November 16th, 2009
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This is one of the simplest recipes every and gets a great response everytime I make it. It is economical as pudding rice is cheap to buy. You can substitute cream or evaporated milk for some of the milk if you wish to make it more grown up!
Ingredients
100g pudding rice
50g sugar (you may prefer to use slightly less and add fruit or jam at end)
700ml semi-skimmed milk
pinch grated nutmeg
- Heat oven to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2.
- Wash the rice and drain well.
- Butter an 850ml heatproof baking dish, then tip in the rice and sugar and stir through the milk.
- Sprinkle the nutmeg over.
- Cook for 2 hrs, stirring every 1/2 hour or so until the pudding wobbles ever so slightly when shaken.
November 15th, 2009
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For a special occasion Venison is a good choice. It is affordable and lower in fat than many red meats and also very tasty.
Venison and Red Pepper Stew
(Serves 2 as a main meal)
Ingredients:
- 300g diced venison
- 2tbsp flour
- 2tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 red peppers
- 1 leek
- 2 large field mushrooms
- 250ml beef stock
- 250ml red wine
- Sprig of thyme
Method:
- Pat diced venison dry with kitchen paper and toss with flour.
- Heat olive oil in a casserole dish and quickly brown the venison all over.
- Add sliced onion and crushed garlic clove until golden.
- Add finely sliced red pepper, sliced leek and sliced field mushrooms, and cook until vegetables start to soften.
- Pour in the beef stock and red wine, bring to the boil, cover and then leave to simmer gently for about 2 hours, or until the venison is tender.
- Alternatively simmer in the oven at 160C/Gas Mark 3 for the same amount of time.
- Top up with extra stock or water as necessary.
- Serve with mash and steamed brocolli.
November 12th, 2009
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VoIP benefits
Voice over IP (VoIP) was developed to provide voice communication in any place in the world. On an old fashioned phone line, you actually pay for each minute you spend on the phone. International calls are much more expernsive. Studies have shown that, compared to using an ordinary phone line, VoIP can potentially save you up to 40% on local calls, and up to 90% on international calls, …like the cheap packages offered by Vonage…see link below . On an ordinary phone line, only 2 people can speak at a time.
A comparison of Voice Over IP packages can be found here
With VoIP, you can setup a conference with a whole team communicating at once.
Using VoIP means benefitting from a number of features including:
- Caller ID
- Contact Lists
- Voicemail
- Extra virtual numbers
- An important strength of VoIP phone systems can operate side-by-side with your existing telephone system
Sign Up here for Vonage V Plan
November 4th, 2009
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Now I am not the biggest fan of buying the “latest” toy as they often seem to be overpriced, plastic and with limited appeal.
The latest toy for 2009 seems to be the go go hamsters. Now my daughters have seen them advertised and think they are a great idea but then they do seem to like anything shown on TV !! This time however I thought I would take a look and see what all the fuss was about.
“New Go GO Hamsters are set to take the interactive toy market by storm. Go Go Hamsters are not your standard plush hamster toys, Go Go Hamsters interact with their surroundings and come equipped with some technological wizardry which allows them to talk and navigate around your home. GO GO Hamsters are also very lovable, cute and come in four different colours and characters.”
Now all this sounds great I hear you say, but how much are they? £30, £40 no they are only £10 each.
Now to me this sounds very reasonable, maybe even a bargain! They problem is the accessories, there are lots of fab things to buy from skateboards, cars and carriers so this is probably where they make their money.
So if you want to give a fun presents, that doesn’t cost the earth you had better get your skates on as they are selling out fast. The last time I checked there were still some hamsters at Tesco Direct but no funhouses to be had anywhere!
Update 10th November – There are still a few chunk’s left at Play.com
November 4th, 2009
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Bonfire Night calls for some warming food and can easily be done on a budget.
Firstly find out the details of your nearest local bonfire display – try this list from the Telegraph or check out your local newspaper. Most displays are free so wrap up warm and set off for some fun. You will save £££s on fireworks and have a safe adn spectacular display to watch.
When you get back have some warming food prepared such as chilli hot dogs – see recipe below, soup or baked potates. Finish off with hot chocolate and marshmallows and you are done!
Enjoy your night!
Chilli for Chilli Dogs
Enough for 4-6 hot dogs
2 tbsp sunflower oil
250g minced beef
1 clove of garlic
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 level tsp mild chilli powder
200g tin or 1/2 a 400g tin of tomatoes
Salt
Heat a frying pan for about 3 minutes over a moderate heat. Add the oil then, when it’s hot, tip in the mince and break it up in the pan. Keep frying and turning it for about 2-3 minutes until it has browned then tip away the excess fat. Add the tomato paste and mix well with the meat then add the garlic and chilli powder. Stir and mix well. Tip the the tomatoes, breaking down any whole tomatoes with a fork. Season with salt and simmer for about 15 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before using.
image by freeimageslive.co.uk – fmanto
October 27th, 2009
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You have spent hours making your pumpkin lantern, broken nails and fought over the design but what do you do with all that leftover pumpkin? It is such a shame to go to waste so here are two great recipes for you to try:
Pumpkin Soup
Pumpkin soup is perfect for Halloween or bonfire night, lovely and warming with a touch of curry spice.
- 900g of pumpkin flesh, cut into cubes
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 large potato, peeled and cubed
- 1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 flat teaspoon of mild curry powder
- 1 litre chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
Boil the pumpkin cubes in some water until nearly tender.
Sweat the chopped onion in the oil until transparent and add the crushed garlic, trying not to burn it. Mix in the curry spice and stir. Pour in the cooked pumpkin to the mixture. Add potato cubes, stock and salt and pepper.
Simmer until cooked and blend to a creamy consistency.
Pumpkin Muffins
- 225g pumpkin flesh
- 2 eggs
- ½ tsp ginger
- ½ tsp cloves
- 125ml milk
- 100ml golden syrup
- 2 tbsp margarine
- 175g white flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp cinnamon
Preheat oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Steam the pumpkin flesh until tender then purée in a blender or food processor. Allow to cool
Mix together the eggs, milk, syrup and margarine, and mix with the pumpkin.
Combine flour, baking powder and spices and add these dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture. Stir to mix, but don’t overmix.
Pour into muffin pans and bake for 18 to 20 minutes.
October 27th, 2009
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Vegetable soup is hard to beat as a great winter warming meal for all the family.
Soup can help to keep your weight in check as it is generally low calorie. When it is eaten before a main meal it can help to cut calorie content by up to 20%. This is because it makes the stomach empty much slower.
Ready Made soups are obviously easier but nothing beats a warming bowl of homemade soup. Use cheap seasonal vegetables and cook in bulk and freeze. Buy what ever is on special offer for a great money saving recipe and make as much as you can store! You can add potatoes or lentils to thicken instead of cream.
Kids can learn to love soup too – start them from a young age when you start weaning just remove their portion before you season with salt. My girls both love soup from a traditional scotch broth to lentil soup. Kids tend to love the more colourful and sweeter soups such as pumpkin (see my halloween recipe coming next!), sweet potato, carrot, tomato and sweetcorn.
