At Home with Mrs M!

What doesn't kill you...

2014-06-01T10:00:00.000+01:00

True story.

Well it's been a tumultuous three months. You may have noticed my blogging has been quite sporadic though I have tried to keep up with Meal Planning Monday. I've just not had the physical or mental energy some days.

The last week or two has been equally challenging. It seems just when you start to get into a good place BOOM something else occurs.

In the grand scheme of things, it's only work I know, but it has the ability to bring you down big time. It's hard to shake it off when you feel like you've been given a shitty hand, poorly treated and made to feel completely worthless.

This week sees another change for me.

I still feel uneasy.

I just want to go to work and not have to worry about whether today will be the day I lose my job.

Is that too much to ask?

I need a light at the end of tunnel, and soon.

Sorry for the morose post. Let's hope things chirp up soon.

Recipe: Jamie Oliver's Chicken and Sweet Leek Pie

2014-05-31T10:00:00.000+01:00

Mmmmmm pie. Who doesn't love a pie?

This monstrosity is from Jamie's Dinners and doesn't look nearly as aesthetically pleasing as his but you know what? It tasted damn fine! I made this for Mr M and he loved it, his only criticism being that there was no bottom. Clearly in his book to be a 'proper' pie you have to have a top AND a bottom. I don't disagree really but we'll let it slide because it's a lot quicker just to whack a pastry top on.

The pie was quite labour-intensive but in a way I find all the chopping and preparing therapeutic. The casserole filling turned out quite watery (as I find most of Jamie's stews/casseroles/curries do) so I left it a little long to cook and did strain a little bit off before filling the pie.

Especially good as leftovers the next day!

Chicken and Sweet Leek Pie

Ingredients

Olive oil
2 knobs butter
1kg boned and skinned chicken thighs/breasts, cut into pieces
2 medium leeks, trimmed, washed and sliced into 1cm pieces
2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
3 sticks celery, finely sliced
Small handful of thyme, leaves picked
2 tbsps flour
175ml of white wine
285ml milk
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
255g good pork sausages
1 x 500g pack of all-butter puff pastry
1 egg

Method

Preheat oven to 220C/425F/gas 7.

Take a large casserole pot and add a lug of olive oil and your butter. Add the chicken, leeks, carrots, celery and thyme and cook slowly on the hob for 15 minutes.

Turn the heat right up, add the flour, and keep stirring for a couple of minutes before adding the wine, a wineglass of water and the milk. Season with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper, then cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer very slowly on the hob for 30-40 minutes until the chicken is tender. Stir it every so often so it doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan. Pour the chicken mixture into an appropriately sized pie dish.

Squeeze the meat out of the sausage skins, roll it into little balls, brown them in a little oil and sprinkle them over the stew.

Roll out your pastry to about 0.5cm/ 1/4 in thick. Egg-wash the rim of the dish and drape over the pastry, using a knife to trim the edge of the dish. Egg-wash the top of the pastry to make it go golden while cooking, then pinch it to crimp it round the edges (there’s no need to do this, but I like to as my mum always does it and it makes it look pretty). I use the back of a knife to lightly criss-cross the top – this allows the pastry to go crisp and flaky

Cook the pie in the centre of the oven for about 30-40 mins, until golden on top.

Serve and enjoy!

10 of the best panini combos

2014-05-28T10:00:00.000+01:00

I'm bringing back the panini. Okay, maybe they never really went away but they were all the rage about 10 years ago weren't they? And yes, I have a dedicated panini grill...

2014 is going to be the summer of the panini in our house and today I thought I would share with you some of my favourite panini combos. No run-of-the-mill cheese and ham here thank you very much!

Image Credit: Food Network

1. Taleggio and Pear Panini

2. Chocolate and Brie Panini

Image Credit: Huffington Post

3. Tomato and Avocado with Mozzarella and Pesto

4. Buffalo Chicken Panini

Image Credit: Kraft Recipes

5. Grilled Mexican Panini

6. Wild Mushroom Melt

Image Credit: Betty Crocker

7. Chicken Pesto Panini

8. Fajita Panini with Chipotle Mayo

Image Credit: Simply Recipes

9. Gruyere, Apple and Fig Jam Panini

10. Pizza Panini

Yum. Some amazing combos there don't you think?

Are panini's a hit in your house? I'd love to hear what your favourite fillings are!

Top image credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mcrosacci/

Celebrating Nutella's 50th Birthday at Alton Towers!

2014-05-27T09:00:00.000+01:00

Last week my family and I were lucky enough to be invited to spend the day at Alton Towers as part of Nutella's 50th Birthday celebrations. It was hard to turn this down as the weather looked good, Alton Towers is only about an hour away and we all love Nutella! To kick off the celebrations I was also sent a personalised jar of Nutella which was quite cool. My daughter was mega-jealous.

We had an absolutely amazing day. The day started with a breakfast courtesy of Nutella - all you could eat toast, crumpets, crepes, porridge, muffins, yoghurt and fruit, and of course copious amounts of Nutella to top it off with!

