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Easy Stove Top Chicken Casserole

As we ease ourselves into autumn, there is plenty to encourage us into the kitchen. Perhaps we might be inspired to preserve some of those late summer gluts, or try a recipe from an ‘up and coming’ cuisine, or to simply dig out those slow-cookers and cast-iron pans to get a nice, warming stew or casserole on the go. There are lots of recipes that have caught my attention already in the various food magazines that I subscribe to popping through the door, in particular, the classic, stove top chicken casserole I’ve shared below. I’ve also noticed a number of new cookery related supplements and magazines recently, which is a good thing, as it means larger brands and retailers are continuing to see an upwards trend in home cooking. Pinterest is another wonderful place to gather some autumnal cooking ideas together, too. This week I’ve bookmarked a lasagne soup to try as it pretty much ticks every box on my comfort food hit-list.

Cook Edition
Images taken from JohnLewis.com with permission

One of the latest, free, foodie publications that you might spot is ‘Cook Edition’ at John Lewis. I had a good flick through – very much admiring the food photography within it. I was very tempted by Trine Hahnemann’s sticky, sweet and perfectly spiced cinnamon rolls (featured on page 2 of the Autumn supplement) but in the end, I decided on a family favourite instead; a classic chicken casserole (featured on page 10, alongside some one-pot tips). If you have an ipad, you can also find Cook Edition for free via iTunes. 

Aside from my slow cooker making a reappearance, autumn cooking is also brilliantly suited to more robust pans and stew-pots. I was recently sent a 24cm lidded casserole pan in a new shade of cotton, which although takes up a bit of kitchen cupboard space, means that you can comfortably cook a casserole, or a stew for a family of four with minimum fuss. I’ve also used the pan this week to make a generous risotto. It’s also ideal for soup and can also go into the oven (with its lid) when making a roast chicken, for example, or an oven-baked casserole or pasta bake.

Le Creuset

Le Creuset is a brand that has become very well known in the UK for classic, durable and long-lasting cookware; it is made in France, each piece is hand crafted and it is guaranteed for the lifetime of the original owner, whether a self purchase or a gift. Note, the guarantee doesn’t cover wear and tear or misuse, so you do have to show your pans a little bit of love. I do put mine into the dishwasher, but in fact, they are very, very easy to clean with liquid soap and water, too. I’ve never had any issues with my Le Creuset pans or cookware – I also own a square griddle pan and two 18cm round casseroles. The diametre of the pan is etched into the lid – in case you ever want to know! I always remember my sister using Le Creuset and in fact, when she read this post, she confirmed she had owned her 24cm casserole for 24 years and that it is most often used for making a ragu al bolognese.

Classic Chicken Casserole

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Easy Stove Top Chicken Casserole

Prep

Cook

Total

A classic stove top chicken casserole made with sweet onions, pancetta, mushrooms and baby potatoes.

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 8 pieces of high welfare chicken, e.g thighs, legs
  • 250g cubed pancetta
  • 1 large, sweet white onion
  • 200g baby chestnut button mushrooms
  • 1 litre hot chicken stock
  • 500g baby potatoes
  • 2 tbsp cornflour mixed with 3-4 tbsp cold water
  • Fresh herbs, such as parsley, to flavour

Instructions

  1. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a stove top safe casserole pan. Add the cubed pancetta and cook on a medium heat until the pancetta starts to become crispy and any fat renders. Add the chopped onions and cook for ten minutes on a very low heat, until translucent. Add the button mushrooms and cook for a further few minutes. Remove the pancetta, onions and mushrooms from the pan and set aside.
  2. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Add the remaining olive oil to the pan and place the chicken pieces, skin side down, into the pan. Sear them until golden brown, then carefully flip the pieces over and cook for a further few minutes.
  3. Pour in the chicken stock and add in the baby potatoes - the potatoes and chicken should be covered. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer on a gentle heat for twenty minutes.
  4. Add the pancetta, onions and mushrooms back in and cook with the lid off for a further ten minutes. The sauce should reduce slightly. Stir in the cornflour mixed with water and bring the casserole back up to the boil. The sauce should thicken.Take the casserole off the heat and leave it to sit on the stove for ten minutes before serving. Add any fresh herbs just before serving.

Notes

You can use a whole chicken and chop it into eight pieces instead if your prefer. Be careful when using poultry shears or a sharp knife to chop the chicken.

So, this week I’ve made a lasagne, risotto, a chicken casserole and a Victoria plum fruit bowl cake – what should be next on our comfort food cook list?

Here are some other recipes I have bookmarked –

Slow Cooked Beef Brisket with Celeriac Mash and Wild Mushrooms – own recipe

Veggie Packed Lasagne by Katie at Feeding Boys and a Firefighter

Healthier S’mores Smoothie – by Helen at Fuss Free Flavours

Cinnamon Apple Meringue Tartlets by Nazima at Franglais Kitchen

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of Cook Edition to review and cook from, as well as a 24cm Le Creuset Casserole and some vouchers to pay for the ingredients I used. 

Utterly Scrummy’s Fruit Bowl Cake

The summer holidays with a newborn and two primary-aged children were always going to be busy. In fact, I completely underestimated just how busy we would all be and suddenly, somehow, we are now in September. We enjoyed some time away; a short trip to Cheshire, a couple of weeks in North Wales and a visit to Somerset. I discovered that if you put me in a farmhouse with a farm shop within walking distance I am a very happy girl. I managed to write one blog post – June’s Simple and in Season round up, which captured the very best of what the summertime had to offer us in terms of seasonal produce and just about kept up with a few summer features and recipes for JamieOliver.com.

I’m so grateful to my blogging friends for helping me out and for keeping me awake during night feeds – the perfect time to play catch up with some of my favourite blogs. Simple and in Season went for a little holiday, too. Sally at My Custard Pie collected some tasty recipes throughout July and then Elizabeth at Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary put together a stunning collection of even more brilliant recipes to round off August. Nazima is currently hosting a new round for September – I hope you’ll be able to pop over.

Fruit Bowl Cake

One of the recipes I stumbled across earlier on in the summer and immediately set about making was a simple and tasty Fruit Bowl Cake by fellow blogger Michelle at Utterly Scrummy Food For Families. Early days with a newborn hasn’t afforded me much time for baking, but this is a recipe I’ve rustled up with ease a couple of times now and it really is a lovely way to use up any fruit in your fruit bowl that is perhaps softening or passed its best. I’ve also made it with Victoria plums more recently and damsons from a neighbour’s garden, along with anything left in the fruit bowl to use up.  Michelle is also very close to welcoming her little baby boy to the world – if I lived a little closer to her I’d be baking her this cake and taking it round. Good luck, Michelle!

Fruit Bowl Cake

Some other fruity/plummy recipes you might like to try in September –

Fruit Bowl Cake

There are also some lovely food blog challenges going on at the moment.

1. As mentioned above, Nazima is hosting Simple and in Season September so I’ll be linking this up to her as I used British pears, nectarines and plums in this particular cake.

2. Michelle originally made the Fruit Bowl Cake for Elizabeth’s No Waste Food Challenge , so I’m entering mine to this month’s event hosted by Chef Mireille.

3. Sarah is hosting Credit Crunch Munch this month for Helen and Camilla – I love the fact that you could make this cake at pretty much any time with whatever you have to hand to use up in the fruit bowl.

Fruit Bowl Cake

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Utterly Scrummy’s Fruit Bowl Cake (Adapted)

Prep

Cook

Total

A simple Fruit Bowl Cake (adapted from a recipe by Michelle at Utterly Scrummy Food for Families) made with leftover fruit from the fruit bowl.

Ingredients

  • 500g of fruit, chopped (I used nectarines, pears and plums)
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 200g plain flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 200g soft, light brown sugar
  • 3 free range eggs, beaten
  • 100ml vegetable oil, or mild, light olive oil

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 180C/160C Fan.
  2. Grease and line (with baking paper) a 23cm round cake tin.
  3. Remove any stones from the fruit, roughly chop into small chunks.
  4. In a separate bowl, sift the flour and cinnamon and add the sugar. Pour in the beaten eggs and the oil and mix together well.
  5. Stir the fruit into the cake batter and pour into the prepared tin.
  6. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until a cake tester or skewer comes out clean.
  7. Serve with a little dusting of icing sugar, or store in a tin and serve with warm custard the next day.

Fruit Bowl Cake

Now that the children have gone back to school, I hope I’ll be able to get back to blogging a little more regularly – in as much as my napping newborn allows!

Simple and in Season Summer Round Up (June Entries)

Hello! Yes, this post comes with the biggest apology. My summertime blogging-with-a-newborn-and-two-children-on-school-holidays plan ground completely to a halt. I had totally forgotten how all-consuming new motherhood is – even the third time round. Luckily, the lovely Sally at My Custard Pie stepped in to help me out, hosting Simple and in Season July with 50 entries, and this month, Simple and in Season August is being hosted by Elizabeth at Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary. Elizabeth is also doing a fantastic job of populating the Simple and in Season Pinterest board as she goes along. So, I’ll focus on the positive with a massive thank you to both Sally and Elizabeth, along with an even bigger thank you to our Simple and in Season June entrants who have waited so patiently for this recipe round up. Normal service will be resumed shortly…

June’s Simple and in Season recipes

1. Firstly, a real surprise as Meagan, a blogger who I met at IFBC in Seattle, joined in with her Rhubarb Crisp over on The Curried Nut – thank you Meagan!

2. Camilla at Fab Food 4 All also used seasonal rhubarb to make a Rhubarb and Marzipan Cake.

3. Whilst Michell at Utterly Scrummy (soon to be in for some newborn baby adventures herself!) made a stunning Lavender and Strawberry Victoria Sponge.

4. Laura at How to Cook Good Food made some very pretty Elderflower Madeleines

5. Alida at My Little Italian Kitchen made a beautifully presented Chargrilled Vegetable Summer Salad.

6. Linza over at Lancashire Food made a Gluten Free Rhubarb and Rose Cake.

7. Caroline at Caroline Makes made some Queen Cakes or Blueberry Muffins

8. Shaheen at Allotment 2 Kitchen made a vegetarian Garam Masala Radish Quiche with Radish Tops and Brie.

9. Corina at Searching for Spice made an Asparagus and Lemon Risotto 

10. Laura at How to Cook Cook Food came back with another seasonal recipe, this time, Raspberry Cranachan Ice Cream.

11. Gayathri at Spices Galore made some summery Grilled Indian Style Corn.

12. And our current host, Elizabeth at Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary made a beautiful Chocolate Strawberry Pavlova.

13. Janet at The Taste Space joined in with her recipe for Strawberry Balsamic Vanilla Steel Cut Oats – a very tasty looking recipe, indeed.

14. Janice at Farmers Girl Kitchen made a lovely Italian pasta dish of Papardelle al Pomodori Secchi with Cherry Tomatoes, Olives and Feta.

15. And Alida at My Little Italian Kitchen came back to us with a wonderful Cherry Clafoutis in celebration of being a finalist (and then winning) a recipe competition with Michael Caines.

16. Even more strawberries – this time, Ness at Jibber Jabber UK made a Strawberry and Mint Meringue with Elderflower Cream.

17. Sarah at Maison Cupcake made me chuckle with her Kermit-the-Frog inspired super-healthy Spicy Cavolo Nero Raw Green Soup made in her Vitamix blender.

18. Whilst Kellie at Food to Glow continued with the healthy theme by making a Rose and Summer Berry Skinni-Fredo, which I loved.

19. Ros at The More Than Occasional Baker made a delicious White Chocolate and Cardamom Cake with Rose Strawberry and Yoghurt.

