00Coq Au VinCoq au vin is basically a Chicken stew ( sounds Posh doesn't it?) It's a French dish of chicken braised with wine, lardons, mushrooms, and optionally garlic. A red Burgundy wine is typically used, but there are many variations depending on regions etc and as this is FYF I used what I had in, which was a cheap red wine,bacon and onions. The alcohol is burned off so its fine to serve to the Children but you could just leave it out altogether or use beef broth if you prefer. Im not keen on using wine in dishes as I find it too tart but by adding a little sugar this combats that. I also bulked it out with extra veg to make it a more complete dish, but you can leave that out too and tailor it to your families tastes. Why not give this a try and let us know how you got on in the comments below. We love to hear your feedback x 00Irn Bru Glazed GammonIrn Bru Glazed Gammon for dinner tonight. The fizzy ginger (juice or pop if from outside Scotland) is our other National drink 😀 so its only right we use it in our cooking! It tenderizes the meat whilst the citrus taste makes a lovely glaze that cuts through the saltiness of the gammon and lends just enough sweetness to the meat.
Easy dinners are a must when you have a busy life and using the Slow Cooker is a great way to ensure this, as you are letting it do the work. Minimal ingredients also keep the workload light as well as the cost, so its a win win. This recipe is great for a Sunday dinner, a midweek dinner or for lunches and the leftovers can be used to add to soups,pasta or pies. Its versatile too as you can swap out the fizzy juice for any that you prefer-cola or ginger beer are favourites with many. Or just use water if you prefer. Why not give this a try and let us know how you got on in the comments below. We love to hear your feedback x 00trifleWho doesn't love trifle? Not me that's for sure 00Steak pieAs a Scot I didn't realise that you don't really get this sort of steak pie in England. This is a traditional dish that we eat all through the year but definitely at New Year! 00Slow Cooked Braised BeefAccording to Wikipedia Braising, is a combination-cooking method that uses both wet and dry heats: typically, the food is first sautéed or seared at a high temperature, then finished in a covered pot at a lower temperature while sitting in some amount of liquid. With that in mind I've marinated my beef beforehand in Worcestershire Sauce which adds a depth of flavour, warmth and spice to the dish, coated it in flour which will thicken the gravy and Slow cooked it. Braising steak is typically a cheaper cut of beef so it lends itself really well to Slow Cooking and Ive used frozen vegetables which also keeps the cost down, as I had none fresh-a little tip here is to use less liquid because of this. Using frozen veg meant that there was no waste either, so it worked out really well as, apart from a bit of prep the SC took care of it all and the meat was melt in the mouth soft and full of flavour. The step by step picture guide let's you follow the recipe easily and allows you to tailor it to suit you and your families tastes. Why not give this a try and let us know how you got on in the comments below. We love to hear your feedback. x00Ham, leek and cheese mashed potato pieThis is such a simple and relatively cheap dish that is super tasty! 00Scottish TabletFor those of you haven't tried tablet before it is like a harder crumblier version of fudge. And it is amazing! 00Slow Cooker Baileys Christmas CakeSlow Cooked Christmas cake is yummy and so easy to do. I wasn't a fan of Christmas cake until I tried this, as I find them too dense and overpowering in their flavours. This is akin to a pudding as its moist but not overly sweet. There are so many recipes for Christmas cake that you can be spoiled for choice. It can also be expensive what with the fruit,the booze, the nuts and the spices and really daunting because of that. This recipe is so easy and with just the minimum of ingredients, plus cooking it in the Slow Cooker means it couldn't be simpler. No worrying about oven timings or temperature etc.
You could swap the Baileys for a cheaper version of the Irish cream and the Frappuccino milk for chocolate milk instead or swap the quantities around for more milk and less booze and shave even more off the price if you prefer. Similarly, you can add more traditional ingredients such as chopped nuts, mixed spice etc to suit you and your families tastes....the choice is yours.
The step by step picture guide let's you follow the recipe easily so why not give this a try and let us know how you get on in the comments below. We love to hear your feedback x 00Stuffed Turkey Breast RoastTurkey breast steaks are a cheap and easy dinner to cook but thats doesn't mean to say they need to be boring. They make a great midweek roast and at this time of year when the shops are full of large Turkeys and all the trimmings, it's easy to overlook them in favour of other meats. This is essentially an individual Christmas Dinner, but on a budget. If you haven't made a Christmas Dinner before and the thought of it is daunting or too expensive then try this recipe and hopefully it will give you the confidence to try it on a bigger joint next time. The principles are the same,just adjust the cooking times. This is also very easy to adapt to you and your families tastes. Don't like stuffing? Leave it out or use a bit of sausage meat instead. The same with any of the ingredients... even the turkey steaks can be swapped for chicken or pork. They can be prepped ahead of time and stored in the fridge overnight, ready to cook when you get home. Why not give this recipe a try and let us know how you got on in the comments below. We love to hear your feedback x
