surviving the sun

surviving the sun: Let them eat cake........!!!

2011-07-12T00:42:00.000-07:00

surviving the sun: Let them eat cake........!!!: "Tuesday 12 th July ........Well, A few days have past since I last sat down and found the time to complete my blog, with two boy..."

Let them eat cake........!!!

2011-07-11T22:57:00.001-07:00

Tuesday 12 th July........Well, A few days have past since I last sat down and  found the time to complete my blog, with two boys in the house I seem to be   always running them somewhere or to meet up with someone
. The last few days have beeen very, very   hot and   ''muggy'' or ''clammy''as my dad would say ! The best place to be is in the pool, This weekend my youngest boy...Miguel..was invited to a classmates birthday party,   it didn't start until   seven o'clock   , but  by midnight their pool was still   full of children.
It was a lovely evening, the children all splashing around happily in the pool and the parents relaxing, enjoying a    moonlit supper   amongst friends.
   I  made a birthday cake for the birthday girl,   last year I made her a doll cake, but she is absolutely   crazy for SpongeBob,so I had a go at making    a SpongeBob cake, it came out quite well.

To make   the    cake   I used a   25 x 30 cm   rectangular baking tin, which I greased and lined before I started.
I made a basic cake mix, which is the weight of the eggs,in margarine,self-raining flour and sugar.
The size tin I used   needed a 5 egg mixture, when weighed with shells on they totalled 11 oz...

So here   the ingredientsI used for a 25 x 30 cm tin
                                                    5 eggs
                                                   11 oz, butter or margarine
                                                   11 oz, sugar
                                                   11 oz, self raining flour
                                                   1 tablespoon of milk
                                                   1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

1/ Firstly, Preheat the oven to around....180' C/350'F ,

Then whisk together the margarine(or butter) and the sugar

2/ Then add the eggs, one at a time followed by a spoon of flour , so the mixture doesn't seperate, whisking after each egg, then add the rest of the flour, milk and vanilla essence and whisk all together, until pale and creamy.

3/ Place the mixture into your prepared cake tin,making sure you level out into all corners of the tin,

4/Place into the oven, cook for approx, 20 minutes OR until is risen, golden brown and a knife inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

5/ Take out of oven, and leave cool on a wire rack

6/While the cake is cooling, cut a piece of paper the size of your cake tin and from this cut out the body shapes for your Spongebob.

7/When cool lay the paper shapes on top of the cake,(you can use pins to keep them in place if needed, but remember to remove them !) Then begin cutting the cake into the shapes, i cut out a body, arms and legs. Any cake that has been cut off, place to one side .

8/ Assemble the cake pieces onto a board,if you havent a cake board    use a piece of board covered in tinfoil sellotaped underneath, so it doesn't move.
9/ Begin to decorate. It is a   bit fiddly and   took me just under 2 hours to complete.

For the decoration you will need :- ready to roll icing,(approx half   small packet)
                                                            Food colourings, black, blue, red and yellow.
                                                            1 tablespoon of cocoa
                                        buttercream, ( 150-200g butter and icing sugar creamed together)

10/ First I   cut all the white shapes that I needed from the   ready made icing.... shirt front, collars, sleeves, different sized circles for the eyes, mouth & teeth, tie and   socks.
11/Paint   2 circles with blue food colouring, and paint the tie with red food colouring, The mouth needed a red tongue, and   the rest painted in black then the teeth added when dry.
when painting these     dont be too heavy with the colouring or they won't dry out properly.
12/ Make up the buttercream, keeping a    quarter of this to one side, adding   yellow colouring to the  rest until it is the desired colour.
13/ Add some cocoa powder to the remaining   buttercream, mixing together well.
14/Begin to assemble your SpongeBob.

15/ I used yellow buttercream for his body and arms, I cut a small circle of the left over cake and covered with buttercream for his nose, and chocolate buttercream for his trousers.

The shoes were a bit tricky, I used black glace icing(icing sugar, drops of water and colour )

and slowly built up the colour. stick together the parts using buttercream as a 'glue', layer the eyes, using a small ball of white on top.

16/ Using a small coloured squeezy tube of brown coloured icing I added the details, his eye lashes, belt and outlined his featured and arms.

