DOUGHNUT CUPCAKES

A little treat for a sweet tooth.

Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

200 g lurpak lighter, softened
200 g sugar
2 eggs
1 yolk
300 g self raising flour
100 ml semi-skimmed milk
1/2 tsp baking powder
12 tsps strawberry jam (I use low sugar)

Heat the oven to 180c/fan 160c/ gas 4. Tip the softened butter, sugar, eggs, flour, milk and baking powder into a large bowl. Beat together just until you have a smooth soft batter.
Line a 12 hole muffin tray with cases. Fill the cases two-thirds full with the batter. Then make a small dip in the batter and spoon in 1tsp jam. Cover with another tbsp cake batter and repeat for the remaining cupcakes. Bake in the oven for 25 mins until risen and cooked through.
Brush some melted butter over each cake, then sprinkle with sugar and serve.

Points per cupcake : 5

Suitable for freezing but will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Recipe from Good Food Magazine

My Favourite Beef Stew

This is what I can smell cooking at the moment so I thought I would share it with you as it is just delicious.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp butter
1 onion, chopped
1 handful fresh sage leaves
800 g beef stew meat, cut into 5cm pieces
black pepper
1 tsp flour
2 parsnips, quartered
4 carrots, halved
1/2 butternut squash, roughly diced
500 g potatoes, baby
2 tbsps tomato puree
1/2 bottle red wine
1/2 pt vegetable stock
1 lemon, zest of finely grated
1 handful rosemary, leaves picked
1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 160c. Put a little oil and your knob of butter into a casserole pot. Add your onion and sage leaves and fry for 3 to 4 minutes. Toss the meat in a little seasoned flour, then add it to the pan with all the vegetables, the tomato puree, wine and stock, and gently stir together. Season generously with black pepper.

Bring to the boil, place the lid on top, then cook in the oven until the meat is tender. Sometimes this takes 3 hours, sometimes 4 - depending on the cut of meat. Once it's cooked, you can turn the oven down to 110c and just hold it there until you are ready to eat.

Serve the stew in a bowl with some fresh bread. Mix the lemon zest, chopped rosemary and garlic together and sprinkle over the stew before eating.

Points per serving : 5.5

Freezing is not recommended due to the potatoes breaking down.

Today I used beef stock as I had no veg in and I couldn't be bothered to go and pick any sage from the garden so I left it out altogether.

Recipe from Jamie Oliver