20. Sarah at Tales from the Kitchen Shed sent across a recipe she had made earlier for Strawberry Jelly and Strawberry Glaze for her Strawberry Tart – great use of a glut!

21.  Whilst the team at ProWare Kitchen made a Fresh Tomato Pasta dish – perfect for Simple and in Season.

22. Louisa at Eat Your Veg made a tasty and interesting dish of New Potatoes with a Lettuce Pesto Dressing.

23. Karen and Lavender and Lovage joined in with a bright and colourful Tabbouleh Salad.

24. And the lovely Kavey at Kavey Eats made a Home Made White Cherry Rum Liqueur.

25. Sarah at Tales from the Kitchen Shed came back with a recipe that was a huge hit on Twitter for her Peach Melba Rice Delight. 

26. Jenny at Mummy Mishaps made a Strawberry and Elderflower Eton Mess Cake.

27. Kate at The Gluten Free Alchemist joined in with her Gluten Free Cherry Pancake.

28. Helen at Family Friends and Food made Baked Gooseberry and Elderflower Custards – lovely!

29. Whilst Helen at Good Life Mum made a batch of Elderflower and Lemon Cordial.

30. And with her cordial, Helen made an Elderflower and Lemon Sorbet.

31. Inspired by the start of the Great British Bake Off Helen at Good Life Mum made a showstopping Elderflower Angel Cake.

32. Having saved a few cherries, Sally at My Custard Pie made some Cherry Almond Spelt Muffins.

33. And Sarah at Maison Cupcakes came back to us with a No Churn Dairy Free Vegan Raspberry Ice Cream.

34. Bintu at Recipes from a Pantry sent across her Herbed Cauliflower Rice with Tahini Yoghurt – bookmarked!

35. Nazima at Franglais Kitchen impressed with her Blueberry, Vanilla and Mascarpone Ice Cream Terrine.

36.Andrea at Shabby Chic made the most of the wild strawberries, redcurrants and raspberries in her garden to make Shaken Berries.

37. Camilla at Fab Food 4 All made a tasty looking Roasted Tomato, Red Pepper and Chorizo Soup.

38. Katie at Feeding Boys and a Firefighter made a speedy Lemon and Mint Pesto with Tagliatelle.

39. Vanesther at Bangers and Mash made her own Elderflower Cordial, too, perfect for a summer tipple.

40. And for our final three recipes, we had entries from Selma at Selma’s Table who made a Broad Bean, Pea and Ricotta Crostini with Mint.

41. An entry from Sudha at Spicy, Quirky and Serendipitous who made a Corn and Shrimp Chowder. 

42. And last but by no means least, Vohn from Vohn’s Vittles closes our June round up with a recipe for Brazilian Spring Greens.

Thank you so much for bearing with me whilst I posted this round-up!

The current round (August) can be found over at Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary here.

I hope you are enjoying the summer!

Breville Blend-Active – Review & Giveaway

Our kitchen at home has seen a variety of full-sized blenders over the years, and as the number of blender attachments and features increases, so does the counter space required. I was keen to buy a smaller blender, ideally one that would be perfect for the children’s increased consumption of blended fruit smoothies over the school holidays!

After hearing good things from friends about the Breville Blend-Active blender (also known as the Breville Blend-Active Personal Blender) we purchased one at 10% off the £29.99 RRP (update: at the time of posting this review, they are available at 25% off here). It came with a one-year guarantee, and the bottles are certified BPA-free.

Breville Blend-Active Blender

Included by Breville in the Blend-Active box were the 300W blender motor base, the removable blade unit, and two 600ml bottles with sports-style lockable lids. Extra 600ml bottles for the Blend-Active are available from Breville direct and cost £10 each. As advised in the manual – and you would anyway! – I used soapy water to wash the parts of the Blend-Active where food would make contact, and I wiped down the base with a damp cloth to clean. Useful to know was that the Blend-Active bottles are made of a odour-, taste- and stain-resistant material and are suitable for the dishwasher.

The Blend-Active has a single push button to blend and is incredibly straightforward to use.

1) Add the ingredients to be blended into the bottle in one go – remember not to go above the 600ml mark (or the 300ml mark if you are using the smaller bottles).
2) Screw the blade unit tightly to the top of the bottle.
3) Turn the bottle upside down so that the blade unit is at the bottom, line up the marks on the bottle and the blender, and push the bottle down and clockwise to lock in place.
4) You can either push and hold the blend button for as long as required or use short pulses to blend with better control.
5) Twist the bottle anti-clockwise to unlock and lift, then turn the bottle so the blade unit is at the top before removing the blade unit and fitting the resealable lid.

Importantly, Breville included a safety feature to prevent the Blend-Active’s blade from spinning unless the bottle is locked safely into place.

In the UK, there are twelve drinks recipes included by Breville in the manual for the Blend-Active.

– Protein Rich Shake
– Berry Blitz Protein Shake
– Good Morning Protein Shake
– Chocolate and Banana Protein Shake
– Super Thick Berry Smoothie
– Raspberry Crush Smoothie
– Tropical Fruit Smoothie
– Kiwi and Berry Bliss Smoothie
– Berry Blitz Dairy-Free Smoothie
– Soya Dairy-Free Smoothie
– Vanilla Milkshake
– Carrot, Orange and Ginger Juice

We’ve been using the Blend-Active regularly with fruits (including frozen berries), ice, nuts and vegetables, and I can pass on these tips:

1) Remember you have to add all the ingredients in one go, before blending starts.
2) If you are using the Blend-Active to blend ice or hard vegetables, ensure that you include liquid in the bottle as well to help protect the blades and motor.
3) The cap of the resealable lid that Breville provides is a good size, and copes with thicker drinks very well. But beware – a loose cap will mean a large leakage!
4) The dimensions of the Blend-Active bottles mean they fit well in the bottle-holders on most bikes.
5) This is not a full-size, jet-powered kitchen blender.  Friends who attempted to use the Blend-Active as such learnt this the hard way.

For our family, the Breville Blend-Active was an excellent alternative to using – and cleaning! – a full-size blender to make drinks that were going to be taken out in the garden, on a picnic or out with us on the bike. The blender is well made and has done everything we’ve asked of it – the two bottles supplied were perfect for two young children, and additional (or replacement) bottles are easy enough to get hold of from Breville, if required. The Blend-Active is light enough and has been easy enough to take with us on self-catering weekends away in the UK.

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For your chance to win a brand new Breville Blend-Active blender (£29.99 RRP) complete with a one-year Breville guarantee, please enter telling me whether you will most use your blender for vegetable or fruit smoothies with bonus entries via the Rafflecopter widget above.

Disclosure: Own purchase, I was not asked to write a review, nor offered any incentive. Giveaway sponsored by Ren Behan. Affiliate links included. Giveaway featured on sites including loquax.co.uk and ThePrizeFinder.com

Review: Pink Lining Children’s Lunch Box

So, in my dream life, whilst on maternity leave, I’d be running a gorgeous and useful website, offering pretty baby changing bags with matching bottle holders, children’s satchels and lunch boxes and handy holdall bags for chic weekends away. As I said, in my dream life…instead, I’m lusting over such websites, whilst trying to keep up with the demands of organising a busy household and a newborn baby! Happily, Pink Lining (one such website with a range of goodies designed by Charlotte Pearl for PL Child) have sent me a distinctive children’s lunch box to review. When I have a few extra minutes spare, I’m looking forward to browsing the rest of their website (and pretending) that I need yet another changing bag.

Pink Lining Lunch Box

The packed lunch debate is currently highly active in our house. My junior school-aged son has decided he no longer likes school dinners and instead wants to take in a packed lunch. My daughter, who currently takes a packed lunch into nursery, starts big-school in September and will benefit from the Government’s new free school meals scheme. If truth be told, I was quite looking forward to not having to get up and make any packed lunches at all and I’m still trying to convince my seven-year old that school dinners are the way forward. In the meantime, there is still a week or so of school to get through, with a couple of school trips to cater for. So, in comes this lovely Robbie the Robot lunch box. He’ll also come in handy for our summer holiday to Wales too, as we like to take easily transportable lunch boxes, rather that clumpy picnic baskets, with us on the beach.Pink Lining Lunch Box

At £15, the Robbie the Robot lunch box isn’t cheap, but it is well made and very sturdy. It is thermo-insulated, with a zip open front. Inside there is a blue mesh pocket to keep cutlery or food separate, such as packets of dried fruit, and an elastic loop to store a water bottle or drink. It’s a good size, so you can pack in quite a big container. Inside, it’s wipe clean and outside it is made of a laminated cotton canvas. There’s also a handle and a clip on top – handy to attach to a buggy whilst walking to school.

Pink Lining Lunch Box

There are a few designs to chose from –  Little Lady (with a ladybird design), Robbie the Robot (shown in my photos), Dinosaur Walk, Damsels and Unicorns, and Knights and Dragons. The designs and character repeat throughout the range so you can buy matching mini and large rucksacks, picture satchels which are classic yet unique, as well as larger sports bags and duffle bags. I really love the fact that this range is a little bit different, and a little quirky – not everyone likes Disney Characters or Spiderman! These unique lunch bags would be very easy for a small child or toddler to spot in an amongst other lunch boxes in the pile.

Pink Lining are a British-based company, who have been featured in Vogue and Tatler. Their PL Child children’s bags and lunch boxes are also stocked at Mamas and Papas. Pink Lining changing bags are stocked in John Lewis, as well as online at PinkLining.com in the USA.

With many thanks to Pink Lining/PL Child for sending me the Robbie the Robot lunch box for review. All opinions my own, links editorially given, the review is unpaid.  

Do school dinners or packed lunches rule in your house?

News & Simple and in Season July at My Custard Pie

Hello – I’m dipping my toe back into blogging after an almost month-long break, which has felt very strange. We welcomed a beautiful new baby boy into the world (the day after posting my last post!) Following a safe delivery and currently being blessed with glorious sunshine – we couldn’t be happier. I’m remembering (rapidly) how different life with a newborn is – though relishing every moment at the same time. I can’t promise the same level of regularity when it comes to blogging. I’m working to a time-frame of fifteen minute slots, within which to do everything, including getting the older children ready for school, washing, cooking, feeding baby, and everything else that goes on in a day!

Simple and in Season Badge

I’m currently pulling together a roundup of all the wonderful Simple and in Season entries for the month of June – plenty of fresh berries marking my favorite time of the year for British produce.

Simple and in Season July

Very kindly, Sally, over at My Custard Pie is hosting Simple and in Season July – to enter, simply leave your link within a comment on Sally’s post here. 

Find_Ren

Other news and where to find me!

  1. My Foodie World Cup recipes for Jamie Oliver.com proved to be very popular – though all my teams were knocked out in the group stages! (Russian Blini and Bosnian Burger shown above)
  2. Cuddling Baby – most of the time!
  3. I made Michelle’s Fruit Bowl Cake – perfect as a mid-afternoon snack, I’ll write about that shortly.
  4. Some more of my recipes have also been featured on the Good Food Channel including the simple Summer Berry Tart below
Summer Berry Tart
Summer Berry Tart for The Good Food Channel. Styling and Photography by Ren Behan

 

Summer Berry Tart for the Good Food Channel {Recipe Here}

I’ll be back very soon with a couple of new review posts and some new recipes.

In the meantime, the easiest way to keep in touch is via Twitter @RenBehan

Thank you for all your well wishes!!!

Simple and in Season May Round Up

Finally I’m back with a round up of all the lovely entries for Simple and in Season May/Spring. A new round is open now for June, with lots of inspiring entries coming in already. At 40 weeks pregnant, there’s now very little space between my bump and the laptop, so please forgive the efficient nature of this round up!