17/The final result was very well recieved by the birthday girl and well worth the time making it.

This basic cake mix can make loads of different styles of cake, you just need a little imagination and a lot of time. !!

A doll cake I made last year.

A racing car track one, The boys love this !!

The same basic mixture, can be reduced, the weight of two eggs in fat,flour and sugar woul make 12-18 fairy cakes, ideal for decorating.

I made these for my sons French teacher who was leaving the school.

          And these were made for a party as an alternative to a large cake,
much easier for   sharing,   no plates needed, much less    mess!!
I hope some of my   ideas will inspire you to have a go and   bake !!

surviving the sun: Using up your crop of apples...

2011-07-07T08:37:00.000-07:00

surviving the sun: Using up your crop of apples...: "Thursday 7th July ....... San.Fermin. I don't know if you have managed to see it live on tv or even participated in it, but this is..."

Using up your crop of apples...

2011-07-07T08:14:00.000-07:00

Thursday 7th July.......San.Fermin.
I don't know if you have managed to see it live on tv or even participated in it, but this is the popular week of 'Bull Running' In Pamplona, Spain.The hoards of people that all travel to Pamplona to take part in this annual event are noticeable by their ''uniforms'', all in white with a red neckercheif. We get Spanish television so get to see it every morning, It still amazes me after living here all these years, why on earth the crowds that gather in Pamplona put theirselves at risk all in the name of tradition. I tend to watch it from behind a cushion, you know inevitably someone will get hurt.
Well today as promised is another bunch of recipes, this time using apples which you may be fortunate enough to have growing in your garden.

Apples can be used in many different ways, from a nice crisp apple to eat on the go to a traditional favourite of apple pie and custard.

I am going to start off with one of my childrens favourites...

Toffee Apples

This recipe is to make 7

you will need:- 7 wooden skewers or sticks

7 medium size dessert apples

3/4 Lb demerara sugar (375g)

1 & 1/2 oz butter(38g)

1 teaspoon of vinegar

3 fl oz water (88ml)

1 tablespoon of golden syrup

1/ First, insert a skewere firmly into the core of each apple.

2/Heat the remaining ingredients in a heavy based saucepan,until the sugar has dissolved, bring to the boil for 5 minutes,WITHOUT stirring until a little of the mixture dropped into cold water , forms a hard ball.

3/Brush the sides of the pan with a brush dipped in water occasionally during boiling, this helps to prevent crystals forming.

4/Remove from the heat and dip the pan immediately into cold water to stop the cooking.

5/Tilt the pan slightly and dip the apples one at a time into the mixture.

6/Lift out and twirl over the pan once or twice until evenly coated.

7/ Place on an oiled baking sheet until the toffee has hardened.

*They can be wrapped in sellophane to give as gifts to youg visitors ! *

A variation on the traditional apple pie is :-

Upside Down Apple Tart

You will need :- 8 oz (225g) puff pastry,(bought or home made)

6 cooking pples

lemon juice

3oz (75g) caster sugar

1 oz (25g) unsalted butter

pinch of cinnamon

1/....Firstly, Roll out the pastry on a floured board and cut a 10'' (25cm) circle, then place this in the fridge.

2/...Peel and core the apples,then cut into eighths.Sprinkle with lemon juice,(to stop from going brown),

3/...Pour the sugar over the base of a 9'' (23cms) cake tin and dot with butter.

4...Preheat the oven to 220'C/425'F/gas mark 7

5/...Arrange the apples in the base of the tin, add the cinnamon.

6/...Place the pastry circle over the apples tucking in any surplus in around the edge of the tin.

7/...Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and cooked.

8/...Leave to cool in the tin a few minutes, then place a serving plate over the tin and invert.

9/...Serve warm or cold, with cream, ice cream or custard.

Apple Sauce

You will need:- 1 Lb cooking Apples

1 oz unsalted butter

caster sugar (optional)

1/ ..Peel, Core and slice the apples.

2/.. Place them in a pan with 2-3 tablespoons of water and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes.

3/... Rub the cooked apples through a sieve or put them in a liquidiser to make a puree.

4/ ...Stir in the butter and season if required with the sugar.

