Cook on a Shoestring - Book review

 

In this new cookery book, Sophie Wright has developed a selection of recipes that show you don’t have to spend a fortune on tons of ingredients to make delicious, mouth-watering dinners.

Sophie encourages readers to multiply meals from simply roasting a chicken and using the leftovers to make a number of different dishes eg. Shredded Chicken Quesadillas. 

On first look at the book, the stunning food photography really stands out .  The food looks very tasty and certainly makes me want to try out some recipes. 

All the recipes look fab, but the ones that initially appeal to me include the Pork Parmigiana, Mum’s Midweek Honey & Lemon Chicken, Tray-baked Ginger-glazed Salmon, Patatas Bravas (I’m a big tapas fan) plus Singapore Noodles.

The book can be found on amazon.co.uk for between £10-£12 and over the next few weeks, I am going to test out some of the recipes from the book, include photos of my efforts plus post feedback both from me on ease of cooking plus from the family/friends I am cooking for.

The first dish we tried was the Pork Parmigiana:

This dish appealed to me as I am keen to introduce carb-free meals to my diet.

Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 45 mins

Serves 4

Ingredients:
2-3 large aubergines, cut into thin strips lengthways

2 tbsps olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

500g pork mince (Sophie recommends you could use turkey if you prefer)

2 garlic cloves, grated
2 tsps dried oregano
Pinch of nutmeg
Zest of 1 lemon
1 bunch (15 leaves) fresh basil
1 x 125g-150g mozzarella ball, torn into strips
25g grated Parmesan
For the tomato sauce:
2 tbsps olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
500ml passata or 2 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
½ tsp chilli flakes.

 Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6.  Heat a frying pan or griddle on the highest setting.  Put the aubergine slices into a bowl and add the olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Lay the aubergine slices in the pan (don’t overcrowd it – you can do this in batches).  Cook until looking lovely and golden brown underneath, about 3-4 minutes, turn then over and cook the other sides.  Remove from the pan, and leave to cool.
2. Next, put the pork mince into a bowl and add the garlic, oregano, nutmeg, lemon zest and salt and pepper. Mix well.
3. To make the sauce, combine all the sauce ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes.  If you are using canned tomatoes you may want to blend the sauce to make it smooth, but it’s up to you.
4. Now lay out the fried aubergine slices.  Put a spoonful of the pork mince at one end of each slice, lay basil leaf on top along with a piece of mozzarella and roll the aubergine up tightly.  Spoon some of the hot tomato sauce into the base of a baking dish.  Arrange the aubergine rolls in the dish and cover with the remaining sauce.  Add any remaining mozzarella or basil leaves.  Sprinkle generously with grated Parmesan and bake in the hot oven for 35-40 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven once golden brown and serve.

Hubby actually cooked the dish, which was a nice treat for me, he thought it was an easy dish to cook and he followed the instructions well.  Here is the finished result.

 

Our thoughts:
The dish was delicious, really enjoyable with a nice spicy kick.  Loved the idea it was a carb-free dish.  Our 23 month old twins loved it and kept asking for more.  Definitely a winning dish and will be cooking it again in the future.   Also apart from the aubergines and pork mince, we had all the ingredients at home so didn't have to spend lots of money on the dish

The Nuts Challenge

Yes, its official, I think I am Nuts! Towards the end of last year I found myself signing up for The Nuts Challenge on 2nd March 2013.

The Nuts Adverture Race is approx a 7km course over one of the most challenging military assault courses in the world.  It is located in Dorking, Surrey.

Owned and run by ex parachute regiment soldiers, who themselves take part in various challenges around the world.  The Nuts Challenge is designed to push the individual to the limit.

Highlights of the course include:

Hell River
Hamburger Hill
The Bunks
Tunnel Rats
The Chindits Revenge
The Somme
Ecape from Arnhem
GoodMorning Vietnam
Kamikaze
The Bomb Crater
Spiders Web

You can watch last years video (September): The Nuts Challenge

As someone who hates heights, rats and snakes I'm hoping I'll only have to confront my fear of heights on this challenge.

