Did I say it was sunny and warm three days ago? Scrap that - it is now freezing cold and parts of the UK have had snow!
So, my cookfest will continue shortly with:
Mushroom Risotto
Salmon and Broccoli fishcakes
Sticky Gingerbread
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Sticky Sausages
I realise that there is a lot of stickiness going on, but it is that time of year!
The risotto and fishcakes I want to try and happen to have the ingredients for - might make them tomorrow. The rest are for a binfire party on Saturday night.
And the great news is that my new Nigella book arrived (the Christmas one) this week so I've been earmarking some other things to try. I'm definitely going to have a go at chilli jam. And I'll probably remake the grotesque sounding but really yummy choc, prune and tia maria fruit cake.
Ok, I'm off to check my stocks of sugar and dates.....
Wednesday 29 October 2008
Monday 27 October 2008
Martha or Maxine?
Martha or Maxine?
Martha:
Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of an ice cream cone to prevent ice cream drips.
Maxine:
Just suck the ice cream out of the bottom of the cone, for Pete's sake! You are probably lying on the couch with your feet up eating it, anyway!
Martha:
To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.
Maxine:
Buy Hungry Jack mashed potato mix. Keeps in the pantry for up to a year.
Martha:
When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead and there won't be any white mess on the outside of the cake.
Maxine:
Go to the bakery! Hell, they'll even decorate it for you!
Martha:
If you accidentally over-salt a dish while it's still cooking, drop in a peeled potato and it will absorb the excess salt for an instant 'fix-me-up.'
Maxine:
If you over-salt a dish while you are cooking, that's too bad. Please recite with me the real woman's motto: 'I made it, you will eat it and I don't care how bad it tastes!'
Martha:
Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks.
Maxine:
Celery? Never heard of it!
Martha:
Brush some beaten egg white over pie crust before baking to yield a beautiful glossy finish.
Maxine:
The Mrs. Smith frozen pie directions do not include brushing egg whites over the crust, so I don't.
Martha:
Cure for headaches: take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.
Maxine:
Take a lime, mix it with tequila, chill and drink! All your pains go away!
Martha:
If you have a problem opening jars, try using latex dish washing gloves. They give a non-slip grip that makes opening jars easy.
Maxine:
Go ask that very cute neighbor if he can open it for you.
Martha:
Don't throw out all that leftover wine. Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.
Maxine:
Leftover wine??????????? HELLO!!!!!!!
A friend sent this to me. I was reading it, laughing and then thought about the left over egg whites and wine in my freezer, and the fact that I reaching for a pen to jot down the tips about lime for headaches and potato to mop up excess salt..... hmmm.... I am most definitely a Martha!
Martha:
Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of an ice cream cone to prevent ice cream drips.
Maxine:
Just suck the ice cream out of the bottom of the cone, for Pete's sake! You are probably lying on the couch with your feet up eating it, anyway!
Martha:
To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.
Maxine:
Buy Hungry Jack mashed potato mix. Keeps in the pantry for up to a year.
Martha:
When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead and there won't be any white mess on the outside of the cake.
Maxine:
Go to the bakery! Hell, they'll even decorate it for you!
Martha:
If you accidentally over-salt a dish while it's still cooking, drop in a peeled potato and it will absorb the excess salt for an instant 'fix-me-up.'
Maxine:
If you over-salt a dish while you are cooking, that's too bad. Please recite with me the real woman's motto: 'I made it, you will eat it and I don't care how bad it tastes!'
Martha:
Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks.
Maxine:
Celery? Never heard of it!
Martha:
Brush some beaten egg white over pie crust before baking to yield a beautiful glossy finish.
Maxine:
The Mrs. Smith frozen pie directions do not include brushing egg whites over the crust, so I don't.
Martha:
Cure for headaches: take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.
Maxine:
Take a lime, mix it with tequila, chill and drink! All your pains go away!
Martha:
If you have a problem opening jars, try using latex dish washing gloves. They give a non-slip grip that makes opening jars easy.
Maxine:
Go ask that very cute neighbor if he can open it for you.
Martha:
Don't throw out all that leftover wine. Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.
Maxine:
Leftover wine??????????? HELLO!!!!!!!
A friend sent this to me. I was reading it, laughing and then thought about the left over egg whites and wine in my freezer, and the fact that I reaching for a pen to jot down the tips about lime for headaches and potato to mop up excess salt..... hmmm.... I am most definitely a Martha!
Soup season, with carrot muffins thrown in for good measure
It is getting to the time of year when I like to make (and eat) soup. Mind you, it is so sunny and mild outside today, I feel a bit of a fraud saying that!
I decided yesterday to make a pan of my favourite "healthy, tasty, warming" soup - Lentil & Carrot - but I ran out of time (and energy) having made a batch of granola, cooked a roast dinner, done some shopping, taken Mum home etc. etc.
