Sammie – Page 29 – Feasting Is Fun

Cream Cheese Pastry Mince Pies

Ok, please don’t hate me? I know it’s only October and yes I am posting a recipe for mince pies. Just hear me out for a sec please? Because these Cream Cheese Pastry Mince Pies are totally, out of this world amazing and it would be completely unfair for me to have waited any longer to share these with you.

Phew! I said it.

Just look at them. They are so cute and little and perfectly bite size. They’ve even got a dusting of snow.Tell me you’re not interested now – thought so!!

Star topped Christmas mini mincemeat bakes. — Cream Cheese Pastry Mince Pies

Cream Cheese Pastry – the easiest pastry you will ever make:

So, who would have thought of putting Cream Cheese in pastry? Yet, this recipe is based on a Pampered Chef recipe I jotted down years ago at one of their parties. Since they, (the Pampered Chef’s) are masters of quick, delicious, recipes and whilst their cooking and bakeware may be a little on the pricey side, it lasts forever. Also, this is not a sponsored post, I genuinely love their stuff.

Anyway, back to the pastry. I first saw this made and demonstarted at a Pampered Chef Party (if you host one you get great discounts – just saying!). The Cream Cheese Pastry was used to make some mini Pecan Pies and delicious they were too.

With me being me, I like to fiddle around with recipes. Because the pastry has a subtle, yet beautiful tang to it, I was sure that it would pair beautifully with sweet mincemeat. Resulting in these Cream Cheese Pastry Mince Pies.

Making a recipe work

So, with recipes I tend to be a bit of a rebel. Because if someone tells me something isn’t going to work, I want to know why and then try to figure out a way to make it work.

It was heavily stressed, during the cooking demonstration, that this pastry could not be rolled out. Well I just had to take that as a challenge and prove them wrong. And so I did.

The Cream Cheese Pastry is unbelivably soft, which is why it produces such a tender crumb. Yet, if you chill it for long enough and work quickly and methodically with it, then my lovelies, you sure can roll it out. And this little tip transforms a one recipe pastry into a whole new realm of possibilities, including my Cream Cheese Pastry Mince Pies!

Since I haven’t ever made anything bigger than a regular sized mince pie, using this pastry, I am doubtful it woud have the strength to hold together for a large tart. But I am willing to be corrected. And now I’ve written that, I may have set myself a challenge!!!

Aside from the deliciousness that this pastry brings to the mince pies, it is so easy to make. No mixer, food processor, just a bowl and a fork – really it’s that simple. Here I’ll show you how.

Recipe : Makes 36 mini Cream Cheese Pastry Mince Pies (approx 18 regular sized ones)

225g/8oz Very Soft Unsalted Butter

200g/7oz Cream Cheese – I used Philadelphia I really do think that it is the best cream cheese to use in this recipe

275g/10oz Plain White Flour

Sweet Mincement – I use Waitrose

Jam any flavour

Method :

Making the Cream Cheese Pastry

Add the butter and cream cheese to the flour in a large bowl.

Using a fork gently mix the 3 ingredients together to form a dough.

Form the pastry dough into a disc, wrap tightly in cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Keep chilled and make your tart cases

A good tip, as this dough warms up very easily, is to have everything you need to make the pies, ready before you start rolling the dough.

Also preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan, gas mark 6, 400F.

On a well floured surface, break off 2/3 of the dough and roll out to 1/2cm.

Ensure you have plenty of flour, cutters and a palette knife handy.

Due to the high fat content I never grease my tin. Feel free to do so if you are unsure of it’s non stick ability.

Gather up the pastry and re-roll if needed to cut all of your pie bases out. Make sure you have plenty of flour on the work top, otherwise this pastry will stick.

And if the pastry does start to get too sticky, wrap up in cling film and pop back in the fridge for 20 minutes to chill it.

Adding the filling

Fill your pastry cups with mincemeat or alternatively jam.

Importantly, do not overfill your pastry cups, you will literally just end up with a heated mess.

I used a scant 1/2 teaspoon of filling in each of my mini pies.

You can see the 2 vertical lines on the left are filled with blackberry jam – youngest daughter not keen on mince pies!

Cream Cheese Pastry Mince Pies - use a cutter that just fits the top of your pies. — **Cream Cheese Pastry Mince Pies** – use a cutter that just fits the top of your pies.

Use the reserved third of pastry for rolling out the lids.

Top each pie with a cutout pastry shape. I used stars for mince pies and mini flowers for jam pies.

Sprinkle a little demerera sugar on the star topped mince pies for added sparkle.

Time to bake

Place into a preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until puffed and golden.

As soon as they are baked, remove from the oven and immediately remove the pies from the tin and place on a cooling rack. Be careful the filling is extremely hot.

A snowy, icing sugar dusted platter of mince pies. — Cream Cheese Pastry Mince Pies

These Cream Cheese Pastry Mince Pies are delicious warm just as they are, or drizzled with cream, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream……

They can be kept at room temperature for 3 days in an airtight container, or frozen, once cold for one month. Perfect to make before Christmas and stash in the deep freeze.

The last mince pie on an icing sugar snow dusted platter being pinched. — Watch out for the last mince pie!

Cream Cheese Pastry Mince Pies are a revelation on your taste buds.

If you have enjoyed this recipe recipe for Cream Cheese Pastry Mince Pies you may also like these:

Chocolate Christmas Pudding Cookies

FF Cream Cheese Pastry Mince Pies — Chocolate Christmas Pudding Cookies

Snowy Black Forest Roulade

Peppermint Candy Cane Topped Brownies

While Christmas is first and foremost about celebrating the birth of Jesus, it is also a time for meeting up with friends and family. Almost every shelf in the shops are laden with edible Christmas treats and they do have a place. Yet making and baking homemade goodies is also fun too. Above all, homemade treats are made with love, something that cannot be bought. And they taste a million times better than their shop bought counterparts!

So, whatever you are making, baking and creating in your kitchens have fun preparing and sharing your feast.

Sammie x

No part of this post may be reproduced or duplicated without the written permission of the owner. Please see my Disclosure Policy.

Life Beyond Blogging

Hello each and everyone of you who takes time to stop and read this post. I really appreciate you.

I have had something of a writer’s block recently, that coupled with a post I recently read on teta lizza has prompted me to write this post.

There are no food recipes. Sorry. Hopefully though, there will be some tips to help all bloggers? There really is Life Beyond Blogging!

Let me explain.

I started this blog over a year ago as a way to document recipes I try, or create and also to let off steam about the various health issues I face – it’s here if you want to read about it!!