After breakfast we had the whole day to explore the park. It was 12 years since I last visited and I have to say Alton Towers had changed quite a bit - and for the better I'd say. It was a much more polished experience, clean and tidy and every single staff member I came across was friendly, full of fun and keen to make your experience the best possible. We went on tons of rides and as the weather was absolutely stonking we even got to use the flume and rapids, a rarity in England I think!

Later in the day we went back to the Nutella marquee to sample some of the birthday cake and pick up our goody bags (of course, containing yet more Nutella, you can never have too much!). The cake was delicious!

If you want to try out a delicious breakfast, why not try this amazing recipe from Nutella.

Nutella Pancakes

Ingredients (Serves 2)

For the pancakes;
110g self-raising flour1 tsp baking powder2 medium eggs150ml semi-skimmed milk1 tsp vegetable oil

For the filling:
2 bananas chopped15g Nutella

Method

Place the flour, baking powder, eggs and milk into a large bowl and whisk together to make smooth batter. In a non-stick small frying pan heat the vegetable oil. Using a ladle, pour in a ladleful of batter, lifting and swirling the pan so that the batter covers the base in a thing layer.

Cook for 1-2 minutes until golden brown underneath and just set and flip over until underside is also golden-brown.

Remove the pancake from the pan and set aside to keep warm. Repeat the process with the remaining batter.

Spread the pancakes with Nutella and arrange the sliced banana on top.

TIPS: Use other fruit like sliced strawberries, kiwi or add raisins to the batter mix. Use ready made pancakes if you prefer.

Big thanks to Nutella for inviting us to spend the day with them at Alton Towers!

Meal Planning Monday (26th May 2014)

2014-05-26T09:46:00.003+01:00

Welcome to Meal Planning Monday, the sick edition *cough cough*. Out of nowhere the worlds worst cold has hit overnight and I am gutted as I had BIG cooking plans this week with it being half-term and no plans whatsoever. Am mighty sad now. Of course there is still a plan but it's a dull one mainly consisting of soup for me.

Hope you're all having a nice bank holiday weekend, I'm feeling chilly but at least it's not raining! Here's our plan;

Thai curries (from Waitrose, I am cheating but they looked nice)

Spaghetti bolognese

Fishcakes and veggies

Panini and chips

Chicken (wings for us, goujons for kids), corn on the cob, coleslaw and fries

Soup and baguettes

Dull dull dull.

Needs must though.

If you're new to my blog or #mealplanningmonday all you have to do is this - write a blog post about your meal plan for the week and submit the URL of your post using the Linkytools below. If you've not got a blog but want to join in, that's fine - just leave a comment below telling us what you're planning this week. Any questions, just holler at me via email (in the contact page) or on Twitter @madamding.

Don't forget to join our Facebook group and check out our Pinterest board for more inspiration!

Look forward to seeing all your plans and hooking up next week for the first #mealplanningmonday of June! Hopefilly I'll be less zombie-like and have full use of my senses again!

Recipe: Stuffed Jackets

2014-05-25T09:30:00.000+01:00

This was a dinner we made a few weeks ago, at the request of my husband. He loves a stuffed jacket potato, we all do, but I rarely make them because they just seem needlessly labour-intensive when you can almost get the same effect from loading your potato up with toppings. Perhaps that's just me being lazy. Probably. Anyway, he requested them so I duly obliged.

These jackets are creamy and delicious. You can eat them as a side to a main meal (we had them with hot and spicy chicken wings) or as a lighter meal on their own. Either is good.

They're nearly identical to my usual loaded spuds but this recipe uses soured cream rather than double cream, which I think I prefer.

Stuffed Jackets

Ingredients

4 medium baking potatoes
60g butter, cubed
230ml soured cream
115g cheddar cheese, grated
6 rashers of streaky bacon, cooked and crumbled
4 spring onions, finely sliced

Method

Preheat the oven to 200c/gas mark 6 and bake the potatoes for about an hour, until tender. Leave to cool for a few mins and reduce the heat of the oven to 180c/gas mark 4.

Cut each of the baked potatoes in half lengthways. Scoop out the potato and put into a large bowl. Put the potato skin shells to one side. Mash the potato with the butter before stirring in the soured cream, cheddar cheese, bacon bits and sliced spring onions.

Carefully spoon the mashed potato mix bake into the potato skin shells, pop onto a baking tray and bake in the oven for around 30 minutes until heated through and golden.

Going back to Goodwood

2014-05-24T11:44:00.000+01:00

We love going to "Glorious Goodwood" for their motoring events. It's situated in one of the most beautiful parts of the country (albeit a right royal trek from here...) and we've always found the events we've been to (Festival of Speed, Revival and Vintage) superbly well put together. I was surprised to realise it is 11 years since we first went to the Festival Speed and 9 years since our last visit so 2014 seems the perfect time to go back, especially now my son is 7 and completely car-mad!

My dream car that I first discovered at the Festival of Speed in 2003. A Fiat Jolly.

As it's been so long since we last went, obviously our children have never been so this is a first for them. Goodwood Festival of Speed (FoS) might not be high on your list if you're not really into cars or motor-racing but let me tell you, it's a great day out for everyone - including the children.

