A pocket of my life

Want a simple recipe that with satisfy your appertite then look no further, this no bake biscoff cornflake bar really hits the spot, its crunchy base and sweet topping is perfect for a dessert or a nice treat to take to a picnic. And don't worry if your not too keen on the biscoff taste as my biscoff hating husband loves them and has gone back for seconds already. Its enough that you can taste it but not too much that the others flavours are overpowered.  Ingredients   60g Unsalted butter 30ml Golden syrup 160g Biscoff spread 190g White chocolate 120g Conflakes For topping 200g White chocolate 50g Biscoff spread melted Method Melt together the butter, golden syrup and biscoff spread together. Add the white chocolate and stir until completely melted. Mixed togther the biscoff mixture in with your cornflakes and mix until fully coated. Place mix into a lined 8x8 baking tin and flatten until the bottom if fully covered. Melt the white chocolate and pour over the base,...

As a family we have really been enjoying chicken and chorizo enchiladas, its one that we all look forward to and it is honestly so quick and easy to make. We normally serve this with seasoned fries and salad but can be served with other bits too. Recipe:   For 3 people 400g diced chicken thigh 1 tin of red kidney beans (I don't always use the whole tin) 90g diced chorizo 30g chipotle paste 1 garlic clove 100g cheddar 150ml water salt and pepper 4-6 plain tortillas depending on how full you want them Method: Brown off you chicken in a large frying pan with a drizzle of oil. Stir in the garlic, chorizo and chipotle paste and cook for 1 minute Add the beans and stir well, add in the water and bring to the boil Simmer until the sauce thickens and the chicken is cooked Add salt and pepper to taste. lay you tortillas on a board and add the filling, turn up the bottom to close and roll both sides in place in an oven proof dish and sprinkle with cheese, making sure its cov...

Rocky roads are one of my favourite sweet treats to enjoy and they are so easy to make too. These are normally a good weekend bake with the kids as they can have lots of fun with the crushing and mixing. Rocky roads are also a great way of using bits up in the cupboard that sometimes get left such a dried fruit or nuts. Below is the recipe that we like to use and we always add some sort of fruit, I prefer to use glace cherries though. Recipe: 200g rich tea / digestive biscuits 135g butter 200g dark chocolate 2-3 tbsp golden syrup 100g mini marshmallows optional extras - up to 100g Dried fruit nuts glace cherries Method: 1. melt the chocolate, butter and golden syrup together in a bowl over hot water (Bain marie) 2. break your biscuits up with the largest pieces being not bigger than a 10p 3. Add your dried fruit and extra and mix well 4. allow the chocolate mixture to cool slightly before combing all your ingredients 5. smooth your mixture out in a lined tin and allow to se...

I have really been enjoying cooking lately and experimenting with different things, this is more of a simple recipe and one that goes down so well with the kids, a simple bolognese sauce with things that are normally in your cupboard.  We do normally bulk this out with some veggies for the girls which certainly adds to the flavour and can make the meal go even further.  Recipe: 500g Mince meat, normally beef 1 x pasata carton 1 tbs tomato paste 1 tsp Garlic granules 1 tsp Onion granules  (better if you don't like the texture of cooked onions) 1 tsp Mixed herbs Salt and pepper Vegetables we add: Mushrooms Peppers sweetcorn Method: 1. Brown off your mince and drain excess oil then place back in the pan. 2. If you are using mushrooms or peppers then add now to slightly cook. 3. pour in the pasata and tomato paste and stir in well. 4. Add all your herbs and mix in well 5. leave to simmer for 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally  6. Serve with your favourite pa...

Toad in the hole is one of our favourite meals to have, especially in the colder months with a huge pile of mash, veg and gravy. We love to change this recipe up a little with just 2 different herbs, Onion granules and sage. Toad in the hole is a classic English dish, its great any time of the week and really doesn't take too much effort for a great homely meal. This recipe is also suitable for vegetarians with the change to a meat free sausage.  Recipe 4 - 6 Sausages of your choice 1-2 tbsp oil 140g plain flour 2 eggs 175ml semi skimmed milk 1 tsp sage 1 tsp onion granules salt and pepper Method 1. Heat your oven to 220oC/ gas mark 7 and place sausages in a roasting tin with oil, bake for 15 mins. 2. Meanwhile mix the flour and eggs together, slowly add the milk and herbs in. 3. Leave to stand until the sausages are starting to brown 4. Pour the batter into the tin and bake on the top shelf for 25 to 30 minutes. 5. Serve with mash, vegetables and gravy It honestly is such a yummy ...

A little simple family recipe for you again, this time for some very tasty and gooey flapjacks. I was given a bag of rolled out not long again and personally we don't like these for porridge so we found the next best thing. These are a great little treat to munch on with a cuppa and great to create with your little ones, Lilly and Olivia love to mix the oats in for me and pour the mixture into the tin too. Recipe: 125g Butter 100g Brown Sugar 4 tbsp Golden Syrup 275g rolled oats Method: 1. Preheat your oven to 180oC/gas mark 4. 2. Melt your butter, sugar and golden syrup together over a bain-marie (bowl over boiling pan of water). 3. Mix in the oats and stir until all the oats are completely covered. 4. Pour your oat mixture into an overproof tin line with baking paper. 5. Bake in the oven for around 30 minutes, until golden brown. 6. Cut to required size and leave to cool before removing from the tin. I hope you enjoyed this recipe, if you make I'd love to know, below is a vi...

