Mayday Mayday!

A little late in the month you may say, but I've good reason to be shouting for mayday help in my kitchen this week. We are packing our bags ready for an American adventure - 3 weeks travelling across the USA, visting friends and generally eating our way across the country. So like all holiday makers, I'm eeking out the storecupboard and left overs trying to create satisfying meals with whatever we have left to spare another trip to the supermarket.

In particular, our White Wine and Porcini Finishing Sauce has come to the rescue giving a welcome lift to some left over chicken, a tasty twist on mashed potato and an odd concoction of frozen spinach, puy lentils and some coley portions (perhaps never to be repeated again).

I was chatting to our Sue who often has the dilemma of feeding several teenagers and boyfriends who drop by at a moments notice and with fondness she recalled the evening where she served four different types of potato dish. Nobody seemed to mind, afterall, a full tummy is a happy tummy.  So as an ode to the potato and our White Wine & Porcini Finshing Sauce here are our recipes for Stuffed Baby Potatoes, and Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes. May they be your rescue remedy one day too,
Enjoy!
Clare
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Bake me I'm yours...

Please don't hate me, but I feel compelled to tell you that it is National Doughnut Week. Anyone who has experienced a warm just-from-the-fryer doughnut dripping in sticky glaze or a sugar encrusted churros dipped in hot chocolate will understand the fascination that doughnuts have around the world. 

From Saturday 11th May to Saturday 18th May, bakeries around the country are frying up a storm and selling doughnuts all for a good cause in the shape of The Children's Trust.  The Children's Trust is a national charity providing rehabilitation, care and education to children with acquired brain injury, multiple disabilities and complex health needs. National Doughnut Week has raised over £755,000 for children’s charities in the last 21 years; you can find local bakeries taking part in the fun here.

Whilst I have not made any doughnuts recently per se, my take on National Doughnut Week is to make a simpler version with puff pastry stuffed with our Fig Pudding Pickle and Secret Honeycomb Spices and then tied in a knot. Then warm from the oven it is brushed with a milk icing or glaze - rather like a yum yum but without the fry factor.

I call them Fig & Honey Dough-Knots.....(get it?) and with everyone slightly different from the next it just adds to their home-baked charm; find the recipe here

Fig & Honey Dough-Knots

If you have been a guest at one of my tastings you will have heard me say 'I'm not a baker' and I make no apology for repeating it at every tasting because it is the honest truth. Cakes as flat as pancakes and pastry like rock candy are in my repertoire. Hence the strong motivation from day one when we developed My Secret Kitchen to create mega easy and foolproof products and recipes, especially the bakery mixes.

And just because we are about to embark on a 3 week tour of USA, back to where it all began, here are my Smore's Honeycomb Brownies, find the recipe here

I rather like this photo as they look as if they have been sent from heaven and believe me on the rainy days we have had recently it sure feels that way as they come out of the oven - I recommend inviting friends to just pull a wedge of sticky marshmallow and brownie heaven and eat with your fingers.

So happy doughnut week everyone and happy fundraising to The Children's Trust, I can think of no better way to help spread a little love and care so mis-happy baking too.

Clare
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