I have loved every minute of blogging. The challenge of creating, then documenting my bakes and recipes.

I never, ever expected anyone to read this blog. Yet the sense of accomplishment I feel, when someone leaves a comment, well it is literally ridiculous.

It blows me away every time. Although encouraging others is what I set out to do, I never believed it would actually happen.

Sometimes though, this past week being an example, a combination of life, health, writer’s block gets in the way of me posting as regularly as I’d like. Oh and the odd hospital stay!

Nobody has absolute control over their life. Stuff happens – life happens. We all have a Life Beyond Blogging.

And it’s ok to take a breather. It really is.

When I was hospitalised for 2 weeks over Easter, because my body started having seizures (yeah thanks for that body!), I lost all control of my life.

I couldn’t see my family first thing in the morning, I’d be wiped out for hours whilst my body jerked and jolted about, I even had to tell a nurse when I needed to pee!!

As for blogging, I just couldn’t. I was (am) struggling to come to terms with what the heck was going on with my body and I’m sorry, but blogging about what I was going through wasn’t even on my radar.

And do you know what? That’s ok.

Life happens.

We get sick, work goes mental, family circumstances change AND a gazillion other things happen and we can’t always bake/review/photograph the sunset – you get my drift?

We a have a Life Beyond Blogging and that’s exactly how it should be.

I know for professional bloggers – those who make a living from their blog, that this can be different, but I don’t think any blog should become all consuming.

If our entire focus is on capturing moments via our iPhones, are we actually living, present in that moment? Or will we have missed it and just have a photograph/video as a memory?

Kind of like going to a concert and watching the whole thing through your phone, so you can record it. Doesn’t that lessen the experience and point of going to the concert in the first place?

I enjoy my blog A LOT! But sometimes it’s good to step away, through choice or because of circumstances. If it becomes a burden then I know for me, it’s time to look at my priorities.

That doesn’t mean not being committed to blogging, rather, that balance is important in all aspects of our life.

I haven’t written a ‘personal’ blog for a while. This has definitely got the words flowing again.

My advice to me and you – hey we’re in this together, is, when your blog becomes a source of persistent stress, stop. Just for a moment and give yourself a break. Remind yourself of why you started blogging in the first place. Then if necessary take steps to make blogging fun and enjoyable again.

Maybe reduce your posts per week, take a complete break until you have something you absolutely must write, like in the beginning of blogging, where your chest/head – relevant body part, would explode if you didn’t get it written down and posted.

I’ve read so many, too many blogs recently, that start with an apology for not having posted for a while. It makes me feel sad. Most bloggers understand the difficulties of keeping up with a regular blogging schedule.

Cut yourself some slack. Don’t beat yourself up because you haven’t posted in a while. Live a little and take time out to laugh. Enjoy yourself!

There is Life Beyond Blogging and if we forget that, our blogs will be shallow reflections of a life not lived!

This post has helped me, I hope it helps you?

Sammie xx

Knotted Poppyseed Rolls

Hello lovelies, I make no apologies for posting two bread recipes in a row. Because….I simply had to share these utterly scrumptious, Knotted Poppyseed Rolls with you as soon as possible!

See? They not only look amazing, their taste is absolutely divine. Golden, crusted rolls, sprinkled with poppyseeds and a light, tender crumb within. And as an added bonus they are a breeze to make.

While these Knotted Poppyseed Rolls are pretty enough to grace any dinner table, they are also delicious filled with your choice of delights, wrapped and popped into a bag for a packed lunch treat!

Personally I am looking forward to slathering a roll with butter and enjoying it with Carrot Soup for my lunch.

Kneading Dough Is Therapeutic

I love baking bread and it is a lot easier using a bread maker, or stand mixer. Yet, there is a very real pleasure when making bread by hand, Kneading can be very therapeutic, especially after a stressful day. My Grandma always taught me to make bread when I was angry and pastry when I was relaxed. I do believe there is some truth in that. Since it is almost imossible to over knead bread by hand and if making pastry by hand, you really do need the lightest touch.

Stand Mixers – They Really Are A Kitchen Aid:

Because of the health issues I have, using a stand mixer to perform the kneading ensures that I can always make fresh bread for my family. And also our elderly neighbours, when snow makes travelling to the shops dangerous during winter.

Yet making these rolls gives a real ‘hands on’ experience with the dough; rolling, shaping, figuring out which way to tie the knot. And, if you can tie a knot, you too can make these Knotted Poppyseed Rolls!

Also, these rolls are great for making with children. Where bread dough is rather like grown-up play-doh, that can be eaten once baked. Now that really is fun!

Rather like cupcakes, rolls have the appeal of a whole individual portion. While I enjoy a slice of cake as much as I enjoy a slice of bread, having a home baked roll, all to myself, feels indulgent. Since this blog is all about sharing, why not make extra? While this recipe is easily doubled, I don’t recommend making a double batch in a bread maker or stand mixer.

Recipe : Makes 8 Knotted Poppyseed Rolls

Note: Follow the alternatives given for vegan rolls.

280ml Tap Water – at room temperature

7g/1 sachet Active Dried Yeast

1tsp Honey or 1/2tsp sugar

450g/1lb Strong White Bread Flour – I use organic stoneground white flour from Shipton Mill

1tbsp Unsalted Butter plus extra for greasing, alternatively use 1tbsp Rapeseed Oil (Canola Oil)

7g Sea Salt Flakes – I use Maldon

2tbsp Full fat Milk – or room temperature tap water

Poppyseeds

Making The Knotted Bread Roll Dough

Place the water, yeast and honey/sugar in the bowl of a bread maker or stand mixer – with dough hook attached.

Add the flour.

Place the butter/oil and salt on top of the flour.

If using a bread maker, set the cycle to dough and start.

For a stand mixer, mix until the ingredients come together and then continue to mix for a further 5 minutes on a medium speed. Stop the mixer, remove any dough on the hook and place into the bowl, cover with a damp cloth until the dough has doubled in size – approx an hour.

Once doubled in size, remove the cloth and mix again for 5 minutes as before – this will knock back the dough.

When the dough cycle has finished on the bread maker, start it again and allow to mix for 5 minutes to knock back the dough.

While the dough is knocking back, lightly grease 2 baking trays with a little butter.

How To Make A Dough Knot

Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.

Divide. The dough into 8 equal portions. — Divide the dough into 8 equal portions.

Roll a portion of dough out with your hands. Form into a horseshoe shape.

Take the right side and cross it over the left side.

Bring the left side under and through the centre. You will have made a knot!

If it doesn’t work first time don’t worry, it took me a couple of practices to get it right. Simply re-roll the dough and start again.