I have recently started making my own Cottage pie with a recipe that I have tweeted to work four our fussy family. I find that a cottage pie is such an Autumn/Winter staple as it feeling like such a warm, hearty meal, one that is a proper comfort meal.  I recently started making the meal and found that I didn't have a packet mix in so decided to find a recipe to try out, the first one I found sounded good but I changed it slightly to fit our family, Lils isn't keen on fresh onion ad none of us like celery. I thought I would share our recipe with you which can easily be adapted if need be. Recipe 500g Beef Mince 1 carton of tomato passata  1 tbs tomato paste 1 beef stock cube 1 beef stock pot 1 tsp onion salt 1 tsp garlic granules 1 tsp mixed herbs 2 medium carrots sliced and part cooked Salt and pepper 3 large potatoes for mash 75g cheese Method 1. Preheat you oven to gas mark 4/180oC 2. Brown off the mince and drain off excess oil from the pan. 3. Pour in the pass...

I do love a pasta dish and macaroni cheese is such a comfort food for me, its so easy and simple to make, perfect for a busy evening taking only 15-20 minutes to make. Its one that the whole family can get involved in making and Lils quite often take the whisk off me and takes over! The recipe below will serve four people but we always alter depending on who is having it in our household. Ingredients: - 450g Pasta - 1 litre of milk - 100g flour or corn flour - 100g marge - 280g cheese - 1 tea spoon English mustard - salt and pepper for seasoning How to: 1. Cook you pasta as described on the packet then drain 2. Melt the marge then slowly mix in all the flour 3. slowly pour in the milk and mix well until smooth, it will thicken up 4. Add you mustard and mix 5. Mix in your cheese until melted together 6. Add salt and pepper to flavour 7. mix in your pasta with your sauce and serve with garlic bread It really is such a simple yet tasty meal for all the family, both my girls lo...

Today we have a recipe for pizza pin wheels, I know that these are quite a well know simple recipe but I wanted to share just incase you haven't heard of these as they are so yummy and easy to make. There are also so many ways that you can change these up to suit your prefernces but I am going to tell you the basics of what you need. You will need: - 1 packets of rolled puff pastry - Some pizza sauce or tomato puree (we use homemade pizza sauce) - Grated cheese, the stronger the better. Extras - Ham - Pepperoni - Mushrooms - Bacon - Chorizo To make: - Preheat oven to gas mark 6/200oC - Lay out your puff pastry - Top with sauce right up to the edges - Sprinkle over you cheese, make sure it is a generous covering - Add any other topping you like - Roll the pastry from the side to create a spiral roll - Cut even section around 2 cm wide  - Place on baking tray on side and cook for around 20 minutes These are really simple to make and everyone in our house enjoys them, they...

Another day and another yummy recipe to share with you. I have loved cheese scones since I was little and I wanted to share our recipe use with you. I found a very simple recipe and tried it out with Lilly. She loved getting messy and we both enjoyed eating them. Firstly preheat your oven to 220°c / gas mark 7 Recipe: 225g Plain flour 2 1/2 Tsp Baking powder 1 pinch of salt 1 pinch of pepper 50g butter (cubed) 125g Cheddar cheese 140ml Milk Extra milk to glaze Method: 1. Place your flour into a mixing bowl and add the baking powder, salt and pepper. 2. Rub your butter into the flour mix until it resembles breadcrumbs. 3. Add your grated cheese and mix into well. 4. Pour in the milk and mix until it creates a dough consistancy. 5. Place the dough onto a floured surface and roll to about 1cm thick. 6. Cut out circular shapes and place on a greased baking tray. 7. Use the remaining dough again to make more. (I only usually roll the dough twice). 8. Place into the o...

During these difficult times trying to keep the norm is something that I am trying to do, and one way of doing that in our house is baking. We have such an easy, fool proof recipe here which consists of just 5 ingredients.  These chocolate cupcakes are so fluffy and go down a treat for a nice pudding. These are something that Lilly (aged 7 1/2) can pretty much bake on her own up until the point of putting them in the oven. Ingredients: 3 x Eggs Self raising flour - weight of eggs minus 2oz Sugar - weight of eggs Marge - weight of eggs Cocoa - 2oz Method 1. Preheat your oven to gas mark 5/190°c and line a tin with cupcake cases.  2. Mix the sugar and marge together until creamy and smooth.  3. Slowly add the eggs, one buly one, if starts to curdle add a small amount of flour. 4. Add the rest of your dry ingredients and mix together until smooth.  5. Place your mixture into the cupcake cases and place in the over for 15 minutes. 6. After 15 minutes check th...