Big Bad Boy Burgers

As a non-lover of burgers I'm going to open with a bold statement : this is the best burger combination I've tasted yet! As with all culinary experiments it can be hit or miss but this was certainly a hit in our household last night. What was due to be a pot of mince turned into burgers simply 'cause the sun popped out - beef is versatile that way :)

To make these Big Bad Boy Burgers I added one medium sized, whole chopped red chilli (including seeds), to approximately 1 large tablespoon of onion salt, 3 teaspoons of paprika and half a clove of crushed garlic. I then mixed this into the minced beef along with one egg and lay to rest for 5 - 10 minutes whilst I prepared my side (on this occasion it was roasted veg but you decide!)

After ten minutes or so I patted the beef mix into four equal(ish) burgers and began to fry for 15-20 minutes until cooked. Half way through I added two rashers of smoked bacon to the pan on a whim- a good whim at that! (Make sure the bacon gets nice and crispy.... )

As if this combination couldn't get any better, I then LIGHTLY coated the inside of the burger buns with a garlic and herb cream cheese instead of butter, mayo or marg.

To serve I added pickled gherkins to the top of the bun with a cocktail stick (to show at a glance which had the double burger and which with the single but they taste good too) and Chipotle dressing to our side of roasted veg.

As I said, I'm not a fan of burgers but there were 4 thumbs up in our household of 2 , and I now regret not taking a doubler...

What happened to that one rogue burger that was? Well, I saved it for my lunch today and was the envy of my colleagues :) play about with this one, add more or less spice to suit and for you heat freaks try add a Scotch Bonnet to the mix, let me know how you go!

Happy springtime everyone, here's to many more burgers and BBQ-able delights! x

Restaurant Review: CLC Duchally Country Estate

I just wanted to write a short post about our fantastic food experience yesterday at Duchally Country Estate, Perthshire.

Hubs and I spent the afternoon soaking away the weekly stresses in the pool, steam room, sauna and jacuzzi which were all lovely. The leisure facilities were quiet, clean and enjoyable and the wider estate was sleepy and visually appealing, styled in a modern country chic design.

However, the really impressive aspect of the estate for us, was the restaurant bar! Upon entry the restaurant looks nothing more than a well presented lounge with a small bar offering a wide selection of drinks and spirits on the left. We anticipated typical pub grub style food, which in many aspects was on offer, however for me the 'clean', tastey nature of this grub was what caught my attention and taste buds this most.

Simple dishes like seafood chowder, stuffed potato skins, beef burger and steak baguette are all too often ruined by lack of love, over cooking and drab side garnishes but here at Duchally Estate each dish tasted like the first of the day from Chef. Basic ingredients such as bread were light and fluffy with and outer crisp crust and even our shared side of onion rings were deep fried but not greasy! From homemade, thick cut chips to significantly sized side salads, "fresh" and "flavoursome" are the words I'd use to describe.

The catch? Well, the menu is a tad overpriced than most, but when you consider the surroundings and quality I'd more than recommend passing on your usual haunt this week and spending the extra on a truly special meal here. Take a look at what's on offer here for yourself:  http://www.duchally.co.uk/restaurant/ 

Enjoy!! X

Product Review: Ainsley Harriott's Moroccan Tagine Dinner Kit

Hi folks- as you may have guessed, more often than not, I'm a 'from scratch' kinda girl. I make my own sauces, utilise herbs and natural ingredients for flavour and don't much trust what these corporate companies put in a jar or sachet so I was reluctant to try these dinner kits... however on some weekday nights a short cut is a must!

I won't go into the instructions of what I did or what to do (the back of the pack does a really good, easy to read, job of that) but what I would say is I'm mega impressed by what I produced and loved the flavours in this dish, as well as the level of heat without being too spicy.

Simple to follow, very tasty and filling is what this dinner kit was all about, with numbered packets and a step by step guide - it was ready under half an hour!

There are three kits in this range... A Lebanese Kofta and Spanish Paella sit alongside. I will be buying minced lamb later in the week to try the Kofta Kit so will report back then! (From a non- lamb lover it will be hit or miss).

I would thoroughly recommend these kits to anyone who is short of time or even fancies something different for dinner one night - the flavours are fabulous! Let me know what you think...

Happy Monday x

Note: these kits were purchased by me and I was not sponsored to review Ainsley Harriott's Moroccan Tagine  Dinner Kit.

Jazz Up Brunch with Worcester Sauce Mushrooms

This one does not need a lot of explaining nor a lot of raving about - they speak for themselves once tasted.

If you're bored of your traditional morning fry up or fancy adding a bit of zing to your Sunday brunch then look no further than your mushrooms! Whether you are using little button mushrooms or BIG Portobellos they are magnificent sponges for sooking up flavour!

Simply fry in a little salted butter, in a scorching hot pan, for 30 seconds or so and then lash on Worcestershire Sauce all over. This should bubble and hiss immediately due to the heat of the pan. Another 30 seconds -1 minute in frying time and you should be left with no residue and a dark caramel brown colour to your 'shrooms.

The above advice is based on cooking button or chopped mushrooms... for big flat mushrooms I would recommend pricking the base a few times with a cocktail stick or fork, and letting the sauce soak in through the black, open top for at least 5 minutes before cooking. Then grill. Same great taste only on a bigger scale!

