* Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce {Fat Free}

I'm still in a constant war with my weight, but I've finally begun to win more battles than I lose. You can probably tell by the fact that I've been labeling my recipes with Slimming World Syns rather than calories or points... that I have given the Slimming World WOE (Way Of Eating) a go... and so far so good... kind of - I have friends that have lost double the amount of weight that I have in half the time but I honestly don't care because this time it's staying off... again - kind of.

Most slimming world recipes drop cooking fats/oils and full fat products such as coconut milk, mayonnaise etc in favour of low cal sprays and low fat product alternatives, plus they don't tend to use any type of cream or butter and these have been my main concessions. I gave the fat free natural yogurt, fromage frais and quark a shot for a month or so in quite a few recipes - and hated them so have found alternatives. I'm not combining frog spit with calves ear lobes (not that that's what Slimming World is), so rest easy that all you have to do to unslimmingworld my recipes (currently) - is to swap back in the cooking fat/oil and full fat products... if that's what floats your boat. Personally my boat had stopped floating because it was weighed down with so much arse and I'm not getting any younger despite not telling anyone when my birthday is. Apparently, the fact that they don't know - doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Who knew??!!??

This Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce (Did you see what I did there? I bolded it... in case you forgot why you were here... I know I did.) came about because I was looking for a recipe to use up some rice and came across quite a few recipes for enchilada rice casseroles... I decided to make my own enchilada sauce to go in one because of the whole "boat that doesn't float" thing (plus I don't like jarred sauces) and it was scrumptious.

It was also easier than bunging on a pair of flip flops and flipflopping down the road to Sainsbury in the pouring rain. Those buggers get slippy when they're wet and I'm not ready to swap them for welly boots just yet. Plus Summer. It is still Summer. Until September 21st. The planet might not know it, because apparently it no longer takes any notice of The Calendar (wish my birthday didn't)... but it is.... still... Summer...

Kind of.

* Smoky Sausage and Beans

I started this post with the pre-requisite "This Smoky Sausage and Beans.... yadayada" and got bored before the first punctuation mark. You can read the recipe then... maybe even cook it... to find out just how yummy it is, but it'll have to sell itself because today my legs feel like jelly  -which is far more important (and apparently affecting my ability to concentrate)...

... My legs feel like jelly because I walked a million miles yesterday in the pursuit of a Curly Wurly Thick Shake from The Terrace Cafe/Bar on Plymouth Hoe... and a packet of Cornish Clotted Cream Fudge from the Barbican.

After consuming both (and a panini - go me) within a one hour time slot I confess to feeling a little bit sick and a lot guilty. I hate feeling guilty about being indulgent - so I came home, knackered myself on the exercise bike then dragged my Boldest and her Bairn out for a bimble around the neighbourhood... then this morning I got on the exercise bike again.

In a minute I'm off out with Boldest, her Bairn and my Little Man for a stroll along the Cornish Coast from Lantic Bay to Polruan... where no doubt another panini awaits. I'm not sure I'll be able to stand upright by the end of the day.

If there's a fudge shop in Polruan I'm selling the bike when I get home.

* Hot Smoked Salmon Kedgeree Stir Fry

I LOVE Hot Smoked Salmon. I have a hard time not eating it straight out of the fridge, with only my fingers for garnish. You can't disguise the fact that you've just raided the fridge and helped yourself to a rather large flake of the stuff, because it's quite strong smelling in it's smokiness. So I leave the fridge foraging for when no one is home and the windows are wide open... and for when I've locked the cat in the garage. If I don't lock the cat in the garage he comes charging in through the cat flap at the first whiff - meowing "CHRISTMAS" at top volume.

This Hot Smoked Salmon Kedgeree Stir Fry was born of a want for kedgeree and pure unadulterated laziness. I can't be bothered to cook up a storm most mornings and I want my first meal of the day to take as little time as possible to prepare so that I can stuff my face in a leisurely fashion and enjoy a pint of coffee whilst I wake up... plus - I don't like egg white. Kedgeree usually involves egg of some description. Boiled, poached or fried depending on the person cooking it. I honestly wish I could stand the texture of egg white because I would love to try Eggs Benedict or Huevos Rancheros but after 44 years it just ain't gonna happen. So I tend to stir a whole beaten egg into my kedgeree as a substitute and it works better with the stir fry method than any other...