Adding The Poppyseeds

Place the rolls onto the baking sheet, as each one is formed. Space well apart, I placed 4 rolls on each sheet.

Brush milk over the surface of each roll. — Brush milk or water over the surface of each roll.

Cover both trays with a clean tea towel and leave the rolls until doubled in size – about 1 hour.

Baking The Knotted Poppyseed Rolls

10 minutes before the rolls are ready to bake preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan, gas mark 7, 425F.

As soon as the rolls are doubled in size, remove the tea towels and bake for 15 minutes in the centre of a preheated oven until golden. To test if the roll is baked, rap your knuckle against the base, it will sound hollow when baked.

As soon as the rolls are baked remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack.

Allow the rolls to cool. They can be eaten warm with butter, or cool completely if adding a filling.

These Knotted Poppyseed Rolls freeze beautifully and as they are best eaten withing 2 days of baking, simply pop any extra into a freezer bag and freeze for up to one month.

If you have enjoyed this recipe for Knotted Poppyseed Rolls you may also like these:

Oat Bran White Bread

FF Knotted Poppyseed Rolls — Oat Bran White Bread

Farmhouse White Loaf

Cheddar Cheese Thyme Soft Breadsticks

How do you like your rolls, warm with butter, with your favourite filling, maybe ham or cheese, or both?

So, whatever you are making, baking and creating in your kitchens, have fun preparing and sharing your feast.

Sammie x

No part of this post may be reproduced or duplicated without the written permission of the owner. Please see my Disclosure Policy.

Oat Bran White Bread

For those of you who regularly read this blog, you may have noticed a few things about the way I cook and bake. Primarily I make food that is tasty to eat using ‘natural’ ingredients. For example, I unashamedly use butter when baking and cooking and tend to avoid overly processed foods. While I have a passion for baking bread, with nuttier and seeded loaves being my preferred loaves, yet I live in the real world. In a family of five people, three prefer white bread. So here is my compromise. Oat Bran White Bread is a soft loaf without the heaviness or chewing required by its wholemeal cousin.

Since this bread is so soft it is perfect for sandwiches and also makes the most incredible toast. In fact, this loaf makes the best toast, in my opinion, of all the bread recipes here on Feasting is Fun. Packed full of fibre from the whole oats and oat bran, it is good for you as well as being a tasty, filling bread. Yet also having the lightness of a white loaf.

FF Oat Bran White Bread — Oat Bran White Bread Loaf

Choosing To Eat Well

While I am not into faddy food, having food allergies myself means I am attempting to increase the variety recipes on this site. For example gluten free, dairy free and vegetarian. I try to use fresh local and seasonal food as much as possible in my everyday cooking and that is reflected in the recipes posted here. I am not perfect and we have standby dinners in the freezer for days when I can’t cook.

All that said, I do try to make as much of our own bread as possible. If I didn’t have a bread machine or stand mixer I simply would be unable to make bread from scratch. Kitchen machinery that earns its place will always be welcomed by me. Far better to make good quality, homemade bread with the help of a mixer, than buy its mass produced counterpart. Bread is a staple and a great tasting, fresh loaf will always be at the heart of any kitchen that I use.

A quick note about this Oat Bran White Bread: I have recently updated the recipe, replacing the butter for Rapeseed oil. First of all it gives the baked loaf a softer texture and also makes the recipe both dairy free and vegan. I am NOT jumping on the ‘vegan’ bandwagon, however, creating a loaf that more people can make and enjoy will always be a priority for me, providing there is no compromise on flavour.

Recipe: Oat Bran White Bread

420ml Water at room temperature

450g/1lb Strong White Bread Flour – I use Shipton Mill

100g/4oz Fine Oat Bran available from health food shops and Amazon

– alternatively blitz the equivalent weight of rolled oats in a food processor

50g/2oz Rolled Oats plus 1tbsp for sprinkling on top of the loaf

7g /1sachet Active Dried Yeast – I use the green tub/sachets from Allinson also known as fast acting dried yeast.

7g Sea Salt – I use Maldon

2 tbsp Rapeseed Oil (Canola Oil)

Making And Proving The Bread Dough

You will need a lightly oiled 3 lb loaf pan to bake this loaf of bread.

Using a bread maker or stand mixer, pour the water into the bowl and then add the yeast.

Next add the flour, oat bran and oats.

On top of the dry ingredients add the salt and oil.

Set the bread machine to dough cycle and start.

If using a stand mixer, attach the dough hook and mix until all the ingredients come together. Continue to mix for 10 minutes. Stop mixing and remove the dough hook. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth until the dough has doubled in size, approx 1 hour.

Knocking Back And Shaping The Dough Ready For The Second Prove

Once doubled in size, remove the cloth and tip the dough out on to a lightly floured worktop so that the top of the risen dough is in on the bottom, in contact with the work surface.

Once the bread mixer has finished the dough cycle, start it again, allowing it to mix (knock back) the dough for one minute. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.

Working around the dough, take hold of the dough with your hand, pull out and then press into the centre. Continue, as in the photographs below, until you have a tight, neat lump of dough.

Gently, using your fingers, press the dough out to form a square shape.

Fold the bottom third of the dough up and then the top third of the dough is folded down, slighlty overlapping the seam.

Turn the dough over and place into a well greased 3 lb loaf pan.

Spray or brush with water and sprinkle over 1 tablespoon of rolled oats.

Cover with a clean tea towel, place in a straight free place and leave to rise until doubled in size.

Scoring And Baking The Oat Bran White Bread

Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan, 425F, gas mark 7.

As soon as the dough has risen score across the dough with a very sharp knife or grignette 4-5 times.

Place the bread in the centre of the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes. The bread is baked when golden brown and carefully rapped with a knuckle and it sounds hollow.

As soon as the loaf is baked remove from the oven and turn out immediately on to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Allow the bread to cool fully before slicing.

If you have enjoyed this recipe for Oat Bran White Bread you may also like these:

Sunflower Seed Heart Cob Loaf

Lighter Wholemeal Loaf

Lighter Wholemeal Bread Loaf — Lighter Wholemeal Loaf

Seeded Cob Loaf

This Oat Bran White Bread loaf has a wonderful texture and flavour. While it does contain oats it certainly doesn’t taste like porridge. The oat bran lends a slight nuttiness, without the full on slog you get from a wholemeal loaf. It slices beautifully and makes equally good toast and sandwiches, although I confess to enjoying a slice with just butter on it. A really good loaf should have its own flavour and not just be a package for some cheese and ham.

If you love white bread, but want to incorporate more healthy fibre in your diet – this loaf is a great place to start!