5/.. Serve with roast pork,goose, grilled sausages or bacon.

Apple and Walnut Salad

You will need:- small lettuce

6 stalks of celery

3 large eating apples

3oz (75g) chopped walnuts

1/4 (150ml) mayonaise

5 tablespoons fresh double cream or soured cream

1 tablespoon of vinegar

juice of 1 medium lemon

1/...Firstly, wash lettuce leaves and shake dry.

2/... Tear into bite-size pieces and use to cover base of serving dish.

3/...Cut celery into thin slices and put into bowl.

4/...Peel and core 2 apples and cut into thin slices,add to celery, together with the chopped nuts and mix well.

5/...Combine the mayonaise with cream and vinegar.

6/.. Pour over apple mixture and toss together until all ingredients are thickly coated.

7/...Arrange over the lettuce.

8/...Cut third apple,unpeeled into thin slices.

9/...Dip into lemon juice to prevent browning , then arrange on top of salad.

10/...Serve and enjoy !

Baked Apples with Syrup and lemon

you will need:- 4 cooking apples (or bramleys)

1 level tablespoon golden syrup

1/2 level teaspoon finely grated lemon rind

3 tablespoons of warm water

1/...Firstly wash and dry the apples,then remove cores 2/3 of the way down each.

2/...With a sharp knife,score a line around each apple about a third of the way down from the top.

3/...Stand the apples in a heatproof dish.

4/...Mix syrup and lemon rind together,then spoon equal amounts into the apple cavaties.

5/...Top each one with a knob of butter,then pour the warm water into the dish.

6/...Bake in a moderate oven for 45 minutes-1 hour, until apples puff up and are tender.

7/...Baste at least twice while the apples are cooking.

8/... Serve with cream,yogurt or custard.

I hope That you will try one, if not all of these recipes, Apples are very good for you..........After all....

''An apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away!!''

Reported Health Benefits of Apple :

Apple is a rich source of flavonoid and polyphenols both are powerful antioxidant.
Study shown that by eating 100g of apple can give an antioxidant effect that equal to taking about 1,500mg of vitamin C.
Apple contain a large amount of minerals and vitamins that can strengthen the blood.
Apple contain malic acid and tartaric acid, that can help prevent disturbances of the liver and digestion.
Apple cider vinegar when used as beverage can help to prevent the formation of kidney stone.
The skin of Apple contain pectin that can help remove toxic substances from the system by supplying galacturonic acid. Pectin helps prevent protein matter in the intestine from spoiling.
Eating an apple daily can reduce cholesteral.

What are you waiting for??? Go eat an apple :)

surviving the sun: Using your crop of plums

2011-07-05T07:59:00.000-07:00

surviving the sun: Using your crop of plums: "Tuesday 5th July ....... Living here in Spain we are so lucky to have such a vast supply of fresh fruit on our doorstep! If you..."

Using your crop of plums

2011-07-05T07:58:00.000-07:00

Tuesday 5th July....... Living here in Spain we are so lucky to have such a vast supply   of fresh fruit on our doorstep!
If you   dont have your own trees the local markets are full of    well priced fruits and veg all   freshly picked locally.I have Fig trees which aren't quite ready so   I will be looking   for 101 ways to cook a fig soon !
Today decided I would post some recipes for plums , and follow tommorrow with cooking apples, and Thursday with the paraguayas.
Plums can be eaten raw or can be used to make jellies, jams and stews. These can also be used in puddings, cakes, pies and in stuffing.
Here are some other ideas using plums I hope you will like.

Plum Flan

For this you will need:- 1 Lb (450g) plums
                                      3/4 pint (450ml) double cream
                                       6 oz (175g) white marzipan
                                      2 tablespoons of kirsch
                                      12 '' (30cms) shop bought flan case
                                      2 tablespoons of runny honey
                                      2 oz pistachio nuts

1/Firstly, quarter and stone the plums
2/Place in a pan with 4 tablespoons (60ml) of water, cook on a low heat for 10 minutes, or until plums are slightly soft but still hold their shape.
3/In a food processor blend together the cream, marzipan and kirsch to form a fairly stiff paste.
4/ Spread this mixture over the base over the flan case.
5/Drain and place the plums onto the mixture, brush with the honey  , then sprinkle the nuts.
6/Enjoy!!

