Kitchen Essentials - 3 things I couldn't live without....

My kitchen is my happy place and even more so in the past few days as I've been busy working on new products for My Secret Kitchen.  Its like re-connecting with the business all over again - an authentic food business that creates amazing foods to make meals more amazing.  Six years later and I still love the awesome challenge of creating new foods for our customers and consultants to fall in love with too.

They say staying in is the new going out which is great for someone who loves being in the kitchen but not so great if you don't. And that is the beauty of My Secret Kitchen products - adaptable for everyday and the wow factor for special occasions without spending hours cooking when we are all so time-poor.  Little luxuries are the name of the game and little gadgets can be big helpers too in the kitchen. So here are 3 essentials that I couldn't live without in my kitchen...

NUMBER 1 - Spatulas and Tasting Spoons (plus a few My Secret Kitchen products)

Next to the hob is my trusty pot of spatulas and tasting spoons to get every last luscious drop (or lick) of yumminess from the bowl and who could call themselves a good home cook if they don't sample what they are making along the way? Also my personal culinary team in the form of My Secret Kitchen Oak Smoked Rapeseed Oil, My Secret Kitchen Lemon & Chipotle Spiced Sea Salt, My Secret Kitchen Balsamic Reduction, My Secret Kitchen Secret Firecracker Chilli Spices and My Secret Kitchen Secret Wild Garlic Spices.

NUMBER 2 - A Beautiful Mixing Bowl

 

 

William Morris said have nothing in your homes that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful. My mixing bowl does both and regardless of what comes out of the oven after said mixing I get a zen-like satisfaction from using my beautiful 'Bixing Mowl' (family joke).

 

NUMBER 3 - Music Maestro Please

 

 

No kitchen is complete without a media area - aka the phone, DAB radio and ipod docking station. Dancing in he kitchen is optional but music is a must in our family and our time in the kitchen.  Its the unwritten rule that Planet Rock is on Saturday mornings and Radio 2 on Sunday mornings (who doesn't adore Steve Wright's Love Songs). During the week my ipod plays various playlists, this week Ellie Goulding, Paramore and Fall out Boy; maybe you just might be able to taste a little musical magic in our finished products?

This blog wouldn't be complete without a recipe or two so here's a work in progress - Maple Caramel Florentines with Apricots, presented pre-baking in a rather nice bowl....I'll let you know how they turn out....

Romancing Recipes

You know what they say about hearts and tummies. I'm sure we all have our favourite recipes for romance or when out to impress a new love. Beef Wellington was a favourite of mine back in the day, but I'll admit rather sheepishly that I don't think I have prepared it in the 10 years or so of married life. Funny how times change. It's my beloved's birthday this week and I love an excuse to spend hours in the kitchen on one special meal, so I've been reminiscing about recipes we've literally loved and lost.

Phil's Normandy Pork is quite possibly legendary with the ladies in his teenage haunt of Aylesbury so here is my homage to him - pork shoulder with caramelised apples, shallots and cooked with cider and a healthy dose of Jumping Jack Chilli Jam.....
(Find the recipe here)

A homage to romance - Phil's Normandy Pork with Jumping Jack Chilli Jam

 

I was interested to find out more recipes for romance, so from our own MSK Laura...

"My meal was always chicken in a cream sauce served with sauté potatoes - it was something my mum used to make & I loved. The My Secret Kitchen version includes a few of our fabulous staples that my cupboard would never be without - Oak Smoked Rapeseed Oil, Secret Wild Garlic Spices & Lemon & Chipotle Spiced Sea Salt, and an ingredient that really brings this dish to life & up to date: White Wine & Porcini Finishing Sauce. Voila the new & improved Creamy Chicken Stir Fry with White Wine & Porcini Finishing Sauce."

(Find the recipe here)

Creamy Chicken & Mushroom Stir Fry

 

 

And from another friend of MSK who shall remain nameless...

 

" I can't remember cooking to impress a man myself, in fact I was too scared I'd blow it that I had a friend cook for me & sneak the casserole in the back door! ( Unknown to my now husband!!!). I do remember impressing a friend when I was flush with the independence of my own earnings & I made a prawn salad which has inspired this lovely My Thai Prawn and Avocado Salad using our gorgeous and zingy Thai Dressing with Kaffir Lime"

(Find the recipe here)

My Thai Prawn & Avocado Salad

 

Do you have some romantic recipes and stories to share? We'd love to hear your own delights and disasters, in the meantime, happy reminiscing....

 

Clare

x



 



Joyous Jack

 

Chilli jam and me go way back. Way back to the early days when Phil brought home a jar of black pepper jelly and suggested we do a similar chilli jelly for our new business 'My Secret Kitchen'.  I wasn't convinced. To me, this chilli jelly stuff was just sugar, water, chillies and not much else.

 

Fast forward a few years and we finally came up with our own take on chilli jam - our now infamous 'Jumping Jack Chilli Jam'.  It took me a while but our sweet sticky bourbon infused onion chutney with honey, molasses and a definite kick of red chillies is much more what you would expect from our kitchen. Its fabulous with sausages, terrific with breaded chicken dippers and fantastic with a simple ploughmans lunch.

 

I've chatted to a few of our consultants and clients this week on their favourite ways in which they enjoy our jam and hands down they all said just some good bread and cheese. So with this in mind, here are some simple recipes and ideas using our joyous Jumping Jack Chilli Jam...

 

Enjoy!

Croissants with Ham and Jam



Jumping Jack Ploughmans Loaf

Grilled Chicken Burger with Jumping Jack and Wild Garlic mayonnaise