Amazing Yorkshire Puddings Recipe

So as I was born in the North of England, Yorkshire puddings were and still are a staple of any Sunday dinner, here I am going to show you how easy and simple it is to make the most amazing, fluffy Yorkshire puddings even your grandma with want the recipe for.

Starting of with a few simple ingredients, most of which can already be found in your pantry so no need to go out to the supermarket with a list to buy.

its so quick you will be asking yourself why you ever bothered with buying the pre-made ones.

Ingredients;

- 140g plain flour
- 4 eggs
- 200ml milk
- sun-flour oil (or canola oil works to, actually any oil will work to be honest)
- salt and pepper to taste

method:

1) Preheat your oven to 220 degrees.

2) In a muffin dish pour a little oil into the bottom of each muffin hole, not to much but enough to cover the bottom

3) Place the muffin dish in the oven to allow the oil to heat up (its important that the oil is hot before adding the batter otherwise your Yorkshire puddings wont rise and you will be left with some sort of soggy pancake type thing)

4) Whilst the oil is heating up its time to make the batter, so in a big mixing bowl add all the flour and and the 4 eggs and whist it until its a smooth consistency

5) Once you have a smooth consistency, slowly add the milk a little at a time and keep mixing it again until you have a smooth pour-able batter

6) Add salt and pepper if you wish at this point

7) Now you have your Yorkshire pudding batter, its less messy if you pour this batter into a jug beofre filling your muffin tray

8) The oil should be hot enough at this point (it usually takes about 10 mins in the oven) so quickly and carefully pour the batter on top of the hot oil, about 1 cm into each hole and put the tray back in the oven.

9) Now let your Yorkshires work there magic and make sure not to open the oven door to let any heat escape, leave them in there for about 20-25 mins or until golden brown, puffed and fluffy.

10) After 25 or so mins carefully remove the Yorkshire from the pan and serve along side your next roast dinner.

Also they can be frozen so if you have any leftovers pop them into a Tupperware container and you can freeze them for up to 4 weeks.

Hearty Veggie Lasagne

This is by far one of my favorite dishes, it's so simple to make, full of flavor and involves lots and lots of cheese. So what's not to love.

The one thing that I think takes this meal to the next level is the addition of the spinach and ricotta layer within the lasagna. It gives a extra dimension, more texture and that little kick it needed to turn this veggie lasagna into something people will never forget. 

All in all from start to finish this doesn't take that long to put together, I'd say around 45 mins. Which makes it the perfect midweek meal, it's great as leftovers the next day to and can keep in the fridge for up to a week as its all veggies. Making it also great to pop into a Tupperware and take to work for lunch for the week.

The veggies you decide upon are completely up to you, I tend to mix it up each time, this time I made it with zucchini, onion, roast capsicum and pumpkin, which I would say is a pretty great combo and you can't go wrong with these veggies. 

So let's get into it.

Ingredients:

Veggies -

- Zucchini x2

- White onion 

- Pumpkin (half) 

Spinach & Ricotta layer -

- 1 box frozen spinach 

- 500g feta cheese

- 500g ricotta cheese

Sauce -

- 2 tins chopped tomatoes

- 1/2 jar passata

- 4 garlic cloves 

- 1 white onion 

- oregano 

- basil 

- chili flakes 

- salt 

- pepper 

1 packet dry lasagna sheets (you can use fresh if you like ) 

method:

1. Chop the veggies, like i said i used pumpkin, onion and zucchini for my veggies, but that doesn't mean you have to do the same, this is your meal so throw whatever veggies you want in there by all means. Or follow my recipe, either way it will turn out delicious. 

2. Once all chopped throw then into a baking dish and sprinkle with seasonings and a little bit of olive oil. 

3. Roast the veggies in the oven for about 20-30 mins on 200 degrees. 

4. Whilst the veggies are roasting, lets turn to the spinach and ricotta layer, nice and simple, all your going to do here is combine the cheeses and the spinach into a bowl and give it a good old mix up, then set it aside for later. 

5.  Next we are going to make the sauce, really simple and easy and its so versatile ( i use if for loads of other dishes too). Start by browning the garlic and onion, after a few minutes add in the tinned tomatoes, the passata and the dried herbs and bring to the boil, then leave it to simmer for about 10 mins, and that's it, your sauce is ready! 

