Baxters soup

Baxters soups are probably in every home in the country at some time or other. I was sent some of their new range to try so I took one to work and it was full of chunky chorizo pieces and loads of beans.

and Mr R took the other. 

We both agreed they were tasty and filling and just right for this kind of weather.

 

Check out their full range in store and keep warm and dry this winter!

Thanks to Baxters for the samples, I did not receive any payment to write this.

 

Sunbites from Walkers - Brighten up your day!

I have been sent some samples of a new crispy snack from Walkers - Sunbites. They are multigrain and contain whole corn, whole wheat and whole oat flour.

They are lovely and crisp and the tastes are not artificial or overpowering. There are five flavour to tempt you: Sun-Ripened Sweet Chilli, Sour Cream and Cracked Black Pepper (my favourite), Oven Roasted Onion & Rosemary, Cheddar and Carmelised Onion (father-in-law's favourite) and Lightly Sea Salted (loved by Mr R).

 

There are no artificial colours, preservatives or flavours and there is no trace of the expected 'cardboard' taste.  they would make a great snack to scoop up chunky dips such as Tzatziki or Guacamole.

You can buy them individually at a suggested RRP of £0.50 or in six-pack multipack suggested RRP £1.79.  Look out for them in your larger supermarkets and watch out for special offers!

I received these samples to try and did not receive any payment to review them.  The opinions are my own and I was not required to write a positive review.

 

Stocking up the wine rack with Aldi

This year (2014) I want to add to my wine rack at a regular basis and hopefully faster than I drink them!  I love walking into the living room and glancing at a full wine rack - a satisfying sort of warm feeling even before drinking any.

I was asked by Aldi to review a selection of their wines which I was of course happy to receive.

I don't often think of popping into my local Aldi when I want to buy some wine but really must start thinking of them in terms of serious wine merchants.

The first two are white:-

Freeman's Bay (Marlborough) Sauvignon Blanc 2013 (New Zealand)

A very easy to drink white wine which makes a superb aperitif but goes incredibly well with cheese and creamy dishes.  I will be drinking this with the scalloped potato dish I make with a layer of French cheese in between the potato and onion.

Australian Limestone Coast Chardonnay from The Exquisite Collection.  I have stayed away from Australian white, often too oaky for me but this one is unoaked, dry, 2013 Vintage and has mentions of honeysuckle, white peach and fresh pineapple.  A fresh and balanced white wine which will go so well with shellfish or party nibbles.

We now come to the reds, and one of my favourite wine regions is Bordeaux and I am particularly fond of Claret, a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.  This is a full bodied wine which hits the senses with notes of blackcurrant, rich velvet plums and tangy cedar so characteristic of wine from this region.

The final of the selection I received is another offering from the Bordeaux region. This is a Bordeaux Superieur 2011, the classic blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon - it's fruity aromas of raspberry and blackberry, spice and full tannin make it a sure hit as a partner to your Sunday roast beef!

You can find out more about these wines and the rest of the extensive range Aldi have in-store by clicking here.

I received the above mentioned wines to taste and enjoy and to review.  I did not receive any payment to write this post and all opinions are my own. Thanks Aldi.

 

 

 

 

Bio Chef Kitchen Tools from Judge

You expect to eat an ear of corn not stir your sauce or flip your pancakes with one! Well that's what I thought anyway!

I have been sent a selection from a range of eco-friendly kitchenware from Judge.  There are further pieces in the collection including a slotted turner and spoon, great for draining.

What is so special about these utensils? Well they are made with a durable 100% corn handle that is also biodegradable, important these days when landfill sites are full of items not likely to degrade at all.

These pieces of kitchenware have a silicone grip for comfort, are heat resistant to 210oC and even dishwasher safe.

As you can imagine I have a plethora of kitchenware pieces in my tool-turn-around in my kitchen however I will be having a sort out and these pieces will definitely be included!

Thanks to Judge for the pieces of BioChef eco-friendly kitchen ware.  I did not receive any payment to write this post and the opinions are my own.

 

 

 

Hash Brown Potatoes - like we had at home!

