The Recipes - Garlic Dip

This recipe came from a friend of mine who's parents used to run a restaurant. He gave me the basics  which is mayonnaise, black pepper and crushed garlic. Try it first with two dessert spoons of mayonnaise, one small crushed garlic clove and some ground black pepper. For a hint of garlic use more mayonnaise then adjust to taste. I like it best served with carrot and celery batons.

Here is the recipe

The Recipes - Spicy Carrot, Coriander and Celery Soup

Part of this recipe came about when mum was making a recipe from a book. At the time I had some herbs chopped up and frozen in bags. Part of the books' recipe used Parsley in it and mum and her friend mistakenly used the frozen Coriander, luckily they dropped some of it on the floor or it would have been too spicy to eat. I liked the Coriander taste though in the soup and played about with the quantity so that it didn't overshadow the vegetables.With a little tinkering with the quantities of the other ingredients too this is what we ended up with. Hope you like it too.

Here is the recipe

The Recipes - Indian Style Mushroom and Red Pepper Curry

This recipe came from one that was given to me at a party. I converted it and made it vegetarian with mushrooms and red pepper and  used fresh ginger and garlic and lots of Coriander. It tastes very much like a Rogan Josh as it's got fresh tomatoes in it. This is lovely served with Chapattis and a small salad of shredded Iceberg lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, and onion. Squeeze a dash of fresh lemon juice on the salad just before serving. If you have it with rice be sure to use Basmati rice as the taste is far superior to plain rice.

Here is the recipe

The Recipes - Tomato, mixed peppers and courgette bake with Parmesan style topping

I got the idea for this off an old recipe that used red peppers and tomatoes - I tried it with mixed peppers, small courgettes, lashings of garlic butter, vine-ripened tomatoes and a Italian grated hard fat vegetarian cheese that resembled Parmesan but was much tastier! This recipe is surprisingly easy and quick to make too - even for beginners. Update - Use about half to three quarters of each pepper though not a full one for a better taste.
I like to serve this with chips. If you make a chip butty (sandwich) on white bread with butter, and then mop up the juices it's delicious!! You can serve it with new potatoes if you like though instead.

Here is the recipe

The Recipes - Fresh Spinach Soup

This is a really easy to make and very tasty soup - with just sunflower oil, onion, potato, vegetable stock, pepper, cornflour and spinach in it. Ideally use the spinach the first day you buy it. Some packs are pre-washed, some are not, so always check the labels.
It is also one of the first soups I made, and it is a great hit at dinner parties as everybody who has tried it loves it. All good soups start with a similar base, usually potato, onion, and sunflower oil or butter. Don't use vegetable oil, sunflower oil is far superior both in taste and texture. My daughter at the age of five said this was her favourite soup, and it still is even now.

Here is the recipe

The Recipes - Chilli Cheese on Toast

I made this recipe to suit a friend who liked spicy food. I just threw a couple of thinly sliced green chillis that I had left over in the fridge on top of the cheese, and then put on the tomatoes, and then put it back under the grill. Be sure to butter it first as it's much more tasty this way. It was such a success it has been a staple lunch in our house for quite a while now. It has also been done on toasties which is equally delicious. Do try this one as a topping on the Hovis Granary bread too as Pete our cameraman likes it ...

Here is the recipe

Christmas Dinner

Well now Christmas is almost upon us, it is time to decide upon the Christmas Menu.
To suit all tastes like Lia who is five years old, and mum who is eighty, and not to mention my brother who can be difficult to please at most times (there is always one in every family - including yours)!  I have decided upon:

 Starters - Extra Special Fruit Starter With Ginger

Soup - Yummy Mushroom Soup

The main meal I will be doing will be Roast Potatoes, steamed Brussels Sprouts and Carrots, Bisto Onion gravy (in the glass jar not the cardboard pack), and perhaps the Quorn Turkey Slices, with the Paxo Sage and Onion Stuffing as an extra.

Christmas Pudding (which is very good with a Brandy or Rum Sauce), and the Christmas Cake itself is provided by my mum, who always insists on the good old Marks and Spencers' varieties! Which never fail to please.

Finishing off with our most excellent Irish Coffee - so hopefully a good time will be had by all.

Drink wise all guests will be starting off with a small glass of Croft Sherry, and a good vegetarian red wine will be served alongside the dinner.

Wishing all our friends here and across the world, a very Merry, Safe and Happy Christmas and New Year.

Hope to see see you all again in 2018!