6. Now its a simple case of starting to layer your lasagna, I tend to put a little sauce on the bottom of the baking dish just to prevent anything from sticking, its also great as it gets absorbed into the bottom layer of lasagna sheets and adds great flavor.

7. So as i said start with a little sauce, then the first layer of sheets, ontop of that we are going to add the roasted veggies and roasted peppers, sprinkles some cheese onto op this if you like, i do because nobody can ever have enough cheese. 

8. Then its onto another layer of sheets, and the ricotta and spinach layer we made earlier spread that evenly over the lasagna sheets, and another layer of sheets then top with the rest of the sauce and the rest of the cheese (making sure the cheese is evenly spread as we want a nice even golden brown color) 

9. I would suggest covering the lasagna with foil for the first 30 mins of baking then remove the foil for the last 15 minutes to get a nice color and just so it doesn't burn. After about 45 minutes your veggie lasagna should just about be ready to come out of the oven, and i usually let it stand for about 10-15 mins before serving it as to let all the flavors absorb with one another. 

And there you have it, one of the easiest recipes that is so versatile and tastes even better the next day as leftovers (if there are any) to take to work and impress your co workers. 

Thanks again and i look forward to seeing your takes on my hearty veggie lasagna. 

Rachel. 

CINNAMON & RAISIN BREAD

The first time I ever tasted cinnamon and raisin bread was when I went traveling across America, we were camping near the Grand Canyon and breakfast was being served, I grabbed a slice from the food container and so my breakfast was simple, but one that I have never forgotten. I remember how I had never tasted bread so sweet or delicious before, and before I knew it I had taken another slice. I told myself there and then that this was defiantly something I needed to learn to bake myself, as I couldn't possibly consider the thought of going back home never to experience this wonderful bread again. 

So nearly two years later, I've finally gotten round to forming a recipe and created my own version of that delectable loaf I sampled all the way from the USA. 

This is a very simple recipe I have conjured up, and to be honest I really don't know why its taken me that long, but better late than never I always say, so here it is...

Ingredients:

1 tbsp butter

1 cup (200g) caster sugar 

1 cup (170g) raisins 

2 cups (350g) self raising flour

2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup water 

Method:

STEP 1:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees

STEP 2:

Place butter, sugar, raisins, and water in a saucepan and bring to the boil, then simmer for 5 minutes.

STEP 3:

Set aside and allow to cool 

STEP 4:

Once cooled, add flour and cinnamon and stir until everything is combined together

STEP 5:

Bake in a lined loaf tin for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean

STEP 6:

Allow to cool, then slice, serve and enjoy. 

VIDEO RECIPE:

So there you have it, my very easy, simple and quick take on a cinnamon and raisin loaf. If you want to give this recipe a go then don't forget to tweet me your finished masterpieces! 

Baking Twitter: 

https://twitter.com/Rachelscakeco

Personal Twitter:

https://twitter.com/Rachelward303

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/user/catalow333

HAPPY BAKING! 

Rachel Ward

GIANT JAFFA CAKE

I was recently inspired by a tv show on food network (I can't remember the name of it sorry, it was similar to diners, drive-ins and dives) where the presenter would go around the USA and sample all the delights of what America had to offer which only meant one thing....SUPERSIZE FOODS!

From a three course meal breakfast to a whooper of a lunch menu everything on This show was crazy big! (Even the presenter was on the large side to put it nicely), anyway a lightbulb went of in my head  whilst watching this and I thought, if they can do it why not me.

That's when it hit me..

...I could create a mini web series making, baking and creating all things SUPERSIZE! From snacks and biscuits to everything in between. So I sat down and started to brainstorm ideas, and visualise how I would transform a basic afternoon snack time treat into something of an enormous and epic proportion.

To start with I had to decide what snacks to supersize and I came up with a few, the first being the British Classic: A Jaffa Cake !

So I went to my local Tesco and bought a packet of McVities Jaffa cakes (other Jaffa cakes are available) and started to deconstruct it. Turns out it's a pretty simple cake...or biscuit...or cake?

There were only three layers which I could easily replicate and supersize. Firstly there was the vanilla cake base, orange jelly middle and chocolate top. Simple right?

So that's when I donned on my apron and started to get to work. If you want to see what happened

then I made a little video showing you all my steps. Feel free to give it a watch below;

Also, if you have any other suggestions or snacks you want me to supersize then please leave me a comment as I would love to hear what you have in mind ! 

Thank you, until next time,

Rachel Ward