Roasted Stuffed Pork Loin...

This is a really Autumnal feeling kind of dish...It's tasty, uses few ingredients and o top of all that, it's quick enough for a midweek dinner...

Stuffed Aubergines...

So after a bit of a break in transmission...the last recipe I posted was way back in August...so almost 3 months ago...I decided to get my butt in gear and get posting...I have 6 recipes all waiting o have photos edited and words typed...so here is the first of those, a simple veggie supper that we really enjoyed...

Ooops!!

It appears the missing photos are most likely (ok definately) my fault...I was clearing up my albums on my mobile, and seem to have deleted my Picassa Web albums linked to the blog...so now need to go through and reinsert them all!!! In all 170 odd posts...

So keep with me guys, it's gonna take a while but I will get there...

Sx

Please be patient...

...I am having a few photo issues with Blogger right now...and although you can read the recipes, none of the picture-by-picture steps seem to be showing!!!

Have tried to contact Blogger, but no reply or reason as yet...in fact I had to delete and reload the background and banner to make them work this morning...and really don't relish the thought of doing the same for all the pictures in over 100 posts!!!

If anyone has any idea what may have happened and/or why please let me know...

But in the meantime don't stop watching Sew Appetising...there will be new posts soon...once technical difficulties are sorted!!

Thanks Sx

11th Birthday cake part 2......a "Tatty Teddy" Cake...

As the older of the 2 Smallish Ones has a birthday that falls in the Summer Holidays, we always celebrate twice...once with friends...and cake number 1...and once with family...on the actual day...and of course, this means a second cake...

Mini Victoria Sandwiches...

I treated myself to a new tin a while back from the fab Lakeland (one of my fave stores!!) and have only just gotten around to trying it out!! 

Prawn and Courgette Curry...

This recipe is an old one that I got from Good Food Magazine last Summer, and had

forgotten about until fancying a prawn curry the other day!!
It is great for using up a glut of courgettes...and is a lighter, Summery curry...this recipe serves 2, but is easily doubled...

Summery Chicken Pesto Pasta...

...I found this recipe in one of the many foodie magazines that I enjoy reading...and thought it would be ideal as a quick, no-fuss, summery supper dish...and one that (potentially) we would all enjoy...

Pork Mince Keema...

Lisa Faulkner style...I got around to making another dish from Lisa Faulkner's book the other day, a Keema style Lamb curry that is mild enough for the whole family, but adaptable if you fancy it with a little (or a lot) more heat!!!

I'm in a magazine...

...This Months issue of Making Magazine to be precise...they have a reader's makes section every issue and I'm in there with the Pillow Mat I made!! It's quite hard to see, but I'm there at the very bottom of the right hand corner...!!

A Giant Cupcake for an 11th Birthday...

...I took my inspiration for this cake from Jo Wheatley's great new book "A Passion for Baking"...and a variation can also be found on Jo's Blog, "Jo's Blue Aga"...I got the book a month ago as a belated birthday present to myself!! That same day, both my Smallish Ones poured over the pages, ooohing and aaahing and choosing various bakes for us to try...one of which was this cake...

Nigella's Saffron Chicken Pilaf...

 The week before last I was feeling down with the terrible weather we've been having this "Summer" so was flicking through some of my cookbooks looking for something light and Summery to cheer me up, and I came across this...

Wrapped and Stuffed Chicken Breasts...

...and I have to say right away they were delicious!! No beating about the bush with these, all of us devoured them...yup, that's right ALL of us (including the 2 Small Ones!!!). 

Marbled Cheesecake Brownies...

...a little square of chocolatey cheesecake heaven...Now all us here at Sew Appetising love a brownie of three!! But we also quite like a decent bit of cheesecake too...so what could be more perfect than a sneaky combo combining both?

Parma Ham Wrapped Cod...

...this has been on my list of "to cook" recipes for a while now, and I finally got around to it last night!!

Herman the German...the Strawberry and Dark Chocolate one...

...as I mentioned in the previous post about my Lemon Drizzle Herman, I am determined to be a bit adventurous with my Herman Friendship Cakes...I have to date tried 4 flavours...my favourites being the original and the Lemon Drizzle...but this one comes a close second...

Herman the German...the Lemon one...