When I signed, I stupidly assumed March would be lovely, balmy Spring-like weather!  Given the recent snow along with some Facebook images the Nuts guys posted, I'm now wondering how I'm going to survive the cold/wet/muddy conditions!!



Although I am probably bonkers, I have really enjoyed the training for it, I can now run about 6 miles 3 times a week, plus attend 3-4 boot camp sessions!  I hadn't realised how much I would enjoy boot camp, but the people that run it and the other people that attend are just fab and I have lots of new friends as a result.

Plus I am doing it for a fantastic cause.  Just before Christmas one of my daughters class mates, Lauren Silverlock, passed away at just 9 years old.  Lauren was a fantastic, happy child that always brough a smile to anyones face that she met.  Her parents
Louise & Suart Silverlook are in the process of setting up a charity. 

Lauren had regular hydrotherapy sessions and this new charity will help raise funds for children like Lauren to be able to have hydrotherapy on a regular basis.  The provision for supply hydrotherapy through the NHS are extremely limited, there is currently no other funding for this type of support.  Lauren used to love her session giving her the opportunity to succeed plus the benefits were amazing.

So if you would like to sponsor me to go and get wet, muddy and cold, it is for a fantastic cause to raise some funds in memory of a special little girl. 

I'll keep you posted on training plus of course some muddy pictures of the day.  Plus I will be signing up again for September 2013 so if you want to join me, just let me know.  Thanks

Britain's Best Day Out?

Blue Reef Aquarium

MoneySupermarket.com – Britain’s Best Days Out

We always try to go out on FamilyDays Out as much as we can, although as we both work full time it can sometimes be hard to fit it in.

We were lucky enough to receive some Days Out vouchers from MoneySupermarket.com so decided we would organise a family day out just before Christmas.   

We visited Blue ReefAquarium, Portsmouth, situated not too far from the M27/A27 it took us about an hour to drive there and there it was easy to park.

The Aquarium is open from 10am and closes at 5pm from April-October and 4pm from November-March.  The only day it is closed is Christmas Day, this in itself is fantastic.  How many times on a rainy winter’s day do you sit at home wondering how to entertain the kids?

Blue Reef, Portsmouth is home to over 40 naturally themed habitats, you can see poisonous frogs, others, lots of rays as well as puffer fish.

My 8 year olds favourite feature was the giant ocean tank in the middle of the aquarium; this includes an underwater tunnel where you can see a huge array of beautiful coloured fish plus a coral reef that has been recreated.

The twins loved watching the otters being fed, I guess for 1 year olds otters are slightly cuter than fish!

Blue Reef Aquarium runs a daily schedule of talks and hands on encounters.  These include a talk on tropical sharks, ray, otters and jellyfish.  There is certainly enough to fill most of the day.

It wasn’t hugely busy when we visited, but then it was in the run up to Christmas so most people were probably still hitting the shops!

We didn’t visit the Café although they had a good menu of drinks, snacks and meals, plus I noticed a fair number of highchairs – always a plus when you have twins!

As on every family day out we bought each of the children a small gift from the onsite Gift Shop to help them remember their day.

Our family verdict: A great family day out, educational for the eldest but fun and interestingB for the youngest.    The only downside, we left our camera at home so no pics to upload to the blog!  Definitely worth a return visit with the camera!

If you are looking for Days out Vouchers or MoneySupermarket Days OutDiscounts make sure you visit MoneySupermarket.com, the have tons of vouchers and discounts for really fun days out with your family and we would certainly recommend a visit again.

With thanks to Tots100 and Moneysupermarket.com’s Britains Best Days out for providing a free family ticket for this review.

Recipes from my Mother for my Daughter

I have been very lucky to be sent the fabulous new cookery book - Recipes from my Mother for my Daughter by Lisa Faulkner, winner of Celebrity Masterchef 2011.