Entries 1-6
Entries 1-6

1. First past the post was Kellie from Food to Glow who sent across her delicious Deconstructed and Reconstructed Rhubarb and Fruit Crumble with the option of using spelt flour, wholemeal flour or a gluten-free mix along with oats.

2. Next, Sally from My Custard Pie in Dubai used bulbs of fennel and rocket from the last market of the season to make a Lentil, Fennel, Orange, Chicken and Rocket Salad. 

3. Ceri from her blog Natural Kitchen Adventures made a Wild Garlic and Amaranth Tabbouleh – move over quinoa!

4. Ros from the More Than Occasional Baker used seasonal British asparagus to make Smoked Salmon and Asparagus Quiche.

5. Choclette from The Chocolate Log Blog used nettles to make some delicious Nettle, Lemon and White Chocolate Cupcakes.

6. And the team at Pro Ware Kitchen (helped by Luna the dog) made a wonderful Thai Red Curry Soup using up pak choi from their veg box.

Entries 7-12
Entries 7-12

7.  Kellie from Food to Glow came back to us with a beautiful supper of Quick and Spicy Crab Parcels (with a vegan option) – using in-season crab.

8. Andrea from Shabby Chic paired two of my favourite things asparagus and halloumi cheese to create her dish of Grilled Asparagus with Halloumi and Myrtle Berry Oil.

9. Elizabeth over at Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary made a super-comforting dish (which I could eat right now!) of Hidden Cauliflower Cheese Pasta Sauce, served with tagliatelle using cauliflower from her veg box.

10. Charlene at Food Glorious Food used Granny Smith’s apples to make her Pork Chop Bake.

11. Vanesther over at family food blog Bangers & Mash made a Wild Garlic Pesto Tear and Share Bread – perfect for the World Cup this weekend!

12. Whilst the very clever Laura from How to Cook Good Food made a stunning recipe of Spaghetti with Fresh Herbs using pea shoots, homegrown leaves and a selection of pretty, fresh herbs.

Entries 13-18
Entries 13-18

 

13.  Camilla from Fab Food 4 All made a Slow Cooked Pulled Lamb with White Wine and Root Vegetables – gorgeous recipe.

14. Sudha at Spicy, Quirky and Serendipitous made Asparagus with Garlic and Soy Sauce.

15. Aniko at Multiculti Kitchen made a refreshing Peach, Rosemary Blossom and Rhubarb Iced Tea – perfect for our warmer weather.

16. Camilla over at Fab Food 4 All came back to us with her Quick One Punnet Strawberry Jam recipe.

17. Elizabeth at Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary also came back with another impressive recipe for a Rhubarb and Saffron Yogurt Cake.

18. And Alida at My Little Italian Kitchen showed us her step-by-step Colourful Fruit Tart or Crostata Di Frutta.

Simple and in Season 4
Entries 19-27

19. Katie at Feeding Boys and a Firefighter is part way through her Weight Watchers Step into Summer Challenge and sent across her Creamy Tagliatelle with Bacon, Asparagus and Tomato – using British asparagus.

20. Vohn over at Vohn’s Vittle’s made a bright and colourful Wild Garlic and Hazelnut Pesto.

21. Anneli at Delicieux made a pretty Layered Chicken and Avocado Salad with Lime and Coriander.

22. Nadine at Juggle Mum made and sent in her Vegetable Ribbon 3 Cheese Pasta, also known as her Pasta Fakeaway.

23. Nazima at Franglaise Kitchen firstly sent in her Jasmine Rice Pannacotta and Rhubarb  Cardomom Compote – well worth a visit.

24. Secondly, Nazima at Franglais Kitchen linked up her Spiced Apple and Rhubarb Hand Pies – for mini hands.

25. Mireille from Chef Mireille’s East West Realm in NYC made a Rajasthan Watermelon Curry – a great way to use up a big watermelon.

26. And Mayuri from Mayuri’s Jikoni joined in with her Garlic Chilli Mogo – using a vegetable I’ve never used before – fresh mogo.

27. To follow up, Mayuri from Mayuri’s Jikoni also send across her Eggless Upside Down Mango Cake – delicious!

Simple and in Season Badge

All of which bring’s May’s Simple and Season to a bountiful close. I’m looking forward to visiting June’s entries already – baby permitting!

LINK UP HERE WITH YOUR POSTS FOR SIMPLE AND IN SEASON JUNE 

A huge thank you to everyone for joining in!

 

Press Images for The After School Cookbook

I’m very much looking forward to the publication of The After School Cookbook by friend and author Nick Coffer this Thursday 5th June 2014. Firstly, because this is Nick’s second book, following on from the huge success of his first book My Daddy Cooks, which means I have a brand new stash of family-friendly, super easy recipes to try. Secondly, because I was asked by Nick’s publishers Hodder and Stoughton to take some press and publicity images for the book which are now finding themselves across the media. Yesterday began with a front page spread in EAT (Metro supplement) with a double page feature (pages 34 & 35) of a couple of recipes from the book, with some of my photos to illustrate – a very proud moment for me! It was a great project to work on and from the minute I received my copy of the book I was eager to get stuck into cooking some of the recipes and to start photographing them.

After School Cookbook Press Images by Ren Behan for Hodder & Stoughton
The After School Cook Book Press Images by Ren Behan for Hodder & Stoughton

 

The recipes from the book that I cooked and photographed (above) were –

  1. Italian Eggy Bread Croque-Monsieur
  2. Cheddar, Parma Ham and Courgette Scones
  3. Pork Chilli Con Carne (pages splashed already!)
  4. Tuna, Carrot and Courgette Salad (MY new favourite lunch, never mind the kids!)
  5. Salmon Courgette and Tomato Linguine
  6. Chicken and Olive Pasta Bake
  7. Cheese and Sweetcorn Pudding
  8. Absolutely Instant Chocolate Mousse

There are a stack more that I can’t wait to cook and so far, every single recipe I’ve made worked first time and has been woolfed down by my family.

After School CookBook

Nick first came to the public’s attention through his video blog called MyDaddyCooks.com in 2009, which led him to his first cookbook deal. Since then, he’s been busy on BBC Three Counties Radio, presenting his Saturday Weekend Kitchen show as well as his five-day-a-week afternoon slot. There’s also recently been a brand new addition to the family, another baby boy, which means that mealtimes really do need to be made as easy as possible to pull off for Nick and his wife, Jo.

The After School Cookbook is really a handy manual for parents, not only of school-aged kids, but of toddlers and older children, too. All of the recipes are suitable for the whole family and there are some very clever recipes and chapters including Mind the Gap – to bridge the gap between home time and dinner time, Inspired Lunch Boxes, Genius Treats and Saving Your Bacon – frugal recipes packed with flavour. Nick shares his tips for cooking with children, with symbols by each recipe to indicate whether the recipe is ‘Very Very Easy,’ –  ‘Very Easy,’ or ‘Easy’ and in terms of timing, ‘Really Really Quick,’ ‘Really Quick,’ ‘Quick’ or ‘Slow’.

The book itself is text only – meaning that it is practical enough for the kitchen with inevitable splashes and stains. Nick’s trademark ‘quick-to-throw-together’ style means that you can make many of the recipes with ease when you are short of time. Nick’s six-year-old son Archie and three-year-old daughter Matlida can very often be found getting stuck in with the cooking. As many of us know only too well, after school patience levels and concentration levels can be a challenge, so the food that makes it to the table needs to be quick and easy yet nutritious, too.

For more updates on the book, you can follow Nick on Twitter @NickCoffer and don’t forget to look out for more press features and recipes to try!

The After School Cookbook By Nick Coffer
120 quick, easy and affordable recipes for your hungry kids
Published: Thursday 5 June 2014
Hodder & Stoughton Trade Paperback & eBook £16.99

Disclosure:

Press & publicity recipe photographs taken by Ren Behan commissioned by Hodder & Stoughton.

Amazon affiliate link included. 

With thanks to Hodder and Stoughton for the commission and to Nick Coffer for writing such a lovely book!

Giveaway

Hodder and Stoughton have also kindly provided three copies of the book to giveaway to my readers –

ENTER THE AFTER SCHOOL COOKBOOK GIVEAWAY HERE

Simple and in Season June – Now Open

Thank you to everyone who entered the last round of Simple and in Season May – 30 fantastic, mouth-watering entries. It is taking me a little while to round up – just because at 39 weeks pregnant my tummy requires quite a lot of mini-rests! But hopefully I’ll be publishing the full round-up in a day or two.

Simple and in Season Badge

In the meantime, I’ve had lots of requests for June’s linky so here are the guidelines with the linky below –

Guidelines

  • All you have to do is come up with a dish using any seasonal produce you like (savoury or sweet) post it on your blog, add a link to this post mentioning Simple and in Season and linking to www.renbehan.com and then manually add the link to your post in the box below (via the Linky Tools form below)
  • This round will run up until Monday 30th June 2014. I will publish a round-up post including everyone who has entered.
  • You can take inspiration from anywhere – adapt a recipe from your favourite cookbook, try something from a magazine, make up your own creation or share a family favourite. The usual rules apply when using someone else’s recipe, please either get permission from the author to post it or adapt it in some way stating how/why you’ve changed it.
  • Include any seasonal produce you fancy including fruit, veg, herbs, meat or fish.
  • Link as many recipes as you like. You can link posts entered into other blog events or carnivals as long as it involves a seasonal food item (and fits in with their rules).
  • The linky-up is open to anyone, anywhere. I’m happy to post prizes abroad and although it will be nice to feature as much British produce as possible, it will be interesting to see what’s in season elsewhere.
  • By entering your link, you are giving me permission to add your photograph to the round-up. I will link back directly to your post when I include you.
  • If you have questions or problems, email me or leave me a comment in the comment box at the bottom of the post.
  • If you are on Twitter, tweet your link adding the hashtag #simpleandinseason or add me @RenBehan and I will re-tweet it.

ENTER YOUR URL/BLOG POST LINK HERE



Looking forward to seeing all of your seasonal entries.

Don’t forget to visit The Food Blog Diary too for details of other events you can link up to at the same time.

Kitchen Wizz Pro (Sage by Heston Blumenthal) – Review

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been road-testing and reviewing a food processor called the Sage by Heston Blumenthal Kitchen Wizz Pro. Space, as I have mentioned lots of times within my posts, is in short supply in my kitchen. Gadgets either have to be used daily; e.g. the toaster, the kettle etc. or be multi-functional in order to stay on show and take up room on my counter. The only food processing device (aside from blenders) I’ve previously used is a very small mini chopper, which comes apart and can be stored in a drawer, although the most I can generally do with that is to chop one onion at a time, make a small quantity of pesto or biscuit crumbs in batches for a cheesecake base. So, the Kitchen Wizz Pro was quite a big step up for me and there were lots of elements for me to try out. What I really wanted to know was whether the Kitchen Wizz Pro would be a useful, time-saving device – sufficient to justify both the £399 (RRP) price tag and the space it would take up on my counter.

Kitchen Wizz Pro
Kitchen Wizz Pro Food Processor with accompanying Accessory Storage Box

So, where do we start with food processors? Most consumers will have heard of, or know someone, who has a Magimix, Cuisinart or a Kenwood food processor and these sorts of brands have passed through enough kitchens for you to be able to make an informed choice and/or read enough reviews and recommendations when it comes to choosing which one to buy. The Sage by Heston Blumenthal range is comparatively new when it comes to choosing or identifying a kitchen or home appliance (though Sage are part of the BRG Appliances – Breville group) and there are also increasing numbers of celebrity chefs endorsing kitchen products. On the one hand, it makes sense – chefs spend the majority of their time in the kitchen and so should be well-placed to recommend products that they believe home cooks may benefit from investing in. On the other hand, does a celebrity endorsement guarantee a quality product?

