Sunday, 29 June 2008
FANTASY DINNER PARTY
You know that fantasy dinner party thing - where you choose living or dead, who you'd have for dinner. And you're supposed to pick people to make others think "Oh how clever & witty, I'd had never thought of that!" Like Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Elvis, Kylie & Nigella... Well I'd have, me & Christian (obviously), Mum, Dad, Alison & her really nice husband (one she deserved, not the twat she ended up with!). And after everyone had gone to bed (for we would live in a massive house - big enough to accommodate everyone) - Dad & I would stay up, open another bottle of wine & talk as we washed up.... That would be the best day of my life.
Monday, 23 June 2008
FORMULA FOOD - ROUND 8
FRANCE = CASSOULET
There isn't a national dish as such from France, but I'm sure if you asked anyone to name a french dish then half a dozen would immediately spring to mind. Although Magny Cours is in central France, I opted for cassoulet from south west France because that's the area we were going to move to next year (this may still happen in a few years).
I have again moved slightly away from the traditional style in favour of the weight watching version. I omitted the duck, duck confit & duck fat, but as the best cassoulet recipe is the one your family invented & as long as it contains sausages & beans, we're ok!
Conclusion: Bloody lovely.
Would I make it again? Yes.
Cassoulet:
1lb herb & garlic pork sausage, 1 tin chopped tomatoes (or 1lb of fresh), 2tbsp tomato puree, 300ml pork stock, 1tbsp Lea & Perrins, 8oz mushrooms - sliced, 8oz baby onions -halved, 1 red pepper -diced, 2 cloves garlic - crushed, 1tbsp sweet chilli sauce, 410g can of butter beans - drained, salt & pepper & chopped parsley.
1. Cook sausages however you cook them (I do mine in the oven).
2. Place tomatoes, puree, stock & Lea & Perrins in a flameproof casserole & bring to boil. Add in garlic, onions, mushrooms, pepper & chilli sauce & simmer for 10 mins.
3. Add sausages, butter beans & salt & pepper to taste & simmer for a further 20 mins. Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.
There isn't a national dish as such from France, but I'm sure if you asked anyone to name a french dish then half a dozen would immediately spring to mind. Although Magny Cours is in central France, I opted for cassoulet from south west France because that's the area we were going to move to next year (this may still happen in a few years).
I have again moved slightly away from the traditional style in favour of the weight watching version. I omitted the duck, duck confit & duck fat, but as the best cassoulet recipe is the one your family invented & as long as it contains sausages & beans, we're ok!
Conclusion: Bloody lovely.
Would I make it again? Yes.
Cassoulet:
1lb herb & garlic pork sausage, 1 tin chopped tomatoes (or 1lb of fresh), 2tbsp tomato puree, 300ml pork stock, 1tbsp Lea & Perrins, 8oz mushrooms - sliced, 8oz baby onions -halved, 1 red pepper -diced, 2 cloves garlic - crushed, 1tbsp sweet chilli sauce, 410g can of butter beans - drained, salt & pepper & chopped parsley.
1. Cook sausages however you cook them (I do mine in the oven).
2. Place tomatoes, puree, stock & Lea & Perrins in a flameproof casserole & bring to boil. Add in garlic, onions, mushrooms, pepper & chilli sauce & simmer for 10 mins.
3. Add sausages, butter beans & salt & pepper to taste & simmer for a further 20 mins. Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.
SO EMBARRASSING!
Prude is not a word you would use to describe me. I have just bought condoms for the second time in my life & I curled up with embarrassment! I was in Sainsburys, so I didn't even have to ask for them - I walked passed them twice, phoned Christian & then grabbed them off the shelf! I went all red & hot! I'm 35 for God's sake! I am allowed to have sex!
Saturday, 21 June 2008
BACK TO CAKE MAKING
I have 2 cakes that I need to be making over the next couple of weeks. The first is Amelia's Christening cake, a 2 tier fruit cake job ( or maybe a sponge top tier - not quite decided) with some sort of modelling work involved - it will look fantastic I'm sure! The other is a huge chocolate cock!
Monday, 9 June 2008
FORMULA FOOD - ROUND 7
CANADA = POUTINE (pronounced put sin)
Hmmm! What can be said about poutine.... Well it's basically chips, cheese curds & gravy. Rather peculiar for a national dish but there you go. It's one of those things that sounds a bit odd, so it would probably be really good! I didn't use cheese curds (I actually didn't try to get them), I read that mozzarella was the next best thing - so I just used that. I think my problem with poutine is that I'm just not a fan of chips & gravy, I finished it though. It was quiet good as hangover comfort food - maybe the Canadians have lots of hangovers!
Conclusion: If I was Canadian, I would invent something else as a national dish!
Would I make it again? No!
Poutine:
Chips of your choice (I oven bake my own), cheese curds or 1 ball of buffalo mozzarella per person, very hot chicken gravy.
1. Cook chips, tear over cheese, cover with gravy & leave a couple of mins for the cheese to start melting.
Hmmm! What can be said about poutine.... Well it's basically chips, cheese curds & gravy. Rather peculiar for a national dish but there you go. It's one of those things that sounds a bit odd, so it would probably be really good! I didn't use cheese curds (I actually didn't try to get them), I read that mozzarella was the next best thing - so I just used that. I think my problem with poutine is that I'm just not a fan of chips & gravy, I finished it though. It was quiet good as hangover comfort food - maybe the Canadians have lots of hangovers!
Conclusion: If I was Canadian, I would invent something else as a national dish!
Would I make it again? No!
Poutine:
Chips of your choice (I oven bake my own), cheese curds or 1 ball of buffalo mozzarella per person, very hot chicken gravy.
1. Cook chips, tear over cheese, cover with gravy & leave a couple of mins for the cheese to start melting.
Sunday, 8 June 2008
CRESS
What a good idea cress is! It's the perfect bribe for getting children to eat eggs. Alice is currently growing some cress egg heads! First she had to eat a boiled egg & soldiers, to get the empty egg shell. Then she got to paint the egg shell. Now we are growing the cress in the egg shell. And in another 3 or 4 days she is going to eat an egg & cress sandwich! - maybe Jane could try this with Phil!
She is very impressed with her green fingers, she waters her plant every day & every morning she can't wait to see how much it has grown - very cute! I remember doing this as a child - it's exciting stuff!
She is very impressed with her green fingers, she waters her plant every day & every morning she can't wait to see how much it has grown - very cute! I remember doing this as a child - it's exciting stuff!
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