Hearty Butternut Squash, Caramelised Onion and Feta Pie

I've been feeling a bit glum this week - the winter weather has not been very kind so far and with yet another night of rain lashing and wind howling through the house (turns out old stone cottages are a bit draughty!) it was time to raid the stores and come up with a winter warmer for everyone to tuck into.

So, here's my recipe for 

Serves 2 greedy adults (or 2 adults and 2 not-so-fussy-as-our kids)

Ingredients (fills a 15cm cake tin, so adjust as needed):

4 small red onions, chopped

Half a large Butternut Squash, peeled and cubed into bitesize bits

175g (or half a tub of Apetina Feta cubes, if you want to be lazy, like me)

Pre-rolled Shortcrust Pastry sheet - enough to cover cake tin and provide a lid for pie

3 cloves of garlic (unpeeled)

Balsamic vinegar

Sugar (preferably brown, but I used white as I had no brown sugar!)

Olive oil

Salt

Method:

Grab a bowl and toss the  Butternut squash and garlic cloves in oil. Sprinkle a bit of salt over the top and place on a baking tray.  Roast in the oven for around 20 mins or until Butternut is slightly browned.

Meanwhile, toss your onions in a pot with some oil and fry for about 5 mins.  Add some healthy slugs of Balsamic Vinegar and about a tablespoon of Sugar and watch the onions turn into a deliciously sweet mixture. Fry off a little, then set aside.

Line your cake tin (or an actual pie dish, if you are more civilized than I am!) with the rolled Shortcrust Pastry

Grab your roasted Squash and Garlic.  Squeeze out the garlic from it's papery skin, chuck in a bowl with the Roasted Butternut, Caramelised Onion, and tip in the Feta cheese. Pour into the pastry case and fashion your lid over the top.

Some tasty filling going on in here!

Bake in the oven until pastry is cooked.

Slice and serve.

We had our with some pretty sweet Sweet Potatoes.  Very yummy!

This dish is such a surprise, because of the salty/sweet taste that you get.  The sweetness of the Onions and the Squash is very much challenged by the saltiness of the Feta and the pastry for a perfect combo.

Delicious!

Win A Signed Copy Of Tutti Frutti by Bompas and Parr!

All the better for smiling with, my dear!

I went to the dentist last year with a horrible pain in my tooth. Now, I've always been extremely lucky with my teeth, only having had ONE filling in my entire life! Not bad, eh?

So, I was a bit gutted when I found myself on the end of the telephone to a sympathetic receptionist who suggested that I pay the extra money for the emergency appointment, while I grimaced through some pretty head-tingling toothache.


I was imagining all sorts; root canals, abcesses, antibiotics and endless sleepless nights until I could complete treatment, which would no doubt take weeks to complete.


'Come straight down, the dentist will see you right away'



Yeesh.


I steeled myself while in the waiting room, fearing the worst. My tongue ran back and forth over the tooth in question. I was certain I could feel a hole. And there was definite swelling. Maybe I could even feel the pain right under the tooth...


'Take a seat, Mrs Millar'


I lay back in the chair and opened wide after pointing out the source of my pain.


Two x-rays and a thorough check-up later, the dentist asked me to sit up.


'Well, your teeth are certainly in very good condition - there's nothing wrong at all. No holes, no infection, certainly no sign of anything untoward. Have you been eating anything cold lately?'


Turns out I have sensitive teeth. He explained that nerve pain was sometimes set off by cold or sweet things and that although there were no holes in my teeth, there was erosion of the enamel, meaning that sometimes a nerve caught the brunt of the cold.


All he could do was to recommend that I buy some sensitive teeth toothpaste on the way home and work on the pain with that!


I couldn't believe it - I'd never had pain like that ever. And I never have again - I bought some sensitive teeth toothpaste on the way home and after using it over a few days, the pain subsided completely. To say I was relieved was an understatement, but it was definitely not something I had ever considered before!


From then on I've been a bit funny about eating ice-cream at all. There's nothing like the memory of pain to stop you from enjoying what you once took for granted!

However, I find that by using a sensitive tooth toothpaste,  that I don't have to worry too much - it really does help!

Then I read that it doesn't necessarily have to be ice-cream or cold things that can cause sensitivity - oh no!

 And this is where my latest giveaway comes in!

Contemporary British architectural foodsmiths, Bompas & Parr, have created their most daring dessert yet; the world’s most sensitising ice cream.

