Potato Cakes for the weekend

Oh hello!  I have been thinking about my blog a bit recently and didn't know how to start out again after having neglected it for so long!  I decided that I would just come back as if I'd never been anyway.  I have lots to show you, but first, food!

I promised that I would let my lovely followers on facebook have my potato cake recipe, so here goes.

Potato Cakes - makes about 16

2oz butter
6oz plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 small bowl of mashed potato (about 2 cups)
milk
flour for dusting

1. mix together your flour, salt & baking powder.
2. Add butter and rub together until it looks like breadcrumbs.
3.  Add your potato and using your hands combine the two, adding drops of milk as you go along until you have a workable dough.
4. Wash your hands to get rid of all the stickyness and flour the work surface and your hands/rolling pin.
5.  Make your potato cakes you can cut into small pieces and make individual ones.  I make a 'rectangle' about 1/2" thick using a rollin pin, and then cut in half lenthways before cutting into eighths.  I then cut each of these 'squares' into triangles.
6.  Place on greased baking tray and cook in the over at 180° for about 10/15mins until golden brown.

Eat warm with butter (and whatever else you fancy!) :-)

Happy baking my lovelies.  I hope to be back soon to show you lots of the lovely work I have been busy creating.  Have fun x

Food, food glorious food - Chicken and Leek Pie

I have had a busy weekend, managing to fit in some fabulous time with family whilst also getting crafty. I have had a few project on the go (think I have been making up for last weeks illness and inability to do anything productive) and they are coming together nicely.....

..... whilst I have the opportunity though, I thought that I had better put up the Chicken (Quorn) and Leek Pie (aka Love Pie... and now you see why) that I mentioned a few weeks ago. It was renamed Love Pie by my daughter after I put three love hearts on it one for each of my lovelies. Ahhhh. This is a really easy recipe and you can make it using left over chicken or turkey, or as I did, Quorn. Served up with some new potatoes, or even better, roast spuds, and some greens it makes a great meal.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

500-700g cooked and shredded chicken, turkey (or if vege use Quorn)

50g butter

2 leeks

500ml veg or chicken stock

2 tbsp plain flour

bunch of parsley, chopped

3tbsp creme fraiche

250g pack of ready made puff pastry

milk to glaze

1. Heat oven to gas 6/200C/fan 180C. Grease a 1 litre pie dish (I only used a small one as I put half the mixture in the freezer).

2. If using Quorn put a little oil in a pan and fry for a few minutes until starting to brown slightly, then place in you pie dish. If not put your cooked meat into dish.

3. Melt butter and fry leeks until soft. Add sifted flour and cook for 1 min. Gradually add stock and stir until sauce is smooth and glossy. Take off heat and add parsley and creme fraiche. Pour sauce over the chicken.

4. Roll out pastry so that it is about 5cm bigger than the pie dish. Brush the edge of the dish with water and place pastry on top. Press the edges to seal and use left over pastry to decorate if you want! Make a few holes for the steam to escape. Brush with milk and bake for 30-35mins until the pastry is golden.

Yum yum.

You can find more delicious recipes here.