Puff, puff, puff and more puff (pastry and all things sausage)

Sausage rolls

Now why?, when they can be bought in the shop (pretty much all shops at that)

a) these taste better

b) not difficult to do

c) really!

Soooo ingredients (be prepared to write this mammoth list down!)

• Packet of puff pastry (pre rolled, lighter fat one available if desired)
• 6 sausages (I go for premium, minimum of 75% meat content, check those ingredients peeps)
• 1 egg beaten (thrashed, whisked what ever one prefers)

Method:

Strip the skin off the sausages

  

Roll pastry out of the packet and split horizontally in half, lay 3 on each half in a line up to the front, leaving enough to roll. Egg the back and roll back wards.

Cut into desired size.

Spray a tray with cooking spray (saves the faff of greaseproof/baking paper) and align rolls and egg wash.

Now I have a fan assisted electric oven and find 170 plenty hot enough and place the tray in the bottom 3rd so pastry cooks but does not burn, for 30 mins.

Now you can get as creative as you like, I have added stuffing, grated apple, cranberry sauce, cooked chopped bacon, fried onion and so on with the sausage meat. You can roll them smaller and use chipolata sausages for a finer roll. You can use flavoured sausages, made some cracking ones using pork and chili sausages.

Enjoy xxxx

(oh and a quick by line costings, 12 pack sausages £2.55, pack of puff pastry £1, 1 egg 35p = makes 12 rolls approx 0.22p per roll!!) 

Follow me here 

 www.facebook.com/samsfoodyblogg

Creamy Chicken with potato dumplings

At the sound of the title I can hear the slumping of shoulders and faces hitting palms across the world, fear not its really very simple and easy in fact total cook time is just  30 mins!

Creamy Chicken with potato dumplings

Ingredients:

•  1 onion diced
•  120 ml of white wine/dry vermouth
•  15 ml of chopped fresh tarragon
•  300ml double cream
•  225g main crop potatoes
•  175g suet
•  2 tbsp of dried mixed herbs
•  50 ml water
•  cooked chicken (approx 4 breasts worth)
•  300 ml vegetable stock
•  115g self raising flour

Method:

1. Place onion, stock, wine/vermouth in a deep sided pan and simmer for 20 mins, add chicken pieces for the last 5, remove chicken.
2. Reduce the stock by a 1/3, remove from the heat and stir in the cream and tarragon, reheat gently, stirring until thickened, season and lastly re-add the chicken.
3. Heat your oven to 190/gas 5.
4. put chicken cream mixture into an oven proof dish.
5. Bind potatoes, flour, suet, herbs and mix with the water, knead lightly to make a soft dough. Divide into balls (size depends on how big your dish is, however aim to cover the top allowing room for the dumplings to extend), place on top of chicken, and cook uncovered in the oven for 30 mins.

Cheesecake (AKA food of the gods!) the easiest recipe ever.......

The ultimate kitchen cheesecake recipe soooooo simples and yummy.....

So the basic recipe is this

Biscuits (any crumbly kind, will offer suggestions for different styles) 300g

Butter 100g

Cream cheese (plain) 250g

Double cream 250g

Method:

Crush biscuits and melt butter, mix melted butter to biscuit crumb, until combined (more butter might be needed as some different types of biscuit absorb the butter differently), gently press down into a flan/quiche dish, I line mine with foil helps to remove the cheesecake with ease. Chill until firm.

Pop the cream and cheese in a bowl, and whisk until combined and thick enough so it stays in the bowl. 

Now add your flavour, 1 tbsp of Lemon and rind for lemon, melt the same quantity of chocolate as cream/cheese allow to cool slightly then whisk in, any fruit, fresh is better as not too liquid, a tsp of vanilla extract for vanilla and sooooooo on xxx

Spread on top of the base and chill, can be done and ready in just over 1hr.

This week I did a nice biscuit base, with dark chocolate and raspberry, last week a two tiered malteaser flavoured one, I did the above cream/cheese mixture x2 one layer had milk chocolate and 4tbsp of malted drink powder, the other was just white chocolate and I used malted milk biscuits for the base xxx 

Deep filled lunch rolls.

I hate making lunches, I find it tedious and repetitive. I also get fed up with the moaning about what I have made them, so I now do this........

Deep filled lunch rolls

So to start with you need some rolls, any will do however I have found that the plumper the roll the easier it is to fill, crusty rolls are the best, however any will do the job.

Slice the top of the roll off, thickly enough to use as a lit, but not so that you loose most of the roll.

Then carefully strip the inside of the roll out, making a well in the middle (save the bread removed for a later use (will blog that later))

Then start to layer in your fillings.

 Now I cant stand a dry sandwich, so mayonnaise or salad cream is a must, so I always put in a filling such as, tuna mayonnaise, egg and mayonnaise, cream cheese. you can be as inventive as you like. Below is mini cooked sausage sliced, with grated cheddar and 1 tbsp of mayonnaise.

Layer this in.

Then, pop the lid back on, wrap quite firmly in clingfilm, I add labels, just to save the complaints of the sandwich roulette! 

A few hints and tips:

• Ensure you buy/use things that will not go out of date in the week the rolls will be used
• Wrap entirely to ensure the bread does not dry out
• Thin slicing of ingredients mean you can get more in
• Use up stuff in the fridge, you know that rouge courgette, thinly slice and fry gently in oil and drain, then use as a sandwich layer
• Make several different ones, so 3 of one, 3 of another etc
• Make as many as you need, or go over so that if you fancy a quick lunch you can grab one yourself
• Perfect for those impromptu picnic!

LUNCHES xxxx

What to do at lunch times?

So dinners are planned for the week, what to do about lunches!

Packed lunches

For those at school/work I bulk make lunches (Sunday afternoon, or if like today cream crackered from being at a horse show, tomorrow!).

I purchase takeaway boxes from my local cash and carry.

So into these go pasta salads (recipes at a later blog date)

Bread Rolls

 

Deep filled bread rolls, (full guide at a later blog date) wrapped clingfilmed and in the fridge, all labeled.

Jacket potatoes

 

Simples, depending on the size of the spud, 5-8 mins per side in the microwave, remember to pierce the skin several times first. Go for your life with fillings, tuna and mayonnaise, beans and cheese, coronation chicken (again will blog up at a later date).