A Few Flakes of Snow . . . and some mighty tasty Deviled Eggs

"Enjoy life . . . there are no reruns." ~Shirl Lowery

We got snow yesterday. Imagine that! Spring is officially here and then we get the snow I have been longing for all winter! The above picture is the only one I got of it that you can actually see the snow in it. I have discovered that snow, is very hard to photograph, unless it is falling in huge amounts, but . . . as you can see . . . we only got a mild sprinkling. This was early in the morning before we left for church. By the time we arrived in church it was falling down in big fluffy flakes, looking every bit like goose feather down, but alas . . . my camera was at home.

None of it stuck though. It was all absorbed as soon as it hit the ground. But . . . it was very exciting. I had almost forgotten how snow felt on your "nose and eyelashes," and what it feels like to catch it on your tongue, and the child in me reveled in every flake that fell from over our Kentish skies yesterday, even if it didn't stay around for very long.



Contrast that to my brother's home in Ottawa where, they are so sick of snow by now, that they would gladly ship it all over here to us in England, and probably pay for the priviledge of doing so quite happily! I guess they have been wearing their arms off shoveling and clearing it all out, day after day, falling into bed at night totally exhausted with their exertions. I think the novelty of those first few flakes that fell in the late autumn has well and truly worn off!!!

Funny how that goes. I remember as a child being hardly able to wait for the snow to arrive each year and being so very excited when it finally did. Snow heralded the beginning of winter activities such as sledding and skating (we had outdoor rinks way back then) and making snowmen and snowangels, and having the first snowball fight of the season. Snow is a lot more fun than rain . . . at least you can do something with it that is tangible. The rain only gets soaked into the ground and makes mud . . .

Long about January or February though, the snow had worn off it's novelty, and we were more than ready for it to melt . . . so that we could get back to the business of running in the grass, and playing marbles, skipping rope or playing ball. The daily tedium of having to wrap up warmly within an inch of your life, just to keep from freezing to death, would be getting to us, and we longed for the day when we could walk to school wearing nothing more on our feet than a pair of knee socks and some shoes. Those old buckled brown galoshes that we had to wear in the winter were a big pain in the arse! You had to fight to get them on over your shoes and then you had to fight to get them off. They always pulled your shoes off when you removed them! The taste of wet wool in your mouth from having a scarf wrapped around your face would be getting pretty old too . . .

As an adult, I have come to appreciate and love each season and welcome all the changes that come with each one, even if the old one should tarry a bit longer than I would like them to . . . Each day is a gift, even if it is raining, and the wind should threaten to blow us away! Each season has it's own beauty to enjoy and it's own perks. I like to savour each and every one of them.

I expect there are a lot of hard boiled eggs sitting around people's homes, now that Easter is over. My mother never boiled our Easter eggs when we were growing up, so that was never a problem in our house, but I know a lot of people do, so I thought I would share my way of making deviled eggs with you this morning. It's a mighty tasty way of using up some of the leftovers from easter!



*Deviled Eggs*
Makes 12 halves

These are always very popular with young and old alike. Whenever I take these to a pot luck or get-together they are one of the first things to dissappear. They're lovely on a salad plate and quite nice to just keep in the refrigerator for snacks. I wish I had a pound for every one of these I have made up at the big house! I'd be able to retire by now! I must make several dozen of these every week and several times a week as well!!

6 large free range eggs (Eggs that are too fresh will not peel easily so it is best to use eggs that are at the very least a week old)
6 tsp of good quality mayonnaise
1 rounded teaspoon of grainy mustard
salt and black pepper to taste
sweet paprika

Put your eggs into a saucepan along with a good pinch of salt and some white vinegar. (This helps to make them easier to peel. Honest!) Place over medium heat and bring them to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for approximately 10 minutes. Remove them from the heat and immediately run cold water over them until the eggs are completely cooled. I like to begin peeling them from the largest end and have heard that they peel easier if you start at that end. I don't know if this is a myth or not, but I know it works for me. I also like to peel them under running water. Just give them a good bash on one end to crack them and then start peeling.

