Toad in the Hole

I know it's a strange title and I haven't any idea how it got it's name, but it's delish. I make it quite often with either pork chops or Bratwurst. It's a fun thing to serve to my American friends who look at it and are mystified; they've never seen such a dish before. I serve it with lots of mashed postatoes, fresh veggies and gravy. Basically, it's a Yorkshire pudding batter but used differently. 

Ingredients  

Four pork chops (boned) or 5-6 Bratwurst

1 cup all-purpose flour

pinch salt

1 egg beaten

Two cups milk/iced water.

Method

Set oven to 350 and place chops or sausages in a 9 x 12 pan with salt/pepper/oil and roast for approx. 20 minutes so they're half cooked. In the meantime make the batter. Put flour and salt in a bowl and whisk about half the egg and milk/water mixture to a paste. Put it in the fridge to keep cool. 

After about 15 minutes, whisk in the rest of the liquid into the batter and place back in the fridge. Now set the oven temperature to 450 degrees. It will need to be really hot! When the oven reaches temperature, take the chops/sausages out and pour the batter over them immediately. Place back in the oven for approxmately 30 minutes until golden brown. 

The Ancient Art of Pollarding/Coppicing

 

Pollarding is an ancient pruning system involving the removal of the upper branches of a tree enabling a longer life and controlling the shape. It was first mentioned by Propertius in the 1^st century, BCE. It has been a common practice throughout medieval times and still used today as we can see from this photo I took recently in England.

Homemade Vegan Bread

 

• 

A very close friend of mine recently bought a bread maker and made these wonderful vegan loaves for me. I am not vegan myself, but we have a dinner party soon, and one of our guests (who is vegan) will be bringing her own Beef Wellington and no doubt other dishes too. Our guest never wants us to "make a fuss over  her" but instead discreetly places her own food on the table alongside everything else. When I mentioned this to my friend (the bread maker) she promptly made us these vegan loaves; one using wheat and the other using white flour. Not that my friend stops there, she's also made me Black Russian and saffron and raisin bread too. That's the kind of friend we all want!

Grab a Granny!

I saw the title "Grab a Granny" years and years ago on the front of a textile shop in England. It was such a wonderful outreach program that is both beneficial to grannies and younger children for obvious reasons. As a child growing up in England, girls and boys learned to knit in primary school (when we weren't poking each other with the needles) but learning the art of knitting is good for dexterity, following instructions, concentration, etc. How many times have we heard the expression: I wish I'd taken more interest when my grandmother (or mother) tried to show me how to knit? I understand from the news that adult women are learning to knit in an effort to calm their nerves after a long day at work instead of having a glass of wine. Of course, you can do that too! It's just a matter of taste. 

I found the above free pattern (as well as many others) by typing my request on the Internet. Lots pop up, so good luck. Give it a try and go to your grannies and ask for their help. I bet you'd be surprised at what they know.   

Big Bear Baked Potatoes

I had the pleasure of visiting Big Bear Baked Potatoes last week with two girlfriends...and what a treat! The potato was baked to perfection and the toppings were wonderful. Great food for the price and delivered by the boss, Eddy. He knows what he's doing--- and he does it really well. He's been open just over a year, but you wouldn't know it by the constant stream of customers. Most of the potatoes he uses are locally grown, but he also buys from around the country too. Good luck, Eddy.

Tel: 720-970-2327 Closed on Sunday and Monday. 

Bubble and Squeak

This is a dish served usually the day after Christmas with ham, turkey and stuffing. I'm really not sure how it got its name other than it maybe due to gastronomical reasons...'nuf said. However, it's a great way to use leftover potatoes/brussell sprouts. It is delicious and has a flavor all its own. This is how I make it.

Mash about two cups of potatoes with one cup of brussel sprouts in a bowl. Add seasonings of your choice and form into patties. Saute the patties in a frying pan with oil until golden brown. Serve with leftover turkey/ham or make them for any meat dish.

Kustom Kookies by Lex

Alexis (Lex) started a very successful baking business over a year ago. Lex loves what she does, but she especially loves the look on clients’ faces when they see her baskets of freshly baked cookies. She specializes in all sorts of designs from Thanksgiving and Christmas gifts, birthday parties, showers and just about everything else. Soon, she hopes to branch into offering cakes for those special occasions, but in the meantime, her Kookie business keeps her very busy. By the way, they are delicious!!

For more information you can contact Lexi directly at:

Lexisnyder17@gmail.com.