Delicious Dozen – Bite One!

Well folks I am halfway through my first month of the Delicious Dozen challenge so I thought it was about time that I updated you on my progress so far. Also, I heard on the radio that this weekend in January is when most people give up on their New Year’s resolutions and I wanted to let you know that I am definitely not giving up!

As you know the first month of my challenge has been to learn to cook slow cooker recipes and it is definitely more of a learning curve than the baking challenge was. To kick start the challenge I bought a nice looking slow cooker recipe book at the start of the month but to be honest I haven’t cooked a single thing from it yet! Reason being I have discovered that a lot of slow cooker recipes are quite fiddly, they tell you to brown the meat, boil the liquid, cook the veg or just soak things like beans on the hob before putting them in the cooker. This just seems to defeat the purpose to me, I thought you could just throw things in and leave it!! If you have to cook things on the hob first why don’t you just cook them on the hob all together and save hours of waiting! Anyway, I have had to do quite a bit of searching online to find ‘throw and go’ recipes but thankfully the wonderful world of Pinterest has come up trumps and directed me to a lots of interesting recipes. I have now tried five different recipes (with a few tweaks) and with mixed success...

I thought I would just attach the links instead of writing out all the details or this post will be ridiculously long and boring to read!!

• Steak Pie

http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/5306/slow-cooker-steak-and-ale-pie.aspx?o_is=LV

In Scotland it is traditional to have steak pie on New Year’s day so I thought it would be a great opportunity to use the slow cooker and start the year as we mean to go on. Now I LOVE steak pie, well in particular my mum’s steak pie (I sometimes think mums have secret mum spices which go into their cooking to make things so delicious) so I was excited to try this recipe. It was...OK... maybe good but it was just a bit bland. To be fair I didn’t have any garlic powder but I think I should have just been a bit more liberal with all the herbs and spices. I am also not sure about potatoes in a steak pie? Anyway, I think the idea was good but it might not be the best recipe but there are plenty more out there for me to try.

Getting started....

Looks good but it was just a bit average.

• Maple glazed ham

http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/8254/easy-slow-cooker-ham.aspx

So, as I have told you before I have a bit of trouble with tsp and tbsp’s and that happened yet again with this recipe (I put in two tbsp’s of ginger instead of 2tsps... ooops) but thankfully it didn’t seem to matter. I read some of the comments on the recipe and took some other cooks’ advice by reducing the amount of cloves I put in. I also took the orange peel out after a few hours because the smell wasn’t very pleasant (I think it smelled a bit like sick... yuck!) Anyway, after all of that the end result was AMAZING!! I could hardly lift the ham out of the slow cooker because it was just falling apart, in fact the first time I tried to I dropped the ham back into the slow cooker, splattering liquid all over the kitchen!! Haha.

• Whole Roast Chicken

http://www.thelittlekitchen.net/whole-chicken-in-a-slow-cooker/#.UtpSyNJFDf8

Three words A-MAZ-ING!!! Seriously delicious, the meat just fell off the bone. I did make a few changes to the recipe, mainly because I didn’t have cayenne pepper, onion powder, thyme and white pepper and I also don’t like celery (who does??) so I just put sweet potatoes and normal potatoes in instead. I prepared the veg the night before and then got the chicken ready in the morning before I went to work (it took about 15-20mins). We turned the slow cooker on low at about 8am and when we look it out at 6.30pm is was perfect. It was sooooo nice to come home to the delicious chicken smell and to be able to sit down to a full roast dinner at 6.45pm on a school night!!

The meat was so tender it just fell off the bone so the chicken didn't look very appealing but it was SOOOO good. 

Good looking roast for a school night huh!

• Stuffed Peppers

     http://www.cozycountryliving.com/slow-cooker-stuffed-peppers/

This was something a bit different for us because I don’t think I have ever made stuffed peppers before but they were really nice. The meat was quite like taco filling and it made six peppers which was enough for two full meals for us. The only thing was (yet again) it could have had more flavour. I am really just starting to learn how to cook properly with herbs and spices so I can’t quite gauge the amount yet but I think in slow cooker terms more is better!

I followed the serving suggestion and had the peppers with salad and fresh crusty bread...yum!

• Porrdge

     http://growingkiwis.blogspot.co.nz/2013/05/lazy-porridge-in-slow-cooker.html

It is cold Saturday morning and I thought it would be lovely to wake up to a hearty     breakfast and it was! I put the porridge on last night and woke up to a warm bowl of loveliness this morning. I only used three cups of liquid (two water and one milk) because some comments on other recipes have said slow cooker porridge can be quite thin and watery. I also added dried cranberries which were a nice because they puff up and become sweet. I will definitely be trying this one again, I think I would make it all with milk rather than water to make it creamer. I would also add some sugar at the start of cooking because I like my porridge sweet but this recipe is a good basic porridge that you can add anything to. My husband Dave was loving it as his post-run breakfast.

Cooking the porridge in a bowl with a lid on keeps it moist and stops it burning when you cook it for so long. 

Warm cranberry yumminess!

Lesson from bite one of the delicious dozen – seasoning! I am finding my way around the herbs and spices section of the supermarket and I think if in doubt I need to throw caution to the wind and just risk it by adding more!

For the second half of the month I already have a few recipes in mind, the first being pulled pork which has been a big favourite of mine since I lived in Atlanta five years ago. I also need to get my baking fix so I am going to try some sort of cake or bake in the slow cooker.

Happy seasoning x Linds x

P.S. As you probably expected I have still been baking! I know, I have a problem. I did a great gluten free lemon cake and I tried a different cornbread muffin recipe from the Hummingbird bakery cook book which was seriously yummy.

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/5870/glutenfree-lemon-drizzle-cake

Cakes, loaves, muffins, tarts and brownies... and not a soggy bottom in sight!

I am two weeks post-baking challenge and I really miss it!! So much so that I actually made a new bake last week and have another one planned for this week... I guess I can’t stop. This got me thinking about why I love baking so much and I thought it was about time I shared my lessons learned and top tips from my 52 weeks in the kitchen so here we go:-

• Wash up as you go – this is SOOOO dull and I sound like mum (and probably your mum) but you usually need to use something more than once during your bake so just wash it up when you are finished with it and it will be ready to use again.
  
  

• You don't need expensive equipment – as much as I would LOVE a beautiful, colourful Kitchen Aid stand mixer (as seen on The Great British Bake Off) on my worktop they are nearly £400 and who has that kind money! I have managed 52 weeks of baking with cheap and cheerful bits of kit bought from supermarkets, Argos and the Pound Shop!! You can buy the basics for easy recipes like Vicky Sponge for about £15 and that will set you up for lots of other bakes too.

Bargain bits!

• Make easy recipes – as you know I am not one for fiddly recipes, I just can’t see the point in slaving over a hot oven for hours on end, why not just make something simple so you can get round to eating it quicker!

• Try to be careful with tsp and tbsp – I have no idea why the baking gods made these really important abbreviations so similar!! They could have written the tablespoons one in bold or capitals or something couldn’t they?? It is always written so small in recipes it is really easy to mix it up and I have mixed it up more than once. I need to work on this one a bit more myself.

• Baking can be expensive but it doesn’t have to be (chocolate is expensive though!) – baking every week did sometimes add up, but the basic ingredients like flour and eggs are relatively inexpensive so if like me you are trying to watch the pennies just pick things that are cheap and that go a long way. If for example you want to make a large quantity of tasty treats for a bake sale of kid’s birthday then don’t go for options like tray bakes because they use loads of chocolate which is often disproportionately expensive for the end result. I would suggest crowd pleasers like Vicky sponge, it goes a long way and no one is offended by a Vicky sponge!!

