mince pies and foldovers there were still a couple of jars of said mincemeat lurking on the preserves shelf of the pantry. so the search was on for some cunning ways of using it up without resorting to yet MORE mince pies!

Sandie came to the rescue again with a simply delicious and traditional mincemeat bread and butter pudding.

You will need.

1 small fruit loaf
Butter
Half a jar of mincemeat (about 4 tablespoons)
Milk - Half a pint
2 medium free range eggs
Vanilla Essence - 1tsp

Butter the fruit loaf slices and cut in half to make triangle and cover the bottom of a ovenproof dish butter side down (this saves you from greasing the dish!)

Spread 2 tbsp of the mincemeat over the bread.

Add a second layer of bread as before.

Add your second layer of mincemeat and the remains of the bread butter side up.

In a separate bowl/jug, beat the eggs and add the milk. Add the vanilla essence. Pour evenly over the bread and leave to stand for half an hour to let the milk soak into the bread.

If you like, add a sprinkling of soft brown sugar depending on how naughty you feel!

Bake at 180C for 25-35mins depending on your oven!

The pudding was served with cream (Elmlea as a vain attempt to be healthy!) and was just as good the next days warmed up in the microwave and topped off with cream! A wonderfully festive feeling put! Yum!

Welcome from the Chicken Keepers Kitchen!

2012-01-01T17:54:00.000Z

While papercrafting fills my days, me and my cohorts here at the Chicken Keeper's Kitchen are passionate about getting crafty in many more ways. A summertime glut of eggs plus an excess of yummy home-grown produce has rekindled our love of baking and cooking... especially of the sugary and chocolaty varieties! Stay tuned as we share some of our favourite recipes, hints and tips!