...I was determined to try something a bit different with my next Herman starter...and

after a few hours going through all the sites with recipes for all the varieties already tried I decided upon a classic Lemon Drizzle Herman as experiment number 1...

Chewy Cereal Bars with a "Tweak"...

...a while ago I posted the recipe for my home-made Chewy Cereal Bars...which are lovely (even if I do say so myself) and get made every other week in our house!!! But I decided enough was enough..I needed to have a little play around with the idea...

Smoked Salmon and King Prawn Pasta...

...we haven't tried many new recipes here recently, as I've been trying to clear the freezer out, so using up half portions of bits and pieces...and then we were away for nearly a week...so no cooking at all...but school is back, work is back and routine is back...

Just a quick hello...

...to say I am still here, but have had a very busy couple of weeks, including almost a week away...hence the lack of new recipes and posts on the blog...
However, I do have some garden updates in the pipeline (the tremendous amount of rain we've had has done all sorts to the garden and veggies!!) and am baking another, different Herman tomorrow (all will be revealed then)...plus with school going back this coming week there will be lunch box bakes (still deciding what to do) to make and bake...so am hoping all will become as it was...and the blog will have posts aplenty in the coming weeks...
Keep watching and tuning in...xx

Chicken, Bacon, Peas and Lettuce...

...does it sound intriguing? It was a meal I made based upon a meal I had at PAs Wine Bar in Mumbles South Wales last week...the actual meal was Monkfish and King Prawns in a creamy, French Peas and Bacon inspired sauce...which I thought would translate rather well to chicken...

Chocolate Chip Herman...

...Part 2 of "The Herman Adventure"...using the portion of the original Herman the German Friendship Cake starter that I popped in the fridge whilst we were away for a long weekend...

Herman The German Friendship Cake...

...the other day (well 12 days ago to be precise!) Hubby came home from work clutching an old chinese take-away carton wrapped in a plastic bag and fastened tightly with an elastic band...

Coconut Milk Cake...

...have had my eye on this one for a while now...I got Marion Keyes new recipe book "Saved by Cake" out of the local library a few weeks ago, and have only just found some time to bake one of the cakes from it...

Sausage and Roasted Veg Pasta...

...made with leftover sausages and Med Veg from a weekend BBQ...after all, we're in a double dip recession now apparently, so definitely up for the "Waste Not, Want Not" challenge these days...

Aubergine and Lentil Daal...

and day 5 of 5 in our 'National Vegetarian Week Challenge" (yes, I know 5 days do not make a week...but prior engagements meant 5 days were the most we would manage)...this is an old favourite of ours...and one of my most made 'veggie meals'...it's actually called a 'curry' in the book I got the original recipe from, but in my mind the texture is more of a daal...hence my name for the dish...

Mushroom Risotto...

...or is it!?!?...We are up to day 4 of 5 in my National Vegetarian Week Challenge...A week full of Meat-Free meals...and so far so good...This one is a bit like a risotto, but not!! There is a slight twist in the recipe...

North African Squash and Chickpea Stew...

...I'm not actually convinced by the name of this dish...it is actually a soup-ish recipe, and in fact if I was going to name it, I might be tempted to use the word broth in there somewhere...and it is so much more than just squash and chickpeas, for a start there are lentils and orzo in there too...So what would it be called? 

The Best Ever Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies...

...or at least that's what my two Smallish People call them!! Although I think I may just have to agree with them!!

Chewy Cereal Bars...

...this is basically a tray-bake...but one with a purpose...it is there to pick you up mid-morning if you skipped (or didn't have time for) breakfast (not that I am advocating missing your brekkie in any way shape or form!!)...or it is simply a different type of breakfast, one that you pick up and run with...(again, not advocating running whilst eating!)...as in a "take-it-and-go" style brekkie...That said, it is also a delicious after school snack too...

Quinoa with Courgettes and Onions...

...not exactly an inspiring title to a vegetarian dish is it?!? But the fact that it had quinoa (one of my two fave ingredients at the moment) in it caught my eye, which is why I decided to give it a go last night for dinner...

Pesto Pasta Pronto...

...are you in need of a super speedy supper dish? Then this is the one for you...

National Vegetarian Week...

