Tag: mini

January 5, 2015

Miniature carb loading

So. Guys. 2015 happened. Happy New Year to you all!

Probably the last thing all you resolution makers need is this blog post. Just know that deep down I support your diet, but if you ever want to fall off the wagon in a carb-tacular way, I’m here for you, holding mini filled potato skins.

These bitesize chaps were more of the nibbles I made for Matt and Vicky’s party and they disappeared pretty quickly, despite being a bit of a random addition to the table. I know Vicky’s brother has been waiting on tenterhooks for this blog post. Edward, apologies for the delay.

You will need

15 New potatoes

3 Rashers of smoked bacon (or a couple of spring onions if you’re a veggie)

300ml Sour cream

100g/5 oz Red Leicester/Double Gloucester/Cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper

Step one

Using the finest setting on your grater grate the cheese so you’re ready to go. The last thing you need is hold ups preventing you from eating these sooner.

Cook the bacon until crispy and trim into tiny tiny pieces. Scissors are key.

Step two

Put the new potatoes in a roasting tin with a blob of butter and cook on gas mark 6/200C/400F for 45 minutes. Keep an eye on them, but honestly, I’d like to meet a man who has managed to overcook a jacket potato.

Step three

Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle cut them in half and scoop out the potato inside. Get as much out as you can without ripping the skins. Place the empty skins back into the roasting tin in a somewhat orderly fashion.

Step four

Add 150-200ml of the sour cream to the potato and season. Mash until smooth/you loose the will to make filled potato skins at all. But seriously though, don’t give up, that’s the key to smooth mash.

You might need to add a little more sour cream, but save some for dipping.

Step five

Stir in the bacon.

Step six

Avoid the urge to just eat mix with a spoon. Or does everyone else not love mashed potato as much as me?

Step seven

Refill the potato skins and sprinkle the cheese on top.

Step eight

Put back into the oven until they are fully reheated and the cheese has melted.

Step nine

Eat all thirty before anyone else arrives.

October 6, 2014

Oh hey pumpkin

With an invitation to a Canadian Thanksgiving feast this weekend I started to crave pumpkin pie. I also live very near a Lakeland and happened to wander in and procure myself a little individual cake tin. Too much GBBO consumed by me I think. The result of these two happenings brings you mini pumpkin pies.

If you don’t have a tin like mine (~~get one~~) then this recipe will work as a big pie in a cake tin or whatever you have to hand.

These are super easy to make and totally DE-licious. I recommend them warm with a big dollop of sour cream.

Things you need

For the filling:

425g can of Pumpkin (I got this from Waitrose, if you want to chop up and boil a real pumpkin you can, but I’ve done that before and it wasn’t any kind of fun)

2 Eggs

170g/6 oz Granulated sugar

285ml/9.5 fl oz Evaporated milk

1 tsp Ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp Ground ginger

1/4 tsp Ground nutmeg

For the base:

200g/7 oz Dark chocolate digestives

75g/2.5 oz Butter

Pot of soured cream and some pecans for topping

Makes 12 (or one big pie)

Step one

Combine all the filling ingredients until smooth (lightly beat the eggs with a fork first). Pour into a jug.

Step two

Using the end of a rolling pin (or a food processor if you have one) crush the biscuits into a fine crumb.

Step three

Heat the butter on a low setting in the microwave until just melted. Stir into the crushed biscuits.

Step four

Pop the loose bottoms in and lightly grease the tin.

Place a dessert spoon of the biscuit mixture into into each basin and press down with the back of the spoon.

I guess you could give this a go with a muffin tin if you don’t have a loose bottomed one, let me know how it goes if you do!

If you have time to stick this in the fridge then 30 mins will make sure your base stays firmly at the bottom. I didn’t do this and it turned out fine, just rose up a little at the sides, so don’t worry too much if you’re in a rush.

Time for a gif? I thought so too.

Step five

Pour the mixture to the top of each basin. Don’t worry about it overflowing, it only rises up a little bit and is quite solid so doesn’t spill. I had a bit of mix left over so I just poured it into a spare ramekin, you always need a little sample anyway.

