Treat Your Valentine with Aldi

Aldi have a little booklet of special buys each week. The current issue has some suggestions for putting together a romantic and tasty meal to treat your Valentine.  The magazine has several starter and main course combinations to pick such as Breaded Garlic Mushrooms, Scottish Cooked Mussels and Specially Selected Fillet Steak or Risotto and Mixed Leaf Salad.

I was asked by Aldi to treat my Valentine (Mr R) and although I liked their suggestions I preferred to pick and mix and to come up with my own special Valentine inspired meal.

The main ingredients I bought were Breaded Camembert, Turkey Steaks and Gnocchi.

The breaded camembert can be cooked in the oven or shallow fried.  To go with them I a 'slaw' with celeriac and carrot thinly peeled with a Julienne peeler to which I added Hellman's Mayo with Lemon, Creme Fraiche and some chopped beetroot (left over from the heart cut outs - see below)

The Gnocchi I cooked in salted boiling water and drained them.  In the pan I melted a small knob of butter, some pesto and a ball of mozzarella chopped up.  I put this all in a baking dish with the gnocchi, sprinkled freshly grated parmegianno reggiano cheese and popped it into the oven on low to keep warm.

The rest of the main course was Turkey Steaks in a creamy peppercorn sauce. I started with the usual finely chopped onion and celery and sauteed in a know of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil. When translucent I added the turkey steaks and pan fried them. I placed them in an ovenproof dish whilst I made the sauce.  A splash of white wine, 200gm Philadelphia cream cheese and cracked black pepper. Pour over the turkey steaks and keep warm in the oven.

So here is the final result.  Starter - Aldi 

Mr R loved his special meal!

The main course:-

 

I was sent a voucher to purchase the main ingredients of my meal from Aldi. I was not paid to write this post and all opionions and recipes are my own.



Thomas Tucker Popcorn Review

"We are not the biggest producers of popcorn in the world but we believe we are The Best." This is the testimonial you will find on the back of Thomas Tucker Popcorn.

Vue Cinemas have introduced Thomas Tucker to the snack range on offer to buy before the film available at select cinemas  as a trial.

I was sent a selection and I will say I was very impressed. For me popcorn is a food group you should eat from weekly and it also has to be savoury!!  That meant my flavour of choice was the Smoked Cheese flavour. 

It was lovely and light and very fresh (some brands always taste stale to me), there were no artificial colours or flavours and are suitable for vegetarians.

Popcorn has been a passion for Thomas Tucker since 1988 (25 years ago) and is made with love and care by their Specialist Popcorn Chefs!

If you love popcorn you can try this one or the sweet flavours of Fruits of the a Forest and Coconut Toffee.

I was sent a selection of Thomas Tucker popcorn and was not paid to review them. All opinions are my own.

A Real Grilled Cheese Sandwich

When I was growing up we would have a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch, a few 'potato chips' (or crisps as I now call them) and a cold glass of milk.

We didn't have fancy sandwich makers or grill machines just a frying pan.  Sometimes I like to make a grilled cheese like the old days and when I was asked to try Leerdammer's new sliced cheese I thought it would be a perfect time. The Leerdammer brand was born in 1977 and is a semi hard cheese available in block form and now sliced.

You get 6 full size slices of this delicious, nutty flavoured cheese in each pack

Take two slices of your favourite bread. Butter one side only of each slice. Place the first slice butter side down in your hot frying pan.  Place your cheese on top.

Put the second slice of bread on the top of the cheese butter side up.

When the underside is golden brown flip over and cook until that side is golden however press down as it cooks to help it stick together.

Not true to the original but I couldn't resist adding a few drops of Smoked Chipotle Tabasco sauce.

 

Gooey, melty cheese for the perfect Leerdammer Grilled Cheese Sandwich!

 

 

 

I received samples of the Leerdammer Toastie cheese, I was not paid to review the product or to write a positive review.  The opionions are my own.

Cross Pens say 'Kung Hei Fat Choy'

I was very pleased to become an Ambassador and tester for Cross Pens and even more pleased to receive the latest in their Special Edition Chinese Zodiac Collection.

This year is the Chinese Year of The Horse and is the special year for those born in 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002 and 2014. I am very happy to say that this is my year and I was born in a Year of the Horse.  In Chinese culture, the horse was an ancient symbol for loyalty, industry and energy.  This should be a great year for me.

I love stationery and pens and get great pleasure in my handwriting and having a special pen always makes my penmanship better.

In today's techno world writing seems to be a dying art, children learn to use a tablet and a mobile phone, texting their mates rather than write with a pen and a piece of paper.

The latest addition the the Cross Special Edition Chinese Zodiac Collection is a beautiful horse design deeply etched into several layers of hand-polished lacquer with 23KT gold-plated overlays

It’s exquisitely hand-crafted, featuring either a burning red finish reflecting passion, ambition and good fortune, or a beautiful shimmering white finish reflecting the confidence and strength that defines those born under this auspicious sign.

There is a choice of nib for example Ballpoint and this pen has a RRP of £200, Fountain nib (18k gold nib) RRP £300 and a Rollerball with a RRP of £250.

If you want to see the complete Cross Pen range visit their website.

