Classic Caggs

A friend sent me this recipe  after I'd arranged a few weeks ago to meet up with him to hear all about his life. The evening came and he definitely hadn't forgotten the brownie and salted caramel delights he had messaged me about.  Of course we made them, and of course they were everything we had hoped they would be (and more). Sure, one bite and you know any healthy eating you have ever done in your life EVER is ruined, but they are so flipping delicious who cares! They're rich and sweet as well so that you really can only eat one cookie sandwich at a time. Which I can assure you in these circumstances is a good thing. You'll get about 14 sandwiches (i.e. 28 brownie circles) out of this recipe, so if you don't fancy sandwiching them together (which is magic, so why wouldn't you) you do end up with a lovely big batch of soft and chocolatey brownies.  To make brownie and salted caramel cookie sandwiches you will need: 1/2 cup of salted butter...

This week was my Mum's birthday. I made her a gluten free birthday cake so that all of us (even those gluten intolerant in the family) could enjoy it. The cake is best enjoyed with a good dollop of mascarpone (or clotted cream, seeing as I'm are from the Westcountry) because it is so lemony! I used the BBC Good Food recipe, but adjusted the quantities of polenta and ground almonds.  Because you boil the lemons that go into the cake to make them blend-able, the cake takes a couple of hours to complete - just to forewarn you! To make a gluten free lemon polenta cake you will need: 2 lemons (you'll actually need a total of 3 as you also need one for the drizzle!) 140g soft butter 250g caster sugar 3 eggs 150g polenta 225g ground almonds 1 tsp baking powder 140g caster sugar The juice of 1 lemon Mascarpone or clotted cream to serve Begin by popping your 2 lemons in a saucepan, covering with boiling water and leaving to simmer with a lid over...

There were a load of bananas sat on the side in the kitchen that needed to be used up - a scenario that's happened before ! Banana bread by itself doesn't go down very well with my housemates, so I decided to make a chocolate version instead. And to rebrand it as a cake-bread. I discovered earlier this week that I own some measuring cups, so I was able to trial a Zoe Bakes recipe using them. I don't own a bread tin in my uni house however and so had to resort to using a 20cm cake tin. Zoe suggests that the nutella banana bread takes 45 minutes to bake in the two bread tins; in a cake tin it is closer to an hour. To make nutella banana bread you will need: 3 or 4 over-ripe bananas 2 tsp vanilla extract 2 large eggs 1/2 cup of milk 1/2 cup of melted butter 1 cup of packed brown sugar 3 cups of plain flour 3 tsp baking powder 1 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 cup of nutella Preheat the oven to 170C and grease and line the bread tins or the round cake tin. Mash the banan...

The title "cauliflower pizza" doesn't sound enormously exciting; it's actually the base that is cauliflower which means it is delightfully gluten free! The method is super easy and quicker than making a dough pizza base that requires resting and kneading.  I topped the cauliflower pizza base with red onion, red pepper, cherry tomatoes and beetroot which made for a nice light supper. To make a cauliflower pizza base you will need: 1 cauliflower 1 egg A handful of grated cheese - either parmesan or cheddar 1 garlic clove, crushed Pinch of oregano Topping of your choice Preheat the oven to 180C and lie a piece of greaseproof paper in a pizza or baking tray Start by grating the cauliflower - ideally grate into a container than has a slight lip to it and is quite a bit bigger than the grater as it goes everywhere (as an example, I used a big baking tray). Pour the grated cauliflower into a container that can be microwaved and microwave on full power f...

Last week I arranged to have a friend over for tea and cake; she said that her favourite treat  would be a banoffee pie. I made a really easy version for her so that if she ever wanted to make one in her kitchen in uni accommodation then she would be able to. To make an ultra-easy banoffee pie you will need: 75g salted butter 200g digestive biscuits 1 tin of caramel sauce - you can get Carnation condensed milk versions that are perfect! 2 bananas 150ml double or whipping cream Chocolate sprinkles Melt the salted butter in a saucepan or the microwave. Crush the biscuits in a sealed sandwich bag and stir this into the melted butter. Press the buttery biscuit into a tin with a loose bottom (this means you are able to get the banoffee pie out once all the layers are finished!) Pop in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Pour the caramel sauce over the set base. Slice the banana and layer this over the caramel. Whisk the cream and smother over the b...

Tonight was my night to cook in our little rota. Cathy told me after I'd planned the meal that the one food she really dislikes in beetroot….oops.  I decided that rather than boiling the beetroots to soften them for the recipe I would bake them to make them a little sweeter and (hopefully) more palatable for a beetroot-hater. After clearing her plate she announced that she now liked beetroot. Phew.  The quantities feed five - adjust accordingly! To make roast beetroot risotto you will need: 3 uncooked beetroots Splash of oil 1 red onion (chopped) 1 garlic clove (crushed) 2 glasses of red wine 2 vegetable stock cubes A kettle of water (as much as is needed! Approx 1.5L) 450g risotto 1 tbsp butter Handful of grated parmesan Preheat the oven to 200C. Peel and slice the beetroot into half if little and quarters if large. Wrap in silver foil, drizzle with some oil and bake in the oven for 25 minutes. In the meantime,...

This week I made a supper I just had to tell you about. I visited the supermarket at the perfect time, just as all the reduced food for the day was being put out, and managed to grab a piece of cod for 80p. EIGHTY PENCE! My housemate had a lonely half of butternut squash that he gave to me; that paired with some sage from my garden at home and it was a match made in heaven! After a total of 30 minutes in the oven I had a lovely, healthy supper waiting for me.  I think this supper made me so happy just because it was cheap but delicious! Simple as that! Obviously this meal serves one, just increase it to the number of mouths you need to feed! To make baked cod with sage butternut squash you will need: A piece of cod (or any other white fish) Squeeze of half a lemon + a slice to bake in the foil Half a butternut squash A few sage leaves Drizzle of oil Preheat the oven to 180C. Lie the fish fillet onto some silver foil and squeeze the lemon over it. Place a...