Noodle Soup....

The Mrs and I (that is, MrsB and I) don't even really talk about what we are going to blog about... we like to surprise each other... So imagine my smiles to find my Mrs had blogged her Super 'Super Noodles' and miso paste...

My next recipe was Chinese Udon Noodle Soup! Great minds think alike.

I am craving noodles right now and yours look soooo good x

Mine was a recipe from this Months DELICIOUS

But i used a little too much Miso Paste and not enough SoySauce.

Noodle love my gorgeous MrsB, Ooodles of Noooodle love xxx

Beetroot and Orange Preserve x

As in the previous post - it was the fat, muddy bulbs of Beetroot that inspired the making of this. I wanted to pickle them but i came across the recipe in Lakelands Book. I wasn't sure about the orange to begin with, but the recipe wanted 3 and i happend to have 3 oranges sat in my fruit bowl that needed to be used up.... thrifty cookery is the best x 300ml of Malt Vinegar
200g Granulated Sugar ..... heated gently in a large pickling pan.
I added a little less Malt Vinegar and substituted with some Raspberry Vinegar and White Wine Vinegar so i had 400ml i think, all in.


350g/ 3 Raw Beetroot (from the Veg Box)
350g/3 Cooking Apples (scrumped from a neighbour if possible)
225g/ 3 Red Onions (Man sent to the shops to fetch)
Chop them all as small or big as is your preference. I like mine as small as i can, 1cm cubed on average. Add them to the liquid in the pan.

3 oranges - the rind and juice of (i just re-read the recipe and it says only 2, oop, i added 3)
1 garlic clove crushed
1tsp ground Allspice
1tsp Salt
... i added to the mix also: 1tsp Mustard seeds / 1tsp Corriander seeds / Celery Salt / 1tsp GROUND Peppercrons. Add whatever you like... oh and some fresh tiny cut Rosemary! (love that stuff)


Bring it the boil - just - then put it on a low setting and simmer away for 40mins. I put a lid on mine but you don't need to....

Give yourself a pat on the back and feel rather pleased with yourself :)

After 40mins - whack i gave mine a good mulch with a big potato masher as i don't like anything too chunky. Then whack the heat right up again and boil away the last of any liquids you dont want. I kept a bit of liquid in mine.

Oh IF ONLY this screen was scratch and sniff! This kitchen smells amazing x i am in love with my own culinary genius... or i love chutney / presrves / pickles x

This ingredients list made 2 FULL 1/2Litre Kilner Jars - so you are looking at 4 standard jam jars? or even 5 if you want to give away / sell jars that aren't too big?

A glass of chilled white wine to celebrate the fact it was now 5pm on a Friday and i had survived another week as an amazing Mum! tee hee (i have to keep saying it as one day, i'll believe it)

Decorate the jar a bit, of course! And i always put the dates on each jar as i will never remember, come Nov / Dec when they were made or how long they will keep:

"Made in beg. August 2009 - use in Nov 2009 - once opened, keep refridgerated and use within one Month"

So there you have it - open it mid November and you'll have a sweet and spicy preserve to accompany meats and cheeses and it will take you right through Christmas festivities from Mid November into the New Year x

Do i sound like Nigella yet? I hope I am a little more real than that x

Friday is VEG BOX day...

I had just finished vacuuming the entire house and i even managed to mop the kitchen floor (i know, Knight me) when the Fortnightly "Veg Box" arrived :) We buy tomatos, by the hundred, weekly... they are like sweets in my house. ManFish and ChildFish eat them on a continual grazing routine, like small house trained cows...

These HUGE field mushrooms will be eaten at their best: lightly fried on a low heat with butter, garlic, a splash of water - to keep them fat. Popped into a toasted ciabatta roll with a splodge of organic mayo - veggie heaven!

I get Fruit in my 'Veg Box' too.... and milk and eggs and Apple Juice... i love the fact, that no matter how scatty I am (and I am quite scatty!) there will be food, every fortnight, at my back door. There is a sneaking suspicion we might starve if not, as i have a life threatening allergy to Supermarkets....

