cosy cobbler...

This is a recipe me and my friend found to test out some new bakers that were being produced at work. If I remember correctly I think we ate the whole thing that night but did bake another one for an office birthday party that was being held the next day so we could share our triumph. It is so delicious and really easy to make and light on the washing up too.

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup milk
2 tins of peach slices
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Ground cinnamon, nutmeg or a vanilla pod

1. Preheat the oven to 180° celcius, gas mark 4.
2. Melt the butter in a large oven proof baker.
3. Combine the flour, 1 cup sugar, the baking powder and the salt in a bowl.
4. Add the milk, stirring just until dry ingredients have all been combined.
5. Pour the batter over the melted butter but do not stir.
6. Bring the remaining 1 cup of sugar, the peach slices and the lemon juice to the boil over a high heat while stirring constantly.
7. Remove from the heat and pour over the batter in the baker and again do not stir.
8. Sprinkle with cinnomon or nutmeg if desired. I tend to prefer nutmeg or even add some vanilla to the milk for a super luxurious taste.
9. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown.

You can serve the cobbler warm or cool and I love to add a big scoop of vanilla icecream on top. Delicious.

healthy ham quiche...

I think there may be a bit of a pattern forming with any recipes I share, they all seem to be one pot wonders or pretty close to it. It's not that I'm a lazy cook or can't wash up although I'm sure if I didn't have my amazing fiance to wash up after me I might be less inclined to cook, its just that these are the kind of meals I love to eat and love to serve. I'm a massive sharer and even when out for dinner I love to get all different dishes so that everyone can taste a bit of everything else. I also hate waste and love dishes where you can use up any little leftovers that you have lying around. What you might think is destined for the bin can soon be turned into something delicious once you know how. This is another recipe I found in a healthy magazine. I love finding recipes in magazines and then changing them up a little, this usually involves making them less healthy by adding more cheese or cream but hey an extra walk around the park will sort that out.

This one is delicious and can be served up with potato salad, or coleslaw or just a simple green salad if you like.

Ingredients:
2 slices whole-grain bread, roughly chopped
1 large egg plus 5 large egg whites, maybe keep the extra egg yokes to make some homemade mayonnaise for the potato salad. yummy.
1 1/2 cups semi skimmed milk
165g ham, roughly cut into small cubes, you dont need to be too fussy about this. Use up any left overs you may have from a boiled ham in this recipe.
100g low-fat Swiss cheese cut into small cubes, the original recipe called for a little less but hey you only live once, use different cheese for different flavours too, whatever you have lying around.
1 bunch green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 190°C/ 375°F/ Gas mark 4.
2. In a food processor chop bread into rough crumbs. You can do this easily using the pulse setting.
3. Put the crumbs in an oven proof baking dish and press the crumbs firmly onto bottom of the dish to form a crust.
4. Bake this for 10 minutes, until the edges go a golden colour.
5. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk egg, egg whites and milk until just combined.
6. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk until well blended.
7. Pour egg mixture over top of crust. Bake for 60-65 minutes or until top is puffed up and golden brown and a knife comes out clean when inserted into the middle.
8. Remove from the oven and let to stand for at least 10 minutes.
9. Run your knife around the edge to try to loosen the quiche from the dish. Then cut into pieces and serve up.

Mmmmm Delicious...