2015 Cookbook challenge

S-Iam

Tonight I cooked Maple black pepper pork chops from Rachel Allen's Easy Meals.
Basically its pork chops served with a sauce made of mapel syrup, cider vinegar and black pepper. It was lovely, a definite keeper.

By chance I had all the ingredients for the sauce already in my store cupboard, so other than the pork chops we didn't have to buy anything.

S-Iam

My second recipe for today was the Easy lemon cake also from Rachel Allen's Easy Meals. It's basically a lemon drizzle cake.

Initially I wasn't that impressed, the instructions were to use a 8" cake tin, but it was clear that there wasn't enough mixture to warrant such a large cake tin. So I used a 2lb loaf tin instead. The cake was still rather shallow (although not dry), so next time I'll try a 1lb loaf tin.

As far as the cake is concerned, it is very light and fluffy. It isn't as lemony as some lemon drizzle cakes, but DH said he prefered this more subtle version.

As the recipe only uses 2 eggs and 4oz butter/marg it is a smaller and therefore cheaper mix than my usual 3 egg and 6oz version. In saying that 3 slices later and half the cake has gone already!

I will repeat this recipe again, but next time I may use 2 lemons next time instead of 1.

Gill7229

Bit late to the party but yes please, I'm in! I have a bit of a cookbook addiction but they sadly mostly end up sitting in the bookcase looking pretty rather than being used. Time to put things right.

Thanks for starting the post, looking forward to this!

Lizling

I made the Very Full Tart from the Plenty cookbook at the weekend. It's basically a roast veg quiche.

Yummy, and difficult at all, and not a single awkward ingredient, but it did take a long time because of blind-baking the pastry case. Also, mine was a little bit *too* full because a bit of the filling spilt over the top and I had to leave out some of the veg and have it on the side instead.

HJ

Nice post, I'd like to join in too.

tain

I did this a few months back when hitting my healthy eating diet! I've got about 30 cookbooks, so I set an entire evening aside to find the healthiest recipes in all of them. I then made a spreadsheet, and pick out recipes for every day of the week based on them.

Is the idea of the thread to pick out the winners and losers from these recipes? I've got some awesome recipes that I've come across, and some right stinkers. A couple of surprises in there as well - a Ken Hom book I picked up from a charity shop for 20p is fantastic, whereas I don't overly care for most of one of the Gordon Ramsay books I've got.

I also find that every single recipe book is made up of 'good' recipes, and ones they've just hobbled together to fill the pages and use ingredients they've not touched elsewhere.

SandieB_2

I'm a bit late to this....only just found this thread, but I'd like to join in. Like some of the others most of my cookbooks are on boxes as I've been renovating the house and everything is getting moved around from room to room. Unfortunately as it's so difficult to find a cookbook when I want one, I've started buying new ones......bad Sandie! I also get a lot of recipes from t'internet that comes in handy as I'm also trying to use stuff from cupboards and freezer, it easy to go to a website and enter the ingredient you want to use and up pops loads of recipes.

I do like to cook and try out new recipes, but as I live on my own quite often it's not practical, or I end up eating something twice a day for the next three days! I'm going to give it a though and will post results as and when I'm successful. I work full time so mostly my cooking is done at the weekends, although I'm planning on retiring in July so should have more time then.

Floozie

KDF wrote: »

So to get me going, I am going to start with Jamie's new book, I used some Christmas money I rec'd to buy it the other day. I'm going to aim for 2 recipes from it in Jan as I also want yo target another cook book....as yet undecided!

I love cooking but am always open to new ideas and I had a look at Jamie's Comfort Food for inspiration and to try a new recipe. I did the Hummingbird Cake recipe which was featured on his channel 4 programme and it was delicious!!!! It is now a weekend treat with a mug of tea but the only problem is it is not exactly low in calories-just need to do a morning of digging the garden and then I can justify munching on this gorgeous cake.

Callie22

I'm cheating a bit tonight as this is a recipe I've cooked before, but it's from a book and it's really good! Tonight we're having a warm salad from 'Saving Dinner' by Leanne Ely. It's spinach, bacon and blue cheese, with a hot topping of red onion, balsamic vinegar and sweetcorn. I also add an avocado, because I like avocados! We'll have it with some crusty bread.

Mr_Singleton

SandieB wrote: »

I do like to cook and try out new recipes, but as I live on my own quite often it's not practical, or I end up eating something twice a day for the next three days!

Hey, I also live alone but thats never stopped me when it comes to my stomach and a good recipe!

If I'm not sure about a recipe then I'll divide quantities to make a portion for 2 if it turns out not to my liking then I've only got a single extra portion to eat. If its a good 'un than I make the stated size normally "serves 4" then freeze the other portions meaning I'll have something tasty and healthy in the freezer for when I can't cook.