Once you have all the eggs peeled and wiped dry, use a very sharp knife to cut them in half lengthwise. Place the yolks into a bowl and lay the white halves on a serving plate. Take a fork and mash the yolks as smoothly as you can. Add the mayonnaise and continue to mash them together until smooth. (You may need a bit more mayonnaise, depending on the size of your yolks. You don't want the mixture to be soupy, neither do you want it to be overly dry. It should be somewhat stiff, but not overly so.) Stir in the grainy mustard and salt and black pepper to taste. Divide the mixture evenly amongst the egg whites, spooning it into the cavities left by the yolks. You can also use a pastry bag and pipe the filling into the egg whites for a special occasion. Cover and chill for several hours before serving. Sprinkle with paprika just prior to serving for a nice presentation.

Winter's Last Hurrah and Perfectly Grilled Steaks

"I am the ressurection, and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die." ~John 11:25-26

"There is nothing more universal than death, and nothing brighter with hope and faith than the assurance of immortality. The abject sorrow that comes with death, the bereavement that follows the passing of a loved one are mitigated only by the certainly of the ressurrection of the Son of God that first Easter morning, bringing the assurance that all will rise from the grave." ~President Gordon B. Hinckley

Winter is revisiting Oak Cottage this Easter weekend. The wind is buffeting all the trees and shrubs in the garden, and there is the steady scratch against the glass of my kitchen window pane of the branches of the rose bushes that grow outside, as they are blown to and fro. The sky is dull and grey . . . and rain lashes against our walls and windows. The wind is cold and in some places snow is expected . . . tis winter's last hurrah . . .



Easter is not usually like this, but then again, it is exceptionally early this year . . . and by several weeks.

It has been almost two years ago now since I lost my beloved Aunt Freda to cancer. It was very unexpected. We found out she had cancer shortly after Christmas that year, and she was gone less than six months later. One scarce had time to get used to the idea that she might die, before the unthinkable had happened. I don't suppose there is a day that goes by, when I do not think of her in some way.

When we first lost her, I cried hard and I cried often. I would be doing some task and the thought of her would come, and then next, the sorrow at her passing and the deep feelings of bereavement. It is good that the thoughts of losing her have now been replaced with memories of happier times spent together, and that I am able to think of her with fond smiles instead of sorrowful tears.

I speak of this today only because I can feel her here with me this morning. I have felt her close by these past few days, and indeed, last night, she came to me several times in dreams. Each time we spoke to each other . . . words that have now escaped me in my wakefulness. She appeared younger and more refreshed, and she was smiling and happy. It was lovely. One time she actually embraced me and I could feel her close, and breathe her in. My heart was filled with joy at this rare and unexpected blessing. It was a pretty wonderful feeling, and a special Easter gift just for me.



A reminder to me that, though we may tarry on this Earth for a number of years, our years are numbered, and that it is not truly our home. We only love and visit and learn here for a short time. Our real home is far away, and yet it is all around us . . . only a whisper separating us from those that have gone before, and, who wait for us to return to where we truly belong.

It is hard for those of us who are left behind. We feel their loss keenly. Thank God for the reassurance that is ours in knowing that this life here on earth is not all that there is, and that tis only temporary. There is a better place and He waits for us, along with our dear loved ones who have gone on before us.

Families are eternal. Death is not the end . . . it is only the beginning. There is far more joy to follow, and a greater joy than we can possibly imagine here in this mortal plane. I think Aunt Freda was telling me that last night . . .


That's what Easter is all about . . . death has lost it's sting . . .


We don't have red meat here at Oak Cottage very often. I prefer to save it as an occasional treat, so that when we do have it we will have some really nice chops or a meltingly tender steak. Todd is a meat and potatoes kind of a guy and while he rarely complains he does rebel if we eat chicken too many times throughout the week, no matter how tastily I try to disguise it. I served some delicious stip loin steaks for dinner a few nights ago accompanied with this tasty blue cheese butter which really went down a treat.





*Grilled Steak with Blue Cheese Butter*
Serves 2

Beautifully grilled steaks accompanied with a tangy and flavourful blue cheese butter that melts on top and dresses it up beautifully. If you love blue cheese you are really going to love this!

2 beef sirloin, strip loin or filet steaks
seasoning salt
cracked black pepper
worchestershire sauce

For the butter:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 TBS finely chopped flat leaf parsley
1 TBS chopped fresh basil
1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced

Pre-heat your grill to fairly hot. Take your steaks and sprinkle them evenly with the seasoning salt and cracked black pepper to taste. Spritz them all over with some worcestershire sauce and then leave them to marinate briefly while you wait for the grill to heat.