... and there's that whole need for speed thing...

* Beef Rendang

This Beef Rendang has been lightened up by omitting the cooking oil at the beginning. It's a recipe that I adapted to be slightly more Slimming World Friendly and to suit my own taste buds. I've deseeded the chilli and added in chilli powder because it allows me more control over the amount of heat in the dish - but by all means leave the seeds in if you like the major burn that a fresh chilli can produce...

So... this could become a *thing* again (blogging). Well, for a little a while any way - at least until I spot a new shiny and chase it, whatever it may be.

I honestly thought I'd never blog a food recipe again - though I have kept my friends entertained (bored shitless) with photos of my experiments on my personal facebook page - I chucked all of my accumulated food props out when we moved home a year ago - including my beloved and much worn bread board that I used in the majority of my food photos. I also lost my beautiful desktop and pricey photo/paint program when The Little Man in our lives downloaded so much crap onto my pc that it kind of imploded.

He's not allowed on this one. It's not all singing and dancing like the last one... but if he breathes on it, I may kill him.

So... I'm going to *wing it* on the photo front for a bit and see how it goes - hopefully I won't put anything that resembles a pile of puke with rice, up for your perusal...

Oh... wait...

* Sweet Lamb and Chickpea Casserole

I'm just going to leave this here... and pretend that I have been updating this blog on a regular basis over the past three years, that my food photography skills have vastly improved (hahahahahaaaa), that I totally planned this and didn't actually just take a random photo of my cooking and think "Dammit I'm never going to remember this recipe unless I write it down... where can I put it so that I don't lose it?"

Perhaps if I slope quietly off into the ether that is my life, I'll get away with it... Not that I'm expecting some sort of hidden fan base to suddenly arrive and start crying with joy - though maaan that would feed the ego somewhat (it has shrunk in recent years to size of a small barge - it no longer has it's own seat at the table and even gave up the spare bed at some point when I wasn't looking).

This Sweet Lamb and Chickpea Casserole is the most recent recipe I have converted to as low fat as I can handle in my never ending endeavour to drop a dress size. I've probably lost the same 10lbs a million times over in the past three years. I blame wine.. and the husband, of course.

Should you stumble back across my path after all this time and decide to give this recipe a shot - I hope you enjoy it. Please excuse my less than professional photo - my camera got destroyed by sand in the lens a few years back whilst on holiday in Crete and I never bothered to replace it. I'm still working out how to get the best out of my S7's built in camera...

... and the rest of my life ;-)

* Pork Meatballs with Chipotle Tomato Sauce

I am currently going through yet another "use up everything in the freezers" phase. It's only going to last long enough for me to make enough room to stuff more stuff in them... and also long enough to discover a million different ways to cook pork mince - I have a crap ton of the stuff... of course, I didn't know this when I started this phase. If I had, I might still be endeavouring to cram everything into my freezers with a shoe horn. There's only so much pork mince a person can eat before they start oinking.

Or before one's husband begins to roll his eyes and ask... "Pork mince again??? Have we started a pig farm and this is your way of telling me?"

"No - but if you'd like to take over the cooking from now on.....?"

"Nothat'sokay."

"Thought so. Have another meatball... we have a freezer full of them."

We don't... but for the sake of winding him up, I just can't resist.

So... as you can see... I made these Pork Meatballs with Chipotle Tomato Sauce. They're  rich and spicy and busting with flavour and are also fairly easy on the calories.... yes... I am still dieting, or rather - since my last post I sort of, kind of, might have... eaten my own body weight in chocolate (again)... and decided I should probably start making an effort to ensure that I only ever require one seat on an aeroplane...

... to house my bum...

* Coconut Prawn Curry {Hairy Dieters}

Although I've always been on the voluptuous side of voluptuous, I have never really had a problem with my weight until I hit my fortieth birthday a couple of years back. All of a sudden it mattered. Oddly (or not) I have always struggled with my age... always... right back as far as the age of twenty four (many, many moons ago *sob*) when Neil bought me a bunch of flowers the day before my twenty fifth birthday because "You seem a bit bummed out about your birthday tomorrow".

Sweet.

He hasn't bought me flowers since. His excuses vary from "It's been so long, you'd wonder what I'd done wrong if I did"... to "The only flowers you'll be getting from me will be on your funeral wreath".