Plums in Wine

You will need:-

1 & 1/2 to 2 lbs plums,

3oz sugar,

1/2 pint port, (medium dry sherry or madiera wine)

2 tablespoons flaked almonds

1/Dissolve sugar in 1/2 pint of water and simmer for 10 minutes..

2/stir in the wine and bring the mix to simmering point again.

3/ Remove stalks from the plums,wash and dry,one at a time add to the simmering syrup mix....cover pan with a lid and remove from the heat,leave the plums in the syrup for 10 minutes.

4/Lift out the plums with a perforated utensil,and place in a serving dish,cover with foil , leave in a warm place.

5/Boil the syrup over a high heat to reduce by around a third and thicken slightly.Then pour over plums.

6/Meanwhile toast the flaked almonds for around 5 minutes in the oven until golden,Scatter over plums and serve at once with cream or icecream .

Plum and cinamon pudding

Crumble topping:-

6 oz (150g) plain flour

3 oz (75g) butter

2 to 3 oz sugar (50-75g)

You will also need:-

2 Ib plums

4 oz demarara sugar

1 teaspoon of cinamon

Wash the plums, then place into a pie dish.(remove stone and half them)

Prepare crumble topping by, rubbing butter and flour together finely, add sugar then toss ingredients together lightly to mix.Save to one side.

Sprinkle the plums with the sugar and cinamon, then spread the crumble topping.

bake for 30-40 minutes or until the topping is golden brown.

Plum Cake

225g (8oz) self-raising flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

100g (3.5oz) baking margarine

50g (2oz) sultanas

50g (2oz) soft brown sugar plus 2 tblsp for sprinkling

2 large eggs

4 tblsp golden syrup

225g (8oz) plums, stoned and chopped

1/Firstly.....Preheat oven to 160C/325F/Gas 3.

2/Grease and line an 8 inch square baking tin.

3/Rub the flour, half the cinnamon and the margarine together.

4/Add the sultanas and 50g (2oz) brown sugar and stir.

5/Beat eggs and syrup together in a separate bowl, add plums, then stir into flour mixture.

6/Transfer to tin and level surface.

7/Mix rest of brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over top of cake mixture.

8/Cook in centre of oven for 45-50 mins and then test. It should be risen and just firm to the touch when cooked.

9/Cut into squares to eat.

This is nice eaten warm with ice cream or custard,though you can eat it cold too.

***This recipe Works just as well with apples or rhubarb***

Easy Plum Jam

You will need:-4 lbs (1.8 kg) plums

1 pint (575 ml) water

4 lbs (1.8 kg) sugar

1/Firstly, Wash and wipe the plums. Cut in halves.

2/Put into a pan with the water and simmer gently until the fruit is soft.

3/Test for pectin.***(see note below)

4Add the sugar, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.

5/Bring to the boil and boil rapidly until the jam sets when tested, removing the stones as they rise to the top.

6/Remove the scum.

7/Pot and seal while still hot.

**If you have no wax discs a great tip is to save the bags from inside cereal boxes and cut into circles, these work well,then cover with plastic and if you have some pretty material, cut a circle with pinking shears for that personal touch, A home made lable would transform it into a perfect gift****

Makes around 6 lbs (2.7 kg) of jam

**some information regarding PECTIN...

The fruit should be thoroughly softened by simmering to extract the pectin which, when boiled with sugar, will cause the jam to set. If the sugar is added before the fruit is properly cooked, the jam will not set, the skin of the fruit becomes tough and the jam is often a dark colour.

To obtain jam that will set properly, it is necessary to extract the pectin by simmering the fruit and the acid naturally contained in the fruit will assist the pectin extraction.

For fruit that lacks acid and pectin, the deficiency can be made up by:

a/...Mixing the low or medium pectin fruit with a high pectin one, e.g. apple and blackberry.

b/...Adding a pectin stock made from fruits such as apples, gooseberries or redcurrants.

c/...Adding commercially made pectin which is supplied in liquid or, sometimes, powdered, form.

