making a pot of sweet potato chilie and trying to find my granola recipe. did a tasty batch of garlic rosemary croûtons earlier, they are super easy.

GARLIC ROSEMARY CROÛTONS
thinly slice 1 baguette(i use the par baked ones, if you can score stale ones from the store even better.) try and get the slices like 1/4 of an inch kind of thin. the thinner the better.
lay the slices out on a baking tray
brush olive oil over the tops with a pastry brush
sprinkle garlic powder, parsley flakes, rosemary, sea salt and black pepper over top of the slices
bang in the oven and cook until golden brown

great with soup. i give them to my kid when he wants a snack. you can crunch them up and sprinkle over baked homemade mac and cheese too- very tasty.

what if you don't have a pastry brush? in a large bowl pour in some olive oil and the rest of the listed ingredients, dump the bread slices in and mix everything around with a spoon. this method works a bit better when making stale bagel croûtons.
when cool store in an airtight container.

guess what- chicken butt. i don't have a recipe for that. yes it's been awhile. i've been busy doing the art thing. still cooking up a storm i just don't have time to post all the treats. right now i'm off to eat some cheesecake and then back to house work. will try to post more in the new year. promise

yes, it's been awhile i know. things are busy over here. i have like 2 online shops and 4 different blogs plus a 3year old to take care of. eventually i'll post here more, probably after christmas. i have been cooking up a storm as always. my new thing is making jam. i've made pineapple lime and strawberry/lime/mint recently. they were awesome. i had a request for chili so here you go.
i've used this recipe to make a good sweet potato chili
it needs some adjustments that i don't have time to post right now. you also don't need a crock pot, i just do mine in a pot on the stove.

beef chili
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ground beef- two fists full
1 small onion chopped
1/2 pepper(any color) chopped
1 can chopped tomato
1 can kidney beans
beef stock cube
chili powder
garlic powder/onion powder
tomato paste

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list of optional things
ground cumin
chipotle flakes
lime juice- splash
cayenne pepper
can of beer
fresh chopped garlic
cilantro flakes
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medium heat your pot with a little oil, add the beef, onions and peppers, stir around. you want to brown the meat. when the meat is about half way cooked, add all your spices/seasonings. when the meat is good and brown add the beans, tomato paste and tomatoes. now you can either add a tomato can worth of water or a tomato can worth of beer. turn the heat down to low and let simmer on the stove for a few hours. when it's nice and thick, eat. make a box of jiffy corn bread to go with it.
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with  your spices you want about a tablespoon of the chili powder and 1/2 teaspoons of the other stuff. go easy on the cayenne pepper, just a super tiny amount if you don't like spicy food.
i usually get 4 servings, freezes great

i'm on vacation, back in novemberish

yes i'm still here and yes i'm cooking like crazy. today's adventure was making brownies from scratch. i think i cooked them a bit too long but the end result is edible. i got a basic recipe off of allrecipes and then modded it.
brownies
the recipe i went with is
1/2 cup sugar
1cup flour
1/3cup coco powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup veg oil
2 eggs
1 tablespoon golden syrup(corn syrup/karo syrup)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

i mixed the dry and in a different bowl i mixed the wet. then i dumped the wet into the dry and mixed them together. i dumped the batter into my 9X9 greased baking dish. cook at 350degreeF(180degreeC) for 25min

stupidly easy and will fix that chocolate craving.

i did a mexican night a few weeks ago when we had quests over. i finally found a white sauce like the kind we get at the local mexican place. it's super easy and delicious. good with plain old corn chips
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Mexican-White-Sauce/Detail.aspx
i also did some spanish rice to go in the burritos. i used 1 cup of rice with 2 cups of water, this was more than enough for 4 adults

1 cup of rice
2 cups of water
1 green bell pepper diced up
1 small onion diced up
cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, tomato paste, black pepper
i put everything in a sauce pan with a little oil except the water and tomato paste
i saute the stuff until the veg starts to soften up. then i add the water and the tomato paste. bring to boil and then turn down to low, simmer off the water like cooking regular rice.

raw sauce. i am intruged by this recipe. someone posted it up on the bored housewife forum the other day. i think i will make this weekend
raw sauce (tomatoes, green peppers, squash, onions, basil and sea salt, all blended into a chunky sauce) with a sprinkle of feta.)
i have all of those things. you serve it over pasta i guess.
today i am making ratatouille. i'll do jon a chicken breast(marinated in balsamic salad dressing, wrapped in foil and baked in the oven)
the ham hash brown quiche the other night was a big hit.

i made this today
ham hash brown quiche
recipe mod: i made my own hash browns since this is england and the frozen hash browns here just aren't right. plus there are none in my freezer and i wasn't going all the way to the store when i have a load of potatoes already. so i got 3 medium sized potatoes, peeled them and grated them with my cheese grater. easy. i browned them up in my stainless steel frying pan. i also used red peppers instead of green and skipped the mushrooms- we're all out. i think that's it, i pretty much followed the recipe. oh i left out salt. i figured the ham was salty enough. husband should be home shortly to eat it. i have no clue what i am having for dinner. i think maybe french fries and curry sauce.

there's a lot of food in my fridge. my fridge is unhappy. things are not being eaten. i had a big container of plums on my counter for like 2 weeks, no one was eating them. i cut them up and made plum sauce. i'll put that in the freezer and thaw as needed. it mixes nicely with yogurt. i am also making a batch of strawberry sauce.
how do you make fruit sauce? a refresher for those who are new
fruit sauce: plum
cut your plums in half, remove the stone, cut the halves into smaller chunks. place fruit chunks in a sauce pan with a little bit of water. turn the burner on medium, bring the pan to a boil. reduce the heat to low. cook long enough that all the fruit is soft. remove from heat and let cool. blend with your stickblender. stir into plain yogurt and eat. you can also make all fruit popsicles.
fruit sauce: strawberries
wash and hull your strawberries. put in a sauce pan with a little water. turn the heat on to medium, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat. let cool, blend with the stick blender. super easy, just like the plum sauce.