Family, food, travel, gin and a touch of hysteria…
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Posted by
English Mum |
Oct 30th, 2009
Recipe test: Arancini (crispy risotto balls) from Jamie Magazine
So I’m pretty sure I’ve made these before, but seeing as they’re made with leftovers and we’re such utter pigs that there’s rarely any leftovers in our house, it was always going to take a while. Yesterday, though, I made a chicken, pea and spring onion risotto and made sure I made some extra so I could give this one a go.
First thoughts: it’s damned messy. I mean, I’m...
Posted by
English Mum |
Sep 24th, 2009
Step by step cheese sauce – comedy cauliflower optional
So one of my happier experiments in the garden were these little beauties. They did have a name, but I’ve bloody forgotten now, although I’m sure Poppy’s Mum or GrowUp, my gardening gurus, will let me know in due course. Yesterday, then, we decided to pick one and test it out.
‘Ooh’, said #1, ‘cauliflower cheese!’.
‘Yum’, said I.
‘Bleurgh’,...
Posted by
English Mum |
Aug 26th, 2009
Spicy (or not spicy) lentil dhal
So the ongoing battle here at English Towers is between the chilli lovers and the not-so-chilli lovers. Hubby and #1 would have us eating amounts of chilli that, frankly, would have normal people running madly around in circles, flapping their arms and making choo choo noises with steam coming out of their ears, whereas me and the small, accident-prone version can only handle a gentle amount of spice. ...
Posted by
English Mum |
Jun 24th, 2009
Butternut squash and chickpea curry
Righto, then, following swiftly on from the butternut squash risotto, here’s another curry that is used in so many different guises here at English Towers, I’m struggling to know which photos to use. As you know, I’m a big fan of butternut squash, so here’s the basic recipe used with squash, but it’s equally good made with potatoes or cauliflower:
1 butternut squash, peeled...
Posted by
English Mum |
Jun 18th, 2009
A Curiously clever combination: butternut squash risotto and NZ wines
I love butternut squash. I love its sweetness, its softness, and its beautiful orangey colour. I love risotto too, and the combination of both of them is one of my favourite meals. I happened to mention to the lovely Matt, fellow blogger and ’Wine Evangelist’ (I love that title) at Curious Wines that I was going to knock up a butternut squash risotto and he very kindly offered to send me...
Posted by
English Mum |
Mar 23rd, 2009
Chicken and asparagus risotto
Ah, Mother’s Day. A day for eating cremated bacon sandwiches whilst smiling broadly and going ‘mmm, delicious!’, drinking the half-cup of dodgy tea that was delivered to your bedside whilst secretly worrying how long it’s going to take you to remove the other half that’s been slopped up the stairs, and being the recipient of approximately fifteen hardly squeezes and twenty five...
Posted by
English Mum |
Mar 8th, 2009
Sunday lunch: roast lamb, layered potatoes and rice pudding
Sunday lunch, then, and even though I say so myself, this one was rather a cracker. Given a unanimous 10/10 (unheard of in our house) and with the added bonus of being one of the easiest too. First up then is the main course:
Roast lamb with creamy layered potatoes
½ leg lamb (about 1kg)
1 kg potatoes
50g butter
300ml milk or cream
So for the lamb, just preheat the oven at about 180/gas 4, rub all over...
Posted by
English Mum |
Feb 20th, 2009
Parmesan chicken
So I sometimes think my little carpet monsters don’t know when they’ve got it good. Take last week: #2 went out shopping with D-next-door and seriously, dearest reader, you’d think he’d won the flipping lottery:
‘D gets curly fries! And chicken nuggets! And spicy wedges! And we walked straight past the fruit and veg without buying anything!! And we got chocolate fingers!’,...
Posted by
English Mum |
Jan 26th, 2009
Bubble and squeak: step by step
All this talk of recession has done me no end of good, y’know. For one thing, I’m trying to use up all the stuff we had left over in the freezer since Christmas (I’m down to two massive bags of frozen prawns and the kids are sick of them, but needs must, eh. Green Thai prawn curry anyone?). And I’ve hardly been out shopping at all, save for a couple of trips for school essentials...
Posted by
English Mum |
Aug 13th, 2008
#1′s home made breaded chicken baguettes
Unlike in England, where you’re lucky to find an out-of-date Twix and maybe a curly-edged sandwich, the petrol stations in Ireland are a haven for the half starved motorist. Practically every one will have a deli selling not only the ubiquitous ‘breakfast roll’, an artery-busting ensemble of sausage, bacon, fried egg and maybe even some black pudding, all levered into an enormous half of...
