Baking Cupboard of shame

How do folks! Happy Saturday! 

I've been out to a vair posh garden centre emporium today and mentally spent £43000 on plants, trees, statues and a new companion seat; I'm now saving up for said seat.  I want it. 

I did actually keep the localish economy afloat by buying a wee little wire mesh cage in the shape of a bunny. I'm going to try my hand at a bit more topiary! I say a bit more. My bay tree I did by myself - it's a huge ball standard now. We got it when the uni one was still in the pram. It was barely as tall as a Sindy doll.  I pulled all the lower branches off systematically till I was satisfied! A similar sized one today was on sale for FIVE HUNDRED POUNDS! I should sell it - then I could afford the new seat!! However, where would next doors effing cat hide when it's stalking my garden pet birds? 

Well HA! I have thought of a solution. I have a holly tree which I will prune and then staple the prunings to the top of my fence where it jumps up into the tree from. I don't think the sparrows will mind.

 

 So the baking cupboard of shame. I keep my dried food stuffs in here. I tidied it out properly at Christmas but since then I've shoved stuff in willy nilly. I've this double cupboard for drieds. A double wall cupboard for my cake things and two more base doubles where I keep my baking tins. I've so much stuff I've accumulated through the years but it's all tidied away and I've no plans to get rid! 

But before.... Note the floor - I dropped a bag of bread crusts meant for the freezer and they went everywhere! 

 

And after - fully emptied and wiped out 

I can now see where everything is! That stainless bowl is new and I've not found it a permanent home yet. It doesn't stack neatly in my crockery bowls! 

My favourite thing though is this spice rack we bought from Amazon and the HG screwed it into the cupboard door. I'm a bit addicted to sprinkles. Or the buying of!  I keep my flavourings and other cakey bits n bobs here too! 

What you having for tea? We are having 

Chicken curry served with chips which will be made in the Actifry my BOSS lent me to try before I buy. WHAT IF I BREAK IT?!!! Keep your fingers crossed it survives! I didn't ask my boss to borrow it. We were simply chatting about kitchen gadgets and the Actifry came up. The next day she found me and told me she'd brought it in!! 

It's lovely and sunny here today. Hoping for warm sun tomorrow for my rabbity trimming antics! Before and after photos will be taken!! 

Love from

Rachel *scissor hands* Radiostar

Xxx

Ps 

Tea photos! 

CHIPS HAPPENING! - they were delicious. Think I may invest! I'd not buy oven chips ever again. 

One of the best Coconut Chicken Curries I've ever made. Utterly Scrumdiddlyumptuous! 

Quick recipe 

I used half a jar of SAINSBURY's Thai red curry paste. 

I sizzled this in a spoon of hot oil for two

Minutes. Added a tin of full fat coconut milk ( so slightly deviating away from the Hairy Bikers' Dieters' recipe I normally use ) then added two chopped chicken breasts, then a sliced onion and pepper is fried earlier and simmered for ten mi Utes. I added a good glug of fish sauce ( napalm I calls it - though I think that's an explosive?!! ) and a handful of torn coriander leaves before serving. Yum yum! 

Baked Bean!

Today I have mostly been nurturing a big panful of baked beans on the go.
My HG got a man's cook book. The fantastic Tom Kerridge's pub food cook book was bought from Asda for a bargain £8! 
I followed the recipe to the letter. The beans are beautiful! However, I do think there was a lot of fat in it so next time I make them, I will adapt it!
Basically, you fry good smoked streaky bacon till crispy. Add chopped onions and garlic til soft. Add tinned tomatoes, tomato purée , red wine vinegar, soft brown sugar and water, plus your pre soaked overnight then boiled til tender white haricot beans and simmer for about 2 hours.

 The link is here for the amounts etc found easily on google!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/recipes/10260001/Tom-Kerridges-proper-baked-beans-on-soda-bread-toast-recipe.html

The calorie count for the recipe above works out at around 2805 cals for the panful . The yield was a whopping 2100g! Tom says it serves 4-6!!!
I think he is even more generous than I am in dishing up!

I had a decent 150g portion for 200calories! Then went back for seconds! 

I will make these again but will not use extra oil, and maybe use a maple cure bacon instead of the streaky. I'll let you know how I get on!