Tasked with creating the ultimate challenge for Colgate® Sensitive Pro-Relief™, the culinary explorers created a tooth tingling ice cream invention to put Colgate’s protective powers against tooth sensitivity to the test.

I think it's crazy and am not overly keen to put my poor teeth anywhere near it, but it is rather interesting to see just how many things can set off sensitivity!

Almost half of the UK population (47 per cent) suffer from tooth sensitivity*. Bompas & Parr’s flavoursome invention has packed in some of the most common triggers for sensitive teeth including punchy peppermint, cooling erythritol, raspberry chilli ripple and a szechuan button – a yellow flower bud that delivers the ultimate tingling sensation, which all combined, put the toothpaste to its sternest test yet.

Why not challenge yourself with one of their recipes?

Elderflower and Violet Frozen Fizz

Bompas & Parr say: “Here’s how to create a fizzy, frozen delight; carefully lay a well-shaken fizzy drink down in the freezer,

and rescue it before it freezes solid. Hey presto - your cool, mildly acidic cordial has become a super-chilled sorbet!”

Why not take the challenge, and try this for yourself!

www.colgatesensitiveprorelief.co.uk

Ingredients

(Serves 2)

80ml Elderflower cordial

8ml Violet syrup

8ml Lemon juice

400ml Soda water

Empty plastic bottles (500ml

maximum)

Take the Challenge

1. Combine the ingredients, then pour into bottles and seal the caps tightly.

2. Now shake them like a Polaroid, then lay them down in the freezer and leave

for 2 hours maximum, making sure not to agitate them at all. After the given

time, the liquid should be slushy. 3. Remove the bottles extremely carefully and

pour into pre-chilled glasses or dishes. The liquid should freeze as it’s poured

into the glass.

As part of the development of the inventive ice cream, an independent study of 2,000 adults found that one in three (33 per cent) sensitive teeth suffers will eat on just one side of their mouth in order to avoid the pain of sensitive teeth, with nearly seven in ten (68 per cent) admitting that they failed to report the problem to their dentist. Like me!

Of course, this is not the only cool (geddit!?) thing Bompas and Parr have done of late.  Oh no!

Their latest recipe book, Tutti Frutti  is full of all kinds of amazing and colourful ideas to liven up your tastebuds and show off at parties.  

Particular recipes that caught my eye were Carnival Punch, a 'quick and dirty party drink', and Fruit Ice Lollies, which come with an educational intro on the healing properties and importance of the tongue.

The whole book is a mish-mash of colourful and exciting ideas which stimulate creativity in all of us and all of the recipes and ideas (like ballon pinatas for your pets!) alongside some pretty spectacular creative photography, create a sensual and luxurious reading experience.

There's nothing I love more than a cool recipe - something a bit different.

To win a signed copy of Bompas and Parr's Tutti Frutti, see the Rafflecopter below and let us know - what's the craziest, most outlandish recipe you have in your repertoire?  I'd love to hear it!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Spicy Coconut Daal In A Hurry: Some Like It Hot

I love a good daal. It's a meal that ticks all the boxes - quick, easy, healthy, satisfying, cheap to make.

Oh and delicious!

Why not have a go at the extra yummy one I made tonight?

Spicy Coconut Daal In A Hurry

Ingredients

• 1 can chickpeas
• 4 tbsps red lentils
• 50ml Cocount milk
• 1 tsp Turmeric
• 1tsp Cumin
• 1tsp chilli
• 1 onion
• 6 cherry tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1tbsp oil
• Spring onion to garnish

optional extras: rice, poppadoms, mango chutney

Method

1.

Peel and chop onion and garlic and whizz with tomatoes until they are close to a paste-like consistency. 

2.

Heat oil in frying pan and add the spices (turmeric, chilli and cumin).  Fry briefly before adding paste.

3.

Let mixture fry for a minute before adding 4 tbsps lentils.  Stir them in, then pour in the coconut milk.  Turn the heat down slightly and allow mixture to cook until lentils soften.

Add the chickpeas and cook through.  If required, add some more coconut milk to stop mixture sticking to the pan.

4. 

Serve immediately with rice and poppadoms.

A cheap and cheerful meal with just enough spice.  Add some more if you like - I like mine with a kick, so I tend to add a fair bit, but what I love about this is the fact that the coconut milk evens it out for those who aren't so keen.

