Tonights dinner, Toad-in-the-Hole, mashed potato and carrots, with peas and gravy.

Since my son had stated that he was ready for 'something substantial', I  produced this. Bless him,he is 13 with hollow legs,apparently. Basic Yorkshire Pudding /pancake mix of a cup of everything- SR flour, milk and eggs, with a pinch of salt, all whisked together and poured over sausages (Iceland's Pork Cumberland sausages "Butcher's Market" 72% pork,cook from frozen, really tasty) in a baking tray with a little oil in it. Preheated the baking tray to begin cooking the sausages, for 5-10  minutes, before pouring the batter mix over. Then baked at about 200°c or gas 7, for 25 mins or so til golden and puffy.

Served with mashed veg and peas (Aldi's own frozen Petit pois, lovely, sweet and tender), with a little gravy over. Suitably substantial for his Lordship? Yes, it was...phew. Teen tummy filled,at least for the time being. Job done. Oh, and some leftover for lunch tomorrow!

My son's latest bake, plain sponge cake with light chocolate butter cream icing, and chocolate niblets sprinkled on top. Impressed, delicious x.

Son working so fast he's just a blur, whisking the icing mix for this cake- usual basic sponge recip used , 8 oz SR flour, 8oz butter or margarine, 8oz sugar and 8oz eggs or 4 small to medium sized, plus a heaped teaspoonful of  baking powder and a little splash of milk. All-in-one method, whisked together then baked at 180°c/Gas 4 for about 35-40 minutes, we used 2 x 7" round time this time so took longer than the traybake of a few days ago. I'd have done a traybake, anything to save a bit of electricity, but my son wanted a round cake and it was his baby,so to speak, so I let him! 

The cake part iced,with icing in the middle, about 1/3 of a 500g pack of icing sugar, whisked using a fork, with a little vegetable oil and some butter, (the two together give a good texture to the icing) and then about a dessertspoonful of cocoa mixed in, as we didn't want it too rich this time. Cake coated in icing and then chocolate niblets sprinkled over the top. The choc niblets were from BM Bargains who do a nice range of baking products, but if we hadn't had them we'd have grated some chocolate over .it. 

This cake came out well, good one Son,well done.x

Some Pasta with summery salads and hard boiled egg ...

Pasta quills served warm with red pepper and sweetcorn on top, and an apple,celery and mayonnaise salad on the side, with cucumber and hard boiled egg. Nice on a hot day.

And with a little black pepper and olive oil over it....

Salted caramel fudge - it would be rude not to share this find......

Found this in Poundstretcher - £1  for the pack, absolutely delicious and far too moreish.....the four squares of fudge pictured, were all that remained. They are no more! ......

Baked this afternoon, a Carrot and Poppy seed traybake, with Lemon icing

Using a basic all-in-one Victoria Sponge recipe,  8 oz/200g of sugar, butter (or margarine), self raising flour and eggs. 4 eggs is the usual amount but I weigh mine as sizes can vary and too much egg mixture has led to a drier result, I've found.

A teaspoon of baking powder, a little splash of milk and a sprinkle of salt,then allwhisked together for a minute or two until pale and creamy. I added some Poppy seeds also-just to try as my Mum used to use them sometimes-and half a finely grated carrot.

Baked in a small baking tray (7" x 9" approx) lined with greaseproof paper, for about 30mins at 180 °  or Gas 4.

Icing sugar (about a third of a 500g pack,for thinnish icing) mixed with lemon juice and a tiny bit of vegetable oil, until desired consistency, then drizzled over cake. This one came out well,nice and moist,pleased with it. Might have some tomorrow warmed with custard,yum!!

Burger in a bun, with Emmental cheese ,lettuce and tomato sauce....

I'm not a fan of burgers as a species, greasy and oniony things usually, which make the house smell, no matter how long the kitchen fan is switched on for! But when my son requested them I looked and found some in Iceland,yes Mum did go there, and got a pack of 4 quarter-pounders, made only from seasoned British beef, and 2 free in the pack for only £1.50. Result. 

Grilled slowly from frozen, and served in very-lightly toasted Barm cakes (bought at Home Bargains) with lettuce, tomato sauce and a touch of mayonnaise, plus a slice of delicious Emmental cheese (from Lidl) melted quickly on top of the burger, giving a beautiful, creamy,continental look to the burger. Very filling and reasonably healthy and high in protein, and no chips in sight! 

School holiday brunch, Pancakes, made by my young budding chef. Well done honey, delicious!

•  We used the the easy Yorkshire pudding style recipe of a cup of each ingredient - 1 cup of self-raising flour, a cup of milk and a cup of eggs (slightly less than,if unsure whether to add the extra egg or not) . It isn't strictly necessary to use this many eggs but its good nutrition for a teenager who is going through an egg-averse stage, plus the pancakes get a lovely golden colour and nice light texture. Whisked together in a jug for easy pouring into the pan.  A teaspoon of oil in the frying pan,heated up well, then pour enough mixture in to coat the pan,swirl gently around to do this. Pancakes are best done on a gas hob, electric may prove more difficult though not impossible. Cook over medium heat for a minute or two; when the pancake starts to curl away from the side of the pan it may be flipped,if feeling brave, or turned using a fish slice. Another minute and it can be turned out onto a plate,for the waiting hordes. Eat and repeat, several times! The batch that we made, makes about 8-10  pancakes, any left over mixture will keep in the fridge for a couple of days,just whisk up before use.    We filled and topped our pancakes with sliced banana, butterscotch syrup,and squirty cream today, naughty but nice! Oh,and a touch of chocolate sauce on the cream,purely for decoration!
  
  

Leftover Spaghetti Bolognese,a belated post from Friday's dinner! Spaghetti was refreshed with boiling water in a colander over a pan,then covered and steam-finished over a very low heat while the remaining bolognese mixture was simmered for 5-10 mins to reheat thoroughly. A little water was added, plus some more tomato passata as the mixture had gone slightly drier after being refrigerated. Served with some grated cheddar and side salad, plus drizzles of olive oil over the pasta and sauce, to get us some 'healthy fats' for the day!