Friday 25 January 2013

Ox Cheek Curry

I can barely breathe.

Just finished washing up after dinner and all I can say is there will be a repeat performance of this masterpiece.

I have never cooked with this cut of beef before but when I saw it at my local supermarket, I couldn't resist picking it up. I decided to make a curry with it and ended up having 2 platefuls of food for dinner.....I know right, so bad! The beef was ooo so tender and moist and I absolutely loved it. Anyways, I've packed up the rest and it's sitting in the fridge. Thankfully I barely resisted picking at the chunks of tender beef just sitting there, drowning in the curry. Key word -  barely because I am certain I heard them calling out to my mouth for help!
You will Need:

500g of meat of choice. I am using Ox cheek.
1 medium onion
1 table spoon of tumeric powder
1 tablespoon of mild curry powder
2 stock cubes
1 tablespoon of mixed herbs
3 cloves of fresh garlic or 1 tablespoon of pure garlic pure
2 potatoes
3 carrot sticks
Pinch of salt to taste. 
Water
24 hours*hehehe

My meat in the pack
Cut your meat into bite-sized chunks and place in a bowl. My meat came fresh from the supermarket's sterile counter and it wasn't sitting in any moisture so I did not wash. Also, I am going to marinate for 24hrs and washing would introduce moisture which means my meat will be a breeding ground for bacteria after 24hrs. I also use the red board which is clearly marked to cut meat. A different board for fish and a different one for vegetables. Tell me what you think.
Chop your onions and add. The green board is strictly for vegetables.
Add all your spices and seasonings as listed above
Mix thoroughly with a spoon.
 At this stage, cover your bowl with cling film and  leave to marinate overnight

After a good night's rest and a hard day's work, 'dump' your meat into a pot. Lol

Fill the pot with water till it is just above the meat
 Leave to boil, occasionally checking the contents of your pot and topping up the water.

When your meat is almost ready top up with water and add salt to taste
Slice your carrots and potatoes

Add these to your pot. Make sure you place them on top and do not mix through. Cook for 30 mins
.....and there you have it. Me and my dinner, sitting cheek to cheek

 Whilst this was cooking I was busy baking a cake. The contents of my fridge tend to dictate what I do these days and since I had some things that needed eating I decided to 'throw' them together and make a cake.

Take care lovelies xx
L.W.




Sunday 20 January 2013

......Horses, Eating-Out and a Budget

Will I eat a horse? I don't know
Can I eat a horse? I don't know
Have I eaten a horse?......I don't know.

That's the situation the recent horse meat in burger scandal left me in even though I can't remember the last time I bought a frozen burger. I remember my last burger though. It was made with beef from the Royal Farms and I covered it in this post . I have no problem with people eating exotic meats or trying new dishes. But introducing large amounts of pork and horse meat into the beef supply chain is ..... interesting?

I have always been aware of what I eat. Growing up, I was never a pork eater and I don't remember eating pork actually. However, a change in environment to the land where pork is in practically everything meaty has meant that I end up eating and buying dishes with pork without realising. And you know me, I won't throw it away. Lol. When I spend, I make it worth every while.

Anyway, the recent 'horse-meat in beef burger' scandal sent my 'spidey sense' tingling. Well maybe not exactly 'spidey senses', more like 'mousey senses' seeing as I've been told I can be nosey. Ok, let's forget I said anything *wide grin

I started thinking a lot about my food and what goes into it and watching episodes of Food Inspectors didn't help as I was left dazed at the state of some restaurant kitchens.......think ants, roaches, rats, the whole lot! I hear over a million people fall ill yearly from eating dodgy meals.

I have never been a fan of eating out or pre-packed meals but I must confess you can find solace in these simple pleasures especially when you want to add variety to your affairs. And variety is the spice of life - so I've been told.

Between this happening to supermaket supply chains and freaking out at the way people handle food, I think I will pass on eating out. I admit, it will be hard to completely rule this out but hey, it's worth a try. For starters, I can rule out eating at certain places. I am not one to call names but I think I have an idea of things to watch out for when choosing a restaurant and what questions to ask.That said, if you ever want to take me out to dinner and pay, I might consider *hehehehe.