One last point to note, is if you are frying your mushrooms then consider doing it in the same pan as your bacon was cooked- this just gives added flavour (particularly smoked bacon) and texture from the remains in the pan latching on to these beautiful wee beasts.

Enjoy! x 

Turn Up The Heat with a Meaty Masculine Valentines Meal

They say the way to a man's heart is through his belly. Well when better to pass through than on Valentines Day? When best to show it's not just a day for girls, it's not just about dainty candle lit dinners for 2 - it can be about hand held food that covers your face in Love Red sauce and leaves you licking your fingers after! Yeah, you probably guessed this isn't one for first dates.....

Inspired by Subway's Meatball Marinara and their BMT I created a pre -valentino meatball sub for hubz and I. The beauty of this is it's really simple to make, it can suit lunch or dinner, you can homemake as much or as little as you like, you can make it as spicy as you like and it's all ready in under 30 minutes!

First start my making your tomato based sauce. Fling in what you really like here- I'm talking chillies, spices, garlic, vinegar, beef stock....the lot! Anything goes really but for mine I chopped two small red onions, added half a red chilli, 1 large glove of garlic crushed and allowed these to soften for a few minutes in a small amount of oil. To this I then added 1 tin of chopped tomatoes, half a tablespoon of sugar, half a beef stock cube, 1 tablespoon of wostershire sauce and 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. Let this simmer for 10 minutes.

Whilst the sauce is simmering place 12 good quality beef meatballs into the oven at 190 for 20 minutes (turning half way through). You can make your own meatballs if you have time and really want to impress!

Return to your sauce, taste it. Does it need anything more? At this point I added a little salt to mine and "the kicker", Scotch Bonnet Sauce by the The Whiskey Sauce Co. I went for medium heat on this but as I said, you can really crank it up should you wish.... ;)

Just before the meatballs are due to come out the oven, slice your baguette and melt some strong cheddar cheese on one side in the oven also. You then want to layer the baguette with some deli meat- I chose Spanish chorizo and salami, 2 slices of each on each baguette.

Now assemble! Warning: in just a minute your going to get messy! So don't worry about prettying it up. I served this with sliced pickled gerkins but why not add homemade coleslaw or fries?

Whatever you cook this Valentine's Day- enjoy it and don't forget your napkin!

Big love x

Campsite Style Salmon- at home!

I guess this could easily fall into the category of Solo Suppers as recently launched by What Claire Baked (go check her out!) But this was an impromptu dinner 'pour une' tonight and so I had to be creative. The name of the game on weekday evenings for me is quick, tastey and filling so this adaptation of a campsite classic worked a treat!

I buy fish fillets frozen by the bagful. They are cheap, good quality and easy to prepared (simply defrost, so no need to skin or debone). Typically, I drizzle a bit of lemon on my salmon or tuna fillets, oven bake and then serve with potatoes or salad but tonight I didn't want to faff about with pots, boiling water, salad items and a peeler so I came up with this...

To make your campsite fish dish (at home) first, place your fillet on a tin foil sheet, create a good old trusty tin foil pocket, squeeze fresh lemon juice all over and grind some black pepper- it was salmon tonight. I also added some left over spring onions to the pocket tonight. Cook at around 160 for 9 minutes.

For the side, Morrisons are doing these really neat wee tins of pre-mixed beans which could be added to salads, stews or casseroles. I chose to add half a can of white bean mix to my tin foil parcel after the 9 minutes were up and squeezed remaining juice from the lemon wedge on to them with a dash of salt. I returned this to the oven for 4 minutes and hey presto- job done!

Easy!

I can confirm it was quick, tastey and filling but even if u added a whole tin of beans to this dish they are super healthy!

Whatever you are making, enjoy your weekday supper! I'd love to hear what's cooking in your kitchen tonight....x

Easy Lunchtime Tartlets

Getting bored of soup and sandwiches for lunch? Yeah me too, so I'm experimenting with easy to assemble finger food, or more substantial bites which can be made the night before. These quick and easy tartlets can be made with any filling of your choice and take minutes to prepare!

Start with a packet of shortcrust pastry (why not make your own if you have the time?) and decide what filling you fancy on the inside. I opted for red onion and goats cheese and jazzed these tasty bites up by caramelising the red onion in a raspberry balsamic and sugar reduction, this took about 8 - 10 minutes and I would advice the same if stir frying vegetables before adding them to the pastry too.

Whilst your 'base' is frying off, roll out the pastry and use cookie cutters to trim out your lunchtime biscuits. A 500g pack will give you around 15-20 snack sized tarts. Once the pastry was cut, I laid them onto a lined baking tray and 'prodded' them (it's a technical term!) with my finger to create a sort of well for my remaining ingredients.

All that's left to do now is place your fillings of choice onto the pastry base and cook at 180 for around 10 minutes. If you wanted to, you could cut the pastry into larger pieces and seal the fillings in 'bridie-stylie'.

I packed 3 of these small tartlets in for lunch at work today, added to a side salad dressed with lemon juice. It was fresh, filling but smoothly comforting also. A winner for me.

Happy experimenting x