Dark horse Cake

This is my friends Mother’s recipe, he sent it to me after reading my “Magic Pie” recipe as this does not look very appetizing until it comes out of the oven. For us brits, any cocoa will do or a very high cocoa content chocolate can be used. I recommend just using normal cocoa and then you can decide if you need more in your next one.

This is one of the “TRUE” powers of the internet instant messaging (email) I would of have had to wait a good few days for this to be delivered by snail mail.

Dark Horse Cake
Ingredients:
• 1/2 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa or HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Cocoa
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 2/3 cup shortening
• 1-3/4 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/3 cups buttermilk or sour milk*
• ONE-BOWL BUTTERCREAM FROSTING(recipe follows)
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

2. Stir together cocoa and water in small bowl until smooth. Beat shortening, sugar and vanilla in large bowl until fluffy. Add eggs; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; add to shortening mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating until well blended. Add cocoa mixture; beat well. Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with ONE-BOWL BUTTERCREAM FROSTING. 8 to 10 servings.

* To Sour Milk: Use 4 teaspoons white vinegar plus milk to equal 1-1/3 cups.


ONE-BOWL BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
2-2/3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa or HERSHEY'S Dutch Processed Cocoa
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat butter in small bowl. Add powdered sugar and cocoa alternately with milk; beat to spreading consistency (additional milk may be needed). Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

Policeman's Soup

It’s the oldies that are the best one’s so this is a favourite from my childhood, Policeman Soup, ( I Arrest You! = Irish stew)

I have prepared it here in the 'authentic' way using lamb chops but I also prepared it later with chunks of lamb loin which made a very good Irish Stew. Beef is another alternative to lamb with excellent results. The vegetables used are traditionally onion, potato and carrots but almost any vegetable can be used as well
4 lamb chops (see below ingredients for more details and alternatives)
4 medium potatoes
4 medium carrots
4 medium onions
Sprig of fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 pint of lamb stock (hot water and two lamb stock cubes)
2 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
2 good shakes of Worcestershire Sauce (Lea & Perrins)
2 ozs butter
50g flour

I used lamb chops (rack end chops to be specific). The good thing about chops is that they have some bone on them which enhances the flavour of the Irish stew as it cooks. However, chopped up lamb is a very good alternative?
For this Irish Stew recipe you will need an oven proof dish.
METHOD

Trim some of the fat from each of the chops and put it in a medium heated frying pan. This will melt some of the lamb fat for use in the next couple of steps.
Set the oven on at 180C / 350F / Gas Mark 4.

Chop up the onions into rough chunks. Peel the potatoes and cut each into 4 parts. Scrape the carrots then cut into larger than normal chunks. Click on the picture to enlarge it for an idea of how big to chop the vegetables.
Irish Stew is a rustic menu and part of it's charm is that the ingredients are kept in large chunks. Saves on preparation time as Ill!

After 5 to 10 minutes, remove the fatty pieces from the frying pan and throw them away. Fry each lamb cop in the fat for about three minutes at a medium temperature - turn half way through.
Enlarge the picture on the left for an idea of how browned the lamb chops should be. Put the lamb chops in the casserole dish and fry the vegetables in the remaining fat for two minutes - turn frequently.

Put the onions and carrots over the lamb chops in the casserole dish. Season with salt and pepper. Add the Worcestershire Sauce (Lea & Perrins), the pearl barley and the lamb stock.
Finally add the potatoes on top, don't mix them in with the other ingredients. The aim is to let them be steam cooked over the other ingredients. Add some more salt and pepper to season the potatoes. Put the casserole in the pre-heated oven and cook for 1¾ hours.

Roux is a mix of 50 / 50 butter and flour which will thicken the gravy in the casserole dish. It can be used to thicken all sorts of sauces as well.
Melt the butter on a medium heat in a pan, then whisk (or vigorously fork in) the flour. Cook for 2 minutes whisking all the time to prevent it sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Take the casserole dish from the oven and pour off most of the gravy into the pan of roux (be careful, the casserole dish will be hot).
Quickly blend the gravy and roux together with your whisk or fork. Add the thickened gravy back into the casserole and scatter the top with the parsley. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper if necessary.

Put the casserole dish back in the oven for ten minutes. Serve onto hot plates. No other vegetables are needed, they are all cooked and ready in the one casserole dish!
Any red wine will go Ill with Irish Stew, but a glass of Guinness is probably the best accompaniment of all!

The Bee;s Knees

Honey has been used as a sweetener for thousands of years, in cultures worldwide. While its medicinal and health properties are still appreciated around the globe, modern chefs often forget that honey is also a flavor-enhancing sweetener, adding delicious texture, color, and moisture to dishes ranging from appetizers and salads to stews and (of course) desserts. It's also worth mentioning that honey, unlike processed white sugar, contains vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and antioxidants, especially in its raw form. It is also one of the few sweeteners that can be produced in almost every part of the country.


Choosing the Right Honey for the Job
In the UK, there are over 300 types of honey, whose flavor and color vary based on the type of nectar, or blossom, used to make them. Because the right kind of honey can be the perfect addition to a sauce, glaze, or dressing, use this list of the most common varieties to select the perfect honey for your recipe.