• Always check for soggy bottoms – no one likes any kind of soggy bottom so always check the bottom of pies/tarts etc. before turning off the oven. If in doubt just stick it back in the oven  for a wee while longer, you can always cover the top of the bake with tin foil or baking paper to stop it burning while it is in for extra time.

• Baking doesn't make you fat – while I will not be telling you how much I weigh, I can tell you that I do weigh less than this time last year despite all the bakes. I found that making so many cakes and treats all the time, myself and husband Dave could never get through them all so I had the chance to share them with others. My friends, family and colleagues were able to get involved with the challenge and it was really lovely to chat to them about my experiences.

• Take egg sizes seriously – I never believed this made a difference but it really does as my Yule Log (first attempt) showed. So, just use medium if it says medium, large if it says large, simple!

• Ask people to recommend recipes –I think tried and tested is always best and it is often fun to find out the stories connected to people’s fave recipes and to make them new faves of your own! Lots of online recipe websites also have review sections which can be really helpful for tips and modifications so they are also worth a read if you are looking online.

• Don't buy reusable piping bags – I haven’t used piping bags much but the few times I have I used a reusable bag and it was sooooooo hard to clean!! You can get lots of disposable bags and nozzles relatively cheaply so save yourself cleaning time and buy those. Then you can just have a brew and put your feet up instead of cleaning! 

• Ingredients don't have to be at room temperature for the recipe to work - but do always soften your butter, don't worry if you actually melt it in the microwave like I usually do, it normally still works!

Now for my best and worst awards of the challenge

• Best baking purchase of the year - cake wire – hands down the best value for money item bought this year, very useful when making big cakes http://www.lakeland.co.uk/17747/Adjustable-Cake-Wire

• Most unnecessary baking purchase of the year - cake smoother – you can just use your hands to do exactly the same, in fact you could use the same pair of hands you used to carry this item out of the shop and bake the cake! http://www.lakeland.co.uk/11906/Smoother-Polisher

• Top three bakes –
• Earl Grey Cupcakes – AMAZING icing
• All American Chocolate Chunk Cookies – sweet, salty goodness
• Victoria sponge – staple, reliable bake

• Bakes that didn’t quite go to plan –
• Boozy Raspberry Victoria Sponge – adding alcohol ad hoc to a recipe wasn’t the best idea, I should have consulted an expert
• Profiteroles – disaster start to finish... there is nothing else to say
•  Movember biscuits – these were super fun but the chocolate ones were really crumbly and didn’t all hold up to our decorations.

So there we have it, my words of wisdom (sort of) from my year of baking. I really did love my challenge, far more than I expected. I started 2013 just wanting to bake more but I ended the year not only having learnt a skill but more importantly finding an activity that I really, truly find relaxing. This might not seem like a big deal but for those of you who know me, you will know that I am a worrier, I’m so good at it that I could be a professional. You know when you are at school there are sporty types, arty types, cool people well I was an anxious type and I have practised ever since, on every topic... work, home, anything really. I would much rather be sporty or cool but there we are. Well, it seems that this baking thing suits me, I don’t worry about it, I don’t get stressed when I’m baking, I love sharing my treats with friends and I feel so lucky that baking has allowed me to get involved with a wonderful charity (Free Cakes for Kids). I don’t want to say the baking challenge has changed my life, that’s a tad dramatic, but it certainly has a enhanced it and given me worry-free time for which I am very grateful.

Thank you for reading, tasting and baking along with me for the last year. I hope you will stay with me now that I have embarked on my new Delicious Dozen Challenge. The first month is Slow Cooker by the way, I will be back on the blog soon to tell you all about it.

Happy baking, Linds xx

P.S. Here is a list of all the bakes in case you want to look back and try some.

All 52 glorious bakes together at last!

