Category: stuff

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Asparagus Quiche

As I was making this asparagus quiche, it occurred to me that I hadn’t ever made a quiche before.

Asparagus Quiche

So this is my first quiche.

I was inspired by a Jamie Oliver recipe I saw on his At Home series, though this is not quite the same as he used potatoes in his.

First I cooked the pastry case blind, I will admit to using ready made pastry; well it is easier and faster at times.

Once this has cooled, in a pan I cooked some onions off.

These were then placed in the pastry case.

I then in a jug, mixed four eggs, some cream and a splash of milk.

This I poured into the pastry case.

I then added some cooked asparagus.

I then placed the quiche in the oven, and topped up the egg mixture (which I may have spilt if I did this before I popped it into the oven).

The quiche is then baked in the oven until the egg has set and has gone slightly brown.

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Coleslaw variations

I have been trying some different variations on the coleslaw I usually make.

One variation was to use savoy cabbage over the pointed or white cabbage I usually use which worked well and looked very nice as well as tasting slightly different.

My latest variation was to use red onion as well as a traditional onion and add some finely grated parsnip to the mix which added a subtle difference to the flavour.

Coleslaw

You can add a variety of root vegetables and brassicas to coleslaw so why not try something different to the usual cabbage, carrot and onion.

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Spare Ribs

I quite like spare ribs but after eating some from the local chinese last night, decided I much prefer making my own.

The ones from the chinese were nice and meaty, but two major things wrong with them, firsty they were re-heated  which means that they certainly don’t taste as good as they could, secondly the sauce was too sweet and lacked flavour.

The ones I have made are freshly cooked and that makes a (huge) difference. I also make my own sauce and that generally can be a lot tastier (and lots less salty) than other sauces you can buy.

My sauce is made from honey, balsamic vinegar, sunflower oil, tomato puree (though ketchup works just as well) and I add spices, usually Cajun to add heat and flavour.

Space Ribs

I cook them with  some chopped red onion in a hot oven for about twenty minutes.

I do need to find a better source for my ribs as I much prefer meaty ribs.

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Green beans and carrots

One side dish I have been eating a lot recently is a very simple dish of steamed green beans and carrots.

carrots and green beans

Sometimes I add some olive oil, other times butter, usually though I leave them as is. I find that organic is the most tasty.

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Redbush Tea

Redbush TeaI am currently enjoying a cup of Redbush Tea, which isn’t really tea at all.

It is made from a plant only grown near Capetown in South Africa. Redbush tea tastes a little bit like normal tea, but with a slightly earthy, naturally sweeter taste.

I drink it with milk, but you can drink it without.

It’s a refreshing change from normal tea.

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Bargain

Well I got a bit of a bargain yesterday from the deli counter at Sainsburys.

They had some cooked mini Turkey joints (around 500g) reduced from £9.99 to 99p, a nine pound saving. It wasn’t as though the use by date was yesterday either, bought yesterday on the 29th December, to be used by the 1st January.

It was cheaper than buying a couple of slices of the cooked turkey (which is why I was at the deli counter in the first place).

It wasn’t the best or most tasty turkey, but it works well in sandwiches. Of course we didn’t have turkey at Christmas, so we didn’t have lots left over like those poor people who buy and cook those HUGE turkeys!

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Young’s Premium Scampi

Okay so I succumbed to the advertising outside my local supermarket and I went and purchased a bag of Young’s Premium Scampi.

scampi

These frozen scampi take seventeen minutes in the oven and are typical scampi to be honest, nothing special and nothing really to write home about (or a blog entry, oops).

I don’t know maybe, my expectations were too high, but I was thinking they would be extra special, but they didn’t really hit the spot, reminded me more of the scampi I would get from the local chippy.

Not going to go on my shopping list again.

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Roasting Sweet Potatoes

I like sweet potato and though I know a lot of people mash them, I much prefer to roast them.

sweet potato

My preference is simple to cut into slices and roast in the oven with a splash of olive oil. They then have a natural sweetness which really adds to a meal.