Wuuuuv. Twuu wuuuuv. 

I digress (what's new?)... in December last year I started up with Weight Watchers Online for about the fourth or fifth time and it lasted until Christmas Eve (ish), which is what I'd more or less expected - because I have the attention span of a rabid gnat when it comes to following any sort of plan... plus Christmas. Really. If you expected any different you seriously haven't been paying attention. I am offended. So... any weight that I lost before the Christmas period I gained back with big brass knobs on and a side of Christmas Pudding.

I've considered trying 5:2 again, Rosemary Conley, calorie counting... stapling my face shut. I've bought both of the Hairy Dieters Cook Books in a bid to inspire myself into Thindom and as yet, have only cooked the one recipe from them. This one. Coconut Prawn Curry. It's pretty scrumptious. So I thought I'd share it.

I have actually lost a couple of pounds this week, simply by walking the dog a bit further and a bit more often... I got up this morning to discover she'd placed a "Do Not Disturb" sign beside her bed and she's hidden her leash.

I'm tempted to shout "Walkies" just to see if she bites me.

* Slow Cooker Turkey and Chorizo Chilli

Over the Christmas holidays I went to my oldest BFF - Kerry's house, for dinner. It was just the two us (tres romantic) and we stuffed ourselves stoopid on her slow cooker beef chilli, cheesy nachos, all the trimmings and cheesecake. Kerry knows how to entertain when it comes to food. If she'd come to me she'd have had a bowl of chilli and rice placed in front of her, with a fork... and possibly some cheese. I may even have grated it in advance.

Her chilli was *to die for*, and though she has promised me the recipe - a bit like the cheesecake recipe of yore - she has yet to come up with the goodies (this is a not-so-subtle hint). The only thing she 'fessed up to was the use of chorizo sausage and a can of mixed beans.

After waiting very patiently - possibly a day, maybe two - for the recipe... I decided to create my own Slow Cooker Turkey and Chorizo Chilli recipe, that was inspired by Kerry's flavours but different enough that when I'm old and gray and wrinkly and she finally gives me the recipe for hers (laying it on super thick here)... that I can add it to Abbe's Cooking Antics. 

I've used chickpeas in this recipe, in place of beans and turkey instead of beef - partly because it felt right and partly because I could. It really is one of my best slow cooker recipes yet, right up there with the Moroccan Lamb Tagine and the Mexican Meatballs.

But you really should judge for yourselves... which is code for "Cook it, you'll love me".

You really will.

* Vegetable Macaroni Cheese Bake {Meatless Mondays}

Just recently I tried the 5:2 fasting diet, where I could eat normally (hah...) for five days and only eat 500 calories for two days... in each week. My brain took it upon itself to totally ignore the word "normally" and proceeded to use my hands to stuff my face with anything that wasn't nailed down and was even vaguely edible... on the five days, and then it cried itself to sleep on the two days.

My bum and my brain are in cahoots, apparently they both want to be bigger and one is aiding the other. This is not a good thing.

So... having grounded my brain and forbidden it to associate with my bum... I've joined Weight Watchers... again. Fourth time might be the charm... might. I've already lost 5.5lbs in one week, but this could just be the whole "This is new and we're making an effort this week" thing that I do. I know I do this. It's a personality defect that I have grown to accept, if not love.

This Vegetable and Macaroni Cheese Bake is one of my better efforts at cutting out the cr@p and adding in loads of veggies. It is adapted from a Weight Watchers recipe, but I've opted to use butter and flour to thicken the sauce, rather than cornflour. Butter adds a smidgen of flavour that makes me feel like I'm not depriving myself. I also use my microwave in this recipe - but you can go all *holier than thou* if you choose and soften your veggies in a more traditional manner. This way worked for me.

It was a hugely filling meal and even if I don't stick to Weight Watchers, I will definitely be making it again. It was great straight from the pan, scattered with cheese, and just as nice baked in the oven for a few minutes.

Of course, I saved a few Weight Watchers pro-points for rather a large glass of wine to go with it. Made my brain very happy... if not my bum.

* Shahi Chicken Korma - A Guest Post by Meena Kumar

A few months back, Meena at Elephants and The Coconut Trees asked me to do a Guest Post, and I jumped at the chance... of course, I also knew I'd be able to twist her arm into doing one for me too (which was HUGE motivation). I don't know how we first fell into each other's cyber lives, whether Meena found me or I found her - but here we are...

