YUM2THREE Fact:

Popcorn has been around for 6,000 years!!

Ginger and Lemon Grilled Pears

I found this recipe in one of those “recipes of the month” at Waitrose and surprisingly they turned out fantastically scrumptious and are so easy to make. (perfect dinner party dessert)

INGREDIENTS:

– 15g butter
– 1tbsp caster sugar
– Grated zest and jice of ½ lemon
– 2 Perfectly Ripe Pears, peeled, halved and cored
– 2 long slices Waitrose Ginger and Lemon cake, each cut in half
– 4tbsp mascarpone

METHOD:

– Preheat the grill.
– Put the butter in a small pan with the sugar, lemon zest and juice. Heat gently until melted.
– Place the pears on a baking tray and brush with the lemon mixture.
– Grill the pears, turning once and brushing with the glaze, for 6–8 minutes until golden brown.
– Add the slices of cake to the tray for the last 2 minutes.
– Grill on both sides, then drizzle with any remaining glaze and spread with the mascarpone.
– Place the cooked pears on top of each slice.
– Serve immediately

Chilli con Carne (amazing recipe)

Ok, so i had never tried this before but it is a favourite of someone special so thought i’d give it a go. I’m telling you, this recipe is soooo tasty, has a sensational kick!, tastes better if left over night and is freezable 🙂 Here goes;

INGREDIENTS:

– 1 tbsp oil
– 1 large onion
– 1 red pepper
– 2 garlic cloves , peeled
– 1 heaped tsp hot chilli powder (or 1 level tbsp if you only have mild)
– 1 tsp paprika
– 1 tsp ground cumin
– 500g lean minced beef
– 1 beef stock cube
– 400g can chopped tomatoes
– ½ tsp dried marjoram (i used Oregano instead)
– 1 tsp sugar
– 2 tbsp tomato purée
– 410g can red kidney beans
– soured cream and plain boiled long grain rice , to serve

METHOD:

– Prepare your vegetables. Chop your pepper and dice your onion, about 5mm square.
– Brown the mince. Make sure you keep the heat hot enough for the meat to fry and become brown, rather than just stew.
– Crumble your stock cube into 300ml/1⁄2 pint of hot water. Pour this into the pan with the mince mixture.
– Add the can of chopped tomatoes.
– Tip in the marjoram/oregano and the sugar and add a good shake of salt and pepper.
– Squirt in about 2 tbsp of tomato purée and stir the sauce well.
– Simmer it gently. Bring the whole thing to the boil, give it a good stir and put a lid on the pan. Turn down the heat until it is gently bubbling and leave it for 20 minutes. You should check on the pan occasionally to stir it and make sure the sauce doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan or isn’t drying out. If it is, add a couple of tablespoons of water and make sure that the heat really is low enough. After simmering gently, the saucy mince mixture should look thick, moist and juicy.
– Drain and rinse the beans in a sieve and stir them into the chilli pot. Bring to the boil again, and gently bubble without the lid for another 10 minutes, adding a little more water if it looks too dry. Taste a bit of the chilli and season. It will probably take a lot more seasoning than you think. Now replace the lid, turn off the heat and leave your chilli to stand for 10 minutes before serving, and relax. Leaving your chilli to stand is really important as it allows the flavours to mingle and the meat.

Et Voila! Enjoy!

Baked Cheese Polenta with Tomato Sauce

I love this recipe, absolutely delicious! It is perfect as an side dish to lovely lamb chops or as a vegeterian meal with a side salad! A great alternative to a lasagne too!

Tip: This recipe can be simplified by slicing pre-made polenta as the longest part of this recipe was waiting for the polenta to cool. You can buy it premade in most stores.

INGREDIENTS:

– 1 teaspoon salt
– 2 1/4 cups instant polenta
– 1 teaspoon paprika
– 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
– 2 tablespoons olive oil
– 1 large onion
– 2 garlic cloves, chopped
– 2 14-ounce cans chopped tomatoes
– 1 tablespoon tomato paste
– 1 teaspoon sugar
– salt and ground black pepper
– 3 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated

METHOD:

– Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
– Line an 11 x 7-inch baking pan with plastic wrap.
– Put 4 cups water into a pan and bring to a boil with the salt.
– Pour in the polenta in a steady stream and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes.
– Beat in the paprika and nutmeg then pour into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Let cool.
– Heat the oil in a pan and cook the onion and garlic until soft.
– Add the tomatoes, pate and sugar. Season. Simmer for 20 minutes.
– Turn out the polenta onto a cutting board and cut into 2-inch squares.
– Place half the squares in a greased ovenproof dish.
– Spoon on half the tomato sauce, and sprinkle with half the cheese.
– Repeat the layers.
– Bake for about 25 minutes until golden.
– Serve Immediately

Quick Apple and Pecan Strudel with Cinnamon

This recipe is so easy to make. I actually prepped everything and then put it all together after we had eaten our mains. It was ready just at the right time 🙂

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

– 4-5 small, sweet eating apples (i used granny smiths as makes it more juicie)
– juice of 1/2 a lemon
– 80g butter
– 4 sheets of filo pastry
– 150g pecan nuts, chopped
– ground cinnamon
– 150g dark muscovado sugar
– 60g caster sugar
– a handful of dried cranberries
-good-quality vanilla ice-cream, to serve

METHOD:

– Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4
– Peel and slice (or grate) apples thinly, and put them in a bowl of cold water with a little lemon juice to stop them going brown.
– Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat and keep warm.
-Carefull cut the filo pastry into 30x50cm sheets with a knife (I bought sheets of filo)
– Mix the pecans, cinnamon and dark muscovado together.
– Lay the first sheet (i used two here) of filo on a clean tea towel on your work surface and brush with melted butter. Sprinkle over a third of the pecan mixture. Lay another sheet of filo pastry on top, brush with butter and sprinkle again with a third of the pecan mixture. Repeat with the third sheet and top everything with the fourth sheet.
– Drain your apples well and toss with the caster sugar and drained cranberries.
– Spread them out along one edge of the top sheet of filo. Brush the opposite edge with a little water.
– Starting at the edge with the apple mixture on, gently li ft the edge of the tea towel and use it to help you roll the pastry up lengthways like a swiss role. Once it is roled up, press your strudel together gently.
– Place it on a baking tray and bake for about 20 mins or until golden brown.
– Serve with Vanilla Ice-Cream.

YUM2THREE Fact:

Lemons contain more sugar than strawberries