Sprinkle a little more ground nutmeg on.

Step six

Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 40 minutes on 180C/350F/gas mark 7.

Leave to cool a bit before removing from the tin. They are really yummy warm, so either let them cool and whiz them in the microwave before serving or cook just before you want to eat them.

Step seven

Help yourself to one (or five)

April 7, 2014

A little box of joy

In case you hadn’t noticed, Easter is fast approaching. I’m a big fan of Easter, and Spring in general. This year I’m heading to Germany to see some very wonderful people and I can’t wait.

In the meantime though, I’m busy covering everything in mini eggs and thinking up yummy Easter treats for you to get chubby eating. You’re welcome.

This one is great for kids and would make a lovely little present for the relatives or anyone else you might be seeing over the next few weeks.

You will need

An egg box

Coloured paper/paints

PVA glue

For the cakes

4.5 oz/125g Self raising flour

4.5 oz/125g Butter/margarine (I use stork for most cakes)

4.5 oz/125g Caster sugar

2 eggs

1tsp Vanilla extract

For the decoration

4.5 oz/125g Unsalted butter (room temperature)

2 tbsp Full fat milk

12 oz/350g Icing sugar

Food colouring

1 tsp Vanilla extract

Mini eggs

Mini cupcake/muffin cases

Makes 24

Step one

Decorate your egg box. This post is just a suggestion, you can paint it, or cover it in glitter, or stick cotton wool balls all over to make it look like a sheep. Your only limit is your imagination, and the fact it’s an egg box…

Rip paper into strips. The thinner the paper the better with this really, as egg boxes, I discovered, are rather lumpy, so thicker papers don’t mould around them so well.

Mix PVA and water together in a bowl that you don’t mind getting temporarily covered in glue. You want about 3 parts PVA to 1 part water (otherwise the egg box will get soggy).

Paint the glue mix onto the surface of the box and stick paper on top. Cover each strip of paper with more glue mix as you go. This is where it all gets very Art Attack. Neil Buchanan made it look so easy…

Keep going until the whole outside is covered and leave somewhere to dry. Make sure you do the box bit a good few hours in advance of using it, ideally the day before.

At this stage mine looked like the above, and I still thought it was a bit messy.

Step two

Line the edges with washi tape. I did this to neaten mine up mainly, you possibly won’t have the same issue.

You might notice the purple box in the background…thought I would include a cheats option. That’s the box from those Cadbury’s Egg n’ Spoon things. They are amazing in case you were wondering, and now you have an excuse to buy a pack.

Cut the central doo-dahs so they are level with the rest of the sides.

Line the lid either using the same technique as before, or with cut paper and double sided tape.

Step three

Time to start on the cakes. I use an electric whisk to make cakes but a wooden spoon and some elbow grease is just as good.

Cream together the margarine and caster sugar. If you’re using butter bring it to room temperature before doing this. You want it to be fluffy and light like the image on the right. Honestly, Stork is the way forward for this. Cheaper too.

Step four

Quickly whisk/beat in the eggs and vanilla extract and then add the flour.

Stir until you have a smooth thick batter.

Heat oven to gas mark 4/180 C/350 F

Step five

Fill cake cases with mixture. You want them to be about two thirds full, a few of mine were too full, so if in doubt look at the above and go for a bit less!

Step six

Bake for about 30 mins on gas mark 4/180 C/350 F. My oven is a touch special so keep an eye on yours, timings may vary.

Leave to cool completely before icing.

Step seven

Whisk together the unsalted butter, icing sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. Add food colouring of your choice.

Now, I don’t usually use a recipe for this so don’t shy away from adding a bit more icing sugar if your icing is too wet or a splash more milk if too dry.

Step eight

Ice your cakes and pop two mini eggs on top.

I won’t give too many piping tips as I’m still getting the hang of things myself. The general rule though is to keep the piping bag at quite an upright angle and apply even pressure.

Step nine

Put them in the egg box and make someone’s day that little bit more joyful.