This year we are going to be camping at the festival itself. In the past we have camped relatively locally at Wisborough Green so it will be a new experience to camp near to the site. Seems perfect really because if the children have had enough but Mr M wants to watch more cars doing the famous hillclimb then he can fill his boots whilst we retire to the tent for some R&R. The family camping area sounds like it is going to be great so I am really looking forward to seeing what they have in store.

Every year there is a stunning centrepiece outside Goodwood House. This is from 2003.

Every year there is a theme for the FoS and this year it is 'Addicted to Winning - The Unbeatable Champions of Motor Sport' which sees the event celebrating drivers, riders, teams and manufacturers who have all swept before them in their chosen sport. One of the things we are most looking forward to seeing is the Michelin Supercar Run and checking out the the Koenigegg Agera One:1 which looks fast to become my sons favourite car - overtaking his beloved Porsches and Ferraris! I fear we may spend a lot of time in the Supercar Paddock!

Koenigegg Agera One:1

If cars aren't your thing....well there's always Pimms and champagne a-plenty. I've booked the sunshine for that weekend so it should be perfect. I won't lie the Veuve Clicquot bar was one of my favourite parts of the show last time I went so I do hope that is still there!

Have you ever been to Goodwood Festival of Speed? Would love to hear your thoughts.

The Goodwood Festival of Speed runs from 26-29 June 2014. It is normally a sell-out event so get your tickets before they all go! More information can be found by visiting the website www.goodwood.co.uk

Meal Planning Monday (19th May 2014)

2014-05-19T17:27:00.003+01:00

Howdy!

Woo. I very nearly missed #mealplanningmonday there! Sorry guys, super busy weekend and super busy Monday. We went to Alton Towers on Saturday to celebrate Nutella's 50th Birthday - it was an awesome day, the weather was hot and the kids had a great time. I'll be posting more about that later this week. Yesterday I had a birthday party to run and today I went to A&E. Long story, but everything is fine!

So, meal planning. There's a kind of plan but it's a bit up in the air due to school concerts, inset days, half-term and birthdays!

Char sui pork steaks and salad

Spaghetti bolognese

Chilli beef with broccoli

Four cheese pasta bake

Party tea

Could all change though so don't hold me to it!

Okay, your turn! If you're new to my blog or #mealplanningmonday all you have to do is this - write a blog post about your meal plan for the week and submit the URL of your post using the Linkytools below. If you've not got a blog but want to join in, that's fine - just leave a comment below telling us what you're planning this week. Any questions, just holler at me via email (in the contact page) or on Twitter @madamding.

Don't forget to join our Facebook group and check out our Pinterest board for more inspiration!

See you next week meal-planners!

Fun in the sun at Camp Bestival...

2014-05-18T09:53:00.000+01:00

....or at least that is what I am hoping for this year and once again we are heading to the fun-filled family festival in Dorset with our children, and lets be honest, a bit of sunshine is what is needed on these occasions!

We last went to Camp Bestival in 2012, unfortunately we couldn't make it last year as our holiday to Italy clashed but this year we're looking forward to experiencing festival life once again, especially now the children are a little bit older. You can read about our first and only visit to Camp Bestival here and here.

What did I enjoy most about Camp Bestival? Well it helped that it was gloriously sunny when we went and there's never anything unpleasant about sitting in the sunshine with a Pimms is there? but apart from that, it was great to be able to introduce my children to new things in a family friendly setting - live music, different foods (I thought there was a wonderful selection of catering trucks!), theatre craft, arts, comedy and also the best WI tent I have ever come across - amazing cake, I hope they still have that tent there!

Camp Bestival has a great chilled out vibe and seems to appeal to families with children of all ages, there is literally something for everyone there. Check out the family fun available in this video from last years events.

There's so much to see and do, they'll never be a bored minute - it's just trying to fit it all in! Check out the Camp Bestival website for more info.

Bread and Butter Pudding Featured Recipe

2014-05-14T13:10:00.000+01:00

Yum, bread and butter pudding with ice-cream. Whilst we've had a glimpse of summer, May seems to be a pretty transitional period for me and a warm pudding with cold ice-cream is near perfect for this time of year!

Bread and Butter Pudding

Ingredients

25g butter

8 slices bread

50g sultanas/ mixed fruit

2tsp cinnamon

350ml milk

50ml double cream

2 eggs

25g demerara suga

Kelly’s of Cornwall Clotted Cream Ice Cream

Method

Grease a 2pint/1litre pie dish.

Cut crusts of bread and butter one side.

Cut into triangles and arrange a layer of bread in the dish add a layer of sultanas and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Then repeat the layers until the bread is used up.

Whisk the milk, cream and eggs together and gently pour over the bread. Sprinkle a little sugar on top.

Leave to stand for 30mins.

Place in pre-heated oven at 180C/355F/gas 4 for approx 30 mins or until golden brown.

Serve with Kelly’s of Cornwall Clotted Cream Ice Cream.

Kelly’s has been producing Cornish ice cream for over 100 years in Bodmin, Cornwall. Kelly’s uses only the finest dairy ingredients, including lashings of Cornish whole milk and Cornish Clotted cream, from dairy cows grazing on Cornwall’s lush green pastures Kelly’s of Cornwall™ ice cream is the only genuine Cornish ice cream that is made in Cornwall and available nationwide.