Yum!  What's your favourite curry?  Do you like it hot?

The Apple Pie That Dreams Are Made Of

Dave is the biggest ever fan of Apple Pie.

So what better time to treat him to a home-made one that on Father's Day?

Well - that's what I'd planned.  But after that smell had wafted around the house and it came out looking all golden and delicious, I couldn't stop him from grabbing a knife and carving it up.

After all - it tastes so much better when just cooked.

He loved it so much he could barely speak.  Then cut himself another slice.  Now there's talk of making custard to go with it.
So, here's my recipe for

The Apple Pie That Dreams Are Made Of

 Ingredients

Filling:

4 Large Granny Smith Apples
140g Caster Sugar
3 tbsps Plain Flour

Pastry:

225g Butter (room temperature)
50g Caster Sugar
2 Medium Eggs
350g Plain Flour

Method:

 1.

Peel, core and chop up all four apples, placing them in a bowl of water and cover with some kitchen roll to prevent them from browning too much.

2.

 Beat together the butter and caster sugar for the pastry, until they are just bound together and resemble a paste-like mixture.

3.

Add 1 egg and 1 egg yolk - keeping the white separate for glazing the finished pastry before baking.  The end result of this step should be a scrambled-egg like consistency.

4.

Add the flour and beat in bit by bit, until the mixture binds together.  Finish by kneading into a ball, wrapping in clingfilm and sticking it in the fridge to chill for at least 45 mins.

5.

Mix the flour and sugar for the filling together and prepare your chosen pie dish.  Mine is this rather cool vintage Snoopy one (I'm a bit of a fan, don'tcha know?!)

6.

Dry out your apples on some kitchen roll and coat in the flour and sugar mix.

7.

Take your pastry from the fridge, release from clingfilm and cut off a third for the lid.  Set this aside and roll the main body of pastry out on a floured surface until it fits your dish.  Knead it into all the curves and make it all neat and tidy.  Add the apples and set your oven up - 160 degrees should do it.

8.

Roll out the lid, deposit on top of pie and seal the edges, poking holes in to release apple steam from cooking.  Grab your egg white from earlier and give it a short whisk before using a pastry brush to glaze the top.  When glazed, sprinkle with some caster sugar and pop that little baby in the oven.

9.

Keep checking it, but when it looks like this it's ready!  Mmm!  Check out those crusts!  Sprinkle with more caster sugar and serve piping hot - it can't be disputed, it really is the best way!

Delicious!

I hope you enjoy it!

Do you like Apple Pie?  What's your favourite thing to serve it with?  I like ice-cream, but Dave would have nothing less than it swimming in a whole bowl of custard.

Pizza Under Duress

Mealtimes can be hard.

I know.

Two small boys who clamour for food most of the time is a challenge I meet daily.

Actually, who am I kidding?  Pretty much hourly.

'I'm hungry mum'

'Can I have a snack?' (re: everything in the fridge)

or the classic, 'I'm finished, but I'm still hungry!'

It's like living in a continual Masterchef judging hell-pit.  They are fussy little buggers.

'I don't like that'

'It's got red bits'

'It's got green bits'

I only like bananas on a Sunday at noon in the glare of the sun'

'Those apples taste like apples, I wanted ones that tasted like cheese'

'I don't like cheese' (lies!)

So when we make something from scratch that has fresh ingredients in it and they eat it and love it and want it, we MAKE it.  We make it so hard, we make sure that we make it the most makiest way ever until we are so done with making that we can't make anymore.

You get the picture.

Thus was the case when we dropped Tom off at school this morning and Ethan caught the smell from the school cafeteria.

'What's that smell, Mummy?'

'I don't know pal, what do you think?'

'Smells like...smells liiiiiiike...pizza?  My want to make PIZZA!  Let's make Pizza, Mum!'

'O.k, we can make Pizza'

'Can we make it Mummy?  Can we make pizza?'

'Yes, we can make pizza'

'We make pizza when we get home mum?'

'Yes, we can make pizza, okay?'

'We gonna make pizza?  Can we make pizza?  Can we make it?'

'YES'

'But we gonna make pizza mum, we can make pizza?'

'Yes, shoosht, we are going to make pizza.'

'Muuum?'

*ignores*

'Mummyyyyyyyy?'

*tries to talk about something else, gets overrun with...*

'We can make the pizza now?'