It makes me cringe when you go to a certain fast food restaurant and order a hash brown with your burger and fries! Those little pieces of shredded potato are not hash brown,

When I was growing up hash browns were a way to use up too many boiled potatoes from the night beforehand and were turned into a one plate meal with the addition of onions and maybe a tin of corned beef or a couple of fried eggs!

When I make hash browns I thinly slice onion and a couple of sticks of celery and fry them in some butter and sunflower oil. I fry them gently so that they start to cook and take on some colour.
 

 

Then I add my sliced, cooked, cold potatoes and cook in the frying pan until the potatoes brown.

 

Once browned you can add the changes by adding a tin of corned beef, a couple of eggs on top (2per person), chilli paste, chopped smoked streaky bacon and the list goes on.

Tonight I will be adding a little chilli paste and a few drops of the smoked chipotle Tabasco sauce and salt&pepper.
 

We will be having them with sausages and freshly cooked beetroot.

Please think again before you associate those little potato shreddies as hash browns!

 

Food from childhood, Macaroni and Tuna Casserole -true comfort food!

I don't want to just write about everything we have for dinner. That would be boring for me to write as well as the reader to read but sometimes I make something that makes me feel very good.

Tonight I made a Macaroni and Tuna casserole that my mother used to make for us and I inturn made it for my children.

Very simply you cook the macaroni in plenty of salted boiling water until it is cooked.

In a large casserole dish mix the cooked macaroni with two tins of tuna fish in brine that have been drained and rinsed, add two sticks of finely chopped celery, salt&pepper and a tin of Campbells Condensed Mushroom Soup along with a can of milk.  Mix really well and smooth out. Top with a mixture of grated cheddar cheese and grated Parmegiano Reggiano cheese.

Heat in a moderate oven for about 20 minutes to heat through and melt the cheese and serve.

I served ours with carrots from the market that I had poached in chicken stock until they were tender and tasty.

There were lots of umm's and yumm's this dinner time!

French finesse from C’est Ca! for your kitchen

French finesse is here! C’est Ca!s vintage bird cage design of kitchen textiles adds a little bit of French to your kitchen.

I was sent two pieces from the collection to review, a gauntlet style pot holder (great for reaching into the oven and not burning your arm as I usually do)

and a really cute panel apron.

 

I do always like to wear an apron in the kitchen when I cook as I tend to sling things around.  This really cute design, black on a fine cream cotton has a panel skirt making me feel very chic indeed whilst preparing some culinary delight for Mr R.

 

There are some other co-ordinating pieces in the range all giving a bit of glamour to your kitchen. My colour scheme is cream, black and red making this range fit in very nicely.

 

C'est Ca! are made and designed in the UK, in Norfolk and are available from quality independent stores or from their website.

The RRP Prices are:

Gauntlet oven Gloves £14.75 (really thick and padded and offering loads of protection)

Double Oven Glove £16.75

Bow apron £18.95

Standard Apron £19.95

Panel Apron £21.00 (pretty and delicate and making me feel very chic in my kitchen)

Tea Towel £5.25

Tea Cosy (Both designs) £10.50

I was sent the panel apron and the gauntlet oven glove to try and received no payment to do so.  All opinions are my own and I was not required to write a positive review.

 

Feeding the family on a budget!

I have said it many times before but it really is possible to put a nutritious, filling and very tasty meal on the table without spending loads of money.

I keep my eyes open whenever I am shopping, always looking for bargains to make use of my freezer or to preserve for a further date.

A couple of months ago I bought a turkey thigh and leg from Morrisons for £3.00.  This piece of meat is usually only £4.25 but an even better bargain at £3.00.  I bought one to eat right a way and one to pop in the freezer for a future occasion.

 

I took the meat out of the freezer this morning before I went to work.  Properly defrosted I  put it in a baking tray surrounded by thinly sliced onions, carrots and a leftover half of aubergine.  A splash of oilve oil, salt&pepper, fresh rosemary and thyme and into the oven for a couple of  hours on a medium heat.

