Basic Vanilla Buttercream

Just a simple basic recipe today. Do you sometimes forget how to make something? I did earlier today when I forgot how to make a simple basic buttercream icing for my Mum’s Mother’s Day cake. So I’ve decided to post my go to recipe for it on here, in case I ever need to remind…

Banana Bread Muffins

I don’t know about you, dear reader, but I did struggle a fair bit with Lockdown in 2020 and 2021. I got out of the habit of writing and blogging, and my reading just became non existent. But I am working on these for 2023. Well, obviously, because I am here typing. I’ve been looking…

Blood Orange Buttermilk Pound Cake

Today I was making my normal pound cake recipe, and found out we didn’t have enough milk for it, but there was some buttermilk, and I thought “Would this work instead?” Do you know what? It did. I will be making my pound cakes this way, with buttermilk, from now on. Blood Orange Buttermilk Pound…

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

(Blows dust off keyboard) What’s this? Oh, it’s my cooking blog! I suppose that I’d better get back onto it…….. What, now? Oh, okay. Hey everyone. I can only apologise for taking so long in between this post and the previous one, but the truth of the matter is that I didn’t cope very well…

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

It seems that one of the top things to do during Lockdown in 2020 was bake banana bread. Well, I certainly did more then my fair share of banana bread baking from March to September. Mostly the Coconut and Cherry Banana Bread from Nigella Lawson. This one came into my repertoire in October 2020, after…

Old Fashioned Banana Cake

One day while watching an American cookery show I watched the host make a banana cake with a load of cream cheese frosting on top, and I was so taken with the idea of it, I decided to do my own version of it, with not so much frosting on as the original inspiration. Once…

Arroz con Pollo

Sorry I’ve been MIA. While I’ve been away, I have been cooking a lot for you guys. Rather like Nigel Slater, I’ve got into the habit of keeping notes of what I do, and any thoughts as well. As well as these, I’ve also got a notepad full of ideas, mostly components from other recipes…

My Go-To Tomato Sauce

I think everyone needs a good basic tomato sauce in their repertoire, and this is the one I use. This sauce is great for meatballs, or chicken, or even just plain with pasta. Sometimes I ring in the changes by adding a handful of spinach near the end of cooking time. But I wouldn’t do…

Blood Orange Chocolate Chunk Pound Cake

The other day I was trawling through Smitten Kitchen’s Instagram, and Deb, the lady behind Smitten Kitchen, had shared photos and videos of a cake that she did for the weekend, a version of the Orange Chocolate Chunk Pound Cake from Ina Garten’s book, Barefoot Contessa Parties!, using blood oranges. The idea lodged itself in…

Coffee Walnut Loaf Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Today I’ve started drinking green tea again. It does taste funny but, as with every new change we encounter in our lives, we adapt to it. I do tend to start my mornings with a big cup of coffee, and I intend to keep that habit. But the rest of the day I’ll be drinking…