All. The. Way. Home.

So, what did we do?

We watched T.V.

Joke - we made Pizza.  Do you honestly think I would get away with it?

So here's my Under Duress Pizza.  It was 9.15 a.m. Nobody should have to make, cook and eat pizza by quarter to 10 in the morning, but that's what we did.

Why?

Because he is 3 years old and CRAZY.

And I am a total pushover.

Crazy eyes

INGREDIENTS

450g Self Raising Flour
Slosh of Milk (approx 200 ml)
Slosh of Olive Oil
80g Butter

Sauce

Passata
Grated Cheddar
Sneaky Veg for underneath (if you are feeling like being all healthy and sneaky.  I wasn't.  It was too damn early to be making pizza)

If you are feeling especially brave, allow the toddler to help.  If you want a long, drawn-out experience where crazy comes to stay, let the toddler sit on the worktop beside you while you do your damndest to stop him from basically tipping flour and butter all over the floor.

Guess what I got to do?

As toddler allows, put all ingredients in a bowl and mix.  If toddler is there you might need two spoon so he can 'help do mixing' ie. steal both spoons and proceed to eat the raw dough while coercing you into doing the same.

Crazy offerings

DO NOT eat the raw dough.   Ignore the small child doing the same.  Or not.  Apparently anything will encourage him at this point.

Finally, roll out dough into a thin bed for you to spread the passata on.

This might take a while as toddler will insist on 'helping' of course, mainly by stealing a bit to use as 'playdough' and then mashing it back into the pile, thus ensuing you have to start again.  Don't aim for perfection.  Aim for 'that'll do'.

Spread passata on while toddler screams about wanting yellow sauce instead of red.  Argue with toddler about colour of sauce for 10 mins before conceding that red is yellow.

Grate cheddar. Allow toddler to steal cheddar to keep him quiet.  Try not to lose temper - you are very close to the end.

Steal some cheese in comfort-eating moment of glory.  You have earned it.  Fuck it - you can grate more.

Sprinkle cheese on pizza and try to convince toddler to save pizza until tea time, or even lunch.  Give in to angry, desolate wails of doom and slice up pizza so you can stick a slice in the oven for him.

Console crying, angry toddler who is sad that you have 'broken' the pizza.

Mash 'slice' back into pizza base in an effort to make it look as though it has never been sliced.

Nearly cry.

Console sad toddler who just wants pizza.

Sneak 'slice' into oven when toddler isn't looking.

Tell toddler pizza is nearly ready.  Watch him make this face.

Take him into living room and sit him in front of Peppa Pig while you wait.

Present him with pizza.

Watch as he cries because it is too hot.

Wait until it cools.

Watch as he won't eat pizza.  Cajole him into trying.  Despair as the little sod refuses and asks for yoghurt instead.

Send him to nursery for the afternoon and become so relaxed and carefree after crazy pizza debacle that you leave slice on table.  

Watch the little bugger eat the whole slice as soon as he comes home from nursery while he is waiting for the pizza to cook for everyone else's tea.

Wonder why the hell you bother sometimes.

It's the face!

The things we do for our kids!

Fluffy's Panda Ears

This is Fluffy.

She's from China/Edinburgh Zoo gift shop.

She loves to bake!

Today she taught me her favourite delicacy from her homeland - Panda Ears!

Cute, bitesize and easy to make, I was delighted to indulge her in baking some sweet treats for the kids (oh and Dave).

You will need:

• Puff Pastry
• Granulated Sugar
• Baking Parchment
• A degree of patience to put up with a pushy panda in the corner (not looking at anyone, Fluffy.  Ahem.)
• A spoon to whack the hands of small children who insist on eating the granulated sugar before you can use it (disclaimer - I'm joking!)

First, cover your surface in granulated sugar.  Play about with it a bit and draw in it if you must.

It's quite tempting, if not slightly hypocritical when you have to start telling small children off for wanting to do the same.

Next, roll out pastry over sugar, turning and coating each side until quite thin.

Start folding each side in, until you reach the middle. Fold together and begin slicing lengthways to make inch-wide strips of sugary pastry.

                                 

Lay the individual pieces flat and roll again to make small ear shapes.

Place on baking parchment and bake in the oven at 160 degrees for around 20 minutes, or until ready.

Enjoy with a sneaky cup of tea and a cuddle from a panda!