Adding lemon juice or citric acid. ***

Plum Ice cream

You will need:- 450g ripe plums, stoned and quartered 125g light muscovado sugar

4 egg yolks
125g icing sugar
284ml pot double cream

1/...Firstly,Put the plums in a pan with the muscovado sugar and 300ml water. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes until the plums are really tender. Press the stewed fruit through a sieve. Chill the purée in the fridge for 20 minutes.
2/...Put the egg yolks and icing sugar in a bowl and stand the bowl over (not in) a saucepan of gently simmering water. Whisk with electric beaters until the mixture has just warmed through. Take the bowl off the heat and continue whisking until the mix has trebled in volume. Chill in the fridge.
3/...Whip the cream with 2 tbsp iced water until it just holds its shape. Add the plum purée, egg mixture and cream and whisk lightly together. Either churn in an ice-cream maker or pour into a container and freeze for about 1 hour until mushy. Turn into a chilled bowl and whisk vigorously. Return to the container or set in small moulds and freeze for 2-3 hours until firm.

Here are the benefits from eating plums....

Plum is a good source of dietary fibers which can help lower bad cholesterol and help prevent constipation.
Plums are rich in minerals like phosphorus, copper, manganese, magnesium and potassium.
Plum is very effective in resolving the symptoms of fatigue. Just 5 to 6 plums in your daily diet can help resolve the symptoms of fatigue in a week. The reason for this is plum has all important minerals, especially certain natural tranquilizers which help to calm the nerves and catalyze natural REM sleep.
Plum has some phytonutrients that can stop the growth of breast cancer cells.
Plums help in absorption of iron in the body.

I Know what I will be looking for next week in the local

market.......yes, PLUMS !!!

surviving the sun: fresh cherry muffins

2011-07-04T13:25:00.000-07:00

surviving the sun: fresh cherry muffins: "Monday July 4th ....Well happy Independence day to any American followers out there! Today I went to a local market and bought a ..."

fresh cherry muffins

2011-07-04T13:23:00.000-07:00

Monday July 4th....Well happy Independence day to any American followers out there!

Today I went to a local market and bought a 2 kilo   box of cherries, and it only cost 3 euros !
We washed and ate quite a few, but it left me wondering what recipes I could   try using fresh cherries.
I found this    Cherry muffin one which   stems from America, which is great for today    given its the 4th of July !

For approx. 16 muffins you will need:- 6 oz Plain Flour
                                                               1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
                                                                1/4 teaspoon salt
                                                                4 oz sugar
                                                               1 egg
                                                               1 teaspoon vanilla essence
                                                               1/4 teaspoon almond essence
                                                              4 oz fresh cherries(pitted)
                                                               4 oz butter
                                                              8 fl oz buttermilk.
**Please note, I have often seen buttermilk in   American recipes and   a quick   substitute for the real thing is , measure out your milk and substitute 1 tablespoon of the milk for 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar then leave for 5 minutes, it works great!**

1/ First preheat oven to 350 F

2/ Into a bowl mix the flour, baking powder and salt.

3/Line a muffin tin with paper cases, this makes approx.16

4/In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light.

5/ Blend in the egg, vanilla extract and almond extract until smooth.

6/Working in two or three additions, gradually mix in the dry ingredients, alternating with additions of buttermilk and ending with an addition of the last of the flour mixture.

7/ Stir in chopped cherries.

8/Bake for 16-19 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

9/ Cool cupcakes on a wire rack completely before frosting.(optional)

When they are cooked, you will notice they shrink slightly so make sure you fill the paper cases,they taste lovely without the frosting but if you want to swirl some buttercream on top,add a washed cherry with stalk on and dust lightly with icing sugar for a perfect tea time treat !

only another kilo left of cherries to eat !!

surviving the sun: Holy Focaccia !!

2011-07-02T13:53:00.000-07:00

surviving the sun: Holy Focaccia !!: "Saturday 2 July .... Yesterday I didn't have chance to do my blog because The sales had started here . I went to the nearby ..."

Holy Focaccia !!

