Tag: Easy

Posted in Organizing, The Recipes

The Best & Easiest Dundee Cake Part 2

Posted on by dutchessofpimlico


Simply take…

Part 1 repeated…

In a large bowl take
1lb 6oz of mixed dried fruit
3oz of mixed cut peel
Optional 1 cup of scotch or any liquor or fruit juice if prefered.
I used dried cranberries, golden sultanas glace cherries and raisins.
After soaking in liquid, the fruit will be full and lush.

Add to the fruit

Part 2
6oz butter
6oz castor sugar
grated rind of 1 orange
4 large eggs
7oz plain flour
1 teaspoon mixed spice

Mix well and place in a buttered round cake tin, traditionally for a Dundee cake it is 7 inches but I use a 9-inch cake tin as we like a lot of almonds on the top.

Place as many almonds as you like on top of the cake to decorate.

Bake in centre of the oven for 2 hours for a 9-inch cake tin and 2 1/2 hours for a 7-inch cake tin. Test with a skewer, when it is clean, the cake is cooked. Leave in tin 10 minutes before turning out.

Place on a plate or cake stand and add a ribbon around cake for a party.

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Posted in Blog Posts, Organizing, The Recipes

The Best & Easiest Dundee Cake Ever! Part 1

Posted on by dutchessofpimlico


You can choose to make the Dundee cake with or without alcohol and using any dried fruit and or nuts that you want. All my recipes are very forgiving and can be adapted for your preferences. It is a very easy recipe; I do it in two stages.
Stage one is taking all the dried fruit, and adding one cup of scotch, brandy or any other alcohol on hand to soak the fruit until plump, approx 24 hours. If you are a teetotaller you can use any fruit juice for good flavour. If you are in a hurry, this stage can be omitted. See, really easy! This cake is a hit with anyone who loves almonds and is good with tea, coffee, milk or something harder.

Simply take…

In a large bowl take
1 lb 6 oz of mixed dried fruit
3 oz of mixed cut peel
Optional 1 cup of scotch or any liquor or fruit juice if prefered.
I used dried cranberries, golden sultanas glace cherries and raisins.
After soaking in liquid, fruit will be full and lush.

Posted in The Recipes, Using What You Have

Quick & Easy Ice Cream Sandwiches & Strawberry Shortcakes

Posted on by dutchessofpimlico
ADD STRAWBERRIES TO MAKE A SHORTCAKE!

Suddenly after a cold April, we are having a mini heatwave! I love the giant ladyfingers as a snack with a cup of coffee but with the hot weather, we made some ice cream sandwiches and strawberry shortcakes, so delicious, quick and easy. Use your favourite combinations. 
ENJOY!
Posted in The Recipes, Using What You Have

Green Tomato and Pepper Chutney

Posted on by dutchessofpimlico
Green Tomato & Pepper Chutney
Green Tomato & Pepper Chutney
There is a reason that this is the best chutney I have ever made and that is that I now live in Windsor, in South Western Ontario. Windsor is close to Leamington which is known as the Tomato capital of Canada. Windsor is located so far south that Detroit in the US is north of this Canadian city, (it seems confusing, when driving I saw a sign post that said Windsor Canada – SOUTH!) It does appear to have the warmest climate of any of Canada’s cities. The weather is modified by its location on the shores of North America’s Great Lakes especially Lake Erie, the warmest of the lakes, because of the position we are practically in the geographical location of the Midwest. The region has very dense soil which is extremely fertile and in the US the area is famous for its crops, such as corn, wheat, and oats. The Midwest is also known as America’s breadbasket. We in Windsor and Essex County certainly share that characteristic as this area produces a fantastic selection of wonderful produce. This is our sixth summer here and we have never bought or grown such fantastic tasting tomatoes and basil before, but I digress, we only had a few green tomatoes left but this was enough for this tasty recipe of Green Tomato and Pepper Chutney that you can enjoy on a sandwich or with bread and cheese. This chutney has a kick. The recipe is below.
 