First impressions of the book were excellent, beautiful lifestyle photography with well laid out recipes. Lisa's mother passed away when she was just 16 and the recipes include ones that her mother used to cook when Lisa was growing up plus other family favourites. Each recipe includes an introduction from Lisa including what the recipe means to her and her family. A really lovely book that was enjoyable to read with recipes that you would want to cook everyday, not just for special occasions.

To test out the recipes, I decided to select three recipes to cook for my mum and dad on Mothers Day (plus my hubby and three kids!). I chose the Hot-Smoked Salmon Fishcakes with Watercress Sauce as a starter, the Coq au Vin for main course (I wanted something I could just prepare and leave in oven) and the Pavlova as dessert.



Mum and Dad with Daisy

Very tired looking Dylan

Hubby & Jasmine

The fishcakes were very easy to make, even in my kitchen - the smallest kitchen in the world! Looking back now, I should have prepared them Sunday morning as they would keep very easily in the fridge until you are ready to deep-fry them. My eldest daughter (age 7) helped me cook the sauce, which again was quite straight-forward.

Here is the recipe:

Hot-Smoked Salmon Fishcakes with Watercress Sauce

Serves 8 as a starter or 4 as a main

600g (1lb 2oz) potatoes, peeled and chopped
400g (13oz) lightly smoked salmon fillets
25g (1oz) butter
1 tbsp freshly snipped chives
flour, for rolling
2 eggs, beaten
100g (31/2oz) breadcrumbs (fresh or dried)
Vegetable or sunflower oil, for deep frying
salt and freshly ground black pepper
salad, to serve

For the sauce
25g (1oz) butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
125ml (4fl oz) white wine
200ml (7fl oz) double cream
100g (31/2oz) watercress
juice of 1 lemon

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C (350F), gas mark 4. Place the potatoes in a saucepan of water, bring to the boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes until tender.

Meanwhile, place the salmon fillets on a large sheet of foil, dot with butter and wrap the foil over the top so that they are completely enclosed. Bake in the preheated oven for about 15-18 minutes until cooked through.

Drain and mash the potatoes, using the butter from the foil-wrapped salmon. Flake the salmon into the potatoes and mix in - try to keep the salmon chunky. Add the chives and season, then shape into 8 balls (or you could shape into patties).

Put the flour, egg and breadcrumbs in 3 separate shallow bowls. Roll each fishcake in the flour, then the egg, then the breadcrumbs. Dip in the egg again and finish with another layer of breadcrumbs.

Transfer to the fridge for about 20-30 minutes.

Heat the oil to about 180C (350F) - to test that the oil is ready, drop a cube of bread into the oil and if it floats and sizzles, turning golden brown after 20-30 seconds, then the oil is ready. Deep-fry the fish balls for about 5 minutes until golden. (If you are using patties, fry in a little oil for about 6 minutes on each side).

To make the sauce, melt the butter in a frying pan and fry the shallot until softened. Add the wine, chicken stock and cream and boil to reduce the liquid by half. Blanch the watercress, squeeze out the water and blitz in a food processor or blender until it is just broken up. Stir into the sauce and then add the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Serve with the fishcakes or patties and salad.

Thoughts
I'm not usually a huge fan of fishcakes as I find them quite dry, but these were delicious. They had a delicate flavour and the sauce was outstanding, so fresh with the lemon and watercress flavour really coming through. Everyone round the table gave them 10/10 which was a great start. My daughter was very proud of her sauce too!



The Coq au Vin was again a very straight-forward easy-to-follow recipe, I managed to prep it all in advance and put in the oven.

Coq au Vin
Serves 4-5
8-10 chicken portions (legs, thighs or a mixture of both)
125g (4oz) butter
12-15 shallots, peeled and halved at the root
150g (5oz) pancetta, cubed
4 garlic cloves
2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme
10 Chantenay carrots
150g (5oz) button mushrooms
1 x 750ml (11/4 pint) bottle full-bodied red wine
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Mashed potato and green vegetables to serve

Method
Preheat the oven to 160C (325F), gas mark 3 and season the chicken pieces.

In a large casserole, melt the butter and brown the chicken pieces. Add the shallots and pancetta and fry for a few minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, carrots and mushrooms and stir well. Add the wine and bring to the boil.