Meena's food  and photography is authentic and appealing on so many levels. There's something artful in her photography that makes each recipe an event, her gentle musings add to the atmosphere and the recipes themselves will make you wish she was your best friend, lived next door and was always inviting you over to dinner.

I shall stop rambling on about how wonderful she is, and let you see for yourselves... over to you (and the simply GAWJUS recipe you've created... I just want to drop my face into the bowl and inhale!!!), Meena...

***********************

I feel so honored to do a guest post for such a popular blog. A space where I cannot decide which is my favorite recipe. Everything you cook looks so drool worthy. How do you do make it so appealing always! Thank you so much for the opportunity Abbe.

Hello lovely readers, I am Meena the owner of the blog - elephants and the coconut trees. I am from India, currently living in California United States with my husband and daughter. Needless to say I am a complete foodie ready to try any new dish  (drawback of not being a picky eater :)). of late my family thinks I eat, drink and breathe recipes :). Growing up, our family gatherings were always centered around feasts. By feast I mean  24 -30 dishes served in small portions in different courses on a plantain leaf including 2-3 really runny desserts. It requires a lot of skill to see that not even a morsel goes out of the flat leaf :). Only after marriage I started to really cook it was a struggle in the initial days... I must say it took a lot of perseverance in perfecting Indian cooking where masalas, texture and consistency play a crucial role and determine the pass or fail of a dish.

What/who inspired you to become a good cook?

I guess moving to the U.S, lack of easy access to my native food and too much browsing :) staring at good food all the time all led to better cooking.

Do your family love your food or do they have different tastes?

My herd loves what I cook when it is super spicy, non vegetarian or baked stuff but Indian vegetarian is a big no no for my daughter.

Why do you blog about food? Do you enjoy it? Does it fit into your life or do you have to make time for it?

We have lived most of the time away from our country so my daughter has no idea what is usually cooked in our homes so I began this blog just for her sake.Some day when she takes up serious cooking she will at least know the name of the dishes :) or identify by the pic is my hope. I do enjoy blogging and spend some time taking pictures. The blog does fit into my life because I cook dishes we love to have and never to feed the blog.

Do you eat out or do you prefer to cook at home? If you do eat out, where is your favourite place to go for a meal?

Never miss a chance to eat out. Oh Red Lobster! now the waitresses almost know us personally :)

What food could you not live without?

Rice and yogurt.

What food do you hate and why?

Oats ...I just don't like the slimy texture in porridge. I  find it hard to swallow in dry preparations.

What is your "must have" piece of kitchen equipment that you couldn't do without?

Coffee grinder, it works like a charm when it comes to Indian masalas.

What piece of kitchen equipment would you love to have?

Abbe. ..don't ask me, the wish list is endless :)

What's your favourite recipe that isn't your own?

Savory Layered Cake (similar to a layered meat pie)

What are your five favourite recipes that are your own?

Homemade Grape Wine

Purple Potato Salad with Grapefruit Vinaigrette (seen in the pic below)

Baked Chicken Wings in Indian Spices

Tiny Sweet Apples

Bok choy and cabbage soup

I hope you like my recipe (below), I can't wait to hear from you lovely people out there.

* Spicy Mexican Cheddar Scones

I bought some Spicy Mexican Cheddar a few days back, with the the full intention of grating it over the top of some enchiladas and somehow... I forgot.

It's hardly a surprise, considering the fact that firstly.. well.. I'm me.. and secondly - I have a variety of cheese on the go at all times, and I can never use it up quickly enough. Currently I have Gouda, Soft Goats Cheese, Feta, Parmesan, Mozzarella, Mascarpone, Full fat Cheddar, Half fat Cheddar... uuummmm... Philadelphia Light with Grilled Peppers... and a chunk of Gruyere.

I don't know why I have all of this cheese. I don't know why I have to have all of this cheese. I just know that if I see cheese... I buy cheese. Unless I have that cheese already, in which case I pick it up and put it down a billion times, trying to convince myself that I really don't need this cheese. Doesn't always work though.

I no longer have any Spicy Mexican Cheddar Cheese left, because I used it up in these scones. They were lush, straight from the oven, cracked open and spread with four inches of the buttery stuff. I'd made another batch of Broccoli Cheddar Soup (I bought a cr@p ton of broccoli) and they were lovely dipped in that.

