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Showing posts from February, 2016

Slow Cooker Parsnip and Ginger Soup

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I really like parsnips, but they only really grace my menus for Sunday lunch, roasted. I love the sweet, nutty flavour they have. Recently, we were eating at a steak restaurant and the only starter on the menu that I felt in the mood for, was parsnip soup. Three of us ended up ordering it. It was a very simple parsnip soup with a bit of cracked black pepper on the top and some garlic bread on the side. It was so good, that I could have gone home happy right then, never mind about the steak! Inspired, I bought a big bag of parnsips and set about making some kind of soup with them. Ginger is often put with carrot, another sweet vegetable, so I thought it was worth a try with parsnip. I really enjoyed the kick it gave the soup; it felt like the perfect kind of soup that would do you good if you had a cold! If you're doing Slimming World, this recipe is "syn" free if you switch ginger paste for ginger powder or fresh ginger.

Slow Cooker Beef and Mushroom Pie

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My husband made a request for pies recently, and I decided to make a big batch so we could have some in the freezer. I had some beef stewing steak in the freezer which would go nicely with some mushroom I hadn't used yet, so beef and mushroom pies were on the menu! I find slow cooking the filling gets the best results. I use the traditional style, white, blue-rimmed pie dishes that come in individual sizes.

Chocolate-Covered Heart Biscuits

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Chocolate Covered Heart Sugar Biscuits- Valentine's sugar biscuits that hold their shape, dipped in chocolate. Perfect for Valentine's gifts. If you're looking for a last-minute Valentine's gift or something nice to make with your children for the day, try these chocolate-covered heart biscuits. they are easy and they look effective when you're done. I used my Christmas biscuit recipe (find it Christmas Sugar Cookie Recipe ), as it's important for the biscuits to hold their shape. I got the biscuit cutters from M&S and away I went!

Oat and Raisin Biscuits

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I tend not to buy biscuits very often for home, but at work, I always want one with my cup of tea. Unfortunately, our staff room is always full of them! Oaty biscuits like hobnobs are my favourites, so I thought I would make something along those lines today.

Valentine's Day Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Filling

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Valentine's Day Chocolate Cake- an easy recipe for a heart-shaped chocolate sandwich cake with chocolate cream cheese icing filling and pink buttercream icing. Jump to recipe My husband and I don't often do much about Valentine's Day. The main reason is because it's our wedding anniversary shortly afterwards and that means we can avoid the expensive flowers, pricey set menus and so on, and celebrate two days later! Despite being a bit bah humbug about it all, I really wanted to make a Valentine's Cake. I was given a heart-shaped silicone cake mould by one of my lovely teaching assistants, which is just the thing for a Valentine's Cake! It turned out really well- a heart-shaped cake, a chocolate sponge with a chocolate cream cheese filling and pink buttercream on top. The sponge was lovely and light. A good thing considering the rich filling and additional icing on top! Icing is definitely not my strong point; I'm still learning all the techniques. So, if you

Very Chocolatey American Pancakes

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Very Chocolatey American Style Pancakes- American style pancakes with added cocoa powder and chocolate chips to make them extra chocolatey. Perfect for dessert with whipped cream or ice-cream on Pancake day! Pancake Day is just around the corner! We are going for American style pancakes again this year for two reasons. The main reason is convenience. They are easy to make in big batches and then freeze, so you can whip them out the night before you need them and away you go. Also, I have just grown to prefer them. They are more substantial and a bit firmer, less floppy, than traditional British pancakes. Last time, I made banana pancakes which were really nice and were good for breakfast or dessert. This time, as it will be evening when we have them, I wanted something much more desserty, so I went for chocolate pancakes. They ended up being very chocolatey as I added cocoa powder and chocolate chips! Instinctively, I wanted to put the chocolate chips in the pancake batter. I decided