Whatever you are making, baking and creating in your kitchens, have fun preparing and sharing your feast.

Sammie xx

No part of this post may be reproduced or duplicated without the written permission of the owner. Please see my Disclosure Policy.

Crazy Caramel Carrot Cake

Hello lovelies, thank you so much for stopping by. And I have a real treat for you today, in the form of my Crazy Caramel Carrot Cake.

So, there is a reason for this particular cake’s title. Because I was absolutely CRAZY for attempting to make this cake last Sunday.

The Sunday Bake Club:

If you follow me on Twitter, you may well have heard of @SBC Takeover. It stands for Sunday Bake Club. Anyway, I was joining in a Tweet chat with them a few weeks ago and they asked me to join. Me?!!!

Each week they have a different theme as to what you should bake. And last Sunday it was vegetables. Yay I thought. Since carrot cake is my favourite cake in the entire universe, easy peasy. You’d think?!!!

Sliced crazy caramel cake, showing the inside. — Sliced Crazy Caramel Carrot Cake.

Since I figured, if I were going to take part, I was going to push myself. Yeah that always seems like a fun idea when you think about it – then you have to do it!!

I had a recipe-ish in mind for the cake I wanted to bake – but, it needed some adjustment. Also, this time I was going to use a Bundt tin, because, erm, it seemed like a good idea at the time. So I fiddled with the recipe, hoping I’d got the right quantities to bake my Crazy Caramel Carrot Cake in my chosen Bundt tin.

As I was making the cake, carefully photographing each stage, just in case it did work and I could share it with you lovely people, I had a thought. Always, always a dangerous activity for me.

Crazy Caramel Carrot Cake baked in a Bundt style tin.

Since there are Pecan nuts in the cake, it occurred to me that they’d also look nice if I used them to decorate the cake (assuming the cake turned out – literally, from its intricately designed Bundt tin). So all is good, but what was I going to ice/frost the cake with? Because I wasn’t feeling the cream cheese frosting that ALWAYS goes beautifully with carrot cake, I wanted Caramel.

Why Crazy Caramel Carrot Cake?

Confession time. I. Don’t. Like. Caramel.

Really I don’t, so I would be CRAZY to put something I don’t like, on my favourite cake, of all time, ever.

Yet, somehow, deep inside, I knew I could get it to work for me. While I know caramel and salted caramel have been done to death over the last few years, although I’d never jumped on that band wagon. Why would I? Because I don’t like caramel.

Or should I say I didn’t like caramel, until I’d made my own. I instinctively shy away from super sweet food, especially icings and frostings. Whereas, my own, homemade caramel sauce, is a gazillion miles away from the tooth aching, molten sugar of my previous caramel tastings.

Drizzled over this beautiful Bundt and adorned with toasted Pecan nuts this Crazy Caramel Carrot Cake is the perfect twist on a classic.

A Bundt sweet bake covered in caramel sauce and decorated with pecan nuts. — Crazy Caramel Carrot Cake

Bundt pan dimensions are 23.5cm (9″) wide x 11cm (4.5″) deep. The pan holds 3 litres (5.3 UK pints). Alternatively you could also use a 8in (20cm) greased and lined springform cake pan, although the baking time may need adjusting.

Recipe : Serves 10 Crazy Caramel Carrot Cake

For the Cake :

200g/7oz Unsalted Butter (plus extra for greasing the tin. Alternatively use Wilton cake release and apply as shown for butter.)

260g/10oz Caster Sugar

3 Large Free Range Eggs

1tsp Vanilla Extract – I use Nielsen-Massey

1/4tsp Salt

260g/10z Plain White Flour

2.5tsp Baking Powder

2.5tsp Cinnamon

300g/11oz Grated Carrot

50g/2oz Pecan Nuts

For the Caramel Topping :

50g/2oz Butter

175g/6oz Light Brown Sugar

300ml/11fl oz Double Cream

1tsp Vanilla Extract

50g/2oz Pecan Nuts

Method : Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan, gas mark 4, 350F.

Making And Baking The Carrot Cake:

First of all, before starting on the cake batter, you need to toast the pecan nuts. Since this brings out their flavour and keeps them crisp and crunchy within the cake.

In a dry pan, heat the pecan nuts, gently tossing to ensure even toasting, for five minutes. Set aside to cool.

Melt approx 1tbsp of butter and using a pastry brush, ensure the inside of the Bundt tin is completely greased.

To make the cake, firstly cream the butter and sugar together, until pale and fluffy.

Sift in one third of the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, vanilla extract and one egg and mix gently.

Repeat this process twice more, adding the egg before the dry mix at the last stage.

Place 50g of cooled pecan nuts, onto a board and roughly chop.

Add the grated carrot and chopped pecans to the cake batter.

Gently fold in the carrot and nuts until fully incorporated within the cake batter.

Spoon the cake batter into the tin, gently pressing down to remove any air pockets.

Place the cake in the middle of the oven and bake for 1hour.

Making The Caramel Sauce And Decorating The Cake:

While the cake is baking, make the Caramel Sauce.

Place the butter, sugar, cream and vanilla extract in a heavy based pan.

Crazy Caramel Carrot Cake swirl the ingredients over a medium heat. When the sauce is bubbling and golden brown in colour it is done! — **Crazy Caramel Carrot Cake** swirl the ingredients over a medium heat. When the sauce is bubbling and golden brown in colour it is done!

Remember the caramel is very hot, so no dipping your finger into the saucepan!!

Crazy Caramel Carrot Cake- decant the sauce, equally, into 2 heat proof containers and set aside to cool.

After 1 hour of baking insert a skewer into the deepest part of the cake, if it comes out clean the cake is baked and can be removed from the oven. If not, return the cake to the oven and check at 5 minute intervals.

Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin.

Once cooled turn out your Crazy Caramel Carrot Cake into a cake stand. — Once cooled turn out your **Crazy** **Caramel Carrot Cake** onto a cake stand.

Crazy Caramel Carrot Cake drizzle over the cooled caramel sauce. — **Crazy Caramel Carrot Cake** drizzle over the cooled caramel sauce.

You will only need half of the caramel sauce. The other half can be frozen, for up to 3 months, or kept in the fridge for a week.

crazy Caramel Carrot Cake now to decorate with pecan halves. — **Crazy Caramel Carrot Cake** now to decorate with pecan halves.

Your beautiful Crazy Caramel Carrot Cake is now ready to serve!

The Truth Of The Pudding Is In The Tasting:

You will have to trust me (wink), since this cake is not overly sweet. The resulting cinnamon scented carrot cake, with hidden pecan crunch, is perfectly complimented by the delicious caramel sauce. Don’t believe me??? try this for yourself!!!