Note: Any post marked *Featured Recipe* on my blog is one that contains a recipe I wish to share with you on behalf of a company or brand. I may not have tried myself and I have not been paid to share this information with my readers, I am simply choosing to do so because I like the look of it!

Image and recipe property of Kelly’s of Cornwall™

For more recipes, visit http://www.kellysofcornwall.co.uk/

WIN: Celebrate Nutella's 50th Birthday at Alton Towers!

2014-05-13T19:01:00.000+01:00

Hello! Today I have somewhat of a FLASH giveaway today for you. It's a good one but it's closing TOMORROW so you have to get your entries in quick!

To celebrate its 50th birthday, Nutella (that delicious yummy family favourite hazlenut spread) is hosting a Big Birthday Breakfast at Alton Towers on Saturday 17th May (all day). I am very excited to have 4x family tickets to giveaway so that you can join in the celebrations!

For the chance to enjoy exclusive early entry to Alton Towers (no queues!) and a delicious Nutella Birthday breakfast, enter in one of the following three ways.

1. Tell me your favourite #nutellastories

2. Tweet #nutella50bday

3. Answer the following question...

If you could spread Nutella on anything tasty...what would be your favourite thing?

Personally, mine would be Leonardo DiCaprio but failing that, I like it on a warm croissant!

Please make your entries via the Rafflecopter widget below.

Please note - you must be available to attend the event on 17th May. Winners will be notified on Wednesday 14th May, so do get your entries in quick! You will be contacted after 4pm on Wednesday 14th May and full name and address details will need to be provided before 10am on 15th May. In the event of being unable to contact the winners, new names will be selected.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

Red Pepper, Tomato and Vintage Cheddar Tartlets Featured Recipe

2014-05-13T13:39:00.000+01:00

These tasty tartlets are perfect for the upcoming sunny weather (I am being positive!!!). Ideal for outdoor eating, these would be great for a summer picnic.

Red Pepper, Tomato and Vintage Cheddar Tartlets

Ingredients

2 large onions, peeled and chopped

50g olive oil

2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes

1 red chilli, deseeded and finely diced

5g sugar

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1 tbsp rosemary, finely chopped

200g ready made puff pastry

2 Ramiro red peppers, cut into strips

Salt and pepper

200g Pilgrims Choice Vintage Cheddar, grated

Method

Cook the onions in olive oil until soft and melted for about 30 mins.

Add the tomatoes, chill, garlic, rosemary and peppers to the onions and cook over a gentle heat for about 45 mins (stirring occasionally) until everything has reduced and become really thick. Remove from the heat, cool and add some seasoning.

Meanwhile, roll out the pastry and line 8 individual tart tins.

Scatter half of the cheese in the base of the pastry cases. Spoon in the tomato filling and finish with the remaining grated cheese.

Bake in a pre heated oven at 200c, 400f or gas 6 for about 30 minutes until the pastry is crisp and golden.

Serve warm or cool and pack up for a picnic.

If you prefer this could easily be made as one large tart, decorated with rosemary sprigs and served as a light lunch with salad leaves.

Image and recipe property of Pilgrims Choice

For more recipes, visit http://www.pilgrimschoice.com/

Meal Planning Monday (12th May 2014)

2014-05-12T09:00:00.000+01:00

Wooooooooo! I am the ghost of Meal Planning Monday past, or future. I'm not sure. Certainly not present though, I know that much because I ain't here at all! I'm here...

Yes, I'm in the concrete jungle where dreams are made (oh).

That means there's no meal planning for me this week - though I will have to do some when I return tomorrow unless my dear husband has gone grocery shopping whilst I've been away (chances = slim to none).

None of you are off the hook though!

Let's see what you've got! The Linky is below ready for you to add your meal plans to.

For those who might be passing by and are new to the #mealplanningmonday concept it's all very simple. All you have to do is write a blog post about your meal plan for the week and submit the URL of your post using the Linkytools below. If you've not got a blog but want to join in, that's fine - just leave a comment below telling us what you're planning this week. Any questions, just holler at me via email (in the contact page) or on Twitter @madamding.

Don't forget to join our Facebook group and check out our Pinterest board for more inspiration! We've got 678 followers so far on our new board and I've started pinning some of your recipes as I come across them!

Catch you on the flip-side!

PS Best laid plans and all that. If for whatever reason this Linky doesn't work the way it should whilst I am away just leave your link as a comment below!

Image credit: By Sararuizchifoni209 (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Lamb & Sweetfire Beetroot Burgers with Feta Featured Recipe

2014-05-09T13:25:00.000+01:00

Well BBQ season is almost upon us and who can resist a burger once those coals are lit? This landed in my inbox some time ago but I love a lamb burger and I adore the use of beetroot in this. The idea of feta too? Had me licking my lips! Can't wait to try this soon and of course will report back!

Lamb & Sweetfire Beetroot Burgers with Feta

Ingredients

500g minced lamb

250g Sweetfire beetroot, finely chopped

1 egg, beaten

2 tbsp chopped mint

2 cloves garlic, crushed

100g feta cheese, cut into 4 pieces

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve;

4 burger buns or ciabatta rolls

Salad leaves

Cherry tomatoes, cut in 1/2

Finely sliced red onion rings

Method

In a large bowl, combine the lamb, Sweetfire® beetroot, egg, mint and garlic. Season to taste with salt & freshly ground black pepper and mix thoroughly.