Looking at that list of cheeses - I have no idea why I bought the Feta. I don't even like Feta.

However... there are tongue marks in the Mascarpone. 

They're mine.

* Slow Cooker Chicken with Chorizo

I'm not a fan of meat on the bone, any meat... but most especially chicken. I want to eat my food, not play with it, struggle with it or get covered in it - so it's incredibly rare that I buy a whole chicken or jointed chicken. I mostly buy chicken breasts, and although they are convenient - they aren't where the flavour is. The flavour is all in the meat that's wrapped around the bones.

If I buy chicken thighs (I never buy drum sticks), I de-bone them before I use them. Which can be a royal pain in the backside.... so... my slow cooker has been amazing to use when it comes to chicken thigh recipes. When cooked, the meat just melts off the bone - no muss, no fuss - and I end up with a delicious dinner, that was easy to throw together, easy to throw on a plate... and easy to throw down my throat.

This Slow Cooker Chicken with Chorizo is one such recipe that I've just adapted (yet again) from The Slow Cook Book by Heather Whinney.  I can honestly say I have not yet had all of the ingredients to make any of her recipes, off the bat. But they are so easily alterable that the book has to be amongst my top ten cook book purchases for this year... and there have been a few.

This freezes beautifully, especially if you pull the meat from the bone before hand, and goes with everything from Celeriac and Potato Mash to Chicken Flavoured Rice... or even couscous. I can't be bothered to cook tonight, so we're having it again (from the freezer) with Jacket Potatoes and some cheesy garlic bread.

I'm incredibly good at being lazy.

* Celeriac and Potato Mash

This celeriac and potato mash came about because I had rather a large celeriac to use up, that I bought on a whim and I didn't fancy any more soup (I'm souped out. Can you believe it?!?), which is usually the obvious choice for me - when it comes to using up veg - so I thought I'd liven up some mashed potato with it.

I will definitely be doing it again. The celeriac seemed to lighten up the texture of the mash and the flavour too, giving it that almost peppery taste of celery, but somewhat milder.

I wasn't sure if it would go down like a sack of lead cr@p with Neil, because he's a bit of a purist when it comes to his mashed potatoes. He'll eat it with oodles of cheese, but otherwise he tends to regard any alteration to his beloved mash with a bone deep suspicion.

It's incredibly difficult to sit across the table from someone who is eyeing up their mashed potato as if it's going to pull a gun on them.... especially whilst fighting the urge to shout "BANG".

When I presented him with his dinner, he looked at the mash that was swirled through with parsley and said "That doesn't look right... what have you done?" This is usually where I get defensive and start on at him about a variety of past grievances that have absolutely nothing to do with the mashed potato and what I've supposedly done with it. However... all I said was "Eat your dinner." I'd had wine. He then regarded me with suspicion and took a forkful of the mash.... and then another.

When his plate was clear I got the "Lovely darlin'." that I'd been waiting for.

He didn't ask again, what I'd done.. and I didn't tell him.

* Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup {Meatless Mondays} + "Eggs" Winner

I have another new favourite soup, and it's this one. This Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup is getting it's own bank account, it's so good.

Really. Even Neil enjoyed it, and he doesn't like broccoli.

I probably wouldn't have offered him a bowl of it, if he hadn't asked what smelled so good when it was bubbling away on the stove. When I told him what it was, he said he wouldn't mind trying some.

So when it was cooked, I pushed the spoon into his face with a whole "Choo-choo here comes the food train." pantomime, to which he responded with "Please don't ever do that again." and "I'll eat that." A huuuuuuge compliment from my man of few words.

Neither of us are fans of soups that use flour as a thickener (though I do make them), so I used a carrot to thicken this soup, and to add a slightly golden colour - which makes this a gluten free soup. Also, this recipe uses the whole broccoli - both florets and stems.

I'm now trying to think of more ways to get him to eat broccoli because I love it, and it's far easier to cook one meal for both of us than two separate ones. Though this doesn't happen too often because although he's a man of simple tastes - Neil will try virtually anything (that isn't a flapjack), that I put in front of him.

It's that or starve.

Now it's time to announce the winner of the Michel Roux "Eggs" Cook Book Give Away from last Monday.... drum roll please...

and... the winner iiiiiiissssss.....