It's National Vegetarian Week...and here at Sew Appetising we are attempting a Meat-Free Monday to Friday...The menu is all planned and I am off to buy the ingredients this morning...

Rocky Road Chocolate Brownie Bites...

...in our house we are suckers for chocolate goodies...especially most variations of brownies...so as we are visiting friends this weekend, I thought some brownies would be a nice gift to take along...but I wanted to up the stakes slightly, I wanted a smaller bite-sized brownie...and possibly one with a topping (or two!!) I remembered a "hot brownie muffin" recipe form one of Small Ones cookbooks, but it was more of a hot pudding, but I was confident that I could 'tweak' away at it until it was what I wanted...

The Garden Chronicles...Part 3

Wow! It's been two weeks since the last Garden Chronicles update...and lots has happened in the garden since then...

Loving my garden right now...

...to many it may look as if it's full of weeds...but I much prefer the term "wild flowers" or "native flowers"...some of our most common weeds are often the prettiest...the ones that all those prim and proper gardeners like to dispense with as quick as they can...

Focaccia...

My bread-machine cheat method...I haven't made Focaccia before...so was pleasantly surprised by how easy this method was...

Mexican Feast...

...we had another of our 'Dinner In' with friends last night...this time the theme was Mexican Feast Night...

Chicken Tinga Taco Filling...

This is another dish from my favourite cookery book at the moment Thomasina Miers' Mexican Food Made Simple...where it is called Spicy Bird Taco Filling

Simple Roast Tomato Salsa...

...I don't like tomatoes when they are raw in salads or sandwiches, but this salsa gets you to dry roast them in a pan before using...

Med Veg and Chickpea One-Pot...

...this is such a fab midweek meal...all in the one-pot (apart from the couscous) and so easy to make...

Picadillo

It was an impressive and somewhat strange set of ingredients that I found in front of me yesterday when I got all set up and ready to make the Picadillo from Thomasina Miers' Mexican Food Made Simple...

Chocolate Sables...

...via Edd (The Boy Who Bakes) Kimber...Wow! that is all I can say...they are delicious...if you like chocolatey things...as they are indeed very chocolatey...in fact, they should probably be renamed too, as there is a hidden ingredient in them that really comes to play once baked and tasted...

Remember the Rainbow Cookies?...

...I think it's probably hard to not remember them...they were rather bright after all...look, here they are... and here's a photo to jog your memory...just in case...

The Making of a Madeira Cake...

...this is one cake that I love to eat, but have never attempted to make before today...


There are so many marvellously rich and complex cakes out there, but I often crave the buttery, lusciousness of a thick slice of 'Plain' Madeira Cake...I find there is no other 'plain' cake like it...moist, yellow and totally addictively delicious, loved by all our family...and to my shame I have to say I always buy mine!!! But not today....today I have set myself the challenge of baking one with my own fair hands...

Weekly Bake-Off Challenge #5...

...and this one was just in time for my birthday...

My Cupcake Adventure...

...well, more of an experiment really I suppose, but adventure sounds better!!! As it is The Queen's Diamond Jubilee coming up and then The Olympics here in London...I thought I would get a bit of patriotic practice in...(oh yes and it's my birthday this weekend, so an even better excuse to make cakes!!) 

Strawberry Creams with...

Vanilla Shortbread...This is a re-working of this recipe that I first tried over the Easter Holiday...the original was very popular, and has been requested again since then, but the Small Ones aren't too keen on Rhubarb, so I decided with it being the start of Early Strawberry Season I would make it with beautiful fresh strawberries instead...and i have entered this recipe into June's Challenge at Have the Cake...

The Garden Chronicles...Part 2

There has been a fair bit of growing going on in the garden and mini greenhouse this last week...but I am a bit worried that all the rain we have been getting is water logging some of the seeds sown directly into the soil, and potentially rotting them!! I guess time will tell...

Thai-Style(ish) Meatballs...

...and Stir-Fried Noodles too...I fancied something a little different to the usual stir-fried noodles I do as a midweek dinner...so I went on a hunt through all my cookbooks for something that would hit the spot, and this is what I found...

#4 Saturday Night...means...

...It's "Fake-Away" night...you know what I mean, a "take-away" made by you...or in this case, me...