Divide into 4 equal portions. Take one portion and flatten it in the palm of your hand. Place a cube of feta in the middle and draw the meat up and over the cheese, moulding it into a burger shape and taking care to ensure the cheese is totally surrounded. Repeat with the other meat portions and set aside in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.

When you are ready to cook the burgers, heat a griddle pan (or BBQ) to medium hot and cook the burgers for around 6-8 minutes on each side. Check they are cooked by inserting a skewer into the middle. If it comes out piping hot to touch they are cooked, if not cook for a further minute or so.

Serve the burgers in buns with salad.

Sweetfire is a ruby red baby beetroot, freshly cooked and infused with Sweetfire® marinade(a natural marinade made using chilli’s, oil, a little sugar, and white wine vinegar) which adds a delicious kick to salads and spices up cold meats and sandwiches. Available from Tescos and Waitrose.

Image and recipe property of Love Beetroot.

For more recipes, visit http://www.lovebeetroot.co.uk/

Meal Planning Monday (5th May 2014)

2014-05-05T09:53:00.000+01:00

Good morning everyone, sorry for my lateness but you know, it's Bank Holiday Monday and it's SUNNY! Wowsers, hasn't it been a glorious weekend? Am just loving this weather although the downside is the raging hayfever that comes with it. So unfair! Anyway, hope you're all having a lovely bank holiday.

The meal plan this week has been done bearing in mind that I'm not going to be here for most of it so Mr M is in charge! This is how it is shaping up;

Hotdogs and onions (cooked al fresco, god love the sunshine!)

Pizza

Cheesy chicken enchiladas

Spaghetti bolognese

Chicken'n'chips (kids film night favourite!)

Shepherds pie

Kid-friendly, dad-friendly meal plan whilst he holds the fort.

Okay now it's over to you.

Don't forget to join our Facebook group and check out our Pinterest board for more inspiration!

See you next week meal-planners!

Caramelised Blueberry Tart Featured Recipe

2014-05-03T13:32:00.000+01:00

My children love blueberries but I never really know what to do with them outside of muffins and pancakes so I liked this idea for a dessert. The brittle sugared top on this purple-juiced blueberry tart is a perfect contrast to the softly set cinnamon custard.

Caramelised Blueberry Tart

Ingredients

For the shortcrust pastry;

175g plain flour, plus extra for rolling

125g cold unsalted butter, cubed

20g Tate & Lyle’s golden granulated sugar

pinch of salt

2¼ tbsp cold water

For the filling;

295g blueberries

1 tbsp water

1 level tbsp Tate & Lyle golden granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

200ml double cream

2 tbsp brandy

1 level tsp cinnamon

For the topping;

40g Tate & Lyle’s golden granulated sugar

Method

You will also need a 23cm (9”) loose-bottomed shallow fluted tart tin, a piece of parchment paper slightly bigger than the tin, some baking beans and a blow-torch or grill.

Make the pastry first. Put the flour, butter, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the water and briefly pulse until it comes together into a ball. Wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes.

Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to 2.5cm (1”) bigger than the tart tin. Line the tin, trim the excess and lightly prick with a fork, then chill for 30 minutes. You will have a little pastry left over.

Preheat the oven to 190°C/Fan170°C, 375F, Gas Mark 5.

Place the paper on the pastry, cover with a layer of baking bean and bake blind for 10 minutes on the middle shelf of the oven. Remove the paper and beans and bake for a further 10 minutes to dry out the pastry. Remove the tart from the oven and reduce the heat down to 180°C/Fan160°C, 350°F, Gas Mark 4.

Put the blueberries in a small non-stick pan with the water and sugar and simmer for 1-2 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, just enough to warm them.

Next, mix the eggs, yolks, cream, brandy and cinnamon together in a jug.

Tip the blueberries into the tart case and pour over the cream mixture to cover. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 25-30 minutes until golden and the custard has just set.

Leave the tart to cool, then remove from its tin onto a plate and sprinkle over the sugar in an even layer on top. Protect the pastry edges with foil strips if you are going to grill it otherwise it will burn, but if you have a blowtorch, there’s no need. Grill or blowtorch until the sugar caramelises and becomes mottled and dark golden. Serve.

Image and recipe property of Tate and Lyle

For more recipes, visit http://www.tateandlyle.com/

Meal Planning Monday (28th April 2014)

2014-04-28T07:00:00.000+01:00

Hurrah! Back to routine today. School is back which means near-normal service can resume. I don't know about you but I'm much better at everything when we're in routine-mode. That of course means that this week there IS a meal plan. Woohoo!

Feel like I haven't done a whole lot of cooking recently so I am looking forward to (literally) getting my teeth into some new meals.

Here's our plan for this week;

Chicken salad with anchovy dressing

Chicken & leek puff pastry pie

Heavenly salmon salad

Baked cod with avocado, prawns, cream & cheese

Warm bread salad with crispy pancetta and poached eggs

Sausage and mash with onion gravy

Yum!