This weekend I spent a fab few hours with my family. Harry was round at my mums with everyone else. When I came through the door the way he ran to me for a cuddle saying "Hullo Hanty Rachull" sounding genuinely thrilled to see me!
He is just utterly scrummy. When I asked if he wanted to go for a walk, he took my hand and wanted to go right there and then. Even though he had no shoes or socks on! His sister came along too. He held our hand and as we said 'Step' at the kerbs we managed to cross the roads with no trips or falls.  I wish you could hear his infectious laughter at the sheer joy of running up and over the speed bumps! Madeleine secured sweeties for herself and her brothers and Harry got breadsticks. (He loves them ) .
We'd been home about ten minutes, before he asked to go back to the shop!! Squirming his little hand into mine and saying 'Pweeze Hanty Rachull PWEEEEZE! I tell you what, if it hadn't have been tipping it down, I'd have taken him too!! I'm apparently Hanty Pushover where my nephews and nieces are concerned! 

Could you resist this face? 

He has THE most darling cute voice and his speech and vocabulary is amazing! He is back to Birmingham at the end of November. Lisa was hoping for a half term slot so I could go too, but not this time! Let's just hope it's another clear visit.

Right now I am laughing my socks off at The Middle. I love The Hecks. I can relate to Frankie a LOT!
That's yer lot for now! Enjoy the beans if you make em!!

Ps I tweeted Tom Kerridge, no reply as yet....but I'm ok as I'm still basking in the glow of being tweeted by Nigel Slater AND Nigella Lawson in the SAME WEEK!

Tuesday Recipe post 2 - veg and lots of it!

The recipes I've made today really couldn't be classified into my 'Manky Veg' series. There was still too much life and stiffness in them! They were a good 'week and a bit 'away from throwing out and therefore Manky.

I made a Vegetable and Bean stew from the Hairy Bikers .
An easy recipe using Auvergne, courgette,  ( of which i have LOTS thanks to generous allotment owning neighbours ) 

pepper, sweet potato, tinned tomatoes, tinned cannilini beans and paprika, chilli, coriander and thickened with a slake of corn flour. I've just to portion it up, some for the freezer as it makes LOADS!

At the same time, I roasted off a huge tray of :courgette, leek, tomato, banana shallot, carrot, yellow, red and green pepper, mushrooms and whole garlic cloves. They were all peeled and roughly chopped where applicable. And placed on the unwashed ( gasp) baking tray using the parchment ( it was like new ) from the ginger warning these can break your teeth biscuits. 10 squirts of that one cal sunflower spray. Sprinkling of salt, lemon pepper, parsley and black pepper and into a hot oven they went for ten minutes. I removed the tray and using the handy parchment
 I could toss the veg with no mess! Next I turned the oven down 20 for twenty minutes. Then I turned the oven off and left them to cool in there on the tray.

I'll be honest here. I'd been over to Pam's blog http://agoodlifeintydd.blogspot.co.ukand liked her idea of Veg hash. But by now I'd made biscuits and the stew, I simply CNBA to do anything else! It's in a Tupperware box in the fridge till tomorrow!

Ideas for my delicious tumble of roast veg ( calorie counted to 221 for the lot ) include
Soup, filling for a pie or a quiche, blending together and freezing as the hash until the depths of  Winter or simply mixing with some mayo and salad cream and leaves and having as a delicious salad tomorrow lunchtime!

What would you do?

Cross Country Japes and a recipe!

Well Blogvillers, I've had a marvellous weekend! 

I finished work on Thursday, finished packing and then my firstborn and I boarded the train to take us cross country from the North West Coast to the North East Coast. The reason for our mini city break was she had to hand back the keys to her Halls on Saturday 13th July OR ELSE!! 

Now, all by herself, ( am I almost surplus to requirements? ) she's sorted out her house to rent next year with carefully chosen friends, which also happens to be within 5 minutes walk of her Halls best friends and the Flat 15 boys. Her house let begins September, the Hall's pairs started July 13th. Because they are very lovely girls they said my girl could store her kitchen stuff, bedding and books there till September, rather than drag it all back here and then back again! 

The journey from Lancashire, up through Cumbria to Carlisle must be one of the most picturesque in the whole wide world. I tried to share this via the art of twitter, however lack of signal muted me somewhat! 

The train from Carlisle to Newcastle is just as pretty but there are no less than 12 stops. It stops at every Farm shed, village and gate. If a sheep were to fart,  the train would stop! Anyway we arrived safely around 8.30pm.