Finally, I am returning to my monthly budget of  £30 on grocery shopping. I know some people will say that's unreal but just 3 years ago, that's how much I spent on food. Seeing as that was before the VAT increase and the food price hike, it might be a challenge but we'll see how I survive.....if I survive. Lol. I usually give myself an allowance of + or - £10 so I am not completely stranded and starving.....don't expect any more shopping from me this month. Will be nice to see how this goes. *hehehe


In the meantime, here are some basic tips to consider.


Picture Source: http://www.canfightbac.org/cpcfse/en/safety/logos_images/library/
Later Lovelies,
LW xx



Monday 14 January 2013

First Snow of 2013

I spent my weekend in bed cos I was ill. I haven't exactly been eating in the past week so when I fell ill, my goodness! I alternated between being dizzy and being unable to stand. Trust me, you don't want to be sick on an empty stomach.

I made up my mind I had to be ok by today so I can make it to work and that's exactly what happened. Lol. I woke up at 5am and force fed myself half a pear. Then on my way to work I grabbed 2 slices of white bread and continued the force feeding. I could not finish it and had to throw the rest in the bin. Ah well, at least I managed to keep some food down.

I wasn't too surprised to see snow as I was expecting it all weekend. I loved the freshness of the air and the fact it wasn't too cold. I even went out without my scarf and gloves *smug

I have always wanted to take pictures of my trip to work in the morning and I was glad I finally did. Lol
 











Hello Everybody! :-)

Wednesday 9 January 2013

A Womble’s Musings…..


I remember a conversation I had some months ago about the rise in divorce rate. I wondered what was responsible as in the past, people stayed together longer. The reply I got was, “People put up with a lot of nonsense back then and they shouldn’t have. They didn’t have options”.

I also remember seeing a video on Facebook. Basically, someone had secretly recorded a family’s private conversation on a train – complete with audio. His friend made a comment about how she would not appreciate if he did that to her. Others applauded his ability to record the video without detection. His argument was, 'It is perfectly legal to record people in public without their consent”.

Why do I remember so much all of a sudden? Well I read a publication that touched on the legality of restraining passengers on planes. Seeing as the captain has a major say on this, it made me wonder who restrains the captain or even decides if he is disruptive? ….. I really don’t want an answer to that.

Web Image

I am no expert and you can argue that I am not even human (seeing as Wombles are imaginary. Lol) but here’s what I think.

Society has advanced to a point where people are becoming extremely selfish. Man/Woman/Not Gender Specific is inherently selfish. I know I am and I don’t deny it. We have always been, are and will always be so. What has changed? We are evolving our selfishness to extremes and I worry what legacy we will leave for our future generations. But then again, do we really care (selfishness)? And will they care what they leave for their future generations (advanced selfishness)?......and thus continues the viciously degrading cycle.

I think people are less willing to ‘walk in another’s shoes’. Let me explain. I am selfish but before I do anything involving another person I ‘walk in their shoes’. For example, I want to meet up with you, I’ll consider your location, schedule and current situation to make sure what I propose is convenient for you. I’ll plan well in advance in case we have to commute to the venue. This will ensure it’s cheaper. If I will be in your area anytime soon, I can arrange our meet up to coincide with my visit…….you get the drift? That’s what I call ‘walking in another’s shoes’.

Now, back to my conversation on divorce. I don’t entirely agree that people who stayed together through thick and thin did that because they had no options or put up with ‘nonsense’. Surely there are people out there who are happy in their marriages and have always been. Maybe people were: More considerate? More tolerant?  More willing to ‘walk in their spouse’s shoes’? More understanding of the fact that although we are selfish, we should learn to accommodate others and treat them well? …………maybe, just maybe people were less selfish?

And for our secret cameraman, my question is: Why did you have to hide the camera? Surely you could have let them know or asked them before you started filming? Maybe a part of you was unsure? Did you suspect they would not be entirely happy to let you film them? I think your need to do something like that secretly says it all – you probably shouldn’t have filmed that family. Whether it was legal or not, was it the proper thing to do? Hmmmmmm…..

