Tomato, Mozzarella and Pesto Picnic Tart

I am really excited to be starting to explore real summer recipes! I’m sure you’ll agree with me that this tart would look great on a salad table at a BBQ, laid out on a picnic blanket in a field or on a beach, or just in the centre of a dinner table with a big bowl of salad and potato wedges keeping the whole family happy on a summer’s eve!

The quantities of this recipe make a tart 7.5 inches across so it really is the perfect size for sharing among other dishes, but I can guarantee whatever you serve it with, this tart will be the star!

What makes this tart so special are the four distinct layers, melt in the mouth short crust pastry, earthy pesto, creamy mozzarella and then bright and sunny tomatoes – which are now in season by the way! Woo hoo! You don’t know how excited May makes me in terms of food, as some of the best fruit and veg comes in to season, as soon as exams are over I’ll be taking over my Dad’s veg patch, he won’t know what’s hit him!

Not only is this dish in season, but it is also easy to turn into a low-er fat option! Tomatoes will give you a helping hand towards your 5 a day, low fat/low cal mozzarella and pesto are easy to find in any good supermarket. And I can confirm that the most recent time that I made my pastry, I made it with a low fat margarine substitute! (God only knows what its chemical name is...we will pretend its margarine for now...)

I guarantee that if you try this recipe it will become a staple of your summer.

The Rainbow Cookbook: Raspberry Tart

As many of my followers on twitter and facebook will probably know I’ve been in the kitchen experimenting with pink recipes all weekend! And I can now reveal what I have been SLAVING over!

A no-bake Raspberry tart!

So why have I been experimenting with pink recipes? I am one of six bloggers who is taking part in the Appliances British Ovens Rainbow Cookbook, where, along with six other bloggers we will be blogging different recipes relating to a colour of the rainbow. My colour is pink and my pink ingredient is raspberries!

This recipe is extremely simple and EXTREMELY tasty!

Here’s the recipe:

Mince Pies

Happy Christmas Eve fellow food lovers! Tis the season to be jolly...and eat lots of mince pies!

Every Christmas Eve I take part in two of my favourite food traditions! With my Dad, I get up super-early and go to the Butchers to get our Turkey and other meaty-trimmings, then in the afternoon/evening we make mince pies!

If you haven't made any yet, there is still time to make them before Santa comes! I know, normally I work 'til 5pm on Christmas Eve and still manage to get a batch in before we head off out to our annual Christmas party at a family friends. So if you've got an hour to spare follow the recipe below and you will have beautiful mince pies, better than any shop bought variety!

Here's the recipe...

Winter Warmer - Apple and Blackberry Pie!

This was originally inspired by Augusts Cultivate, Cook and Click Competition over at WeGrowOurOwn.co.uk. Unfortunately due to job interviews and assessment days, I completely lost track of time and forgot to submit it!

But, this is a really quick and easy recipe that I have discovered is PERFECT for freezing! That means that you can forage for blackberries, and collect apples from your tree as they fall, and prepare a delicious Winter Warmer, despite the fact its still August!

Lemon Meringue Pie

I had some shortcrust pastry left over from my quiche today and couldn’t decide what to do with it. I knew I wanted to do a sweet, so had to consider what I had in the house! I had chocolate, but no cream, and only two eggs left over which meant that my options were somewhat limited, but I soon settled on Lemon Meringue pie! These are extremely simple to do, the quantities can easily be adjusted depending on the number of guests to dinner, and are surprisingly cheap!

Low Fat Spinach Quiche

Summer is officially here! The temperatures are soaring, and the sun is out, not a cloud in the sky.

The summer brings with it a whole new foodie experience, from BBQ’s, al fresco dining, picnics to ice creams, and as a result it is one of my favourite times of the year!

(I'm already scouring e-bay for a vintage style picnic hamper, complete with gingham lining!!! If anyone knows of one going cheap, do let me know!

The veg patch is currently overflowing with spinach, so for dinner tonight I had to come up with a new recipe where spinach is the star, so I decided to cook a low fat spinach quiche.

Alternatives can include adding bacon which we did tonight, using the whole eggs, and adding lots of cheese!