1. Banana bread
2. Mary Berry's chocolate and vanilla marble loaf
3. Lemon drizzle cake
4. Victoria sandwich
5. Berry buttermilk muffins
6. Triple chocolate chunk muffins
7. Buttermilk scones
8. Red velvet cake
9. Naughty chocolate fudge cake
10. Cheese scones
11. Nutella swirl banana muffins
12. All American chocolate chunk cookies
13. Carrot cupcakes
14. Apples loaf
15. Apricot flapjack
16. Double chocolate flapjack
17. Amazing chocolate cupcakes
18. Banana, brown sugar and pecan muffins
19. Raspberry muffins
20. Guinness Cake
21. Profiteroles
22. Nigella Nutella cheesecake
23. Ice cream cupcakes
24. Apple and cinnamon struesel cake
25. Crunchy apple and raspberry crumble
26. Banana peanut butter muffins
27. Best-ever brownies
28. Millionaires shortbread
29.  Lemon curd and blueberry loaf cake
30. Banoffee Pie
31. Beer Bread
32. Baked lemon cheesecake with baked plums and blackberries
33.  Rocky Road
34. Orange and white chocolate cake
35. Boozy raspberry Victoria sponge
36. Princess Castle Cake
37. Mississippi Mud Pie
38. Chocolate bread and butter pudding
39. Teisen Cariad (Love Cake)
40. Malteser and Mint Aero Traybakes
41. Cake Pops!
42. The humble white loaf
43. Rosemary and Sea Salt Focaccia
44. Earl Grey Cupcakes
45. Movember Moustache Biscuits
46. Cornbread Muffins
47. Chocolate Chunk Pecan Pie
48. Clootie Dumpling
49. Yule Log
50. Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
51. Apple Tart and Tunis Cake
52. Christmas Chocolate Cake House, Cranberry and Orange Muffins and Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

Beyond the Cake Tin: The Delicious Dozen Challenge!

Happy New Year! I hope you had a fantastic evening of celebrations to round off 2013. I had a lovely quiet evening with a few close friends celebrating what has been a caketastic, icing covered year. The end of my baking challenge yesterday was a huge milestone for me. I was proud, and slightly relieved to have made it through the 52 weeks and to be able to call myself an amateur baker. In the next few days I will try to think of the things I’ve learnt and the top tips I have picked up along the way so I can share them with you. For now though, seeing as it is the first day of the New Year I, like many others am looking forward to what’s to come...

Over the last few weeks many blog readers have asked me what I was going to do in 2014, was I going to carry on baking, take on a new challenge or just put my feet up for a rest? If I’m honest, my first instinct was to plan to just sit down with a nice brew but as I said in my final baking challenge post I am addicted, not just to the baking but surprisingly to the challenge as well. It has been great having a fun hobby all year that I can share with my family, friends and colleagues. 

So it was time to set a new goal, I’ve considered many options from knitting to letter writing, and reading the classics to exploring new towns in Scotland but in the end I came back to the kitchen. Sadly, over the past 52 weeks I have had to come to the conclusion that a girl cannot live on cake alone!!!!! I know, I know it is devastating.With this in mind I have decided that it is about time that I learnt to cook so I am setting myself The Delicious Dozen Challenge. Over the next year I am going to try to tackle 12 different areas/cuisines (one per month) so I can improve (or in some cases start from scratch) my culinary skills. 

After much debate, the 12 areas/themes I am going to attempt are (in no particular order);

• Slow cooker dishes
• Indian
• Mexican
• British classics
• Legendary chefs
• Chinese
• Deep South USA 
• Dinners on a budget
• Italian 
• BBQ 
• Quick and easy meals
• Brunch 

I have no idea how this is going to go but as with the baking challenge I am going to try to ignore the fear and do it anyway! I will try to make a few dishes each month and post the successes and failures as regularly as I can.

Wish me luck as I leave being the safety of muffins, scones and Vicky sponges....

Linds x

P.S Don’t worry, I am still going to bake, I can’t give it up now, I have icing running through my veins! So I will also try to keep you up-to-date about the bakes too.