Marie Cookpad

  Old Mother Rayner went to the cupboard to bake her poor hubby a pie. When she got there the cupboard was bare, except for a couple of apples, some cornflakes, some butter and a bit of brown sugar and spice and so she did what was the next best thing.  Poor Man's Apple Pie.    Not really, I just made that up, but when I came across this old, old recipe that is immediately what came to mind . . . the wonderful thing that happens when opportunity, need and provenance meet together in a delicious way to create something the family will enjoy eating together.   This is what it looks like before you put it into the oven.  Its not really a pie, but layers of thinly sliced apple, with a sprinkling of brown sugar, baking spices and cornflakes.  Oh, and butter.  You dot each layer of cornflakes with some butter.    This is what it looks like when it comes out of the oven  . . .  the apples cook and get soft and almost melt down . . . ...

  I can't think of a better way to start your day, or to enjoy a break be it elevenses or lunch time than in the indulgence of a nutritionally sound and delicious smoothie.  They are a fabulous way to get in some of your five a day, and I'll be honest here . . .  I really enjoy them.  They are a lot healthier than a frozen mocha, and . . . lets face it, perfectly portable if need be. Vitamin packed, smooth and delicious you feel like you are indulging in a milkshake, but in reality, you are packing a lot of nutritional punch into a most enjoyable drink! No empty calories here!    You can make a smoothie with just about anything fresh (or frozen) in your kitchen that is edible. I like the addition of something frozen myself, because I love the texture that frozen fruit lends to the end result. True indulgence.  That's why I keep bananas sliced and frozen in the freezer for just this purpose. To make a good smoothie, you will want a combination of fresh ...

  I grew up in a home where dishes like this were not really served very often.  My mother would make Pate Chinoise for my father from time to time, which we had to eat as well. Pate Chinois is a French Canadian version of Cottage pie, using minced beef, mashed potatoes and corn or peas.  My mom always used peas, and tinned ones.  She also used cheap ground beef, which I did not like at all. It was full of bits of gristle.  It was never my favourite meal, but my father love LOVED it! Perhaps I was just too picky.   People often confuse the two, Cottage Pie and Shepherd's Pie.  Traditionally both were dishes invented to use up the leftover gravy and veg from the Sunday dinner.  With beef being used in the Cottage Pie and Lamb in the Shepherds Pie.   Most people just use the names interchangeably for the both.  I can be a bit pedantic however . . .  it is one of my weaknesses . . .  for Shepherds Pie I use lamb and for Cottage Pi...

  I had two thick old fashioned pork chops in the freezer that had Todd's name on them. He so loves a nice pork chop every now and then. He gets tired of chicken, chicken, chicken. Me, I could eat chicken every day and never tire of it, but he does like some red meat once in a while.   When I buy chops I like to get the old fashioned ones, loin chops with the rib bone attached, almost like a spare rib . . .  but with plenty of meat.       This is what they will look like with a rib bone, some fatty meat and a nice medallion of loin attached, with a bordering of lovely white fat at the outer edge.  I always clip this edge at even intervals prior to cooking as it helps them to lay nice and flat without curling up as they cook.   I like a bit of fat on and in my chops.  We have been taught that this is a bad thing, and whilst I would agree that too much fat is not good, a little bit of it is what helps to keep meat tender and flavourful....