Always thinking of the next meal...
A while ago I realised it is much cheaper to buy a whole chicken than acquiring just my favourite cuts, like breasts or drumsticks. It took some practice to joint a chicken, and by no means am I going to win a chicken chopping contest any time soon, but when I’m done I’m beaming with pride. At first I threw away the carcasses and later realised there is actually more work to be done…
General Tso’s what?!? Many of you in USA and Canada know General Tso’s Chicken as a standard item on every Chinese restaurant menu. The moment I saw the recipe on Bobby’s site called Blog Chef, I just knew I had to make it. Unfortunately, I ran into some problems…
Four days after Gabriel’s birthday it was Neil’s turn to celebrate his. After countless offers from my parents to take him out for a meal he still preferred my home cooking to any restaurants in the area and with good reason.
Let me be blunt. I’m not a fan of most cereals on the market. The majority of products available are over processed beyond recognition and are laden with sugar (not to mention colorants) that amounts to exorbitant quantities of empty calories. What a great way to start each day. Not. But there is one type of cereal that I have a lot of patience for, and that is muesli. Kellogg’s was kind enough to send me their latest range, Nature’s Please, to try out. Here’s what I think…
I hope you, my dear readers, haven’t given up on me arranging more giveaways. Good news! A lucky winner this week will win two, plump and very sexy chickens – the review you can read here. Here’s how….
Having spent most of his birthday bored to death in the car as we drove from The Lake District all the way back to Essex, I thought I should make it up to little Gabriel. Like a lot of mothers, I wanted to be the best and in one area I excel is food. For a very small party I came up with ideas for chicken spring rolls, cheese and leek tart, salad and carrot cupcakes. The rest of the family thought I was nuts.
Two years ago I introduced you to the traditional Spanish Tortilla. Just like pasta and ice-cream the sky’s the limit what you can put in your tortilla. Courgette and new potato is a good combination and this time round it includes two of my favourite vegetables: sweet potato and leek. Never be afraid to experiment!
With great glee I accepted to do another review for Abel & Cole and this time it was chicken; one of my favourite meats. The bird arrived in a Styrofoam box. Unfortunately, the pamphlet on top brought some bad news; from the 16th of February Abel & Cole started charging for deliveries. It’s a shame, because it was one of the company’s strong selling points.
Just like Spaghetti Bolognaise/Bolognese there are more variations to Shepherd’s Pie than you can wave a stick at. Everyone’s got their own twist on this classic British dish and each time it tastes a little bit different but we all get the general idea of what it’s (supposed to be) like. Shepherd’s Pie and Cottage Pie are sometimes used interchangeably but to my mind SP is lamb and CP is beef.
I don’t consider myself to be much of a dessert person but if there is one item I simply can’t resist on any menu it is Sticky Toffee Pudding. Devilish sweet and decadent it puts me on a sugar high and a huge grin is plastered on my face for the rest of the day. It makes me happy! In restaurants I’ve had mediocre puddings as well as very good ones, and hands down the best store bought product is Cartmel’s. It was only a matter of time for me to start tinkering in the kitchen.