We're having a bit of a Jamie Oliver week this week!

Once again, it's your turn. I haven't had the time recently to comment on everyones posts but will try harder over these coming weeks.

Don't forget to join our Facebook group and check out our Pinterest board for more inspiration!

See you next week meal-planners!

5 Favourite Pinterest Cupcakes

2014-04-25T16:21:00.002+01:00

Like a lot of people, one of my favourite procrastination past-times is pinning tons and tons of things I'll probably never make on Pinterest.

Beautiful cakes is one of my favourite things to pin because whilst I can knock up a pretty good cake, I am useless at decoration. I don't have the patience and therefore I rarely try to do anything creative.

Doesn't stop me daydreaming about what I would create though if I could...and I thought I'd share some of these here with you today.

1. Garden Carrot Cupcakes from Your Cup of Cakes

2. Snowflake Cupcakes from Glorious Treats

3. Cherry Limeade Cupcakes from Annie Eats

4. Bubble Gum Frosting Cupcakes from Sprinkle Bakes

5. Lemon Pudding Cupcakes from Make Bake Celebrate

How about you?

Does anyone else wish they had more patience and a steadier hand in the kitchen?

Let me know if you're on Pinterest and I'll be sure to follow your boards!

Meal Planning Monday (21st April 2014)

2014-04-21T07:30:00.000+01:00

Happy Easter everyone! Hope you've all been having a wonderful break. My children are still off school for another week and I'm also going away for three nights this week with work which means yet again there is no meal plan for me. It's really quite annoying though as I'm feeling quite desperate to cook. Next week I will be back in the swing of it!

I spent yesterday catching up on blog stuff and emails, it feel good to get myself organised and then we had a big roast dinner. Today we've got family coming around for a bit so tea is a Chinese takeaway style meal from Morrisons. I make no apology. I am being lazy.

So what have you got planned for this week? Are you back to routine?

Don't forget to join our Facebook group and check out our Pinterest board for more inspiration!

Eating Smart with Woman & Home

2014-04-20T12:24:00.001+01:00

The lovely people at woman&home sent me a little package out recently containing the second issue of their Eating Smart magazine alongside a box jammed packed with food samples. Now I don't have any special dietary requirements and neither do any of my family so on that basis I don't really have any need to eat "free from" foods but that doesn't mean I can't or shouldn't try them!

Eating Smart is woman&home's new stand-alone magazine, which is filled to the brim with gluten and dairy-free recipes. The magazine is designed for people that either have an intolerance themselves, know somebody who does or who are simply cutting our certain foods for the health benefits and a lifestyle change. There are recipes from popular chefs like Mary Berry, The Hairy Bikers and Jamie Oliver for all sorts of dishes - pizza, creamy puddings, indulgent cakes - lots of different things that you would think that people with intolerances or allergies couldn't enjoy.

women&home are keen to dispel the theory that "free from" food can't taste good and to demonstrate this point they sent me a pile of samples of different foods. There were lots of things I wouldn't normally buy, or perhaps even try (way too healthy for me....) but there wasn't really anything I didn't like. Two of my favourites were the Choc Shot and the peaches sweets.

I've been meaning to try the Choc Shot since I first saw it in Waitrose at Christmas so it was nice to receive a sample of that and peaches must be one of my favourite sweets in the world - very good to see that those on restricted diets can enjoy them too!

Still not entirely sure what to do with Chia Seed though...so do feel free to enlighten me!

If you want to find out more about Eating Smart, visit the woman&home website.

Guest post: Sash windows are part of the architectural heritage

2014-04-18T19:30:00.000+01:00

If you look at most houses over a certain age, you will see that many have wooden sash windows. This generally applies to houses built between the 1600s until the 1940s. Thankfully, this style of window is undergoing something of a revival and can be seen adorning homes across the country.

The joys of a sash window

There is no better feeling than getting up on a summer’s day and sliding up your window to greet the morning. There used to be a time when it was difficult to replace the wooden frames and pulleys but sash windows prices have come down in recent years, so if you need a replacement, it will be easy to source.

Period architecture

Many people who have old or protected homes do not want to replace tired or damaged windows with a uPVC model. These windows do not match the architecture of the house. The wood that was used to construct the original windows was sourced from softwood timber grown on the Baltic. To replace these with plastic windows spoils the look of the house. The UK heritage organisation, English Heritage even launched a campaign to protect sash windows.

Famous sash windows

Number 10 Downing Street, London is famous as the residence of the Prime Minister. The building is also famous as a great example of a façade displaying sash windows. The historical district of Fairmont in Texas also has some wonderful examples of older buildings, complete with their original sash windows.

Sash windows require love

If you are lucky enough to have an original window, or if you have replaced it with a contemporary, double-glazed wooden model you will have to look after your sash window. Most people understand that a house requires painting and cleaning and the same applies to windows. If the frame is constructed from natural wood, make sure that you varnish or paint the frame on a regular basis. If you have a new house you can still ask to have wooden double glazed sash windows installed.