I cannot encourage you enough to make this delicious twist on a classic, Crazy Caramel Carrot Cake.

Also this cake is easily baked in an ordinary cake pan. however, if I can encourage you also to obtain a Bundt tin, your baking world will sooo benefit. All that beautiful detail and no extra effort required from the baker. That’s got to be incentive enough.

Have you ever disliked a food or flavour and then been persuaded to change your mind?

If you have enjoyed this recipe for Crazy Caramel Carrot Cake you may also like these:

Malted Marbled Chocolate Cake

Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake

Summer Mixed Berry Sponge Cake

Stepping, actually taking a great, big, leap outside of my comfort zone really paid off. Resulting in an incredible flavour combination and beautiful cake that can also be served as a pudding, with custard, or more caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream. And remember, however you serve this cake, it always tastes better when shared!

So, whatever you are making, baking and creating in your kitchens, have fun preparing and sharing your feast.

Sammie x

No part of this post may be reproduced or duplicated without the written permission of the owner. Please see my Disclosure Policy.

Better Than Takeout Pizza

Hello lovelies, if you follow me on Twitter you will know that we had pizza last night for dinner. Not just any old pizza though, oh no, we had Better Than Takeout Pizza.

AND I had 50% off Domino Pizza vouchers!!!!

I know delivery pizza is really handy, but, it is soo expensive, even with vouchers. My Better Than Takeout Pizza costs a fraction of the price of delivery pizza, tastes way better than supermarket pizza, is incredibly easy to make AND you can top it with whatever you fancy!

Have I convinced you to make your own pizza?

Better Than Takeout Pizza - crispy edges, chewy dough, gooey melted cheese. Once you've made this you'll never want to order a pizza again! www.feastingisfun.com — Better Than Takeout Pizza – crispy edges, chewy dough, gooey melted cheese. Once you’ve made this you’ll never want to order a pizza again! www.feastingisfun.com

This Better Than Takeout Pizza has the most amazing crust. Made from scratch and, if possible, left to rise slowly through the day in the fridge. Slowing proving the dough allows the flavour to develop and guarantees the crispy, chewy, crust that we all love.

This recipe is perfect for the weekend, when we all generally have a little bit more time to potter in the kitchen. Guess what? If you can squeeze an extra 10-15 minutes into your morning routine, what you now have is a Pizza Any Night Wonder!!

Prep the dough in the morning, bung in the fridge to prove slowly throughout the day, a bit of bashing and stretching when you get home and within an hour you can have homemade pizza on the table for dinner.

Even better, if you have children, teach them how to stretch out the dough and you can sit down with a cuppa whilst they make dinner!!!!

Growing up, our children and their friends have made an assortment of pizzas. Did you know green pepper slices make excellent light sabers! Pepperoni as a piggies snout. Sweetcorn decorated flowers. Really the possibilities are endless. And I haven’t had a child round for tea who didn’t thoroughly enjoy making their own pizza, but also polished off every last morsel at the table!

This quantity of dough would easily make 8 individual children’s pizzas, or 2 large pizzas, more than enough to feed 4 very hungry teenagers/adults!

Go on, give it a try 😉

Recipe : Makes 2 Large Better Than Takeout Pizzas

275g/10oz Plain White Flour

275g/10oz Strong White Bread Flour

370ml/13fl oz Tap Water at room temp

2tsp Active Dried Yeast (or 1.5 sachets)

3tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1.5tsp Sea Salt (3/4tsp if using free flowing table salt)

Toppings of your choice inc:

Olive oil for drizzling on pizza

Tomato purée – 4tsp for this recipe

300g/11oz Mozzarella sliced or grated

80g/3.5oz Salami

1 x Red Onion thinly sliced.

Method : Preheat Oven to 230C/210C fan

Into the bowl of a stand mixer or bread maker add the water, yeast, flour, olive oil and salt – in that order.

Set bread machine to dough cycle and start.

With a dough hook attached to a stand mixer, start mixing a on a slow speed, once all the ingredients are combined continue to mix for 5 minutes.

Once the dough has been mixed tip out into a large oiled bowl. Then flip the dough over, forming it into a ball shape as you do so.

Cover the bowl with cling film.

Place the bowl into the fridge. Leave all day, or until the dough has doubled in size (approx 4 hours).

You can leave the dough to prove at room temperature, which should only take an hour. It won’t be quite as chewy and flavoursome, but will still be good!

See how the dough has risen slowly in the fridge and is now at least doubled in size!

Remove the cling film and get ready for the best part.

Punch the dough. Ooh the satisfying feeling as the puffed up pizza dough deflates.

Give the dough a quick knead and then form into a ball.

Lightly oil 2 large baking sheets. I use very old, worn, cheap baking sheets, that I bought from the supermarket. They are clean, if a little marked and browned and they work a treat. Just be sure, if using non stick baking sheets, that they are suitable for a high oven temperature AND still oil them!

Place half of the dough onto a baking sheet. Using the heel of your hand flatten and then stretch the dough.

Work the dough with you hands on an oiled baking sheet. Start flattening and stretching the dough.

If making 2 pizzas, switch between the two if the dough starts getting a little resistant to being stretched. A couple of minutes rest will relax the dough and make it easier to work with.

The dough will stretch to fill the baking sheet.

Squirt or spoon over 2tsp of tomato purée.

Smosh the oil and tomato purée together so that the dough is covered.

Add the cheese of your choice - here I've used mozzarella cheese, that's been sliced. — Add the cheese of your choice – here I’ve used mozzarella cheese, that’s been sliced.

Add the toppings of your choice. I've used Italian salami and sliced red onion. — Add the toppings of your choice. I’ve used Italian salami and sliced red onion.

Cover the pizza with a clean tea towel and leave for 30 minutes to rest and prove. Then pop into the preheated oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes. The length of baking time will depend on the size and thickness of your pizza dough.

The pizza should have a golden crust when cooked. To check, remove the pizza from the oven, loosen with a palette knife and peek underneath. If the base is golden and firm the pizza is cooked, if not return to the oven for a couple more minutes.

When baked, remove from the oven and serve immediately, either with my Crunchy Homemade Coleslaw or a nice salad.

This site is called Feasting is Fun, for a reason. Food should be enjoyable and preparing/eating it must be fun!

I hope I’ve inspired you to at least try making your own pizza. If you follow my recipe it is guaranteed to be Better Than Takeout Pizza!!!

Is there a takeout meal that you would never attempt to cook yourself?