Combine the butter, blue cheese, parsley, basil and garlic together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Grill the steaks to the desired doneness under the heated grill. (in the summer you can do this on the barbeque)

Serve each steak topped with a generous amount of the butter mixture. You may chill any remaining butter which doesn't get used for another time. It's delicious melted atop hot cooked vegetables! (especially purple sprouting broccoli!)

Todd especially likes this with chips and I add always grill some mushrooms, onions and tomatoes on the side. They are great "go-with's", as well as a green salad.

*The Thumb Test for Firmness*

Have you ever wondered how to tell if your meat is done properly? Here's a simple way to judge the cooking of a piece of meat or poultry or fish. It's a trick we were taught in Culinary school. It's easy to compare it's resilience to that of your thumb muscle. The further the thumb has to reach across the hand, the more resilient the ball of the muscle becomes.

First finger stage - for blue meat and lightly cooked fish - touch your thumb to it's opposing first finger and press the ball of your thumb with teh tip of a finger of the other hand. The ball will offer no resistance.

Second finger stage - for rare meat - touch your second finger to yoru thumb and press the ball of your thumb - the ball will feel spongy.

Third finger stage - for medium cooked meat, game or duck, or well done fish - touch your third finger to your thumb and press the ball of your thumb - the ball will feel resistant.

Fourth finger stage - for well-done meat or poultry - touch your fourth finger to your thumb and press the ball of your thumb - the ball will feel firm.

Your meat will feel the same way when touched with the tip of your index finger, as the ball of your thumb does in each of these cooked stages. It may take a bit of practice but with time will become second nature to you and easy peasy.

All things Easter and Easter Chocolate Crispie Nests

May the promise of the Springtime, cheer you,
And the magic that it brings, thrill you;
May the healing of the sunlight, warm you,
And the blessings of Easter fill you.

May the peace of flowing waters, calm you,
And the strength of the hills, uphold you;
May the joy of waking earth, enrich you,
And the Blessings of Easter enfold you.

May the music of the morning, lift you,
And the hope of all the world, guide you;
May the love of those you love, sustain you,
And the blessings of Easter stay beside you.
~unknown


Yesterday was the first day of spring and today is Good Friday. Easter is very early this year and indeed this is somewhat of a rarity for the last time it was this early was back in 1913 and it won't happen again until the year 2228! It's all got something to do with the Lunar Calender. It just doesn't seem like Easter this year, but that could have something to do with the cold weather and it being so early.

Perhaps if I had children here at Oak Cottage, and eggs to colour and hide, then it would feel different . . . and maybe more Eastery . . .



Yesterday a friend was telling me all about her little boy's Easter Bonnet that they had been making the evening before for his Easter parade at school. I was so happy to hear that they still did things like that these days, and it brought back some lovely memories for me.

Every Easter when I was in my younger years at school, the annual making of the Easter Bonnet would be the highlight of our spring calender! (At least to us girls! I can't speak for the boys, but somehow I don't think it had quite the same level of import for them!) Paper plates would be doled out to each of us, along with glue, ribbons and crepe paper etc. I would sit diligently at my desk, tongue between my teeth (yes, I am a tongue clencher kind of concentrator), with scissors in hand, trying to create the most beautiful Easter bonnet of all. Prizes were always awarded for the best one, so this was a serious business!

Tissues would be fluffed and formed into the most beautiful flowers and glued atop, along with crepe paper frills and a chenille Easter Chick or two, depending on how many I had gotten my grubby little hands on before they ran out . . .



Every year I would declare to myself that this was the most beautiful bonnet yet of all time, but I don't think I ever did win a prize for any of my Easter Bonnets. Nevermind though . . . the most thrilling and important part of the whole exercise was the Easter Parade itself!

Each class would take their turn visiting the other classrooms, and parading around the perimeter of the desks, showcasing and modeling their creations, while Judy Garland warbled "Easter Parade" in the back ground. I can remember practically dancing around each room, my heart swollen with an enormous sense of pride at the lovely creation sitting atop my head, all the while trying with dignity, grace and a great deal of effort to keep it aloft.

I am sure that this was an activity enjoyed by all of the girls, and scorned by most of the boys! ( at least outwardly so) Afterwards, we would retire to our own classrooms where we would be treated to the other class Easter Parades and then finally, the added bonus of Easter Treats and drinks . . . a classroom Easter Party . . . before we would be sent home for the Easter Holiday weekend, dragging our beautiful Easter Creations behind us to share with our individual families, where mother would declare that this year's bonnet was the most beautiful yet, as mothers often do . . . and so they should!

