I don't normally go in for thinking that raw meat looks beautiful, but this chicken covered in delicious tasty marinade certainly did. The fact that once it came out of the oven it was a lovely, dark and caramelised meant that an "after" photograph didn't really do it justice. Taken from Nigel Slater's Real Cooking the cooking part of this meal had to be one the simplest things ever - it just goes in a hot oven! The preparation of the marinade did take a little while to prepare, but containing lime juice, lemon grass, hot red chillies, fresh ginger, spring onions ... read more
Mrs Fry’s Diary
Sometimes you just need a book that is an easy read. Sometimes you need a book to make you chuckle. Mrs Fry's Diary meets both those requirements and many more. If you haven't yet come across Edna Fry on Twitter then where have you been? Certainly after reading this watching QI will never be the same again! ... read more
Egg-enriched White Loaf
Continuing my cookbook challenge I decided to be a bit adventurous with my bread making. For years have just been using the same wholemeal recipe. I've no real idea why though as I do love a range of different breads. Habit I guess. Today I broke that habit though by actually using one of the two bread machine books that I have on the shelf. Admittedly I didn't become super adventurous, but to use up some of the egg glut that we seem to have I went for the egg-enriched white loaf from Bread Machine by Jennie Shapter. I have to admit that I don't think I have made a single ... read more
Hannah and buying secondhand books online
It's strange how there are some names that you forget that you know. Until recently, Hannah Hauxwell fell into that category for me. As soon as I read in a discussion forum someone talking about how amazing this woman's life had been I instantly could put a face to the name. Yet I also realised that I knew far less about Hannah Hauxwell than I felt I should. Found in the seventies by the makers of a Yorkshire Television documentary it could so easily have been the case that people never found out about Hannah Hauxwell. In fact it was Hannah's solitary way of life that made her so ... read more
Pork Stroganoff
Less than 24 hours into the new year and my cookbook challenge seems to be going well - even if I did start it last year! Mr C was responsible for cooking up the pork stroganoff from Gary Rhodes' Keeping it Simple even though some of the recipe wasn't quite as simple as the book's title suggested. Our brandy just didn't want to flambe no matter how much Mr C tried. A shame as otherwise it was quite tasty and relatively simple to make. It did remind us a fair bit of the paprika pork recipe from one of the 101 books, but the mushrooms did add a certain something ... read more
Mustardy Toad
I realise that we're still in 2010, but I've already started my 2011 cookbook challenge - I figured that seeing as I invented it I could write the rules, and bend them as I need to! There are two cookbooks on my shelf that I use more than any others - 101 simple suppers and 101 cheap eats. Both contain a fantastic mix of tasty, easy recipes that form the main part of our regular dinners. Tonight's dinner was one that we had done before, but enjoyed so much that it was time to do it again - a mustardy twist on toad in the hole that can be found in 101 cheap ... read more
cookbook challenge
Christmas has been and gone in a mass of laughter, tears, food, wine, wrapping paper and new toys. Thoughts are therefore turning to the new year and the ups and downs that it may bring. Resolutions are being planned and it's fair to say that most of mine centre around family and home. The kitchen has to be at the heart of most family homes and this one is no different. I may not be anywhere near as domesticated as I want to be, but that doesn't stop me imagining I am. I love looking through new cookbooks and planning what to make. The only problem is that I'm very poor at actually ... read more
Cheeky Beret
Some say that it's impossible for a girl to have too many hats. In this cold weather I definitely agree with them. This lovely little beret is the Cheeky Beret from Sublime #612, The Third Little Sublime Hand Knit Book. Made using up some James C. Brett pure merino that I bought from a closing down sale years ago it was worked on 3.25mm and 4mm needles over just a few evenings. Nice and simple and so stylish that I'm looking in my stash to see if it's possible to make another one in different colours to match one of her outfits! ... read more
A finished blanket for baby
What now seems like a lifetime ago I started knitting baby blanket for the little girl that was simply then known as Baby C. As we celebrated Little Miss C's six month half-birthday last week I was delighted to have finally finished! Admittedly there is still some blocking to do and a couple of loose ends to weave in, but the majority of the work is definitely complete and you have no idea how relieved I am to say that. The excitement of also being able to start new knitting projects is also a lovely feeling that I've not had for a while now. A perfect excuse for staying in warm and ... read more
Handle with Care – Jodi Picoult
I have read several Jodi Picoult books over the years and it is fair to say that there is a certain formulaic element to them, but at the same time Picoult's attention to detail is also common across all of the books. Handle with Care is no different. This time the main theme is the question of whether or not a mother would abort an unborn child if they knew that there was something wrong with them that would change their lives. Willow suffers from osteogenesis imperfecta which means that her bones break incredibly easily. Many were already broken before she was ... read more