2011-07-02T13:52:00.000-07:00

Saturday   2 July.... Yesterday   I didn't have chance to do my blog because The sales had started here . I went to the nearby shopping  centre but  there were no parking spaces underground and   hardly any   above ground, I had to park   quite a distance away. Most of the shops had a minimum of 50% off   their exsisting stock,..some up to 80% off....No wonder there were so many people around, who would believe   we are suffering    economically here in Spain??? I had my youngest son with me, not the ideal    shopping   companion as he chatters non stop and isn't that interested in looking   through rails of reduced   blouses or skirts!I will have to   return   next week , alone   .... to see if I can find another bargain to   put in the wardrobe and       never wear!!
Do you have a breadmaker ? I had one I used a couple of times and it sat in the back of my cupboard but    now I have started using it on a regular basis with a variety of different recipes.
I had never ever tried a Focaccia ,   but now I   regularily   make and enjoy it.   You can start preparing it in the morning, and it will be ready   early evening,without      too much effort and the result is fantastic!

You will need :- 1 cup of tepid water

                                      4 tablespoons of olive oil
                                           1 teaspoon of salt
                                       1 teaspoon of yeast
                                         3 cups of bread flour

1/ Into a mixing bowl,add the tepid water, yeast,1 cup of the flour and mix well, then cover the bowl with clingfilm and leave in a warm place for 2-3 hours.
2/Pour the yeast mixture into your breadmaker pan add the remaining flour and salt, Set the programme to 'Dough'.
3/ When the dough cycle has ended, turn onto a floured surface and knead for a few minutes.
4/Place the dough onto a shallow baking tray, around 9''x 13'' , press the dough   so that it covers the base of the tin.
5/Cover with a sheet of greased cling film    and leave it to rise until it has   nearly doubled in size.
6/Preheat your oven to 220'C,425F.
7/ Randomly press the dough with your finger to give it a dimpled effect.

8/Drizzle the top with olive oil, then sprinkle a tablespoon of seasalt and some rosemary leaves.

9/Bake the dough in the oven for 25 minutes,then transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool.

This is fantastic eaten with cold meats and cheeses or even with a salad.

If there should any left over, place in a sealable bag, either freeze until needed or split and cover with tomato and cheese and herbs as a mini pizza.

Please let me know what you think of my blog or if you like my recipes by leaving a comment at the end of the blog.

Thankyou

surviving the sun: welshcakes !!!

2011-06-30T08:17:00.000-07:00

surviving the sun: welshcakes !!!: "Thursday 30 June ....Well it's the end of June already,halfway through the year,, ,I think maybe its an ''age thing'' that makes time di..."

welshcakes !!!

2011-06-30T08:15:00.000-07:00

Thursday 30 June....Well   it's the end of June already,halfway through the year,,
,I think maybe its an ''age thing'' that makes time disapear   .How many times do you hear yourself saying ''It seems like only yesterday......'''?   or     'Doesn't time fly ?''.So with this in mind ,I decided to start writing these blogs, maybe I can look back at a later date and see exactly what I have been doing !!
Today is   still very hot here but very overcast    indeed.
  I decided to make a childhood favourite of mine...welshcakes !
I used to love coming home from school    and finding my nan had    cooked a batch of them, they are wonderful warm   or cold, some people like to spread butter on them . Personally, I love then fresh from the pan. My recipe had to be changed a little , as   I can't always find lard here...but honestly I prefer the taste of these....
To cook them traditionally you would need a ''plank'' , I use an electric griddle, but a thick based    non stick frying pan works fine too.

You will need:- 8 oz Self Raising Flour

1 egg

3-4 oz butter or margarine

3 oz sugar

3 oz currants

2 tablespoons of milk

1 teaspoon of mixed spice

and a pinch of salt

1/Firstly rub the fat into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs.

2/Add the rest of the DRY ingredients and stir together.

3/Beat the egg and add to the dry mix, then add the milk.

4/mix together until the sides of the bowl are clean.

5/turn out onto a floured board,knead lightly and roll out to a thickness of around 1/4 of an inch.

6/Cut into circles using a cutter, (if you don't have a cutter an upturned glass will cut perfect shapes)
7/Cook on a preheated ,lightly greased, griddle or heavy based frying pan for about 4 minutes each side OR until golden brown.

8/Cool on a wire rack,sprinkle with a little sugar.

9/Serve and enjoy !!!