I turned the meat over and continued to cook for a further 30-40 minutes and the meat just fell off the bone. A little cornflour to thicken the juices for a gravy and ready to serve sliced with potato wedges (cooked in goose fat).

This roast turkey thigh-leg will make two dinners for three people making a cost (including the veggies and potato wedges) of £0.75 per person per meal. 

I shall continue looking out for bargains and will of course feature them on my blog.

I am linking this blog to #lessthanonepoundchallenge hosted by my friend and fellow blogger Michelle Utterlyscrummy Rice

January Veg of the Month - Celeriac

I have decided to feature a different vegetable each month and January 2014 it will be the celeriac.  Celeriac is not a well known vegetable and I have seen people point to its ugly round shape and wonder what it is.

It has a distinct celery flavour as it is a relative but is a plant grown for its root rather than the more well recognised celery which is grown for it's stalks and leaves.

My first recipe is a new one for me, a recipe that I saw recently in an issue of BBC Good Food magazine for baking a whole celeriac in the oven.

They are quite large and rather ugly but have a sweet flavour reminiscent of delicate celery

Soak the roots in water and then scrub off all the dirty bits and cut off the straggly bits.

Rub the root with about 1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil and place on a piece of foil.

Scatter with a bulb of garlic broken into cloves and sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme (from my allotment!). Tightly wrap the foil around the root and bake in the oven at 180oC/350oF/Gas 4 for about two hours and possibly another 30 minutes if a knife doesn't go through the middle easily.

When the vegetable is soft slice off the top and squeeze the garlic cloves on top, sprinkle with salt&pepper and a know of butter and mix in.

Let everyone help themselves.

The next recipe is my own, I often make a Sunday soup and wanted to use up the leftover celeriac.  I started with chopped onion, 3 small carrots and a potato and sauteed them in olive oil until the onion started to go translucent. 

then chucked in the remainder of the celeriac after I had peeled the outside skin off.

I also added the beetroot tops from the bunch of beetroot I got in the market yesterday and some of the red chard form the rainbow chard from the allotment.

I topped the vegetables with vegetable stock water and added salt&pepper and let it cook until the carrots and potato pieces were soft.

Take the pot off the heat and let cool for 4-5 minutes then I used my stick blender to blend the soup, stopping before it was too smooth so that there was a little bit of texture. A few drops of smoked chipotle Tabasco sauce and taste!

This made a really warming and tasty soup which will be taken to work by Mr R and myself for lunch this week.

Celeriac is sold by the kilo and this one cost me £1.20 which made a vegetable for Sunday lunch and the basis of the soup.

Next week I shall be reporting on another celeriac recipe and a few more facts about this rather unknown vegetable.  Would you try this versatile vegetable? Please leave a comment below whether or not you would and what you would use it for.

Sunday Soup - Celeriac and Root Tops

I like to make a soup on a Sunday afternoon for Mr R and myself to take to work during the week and for father-in-law to have for his lunchtime.

I usually base the soup around something that is leftover from our Sunday lunch and this week it was the rest of the roast celeriac (see post Veg of the month for January).

I finely chopped an onion, three small carrots and one large potato and sauteed them in some olive oil until the onions started to get opaque then chucked in the remainder of the celeriac after I had peeled the outside skin off. 

I also added the beetroot tops from the bunch of beetroot I got in the market yesterday and some of the red chard form the rainbow chard from the allotment.

I topped the vegetables with vegetable stock water and added salt&pepper and let it cook until the carrots and potato pieces were soft.

Take the pot off the heat and let cool for 4-5 minutes then I used my stick blender to blend the soup, stopping before it was too smooth so that there was a little bit of texture. A few drops of smoked chipotle Tabasco sauce and taste!

Oh my, this is a good one.  I will be looking forward to my lunchtime soup tomorrow all morning.  What sandwich will I take to go with it?

The celeriac cost £1.20 and we had this for Sunday lunch and in the Sunday Soup.  Six portions plus a few other vegetables including free beetroot tops (they are usually thrown away by my father-in-law if I am not quick) and the chard from the allotment, makes this a very frugal soup.