For me it would have to be Peking Duck Pancake Rolls – but who knows. Never say never?

If you like this recipe then you might like THIS too!

Homemade Ciabatta Base Pizza

Sammie x

Macadamia Nutty Chocotastic Cookies

Hi, I’m so excited to share this new recipe to all you cookie lovers, chocolate lovers and nut lovers. Welcome to my Macadamia Nutty Chocotastic Cookies!

Are you a cookie lover? I am!

Homemade cookies are sooo much better than regular, shop bought ones. The taste is always better, you know exactly what has gone into them and you just cannot buy the smell of home baked cookies. Ooh that warm, buttery, delicious smell that drifts from the oven making your home feel – well – more like home!

These Macadamia Nutty Chocotastic Cookies so deserve their wacky name. They are stuffed to the brim with nuts, chocolate chunks and are Chocotastic!!!

Everyone who has tried these cookies had absolutely fallen 100% in love with them and immediately requested more. Now that, has got to be a reaction worth sharing.

Sharing is a major inspiration in my baking. I love seeing the reaction on someone’s face, when you give them something that you have made with them in mind. For this recipe, the inspiration was our children. They all work so hard at school and home and it’s wonderful to treat them.

My cookie preference, as I’ve mentioned before, on this blog, is always for oat/fruit cookie combos like these Walnut Fig Oat Cookies . But I know how much our children love chocolate and they don’t have chocolate bars very often at home, so baking something special like these Macadamia Nutty Chocotastic Cookies really is a treat for them. As I use good quality ingredients there are no hidden nasties, that is very imortant to me.

Recipe : Makes Approx. 26 Macadamia Nutty Chocotastic Cookies

225g/8oz Unsalted Butter at room temoerature

175g/6oz Dark Brown Sugar – I used muscavado sugar

1 Large Egg Yolk

1tsp Vanilla Extract

225g/8oz Plain White Flour

50g/2oz Cocoa Powder

1/4tsp Salt

175g/6oz Macadamia Nuts – roughly chopped

225g/8oz Milk Chocolate Chunks or Chips

Method : Preheat oven to 185C/170C fan.

You really do need the butter to be very soft. I actually put the bowl in the microwave on medium for 20 seconds, as my butter wasn’t soft enough. Ideally you want butter that you can easily push a knife, flat side down, through.

Beat or whisk the sugar and butter together, for 5 minutes, until pale and light. Don’t worry if there are still little specks of sugar once the mixture is whisked.

Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract to the bowl.

Whisk or beat for 5 minutes until the mixture is paler.

Sieve the flour, cocoa and salt into the bowl.

Add the chopped nuts and chocolate chunks.

Mix everything together until the have the most delicious, chocolate, nut studded cookie dough.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using an ice cream scoop make 1" balls of cookie dough. — Using an ice cream scoop make 1″ balls of cookie dough.

Ensure the cookie dough balls are well spaced apart.

Press down on each cookie dough ball to flatten.

Place the cookies into the oven and bake for 15 minutes exactly. The cookies will still seem soft when baked. Remove from the oven.

Macadamia Nutty Chocotastic Cookies allow to cool completely on the tray.

As this mixture makes such a big batch of cookies you can freeze half of the dough, in a freezer bag, for up to 3 months, or keep wrapped in cling film and refridgerated for up to a week. Or you can wash up the baking trays and bake the rest, just as I did 😉

Once cooled, these cookies have a deep chocolatey flavour complimented by the beautiful, buttery, Macadamia nuts. Ooh these are sooo good. They have to be up there, at the top of my favourite cookies ever list. What? Don’t you have a list???

Make these for yourself, to share with friends, family, neighbours. If you know someone who loves cookies bake them some Macadamia Nutty Chocotastic Cookies and watch the smile spread across their face as they take their first bite!

If you love cookies then you will love these Extreme Chocolate Cookies

Cheer Up Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sammie x

Autumn Apple Almond Cake

Today I am super, super thrilled to share another gluten free recipe with you. My incredibly delicious Autumn Apple Almond Cake. Because if you cannot have gluten in your diet, that shouldn’t mean missing out on treats such as this cake. Can you imagine what Marie Antoinette would have to say about that? Also, this cake can be made using regular, plain white flour. Most importantly it tastes scrumptious either way.

Gluten free sweet fruit and nut bake. — Autumn Apple Almond Cake

Free Organic Fruit

Inspiration for making this cake was as the result of chatting to a friend who is gluten intolerant. Since I always have gluten free flour in the cupboard and plenty of apples, I decided to create this cake. Both apple trees in our garden are currently laden with delicious green and red fruits. While we happily munch our way through them as a family, they are also great to bake with. Especially, bruised and blemished windfall apples, that aren’t suitable for the fruit bowl.

The apple trees were already established when we bought our house, along with a plum, pear and cherry tree. I feel very blessed to have a mini orchard at the back of our garden. Both apples trees produce red/green fruits. One of the trees is a Spartan variety, producing smaller and sweeter apples than the other tree. These apples are perfectly sized for little people’s hands. Also they shine when polished with a tea towel, placed in a bowl they create a stunning and free, table centrepiece. In contrast, the other tree’s apples taste very similar Granny Smiths. Larger in size, predominantly red in colour and with a crisp, sharper flavour. Although the variety remains a mystery we enjoy eating the fruit!

Freshly washed windfall apples from our garden.

As a rule, we eat and give away as many unblemished apples to neighbours and friends as we can, leaving a few on the ground for the blackbirds. Yet, with so many windfall apples this year I decided to start putting them to good use in new recipes.

Getting The Recipe Right

While creating new recipes I have to admit my first try resulted in an EPIC FAIL! Wanting to make a variation of my Sticky Pecan Sultana Buns I adjusted the recipe to incorporate fresh, grated, apple. While delicious, most of the buns stuck and once I’d managed to prise them out of the pan the majority promptly fell apart. So, I definitely won’t be making those again!

I knew next time I baked with the apples I wanted to grate them. Since grating the peeled fruit ensures that the apples cook into the cake batter. As a result, this Autumn Apple Almond Cake is incredibly moist, primarily due to the grated apple and helped by adding ground almonds into the mix. Adding Demerara sugar and flaked almonds to the top of the cake results in a crunchy, contrasting texture to the cake crumb.