Wooden sash windows help the environment

Another bonus with wooden window frames is that they are constructed from sustainable materials and enhance the environment. To date we have not found a way of recycling certain plastics, so the uPVC frames will remain, long after the original house may have been knocked down.

Disclosure: Guest post in association with The Sash Window Workshop

Image Credits: All images property of The Sash Window Workshop

Easter Cooking!

2014-04-16T11:26:00.000+01:00

I love a bit of theme cooking, can't beat it for inspiration and Easter provides lots of opportunities for this. I thought I'd share some of Easter gems from my own archives as well as those from some of my blogging friends. I hope you enjoy and find something to nice to cook!

Kinder Egg Chick in a Wheaty Chocolate Nest from A Mummy Too

Chocolate Almond Easter Cake from Utterly Scrummy

Crunchy, Chewy, Fruity Muesli Chocolate Nests from A Mummy Too

Carrot Cake Cupcakes from The Mini Mes and Me

Hot Cross Buns from At Home With Mrs M

Spring Bird Cake Pops from The Mini Mes and Me

Easter Delights from Cherished by Me

Hidden Easter Egg Cupcakes from Utterly Scrummy

Chocolate Easter Cake from At Home With Mrs M

Hot Cross Buns with Hidden Easter Eggs from Utterly Scrummy

If you've cooked up any Easter treats yourself, leave a comment below with the link and I will check it out!

Chocolate Nests with Salted Chocolate Truffle Eggs Featured Recipe

2014-04-15T12:42:00.000+01:00

Have to love an Easter recipe - mainly because they generally include chocolate. I was very taken by this recipe from the Happy Egg Co for chocolate nests, especially because they include salted chocolate eggs. I am having a lovely affair with salted chocolate at the moment!

Chocolate Nests with Salted Chocolate Truffle Eggs

Ingredients

850g milk dark chocolate

140g unsalted butter, chopped into small pieces

1/4 teaspoon sea salt flakes

2 happy egg yolks, at room temperature

100g icing sugar

125 ml boiling water

Method

Make the nests.

Grease with sunflower oil the outside of a silicone half sphere mould. (I used one that was 80mm wide for each half sphere)

Melt and temper the chocolate. Break 400g of the chocolate into small pieces and melt in the microwave, 20 seconds at a time, taking out after each 20 second interval and stirring well. Continue until about 2/3rds is melted and there are a few lumps left. Stir well until no lumps are left.

Put the chocolate in a piping bag and pipe thin lines in a crisscross manner over the greased half sphere mould. Make it quite thick at the base. Leave to dry, and then carefully remove from the mould.

Using a cheese slicer of a vegetable peeler, scrape shavings of chocolate off the remaining block of chocolate to make the straw for the nest.

Make the salted truffle eggs.

Chop 400g of chocolate into small pieces. Place the chopped chocolate, butter in a heat-safe bowl. Half fill a small saucepan with water and heat until it just simmers. Place the bowl with chocolate and butter on top of saucepan and melt the chocolate and butter.

Put the 2 egg yolks in a bowl and gently whisk to break the yolks. Very slowly pour 125 ml of just boiled water into the yolks whilst stirring continuously.

Beat the melted chocolate and butter a few times with a whisk then place a fine mesh strainer over the mixture. Pour 1/3 of the egg mixture through the strainer and into the bowl, beat with whisk until incorporated then repeat with remaining egg mixture.

Add the salt. Beat until the chocolate mixture has thickened and looks shiny. Refrigerate for about 2 hours until firm.

Put the icing sugar into a bowl. Dust your hands with icing sugar. Take ½ teaspoonfuls of the truffle mixture and roll the mixture into an egg shape. Roll each shaped egg in the bowl of icing sugar.

The egg truffles can then be returned to the fridge and kept for up to 2 days until they are ready to be served in the chocolate nests.

Enjoy!

Image and recipe property of The Happy Egg Co.

For more recipes, visit www.thehappyegg.co.uk

Meal Planning Monday (14th April 2014)

2014-04-14T08:56:00.002+01:00

Good morning everyone!

What a busy weekend! We did a car boot sale yesterday - was totally not worth it and won't be making that mistake again. £60 was so not worth getting out of bed at 5.30am on a Sunday - regardless of how broke I am!

It's the first proper day of our school holidays today and for that reason I am making the controversial decision NOT to meal plan this week.

Nope, I am totally going to wing it with the children this week and do whatever takes our fancy. Picnics in the garden, make homemade pizzas, get takeaways in front of movies, let them choose dinner... A totally relaxed week and will work it around what we're doing that day.

Today we're off out with friends for the day and food will mainly be picnicky all day long!

Don't let my lack of meal planning stop you though, oh no! The Linky is still below for your meal-planning-pleasure!

Don't forget to join our Facebook group and check out our Pinterest board for more inspiration!

Friday Foody Roundup #16

2014-04-11T10:41:00.000+01:00

Have I really not shared my Friday Foody news with you since December? Really?! This first chunk of the year has whizzed by. I'm not completely complaining, after all, we're speeding towards my favourite time of the year - late Spring/Summer. It does mean though that I have a lot of Foody news so get comfortable and hang on to your hats!