In the case of the Kitchen Wizz Pro, there are lots of features that have been incredibly well thought-out. It is described as offering “super fine, variable slicing,” but, as I’ve discovered for myself, its functionality goes way beyond that to include dough kneading, whisking, emulsifying, milkshake/smoothie making and pureeing.

Kitchen Wizz Pro

What do you get for your £400?

The Kitchen Wizz Pro comes with both a large capacity bowl (2.5 litres – 15 cups dry ingredients, 10 cups for liquid ingredients) and a smaller capacity bowl (the mini processing bowl neatly stored within the larger bowl), a timer mode, illuminated push button control (on/off/pulse), overload protection (a warning should the motor become overheated) and a 2000 watt heavy duty “direct drive” induction motor. A very specific unique feature is the wide feed chute (14cm)  at the top of the food processor – again – with both a large and small feed chute, to allow you to process a wide range of ingredients. The machine also has rubber feet to stop it from wriggling around when in use.

Kitchen WIzz Pro
Larger and Smaller (mini) food processing bowls

The Kitchen Wizz Pro also comes with an “Accessory Storage Box” which I’ve re-named my “blade box” to neatly and safely house five multi-function discs –

  • An adjustable slicing disc – a variable slicing disc which cleverly moves up and down so that you can manually adjust the thickness setting from 0.5mm to 8.0mm slices
  • A julienne disc – long thin strips
  • A chip cutting disc – for homemade, long, chunky chips
  • A reversible shredding disc – fine and coarse shredding
  • A whisking disc – for egg whites, cream and light batters

There are also three separate processing blades –

  • A four blade processor – my favourite – four blades for maximum speed and power
  • A mini blade – for the mini processing bowl
  • A dough blade – for kneading/combining ingredients into a smooth dough or batter

Extras include a cleaning brush and a plastic spatula.

You can put all of the accessories in the dishwasher. Sage recommend not doing so too often with the main bowls. So far, I’ve found all the elements easy to clean.

Kitchen Wizz Pro 4 blade slicer
Kitchen Wizz Pro 4 blade processor

Safety

I really like the fact that the accessories can be stored neatly away in the accessory box, perhaps in a cupboard or a drawer, and that the four blade processor (above) has an additional protective case within the box.

Another big tick in the box is the fact that the machine won’t operate until the bowl and lid are correctly in place (you’ll hear a click) – this is called the Feed Chute Safety System.

Kitchen Wizz Pro
Feed Chute Safety System

You’ll also get a warning should the motor start to overheat – called the Overload Protection System.

The blades are incredibly sharp – I’d recommend watching the full video guide (shown at the bottom of the post) before using the machine and reading the accompanying guide thoroughly. Also, watch your fingers when you change the discs/blades, take them out of the processing bowl, or wash them.

Guarantee

The Kitchen Wizz Pro comes with a 2 year repair or replacement warranty, plus a very generous 25 year motor warranty – with product registration.

 Kitchen Wizz Pro

What have I made in my Kitchen Wizz Pro?

I used the adjustable slicing disc to shred my white cabbage, followed by the reversible shredding disc to shred carrots (coarsely and thinly) for a quick coleslaw, as well as wizzing up some onions for my mince.

Kitchen Wizz Pro Shredded Cabbage

You can also make breadcrumbs or cheesecake biscuit crumbs, or whizz up onions, raw vegetables, fruit and cooked meats (e.g. leftover roasts). The smaller bowl is ideal for basil pesto, chillies, and for finely chopping nuts.

Another positive for me, with a third baby coming along soon, is the ability to be able to make purees and creamed vegetable soups by adding stock, cream or liquid in through the chute. The plastic components are made of BPA free material and are free of Bisphenol A, but I’d always leave any hot liquids to cool slightly before adding them in.

Cake-making gets a hand too, as you can use the Kitchen Wizz Pro to make all-in-one cake batters. You can also use the whisking disk (also called the emulsifying disc) to make milkshakes, smoothies and whisk egg whites. I’ve also used the emulsifying disc to make a quick homemade mayonnaise – you could use it for lots of sauces.

If you are a keen bread-maker or dough-maker, you can use the dough blade to knead dough – doughnuts here we come!

Kitchen Wizz Pro

I also used the adjustable slicer to make thinly slices potatoes (as well as mincing my own meat and onions) in this Potato and Lamb Moussaka recipe.

As mentioned my favourite accessory is the 4 blade processor. I’ve been able to buy better quality cuts of meat to make my own mince for burgers, sauces and meals, such as lasagne and moussaka. I know exactly what I’m feeding my family and there is less gristle. I’d rather buy and eat less meat, but of a better quality and the speed at which the four blades cut through chunks of meat is very impressive.

Kitchen Wizz Pro

Additional notes

The body measures 45x29x23 and it weighs in at almost 9kg so if possible, I’d recommend that you need enough space to keep the main body of the food processor out on your counter top, rather than storing it away between uses to get maximum use out of it.

The Kitchen Wizz Pro was also awarded the ‘Best Buy’ mark in the Food Processor category in 2013. Which? says:

“This food processor is a strong all-rounder, superbly chopping and blending at a rapid pace and earning itself Best Buy status.”

It scored 77%, putting it on a par with the Bosch MCM4100GB food processor with liquidiser. The only food processors to score more highly were the Kenwood’s CH250 mini chopper and the Magimix Le Micro mini choppers (12245, 18104, and 18103). The Kitchen Wizz Pro beat the Kenwood CH180A mini chopper, the Magimix Cuisine Systeme 4200 food processor, the Morphy Richards Accents 48911 and the Kenwood’s Multipro FP734. Granted, there are discrepancies in price amongst all of the products tested – but clearly, the Kitchen Pro Wizz has earned it place in the Best Buy charts through Which? testing.

My Overall thoughts

Once you get into the habit of using a food processor regularly, it quickly becomes second nature and there are plenty of multiple uses for the Kitchen Wizz Pro to justify the cost of the machine and the space it takes on the counter. The Kitchen Wizz Pro looks smart and professional and I like the fact that there are two bowls within the one unit – the larger bowl as well as the mini processing bowl. I really like the ‘Accessories Storage Box’ as it’s neat and can easily be stored in a cupboard or drawer, along with the instruction manual, so you don’t have to keep looking for bits or finding a place to store them all. It clips together securely so you can store it upright or horizontally. Some food processors have an additional jug blender, but I don’t really see the need to have an extra item to store, when the large bowl can quickly and efficiently process soups, milkshakes and smoothies. I have quickly got used to the different blades within the box and their uses and the machine as a whole, cleans up easily and well. The buttons, which light up, are easy to use and it really does take seconds to chop and slice once the correct blade is in place and you’ve locked the bowl and lid into place.

Look out for good deals – at the time of writing – Lakeland have an offer on – when you buy the Kitchen Wizz Pro you also get the Sage Multi Cooker for free – worth £89.99 – as well as free delivery.

You can also buy the Kitchen Wizz Pro on Amazon.co.uk for £360.00

For another perspective, read Gary’s review over on Big Spud here.

Here’s a You Tube video showing you how the Kitchen Wizz Pro works –

You can also follow @SageAppliances on Twitter and Like their page on Facebook/SageAppliances

Disclosure: I was sent the Sage by Heston Blumenthal Kitchen Wizz Pro for the purposes of a review. I was not required to write a positive review, nor paid any money to do so and all opinions are my own. Amazon affiliate links included. Other links editorially given. 

Have you tried any of the appliances in the Sage by Heston Blumenthal range? Do you use a food processor in your domestic kitchen? Leave a comment to let me know!

Review: A Change of Appetite by Diana Henry

I can hardly believe it’s been two years since the publication of Salt Sugar Smoke, a Diana Henry book that taught me so much about the art of preserving and which fast became one of the most-thumbed books on my shelf. Fast-forward to 2014 and Diana’s latest book, A Change of Appetite, shares her journey towards a healthier lifestyle where food remains delicious and enjoyable. This book was inspired by Diana’s experiences with friends turning to her for healthy recipes, and her Doctor’s advice to improve her own health. Throughout the book, the emphasis is firmly focussed on eating “really well and happily,” with more fish, vegetables and alternative grains, and fewer refined carbs, meats and ‘heavy’ foods. Diana doesn’t declare anything off-limits, and offers readers recipes which aim to improve our diets without sacrifice or need to turn ourselves into health food fanatics.

I’m much more into living life to the full than I am into thinking of my body as a temple – Diana Henry

A Change of Appetite
Photos by Laura Edwards provided by Mitchell Beazley

 

Of A Change of Appetite, Yotam Ottolenghi says “[Diana] knows her colours, she knows her flavours and she knows how to marry them perfectly.” I find this summarises Diana’s recipes well – always filled with exciting, unusual and often intriguing ingredients, yet somehow effortlessly and perfectly brought together. Fresh ingredients are at the forefront, combined with delicate herbs, edible flowers and exotic spices to create her trademark ‘otherworldly’ cookery style. There are also plenty of eye-catching food photographs by Laura Edwards to gaze at, too.

Within Diana’s recipes there are always layers of flavours and interesting textures. You’ll find salad dressings inspired by the Asian ‘hot, sour, salty, sweet’ mantra, for example combining together lime juice, fish sauce, a sprinkle of sugar and groundnut oil. On other dishes, Diana adds an extra bite though the clever use of toppings like sesame seeds, a sprinkling of poppy seeds, and a basil gremolata with almonds and lemon. A walnut sauce based on a Georgian recipe for satsivi livens up her roast chicken, over which are scattered marigold flowers.

A Change of Appetite will help adjust any tendency to over-sugar, with a delicious recipe for raspberries with basil and buttermilk sherbet delivering a “mouth-puckeringly refreshing” hit, and Diana’s Greek yogurt and apricot ice cream, using apple juice and runny honey, quickly combining into a peachy-coloured Spring dessert.

There is an emphasis on seasonality, with recipes and chapters arranged into the four seasons, with accompanying menu ideas to help you frame the perfect dinner party. For example, in Spring, Diana suggests serving a menu of shaved vegetables with lemon and olive oil, salmon with baby leeks, and blueberry and gin jellies. Whilst in Winter, you would do well to serve hot bagna cauda, Georgian chicken with walnut sauce, followed by orange and pomegranate cake – recipe here.

Diana is an elegant writer, drawing her reader in and capturing their imagination with recipes inspired from a very wide selection of cuisines from around the world. I have found many new favourite recipes within A Change of Appetite, but at the top of the list are Diana’s salad of goat’s curd, blueberries and watercress, her beetroot and poppy seed loaf cake, and a very simple recipe for spiced pork chops with ginger and mango relish. For lunch today, I thoroughly enjoyed Diana’s nectarine, tomato and basil with torn mozzarella.

Goat's_Curd_Salad
Goat’s curd, blueberries and watercress. Photo by Laura Edwards provided by Mitchell Beazley

A Change of Appetite is a recipe book that you can both learn from and cook from.  I especially liked Diana’s ‘final thoughts’, in which she shares useful mantras and notes, and her well-considered ‘essential reading’, ‘wider reading’ bibliography and supplier lists.

Having now read the book from cover to cover, I feel assured that, once again, Diana has proven that she remains able to predict the needs of her audience.  In A Change of Appetite, she recognises that her readers are developing an interest to move towards foods that support a healthy lifestyle and a healthy attitude, without going overboard or giving up everything you love to eat. That you can make some very basic changes to your diet in order to feel healthier, and that a little treat every now and again isn’t off limits. Best of all, Diana’s attitude isn’t patronising or prescriptive, she simply states:

“I have undergone a change of appetite. I’m eating better, I feel better, I have more energy. My way forward has been to reduce refined carbs and significantly increase the range of veg I eat. You might use the knowledge in this book and settle on a slightly different path. Even if you’re not bothered about health you’ll eat deliciously…It’s food that makes you feel revitalized and energetic. Deprivation is not on the menu.”