At home we would be filled with all the excitement of children who knew that in just a few days time the Easter bunny would be dropping off all sorts of chocolate goodies to tempt our palates, and maybe even a new skipping rope, some bubbles to blow, and a new bag of shiny glass marbles if we were really lucky . . . traditional springtime pastimes and pursuits.



When my own children were small, I used to delight in selecting them small spring toys and fancies for them to wake up to on Easter Morning. I would be up very late colouring the eggs on Easter Eve (?? Is there even such a thing??) Small foil covered chocolate eggs would be hidden all over the downstairs for them to seek out in the morning and each of their baskets would be filled with Easter grass, and other trinkets and treasures and . . . most important of all . . . a beautiful Easter bunny.

Here in England, the children all receive a huge chocolate easter egg, and in most cases, even more than one, for all their Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles also gift them with eggs as well. I think the little fella next door got about six last year and that wasn't including the one we had gotten for him! I am always amazed at the huge variety that can be purchased and enjoyed. Each confectionary company seems to have their own brand and you can get one in every flavour under the sun! I even saw one the other day on the telly from Harvey Nichols that cost £500. It was enormous and of solid chocolate. I guess that's the Easter Egg you get for someone who already has everything they need and not to mention if you have money to burn!

Me . . . I'm still a sucker for an Easter bunny, and if I've been a really good girl this year I may even get one. (My Todd does love to spoil me)

All these thoughts were running through my head yesterday afternoon as I was making an Easter confectionary for the young people at my church. They had their Easter Activity at the chapel last night and I wanted to bring something special in for them all to enjoy. I ended up having to work late, so Todd had to take them in for me, and I missed out on all the fun, but I am hoping that they appreciated them. This was my first time making these! They were very easy and a lot of fun to make as well!



*Easter Chocolate Crispie Nests*
Makes about 15

These are so easy to do and look so pretty when they are finished. I had long heard of Marshmallow Crispy Squares, but never these chocolate delights! What a sheltered life I have lived! I wish I had known about these when my children were growing up. They would have loved them!

50 grams of milk chocolate (I used Green and Blacks organic)
50 grams of dark chocolate (again I used Green and Blacks)
3 cups of crisp rice cereal
1 bag of Easter mini eggs (you will not need them all, but I am sure you will find a use for the extras, I did!)

Put a pot with some water in the bottom of it on the stove and bring it to a simmer. Break the chocolate up into bits and place it into a glass bowl, large enough to sit over the simmering water. Cook and stir until melted. Take care not to let the water boil. Once the chocolate is all melted and smooth, carefully remove it from the heat and stir in the rice cereal.

Line a bun tin with paper liners and spoon the chocolate cereal mixture in, dividing it equally amongst each cup. Place a few easter eggs on the top of each and set them aside to cool and set up. You can put them into the fridge to do this if you are in a hurry, but it may cause your chocolate to bloom. If you are a patient sort it really doesn't take that long for them to set up out of the fridge, perhaps not much more than an hour or so.

Good Medicine and a Delicious Chicken Casserole

"Laugh and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone;
For the sad old earth must borrow it's mirth,
But has trouble enough of it's own."
~Ella Wheeler Wilcox

"We are here in mortality, and the only way to go . . . is through; there isn't any around."
~Elder Neal A. Maxwell

I have decided that one of the best ways to get through life is to laugh your way through it. I suppose one could choose to cry their way through it, but I prefer to laugh, myself. Laughing is a lot easier, makes you feel a lot better and as some wise person once said . . . "Laughter is the best medicine."



My daughter Eileen is the laughingest person I know. She has a beautiful smile and everyone who meets her, and takes the time to get to know her, falls completely and totally in love with her. Her joy is infectious, as is her laughter. She recently competed in the Canadian Winter National Special Olympic games, representing the province of Nova Scotia and came home with not one, but two Gold Medals! She got the wonderful news yesterday that next February she will be competing in the International Winter Special Olympics in Boise, Idaho! So, she is very excited about that, as are we all!! I will find a way somehow to be there. Not sure yet how I am going to do it, but another thing I have learned in life is that . . . "If there is a will, there is always a way."



"The most wasted day of all is that in which we have not laughed." ~Sebastion Roch Nicolas Chamfort.