So this morning, I got into gear. The lentil and carrot soup is SO easy.
Chop a large onion, 2 sticks of celery, 2 carrots into a pan - saute in a little olive oil for about 15 minutes. Don't forget to drop in the leaves from the top of the celery (assuming that you don't buy those soul-less neat little packages of celery hearts).
Rinse about a mug ful of red lentils in cold water. Add to the pan. Top up with approximately 1 litre of veg stock and simmer until the lentils are cooked and the veggies are soft. If you think it's getting a bit dry during cooking add a splash of water. Season with pepper. Blitz with a stick blender until you get the consistency you like. My preference is for the odd chunk of veg to be left in.
This freezes ok, too.
So, whilst cooking the soup, I remembered having some left over (cooked) cauliflower in the fridge from yesterday. Being a Martha and not a Maxine (I will clarify that on a later blog) I keep this sort of stuff! I decided to make a cauliflower and cheddar soup out of that - just one portion, for me, for lunch. I chopped half an onion, 2 small new potatoes and 1 stick of celery into a pan. Sauteed in a little oil. Added the cooked cauli and about a pint (maybe just under) of veg stock. Simmered until all the veg was soft. Blitzed it up with a dash of double cream (also left over from yesterday) and decided that this was just SO good it did not need the cheddar adding.
I think I'll "plan" to have left over veggies every Sunday in future. A bit of stock and a tiny splash of cream can transform them in to the most wonderful soup.
And finally, while I was in the kitchen, I decided to try out my new silicone cupcake cups! I had a recipe from a supermarket magazine for Carrot Cupcakes. They are very tasty indeed - I've eaten one, and plan to freeze the rest for an easy "on the run" breakfast. And fairly healthy - they are made with wholemeal flour, raisins, carrots, apricots, seeds. I guess the bad bit is the sugar and to be honest, you could easily halve the amount and still have a great tasting muffin.
I decided yesterday to make a pan of my favourite "healthy, tasty, warming" soup - Lentil & Carrot - but I ran out of time (and energy) having made a batch of granola, cooked a roast dinner, done some shopping, taken Mum home etc. etc.
So this morning, I got into gear. The lentil and carrot soup is SO easy.
Chop a large onion, 2 sticks of celery, 2 carrots into a pan - saute in a little olive oil for about 15 minutes. Don't forget to drop in the leaves from the top of the celery (assuming that you don't buy those soul-less neat little packages of celery hearts).
Rinse about a mug ful of red lentils in cold water. Add to the pan. Top up with approximately 1 litre of veg stock and simmer until the lentils are cooked and the veggies are soft. If you think it's getting a bit dry during cooking add a splash of water. Season with pepper. Blitz with a stick blender until you get the consistency you like. My preference is for the odd chunk of veg to be left in.
This freezes ok, too.
So, whilst cooking the soup, I remembered having some left over (cooked) cauliflower in the fridge from yesterday. Being a Martha and not a Maxine (I will clarify that on a later blog) I keep this sort of stuff! I decided to make a cauliflower and cheddar soup out of that - just one portion, for me, for lunch. I chopped half an onion, 2 small new potatoes and 1 stick of celery into a pan. Sauteed in a little oil. Added the cooked cauli and about a pint (maybe just under) of veg stock. Simmered until all the veg was soft. Blitzed it up with a dash of double cream (also left over from yesterday) and decided that this was just SO good it did not need the cheddar adding.
I think I'll "plan" to have left over veggies every Sunday in future. A bit of stock and a tiny splash of cream can transform them in to the most wonderful soup.
And finally, while I was in the kitchen, I decided to try out my new silicone cupcake cups! I had a recipe from a supermarket magazine for Carrot Cupcakes. They are very tasty indeed - I've eaten one, and plan to freeze the rest for an easy "on the run" breakfast. And fairly healthy - they are made with wholemeal flour, raisins, carrots, apricots, seeds. I guess the bad bit is the sugar and to be honest, you could easily halve the amount and still have a great tasting muffin.
Monday 20 October 2008
Dreaming of Dad
Well it has been one year and 4 months since Dad passed and in that time I've never dreamed of him. On Sunday night I did. I recall seeing him come toward me and he gave me a big hug. It was lovely - he looked, felt and smelled like my Dad. In good health. And then he took my hands and was holding both of them and looking into my face and smiling at me.
His eyes were that beautiful deep "Alman Blue". We didn't really speak, I think I was trying to speak to him but couldn't and I don't remember him answering.
I woke up feeling nice about it.
But now I'm wondering why he came to me?
His eyes were that beautiful deep "Alman Blue". We didn't really speak, I think I was trying to speak to him but couldn't and I don't remember him answering.
I woke up feeling nice about it.
But now I'm wondering why he came to me?
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