As for passenger restraining, all I can say is I owe it to myself and other passengers to ensure I am well-behaved. Whenever I am in a public place, I am aware that I should treat it better than I would treat my private space. It is public and I need to maintain/use the facilities or area with the awareness that it belongs to the community/people – don’t even get me started on people who put the sole of their shoes on bus seats or office chairs!!!! Or people who spit/pee in the streets!!!!! :-O

Ah well, I don’t reckon anyone will spare a dime for my thoughts but there. All this musing ‘has me knackered’ so I’m off to my burrow where it’s warm :-P

Do let me know what you think.

Love Always,
L.W           

P.S

Happy 150th Birthday London Underground :-)

Monday 7 January 2013

Roast Chicken anyone?

Here's my (easy) method for creating this masterpiece :-D

1 cooking bag
5 carrot sticks
2 tubers of sweet potatoes
1 small onion
1 red pepper
1 tbl spn of thyme
1 tbl spn of curry
1 tbl spn of ground black pepper
1 stock cube
Chill flakes and salt to taste (optional)

Place your chicken in cooking bag and add your ingredients


Cook at 180 degrees till golden brown and juices run clear. I like my meat to fall off the bone so I cooked for 2 hours.
Done!

Takes about 15 minutes to prepare and you can 'forget' it while it cooks in the oven. Lol. Delish yet a wonderful time saver. You can serve this with steamed veggies, rice, in a sandwich, with cous cous - basically, as you like it.

Do try and let me know.

Love ya! xx

Friday 4 January 2013

Lentil, Coconut, Aubergine & Zuchini Curry

My darlings! I think I am doing quite well as per my resolve to eat more. It is therefore with great pleasure and a rotund belly that I scribble this post.

First up! My recipe! Yes! Lol. I measured for you all today. It's not that bad, just wierd. I worked with ingredients I have never used before and to be honest, it was fun. I believe the secret of good cooking is - Let your imagination lead the way........and if everything goes horribly wrong, do what I do - don't tell anyone about it *hehehe

You will need


200g of Lentils
 2 decent sized Zuchinis or Courgettes (Medium to Large)
1 decent sized Aubergine (Medium to Large)
4 large tomatoes or 8 small ones, diced
1 tablespoon of Vegetable oil
3 onions (1 red and 2 white) - sliced, diced or both
2 cloves of fresh garlic
20g of grated ginger if fresh. If frozen, 2 blocks
150g dessicated or grated coconut
2 litres of hot water or stock
2 teaspoons of Soy sauce
Fresh chilli or dried chilli flakes (optional)
Rice to serve (optional)

 This recipe is for 4 portions if eaten alone and 8 if served with rice.

Measure out your lentils, rinse and boil in water till soft. I cooked at high heat for 10 mins and left to simmer for 35mins whilst i got up to other things
 

I can'r get over the beauty of this veg! Lol.

Heat your oil in a pot. I don't have my large pots here so used a pan

Pour in your onions

Add your ginger and garlic. I am using frozen ginger. Leave to fry for 5 mins

Pour in your Lentils
Add your coconut and pour in your stock or hot water. Stir
Leave to boil for 5minutes

Pour in your diced Aubergine. I diced this just before I put it in as they tend to discolour quickly once exposed to air
Stir and leave to boil for 10minutes. At this point, I had to change my pan as my dish outgrew the first. Lol
Add your tomatoes

Add your diced Zuchini (Courgette)
Add your Soy sauce
Sprinkle in your chilli if using
Stir and add salt to taste. Leave to simmer for 10 mins


 served mine with rice although on hindsight, I shouldn't have. Lol. the dish is filling on it's own and I am stuffed!

Serve after plating.......like a boss :-D



 


Thursday 3 January 2013

Lady Womble's Apple and Pear minis

Here's what I made tonight. Like I always say, I am sure there is something similar out there but I tend to work with what I have and make things up as I go along.......

Make a well in your dry ingredients
Add your eggs + milk and mix


Apples and Pears......Ratio 3:2

Peel and remove cores

Cut into small cubes

In the bowl and off we go :-D

Fill your lined muffin tray

Bake for 30mins and serve warm or cold (with custard or ice cream)