Pan-fried balsamic pear salad with pancetta, gorgonzola & warm honey dressing

In theory, I shouldn't like this recipe as I don't like blue cheese and am not a massive fan of pine nuts. However, the thought of a warm salad, consisting of pan fried pears & pancetta won me over! It turns out the blue cheese works perfectly with this salad, however I'm not ready to try it on its own just yet! To make the meal more wholesome, I served it with a baked potato!
You can find the recipe here - its perfect for this time of year when pears are in abundance!

Cloudy Lemonade

I have never made lemonade before & have always thought it was a complicated process - especially cloudy lemoade! I was wrong! While browsing through Nigella Express I came accross this recipe. 3 ingredients & a blender is all that is required!
I love how Nigella describes this as perfect for a summer day - This July & August we have had only summery hours rather than summery days, but even still a good drink is always welcome! ;-)

Mushroom Risotto

To me, making a risotto has always sounded like a lot of work, (unless you just add water to a packet)! So, generally, I would only eat it when in a restaurant! However, when it tastes this good, the hard work is rewarding! There has been lots of complaints about Jamie Olivers 30 Minute Meals not actually being do-able in 30 mins but however long it takes you to make just this risotto, it is totally worth all the effort! You can find the recipe here. Serve it with roasted ham - mmm, so yum!! Let me know if you try it out!

sharing @fingerprintsonthefridge, @bystephanielynn.com

Mozzarella and Fig pizza

Let me introduce the new baker on the block - Lorraine Pascale - she is quite simply amazing! Her summery personality & no fuss approach turns baking what may seem the most complicated dishes into something doable!
Normally, the idea of making a pizza sounds like a lot of work & mess - I think the last time I made one was in secondary school but after seeing this recipe I thought I could give it a shot!
I did take a few short cuts though - I used a ready made pizza base mix ... & I replaced the prosciutto with bacon. It still came out pretty scrumptious! It took no time at all to make which is always a bonus when you are hungry!

Jacket Potato & Tuna Salad

I love jacket potatoes but sometimes struggle finding a filling I like (other than baked beans & cheese)! I recently threw together a tuna salad filling with bits I found in the fridge & surprisingly it has become quite a regular on the menu! It is simply a 185g can of tuna, lettuce shredded, 1 celery stick (cut into small chunks), finely grated cheese, sweetcorn and mayonnaise mixed together and salt and pepper to taste! Add some walnuts & dried apricot chunks if you want to make it a little more exciting! Serve with lettuce, cherry tomatoes & olives! Super quick, healthy and really scrummy!

Apple Streusel Cake

To me there is nothing better than a steaming cup of tea and a piece of freshly baked cake! Especially when apple & cinnamon are involved! I was looking through a recipe book which was full of hearty old fashioned recipes & I noticed the Apple Streusel Cake! So, yesterday I gave it a go! It was a really dull, cold day & after putting it in the oven & going for a walk, I was greeted by the smell of cinnamon coming from the oven when I came in! I can't find the recipe online, but you can see the book here!

Apple Streusel Cake
Grandma's Best Recipes book

115g /4oz butter, plus extra for greasing
450g / 1lb cooking apples
175g / 6oz self-raising flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
115g / 4oz caster sugar
2 eggs
1-2 tbsp milk
icing sugar, for dusting
for the streusel topping
115g / 4oz self-raising flour
85g / 3oz butter
85g/3oz caster sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 180^oc/350^of, then grease a 23cm/9inch spring-form cake tin. To make the streusel topping, sift the flour into a bowl & rub in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the sugar & reserve.

2. Peel, core and thinly slice the apples. To make the cake, sift the flour into a bowl with the cinnamon & salt. Place the butter & sugar in a separate bowl & beat together until light & fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs, adding a little of the flour mixture with the last addition of egg. Gently fold in half the remaining flour mixture, then fold in the rest with the milk.

3. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin & smooth the top. Cover with the sliced apples & sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour, or until browned & firm to the touch. Leave to cool in the tin before opening the sides. Dust the cake with icing sugar before serving.

A touch of Spring

So at last it's starting to feel like Spring here in Northern Ireland (where I currently live) ... & finally we got to enjoy the good weather this weekend! I'm loving the flowers which are starting to appear! Some even appeared on our doorstep today ~ thanks to a visitor that dropped in :)

Basket of flowers we were given!

I also want to share one of my favorite recipes with you - Rocky Road - ... I made it in about 10 mins flat today for my visitors this week ~ it's so easy to make & did I mention how scrumptious it is!?


Ingredients

15oz milk chocolate (or 10oz milk & 5 oz plan chocolate if you prefer)
4oz butter
3oz mini marshmallows (or marshmallows cut in to small chunks)
3oz digestive biscuits, broken into small pieces
2oz sultanas

Mix the marshmallows, broken biscuits, and sultanas in a bowl. Melt the chocolate and butter in saucepan on a low heat until it forms a thick, smooth chocolate mixture.

Pour the mixture over the marshmallows, biscuits & sultanas and gently stir. Transfer evenly into an 8 inch square glass bowl/tin.

Place in the refrigerator until the mixture is set and then cut in to small pieces ~ lightly sprinkle with icing sugar to finish!

It's that easy! Enjoy :)

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