Menu Planning W/C 22.06.15

This is just a quick one, I’m supposed to be writing a sixteen page assignment for my Marketing Diploma, not to mention two presentations… I have about ten days to get all of them done!  Oh and I’m helping organise a Handmade Wedding Fair at work next Sunday too!

With that in mind, I’ve had to ask Anthony to do most of the cooking again this week, so I had to get him to decide on lots of things so he has no complaining to do about my choices!  I wanted to be able to go and see The Minions movie when it came out this week but I think it will have to wait until after I’ve finished my assignment.  I have about six rewards lined up as my carrots on sticks, problem is that I get so tied up thinking of rewards I don’t actually get anything done.  (I’ve fixed the vacuum today that’s how much I’m procrastinating – you should see the dust it picked up!)

Monday – Tuna Chilli and Cauliflower rice
Tuesday – Meatballs in tomato sauce with courgetti (bought a new gadget on Friday at the Cake and Bake show!)
Wednesday – Roast Chicken, sweet potato wedges and salsa
Thursday – Jacket Potato and Salad
Friday – Buckwheat Pizza
Saturday – Roast Beef (Anthony’s getting pretty damn good at roasts!)
Sunday – Leftovers from Saturday plus salad (we’re both at the wedding fair, we’re lazy!)

Have a great week folks, blog will be back in full swing in about 10 days with lots of food, places AND things!

Menu Planning w/c 15.06.2015

After sun dancing all week in the hopes of a dry hot day today so we could make the most of our first day off together in ages with nothing to do, I find my sun dance worked for yesterday but today the rain is being incredibly insistent!!  So I find myself being vaguely organised with the time to plan the weeks food ahead of time and write about it too!

I’ve just made my first ever batch of buckwheat gallettes (pancakes) for lunch and despite having slight issues in getting the pour right on the first one I feel like I did quite well and might even manage to justify buying a little crepe machine at some point, eeek!  Anyway, we’ll be using the remainder of the mix for tomorrows tea so I’m excited about that already!!  If I can get good at it there might be a video of it in a couple of months!

Monday – Buckwheat pancakes with savoury filling
Tuesday – Roast veg with garlic chicken
Wednesday – Butternut squash stuffed with feta and chorizo (we’ve had the squash for ages hence the crossing out, I hope its ok on the inside!)
Thursday – Lisa @ Golf Day dinner, Anthony to feed himself!
Friday – Sausages (gluten free black farmers!) and beans with cauliflower and leek mash
Saturday – Fish fingers, wedges, sweetcorn and peas (we have Anthony’s daughter visiting, she’s two, we know she eats this!)
Sunday – Jacket potato, beans and salad

We used to sit and plan the weeks menu together but I’ve now taken to just getting on with it as otherwise my blog wouldn’t be coming out until Wednesday and I’d get all stressed!  Funny how having control of something as small as knowing what I’m eating makes me feel a bit calmer and more in control.

I’m going to sew some knickers now before making dinner, the first sewing I’ve done just for me in a while, more on that soon!

Buckwheat Flour baking – Elderflower Drizzle Cake

On Sunday we hosted the Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon Clandestine Cake Club meeting, unfortunately only one person showed up from the ten who had RSVP’d!  However, we had a lovely afternoon as we were determined not to let the effort we’d gone to go to waste, we’d spent hours on making bunting and Anthony had bought us a rather lovely red gazebo!  Sam who came along brought a delicious fresh cherry and white chocolate cake, absolutely gorgeous and she’d even managed to find a plate with cherries on to match the cake!

Cherry and White Chocolate Cake

I had tried baking a proper cake for the first time with buckwheat flour and I was incredibly pleased with the result so I thought I’d share it.  I saw the original recipe a few weeks ago and knew immediately I wanted to make it for the cake club meeting!  The almonds in it really work with the flavour of the Elderflower cordial and I think that the nuttiness of the buckwheat flour really compliments it too.

Buckwheat Flour Elderflower Drizzle Cake

 

I first tried baking with buckwheat flour about five years ago when I was experimenting with cupcake recipes my mum would eat, however this also involved replacing sugar with Agave syrup and coconut!  Compared to other gluten free flours I find that it behaves the most like normal flour and creates a really good mix and in turn a really good bake, I hope you enjoy it too!

Gluten Free Elderflower Drizzle Cake

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Ingredients 

175g Sugar
175g Butter (softened to room temperature)
3 eggs
75g Almonds
140g Buckwheat Flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp Elderflower cordial

Topping
Three tbsp Elderflower cordial
Three tbsp granulated sugar

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200C or Gas Mark 6.  Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin
2. Mix together butter and sugar with electric beater or by hand until very light and fluffy.
3. Beat the eggs with a fork then add slowly continuing to beat until thoroughly mixed in.
4. Fold in the almonds, flour and baking powder followed by the cordial.  Mix until combined but be careful not to beat out the air.
5. Pour into your prepared tin and cook for 45-50 mins until springy to the touch and a skewer comes out clean.
6. Mix together the cordial and sugar, poke holes all over the cake and pour over as much as you like so that the drizzle can soak into the cake and then leave to cool.

The cake is also delicious still warm!  Enjoy!