A Change of Appetite
Nectarine, Tomato and Basil Salad with torn mozzarella, Orange and Pomegranate cake (with redcurrants in place of pomegranate seeds)

A Change of Appetite – where healthy meets delicious – is published by Mitchell Beazley, RRP £25.00 – available on Amazon for £16.75 at time of writing.

With many thanks to Diana for the signed copy and to the publisher for two additional copies to give away – you can enter our competition here.

Diana Henry is one of Britain’s very best food writers, twice-named ‘Cookery Journalist of the Year’ by the Guild of Food Writers, The Sunday Telegraph’s Food Writer  and the author of eight acclaimed books, including ‘Crazy Water, Pickled Lemons’ and ‘Food from Plenty’. You can follow her on Twitter @DianaHenryFood and visit her website here.

Related articles –

Words of Wisdom – Meeting Diana Henry

Tea with Diana Henry to celebrate Salt Sugar Smoke 

Food Revolution Day 2014 – Join In With Your Kids!

Cooking with Kids

Cooking with kids is something I feel really passionately about and raising awareness of good food is something I’m always happy to do and get behind. This year, Food Revolution Day  – a global day of action – falls on Friday 16th May 2014. It’s a day entirely dedicated to raising food awareness and education on cooking supported by the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation. Beyond the day itself, the charity aims to deliver food education programmes though teaching kitchen skills, as well as educating kids on where their food comes from and inspiring kids and adults alike to enjoy cooking from scratch. It’s the ethos that pretty much fuels Jamie Oliver in most of what he does. The money raised by the foundation (and on Food Revolution Day itself) is also used toward helping disengaged teenagers to train to work in the food industry through the Fifteen Apprentice Programme, which I mentioned last week after a charity supper at Fifteen. You can support the cause here, whilst entering to win a cooking lesson with Jamie Oliver and a stay in London with dinner and spending money thrown in, too. Or, you can visit the official Food Revolution Day website for lots more ideas on how to join in and get involved on the day and beyond.

Food Revolution Day 2014
Food Revolution Day official web resource

There’s generally a theme to Food Revolution Day and this year, the big emphasis is on getting kids excited about food by encouraging them to help out with food preparation and by helping them to learn how to make good food choices as early on as possible. We’re all very quick to blame the food industry and schools (although our school meals are amazing and are cooked from scratch every day even at state level) but we also have to acknowledge that teaching kids the very basics can begin at home. We live in a world now where even a baby’s first spoonful of food may come from a jar or a packet. There are so many food choices to navigate and so much of our food is now processed and stripped of it’s true nutritional value. Some of our food is so far removed from it’s natural state that at times, we can barely even recognise the basic ingredients. This makes me sad and it’s something I’d love to see changed and improved upon. I’m excited to see that food is coming back to the revised National Curriculum in 2014 at primary level and secondary level and I really hope it stays there and makes a big come back throughout school life through Home Economics/Design & Technology lessons. But I also really believe that despite the fact that our lives are so incredibly busy, there are lots of things that we can do ourselves and at home to help us all become more aware of cooking with real ingredients and making sensible choices.

Baking Ingredients

To mark Food Revolution Day this year, I was asked to share some of my childhood cooking memories over on the JamieOliver.com site, which I did, along with an exclusive recipe for a tasty fresh plum cake, served with plenty of yogurt and fruit. A plum cake was the first recipe that I learned how to bake with my mum and it’s a recipe that my kids love to help me with in the kitchen now, too. There are plenty of ways for little hands to help and get involved along the way. My seven and four year old children were practically able to do much of the preparation for this cake between them, needing my help only with the electric whisk and with putting the cake into the oven and with taking it out once cooked.

Food Revolution Day Collage

There are some more child-friendly recipes and activity sheets to explore over on the Food Revolution Day website and it’s not too late to sign up and get involved. Simply fill in the form to say how many of you are going to be marking Food Revolution Day – whether by joining in with a live cooking lesson with Jamie, trying a new recipe or ingredient out for yourselves or perhaps even planting some potatoes or other vegetables in the garden with the kids. You can also share your ideas, activities or results via social media using the hashtag #FRD2014.

Polish Plum Cake

{Find my recipe for the plum cake here!}

Every year, awareness of how making better food choices and of cooking real food from scratch grows and grows with the help of Jamie’s Food Revolution Day campaign with over 74 countries taking part globally. I hope you can set aside a little time to join in this year in creating some little waves which may spark more action in the months and years to come.

Polish Plum Cake

Keep an eye out for my tweets @RenBehan to see what we’re getting up to on Food Revolution Day – we’ll be taking part in the live cookery lesson at 2pm at home (making a nutritious rainbow salad wrap) and planting some veggies shortly after that, too. I’m looking forward to sharing our mini kitchen garden progress with you as things start to grow over the summer. There are also many other food bloggers helping to spread the work about the day and campaign itself – take a look at some more posts here –

Mabintu at Recipes from a Pantry on Yogurt Dip

Louisa’s post over on Eat Your Veg, including a recipe for Easy Cheesy Muffins

Polish Plum Cake

The Jamie Oliver Food Foundation is a registered charity in England and Wales, no. 1094536. All links editorially given and I have chosen to make a donation to the campaign as well as to raise awareness of Food Revolution Day through this post.  

Other recipes to try with kids –

Pear and Plum Banana Bread

Turkey and Leek Meatballs with Tomato Tagliatelle

Swiss Scrambled Eggs with Croissants and Shakes

Are you joining in with Food Revolution Day this year? If so, let me know what you are doing and have fun!

Giveaway: A Change of Appetite by Diana Henry

Last week I shared a guest recipe for Diana Henry’s orange and pomegranate cake, which I was pleased to see was a really big hit with lots of you over the weekend. As mentioned, I’ve really been enjoying cooking from Diana’s latest book A Change of Appetite, which is packed full of lighter, vegetable, fish and grain-based dishes, with influences from Cambodia, North Africa, Peru, India and the Middle East.

If this book sounds like something you’d enjoy, I also have two additional copies of the book to giveaway. So, here’s your chance to enter and win a copy of your own.

A Change of Appetitie

Here’s how to enter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Change of Appetite by Diana Henry is published by Mitchell Beazley/Octopus Publishing Group RRP £25. I have two additional copies in hand and will be responsible for posting them out to the winners. Cover image courtesy of the publisher.

You may also enjoy reading my interview with Diana Henry here.

Cinco de Mayo Breakfast Burittos with a kick!

It’s rare that I post about breakfast, but this is a spur-of-the-moment post inspired by today’s breakfast. We fancied Mexican scrambled eggs – something with a little kick to get this Bank Holiday weekend rocking. Breakfast burittos are actually a great way of using up bits that are leftover in the fridge – my burritos happen to be vegetarian, with spring onions, a red chilli and a little cheese and hot sauce. You could also add fresh tomatoes, some chopped up meat, chorizo or other crumbled sausage to your scramble.  Avocado on the side would work well, too. If you’re in Mexico or the United States, you might be gearing up to celebrate Cinco de Mayo (on 5th May) or you may have your piñatas at the ready already! In Mexico, it’s a national holiday, known as “Battle of Puebla Day” or “Battle of Cinco de Mayo” and celebrations usually include lots of Mexican snacks, such as guacamole, Mexican salads and dips, tacos or burritos, and possibly even a Margarita cocktail, or two.

Mexican Burritos

Mexican Burritos

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Cinco de Mayo Breakfast Burittos

Prep

Cook

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Scrambled eggs with a kick rolled in two soft flour tortillas - perfect for a Mexican-inspired breakfast or brunch

Ingredients

  • A splash of oil
  • 2 spring onions/scallions, sliced
  • 1 red chilli, finely sliced
  • 4 eggs, beaten
  • 1/2 cup Cheddar or Mexican cheese
  • 1 teaspoon hot chilli sauce (optional) e.g Tabasco
  • 2 soft flour tortillas

Instructions

  1. Add a splash of oil to a pan and gently fry one of the spring onions/scallions along with the red chilli. Add in the eggs and gently scramble - cook on a low heat whilst stirring.
  2. In the meantime, heat the two soft flour tortillas (20 seconds in the microwave works fine)
  3. Fill the soft tortillas with the scrambled eggs, top with the second spring onion/scallion, a little grated cheese and a dash of chilli sauce, or Tabasco. Roll up and eat right away!

Notes

You can add chopped tomatoes, red onions, ham, crumbled sausage or chorizo and serve with a salsa or chopped avocado.

Courses Breakfast

Cuisine Mexican

The very best part of any celebration is to finish off with something sweet, so check out these beautiful “buñuelos” or Mexican fritters by Muy Bueno – a lovely blog filled with Latin American recipes. Also, if you in the mood for a party and are looking for extra inspiration, have a look at this amazing Cinco de Mayo, Baby homage to all things Mexico by Tasty Kitchen contributor Erika.

Mexican Burritos

Happy Cinco de Mayo (or rainy British Bank Holiday) weekend!

Jamie, Tom and Jon & the Westcombe Truffle Cheddar Experiment

Spring has sprung and what better way to celebrate than to be invited to Jamie Oliver’s restaurant Fifteen in London to sample a seasonal menu based around a very intriguing artisan cheddar experiment. It’s not every day that such an invitation comes along; particularly as the ‘experiment’ in question involved 1 kilogram of Italian white truffles, valued at around £3-£4,000 per kilo. The truffles had been given, some eighteen months earlier, to Jamie Oliver who passed them onto his friend Tom Calver at Westcombe Dairy in Somerset, whom Jamie describes as being one of “the best known cheese makers on this planet!” Tom’s challenge was to use the white truffles to make Westcombe Truffle Cheddar, based upon the hand-crafted cheese-making methods used by the Calver family over on Westcombe Farm. Jamie hailed the truffle-cheddar marriage as “a fantastically bonkers experiment” and extended the challenge to Fifteen’s executive chef Jon Rotheram and his team, to create a glorious Westcombe Truffle Cheddar tasting menu.

Jamie Oliver at Fifteen

The menu itself showcased both the very best of British seasonal and artisanal produce, alongside the brand new truffle cheese, whilst raising money for the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation which also supports young trainees through the Fifteen Apprentice Programme. We were also served an impressive selection of British, Italian, French and Spanish wines. The tables were set, the lights were dimmed, Jamie introduced the evening and welcomed his guests and Tom told us about the cheese. Out came the courses (officially seven) on the tasting menu, although we were also treated to some additional truffle cheese tastings and some sweet chocolate truffles at the end of the meal. The only downside for me? At eight month’s pregnant I couldn’t sample any of the wines – though I did relish every mouthful of the accompanying truffle tasting menu!

To start, we tucked into cured meats from Cobble Lane, matched with a British wine; Nyetimber Classic Cuvee, 2009, made in West Sussex. The cured meats were also British made, in London, by Matt, Mat and Adam and they’d easily rival anything made elsewhere in the world. Next, my favourite course of the evening, featuring Wye Valley asparagus with a light and tasty mushroom mayonnaise and Westcombe Truffle Cheddar. This course was served with an Italian wine; Filipi Soave ‘Castelcerine’ (2012) from Veneto. The truffle cheddar, asparagus and a Venetian Soave made an exquisite trio. I adore Venetian wine having sampled much of it on a trip there last year, so I happily tapped into those memories whilst sipping my water.

