I got this from the BBC web site - they ran out of Brandy butter at Tescos, so we (actually it was Esther) had to make our own - turned out to be delicious.

Ingredients

125g / 4oz unsalted butter, softened
125g / 4oz icing sugar
3 tablespoons boiling water
3 tablespoons brandy

Method

Cream together the butter and the icing sugar
Beat in the boiling water and brandy until smooth
Chill until needed and serve with mince pies or Christmas pudding

Tags: christmas

I tried to take Heston Blumenthal's advice - keep it simple and unstressed, so I made a very simple meal of turkey (a free range one from the local shop) and an assortment of vegetables
.
It went really well (although I did get a little stressed at the end and refused to wear my party hat).

Tags: blog

Last night's Gardener's World enthused me to go out and clear up the garden a bit. I'd left the tomato plants; reduced to black storks with sorry looking rotting tomatoes on them. I'd left the spinach; two rows of enormous but frost bitten plants. I also dug up the last of the carrots - they look a little oddly shaped, but we'll have them for Christmas dinner anyway.

Tags: blog

Ingredients

6 russet potatoes, peeled
5 tablespoons butter (divided use)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, minced
2 ears yellow corn (kernels sliced from cob)
3 ounces queso fresco or San Pedro Cheese (Lucky Layla Farms, Plano) - not easy to get in the UK, I used cheddar.
Milk - enough to make the mash smooth
Salt, to taste

Method

Place potatoes in large pot and cover with water. Bring water to boil. Reduce to simmer; cook potatoes for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a fork. Drain.

Place potatoes in large bowl and mash by hand for homestyle (slightly lumpy) mashed potatoes, or with an electric mixer for smoothness.

Bring medium sauté pan to medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon butter. Add garlic and sauté until very light brown, about 1 minute.

Add shallot; sauté for 1 minute. Add corn kernels and sauté for 2 minutes.

Remove pan from heat and add mixture to mashed potatoes. Fold in cheese. Stir to combine well; taste for seasoning.

Melt remaining 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) butter. Add melted butter.

Slowly add up to 1 pint half-and-half, stirring well so consistency is not too thin. Add salt to taste, and stir.

Keep warm until served. Makes 4 servings.

SOURCE: Dean Fearing, Fearing's Restaurant (Austin, Texas, USA)

Tags: vegetables

These go really well in a slow cooker stew. Put them in about an hour before you eat.

Ingredients

4 oz plain flour
2 level teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 oz butter
1 egg
handful of chopped parsley
milk

Method

Mix the flour, salt and baking powder and then rub the butter (or margarine) into the mixture. Mix together the egg and parsley and stir it into the flour mixture. Add milk little by little to make a stiff dough and form it into balls about the size of a squash ball. Drop into your stew.

If the stew is being made on the top of the cooker then they will take about 20 minutes to cook.

This started off as a recipe from the web, but I modified it somewhat, so this is work in progress.

Ingredients

1 pork chop per person
1 tablespoon grain mustard
olive oil
250 ml cider
500 ml vegetable stock (I used bouillon)
100 ml creme fraiche

Method

I fried the chops in oil, getting both sides nicely browned, then I added the stock and set it onto a low heat for about an hour.
Turn the heat up and reduce the stock.
When the stock has been reduced, add the cider and reduce it further.
Just before serving, take the chops out and put to one side, add the cream and stir thoroughly.
Add the sauce to the chops and serve.

Tags: main meal

Another Nigella recipe. I've just tried this out, ready for Christmas.

Ingredients

1 litre cider
60 ml dark rum
250 ml apple and ginger tea (herbal tea bag)
40g soft dark brown sugar
2 clementines
4 cloves
2 cardamom pods
1 stick cinnamon
2 fresh bay leaves

Method

Put the liquids into a slow cooker, add everything else but the clementines and cloves. Stick the cloves into the clementines and add these. This is ready after a couple of hours on a high heat.

Tags: drink, christmas

We've chosen the paint - Farrow and Ball, No 83 - Chapel Green. It's only had one coat, but is looking good. After the last kitchen, I sealed the new plaster before I painted.

Tags: blog

I found this one on the BBC Food web site, it's by Jill Dupleix and is very simple and delicious.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon olive oil per pie
1 thin slice of ham per pie
1 large egg per pie
1 dab cream
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
grated parmesan

Method

Heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4
Lightly oil each of the moulds and line the bottom and sides with the thin ham
Break an egg into each mould, drizzle with cream, scatter with salt and pepper and parmesan
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until each egg is just set and starting to shrink away from the sides of the tin
Leave to cool for a couple of minutes
Remove from the mould by putting a knife around the edge of each mould to loosen

Tags: snack

Having chickens, I need more egg recipes, otherwise the eggs mount up. Here's one that I found on the web by Nigella Lawson. It's very quick.

Ingredients

2 tablespoon olive oil (splash some in the frying pan)
2 soft corn tortillas
1 tomato, chopped finely
1 spring onion, chopped
1 small green chili, deseeded and chopped (I use chili sauce)
4 free-range eggs, beaten
salt to taste (and pepper for good measure

Method

Heat the oil in a frying pan
Roll up the corn tortillas into a sausage shape and then carefully snip them into strips with a pair of scissors
Fry the tortilla strips for a few minutes until crisp and golden brown, then remove to a bowl
Return the pan to the heat and add the tomato, spring onion and chili. Stir fry for about a minute
Return the corn tortilla chips to the pan and add the beaten eggs and the salt
Using a wooden spoon, stir the egg mixture over a low or medium heat until the eggs are cooked to your liking
Divide the spicy scrambled eggs between two serving plates and serve immediately.

Tags: snack