Arrived at the flat and there were screams all around resonating off the walls at their first reunion for 6 weeks. I spied a huge hug off a Flat 15 boy who is in all her FB photos but who is 'NOT the boyfriend MUM!! '

The girl and her friends had planned to celebrate the non boyfriend's birthday so they got ready en masse and then went out!! Leaving poor old muggins here re cleaning the flat and packing stuff away! In fact I'd finished and was in bed before they even left! The youth of today! 

Early next morning, one set of parents arrived and much hustle and bustle ensued until the next parents came. Between us all the girls were packed away and cleaned and tidied, sadly wiping away the traces of their year there. 

We spent a lovely afternoon shopping in the 'Toon'. I can now say I've sat in every waiting area in every fitting room in every frock shop in Newcastle! We had tea out too - in a pub! So decadent! Back to the flat for last minute packing and to bed. Saturday morning arrived and all to soon we had to make the journey in reverse. This time with a massive suitcase, an overnight bag and the child's coffin sized Fencing bag. In fact, a bloke stopped us on our way to the station to ask if we had a body in there. "In this ( 30C) heat?" I retorted! 

 The stench would have been horrific - I was already dreading the great unwashed on the train! 

 

We got on a blissfully empty train. Secured the body bag and the Mini Cooper sized suitcase and sat at a table. Two minutes before the train left a 'yoof' and his hound got on. A gurt big black sheep dogesque/collie/wolf type thing. It was panting its rank stenchy 'beef tripe for tea last night 'breath all over me. The 'yoof' chose to NOT WALK DOWN THE CARRIAGE  to where there were seats a plenty BUT TO SIT ACROSS THE AISLE. 

Rex was told to sit down. Rex had NO interest whatsoever in sitting down. Actually Rex was interested in everything but sitting down. Rex had a look down the train as far as his lead would let him. Rex then turned his attention to us. We soon made the mistake of cooing over Rex who really was a cute beast! Rex licked my arm from wrist to pit in one big lollopy luck. He then climbed bit by bit onto my daughter's knee! He tried to lick her face. Rex clearly adored us. Trouble is, we are both allergic to Rex type coverings. Also as the weather has finally turned tropical, a real life fur coat wrapping was not a tempting scenario! The yoof eventually pulled Rex back to him and tried to settle him. I was trying now to to wretch at the slight tang of my new 'beef tripe for tea last night' perfume. We spent the next one hour and thirty minutes avoiding eye contact with Rex. The minute our eyes met he made a leap for us!  I was STARVING, but the consequences of opening a delicious chocolate and raspberry cereal bar were far to dodgy to risk! 

They travelled all the way back to Carlisle with us! Eventually Rex lay down, just as we were pulling into the station. 

This is Rex, do not be fooled. He was only pretending to be asleep. He made a lunge for me just after I took this!! Isn't he gorgeous!! 

Today I made a curry, using up all the manky veg languishing in the fridge. Normally I make manky veg soup but as I said, Summer finally arrived! So I set about making a vegetable curry. I have written a full on calorie counted recipe too! 

My dish is named 

'Rachel's Manky Veg Curry'

I will post it tmrw as I've waffled on enough and it's way past my bedtime. 

The Year 6 treat tomorrow. We are taking them bowling. The Treat is definitely NOT for us staff! I will be glad to be home !

Quark Virgin

Bought some today. Looking up recipes! If you have one - send it my way! 

New Love - *spud - I - like* ( sic )

Yet more gifts have I been lucky enough to receive from my lovely HG. 

A shiny new beast. A food processor with a trillion ( dishwasher safe ) gadgets. Now, tis true there is nought wrong with the trusty moulinex living in my cupboard.  That is now destined for my firstborn, so she too can chop, shred and slice to her heart's content! 

( here are some potatoes I sliced earlier )

I had some leftover beef casserole in the freezer, so tonight it's gone into a shallow  dish and three thin layers of above sliced potatoes, lovingly adorned with melted butter and salt and pepper and popped it in to bake. 

 I had loads of potatoes left as I got a tad carried away! So homemade crisps - lets give them a whirl! 

Spread on a tray, brush with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper - RESULT! 

My self imposed crisp cold turkey stood at ten weeks and two days..... Till now! 

I only had the one though! 

The only problem I have now is I've run out of potatoes :-( 

Feel free to comment using spud based puns! 