Wye Valley Asparagus
Wye Valley Asparagus and mushroom mayonnaise with Westcombe Truffle Cheddar – photo credit Fifteen’s Jacques Dejardin.

Midway through the evening, we were served a slow cooked Roscoff onion, with almonds, nettles and smoked Westcombe Truffle Cheddar, whilst Jamie, Tom and Jon did the rounds and chatted to their guests. A little French wine was served with this; a Maison Deux-Montille Pouilly-Fuisse ‘En Vergission’ (2008) from Burgundy. This was also my first taste of British nettles this season – both whole and in a pureed form. Get out and grab them while you can! My grandmother always told me that she survived the war by making nettle soup, with just a handful of nettles and one potato.

More British seasonality, this time in the form of wild garlic, with sweet and sour Westcombe Truffle Cheddar, served with with ‘gnudi’ – a delicate type of gnocchi made with ricotta and flour. This course was accompanied by an Italian wine; Castello di Cigognola Barbera ‘1212’ (2011) from the Lombardy region that I’ve yet to visit.

Another highlight arrived next – grilled veal, with a Welsh truffle rarebit toast. Head Chef Jon had said earlier on that he would have happily eaten the Westcombe truffle cheddar as a Welsh rarebit alongside a good British beer – but that he thought Jamie’s guests would be expecting something a little more elaborate. The rarebit was indeed, very good. Interestingly, the veal was served with a red wine; an Aster Crianza Robera del Duero (2008) from Spain. Lots of guests asked for re-fills of this wine, so I take it from their requests that it was particularly smooth and drinkable. My partner-in-crime, Katie from Feeding Boys certainly told me so!

Just as we were getting full, along came an explosion of freshness, colour and flavour from a blood orange sorbet with a mint granita – definitely now on my ‘must make at home list’- I’d probably try something along the lines of this Lemon, lime and peppermint sorbet, substituting the lemon and lime for fresh blood orange juice.

Westcombe Truffle Cheddar

Towards the end of the evening, now extremely well fed, we sampled some more of the Westcombe truffle cheddar, this time served with thin and crispy oatmeal biscuit and Isle of Bulk Honeycomb. Again, this took me back to eating and drinking in a small cantina in a small village in the north of Italy where cheese, cured meats and honey along with a good bottle of red wine were pretty much all that the locals needed in life. At Fifteen, this course was served with an Italian dessert wine; Pieropan Recioto di Soave ‘Le Colombare’ (2009), also from Veneto.

All in all, this was a truly enjoyable evening; the white truffles had a very intriguing effect on the cheese, breaking it down and giving it a really lovely texture. The flavour wasn’t too overwhelming and was matched perfectly with a menu bursting with seasonality; in keeping with the daily-changing and creative menu at Fifteen.

Fifteen Truffle Tasting Menu

For more of a glimpse of the evening in photo form (I must learn how to use my camera in low-light settings!) pop over to read Matthew’s account over on The List.

Although the Westcombe Truffle Cheddar is unlikely to be available to buy, original Westcombe Unpasturised Mature Cheddar is stocked by Waitrose and by Neal’s Yard, as well as being available in the Westcombe Dairy Farm Shop. 

With thanks to the editorial team at JamieOliver.com for the kind invitation to this event.  

Easy Easter Recipes – Good Food Channel

Just before I sign out for Easter and wish you all a very happy weekend, I have a few additional easy Easter recipes to share that I was invited to create for the Good Food Channel. I hope they inspire you to have a go at making or baking something yourself at home. Yes, the shops are full to the brim with commercially produced Easter eggs, cakes and hot cross buns, but there’s something truly special about having a go at something yourself at home – especially if it means challenging yourself to try something new or getting the children involved in the kitchen. Just make sure you have some aprons at the ready and your ingredients to hand, then roll up your sleeves and get stuck in. I really hope that some of these recipes feature on your Easter table – don’t forget let me know if they do!

Hot Cross Buns

Chocolate Hot Cross Buns {Recipe Here} for the Good Food Channel

Hot Cross Buns are easier to make at home than you may think – the buns above were only my second ever attempt – the first batch were fine, but the liquid I used was slightly too hot and I managed to kill the yeast – so you might want to avoid doing that!  My version includes chocolate chips (add them towards the end of kneading) with a toffee glaze.

Creme Egg Cupcakes

Creme Egg Cupcakes {Recipe Here} for the Good Food Channel 

When baking with Creme Eggs, a good tip is to pop them in the freezer for a little but first, so that once they go into the cake batter and into the oven, they don’t melt immediately! Don’t forget to buy some of the mini Creme Eggs to decorate your cupcakes with.

DIY Chocolate Eggs

Caramel and White Chocolate Easter Egg [Recipe Here} for the Good Food Channel

I purchased an inexpensive DIY Easter Egg kit at Lakeland and we had a go at making some of our own Caramel and White Chocolate Easter Eggs – the kids were really thrilled and we found making them a relaxing way to spend a not-so-sunny spring afternoon.

Mini Egg Cake

Mini Egg Cake {Recipe Here} for the Good Food Channel 

Finally, probably my favourite recipe, a chocolate cake covered in chocolate butter cream and completely encrusted in Mini Eggs – you’ll need about eight large packets but it makes for a great Easter centre-piece!

More Easter Recipes!

Chocolate Rolo Cake for the Good Food Channel

Creme Egg Cheesecake for the Good Food Channel

Re-cap on last year’s Chocolate Orange Easter Tiramisu Party

Finally…I’m off to colour my eggs for our Easter basket and then…put my feet up!

I look forward to seeing your Easter tweets @RenBehan or you can post a photo on my new Facebook page Ren Behan Food.

Have a great Easter weekend.

Click here for all of the Easy Easter recipes!

Easy Easter Recipes

Ren Behan is a freelance contributor to the Good Food Channel. All recipes, styling and photographs in this post author’s own. 

Chocolate Rolo Cake

If you’re looking for an indulgent chocolate cake – rich, extravagant, impressive yet easy – you’ve found it. I was asked to create a chocolate Rolo Cake for the Good Food Channel and this is it. I’ve made it a few times since it’s original incarnation and it has definitely become something of a request cake! The cake feeds a large crowd, so it’s perfect for a fundraiser, or a coffee morning or perhaps a birthday celebration or a family gathering. Two layers of chocolate cake filled with caramel sauce, covered in a chocolate fudge frosting and topped with a cascade of Rolo caramels and even more caramel sauce. It’s certainly not for anyone observing a Lenten fast or diet! But I can promise you, it is good!

Easy Rolo Cake

Here’s the recipe

This recipe first appeared here on the Good Food Channel.

Easy-Rolo-Cake

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Chocolate Rolo Cake

Prep

Cook

Total

Yield 12

An indulgent chocolate cake - perfect for a special occasion! This recipe first appeared on the Good Food Channel's website.

Ingredients

  • For the chocolate sponge:
  • A little butter, for greasing
  • 225g/ one cup soft brown sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 250ml/ one cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 175g/ 1 & 3/4 cups self-raising flour
  • 75g/ 3/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 3 tbsp buttermilk
  • A can of dulce de leche or Carnation caramel
  • For the fudge icing:
  • 100g/ 2/3 cup good quality dark chocolate
  • 150g/ 2/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 450g/ 2 & 1/4 cup icing sugar
  • 3 tbsp whole milk
  • 2 x 126g packet of rolos, to decorate

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease two 18cm sandwich tins and line the bases with greaseproof paper.
  2. Using an electric whisk or a stand mixer, beat the soft brown sugar and eggs and together for about four minutes until pale and creamy. Slowly add the vegetable oil and the vanilla bean paste and mix again.
  3. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and stir together well with a metal spoon. Add a pinch of salt and stir in the buttermilk, mix well.
  4. Divide the mixture equally into the prepared baking tins and bake for 30 minutes.
  5. Once cooked, take the sponges out of the oven. Leave to cool in the tins and then turn the sponges out onto a wire rack.
  6. For the fudge icing: Over a pan of gently simmering water in a heatproof bowl, melt the chocolate and set to one side.
  7. Whisk the butter until light and fluffy and gradually add the icing sugar. Add the melted chocolate and keep mixing until the mixture is smooth. Add the milk to loosen the icing slightly, if needed.
  8. Once the cakes have cooled, spread ¾ of the can of caramel sauce over the bottom layer of the cake, reserving the rest for the topping. Place the second cake on top and spread half of the fudge icing all over the cake. Smooth with a palette knife and then continue icing the cake until covered all over.
  9. Gently heat the remaining caramel sauce to make it easier to pour. Leave to cool slightly. Pile the Rolo’s onto the middle of the cake and drizzle over the caramel sauce with a spoon.

Easy Rolo Cake

Ren Behan is a freelance contributor to the Good Food Channel – Styling, photos and recipe author’s own. 

Let me know in the comments box below if you are brave enough to give this wonderful chocolate Rolo cake a go!

Homemade Citrus Infused Vodka for JamieOliver.com

It’s all going on! As Easter approaches, I’m happily marking the one-year milestone of writing a weekly blog for JamieOliver.com. My very first post was published just before Easter last year and focused on the Italian dish of lasagne as an alternative to a traditional Easter Sunday lunch, with a second Easter post focusing on the perfect roast. Since then, I’ve been able to settle into my ‘home-from-home’ writing about a whole host of foodie topics, which have included ideas for cooking with kids, as well as themed round-ups and highlights of some of my favourite hand-picked recipes from Jamie’s site. I’m marking my second year by taking a slightly new direction – my blog posts will now often feature some of my own exclusive recipes and photos. There are always plenty of exciting things going on at Jamie HQ. Most recently, the team marked the launch of a brand new site dedicated to all things drinkable Drinks Tube and so in my latest post, I’ve joined the party by contributing an exclusive recipe for a homemade citrus infused vodka – based on my Polish favourite Cytrynówka. I hope you’ll be able to pop over and read some of the posts over in the News and Blogs section of the JamieOliver.com site in the weeks (and hopefully) months to come!

Citrus-Infused Vodka - Cytrynówka for JamieOliver.Com
Citrus-Infused Vodka – Cytrynówka for JamieOliver.Com

I’d love to say a big thank you to Jim Tanfield for giving me the opportunity to be a part of the team and for guiding me editorially throughout the year. A second shout-out goes to Merlin Jobst, as well as to my fellow bloggers, who are all brilliantly placed to share some of the coolest content on the web.

Get the recipe here –

You can find my recipe for Homemade Citrus Infused Vodka and follow the rest of my posts here on JamieOliver.com

Ren Behan is a freelance contributor to JamieOliver.Com

Citrus-Infused Vodka

Other infusions/cocktails you may enjoy –

Pomegranate and Vanilla Vodka

Rumtopf or Rum Pot

Ren’s Gin and Rhubarb Fizz

What’s your favourite cocktail or sunshine tipple?

 

Simple and in Season March Round Up

Spring brings the promise of so much inspiring, new seasonal produce. Lots of my blogging friends have already been writing about popping down to their allotments to begin sowing or harvesting! There’s been plenty of rhubarb around (outdoor rhubarb is about to come into season) although there has been some forced British rhubarb finding it’s way into recipes and blog posts, too. In April, we can look forward to wild garlic, along with watercress and spinach. Soon we’ll be seeing Jersey Royals and my all-time favourite seasonal veg – British asparagus.

Thank you for all your March entries to Simple and in Season. Michelle (the Queen of frugal food blogging) over at Utterly Scrummy Food For Families is hosting the link up in April; please be sure to mention us both. The same guidelines apply, blog about any seasonal recipe or produce wherever you are in the world!

