Friday 25 April 2014

Chinese 5-spice Slow Cooked Chicken


I made this for guests a few weeks ago and it went down really well, although I totally forgot to take a photo to make your mouths really water!!

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken
400ml hot chicken stock
75ml soy sauce
6 spring onions, sliced diagonally in 2cm lengths
150ml orange juice
thumb-sized piece of ginger, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tbsp 5-spice powder
1 tbsp brown sugar
3 cinnamon sticks
2-3 star anise
3 cloves
10 peppercorns
1 tbsp cornflour, mixed with 2 tbsp of cold water
oil

Method:

  1. Rub the chicken skin with oil and 5-spice powder.
  2. Place chicken in the slow cooker pot and add all the other ingredients in around it.
  3. Cook on LOW for ~7 hours or for 1 hour on HIGH and 3-4 hours on LOW.

Enjoy with egg fried rice and stir fried vegetables.

Monday 21 April 2014

Painted mugs


For a good friend's hen party a few weeks ago we went to The Funky Teapot in Wantage where we painted pottery items...

...I chose to do a large mug as I love my BIG mugs of tea and I painted it PURPLE because it's my favourite colour...



...I am a little proud of my pretty BIG purple mug, I will be very, very sad if it ever gets broken!!!

Friday 18 April 2014

Sausage Tomato Pasta



Ingredients: 

6 sausages
1 pepper, sliced
300g pasta
oil
1 red onion, sliced
1 can of tinned tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried chilli
150g fresh spinach


Method:

  1. Boil pasta in a pan of boiling water for ~10-12 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, chop the sausages into small balls.
  3. Heat oil in a wok and add the sausages for 3-4 minutes until browned.
  4. Add the onion and continue cooking for a few minutes, until the onions are soft and sausages cooked through.
  5. Add the pepper, tin of tomatoes, tomato puree, rosemary and chilli and heat until simmering.
  6. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes and then add the spinach in until it reduces.
  7. Stir the pasta into the sauce and serve.

Optional top with cheese to serve!!


Monday 14 April 2014

Adventures at ... Legoland

A few weeks ago we were away and as our special treat, thanks to Kellogg's cereals promotional offer we decided to visit LEGOLAND in Windsor...



Edinburgh

Tower Bridge

Houses of Parliament

Buckingham Palace

Rugby

Lego train

Luke's flirting with the mermaids

Under-the-sea lego!




Egyptian Lego

...we had loads of fun on all the rides, seeing all the models although I think we were the only couple there without children in tow!!

Friday 11 April 2014

Homemade Scones from the Be-Ro book


Golden brown scones cooling


I own a really ancient Be-Ro recipe book which belonged to my grandmother and this is a recipe from this book, which is still as good as more modern recipes for scones.


Ingredients:

225g self-raising flour
pinch of salt
50g margarine
25g caster sugar
50g sultanas
1 medium egg beaten with enough milk to make 150ml of liquid




The mixture



Method:

  1. Preheat oven to Gas Mark 7 or 220C.
  2. Rub margarine into the flour and salt mixed together.
  3. Add the sugar and sultanas and mix well.
  4. Add egg mixture, but save a little for brushing the top of the scones.
  5. Knead the mix together.
  6. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to ~1cm thick and using a cutter, cut out rounds.
  7. Re-roll and cut out more rounds until you have used up the dough.
  8. Place on a baking tray and lightly brush with the leftover egg and milk mix.
  9. Bake for about 10 minutes until golden brown.


Serve with whipped or clotted cream, butter and jam as part of an afternoon tea!!

Monday 7 April 2014

Adventures in... Windsor

We had a little break away visiting some our southern relatives a week or so ago...

...we were passing Windsor so stopped by to see the CASTLE










I don't think I ever realised how BIG Windsor Castle was until we visited...such a lovely place its just a shame it poured it down with rain the moment we stepped out of the car.

Friday 4 April 2014

Plain Egg Fried Rice


Ingredients:

1 cup of rice
2 cups of boiling water
3 eggs
soy sauce
oil


Method:

  1. In a pan put the rice with the boiling water and bring to boil. Simmer until the rice is cooked through and the water has all boiled off.
  2. Allow to cool for a few minutes.
  3. Heat some oil in a wok or frying pan until hot.
  4. Add the rice and sprinkle in the soy sauce. Fry gently for a few minutes, stirring constantly.
  5. Clear a small area to one side of the bottom of the pan and crack the eggs into the space.
  6. Scramble the eggs together gently for a minute before stirring in with the rest of the rice and fry for a few more minutes.


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