Hot Chocolate Souffle

HOT CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE

By Rochelle

Serves 4

Preparation Time: 10 mins + cooling
Cooking Time: 20 – 25 mins
Calories per serving: 150
Freezing not recommended

Soufflés are not difficult to make
And they’re absolutely scrumptious
to eat! The secret is to whisk the egg
whites to a good firm foam and not
let them hang around. This sweet
soufflé has a sweet chocolaty flavour.

2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon instant coffee powder
2 tablespoons plain flour
1 tablespoon low-fat spread
30g (1oz) soft brown sugar
210 ml (7 fl oz) milk
2 eggs, separated
2 eggs, separated
½ teaspoon icing sugar

1. Sift the cocoa, coffee and flour together. Put in a large saucepan with the low-fat spread, brown sugar and milk. Bring slowly to the boil, whisking until you have a smooth thick sauce.

2. Simmer for about half a minute and then remove and cool for 10 mins. Preheat oven to Gas Mark 5/190C/375F. Lightly grease the inside of a 600 ml (1 pint) soufflé dish with some low-fat spray.

3. Beat the egg yolks into the cocoa sauce. In a large, clean dry bowl, whisk the egg whites to a thick foam that will form and hold peaks when you lift the beaters up. Carefully fold the egg whites into the cocoa mixture, using a figure of eight movement. Spoon into the soufflé dish.

4. Bake for 20-25 mins, until the soufflé has risen and the centre is slightly wobbly. (Don’t open the oven door for the first 15mins of cooking and preferably not at all until the soufflé is done.)

5. Put the icing sugar in a small sieve and, as you pull the soufflé out of the oven, quickly sprinkle the sugar over the top. Serve immediately – a soufflé waits for no one.

Cranberry Sauce with pineapple and mandarin oranges

By Gran

Cranberries with Pineapple and Mandarin Oranges
1 bag of fresh or Frozen Cranberries
1 small tin of mandarin oranges
1 small tin of pineapple tidbits
1 cup of water
1cup of white sugar
put cup of water and cranberries in a pot and bring to boil stirring often. Turn down to simmer and let cranberries pop still stir often. When all berries have popped add sugar (I find 1 cup sugar too sweet) then let cool. Open fruit tins and drain off juice add to cranberries and mix well. Pour into container and put in fridge till ready to use. Enjoy

Halloween

I found this site with great ideas for Halloween, ranging from, costumes, recipes, crafts etc

so if your stuck for ideas or looking for inspiration go and have a look 🙂

and my favourite is the caged zoo keeper how imaginative is that

you can find the site here

there’s also free downloads of Halloween signatures courtesy of Elaine on our freebie page here

Cat and Dog Treat Recipes

by Ex

Cat Recipe

thought it might be nice to have a few recipes for homemade Cat treats seeing as how quite a few members have cats lol
I had a nightmare finding cornmeal when I first used these recipes and then I discovered that in UK we tend to use Polenta
These treats are not meant to replace cat food and should be fed sparingly. Cats aren’t really supposed to have a lot of grain in their diets, so use accordingly – as treats.
DIY cat treats Make your own cat treats with this cat-tested recipe. You could eat them too, but they taste a little bit weird. I guess that’s why most baked goods don’t call for tuna.
1 can tuna, including water
3/4 cup corn meal
3/4 wheat flour
1/3 cup water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shred up the tuna so that it forms a loose paste. Combine the tuna with the cornmeal, flour, and water. Roll out the mixture into a 1/4 thick sheet. Use a pizza cutter to cut 1/4 strips of dough, then cut the strips into little cubes of dough. Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden and delicious. Serve with a garnish.
Store these treats in zip lock bag or airtight container for about a month. They’ll last even longer in the freezer

Dog Recipe

Although this is about dog stuff I have posted it here as it involves cooking these are just a couple of the simpler ones will post a few more later this afternoon when I can find them as at moment they are hiding on a disc somewhere lol
Remember these are treats and should only be given to to dogs occasionally I never allow mine to have more than a couple a day.
A couple of very important points : CHOCOLATE AND ONIONS ARE HIGHLY TOXIC TO DOGS SO WHEN USING ANY SORT OF PREPARED FOOD I.E. BABY FOOD OR BOUILLON ALWAYS CHECK THE INGREDIENTS FIRST
Cheese Treats
4 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 tsp. garlic powder
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cup shredded cheese
1 1/4 cup milk
Combine flour and garlic powder in a large bowl.
Gradually stir-in vegetable oil, cheese, beaten egg, milk and blend well. Roll-out dough to desired thickness. Cut-out treats and place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake 25 minutes at 400°F.
Cool before storing. I tend to freeze them in small bags and just keep a bag at a time in the fridge.
Note: cooking time may vary depending upon thickness
Tuna Treats
• 2 6-oz. cans tuna in water, do not drain
• 2 eggs
• 1 to 1 ½ c. flour (rice flour is best, but any kind will do)
• 1 Tbsp. garlic powder
• parmesan cheese
Mash tuna and water in a bowl with a fork to get clumps out, then liquefy in blender or food processor. Add extra drops of water if needed to liquefy completely. Pour into bowl and add flour and garlic powder; consistency should be like cake mix. Spread into greased or sprayed pan; I find that a round pizza pan or square cake pan is perfect. Sprinkle with LOTS of parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes; edges will pull away and texture will be like putty. Use a pizza cutter and slice into teeny squares. These freeze beautifully.

Some of Our favourite Links

I was browsing the other night and came across some really good blogs and web sites

Little Window Shoppe is a beautifully designed blog with loads of craft ideas, DIY projects, freebies

and loads more, The blog caught my eye when i was browsing at Kirstys when they had posted a blog

on how to create a matchstick garden its so cute 🙂 remember to check it out.

you can find the site here Little Window Shoppe

One of our members has just purchased a slow cooker and was looking for some nice recipes

and Rochelle found 2 great sites with loads of delicious recipes.

you can find them here Cook Uk and here Recipes 4u

And of course i couldn’t forget our favourite place Craftster

craftster has something for everyone with a wide range of crafts

it certainly won’t disappoint you.

you can find it here Craftster