I think we need to laugh more every day. It's soul enriching and stress reducing. It's a gift from a God who loves us, and helps us to cope and survive in this mortal plane of existance, which on some days . . . can seem to be more of a burden than it's worth!

Laughter rings and peals, roars and bubbles . . . we chuckle, giggle, snicker and snort. It trickles out like a trickling stream, or tumbles out like a roaring river. It's soul saving and heart enriching, and it springs from our innermost emotional core and helps us to feel better and to see things in a different light and with a brighter perspective.

Being able to laugh at ourselves, and at life, helps us to roll with the inevitable punches that life throws at us every day. It's a powerful force and a powerful tool. It's contagious and spreads with the ease of a wild fire in the dry bush.



Sometimes, if I feel blue, I go to a page on the net where you can find a Laughing Baby . He's on an elastic and as you move your curser around the page he bounces around on the end of an elastic and laughs from his belly. It's impossible to come away from that page without a smile on your face and a song in your heart. Another place I like to visit from time to time is Cute Overload , and while it may not always make me laugh out loud, it's pages certainly make me smile.

Human beings are not born serious. One of the first things a baby learns to do is to smile, and when it does, our hearts are captured forever more. In fact, adults will spend a great deal of time trying to make a baby smile and to laugh. It's a great diversion and a real heart warming experience. We all begin life with an innate playfulness and the ability to laugh freely. It is something that comes naturally, not something we have to learn or to work at. Somehow, sadly enough, we learn to curb this natural playfulness as we mature into adulthood . . . Unfortunately, it's not something that we can pay someone to do for us, no matter how rich or how wealthy we are . . . laughing is something we must all do for ourselves.



Nature laughs . . . just listen to a babbling brook as it trickles down stream over pebbles and stones, or a bird as it trills in the bush, or the wind as it whispers across your face on a warm summers day . . . it has the power to heal hearts and homes and families. It helps to release anger and fear and, it just plain feels good. I laugh often and hearty. I laugh every day. Let's face it . . . it beats the alternative!

Yes . . . laughter is good for the heart.



Have you ever tasted a dish that was so delicious it had you craving it again, long after you had eaten it and thinking about it well into the night. I have . . .



*Chicken Savoyarde*
Serves 6

This is not much more than a glamorous chicken casserole and so very easy to make. It's a great way to dress up leftover turkey or chicken if that's all you have, but well worth the extra effort and expense of buying a chicken purposely to poach and dress up in this simple but decadently delicious manner. This will have them scrambling for seconds.

For cooking the chicken:
1 (4 1/2 lb) free range chicken, organic if possible
2 small onions, cut in half and stuck with two cloves
2 carrots, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
3 stick of celery, halved (preferably with some leaves attached)
2 leeks, trimmed and well washed
2 bay leaves
2 springs of thyme
salt

For the sauce and finishing:
2 ounces of butter
2 ounces flour
14 ounces of the stock, reserved from poaching the chicken
10 ounces of dry white wine
8 ounces double cream
3 1/2 ounces gruyere cheese, grated
1 TBS Dijon mustard
2 ounces tarragon leaves, chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 ounces of fresh white bread crumbs
1 ounce of grated strong cheddar cheese
2 TBS of grated Parmesan cheese

To Poach the chicken: Put the chicken into a large pot along with cold water, barely enough to cover it. Add the vegetables and herbs and a good sprinkling of salt. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat immediately and poach very gently for around an hour and a half. Once cooked thoroughly and tender, lift the chicken very carefully out of the poaching liquid onto a plate and allow it to cool. Strain the poaching liquid through a fine sieve, and set aside to cool. Once cooled, lift off any surface fat. I like to use paper kitchen toweling for this. I just keep sweeping it over the top and it lifts and absorbs all the grease. You could also put it into the fridge to chill and the fat would harden to the point where you can just lift it off quite easily.

Remove all the meat from the chicken carcass, discarding any fat, bone or gristle. Cut into large bite sized pieces and place in a lightly greased gratin dish.

To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the flour and cook over medium low heat for at least three minutes, without browning. Gradually whisk in the hot chicken stock, white wine and the cream. Cook and stir until bubbly and thickened. Whisk in the cheese, mustard and tarragon. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed with some sea salt and black pepper. Simmer for about 20 minutes over low heat.

Pre-heat the oven to 230*C/450*F. Pour the sauce over the chicken in the gratin dish. Mix the bread crumbs and cheeses together and sprinkle evenly over top. Bake the dish in the heated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly. Remove from the oven and serve.

