tomato and eggs

i am addicted to this at the moment. wholemeal toast, polish mayo, soft-boiled eggs, cherry tomatoes cooked with a little oil and garlic, and lots of salt and pepper. it is heaven. and easy peasy. and it goes down a treat any time of the day or night!

irish soda bread

irish soda bread. 
it is pretty damned delicious.
and easy peasy to make.
but the best bit?
it is sooooo versatile.
like there is actually no way any could possibly go to waste.


case in point:
i initially made it to have with these amazing lentils ...

and then i had it for lunch with mayo and a balsamic tomato and spring onion salad ...

and then just with jam for a snack.

what can i say?! i'm kinda keen on irish soda bread!


anyway, here's the recipe:
ingredients
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 heaped tsp cream of tartar
1 heaped tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tbsp plain yoghurt
225g plain white flour
450g wholemeal flour
400ml milk
method
1. add salt, sugar, cream of tartar and bicarbonate of soda to the plain white flour. sift into a large mixing bowl.
2. add wholemeal flour and mix thoroughly with a round-ended knife, using a lifting motion to aerate the mixture.
3. combine the milk and yoghurt in a jug.
4. make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and add the milk mixture, mixing until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl clean. you may have to add a little more milk if it doesn't combine completely.
5. knead into a ball, put into a greased loaf tin and cut a cross into the top of the loaf.
6. bake at 200°C for 45 minutes.

apple and berry crumble

i LOVE crumble. of any kind. 
and homemade is loads better than the ones you get from the supermarket freezer. 
so i decided to give it a go myself. 
and guess what?! 
i was pretty impressed!


here's the recipe i used:
ingredients
700g apples, peeled, cored and chopped
335g white sugar
juice 1 lemon
300g berries (i used blackberries)
125g butter, diced
method
1. preheat the oven to 180°C. grease a 1 litre capacity ovenproof dish.
2. put the apples, 185g of the sugar and the lemon juice into a large saucepan and cook, stirring frequently, over a medium heat for seven minutes.
3. using a slotted spoon, transfer the apples to the prepared dish, leaving most of the juice behind. top with the berries.
4. blend the flour, butter and remaining sugar in a food processor until just combined. sprinkle evenly over the fruit.
5. bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden and bubbling. serve with cream and/or icecream.