This month we had submissions from the UK, Australia, Italy, Germany and Dubai and so the round-up has been an absolute joy! Scroll to the bottom to find out who our winner is…

Simple and in Season

1. First of all, the lovely Vanesther at Bangers and Mash sent across her recipe for Baked Sea Bass with Ginger, Garlic, Chilli and Miso rice, using in-season fish and some very tasty ingredients. I also really loved the tip of using a cup of Miso soup in place of plain water when cooking rice.

2.  Helen at Fuss Free Flavours has been road-testing a brand new sous-vide machine, and so made a bright and seasonal Rhubarb Compote. 

3. Camilla at Fab Food 4 All made a Simple Shredless Orange Marmalade – perfect for marmalade making season!

4. Caroline at Caroline Makes joined in with a Cheesy Cod Gratin – incorporating lovely fresh leeks.

5. Next, from Dancing Veggies came a Root Vegetable Lasagna, using up plenty of fresh herbs, carrots, mushrooms and kale with sliced potatoes in place of pasta sheets.

6.  Bintu who blogs at Recipes from a Pantry joined us this month, with her recipe for Wild Garlic and Sesame Noodle Salad – divine!

Simple and in Season March

7. Denise at beautifully-named blog Magnolia Verandah (all the way over in Australia) sent across her Labour Day Monday Mousakka – making the most of a public holiday to cook with aubergine, onions, mushrooms and lamb.

8. How good is your Italian? Practice now by reading this lovely post by Rosella who made Asparagi e Soba – or Asparagus with Soba Noodles – grazie!

9. A spring treat now from fusion blogger Nazima over at Franglais Kitchen, who made Lamb Shank, Asparagus, Cauliflower, Potato Millefeuille and a Herb Oliver Sauce for a sous-vide-inspired gourmet treat!

10. Sally at My Custard Pie in Dubai also joined us this month, sharing a recipe for her favourite appetizer – Piedmontese Peppers – using some wonderful ingredients from her local farmers’ market, including peppers and cherry tomatoes, along with raw honey, balsamic, garlic, lemon and herbs.

11. My friends over at ProWare Kitchen were also inspired to blog and join in with Simple and in Season, adding a Creamy Broccoli Soup with Almond Rocket Pesto – using up some Purple Sprouting Brocolli from their veg box.

12. And to end our lovely round-up, a stunning entry from Meeta  at What’s For Lunch, Honey – you must have a read of this post and recipe for Rhubarb, Mango and Passion Fruit Brioche Galette. Meeta’s post includes some great commentary and tips on top seasonal spring produce, too.

Simple and in Season

This month’s winner is……Meeta (entry number 12) because we were so taken by her rhubarb, mango and passion fruit combo!

Thank you so much for all your inspiring entries and lovely comments! Wishing you a happy April.

On blogging and being featured in Woman and Home

This post is definitely a coffee break read! It’s been a challenging few weeks, although on the whole, March has been a month full of excitement in terms of family life, as well as more opportunities for recipe work, setting new goals and even an exciting print feature in Woman and Home! Sometimes, particularly when things pick up pace, it’s good to sit back, take stock and to really examine your journey to see how far you’ve come. It can be all too easy to assume that the end-result of something has been quick or effortless, when, in fact, a great deal of hard work has gone on behind the scenes. Sometimes, when I’m writing up a blog post in the haste of everyday life, I forget that as a reader, you might be new to my blog and that you might know nothing about me at all. Other times, as I catch up with comments and social media, I am reminded that blogging has brought me many new friends and that I’m surrounded by lots of fellow creative souls who have supported me right from the start. My goal, always, is to come across as the sort of person who constantly seeks to better herself – whatever I put ‘out there’ or on my blog – I hope it is the best that it can be. I enjoy innovation and experimentation and I’m a sucker for courses (I’m taking three online courses at the moment!) Perhaps sometimes I don’t share all of my hopes, dreams and wishes through my blog, but I do constantly try and share things that I hope you find interesting, inspiring, creative or helpful.

Fabulicious FoodI started writing this blog in November 2010 – originally called Fabulicious Food! It was winter and I had given up a career in criminal law to become a stay-at-home mum. I spent much of my time doing baby-related activities; there wasn’t a group or class we didn’t try. I had the support of a wonderful antenatal group (still my closest ‘early years’ allies seven years on) and I volunteered for my local branch of a parenting charity, which slowly brought back some of my confidence and skills, which had long been buried under a pile of never-ending washing. Motherhood presented me with a steep learning curve and became a lesson in both letting go and of adjusting – to a new life dedicated not to my career, but to my family. Soon, our second baby came along and just at the point of considering a return to legal work, the prospect of redundancy and a move to a new work location followed. After much deliberation, I closed the chapter on law and began to look for a more flexible and creative way of staying at home, supported by my family who were keen to help me stay out of the courtroom!

Fabulicious Food

At first, there were lots of people who really didn’t get what blogging was all about. Everyone assumed I would run out of things to say, or that my enthusiasm would run out. There didn’t seem to be a purpose for blogging, other than having a place to spill out various elements of your life for all the world to read and comment upon. I always knew that I wanted a clear focus and direction and to maintain an air of professionalism; I was keen to develop my writing style alongside sharing my love of cooking and creating. Having grown up in a food-loving family, the topic of food had always been close to my heart, but I had no real idea where I was going with it all in terms of starting a blog. In some ways, the best way of starting something new is to venture into the unknown. In other ways, it’s a more risky process to start something from scratch with no guidance. I signed up to a distance-learning course in Food Journalism, which confirmed that starting a blog was a good thing to do, as well as teaching me all about creating a brand, writing strong copy and finding new and modern ways of engaging with an audience. I moved my writing platform from Blogger to Word Press, eventually going self-hosted for greater control and I slowly learnt more and more about food and blogging, writing and taking photographs.

Fabulicious Food

During the last three years, I’ve taken additional courses, such as an evening course in food styling and have attended numerous blog conferences, such as IFBC in Seattle, always with the aim of growing and learning. More recently, I’ve given talks and lectures on blogging and on getting published in magazines. I became a member of The Guild of Food Writers and I’m currently writing my first E book. The reason I continue to blog is because blogging is fun, immediate and fast-paced. Creating recipes is always thrilling and challenging, taking photographs of food has become a bit of an obsession, but the hours and hours of time spent dedicated to my blog and my recipe work have proved themselves to be worthwhile. I suppose if I were to look back to the start of my journey in 2010, I have come a long way and I’m living a life that I have created through blogging. My recipes and writing are now good enough to be published on sites away from my own blog and I’m lucky enough to get paid to do all the things that I love doing – cooking, writing and taking pictures. During this last year, I also left the name ‘Fabulicious Food!’ behind and created a business called Ren Behan Food, changing my blog name, too, to reflect a fresh chapter and a new period of self-employment.

Ren Behan Food

As we await the arrival of our third baby in June, more changes are on the way, but somehow, I feel happy knowing that I have a place to come to and be creative for a while, when time allows. Hopefully, more opportunities will follow, too.

Woman and Home

I’m just in the nick of time to share one final bit of news – my story is featured in the print edition of Woman and Home Magazine – the April 2014 edition, but very soon to be replaced by the May edition, so hurry if you want to buy a copy! It was a huge privilege to be contacted by features writer Nathalie Whittle, who approached me to take part in a feature on women who blog for “Fun, Fame & Fortune,” alongside fashion blogger Josephine Lalwan and travel blogger Heather Cowper. All three of us had experienced new adventures through blogging and were excited to share our stories. Twenty four weeks into my third pregnancy, I can tell you that the very last thing I expected to happen was to be whisked away to a shoot house, to be pampered, made up and styled for a feature, but nevertheless, this was an experience that will stay with me for a long time to come! Thank you for all the hugely positive comments so far on this piece – I hope you find a quick moment to grab a cuppa and have a flick through!

Although unintended, this post has been a chance to indulge, though I also hope that it reflects on how far we can go if we push ourselves and work hard. I’ve had the opportunity of working with some truly talented people who have helped turned my vision of a creative home on the web into a reality – from the early days of Fabulicious Food! and a blogsite created by Barney Thom, to badges, headers, site design and more by Violet Posy, Sharnee, Jo at Callia Web, friend and fellow blogger Regula Ysewijn aka Miss Foodwise. Most recently, I’ve worked with an amazingly talented lady called Shay Bocks, whose Foodie theme is taking the world by storm! It has been an incredible journey so far, I continue to learn something new every day and I am hugely grateful to all of my readers – old and new.

It’s time to put the kettle on again. Don’t forget to pop over to JamieOliver.com to read my latest post on Cooking for Mum this Mother’s Day.

I’ll also be back a little later with a new recipe for the weekend, too.

One final note, I have recently realised that my newsletter sign up form hasn’t been working very effectively – so there is a new box to add your address to for email updates on the right hand sidebar or along my footer. If you have already subscribed, it should let you know now, rather than duplicating.

Have a great weekend!

All links within this post are editorially given. 

Simple and in Season February Round Up

Another colourful round of Simple and in Season! I’ve really enjoyed visiting all of the posts and have been busily bookmarking lots of the lovely recipes sent in. You’ll have to scroll through to the bottom to find out who the winner is this month!

You may have also read that I’m hosting the Square Bakes challenge over on the Lurpak Bake Club site, and if your baking happens to incorporate any seasonal ingredients, feel free to take a snap and like your recipe up to both events!

Without further ado, here were the February entries – with huge thanks to all who joined in! The March round of Simple and in Season is now open.

Simple and in Season

1. First to enter this month was Solange who writes at Pebble Soup entering her bright and cheery Kiwi Muffins.

2. Sarah posted over on her family-friendly blog called Dinner With Crayons to share her recipe for Pulled Pork Noodles with Savoy Cabbage – bang on season and super-speedy, thank you!

3. The Walthamstow Foodies joined in, too this month, with a seasonal recipe for Oven-Baked Celeriac and Swede Croquettes – which are also vegan.

4. Whilst Bintu over at Recipes from a Pantry linked up her beautiful and zingy Citrus Salad.

Simple and in Season

5. Next, a lovely entry from the very clever Ceri at Natural Kitchen Adventures who made a gluten-friendly Celeriac and Parsnip Sesame Slaw – interestingly, celeriac is known as celery root in the USA.

6. Life of a Mother joined in this month with her version of Delia’s Slow Cooked Pheasant in Cider. 

7. Chef Mireille made a colourful Saffron Cous Cous and Ras el Hanout Vegetable Saute in her NYC kitchen.

8. And Italian blogger Rosella made Puntarelle with Basmati Rice (early winter chicory) perfectly in keeping with the ethos of Simple and in Season.

Simple and in Season

9. A lovely bright recipe from Caroline over at Caroline Makes who made a Chocolate and Beetroot Cake for Valentine’s Day.

10. Charlene at Food Glorious Food made a tasty Salmon and Red Onion Tart.

11. Janet over at The Taste Space made a very virtuous Lentil Marinara Sauce with Spaghetti Squash.

12. Whilst Louisa over at Eat Your Veg used up some seasonal kale to make Kale and Caraway Crisps.

Simple and in Season

13. An entry now from Thou Shalt Cook for Paneer Methti Kofta Curry – lots of great flavours here!

14. Elizabeth from Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diaries sent across her Leftover Roast Beef and Potato Hash – delicious comfort food.

15. Katharine over at Leeks and Limone in Wales made a lovely dish of Tagliatelle with Leek and Sausage.

16. Whilst Choclette made some gorgeous Blood Orange Curd to fill some sponge cakes with.

Simple and in Season

17. Alida at My Little Italian Kitchen joined in this month with her recipe for Schiacciata Fiorentina – which is a quick orange flavoured sponge cake – delicious – particularly as it’s made with in-season Sicilian oranges.

