Clean Sheets

Recipe of the month: No fry homemade burgers and chips

 

Homemade burgers are a revelation, and not just for the bar-b-q.

Make loads and have them in the freezer as a standby.

Download March 2010 (2)

Recipe: Chorizo and Bean Stew

The arrival of the German discount supermarket chains in this country was greeted with much enthusiasm by my extended family, not just because of the prices but the products also appealed to our Germanic roots. Biscuits, bread, pickles, sweets, and sausages familiar to us were tested enthusiastically and the best of them added to our store cupboard staples.

I now have a list of items I only buy from our local one and we make a trip every month or so to stock up on them. Kitchen roll, ketchup, tinned tomatoes, pasta, baby wipes etc.

The day we head out for that big shop, dinner is a dead cert - it will definitely be Chorizo and Bean Stew.

This takes less than 30 mins, a limited number of ingredients and all of them have a good shelf life so it's an excellent stand by dish or after work wonder.

(serves 4)

300g Chorizo

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed or grated

2 teaspoons dried oregano or mixed herbs

2 tins kidney beans, drained

2 tins of tomatoes

Serve with Pasta

Add the chorizo to a hot saucepan ( it will realease its own oil,) fry until a little crispy.

Turn down the heat, add the onions and garlic, sweat until soft.

Add the tomatoes, kidney beans and dried herbs, bring to the boil and simmer gently until the sauce is thick and glossy, at least 15 mins, but if you have a little longer the sauce will benefit from it.

Parenting books, helpful or a one way ticket for a guilt trip? The baby books...

If I am doing something new I like to "read the book" - this is the case whether I am getting married, growing veg or having a baby! Before our first child was born I had read The Contented Little Baby Book by Gina Ford and The Baby Whisperer by Tracy Hogg and I regularly refer to Dr Christopher Green's Toddler Taming as much for solace and entertainment as for solutions - as anyone who saw my children running around, shouting in the shops yesterday will testify!

The first of these volumes is controversial.

The tomatoes have germinated!

We have at least 10 little green shoots with 2 leaves each on the kitchen windowsill!

Recipe of the month: Sicilian Chicken

Download February Recipe of the Month: Download Febuary 2010 Tralee

Getting on the vegetable growing bandwagon...

It's impossible to open or turn on any medium these days without someone extolling the virtues of "growing your own" There are workshops, courses, book, articles and  reality TV programmes all dedicated to the topic. A colourful display in a bookshop attracted me to this book " Grow it Eat it" Published by Dorling Kindersley. We won't be self sufficient by harvest time but I am going to try some small scale vegetable gardening. There was compost in the shed, and some miscellaneous pots and window boxes already in the house. The seeds were bought on a recent trip to town so our first planting took place on Wednesday.

Having learnt a little from previous gardening attempts with the children, they wore wellies and waterproofs, went to to the loo before we started and I gathered everything we needed first!

We mixed some soil and compost and filled two window boxes and planted a row of spinach in each, as suggested in the book. I love baby spinach leaves in salads, sandwiches and omelettes. They will spend some time on the kitchen window sill until the frosts disappear. As will a tray of tomatoes we planted. These are tumbling cherry tomato plants which are suitable for tubs and baskets, to grow outside so they will be transplanted in time.

I intend to plant some rocket and red lettuce too. I am looking forward to using wooden vegetable boxes lined with a black bin liner as a container for the lettuce as suggested by the book. Yogurt containers, egg cartons, and even newspaper are all suggested as growing vessels in the book, it doesn't advocate spending a fortune on equipment, rulers, lollipop sticks and other household items are pressed into action as tools.

Even if there are no kids in your house, I think this book is worth a look it's very accessible and I'll let you know if it works, our tomato seeds should germinate in the next 14 days. The Princess checks daily for progress and tells me she can see them growing, but she said this 24 hours after they were planted!