The answer my friends, is blowing in the till, the answer is £4.45!

That's right. Four whole English Pounds and Forty Five shiny new pennies!

If you are new here and would like to know the question - it's in the previous post!

Not content with splurging on baked goods - that I didn't even participate in. ( Again, see previous post).  I went and blew the week's shopping budget in the Housewifery Porn Emporium that is otherwise known as Lakeland ( Plastics) . Sure , I do know in a bid to become more upmarket ,they dropped the 'Plastics'; but that's what they are known as in this house and always will be!

I came away with a HUGE bagful of goodies. I bought things like extra dividers for my 12" by 12" cake pan. I bought some bargain cake cases. I also bought some new bakeware that was on offer. A lot of mine are over 20 years old and frankly need replacing!

But this caught my eye...

I had the option of the slightly cheaper silicone version, but apart from my small cupcake cases and the larger gingerbread man one, I'm not very impressed with it. So this pretty, shiny, oh so cute tin made it into my basket!


Eagerly I set off to try it. What a DISASTER!! Well not totally.....but see for yourselves!

1. I decided to halve the recipe for the first
go as this quantity makes 24.
In hindsight - GREAT IDEA!!

 

2.  So far, all was going to plan.
I poured the mixture into a jug thinking it would be easier to control.
WRONG!  The neater ones at the top were filled by teaspoon -
JUST LIKE IT INSTRUCTED! 
Who knew??!!
It tasted YUMMEH too!

 

3. Prior to baking you add the top and clamp into place with the slidey thingies.
I took them out five minutes earlier -
and had reduced the temperature accordingly -
as I have a fan oven.
But I don't think this was supposed to happen!
Sorry for the non rotation of these pics!

 

4. Leave to cool in the tin for five minutes and then without burning your skin
off carefully prize apart the two halves.
As you can see, the disaster starts unfolding before your eyes!
 Next you have to get them out!

 

5.Leave your balls ( ahem ) to go completely cold then insert the stick.
 My balls were not happy about this.
Infact they were determined to slither off down the stick and onto the floor.
So I grimly glued them in place....
with melted white chocolate!

 

And there began the real fun. The decoration. Oh my  tiny chocolate stars what a NIGHTMARE! I used melted chocolate. I thought a quick dip in, a quick drip ,sprinkle application and job done. No. I'd used some polystyrene to stick the sticks in. If left upright all the chocolate dripped down. If put on greaseproof, all the chocolate slithered sideways. I stopped dipping and started painting. I left the chocolate to go a lot cooler. It dragged the crumbs. The recipe says 'File the middle edges for a smooth finish' I already had to glue some back together. They would not stand filing! I stood and

s     l     o     w     l      y  turned and twisted the sticks to get an even coating. I added as many sprinkles as I could. I emergency texted my close supportive friend - who just LAUGHED at my angst!

Me - What a ducking mess I'm making with these sodding cake pops.

CSF - Ha ha ha .. I can imagine. It seemed like such a good idea at the time!

Me - The sticks don't hold the weight. There's melted chocolate everywhere. I've sprinkles stuck to my eyebrows. So I've 'glued' the sticks in with chocolate and I've WALKED AWAY!! %^&*&^%% Balls!


CSF- I am crying here LOLOLOLOLO you do make me giggle. You should tweet all that. It's hysterical! Balls to Cake Pops I say!

So I declined her kind suggestion, choosing to blog it instead! Cheers CSF - you know who you are!

Please don't laugh when you see my deformed balls. They taste absolutely DIVINE! That's all that matters. Right?!

 

I hope you scrolled back up to note the similarities between mine and the illustrated recipe card!

Lessons I have learned.

1. Cake pops are ROCK HARD to decorate.

2. Grease the tin A LOT MORE

3. Bake for slightly LESS time than I did at a slightly lower temperature.

4. Hire a professional to come an decorate  them.

 

Have you ever made these? Have you any *coughs* 'success' stories you'd like to share?

A brief week in photos

Been so busy at home and work, not having the time to blog properly. But I have been in the kitchen. I made my first mince pies , with marzipan and all week have found my first love; making chocolate lollipops with my class for the Christmas fair. So here are a few photos from my week! Plus a sneaky peak at some work in progress. I've been trying to keep up and comment on everyone's blogs. I love reading what you have all been up to x. Chocolate
lollipop anyone?