3lb GREEN TOMATOES
1/2 POUND OF HOT PEPPERS
1lb POUND OF ONIONS
STICK OF CINNAMON
1/2 TEASPOON OF SALT
1 PINT OF WHITE VINEGAR
1/2 POUND OF SULTANAS
2 TEASPOON OF CLOVES
2 TEASPOONS OF ALLSPICE ALL WRAPPED IN A SQUARE OF  COTTON TIED WITH STRING THAT YOU CAN ATTACH TO A WOODEN SPOON
CUT UP TOMS, ONIONS, AND PEPPERS (CAREFUL WITH PEPPERS AS THEY CAN BURN, USE A THIN PAIR OF LATEX GLOVES OR A PLASTIC BAG) AND ON A LOW HEAT IN A LARGE THICK PAN COOK UNTIL SOFT.
USE A HAND HELD BLENDER TO ROUGH UP UNTIL DESIRED CONSISTENCY, CHUNKY OR SEMI CHUNKY.  NO BLENDER, USE KNIFE OR SCISSORS.
ADD REMAINING INGREDIENTS AND SIMMER UNTIL FAIRLY THICK, STIRRING OFTEN.
OR LET IT BOIL GENTLY FOR 1/2 HOUR AND THEN SIMMER FOR 1/2 HOUR AGAIN UNTIL FAIRLY THICK. YOU CAN THEN USE A PRESERVING BATH FOR CANNING AND FOOD SAFETY.

Posted in Ideas Worth Saving, Organizing, Style Agenda & In The Know!

Simply Take… A Scarf & Turn It Into A Bag

Posted on by dutchessofpimlico
Simply take a scarf and turn it into a bag!
Simply take a scarf and turn it into a bag!
3 more!
3 more!

I have always loved scarves, so versatile especially when travelling. My mother Elizabeth showed me how to make a bag out of any size scarf. It is so easy! Take a square scarf, make a knot 2-3 inches down on each corner. When you have 4 corner tails, tie 2 together forming the handles and you are good to go. I only use them as beach bags or to use as a little evening bags to add a little style to hold a lipstick and brush as not much security for valuables.

Posted in Ideas Worth Saving, Solutions

Healthy Living – Lighten Up Your Food With Easy Tips

Posted on by dutchessofpimlico
Lighten up your food
Lighten up your food
You don’t have to be on a diet to watch the fat content in your food, here are some easy tips.
 
1. Add cooked rice, any kind, to a soup and puree to give it a really creamy taste.
2. No rice, puree a cooked potato instead.
3. Use applesauce, mashed bananas or prune puree for some of the fat in your baked goods. Replace small amount gradually to taste.
4. In a creamy dish such as a custard use evaporated low-fat milk to give a whole milk taste.
5. Make your own breadcrumbs for toppings etc by using a whole-wheat bread which will give you more B vitamins and cholesterol busting fiber, keeps your hunger at bay longer too. 
6. Blend butter and olive oil, usually 50/50 together, using a mixer for an easy spread to help you use less without sacrificing taste.
7. Bake your fries in the oven, two ways, drizzle with a little olive oil, my current fave is basil infused oil or dry roast with just a little salt on top.
Posted in The Recipes

Real Easy Food – Make Ahead- Carolina’s Winter Pudding

Posted on by dutchessofpimlico

You probably have heard of summer pudding, which is a great way to make a dessert using berries  without slaving in a kitchen when it is hot outside but you should try my easy Winter Pudding which I make at Christmas but is also perfect for Valentine’s Day. The colour is amazing too.
Simply take…
2 pounds of fresh cranberries, rinsed, drained and picked over
1 1/2 cup sugar (more or less to taste)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
8 to 10 slices good quality white bread crusts cut off (Reserve for croutons or breadcrumbs)
Mix the cranberries with the sugar and lemon juice, then place in a saucepan and bring to a simmer cooking until the cranberries pop and the juices start to run. Do not overcook. Remove from the heat to cool.
Line a large bowl with the bread, overlapping slightly and pressing the edges of the slices together
Pour in the cranberries. Cover the top with more bread to completely enclose. Press down using the flat of your hand; juice will start to seep up and through the bread.
Put bowl on to a large plate or cookie sheet (to catch any overflow) than place a plate slightly smaller than the bowl on top of the pudding (to allow some descending pressure within the bowl) and add some weight of 2-3 pounds to top of plate and leave in the fridge overnight.
The next day there may be some juice in the bowl on top of the small plate, save this juice.
Remove the weights and plate; see if you can run a knife around the bowl to allow some air. Place the larger plate on top of the bowl, serving size in and quickly turn the pudding over, it should then plop on to the plate top with the excess juice and serve with thick cream or Vanilla ice cream.