Dole Porridge Pots

I'm not a big breakfast person really, I do like it, but it needs to be about 1-2hrs after I've got out of bed. This means that breakfast on-the-go is my friend. Dole have brought out a new range of portable porridge posts that come complete with a portion of lovely fruit ready to mix in. I find these convenience products so handy for my working days as I have to leave the house so early and don't get much time to think about breakfast. As they are a store-cupboard item, I can keep porridge pots in my desk drawer for when hunger strikes! Dole Fruitful Porridge Pots currently come in three flavours - apple in cinnamon, pineapple in coconut and peach and are available now from Tesco stores with an RRP of £1.19 per pot.

Haribo Easter Range

The lovely people at Haribo sent me a whole host of Easter lovelies, they must know I have a weakness for sweets!

Sainsburys Easter

Shloer

As anyone who knows me well will know, I am very partial to a glass of wine or a nice cocktail. However sometimes there are times when you can't partake in an alcoholic drink and for these occasions, I always turn to Shloer - especially now they have a great fizz range. Shloer Celebration is an alcohol-free bubbly drink served in a celebratory-style bottle with a popping cork and comes in two lovely flavours - White Bubbly and Pink Fizz. Best served chills these drinks are the perfect thing to get the party started! The celebratory bottles are available in supermarkets nationwide and have an RRP of £2.99.

Princes Fruit Fillings

Fruit fillings in a can is not something I have ever bought before so I was happy to try out some samples from Princes. Their fruit fillings come in a range of flavours including apple, summer fruits, red cherry, black cherry, strawberry, blackcurrant and apple & blackberry. I found them a great addition to my store-cupboard as they were so handy for whipping up last minute desserts. I topped pancakes with them and also made some quick crumbles - making up a simple topping and serving in individual ramekins. Princes Fruit Fillings are available at a range of supermarkets with an RRP of £1.29 per can.

Knorr Flavour Pots

I'm going to start with an apology - I was sent an absolute stonking hamper from Knorr full of delicious fresh ingredients along with a selection of their new Flavour Pots. The intention was for me to create some delicious recipes. And then I got a stonking cold and all thoughts of food and cooking went out of the window. Nevertheless, I WILL get around to cooking with the Flavour Pots very soon and the recipes will be featured on this here blog! In the meantime let me tell you about the pots. The new Flavour Pots, created by Knorr Chef Cameron Healy, have been designed to revolutionise the way we use herbs and spices. The range includes Mixed Herbs, 3 Peppercorn, Curry, Garlic and Mixed Chillies. There are a million ways to use these Flavour Pots - curries, stir-frys, sauces.... Knorr Flavour pots are gluten-free and suitable for vegetarians, with an RRP of £1.59.

Aldi Easter Hamper

I am not lucky enough to have an Aldi nearby, it's a bit of a jaunt and for that reason I have never actually been into an Aldi store however my friends have waxed lyrical and are often supplying me with delicious and fantastically priced wines! Aldi sent me a lovely hamper full of delicious goodies including their Philippe Michel Cremant de Jura sparkling Chardonnay (£6.99) and a lush French Pinot Noir (£4.49), alongside a cocktail shaker and some martini glasses. There were also other delicious treats like their Choceur White Chocolate Bunny (99p) - this was so tasty and I could hardly believe the tiny price tag! Aldi have won so many awards over the past few years including the Which? Award for Best Supermarket in 2013 as well as "Grocer of the Year" at the Grocer Gold Awards - it's not difficult to see why and I think I am going to have to make more of an effort to check out the delicious treats and bargains in store for myself!

I think that's it for now, no doubt I've forgotten something! Will be back soon with another Friday Foody!

At Home with Mrs M!

What doesn't kill you...

Recipe: Jamie Oliver's Chicken and Sweet Leek Pie

10 of the best panini combos

Celebrating Nutella's 50th Birthday at Alton Towers!

Meal Planning Monday (26th May 2014)

Recipe: Stuffed Jackets

Going back to Goodwood

Meal Planning Monday (19th May 2014)

Fun in the sun at Camp Bestival...

Bread and Butter Pudding *Featured Recipe*

WIN: Celebrate Nutella's 50th Birthday at Alton Towers!

Red Pepper, Tomato and Vintage Cheddar Tartlets *Featured Recipe*

Meal Planning Monday (12th May 2014)

Lamb & Sweetfire Beetroot Burgers with Feta *Featured Recipe*

Meal Planning Monday (5th May 2014)

Caramelised Blueberry Tart *Featured Recipe*

Meal Planning Monday (28th April 2014)

5 Favourite Pinterest Cupcakes

Meal Planning Monday (21st April 2014)

Eating Smart with Woman & Home

Guest post: Sash windows are part of the architectural heritage

Easter Cooking!

Chocolate Nests with Salted Chocolate Truffle Eggs *Featured Recipe*

Meal Planning Monday (14th April 2014)

Friday Foody Roundup #16

Bread and Butter Pudding Featured Recipe

Red Pepper, Tomato and Vintage Cheddar Tartlets Featured Recipe

Lamb & Sweetfire Beetroot Burgers with Feta Featured Recipe

Caramelised Blueberry Tart Featured Recipe

Chocolate Nests with Salted Chocolate Truffle Eggs Featured Recipe