Many thanks to Cross for sending me this pen to review.  I did not receive any payment to write this post and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

 

 

Kung Hei Fat Choy - Year of the Horse

Kung Hei Fat Choi - something you will hear at this time of the year if you venture into Chinatown in Central London.  I always thought it was a traditional greeting meaning 'Happy New Year' as it heralds the start of the Chinese New Year but in fact means in Cantonese 'May You Become Prosperous'.  The sentiment however is similar to when we wish each other 'Happy New Year'

The Chinese New Year is given an animal mascot including Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Goat (2015), Snake, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. Friday 31st January 2014 heralds the start of the Chinese Year of The Horse (31.01.14 - 17.02.15) and anyone born in the relevant year celebrates the Year of The Horse.  2002, 2014 and 2026 are all Year of The Horse and 1954 is one of those years which makes me a 'Horse' so this is my year and I have great expectations for it.

Dumplings made of a glutinous rice flour are traditionally eaten and the drinks would probably a cold beer or Chinese tea.

If you are drinking wine with this food traditionally you would traditionally order a Gewurtztraminer or French Puilly Fousse or Sauvignon Blanc for the shellfish dishes and appetisers and a red (especially for duck) would be a lighter red.

I have been set a challenge to try some wines from the Cote du Rhone region in France with a meal from my local Chinese takeaway and to do this I was sent two offerings, one red and one white.

Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc, Domaine de la Janasse, 2011 (Retailer : The Wine Society, RPP : £11.50)

Côtes-du-Rhône, Mas du Libian 2011 (Retailer : The Wine Society, RPP : RRP : £11.50)
 

 

Bearing in mind how wine pairs with Chinese food we ordered a selection and including

Mushroom Chow Mein, Beef with Mushrooms

Sweet & Sour Chicken, , Sweet & Sour Pork,

Chicken with Black Bean Sauce and Egg Fried Rice.

The Domaine de la Janasse (white) was a bit too quiet for the Chinese food, drinking it on its own it was lovely and smooth white wine with a fresh taste but I felt it sort of disappeared with a mouthful or following a mouthful of the food. The Chinese spices were too much for it to stand out.

The Mas du Libian (red) however stood up really well to the Chinese food. It was really smooth and full of vibrant flavours of blackcurrant and other berries.

Is it precious to have a glass of red and a glass of white on the go at the same time??

Cotes du Rhone wines have a 2000 year history, covering 13 main wine trails with all the opportunities for a great wine holiday with all the information you need to plan on their website.

If you would like more information on Cotes du Rhone wines have a look at their website.

Innovative Product of the Year 2014 - Knorr Gravy Pots - What's in your Gravy Boat?

Knorr has recently been awarded Innovative Product of the Year for their gravy pots. These little pots come in Beef, Chicken and Onion gravy and are really so easy to use and save you time and effort.  They were launched in 2012 and are the perfect way to make a gravy for your 'anytime' roast dinner.

I was sent everything that you need to make a fantastic Roast Beef Sunday lunch and of course some gravy pots.

I added the meat juices from the pan to the gravy and for water used the water from cooking the vegetables but this is not essential.

With our roast dinner today we were given a rare treat. Mr R was watching a cooking program on TV and announced that it was National Yorkshire Pudding Day today and offered to make the yorkshires to accompany our roast beef! Well I couldn't really turn him down!

We enjoyed our roast dinner, a beautiful roast beef, vegetables and Yorkshire pudding with a bottle of Claret from Aldi which I had been sent last week.

 

You can't beat the traditional roast Sunday lunch and Knorr make sure you make the most of the important part - the gravy!



Thanks to Knorr for the gravy pots and the rest of the lunch.  I did not receive any payment to make the lunch or write a post about it. All opinions are my own and I was not required to write a positive review.

 

 

They're cherries Jim but not as we know them!! - French Glace Cherries

When I think of Provence in France or the wine producing region of The Languedoc I do not immediately think of glace cherries!  Until today that is!

I was invited to a French Glace Cherry MasterClass and really couldn't think of that many things to use them for - how could you have a masterclass on adding glace cherries to fruit cake, mincemeat or topping cupcakes?  I usually have a pot in my baking box and that is really all I use them for.

We had a great morning, being introduced to the history, region, production of French Glace Cherries and learned how we owe it all to Sir Winston Churchill's love for these little preserved cherries and his insistence on importing them into Britain.   In fact the majority of French Glace Cherries produced in Provence, are imported into Britain for us avid bakers.

We tasted some recipes already made for us - Can you imagine French Glace Cherry Chutney?! I am most definitely making that, and it was served on top of blue cheese and oat cakes.

Or how about French Glace Cherries smoothies?

Then the fun started, divided into teams of two but somehow we made a team of three and got on with making our two recipes!

First was a Jaffa Cake inspired Cherry Jelly Cake which was a revelation for me.  I don't like Jaffa Cakes because I don't like the orange jelly but had never thought of using a different fruit middle.

First we made the jelly so it could set, then the cake bottom followed by the assembly and topping with melted chocolate and in honour of the forthcoming Valentine's day we decorated them with hearts.

Our second recipe of the morning was a quick and easy cake called 'Financiers' which was so simple to make and armed with the items in our goodie pack I will certainly be making these on a regular basis.

The production of French Glacé Cherries consists of replacing the fruit’s natural water content with sugar.  There are no artificial colours or preservatives in these cherries. The bright colour comes from natural fruit colours.  It takes about 10 days for a tray of fresh cherries to become glacé cherries.

Finally, at home with a lovely cup of coffee and sharing them with Mr R and FIL.

Thanks to French Glace Cherries for inviting me to take part in the masterclass.  I did not receive any payment for attending or for writing up the account of the session.