 

Less waste/waist Rice Krispie Buns

It would be unthinkable to me to have a children's birthday party without Rice Krispie Buns, these don't differ from the classic in anyway. Milk Chocolate melted, rice krispies stirred in and then put in paper cases with some coloured sprinkles over the top, except in one tiny way - they are tiny! I used mini paper cases and the result was adorable but even better I didn't find any half eaten ones after the party - anywhere!

The other thing I liked about these is that they are so cute you could easily serve them up for a girl's night in (A hen party with old friends would be brought right back to childhood birthday parties with a plate of these - even the cynical would get nostalgic!)

I also made tiny cup cakes and although some of the "icing only girls" (inlcuding The Princess) were up to their usual tricks at least there wasn't so much bun wasted!

 

Sandal Fit Feet

Noone except my nearest and dearest have seen my feet for months. If neglected at this time of year  - calloused and dry they will emerge, shocked, in a couple of months time, expected to look their best in the new seasons open foot wear. Don't let them be exposed in this state take action now!

In a previous life I worked in a skin care factory, we produced lots of creams including a lavender foot cream, a great staff discount and the odd tube that didn't pass stringent quality control (nothing wrong with the cream, the label might have been off centre) convinced me to try it. This was the start of a daily habit which I am amazed to count is ten years old this year! I would consider myself low maintenance (lazy) but I apply foot cream every morning after my shower. This really adds to their comfort, keeps tough hard bits at bay and keeps my toenail cuticles soft.

I no longer use the Lavender foot cream as the nearest supplier is in Cork and I usually used the Body Shop Peppermint Foot Lotion until I picked up a tube of the Burt's Bees Coconut Foot Creme you see pictured above in my local Horan's Health Food Store (€13.95). It's no secret I am a fan of Burts Bees Lip Balm and this product is similarly incredibly effective. Despite the years of foot cream use I still had a stubborn hard bit at the base of my heels which I had learned to accept but this creme has really softened this. I apply it very sparingly each morning, but if you are making up for some foot negelct here's what the Burt's Bees website recommmends:

"Take a walk on the wild side! This pampering natural foot cream combines coconut oil, lanolin and vegetable glycerin to revive and rejuvenate even the driest, most neglected feet. There's also a hint of rosemary and peppermint oils to refresh tired feet. Go nuts for incredibly soft feet, naturally. Your feet will never be the same.

Apply liberally and allow the cream to fully absorb. For a luxurious way to treat your feet, soak feet in warm water for 10-15 minutes and rub gently with a pumice stone. Massage Coconut Foot Creme into feet, paying close attention to heels and calloused skin. Then cover your feet with cotton socks overnight to soothe and seal in moisture."

Put it on your shopping list today, it really does live up to its description and look forward to showing your feet off.

 

 

Hello Kitty Cake

 
Using the PC I made invitations complete with Hello Kitty picture inviting 8 or so of The Princess's buddies to her 4th Birthday party. So the theme was set and the cake had to fit!

I baked the cake, and iced it with regular buttercream icing, with a little pink colouring... of course.

Kitty was made from white fondant icing (from the supermarket) rolled out. I rested a picture of Kitty on the top and using a clean pin. Pricked lost of holes in the icing through the paper to leave the outline on the icing in a series of tiny holes. I cut out  the shape with a sharp knife and laid it on the cake.

I coloured some of the fondant icing with extra black colouring paste (available in Utensils and www.utensils.ie but I got some from a friend - thanks Jill!) This colour needs to be kneaded into the icing and when it's even throughout, I rolled it into long sausages to form the outline, whiskers and bow. Using a paint brush I painted the bow with regular red food colouring and then little ovals of black fondant icing made the eyes and nose.

It was fun, and The Princess and her buddies were delighted!

I'm back....

I think it's what they call writer's block, or perhaps a seasonal lack of energy, my get up and go, got up and went. I am trying to give myself a kick and it seems to be working so Cleansheets is back with new publications and lots more ideas. Thanks for your patience and to those of you who let me know you missed my posts.