Season, cover and transfer to the preheated oven to cook for about 11/2 hours. Trust your instinct here and cook for as long as you like - longer if you like the chicken meat falling off the bone, for example.

Serve with mashed potato and green vegetables.

Thoughts
I actually left this dish in the oven for about 2-21/2 hours (until footie had finished!) and it was perfect. The chicken fell off the bone and the flavours again were delicious.

I felt it used quite a lot of butter and when I cook again will certainly reduce this. Lisa does mention in her intro it uses a lot of butter and this could be reduced so have made a note for next time.

I served with a choice of mashed or roast potatoes and would only do mash next time, plus carrots, broccoli and Spring greens.

It was another hit with the family and Mum has even asked for a copy of the recipe so she can cook at home. Dad picked out all the shallots (he's not an onion lover) but both him and hubby thought it was delicious and hubby had the leftovers for lunch the next day.

Was very impressed with the cost of this dish too, not an expensive dish to recreate at home so a winner all round.

So far so good, 2 out of 3 of Lisas recipes were a success with the family. How would dessert fare?

Pavlova
Serves 6
3 egg whites
a pinch of salt
250g (8oz) caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp malt vinegar (or any you have to hand)
300ml (1/2 pint) double cream
1 x 400g tin raspberries in syrup or juice (optional)
250g (8oz) strawberries, hulled and sliced
250g (8oz) raspberries

Method
Preheat the oven to 140C (275F), gas mark 1.

Draw a 23cm (9 inch) circle on non-stick baking paper as a guide and place on a baking try.

Whisk the egg whites with the salt in a large clean bowl, either by hand or with a hand-held electric mixer, until very stiff, then gradually whisk in the sugar. Whisk until it forms stiff peaks, this takes about 3-4 minutes. Fold in the vanilla extract and vinegar. Spread the meringue mixture over the circle on the non-stick paper and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour until firm.

Turn off the oven and leave the merinque in with the door closed for another half an hour. Leave the meringue to cool and peel off the baking paper from the bottom with care. Place the pavlova on a serving plate.

Whip the cream until stiff, pile on top of the meringue and decorate with the fruit. Strain the tinned raspberries and pile them in the centre, then arrange the rest of the fruit on the top. Of course, you can use whatever fruit is in season.

Thoughts
We didn't bother with the tinned raspberries, or fresh raspberries so just used strawberries. We were all pretty full from the previous two courses but managed a small portion (or 2!) and again another winner. An easy-to-follow, well laid out recipe that tasted delicious.





Conclusion
Really impressed with this wonderful recipe book by Lisa Faulkner,it has such a fantastic array of recipes that I would certainly cook. Other delicious sounding recipes include Salmon marinated in soy sauce, Toria's crispy marinated chicken, Slow cooked chilli con carne and Mummys Toad in the hole are a few that jump out instantly and ones I know my family would enjoy. There is also a great selection of desserts and cakes including Summer berry mille feuille and hazelnut meringues which I will definitely be recreating at home.

Would definitely recommend you buy a copy for your kitchen, it has been published by Simon & Schuster and prices range from £9-£15 depending on where you buy. Happy Cooking x

Cubby Kit Review

I was recently asked if I wanted to review a Cubby Kit, a fantastic subscription service that delivers a monthly box of crafts, science activities, imaginative play and lots more.  I jumped at the chance to review as although I try and spend as much time as possible with my eldest, 7, with the twins around it can sometimes be a struggle.

The box arrived (addressed to Jasmine, which really excited her and a great touch) inside was everything we needed to complete two craft activities - including full instructions, really good quality materials - including glue, scissors, shapes already cut out.

Jasmine looking very serious as Daddy was threatening to open her box!




Inside the box

The concept is fantastic, as I work full-timeI don't have time to shop around for all the craft bits needed, or indeed be creative enough to think of what to do.  The boxes are tailored for the age of your child (either 3-4 or 5-6).  Although Jasmine is slightly older she still really enjoyed the activities.