Recipe: Autumn Apple Almond Cake serves 8-10

225g/8oz Caster Sugar

225g/8oz Unsalted Butter

1tsp Vanilla Extract – I use Nielsen-Massey

1/4tsp Salt – I use Maldon

4 Large Free Range Eggs

2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

2 tsp Baking Powder

150g/5oz Ground Almonds

150g/5oz Gluten Free Flour – I use Dove’s Farm alternatively you can use the same quantity if regular wheat, White Plain Flour

2tbsp Demerara Sugar

50g/2oz Flaked Almonds

350g/12oz Grated Apple – approx 4 large/5-6 medium apples once peeled and cored

Note : Any apple except Bramleys (cooking apples) can be used for this recipe. I used half sweet and half sharp apples.

Making the cake

Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan, 350F, gas mark 4

Grease a 25cm/10″ cake tin and line the base with baking parchment – I used a springform cake tin.

For this cake it is important to read through the recipe before starting.

First of all, place the butter and sugar into a large bowl.

Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.

Add the salt, vanilla extract and 2 eggs. Whisk until incorporated.

Next add half of the dry ingredients: flour, ground almonds, baking powder and cinnamon. Whisk until just incorporated.

Repeat the last 2 steps.

Your batter is now ready for the grated Apple. — Your batter is now ready for the grated apple.

I made the cake batter before preparing the apples. Since the apples I used turn brown within a few minutes of grating.

Peel and grate the apples using a box grater. Add the grated apples and any juice to the cake batter.

Place the batter into the cake, smooth the surface and sprinkle over the Demerara Sugar. — Place the batter into the cake tin, smooth the surface and sprinkle over the Demerara Sugar.

For an extra crunchy topping, cover the cake batter with flaked almonds.

Baking the cake

Place the cake into the middle of a preheated oven and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

If, as I found, the cake is browning too quickly, cover the top with foil or baking parchment after 50-60 minutes. Continue baking for a total of 1 hour 15 minutes – 1 hour 30 minutes.

Because if the apple content, inserting a skewer to test if the cake is baked could give a false result.

The cake is baked when it is firm to touch in the centre.

As soon as the cake is baked remove from the oven and leave to cool completely in the tin.

Once the cake is baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the tin. — .

Once the cake is completely cooled, carefully remove from the tin and serve.

This beautiful cake is delicous eaten as is, however, to make a dessert you could easily slice this cake when slightly warm and serve with homemade custard – see my recipe here, pouring cream, or even a scoop of ice cream!

Should you have any cake left it can be stored in an airtight container for 3 days. Keep refrigerated during warmer weather.

If you have enjoyed this recipe for Autumn Almond Apple Cake you may also like these:

Where the recipes below state that they can be made gluten free, I have successfully substituted Doves Farm gluten free flour instead of wheat flour.

Maple Syrup Frosted Apple Cupcakes

FF Autumn Almond Apple Cake — Maple Syrup Frosted Apple Cupcakes – can be made gluten free

Amazing Apple Pie

Maple Drizzled Apple Blueberry Loaf Cake

Cinnamon Drizzle Apple Walnut Cake Bars

FF Autumn Apple Almond Cake — Cinnamon Drizzle Apple Walnut Cake Bars

I love creating recipes that more people can enjoy and it is an important part of why I started this blog. While I also firmly believe that all food tastes better when shared. Therefore, making recipes that can be shared by more people makes sense. As a food allergy sufferer myself, I understand, albeit in a limited way, how food intolerances can affect people. Especially when eating in a group, or at larger social occasions. And since food is essential for our survival and health, creating an environment where everyone can relax while eating is important to me.

So, whatever you are making, baking and creating in your kitchens, have fun preparing and sharing your feast.

Sammie xx

No part of this post may be reproduced or duplicated without the written permission of the owner. Please see my Disclosure Policy.

Chocolate Madness Muffins

Well hello lovely people, what an amazing day it is today. Especially as I have mayhem happening in the kitchen today, in the form of Chocolate Madness Muffins. And please trust me, because you are going to go crazy for these scrumptious muffins.

So, did you spot what I did? Diving straight into the photos of these chocolate masterpieces. Amazingly light chocolate sponge, studded throughout with milk and white chocolate chunks and chips.

And then I pressed extra chocolate chips into the top of the batter before baking the Chocolate Madness Muffins in the oven.

However, just in case there is any doubt about how madly, chocolatey, delicious these muffins are, I scattered a few extra chocolate chips over them, after baking, because why not??

So, let’s bring the Chocolate Mayhem on!!!

It’s good to shake things up once in a while, well not fizzy water – but that’s another thing entirely!

Usually, traditional muffins are quite dense and fairly quite good for you. Definitely not the case with these Chocolate Madness Muffins, as they don’t tick either of those boxes (RECIPE REBEL!). Since I was aiming for the cafe style muffins, but better. Big, beautiful, light-as-air sponge, enveloped in these gorgeous tulip style cake wrappers.

As you unwrap your own moment of madness, it really is like having a special chocolate present all to yourself. Unless, of course, you bake these Chocolate Madness Muffins and then invite lots of friends round. Ooh imagine sharing the Madness Mayhem. Now that sounds like my kind of party.

Muffins are not cupcakes:

Incredibly easy to make, the only difficulty with these Chocolate Madness Muffins is waiting for them to cool. Beautiful though these tulip cake cases are, the trick to them not peeling off as they cool, is to leave the muffins to cool completely in the pan. Once they are room temperature they can be removed from the pan.

I love the tulip cases, but they can be pricey. I’ve found buying online is much cheaper than any of the supermarkets. Also, unless you are going to make huge cupcakes, these tulip wrappers make piping icing pretty tricky. If you want to add frosting it’s easier just to dollop it on with a spoon see my Chocolate Chunk Cupcakes.

Please don’t worry if you haven’t got these tulip cake wrappers, this recipe will make 18 regular sized muffins instead of 12 Mega Chocolate Madness Muffins.

Recipe : Makes 12 mega or 18 regular Chocolate Madness Muffins

225g/8oz Caster Sugar

225g/8oz Unsalted Butter at room temperature

1/4tsp Salt – I use Maldon

1tsp Vanilla Extract

4 Large Eggs – I use free range

200g/7oz Plain White Flour

50g/2oz Cocoa Powder – I use Callebaut powder and chocolate chips/chunks

2tsp Baking Powder

100ml/4fl oz Whole Milk

150g/5oz Milk Chocolate Chunks or Chips

150g/5oz White Chocolate Chunks or Chips

Optional – extra chocolate chips for decoration after baking

Method : Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan, 350F, gas mark 4

Making The Batter

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

Add 2 eggs, vanilla extract and then whisk together.

Place your flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt into a bowl. These are your dry ingredients.

Sift in half of the dry mix. Mix until just incorporated.

Repeat, adding first the eggs and milk. Then sift in the rest of your dry ingredients and mix until you have a smooth batter.