18. Camilla over at the ‘fab’ blog called Fab Food 4 All made some of her own Lemon and Raisin Scotch Pancakes, using plenty of fresh and zingy lemon for Pancake Day.

19. Vanesther over at Bangers and Mash joined in with her recipe for Braised Pig Cheeks with Carrot and Parsnip Mash – amazing comfort food and I loved the photo, too.

20.  And last but by no means least, Lucy at her bright and beautiful blog Super Golden Bakes made a stunning Kedgeree – an easy midweek meal served with a fresh tomato sauce.

Simple and in SeasonAnd the winner is…..it was a tough choice…but Alida over at My Little Italian Kitchen really captured our attention and our taste buds with her Carnivale-inspired Sicilian Orange Cake (entry 17) – thank you! I’ll be posting you a copy of Season to Season by Sophie Dahl.

Thank you to everyone who entered Simple and in Season February. March is now open here.

Simple and in Season March

Thank you to all of you who entered and supported Simple and in Season February – there were some lovely seasonal creations, which I’ll be rounding up very shortly. In case any of your are super-keen, here’s the link up for March. This month, I’ve already been busy roasting my rhubarb (forced rhubarb is now in season in the UK) – look out for rhubarb from Yorkshire for the best variety. My own entry for the month will be coming up very soon – I’ll be sharing my roasted rhubarb and ginger curd pancakes, in time for Shrove Tuesday. March is a really exciting month for fresh produce, as spring is hopefully allowed to provide us with a change to some of the hardier winter veg we’ve all be eating. Look out for blood oranges, purple sprouting broccoli, spinach and spring onions, as well as hake and lemon sole, if you’re a fish lover.

Rhubarb

Simple and in Season is monthly seasonal food blog event. This is a community event, open to anyone with an active blog. All you have to do is to write a blog post with a recipe incorporating any seasonal ingredient. It doesn’t matter where you live in the world, you can link up by telling us about anything that is seasonal to you – savoury or sweet. The event will stay open until Monday 31st March, after which there will be a round up and a new link opened for April.

Simple and in Season

This month’s winner (chosen by my kids) will win a copy of Save with Jamie: Shop Smart, Cook Clever, Waste Less. Don’t forget, you can also keep up with my weekly blog posts over on JamieOliver.com for extra inspiration!

Enter your link here:

 

HERE’S A QUICK RE-CAP ON THE GUIDELINES:

  • All you have to do is come up with a dish using any seasonal produce you like (savoury or sweet) post it on your blog, add a link to this post mentioning Simple and in Season and linking to www.renbehan.com and then manually add the link to your post in the box below (via Simply Linked)
  • This round will run up until 31st March 2014. I will pick a winner shortly after (excluding myself obviously) and will include a round-up post including everyone who has entered.
  • You can take inspiration from anywhere – adapt a recipe from your favourite cookbook, try something from a magazine, make up your own creation or share a family favourite. The usual rules apply when using someone else’s recipe, please either get permission from the author to post it or adapt it in some way stating how/why you’ve changed it.
  • Include any seasonal produce you fancy including fruit, veg, herbs, meat or fish.
  • Link as many recipes as you like. You can link posts entered into other blog events or carnivals as long as it involves a seasonal food item (and fits in with their rules).
  • The linky-up is open to anyone, anywhere. I’m happy to post prizes abroad and although it will be nice to feature as much British produce as possible, it will be interesting to see what’s in season elsewhere.
  • By entering your link, you are giving me permission to add your photograph to the round-up. I will link back directly to your post when I include you.
  • If you have questions or problems, email me or leave me a comment in the comment box at the bottom of the post.
  • If you are on Twitter, tweet your link adding the hashtag #simpleandinseason or add me @RenBehan and I will re-tweet it.

There’s are lots more blog events that you can link up to, the more the merrier. Find out more at The Food Blog Diary.

Happy Seasonal Cooking!

Simple and in Season – February Now Open

It was lovely to welcome back Simple and in Season to my blog – you can read the round-up of January’s seasonal recipes and posts here. I’m very pleased to be opening a new round for February – the linky is open at the bottom of this post.

Simple and in Season is monthly seasonal food blog event. This is a community event, open to anyone with an active blog. All you have to do is to write a blog post with a recipe incorporating any seasonal ingredient. It doesn’t matter where you live in the world, you can link up by telling us about anything that is seasonal to you – savoury or sweet. The event will stay open until Friday 28th February 2014, after which there will be a round up and a new link opened for March.

This month’s winner (chosen by my kids) will win a copy of Sophie Dahl’s book – From Season to Season.

What’s in season in the UK? Look out for cauliflower, celeriac, leeks, parsnips, PSB, oranges and rhubarb. Don’t forget you may still find some game and fish, such as haddock, mackerel and salmon can also be in season.

Rhubarb

NEW BADGE

Please add the Simple and in Season badge below to your posts by right clicking on the image and then clicking on “copy image” then simply “paste” it into your post and don’t forget to link back to this post.

Simple and in Season

 

ADD YOUR LINK HERE:

HERE’S A QUICK RE-CAP ON THE GUIDELINES:

  • All you have to do is come up with a dish using any seasonal produce you like (savoury or sweet) post it on your blog, add a link to this post mentioning Simple and in Season and linking to www.renbehan.com and then manually add the link to your post in the box below (via Simply Linked)
  • This round will run up until 28th February 2014. I will pick a winner shortly after (excluding myself obviously) and will include a round-up post including everyone who has entered.
  • You can take inspiration from anywhere – adapt a recipe from your favourite cookbook, try something from a magazine, make up your own creation or share a family favourite. The usual rules apply when using someone else’s recipe, please either get permission from the author to post it or adapt it in some way stating how/why you’ve changed it.
  • Include any seasonal produce you fancy including fruit, veg, herbs, meat or fish.
  • Link as many recipes as you like. You can link posts entered into other blog events or carnivals as long as it involves a seasonal food item (and fits in with their rules).
  • The linky-up is open to anyone, anywhere. I’m happy to post prizes abroad and although it will be nice to feature as much British produce as possible, it will be interesting to see what’s in season elsewhere.
  • By entering your link, you are giving me permission to add your photograph to the round-up. I will link back directly to your post when I include you.
  • If you have questions or problems, email me or leave me a comment in the comment box at the bottom of the post.
  • If you are on Twitter, tweet your link adding the hashtag #simpleandinseason or add me @RenBehan and I will re-tweet it.

There’s are lots more blog events that you can link up to, the more the merrier. Find out more at The Food Blog Diary. 

Happy cooking!

 

Simple and in Season – January Round Up

It was a real pleasure to be able to re-launch Simple and in Season in January and I have really enjoyed popping over to visit you all as you linked up your seasonal entries. Without further ado, here is January’s round-up – scroll down to the bottom to see who my children chose as the winner of the month!

The February link-up is open HERE. 

Simple and in Season

1. I was first past the post this month, adding my Polish Apple Pancakes to the event, making use of some British Pink Lady apples in a recipe handed down to me by my mother. Bramleys also work well in this recipe, or any sweet (ish) apples. These pancakes are soft and fluffy, and are about the size of American pancakes, spiked with cinnamon.  They make the perfect Sunday morning or after-school seasonal treat.

2. Our second recipe came from Kellie over at ‘Food to Glow’ who made a Citrus and Roasted Winter Vegetable Salad with Pomegranate Dressing. There is no end to Kellie’s culinary creativity and this entry was simply stunning.

3. Linzi joined in with a taste of ‘Lancashire Food’ with her recipe for a simple Lentil and Vegetable Potage, cooked in a slow cooker. This is a comforting soup, based on a medieval staple, using local winter vegetables, including onions, carrots, celery, potatoes, lentils, garlic, fresh garden herbs, stock and brilliantly, lemon rind.

4. Another welcoming winter soup, this time from the lovely Katie over at ‘Feeding Boys and a Firefighter’ who made a Parsnip Soup with Parma Ham Breadsticks – bang on brief for Simple and in Season!

Simple and in Season

5. Next, another entry from myself with a Farfalle pasta dish incorporating some smoked British pancetta and fresh British spinach, with tomatoes and preserved artichokes.

6. Helen from ‘Fuss Free Flavours’ joined in with her Leftover Turkey Coleslaw with Tahini and Cranberry Sauce Dressing, using up some turkey and for the raw coleslaw a carrot, turnip and some very seasonal purple Brussels sprouts. Delicious, thank you Helen.

7. Sarah joined in from her second blog, ‘Dinner with Crayons’ with a seasonal Quick-a-Leekie Easy Leek & Potato Soup. Leek and potato soup is one of favourites and we loved the addition of some simple croutons, too.

8. Another super-warming soup, this time from Vanesther over at ‘Bangers & Mash’ who made a Roast Cauliflower Cheese Soup – another one of our regulars at home.

Simple and in Season

9. A wonderful post from Sally over at ‘My Custard Pie’ who this week celebrates her fourth year of blogging. Sally also had a plentiful visit to her local farmer’s market in Dubai, which inspired her post called Ever Changing Seasons of Vegetable Soup, including a seasonal soup recipe. Thank you, Sally!

10. Next, a second entry from Katie at ‘Feeding Boys and a Firefighter’ who made some glowing orange pots of Seville Orange Marmalade with Cointreau with how-to-make instructions. Perfect for a slab of hot buttery toast. Seville oranges are only in season for a very short time – so go and grab some and make a batch of marmalade!

11. An entry from ‘The Spicy Pear’ really made my mouth water. Tina made some Carrot and Courgette Fritters – perfect as a snack or a starter, filled with all sorts of goodness – carrots, courgettes, feta, spring onions, eggs, herbs, cumin and chilli. Go and have a look – they are next on my list of recipes to make.

12. Chocolette from the ‘Chocolate Log Blog’ joined in this month with a really interesting recipe for Paprika and Cocoa Roasted Cauliflower – a really interesting flavour combo to try!

Simple and in Season

13. Another seasonally-slow-cooked entry from ‘Jibber Jabber UK’ who made a Slow Cooker Carrot and Coriander Soup – gluten-free, vegan and virtuous!

14. Kellie at ‘Food to Glow’ had me licking my lips again with her Turkish-style pastries called Brocolli, Cheese and Sweet Potato Gozleme. Since I’m very partial to broccoli, sweet potato and cheese I’d love to try these.

15. A brilliant entry from ‘Shabby Chick’ blogger Andrea, who aside from making her very own Buffalo milk Mozzarella recently also made her own Kale Seaweed  – inspired by her daughter’s love for world food. Baked, I might add, not deep-fried.

16. Next, a recipe that was completely new to me by ‘Tales from the Kitchen Shed’ for a Slow Cooker Guernsey Bean Jar soup – delicious and inspired.

Simple and in Season

17. And so to the final entry, aside from my final link-up, we had a super tasty return from Katie over at ‘Feeding Boys and a Firefighter’ who made a Leek and Cheddar Quiche with Coleslaw– with seasonal leeks, red cabbage, carrots and apples and lots of extra goodness in the way of seeds.

18. To finish things off, I linked my simple Shredded Chicken Pancakes, served with shredded carrots, cucumber and spring onions – all British and in season.

Simple and in Season

And the winner is….drum roll please…..

Katie over at Feeding Boys and a Firefighter for her Parsnip Soup with Parma Ham Breadsticks (entry number 4) – the children saw this in the round up and immediately declared that they wanted me to make soup and dippy breadsticks for tea. A copy of River Cottage Veg is on it’s way to Katie.

Parsnip Soup
Winning Entry – Parsnip Soup with Parma Ham Breadsticks by Katie Bryson

Entries are now open for February 2014.

Thank you to everyone who joined in with January’s Simple and in Season.