We started with the Foam Rocket and here is the finished item:

I'm having problems with my camera so not yet uploaded the Constellation Chart pics but will do asap.  We had great fun doing it though so would definitely recommend.

Anyone can order a Cubby Kit, either by paying a monthly subscription of £19.99 (includes postage and you can cancel at any time) or a yearly subscription of £199.99.  It sounds expensive but when you see all the goodies that are included in the box it covers everything so no need to rush out for extra bits.  The guys at Cubby Kit actually manage make it so easy to be creative with your kids. 

For more information or to order your own Cubby Kit, just visit www.cubbykit.com.  When the twins are a bit bigger, I will certainly be signing up for a box.

Have you tried Green Tea?

In my effort to be more healthy this year, am now up to running 5k three times a week, I have decided to cut down on the amount of tea I drink.

Although we do buy decaf tea, I still have 4 or 5 cups a day, so have decided to reduce this and increase my water intake.

My sister-in-law is a big drinker of Green Tea and as I'd never tried it she soon blasted me with the health benefits and suggested I try it.  The British Journal of Nutrition has recently revealed that drinking more than three cups of green tea a day can help protect against cell deterioration as we age.  Green tea is also a natural source of antioxidents that may help protect the body from damage caused by free radicals.  Two good enough reasons for me to give it a go!

Background Info:

• Green Tea comes from the Camellia Sinensis and is treated in a different way to normal tea to give it a different unusual flavour. 
• Mostly produced in China, where 80% of the World's Green Tea comes from and they have been producing for years. Although you can find Green Tea from the Far East, South India and South America.
• The leaves for green tea are not given the opportunity to oxidise as with black tea, leaving the leaves green in colour.

Range:
Where there used to just be Green Tea, you can now buy a range of Green Teas from Twinings
There are three unflavoured Green Teas - one pure Green Tea, one Light & Delicate Green Tea (slightly softer taste) and then a Decaf Pure Green Tea.

There are also some flavoured Green Teas - a Jasmine Green Tea, a Lemon Green Tea, a Cranberry Green Tea and Pomegranate Green Tea. All use natural ingredients so no artificial flavours.

I opted to try the Pure Green Tea (£1.45 for 20 teabags)and you can Buy tea online although the Lemon Green Tea sounds quite intriguing, I'll stick to trying them one at a time.  I left the teabag in for about 2 minutes
(I like weak tea) and then tasted.


My initial comments would be not to expect green tea to taste like your normal tea as it definitely doesn't .  It is almost fresher, lighter and perhaps a bit grassier. It takes a few sips to get used to it but I found it quite nice and refreshing and will definitely try and add Green Tea to my daily diet though because it is so healthy.  I'll keep you posted on my progress. 

In the meantime, you can join the Twinings Tea UK club on Facebook for more info on new products, competitions and free products -

Healthy Winter

You may remember a while ago, I was sent a box of goodies from New Zealand Honey Co, including everything I need to survive the winter season!

The box was full of natural remedies including a selection of New Zealand Honey Co's goodies, a pack of peppermint tea, lemon juice, a clove of garlic, lavender oil, a packet of dried blueberries and some ground ginger.

Well as Winter is almost behind us (20 days until Spring!) I thought I would update you on my progress.

I have actually done really well this Winter avoiding all the germs and bugs that have been going round.  I did get one cold, which isn't bad considering the twins seems to have had a constant cold since November!   

Interestingly while everyone in the house was knocked out by the dreaded sickness bug (twice), I totally managed to avoid it (touch wood!).  I'm not sure if this is just a coincidence or ties in with the fact I have regularly been using the natural rememdies and trying to be as healthy as possible. 

The honey is delicious and I've been having every morning on toast.  Plus when I had my cold I made myself a hot toddy (minus the whisky) so perhaps the natural remedies really do work.  Who knows? But I will certainly be sticking with it for the rest of the year!

I have got a pic of the fab wooden box that my daughter decorated (for her Moshlings) so will add this pic shortly.

Now, I'm off donate some blood!