Katrina Pearce (comment number 2) - congratulation Katrina, your book is on it's way!

Thanks to everyone who entered xx

* Ham and Cheese Croissants {Because I Can}

These ham and cheese croissants are a quick and simple snack idea for lunch or supper. They take 10 minutes to throw together - if that - and even less time to consume.

I've had them sitting in my photographs folder for a while - whilst I considered whether or not they were blog worthy enough NOT to make my repeat readers feel ripped off...

... I'm bored. I have a spare ten minutes. So here we are.

If you do feel ripped off, you may leave... (Pleeeeease don't go!!!) I for one, hope you stay long enough to realise that although this is a glorified ham and cheese sandwich that you need no recipe for - it's actually a pretty neat idea that isn't a ham and cheese sandwich and is so easy it may not have crossed your mind to give it a whirl.

Neil loves them.

I'm not going to give you a specific recipe, but here's what you do...

* Slow Cooker Beef and Bean Hotpot

On Sunday we decided to steal a march on the Christmas shoppers and not go Christmas shopping at all. Read it again. It makes complete sense.

Instead, we decided to see if we could hunt down the perfect flooring for our bedroom - which we are in the midst of decorating - from a wood floor specialists in town.

I didn't want to have to muck about sorting a dinner out when we got home, so for the very first time I loaded up the slow cooker and... left the house...

... I never, ever, do this. Not with anything. Not the dishwasher, not the washing machine, the dryer...  nothing. Stuff happens when I'm not in the house. Things flood, break, block up, fall over, fall off, seize up, singe... leaving the slow cooker on was a real risk. REAL. RISK. I walked super fast through town to get to the shop, ran around the shop dismissing all but one type of flooring, asked for a sample and was handed a whole plank of wood... a whole plank of wood... who does that?!?... then literally ran through the high street home, leaving the plank of wood in a passing bin because it was just too random, even for me.

When I fell in the back door a couple of hours after I'd left.. with Neil following at a leisurely "What is wrong with you, woman?" pace behind me... my Slow Cooker Beef and Bean Hotpot was very gently bubbling away, minding it's own business. The dog was guarding the floor space directly in front of the kitchen counter that it was sitting on - just in case it happened to explode and leave the kitchen covered in minced beef and vegetables - ready to perform clean up duty... and the cat was sitting on the shed roof wondering where we'd been and what was all the fuss about?

Our flooring hunt might have been a dead bust, but dinner certainly wasn't.

The poor dog was disappointed, yet again.

This recipe is linked up on Foodie Friday at Simple Living and Eating, so please pop over and see what other wonderful recipes you can find!

* Red Pepper Frittata + Michel Roux Cook Book Give Away! {Meatless Mondays}

I have a beautiful brand new hard back copy of Michel Roux's Cook Book - Eggs, to give away to one lucky reader. And by beautiful... I mean.... beeeeeeautiful - the recipes and photographs are to die for.

Of course, because I have a book on eggs to give away, I could hardly post a recipe for something that did not have at least one egg in it.

This Red Pepper Frittata has six. Six whole eggs. I was very tempted to use eight and that was in fact "The plan". But you should all know by now that me and plans... we don't get along too well. I only had six eggs, so an eight egg frittata was gonna be a bust unless I went to the shops. I wasn't getting the car out for  two eggs. I had wine, or I could have gone for wine and inadvertently purchased eggs as well, and maybe some chocolate.

I would have made an omelet but this is one dish (among many) whose perfection defeats me. I like omelettes a little soft in the middle, but I'm never sure if I want to fold it, or have it flat like a frittata and half way through deciding I end up with scrambled. If you want to know How To Make an Omelette... click on the link I've just given you!

Back to THE GIVE AWAY... dun, dun, duuunnnnnnnn....

Just answer me this and you’re entered to win:

What popular kids TV show theme music started with the words... "Up above the streets and houses..."

(Not related to the cookbook at all, I know.... if you don't know the answer just say "Captain Caveman, who cares, just give me the book!" or whatever else you fancy (keep it clean though), to be in with a chance of winning.)

You can also follow me here, here, here, here and here and come let me know in individual comments below.

This giveaway is limited to UK residents only and is sponsored by Media Agency London.

I'll be picking the winner at random and announcing them on November 25th.