Now I think its time for me to make a cup of tea, sit out on the veranda and taste one or two ,thats if the kids haven't finished them off already !

surviving the sun: Wednesday 29 June...When the summer holidays ar...

2011-06-29T06:02:00.000-07:00

surviving the sun: Wednesday 29 June...When the summer holidays ar...: "Wednesday 29 June... When the summer holidays are so long and it's too hot to spend the whole day outside in the sun,you fin..."

2011-06-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 29 June...When the summer holidays are so long   and it's too hot to spend   the whole day outside in the sun,you find that children get bored very quickly.Although they would be happy just playing video games all day, mine do enjoy     'making things' .
   Most children enjoy , cutting and   gluing, so this is an ideal project that you could do with them.It is   a great idea to make   for yourself too !
This project   you will need    empty crisp tubes,(the ones that come with plastic lids),I have also used   cheesy biscuit containers and   cardboard cigar boxes, which your local tobbacconist    would probably save for you .You need   old magazines, catalogues, comics or even pretty   bits of wrapping paper.You will also need some PVA type glue, a small amount of varnish and scissors.

First you decide what theme you would like for your container, Children may like to do a favourite superhero or cartoon character, teenagera a favourite actor or singer and adults might like flowers, cookery or fashion.

Next you start the ''cutting out'', this is quite time consuming and can be done over a few afternoons.When cutting out include quite a few suare shapes and a few 'images',

When you have enough cuttings, you need to start sicking them onto your container, larger squares first to make a base.
For the glue, you will need a small dollop of PVA type glue mixed with an equal amount of water.
Brush this all over each cut-out liberally.When the container is completely covered you can then begin to add to it your favourite images to build up a design.

On the childrens ones we used cartoon strips as a background adding cut out images to the top.

I used magazine   articles as a base on mine and cut out   different cake , chocolate and fashion images.
When you have finished your design use your glue -mix and paint it completely, when dry give it another glue-mix covering.
Leave overnight to dry, (a good tip is when you leave it to dry leave a wet wipe in the container to absorb any   smells.
When dry a coat of varnish will seal it completely and will finish it off perfectly.
Your container   will have 100's of uses, They are great for the beach...one    large crisp container will hold, a packet of tissues, phone, keys, pen, puzzlebook, money, tube of mints...etc.... No more rumaging in the bottom of your   beach bag only to find what you're looking for covered in sand!!

The smaller crisp tubes are perfect to be filled with sweets for long journeys, or even filled as a treat for a small child.

Larger tubes could be filled with printout colouuring sheets and pencils,and a great idea is to get the kids to use an old toy catalogue to decorate one ,then the adult could make a slit in the plastic lid to use as a savings tub.The larger tube is the perfect size for a pack of marie type biscuits too!

Whatever you think of to use your container for it is a lovely project and you finish off with a personalised item.

surviving the sun: Red Pepper Meatballs

2011-06-28T05:16:00.000-07:00

surviving the sun: Red Pepper Meatballs: " Tuesday 28 June ...I spent the whole morning sorting paperwork out for my sons school.This is a very time wasting episode as h..."

Red Pepper Meatballs

2011-06-28T05:13:00.000-07:00

  Tuesday 28 June...I spent the whole morning sorting paperwork out for my sons school.This   is a very time wasting episode   as he has already been in the school for 3 years, but...every year on the one day allocated you have to go to the bank specified, pay the fees for insurance and the cuota for the AMPA(association of mothers, fathers and students),then go to the school and give in the paperwork.
I am sure    that most of this   could be done online   and   save    running around for a whole morning in this heat!
Anyway its   done now until next years allocated   day !
       With    children in the house it is always a concern    when choosing what to cook for them and  are they getting enough   fruit and vegetables in their diet. Sometimes I admit i try to hide      the onions as one   of my boys will NOT eat them,,,,,if he can see them of course !
Today we had   Red pepper meatballs, which taste great and combined with spaghetti make a perfectly tasty and nutritious meal.

Ingredients for red pepper meatballs

2 onions

2 cloves garlic

1 slice of bread

2 tablespoons of oil

teaspoon of dried thyme

1 red pepper

salt and pepper

400g tin of chopped tomatoes

500 ml of beef stock

2 tablespoons tomato puree

1/ Heat the oven to 200'C,(400'F, gas 6)

2/roughly chop 1 onion and one garlic clove in a food processor then add the bread to this mix.