Clover Honey: One of the most common and popular varieties, clover honey is usually white to amber in color and is a great addition to most baked goods and sauces.

Orange Blossom Honey: Light in color, this honey has a distinctively orange flavor.

Tupelo Honey: You've probably heard of this premium honey, famous for its yellow-green hue and smooth, sweet flavor. Tupelo's high fructose content means that it resists crystallization.

Avocado Honey: Dark and rich, this honey will stand out in many dishes.

Blueberry Honey: Mildly fruity in flavor, blueberry honey tastes great on toast, in dressings, or as an all-purpose sweetener.

Fireweed Honey: Pale in color and with a delicate, buttery flavor, fireweed honey lends itself to grilling meat and fish, glazes, and even baking.

Buckwheat Honey: One of the darkest and strongest tasting varieties, buckwheat honey can be almost black and is a great source of iron. It is recommended for mead production or can be used in place of molasses.

Eucalyptus Honey: The herbal and slightly menthol flavor of eucalyptus honey makes it suitable for medicinal uses or in herbal teas.


Storing and Using Honey
At room temperature, honey will keep for years. Over time it may crystallize, a natural process, which is easily remedied by heating the jar in a pan of water and stirring until it liquefies.

While honey is the star in many wonderful recipes, it is also a multi-purpose sweetener that can be used in place of sugar in a variety of baked goods. Although it may take some trial and error to adapt your favorite desserts to use honey, here are a few suggestions:
• Substitute 1/2 cup of honey for every cup of sugar in a recipe.
• For each cup of honey you use, decrease liquids in the recipe by 1/4 cup.
• Add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda for each cup of honey you use.
• Decrease baking temperature by 25°F because items prepared with honey tend to brown faster than those prepared with sugar.
• Lightly coat measuring cup with oil before adding honey so it's easier to pour.


Getting Hooked on Honey: Sweeten Your Recipes
Innumerable recipes take advantage of honey's unique properties. Try some of these ideas to get started
• Combine honey with ricotta or another mild cheese on toast for a morning snack.
• Add a teaspoon of honey to tomato sauces to reduce acidity and enhance flavor.
• Use honey in marinades and glazes on poultry, meat, or fish.
• Substitute honey for sugar in any of your favorite desserts using the guidelines indicated above.
• Give stir-fried or sautéed vegetables that extra zing with a honey-lemon sauce.

If you start with high-quality honey, there's no way you can go wrong. Develop your own unique ways to use honey and you'll be hooked before you know it!

Think of the best meal your mother ever cooked you

Can you remember sitting at the dining table in eager anticipation of what was to come, you had just walked in the house and the smell exploded in your nose. Close your eyes and see if you can smell it now, just take your self back for a few minutes.

“How long mum?” would have been the question. Just enough time to wash your hands and run back to the table, the whole family sitting down, battling each other to get in their seats. Fighting, arguing, talking, then comes the silence as it’s served, close your eyes and just see it being delivered to the table, how the fantastic aroma, assaults your nose, and the presentation, feeds your eyes, and now you can taste it, wow, can you taste it? Wasn’t it just THE best ever.

That is YOUR memory, as each of us will differ with the meal in question, but each and everyone of us would agree with the outcome, nobody cooks like mum did. How many different memories of that same meal, do you have, different occasions, different people at the table, but that there same meal, you can taste it just as I can taste mine as I write this.

Well now for your just reward, for thinking of that memory, which I can almost guarantee you did, I am going to give to you for FREE, a cookbook, of over 200 recipes “Mothers Original Recipe’s” all of the recipe’s have been handed down by word of mouth, so now you can recreate your own favorites time and time again.

Just visit my Only Good Food website to download your free copy, but most of all ENJOY.

Rain Stopped Play

I have borrowed this recipe from a good friend, I was at her barbecue, the other night, and it poured so we cooked everything in the oven, and we all stayed indoors. That said, this chicken still tasted like it was straight off the barbecue, so I thought hey I would love to share this with everyone.

Grilled Ginger Chicken

6 Chicken legs
2 tb Worcestershire sauce
2 To 3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 c Rum
1 tb Brown sugar
2 ts Salt
1/2 Inch piece fresh ginger -root, finely chopped
4 tb Freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 c Vegetable oil

Rinse the chicken and dry with paper towels. Rub the chicken with the garlic and salt; place in a non-metallic dish or a heavy plastic bag. Combine the remaining ingredients and add to the chicken. Marinate in a cool place for at least one hour or refrigerate for up to two days.

Turn Grill to Medium, drain the chicken and cook, turning after 10 minutes and basting them frequently with the marinade, for a total of 30 minutes, or until they are golden brown.

Serve hot
Serves six.

Cooking Magic

Want to impress your friends, this Magic recipe is fantastic for people to watch you make. It takes one hour to bake, and about 10 mins to mix. Get your friends around. mix it in front of them, prove the oven is empty, then put in your pie. Hey Presto a perfect pie.


MAGIC PIE RECIPE

4 eggs
1/4 cup margarine
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups milk or half and half
1 cup coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla

Place all ingredients in blender at one time and blend until mixed together. Pour into a buttered 10-inch piepan. Bake in a 180C / 350f degree oven for 1 hour.

When done, crust will be on bottom, custard in the middle, and coconut on top - right where they belong.