Chicken (or Pork) Spring Rolls or Lettuce Cups

Delicious crispy golden spring rolls, with a juicy tasty filling!

Easier than you'd think, especially when you can rustle them up with a stir fry mix - super tasty and you can either fry, bake or cook in an air fryer depending on your preference.

 

For a low carb version, this is also delicious wrapped in lettuce leaves while it's hot, san choy bau style.

Turkish Lamb Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Spiced Dill Yoghurt

A really tasty Turkish dish that's delicious, filling and comforting...

You could even convert cabbage haters with this one, as it tastes so good - and if there are small people around they could even help making the rolls, as the lamb is cooked off before assembling (making them more likely to eat it!).

Makes enough rolls for 8 servings - I freeze half for a really easy dinner another time that can be cooked straight from frozen, and cook half now. If you feel too lazy to make rolls, see Notes for an alternative method!

American-style Fluffy Sourdough Discard Pancakes with Blueberries

These are soooooo good!

There's no need to throw any of your sourdough starter away, you can make lots of other delicious things with it!

Try these with a drizzle of maple syrup over the top, they are sooooo good! And they freeze well too! If you're using frozen blueberries, don't add them to the batter mix, as your pancakes will turn out a very strange colour! Just drop the frozen ones onto the batter when you've put it into the pan, so they sink in.

Easy Sourdough Crackers From Discard

Easy to make, delicious sourdough crackers for cheese.

When you've got too much starter, and don't want to waste it, this is a delicious way to NOT discard it - plus the crackers will keep a while in an airtight container, and you could even gift them to cheese lovers!

It doesn't matter whether your starter is rye or wheat, both work well with either wholemeal or white flour added - but beware - they're rather more-ish!

Easy Sourdough Crumpets (from discard)

Forget doughy mass-made crumpets, and make your own, easily and quickly!

There's almost nothing to making these, and you just use your inactive starter straight from the fridge - give them a go, they're delicious!

Although it's tempting to double the quantity, I've tried this, and unfortunately the rise on the second batch just won't match the first batch, so if you want more than four, then it's best to make each batch seperately (unless you have two pans and eight crumpet rings!)

How To Velvet Chicken

Tired of dry and chewy chicken breast in your stir fries, Chinese dishes and Thai or Indian curries etc.?

This technique is just the most amazing way of keeping chicken breast pieces moist and tender (even though it's hard to make lightly poached chicken pieces look appetising in a photo!).

You can either poach in water or shallow fry, depending on your preference. Personally, I like to lightly poach as a healthier option. You could use this technique for almost any chicken dish as the flavour is so neutral.

Cheese and Bacon (or Sun-dried Tomato) Savoury Muffins

Delicious warm, or toasted with butter just melting on top, maybe on the side of some tomato soup...

A nice treat during the colder months. Or the warmer months. Or any time really, breakfast, lunch, dinner or supper!!!

Best eaten warm, either split and toasted, or even microwaved, with butter on top! Even Marmite (other yeast extract condiments are available), if you're a lover!

Instant Pot Pressure Cooker No-Soak Chickpeas / Garbanzo Beans

Tasty tender chickpeas with no need to soak prior to pressure-cooking - great for last minute dishes!

Need to whip up a tasty dish with chickpeas and don't have time for an overnight or daytime soak?

Voila, your prayers have been answered! It's up to you whether you add the aromatics or not but the garlic and onions are fantastic for adding flavour if you're using them in curries, Middle Eastern food, or hummus, and the bay adds a nice depth of extra flavour for Asian dishes. Obviously if you want to make a cake (!) or similar, skip all the aromats, and then you've also got the aquafaba (water they were cooked in) to use as an egg white substitute if you wish.

Easy Peri-peri Spiced Cashew Nuts

Great as a snack, or with drinks, and so very easy to make!

These were made after a visit to a certain chicken restaurant, where we were given them as a complimentary starter, albeit mixed nuts, as it was my birthday!

I really enjoyed them, so I tried to replicate them (but just with the cashew nuts, to try and avoid further visits to the dentists). Now they're one of my favourite home-made snacks!

Easy Peri-Peri Salt Recipe

Just like your favourite chain brand of peri-peri salt, but at a fraction of the price!

I ran out of the peri-peri salt I'd been buying, so being quite a resourceful person, with (I think!) a fairly good palate, I went to the kitchen and tinkered about with the ingredients that were on the jar, comparing the flavour to the last few grains of peri-peri salt I had left...

I had looked online for a peri-peri recipe, but they all seemed to have additional ingredients to what I was trying to create.

Easy Perfectly Fluffy Microwaved Rice

Okay, put aside your skepticism and try this way of cooking rice, for perfect results every time!

No more soggy, mushy rice, or accidental congee - this recipe gives consistent results every single time.

Serves four.

5 Minute Upside Down Cheesecake Pots

Yes, you read it right - in just 5 minutes you can make a delicious cheesecake pot for one!

(Or more if you want to make them for family or friends once you have tasted how amazing they are - might take just a few more minutes though if you make them in bulk!)

And what's even better is that you can use fresh fruit (and avoid adding jam or sugary compotes), the mix of marscapone and authentic Greek yoghurt (if made with live cultures) is giving you beneficial bacteria (probiotics) which is good for your gut health!

Christmas Pudding Liqueur (with a happy ending!)

A delicious whiskey based liqueur, made from all natural ingredients.

Make this delicious, Christmassy liqueur, perfect for a Christmas Eve tipple, or as a gift - and after straining, save the ingredients which are perfect for using in Christmas makes and bakes!

 

Old Dalby Apple and Cinnamon Cake

***POST IN PROGRESS***

 

 A decadantly moist cake, which is equally delicious served warm or cold.

Optional overnight soaking of sultanas in sherry

Fried Green Tomatoes with a Crispy, Spicy Coating (Can be made gluten free and in an airfryer instead of frying)

This is just THE most delicious thing to do with green tomatoes, if you have a glut of them which haven't ripened at the end of summer!

I've made green tomato chutney before, which is also delicious, but this year I thought I'd hark back to a film I watched as a teenager (many years ago!) - Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe. I always wondered what they tasted like, and we have soooo many green tomatoes left over this year, that I've had several opportunities to experiment with various ingredients and methods, and this is the combination of ingredients I've settled  on as my favourite - be it fried or air fried!

Cooked in a frying pan

Cooked in the airfryer

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do - I've become a bit obsessed with them now, and there definitely aren't going to be any left over for chutney this year - also, they're an excellent vegetarian dish, brilliant as a starter, side, or even just to serve alongside drinks... or, erm, breakfast, brunch, supper... you get the idea! And I'd even go as far as to say that I prefer the air fryer version - they're so crispy - and almost guilt free!