We like to have this with boiled baby new potatoes and a green vegetable.

The sun will come out tommorrow

*Snowdrops*

The snowdrops bloom - and yet I know,
That born of wind and rain,
These flowers - so like the driven snow -
Are part of joy and pain.

For joy and pain have each a part,
Within our lives to play,
And smiles and tears come to the heart,
Most every passing day.

And, if perchance the pain should be
Almost too much to bear,
May some sad heart, within my life,
Find Snowdrops growing there.
~Margaret Dixon

I know that the snowdrops are almost finished blooming now and daffodils are bursting out all over the place along with the crocus and small tulips in our garden, but I found this poem about snowdrops this morning and it perfectly illustrated the way I was feeling today.

Life is a mixture of contrasts. Joy is always tempered with a bit of pain, and indeed, if it were not for the painful episodes in our life, our joy could not really be appreciated and would not be complete. Each day would disappear into a mish mash of sameness and lose all of it's worth and meaning.

Sometimes it seems that there is more pain and discomfort in our lives than there is at others. Sometimes we just have rotten, no good, horrible days. Sometimes we cannot see the forest for the trees or even the light at the end of our tunnel . . . sometimes we cannot see the sun shining through our tears.



But we have been promised that our pain will not last forever, over and over again in the scriptures.

"Weeping may remain for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." Psalm 30:5

"When morning dawns and evening fades, you call forth songs of joy." Psalm 65:8

"Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days." Psalm 90:14

"You who dwell in dust, wake up and shout for joy." Isaiah 26:19

Life is full of ups and downs, and sometimes it may seem like there are far more downs than ups. When it appears that there is no hope and all seems to be spiraling down into the dirt, I try to remember that it could always be worse and that there is One who cares for me and that, He will lift me up when I can no longer lift up myself. I cling in faith to the promise that "This too shall pass," and I have learned to take some good from out of the bad, no matter what . . . a lesson learned, a small pearl of joy, a corner turned . . . Like the snowdrops that press their way from out of the cold winter dirt, reaching for the sun when it seems like the days will be forever lost in wind and rain and perhaps even snow . . . small miracles appear each day, each one born from out of my pain, and each, a tiny promise of better things to come . . .



That is when I go to my scriptures and I start to read. I have no plan . . . only a need, and I just take my book and let it fall open and start reading on those pages that I find before me. God has never failed to speak to me in those moments, and I have never failed to find comfort . . . it's amazing to me, but then again, I don't know why it should be. He has told us that He is always with us, no matter what. It's about time we started to believe that He is . . .

We may not find the end of our troubles today, or maybe not tommorrow, or even the day after that. It may take a lot of tommorrows before we see our way out of whatever is troubling us, but we will find an end to it eventually. That's a promise we can bank on, and in the meantime . . . we must trust in Him and all that He offers us . . .

After all that baking I've been doing lately, I felt the need last night to eat something that at least appeared on the surface to be good for me. We all need to get more fish into our diet and not the kind that is covered with batter and deep fried either. I have been preparing this delicious dish for years. It is easy and always turns out lovely. You can decrease or expand the amounts very easily according to how many people you want to feed.




*Tomato Herb Crusted Haddock*
Serves 2

Haddock is such a mild and sweet fish. It is one of my favourite types. Cheese and tomatoes go very well with it. Just be careful not to overcook your fish. It should just barely flake beneath the tines of your fork and still be moist. You can have this lovely meal on your table in less than half an hour depending on what you serve it with.

2 thickish haddock filets, about 4 ounces each
1 slice of bread, crumbed into soft crumbs (I use my blender for this)
2 ounces of cheddar cheese, finely grated
2 TBS finely chopped flat leaf parsley
4 sundried tomatoes in oil, drained and finely chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
a drizzle of olive oil

Pre-heat your oven to 200*C/400*F. Lightly butter a shallow gratin dish.

Wipe your haddock fillets and place them, right side up in the prepared dish. Season with some salt and pepper.

Place the bread crumbs, cheese, parsley and sun dried tomatoes in a small bowl and toss them together until they are well combined. Divide them between the two fish filets, piling it lightly on top of each. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and then bang them into the pre-heated oven.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are lightly browned and you can gently flake the fish with the tines of a fork. Remove from the oven and serve. I like to serve them with some oven roasted greek potatoes and some lightly steamed green beans on the side.