Chicken Cacciatore [Recipe]
Friday, 30 September 2011
#R2BC - Reasons to be cheerful... 1, 2, 3
Thursday, 29 September 2011

Getting ahead of myself [Meal Plan]
Tuesday, 27 September 2011
Wednesday 5th October - Scandinavian style meatballs with tagliatelle
I don't want to be anything other than what I've been trying to be lately
Tuesday, 27 September 2011

The week after the day after tomorrow [Meal Plan]
Friday, 23 September 2011
#R2BC - Reasons to be cheerful
Friday, 23 September 2011
Macaroni Cheese [Recipe]
Thursday, 22 September 2011

Serves 4
Peanut Butter Fudge [Recipe]
Wednesday, 21 September 2011
125g/4½oz butter
500g/1lb 2oz dark brown sugar
120ml/4fl oz milk
250g/9oz crunchy peanut butter
1 vanilla pod, seeds only
300g/10½oz icing sugar
Preparation method
Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat.
Stir in the brown sugar and milk, and bring to the boil for 2-3 minutes, without stirring.
Remove from the heat, and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla seeds.
Place the icing sugar in a large bowl, and pour the hot butter and sugar mixture on top. Using a wooden spoon, beat the mixture until smooth.
Pour into a 20cm/8in square baking tray, and set aside to cool slightly, then place in the fridge to chill completely.
Cut the fudge into squares with a sharp knife, turn out of the tin and store in an airtight container
Rigatoni alla amatriciana [Recipe]
Wednesday, 21 September 2011
Ready in about 30 minutes
Ingredients:
8 rashers of bacon, all visible fat removed, chopped
2 onions, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 celery sticks, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed (*I personally use a big splodge of garlic puree!)
1-2 tsp dried red chillies (*I recommend only 1/2 a tsp though!!)
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
1-2 tsp artificial sweetener
A small handful of fresh basil, finely chopped, plus a few leaves to garnish (*I don't bother with this bit...)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
14oz/397g dried rigatoni pasta
1. Place a pan over a medium heat. Add the bacon, onions, carrot, celery, garlic and chillies and fry for 2-3 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes and sweetener. Bring to the boil. Stir in the chopped basil, reduce the heat, cover and cook on a very low heat for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Season well.
3. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Drain, add to the sauce and toss to coat evenly. Garnish with basil and serve with a mixed leaf salad.
Slimming World Recipe: Syns per serving: Extra Easy FREE
Mum's kitchen specials [Meal Plan]
Monday, 19 September 2011
I appear to have misplaced my arm...
Friday, 16 September 2011
Horror of horrors, every single one of my contacts is GONE. My HTC Desire appears to have eaten every single one of them. To make matters worse, it would not even link to my Facebook contacts so I could retrieve the ones that were synced.
I have spent this morning distraught, fiddling about with settings, deleting and resetting and trying to retrieve the lost information. I do not even have my MOTHER'S mobile number now. I cannot possibly be expected to remember all of these numbers, even the most important ones, because to be honest I can barely keep my kids names straight these days, or remember where I left things (the baby was here a minute ago...), so long sequences of numbers is absolutely out of the question. My phone is my lifeline!
I have at last managed to get the flaming thing to recognise Facebook again and have linked in to the people who have replied to my request on FB to text me, and also to identify themselves when they do so. I have some amusing friends, and a lot of "Guess Who?!" which is entertaining but not helpful!
I actually feel like I have lost an arm, my phone connects me to everyone, if I don't have contacts I don't have PEOPLE. Things could only be worse if I had actually lost my phone (which I thought I had done once after a particularly messy night out for a friend's hen... as it turned out another friend had it in her bag, we still to this day do not know how it got in there...).
And so now I am left with the task of re-entering details and backing them all up so it doesn't happen again. Let this be a lesson to you all, back up your contacts. And probably, get a better phone than I have, because this one is OUTTA HERE when it's time for renewal!
#R2BC - Reasons to be cheerful...
Thursday, 15 September 2011

Vanilla Butter Biscuits [Recipe]
Tuesday, 13 September 2011
More culinary delights [Pictures]
Monday, 12 September 2011











Snickerdoodle Whoopie Pies [Recipe]
Monday, 12 September 2011
Trek Ben Nevis
Friday, 9 September 2011







Versatile Blogger Award
Friday, 9 September 2011

I have been given the versatile Blogger award by Nikki from Diaries of a Denham Housewife, the idea is to list seven things about myself and then pass the award to 15 new blogs out there.
Tomato & herb couscous [Recipe]
Thursday, 8 September 2011
Salt & pepper
Cajun chicken with spicy potato wedges and coleslaw [recipe]
Thursday, 8 September 2011
Spanish Rice [recipe]
Wednesday, 7 September 2011

This is an original recipe by a lady named Diana, from Bristol
Serves 6
- 1 large onion
- 1/2 red pepper
- 1/2 green pepper
- 2 cups/400g long grain rice
- 2 cups/500ml hot stock
- 500ml carton passata
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- Your choice of cooked chicken, cooked prawns, mussels or chorizo
- 50g frozen peas (or mixed veg)
- 50g tinned/frozen sweetcorn (or mixed veg)
- 1 tsp paprika and dried/fresh herbs (optional)
Finely chop the large onion, red pepper and green pepper and fry gently in a little olive oil until softened. Add the paprika and herbs, if using. Add two cups of long grain rice and stir it around until coated. Add the passata and stock and stir well.
Place in a suitable container. Cover and microwave for 5 minutes on high. Sir well, then microwave for a further 10-15 minutes on medium until the rice has absorbed the tomato liquid. Add some more stock or boiling water during the cooking time, if there's not enough liquid to cook the rice.
Meanwhile chop some garlic and heat gently in a little olive oil then add cooked prawns, mussels, chopped cooked chicken, some chopped chorizo or cooked spicy sausage - whatever you fancy - and heat through.
Add the peas and sweetcorn, and cook for a further 2 minutes, then stir into the rice mixture.
Serve with lemon wedges.
Variation: For a vegetarian version just leave out the meat and fish and add extra vegetables such as green beans and mushrooms, or add some Quorn pieces.
To save money, use frozen mixed veg.
Not suitable for freezing.
- I cook my rice on the hob as I don't like microwaving, just follow your own packet instructions to cook on the hob.
Baked Cannelloni [recipe]
Wednesday, 7 September 2011
A few basil leaves, torn
2 level tbsps grated Parmesan cheese
freshly grated nutmeg
1 egg yolk
salt and ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, crushed
salt and ground black pepper
1. To make the filling put the spinach in a saucepan with 2 tablespoons of water. Cover with a lid and cook very gently over a low heat for about 5 minutes, until the leaves are limp and bright green. Drain in a colander, pressing down on top of the spinach with a saucer to squeeze out all the liquid.
2. Chop the spinach and mix with the cottage cheese, nutmeg, egg yolk and seasoning. Spoon the filling into the cannelloni tubes and arrange them in an ovenproof dish.
3. Mix the passata, sugar, garlic and seasoning together and pour over the cannelloni. Sprinkle with basil and Parmesan cheese and bake in a preheated oven at 200C°/400°F/Gas Mark 6 for about 20 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown.