New Home: New Recipes

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It is that time of year again when more and more of us decide to move house, ready to spend the next few years in a new destination. Whether you are moving to a new home ready to bring up children or have decided to move into a contemporary McCarthy & Stone retirement home to enjoy independent living, it is the best time to decide to learn to cook!

Learning to cook can be a bit of a challenge, no matter how old you are. Here are two top recipes to learn to prepare in 2015 – once you’ve got to grips with these, you can move onto some more challenging dishes.

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Spiced carrot and lentil soup

Low fat and extremely tasty, this is a great starter option.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tsp of cumin seeds
  • Pinch of chilli flakes
  • 2tbsp olive oil
  • 600g of washed, grated carrots
  • 140g of split red lentils
  • 1l of hot vegetable stock
  • 125ml milk

Heat a large saucepan and dry fry the cumin seeds and chilli flakes for about one minute – scoop out half of the seeds and put aside for later. Add the oil, carrot, lentils, stock and milk to the pan. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes or until the lentils have softened.

Blend the soup in a pot until smooth then add some salt and pepper to taste and add a dollop of yoghurt on the top before serving. You can add some of the spices you put aside earlier to the top for taste and appearance.

Felicity's perfect lemon drizzle cake

Lemon drizzle cake

This classic British favourite only takes 15 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook – perfect for those with a sweet tooth.

Ingredients:

  • 225g unsalted butter
  • 225g caster sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • Grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 225g self raising flour
  • Juice of one and a half lemons
  • 85g caster sugar (for topping)

Preheat your oven to 185°C/ Gas mark 4 then beat the four eggs, the butter and caster sugar together in a bowl – you should then sift the flour into the mix and add the finely grated lemon zest before mixing well.

Line your loaf tin with greaseproof paper to ensure no sticking and simply spoon the mixture into it. Bake this for 45-50 minutes until cooked.

While the cake is cooling, mix together the juice of the lemons and the caster sugar to make the drizzle. Prick the cake with a folk and drizzle the mixture over the top of the cake before saving.

With the skills you develop cooking these two simple dishes you will be ready to take on any cook book! According to Delia Smith the best way to learn is through practicing dishes rather than simply reading about them – so enjoy your new home and develop your culinary expertise by cooking fresh dishes for your friends and family.

 

Author: Laura

A 70's child, I’ve been married for a Very Long Time, and appear to have made four children, and collected one large and useless dog along the way. I work, I have four children, I have a dog… ergo, I do not do dusting or ironing. I began LittleStuff back in (gulp) 2004. I like huge mugs of tea. And Coffee. And Cake. And a steaming cone of crispy fresh fluffy chips, smothered in salt and vinegar. #healthyeater When I grow up I am going to be quietly graceful, organised and wear lipstick every day. In the meantime I *may* have a slight butterfly-brain issue.

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