Add in 100g/4oz of both the white and milk chocolate. Fold gently into the batter.

Line a muffin pan with 12 tulip cake wrappers. Using a large ice cream scoop, add a large rounded scoop of batter into each wrapper.

Chocolate Madness Muffins sprinkle over the remaining 50g each of milk/white chocolate chips.

If using standard muffin cases, scrape the scoop against the side of the bowl. Add the smoothed off scoop to each case. Then sprinkle with the chocolate chips.

These muffins are now ready for the oven.

Baking The Muffins

Bake for 20-23 minutes (15-18 minutes for standard muffins) until the muffin springs back when lightly pressed.

As soon as the muffins are baked remove from the oven and place on a baking rack to cool.
Once cooled sprinkle over a few extra chocolate chips.

To make the most of these Chocolate Madness Muffins I suggest sharing them. If you have chocoholic friends invite them round for a chat and a treat. Once they see these muffins the mayhem will commence. These muffins are most definitely FUN FOOD!

If you have enjoyed this recipe for Chocolate Madness Muffins you may also like these:

Caramac Drizzle Rolo Caramel Brownies

FF Chocolate Madness Muffins — Caramac Drizzle Rolo Caramel Brownies

Chocolate Honeycomb Sponge Cake

Maltesers Popping Candy Cupcakes

I don’t suggest eating one of these every day, but once in a while, why not let lose? All food is much more fun when shared.

Do you have a favourite recipe you like to share?

Sammie x

Cheesy Vegetable Pasta Bake

Hi, is everyone fed up with the clouds? Yep, me too. Although I love Autumn, it’s endless days of rain, with no blue sky occasionally peeking through can be disheartening. And in all honesty, it makes me want to snuggle up with a good film and a big bowl of this Cheesy Vegetable Pasta Bake.

So, this dish came about because I was too lazy to get any meat out of the freezer! Because our freezer is in our garage, with no internal interconnecting door and it was raining. Are you convinced?! Anyway enough of my laziness, what resulted was an incredibly tasty dish.

Serving the vegetarian pasta bake. — Cheesy Vegetable Pasta Bake

While we are a meat eating family, I do make a little meat go a long way. However, it is very rare that I deliberately leave meat or fish out of a dish. Big mistake! Because no one in our family, or my chief taste tester, missed the meat in this Cheesy Vegetable Pasta Bake. In fact they enjoyed a meat free meal.

I was so pleased. Firstly, I had created a great meal that everyone enjoyed – always my main aim. Secondly, I now have a great vegetarian dish in my repertoire. Also, I love to serve this with Focaccia Bread.

Complete untouched vegetarian pasta bake. — Cheesy Vegetable Pasta Bake

Since meat is usually the most expensive component in a meal, without compromising flavour, this is a fantastic, meat free, budget friendly dish. Perfect for a mid week meal. In fact why not double up on the ingredients and make this for a new mum, family or friends returning from holiday, or simply to freeze for up to 3 months. Because this is meat free, more people can enjoy this dish.

Recipe : Cheesy Vegetable Pasta Bake Serves 6 people generously

1tbsp Olive Oil – I use Filippo Berio

1 x Leek

1 x Celery Stick finely diced

2 x Large Carrots finely diced

6-8 Mushrooms White Button or Chestnut sliced thinly

3 Cloves of Garlic – crushed

4 x 400g Cans Chopped Tomatoes

1/4tsp Freshly Grated Nutmeg

1tsp Dried Mixed Herbs

Salt and Pepper to taste

500g/1lb Dried Pasta – I used Penne

Cheese Sauce see Bacon Cheese Pasta Bake – Cheese Sauce

50g/2oz Finely Grated Cheese for topping – I use Wyke Farms mature cheddar (both in the sauce and to top)

Note : If making this dish for vegetarians, ensure you use vegetarian cheese.

Method : Making The Pasta Bake

First of all, cut the very dark green top and root from the leek. Slice the leek in half, lengthways and rinse thoroughly under a cold running tap. This ensures any sand or dirt trapped between the layers in the leek is washed away. Pat the leek dry with a clean cloth. Slice the leeks into 1/2 inch dice.

Pour the oil into a pan and heat up over a medium heat. Add the leeks to the pan.

Add the rest of the chopped vegetables and sauté for 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Pour in the tinned tomatoes.

Add the nutmeg and dried herbs. Bring to a simmer and cook with a lid almost covering for 1 1/2 hours.

While the vegetable sauce is cooking make the Cheese Sauce.

As soon as the vegetable sauce has cooked remove from the heat.

Cook your chosen pasta according to the package instructions, less 3 minutes.

Drain the pasta and tip into the vegetable sauce. Mix the pasta and vegetable sauce together.

Cheesy Vegetable Pasta Bake, pour the pasta/vegetable mix into a baking dish. — Pour the pasta/vegetable mix into a baking dish.

Cheesy Vegetable Pasta Bake, smother in cheese sauce and finish with a sprinkling of finely grated cheese.

You can bake the pasta dish in a medium oven, 180C/160C fan immediately, for 1hour, until golden and bubbling.

Alternatively, cover the cooled Cheesy Vegetable Pasta Bake in cling film and refridgerate for up to 3 days. If freezing, cool, wrap the entire dish in cling film and then aluminium foil.

Versatile Vegetarian Meals

You can switch up the veggies to whatever you have on hand. In fact this dish is a great way to use up small amounts of vegetables sitting in the fridge, before your next grocery shop!

Perfect served just as it is, or you can stretch it further by serving with some crusty bread and salad. Either way this Cheesy Vegetable Pasta Bake is sure to become a favourite in your home.

If you have enjoyed this recipe for Cheesy Vegetable Pasta Bake you may also like these:

Roasted Summer Vegetable Orzo Salad

FF Cheesy Vegetable Pasta Bake — Roasted Summer Vegetable Orzo Salad

Baked Cheese Olive Ciabatta Bread

Walnut Pastry Crust Leek Stilton Tart

Since this recipe is meat free it can be shared by more people. And it’s ideal for pot luck church meals. Because it is so versatile, allowing you to substitute whatever vegetables you have in the fridge, or even in the garden, it’s budget friendly too. Also to make the dish stretch further, serve with salad and some homemade Tomato Thyme Garlic Focaccia Bread. Delicious, nutritious and easy on the pocket, this vegetarian recipe ticks all the boxes.

So, whatever you are making, baking and creating in your kitchens, have fun preparing and sharing your feast.

Sammie xx

No part of this post may be reproduced or duplicated without the written permission of the owner. Please see my Disclosure Policy.