The Crazy Kitchen: February 2016

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Tuesday 23 February 2016

S'mores Cheesecake Bites

S'mores are traditionally a snack eaten around a camp fire, made up of a toasted marshmallow squashed between two Graham crackers (a square biscuit popular in America) and chocolate. We've made them over a fire pit using chocolate digestives, which are the closest biscuit to Graham crackers in the UK. Allegedly the name s'more is a contraction of the words some and more, which I can totally get, as when we have them my kids are always asking "can we have s'more please".

There's no need to make a camp fire with these little beauties though, as the marshmallows are toasted under a hot grill (or a blow torch if you have posh cheffy stuff like that). In this recipe I used my handmade marshmallows (that incidentally you can have delivered to your door!), but you could use regular shop bought marshmallows if you really have to!

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S'mores Cheesecake Bites - makes approx 24 bites

150g digestive biscuits, crushed
40g butter, melted
280g full fat cream cheese
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
200g dark chocolate, melted
24 marshmallows - I used half Crunchie Marshmallows & half Creme Egg Marshmallows

  • line a 10" x 6" baking tin with clingfilm
  • mix the biscuit crumbs and melted butter together & press into the lined tin
  • place in the fridge for approx 1 hour
  • beat the cream cheese with the salt & vanilla and then beat in the melted chocolate, until smooth
  • spread evenly over the biscuit base, and press the marshmallows lightly on top
  • return to the fridge until the chocolate layer is firm
  • preheat your grill until it's very hot
  • lift the cheesecake out of the tin and slide off the clingflim onto a baking sheet
  • place under the hot grill until the marshmallows have puffed up and started to turn a golden brown - make sure you watch constantly as it can burn in seconds!
  • place back in the fridge to cool fully before slicing into squares


 photo smores bites 1_zpsffedfzd5.jpg  photo smores bites 2_zpsifi11bzq.jpg


If you haven't already checked out my marshmallow website then please do so, as they really are good marshmallows (don't just take my word for it though, you can read customer reviews on my facebook page here).


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Wednesday 17 February 2016

Warming Butternut Squash & Turkey Stew

We've been eating quite a lot of bolognaise and chilli recently, mainly because I've been spending a lot of time making marshmallows, and it's easy to grab a pack of turkey mince and rustle something up quickly for dinner.

I decided to make something a little different with the latest pack of turkey mince, which required only very little prep and cooking, before popping in the oven to finish off.

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Warming Butternut Squash & Turkey Stew - serves 4/5

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1/2 tsp allspice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground coriander
pinch of chilli flakes (optional)
800g turkey mince
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
400ml chicken or beef stock
500g butternut squash, peeled & diced
  • heat the oil in a large lidded (ovenproof) frying pan/casserole
  • add the onion and spices and fry for 1 minute
  • add the turkey mince and fry until it turns brown
  • add the tomatoes, stock and butternut squash
  • increase the heat and bring to a simmer
  • remove from heat, place the lid on and pop into a preheated 180C oven for 50 minutes
  • remove the lid and continue cooking for an additional 10 minutes


serve with rice and a spoonful of Greek yogurt and a scattering of chopped coriander 

 photo turkey mince 3_zpseunonszw.jpg  photo turkey mince 1_zpsnq8rs9ei.jpg

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