3/Add the minced beef,red pepper(deseeeded and roughly chopped) ,the thyme and salt and pepper and mix until evenly mixed.

4/Shape the mixture into approx. 12 meatballs, arrange in a shallow roasting dish and cook for 15-20 minutes or until browned.

5/Meanwhile , heat the remaining onion and garlic (finely chopped),for 1-2 minutes until softened.Add the tomatoes,beef stock and tomato puree, bring to the boil, season ,then simmer for around 10 minutes until it has thickened slightly.

6/ Transfer the meatballs to the sauce and simmer for a further 5 minutes.
* If you do not have a food processor this mixes up fine by hand**
*** To make a slightly richer sauce..try adding 2 tablespoons of pesto and a dash of worcester sauce to the sauce mix***

Serve with Spaghetti, rice , oven chips and /or garlic bread . A sprinkle of parmesan cheese and a few herbs before serving adds the finishing touch.

Try getting the kids involved in making this dish, a bit messy but... they love forming the shapes and if they help with the cooking I find they are eager to eat everything!

surviving the sun: lemons, lemons and more lemons !!!

2011-06-27T06:01:00.000-07:00

surviving the sun: lemons, lemons and more lemons !!!: "Well its another beautiful sunny day here, This morning our neighbour brought me a sack of lemons. So many wonderful recipes using..."

lemons, lemons and more lemons !!!

2011-06-27T05:56:00.000-07:00

Well its another beautiful sunny day here, This morning our neighbour brought me a sack of lemons.

So many wonderful recipes using lemons but the best thing to make on a hot day like this is lovely fresh homemade lemonade.It tastes so much nicer than the shop bought variety and you know it has no nasty additives.

All you need to make it , is sugar, water and of course your lemons !

The following ingredients make 2.5 litres of lemonade,

If that is too much for you, halve the ingredients or...

you can freeze some in a plastic container for use again...

or even take it from the freezer just before it gets solid and you have a lovely refreshing granizado !

1/.. squeeze the juice from 10 lemons, if you are doing this by hand roll the lemons around a bit on a hard surface first ..this will make it easier to remove the juice .

2/,,Put 500 ml of water in a very large pan, with 500 ml (weighed in measuring jug) of sugar.

3/ Bring this mixture to the boil and turn off once all the sugar has been dissolved.

4/ Add the lemon juice to this mixture and leave to cool.

5/ When cool add a further 1 .5 to 2 litres of water mix well and pour into your jugs or containers.

If you freeze mint leaves in water in ice cube trays , this makes a great addition to the drink.
I    dipped the rim of the glasses in egg white   ,
then in sugar which i   had   coloured green with a few drops of food colouring.

We never got to have a barbecue last night, but I have frozen a litre of this ready for when we do,
I hope you enjoy it   !

what to do with 2 aubergines!

2011-06-26T06:30:00.000-07:00

Well its Sunday, the children have been outside splashing in the pool and its been way too hot for a tradtional Sunday dinner,...so I had a look in the fridge to see what I could conjur up for lunch.
I found 2 aubergines, still in their bag.....they were a bargain at only 50cents for two !

I decided to make a ''Catalan aubergine dish''.

All you need for this are 2 medium sized aubergines,

5 tablespoons of olive oil,

2 medium tomatoes,

1 teaspoon of paprika

2 cloves of garlic,crushed

1 medium onion , chopped

chopped fresh parsley

Heres what you need to make this dish

First you peel and cube the aubergines.
Then heat the oil in a pan ,
add the cubes and saute for about 5 minutes.

Into the pan then add the chopped onion, crushed garlic and teaspoon of paprika and fry for 5 minutes.

Cover the pan and leave to cook for a further 15 minutes.

Then place in a serving dish and garnish with grated cheese and fresh parsley.

serve with a sprinkling of cheese and herbs, and fresh crusty bread.

This is delicious with fresh crusty bread and a salad !!

Needless to say this was enjoyed by all....not too much washing up and not much time spent cooking !

We might have a barbecue later...I'll let you know how we get on !