Good Luck!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

* Apple and Cranberry Flapjacks

I acquired a bag of apples about a week ago and I've been "umming and aahing" over what to do with them ever since ( a whole 7 days!). Not once did it occur to me to just eat them. I'm not a huge fan of fruit unless it's in something.

I love apple crumble and apple pie and apple pudding etc, but I'm trying to lose a bit of weight and if I'd cooked any of those recipes I would have had to sit and eat the whole lot, because Neil doesn't like them. He's not a fan of flapjacks either - but flapjacks are easily transportable, so I can keep half and share the rest, without fear of too much *lifetime on the hips*. Though there will be some. I'm sure.

This Apple and Cranberry Flapjack recipe - as most of them are just recently - was an experiment that worked incredibly well. I'd have been quite content to just sit and eat the whole concoction raw after I'd had a taste test. The fact that the recipe made it is far as the oven was a minor miracle. Though I did make sure to leave at least a spoonful in the bottom of the saucepan to indulge myself with. Okay it was two spoonfuls. Possibly three.

If there is one thing I would repeat from this recipe (and I'd repeat the whole recipe happily), it would be the addition of the demerera sugar on the top. The flapjack itself was moist, chewy and dense and the sugar gave it a touch of welcome crunch... and it looked pretty damn fine when it came out of the oven...

I was all... like...  "Look Neil, aren't they fab!?!"

And he was all... like... "I don't like flapjacks".

And then I was like... "But if you did like flapjacks you'd eat these flapjacks, wouldn't you?!?"

And he was like... "What's in them?"

"Apple"

"I don't like Apple."

Silence.

And then he was like.... "Um... but if I ate flapjacks and I ate apple... I would really love those flapjacks, honest."

"Now you're just trying too hard."

"I love you."

"Enough to eat a flapjack?"

"Ummmmm..." 

I have no idea which one of us was winding the other one up.

* Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

I made these Chocolate Zucchini Brownies three times before I felt they were good enough to share... with real touchable people as well as all of you!

Usually, it seems to take me longer to photograph and blog a recipe, than it does to actually make it - not this time, however... I made these brownies three times before I finally got them right!

The first time I made them, I squeezed all of the water out of the zucchini and they were a tad cake-like in consistency. Nice, but not dense and chewy enough to be called a brownie.

The second time I made them in a 20cm x 20cm square cake tin and only used 50g/2oz of chocolate chips, but I didn't squeeze the water out of the zucchini.... they were really good and completely shareable but I forgot to take photographs.... because we ate them a tad quickly.

Just a tad.

The third time I used a 27cm x 17cm baking pan, didn't squeeze the water out of the zucchini and added 100g/4oz of chocolate chips.... and remembered to photograph them before we ate them... barely. They were awesome - dense, chewy, chocolatey, nommy bars of heaven.

The best compliment in the world was when my friend Lynne's daughter - Deryn - ate five of them before we could get the lid back on the tin they'd been served in. I sat there in awe and delight. Finally, someone with an even bigger capacity for sweet things, than I.

But only just.

* Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Pasta

I've been going through all of my kitchen cupboards doing a bit of cleaning and re-arranging, so that I can see better what food I have available and make space for more.

I'm joking.

There is no space for more... I live in a rabbit hutch. I just had an urge to re-invent the interior of my kitchen cupboards because I made the fatal mistake of visiting Homebase last week and ended up looking at beautiful, stream lined, well designed, brand new kitchens.... then came home and wanted to burn the house down.

When re-arranging et al - I discovered a bag of dried porcini mushrooms that I bought a couple of weeks back... and dinner was decided. Sort of. What I really wanted to make was a risotto, but as yet I have not discovered the trick to making a mushroom risotto that doesn't look like something the cat coughed up.... also - Neil doesn't really like risotto and is starting to suss out when I say "It's a rice thingy", that it is, in fact... a risotto.

So seeing as I can probably only use the "Rice Thingy" as an excuse maybe one more time and get away with it... I made a Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Pasta, and threw in a large handful of curly kale at the end, to add a bit of crunch. If I'd had any spinach I might have used that - but me and spinach is doing a Ross and Rachel and we is "On a Break".

Of course... I did have some creme fraiche standing to attention in the fridge, giving me it's best toothless smile, so I bunged some of that in.

How could I resist?