AND, because i am the way i am, i left all the veg in its box outside (cleaning anything being LAST on my agenda, especially after having vacuumed AND mopped floor today) i decided to use this book>>>>>> to make some stuff.

This is one of my bestest all time cookery books. I got it from Lakeland for about £4.99 and i swear by it people. You want a preserves book? This is THE ONE x

And these chalky fat bulbs were sat on the top of the Veg Box... Beetroot!! a challenging vegetable i feel...

I was all intent on pickling them ready for Winter but then i found a great recipe in above book for "Beetroot and Orange Preserve"

Yes! Of course i made it - there and then! Whilst my 5yr old and her chum played in the paddling pool (one eye on the chutney / one eye on the dog's drooling / half an eye doing 'health and safety' on the kids...)

I have photographed the whole lot and i'll show you next week.

I also made Lemon Curd for my Nanna... so that is two NEW exciting food posts to follow soon! And, reading this all back, it would seem i have 2 and half eyes!

I LOVE this place, thanks for coming x

Herby Pretzels for Packed Lunches...

I love baking a food item that is an equal favourite with Children and Adults. As you can imagine, i am not the sort of lady to suffer nonsense! We all eat the same foods in our house and we don't cater to the 'whims' of children (or menfolk). It has had the desired effect, as i now have a daughter who eats blue cheese, olives, smoked salmon... and will try anything at least once.

These are a great food to bake. Herby Pretzels are a healthy snack at midmorning - or an accompaniment to soups / salads - and simple to chuck in a lunch box or snack pack when you're out and about.

*200g plain flour

*1/2 teaspoon baking powder

*6 tablespoons of unsalted butter (this is the recipie i used - but i used room soft butter not liquid / melted butter)

*salt + other herbs of choice: I used crushed corriander seeds / mustard seeds / paprika and celery salt.

*Splash of milk

*egg to glaze

Basically, bung the flour in a large bowl and add all the herby choices. Mix round a bit. I used a generous teaspoon of each dried herb listed and smashed them all up with the pestle and mortar so my daughter didn't have any surprise chunky herbs that put her off. The paprika gave a nice redish tint.

Rub in the butter to make breadcrumbs. Gentle add tiny splashes of milk until you can knead it all together in a non sticky ball of dough. You can refridgerate the dough for half an hour to make the dough easier to shape... not me, you understand, i am too impatient - so i used lots of flour on my hands when rolling to avoid a sticky mess.

I pulled off a clump a bit bigger than a golf ball. On a floury surface with floury hands i rolled it into a long sausage and then folded it into the pretzel shape. THEN, at this moment, i wished i had greased and prepared my baking tray at the BEGINNING as i now have sticky hands and nowhere to put the pretzel shape (quick wash hands - grease my biscuits tray x2 - start again)

Then i have that dilemna i have every time.... it seems like such a waste of an egg to just crack one open for a glazed effect, but i think it's worth it - so i glazed the top of each pretzel with egg before popping them in the oven. I could have used milk, but then i made my daughter 'Eggy Bread' for lunch with the remaining egg, so i get extra points for thrifty cooking :)

Onto a tray and in the middle of the oven 180 / 350 / gas4 for about 18mins....

We looked at them and decided they looked a little bit like doggy poos sat there. But don't let that put you off, they taste great! But next time i might change the shape slightly, ya know?

Leave to cool on a wire rack to stop the pretzels overcooking on the hot tray.

They keep for about a week in an airtight tub but i have a few greedy bugs in my house and they lasted 2 days.... All good though, they aren't a bad thing to binge on.

Obviously the key things to this recipe are:

1. They are soooo quick to make.

2. You don't need any ingredients that a cookery loving adult wouldn't have in their cupboard.

3. They last for a week which is good.

4. You can change the flavours: Rosemary and Garlic? Cheese and Red Pesto?...

5. A great finger food for toddlers ... age appropriate thru teens to adults.

I do have a pretzel recipe that i much prefer BUT it involves yeast and rising and i tend to save that when i feel like crying, so i can bash the dough around and get rid of angst.... i'll save it for another time x

happy fooding :)