tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149274682024-03-13T08:44:38.915+00:00A Lot On My PlateIn the literal AND metaphorical sense:
Food and anything else that nourishes, excites and inspires me ... plus all the stuff that ends up on my plate, which I really could do without!!!Zabeenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14204594909909378615noreply@blogger.comBlogger104125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14927468.post-72083916978422687752013-11-03T10:53:00.001+00:002013-11-03T10:53:36.758+00:00The Quince Connection<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3w_eoSy39VvicHdo5RiVcORRWnVYjvMXsdwaeKnU3-iWf_78q7f08yKk-pAVE64lUXFTwTuknVaEuwHJm7EqIzByqaE7wMDGBSUQDGwRnBFDxWUzK8nyepxV2Wfz0fJOoIk6xwQ/s1600/September+October+004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3w_eoSy39VvicHdo5RiVcORRWnVYjvMXsdwaeKnU3-iWf_78q7f08yKk-pAVE64lUXFTwTuknVaEuwHJm7EqIzByqaE7wMDGBSUQDGwRnBFDxWUzK8nyepxV2Wfz0fJOoIk6xwQ/s320/September+October+004.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Three large quinces I picked up at <a href="http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/greyfriars/">Greyfriars' House & Garden</a> in Worcester. (The apple and the orange are just there to indicate the size of the quinces)</i></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">In </span><span style="text-align: start;">Britain, </span><span style="text-align: start;">most people know </span><span style="text-align: start;">the <b>Edward Lear</b> poem "The Owl and the Pussycat", with its lines,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">They dined on mince, and slices of quince,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Which they ate with a runcible spoon </span></div>
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- but not everyone has seen quinces in real life.<br />
In Germany, everyone knows that they are yellow, because the term "quince yellow" has survived to denote a particularly bright yellow (quittengelb), even though the fruit weren't to be seen anywhere. Until, that is, around 2005, I'd say. Since then I have certainly noticed wide-spread interest in the food blogging community. I also saw my first one, 'in situ' so-to-speak, at another NT property, <a href="http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/moseley-old-hall/">Moseley Old Hall</a> near Wolverhampton, around that time. </div>
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<img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6990/1366/400/qinceL.jpg" /></div>
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Subsequently, I came across them at farmers' markets here, and this year even at a completely 'normal' market in Frankfurt. And on <i>several</i> stands at that. </div>
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So, they're definitely making a come-back. And quite rightly so. Just having them in the house is uplifting because of their fragrant smell, which <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/nov/29/nigel-slater-recipes-quince">Nigel Slater </a>described thus:</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“It's a soft perfume, rose-like, a little sickly but reminiscent of honey, too. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;">A scent that marks the start of winter cooking like a tomcat marks his territory.</span>”</span></div>
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I made <b>quince & coriander jelly</b> this time. </div>
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My recipe was from: <i>The Complete Book of Preserves & Pickles </i>by Catherine Atkinson and Maggie Mayhew.<br />
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They are extremely versatile.Apart from jelly, you can add them to apple crumble, make compote to eat alone, with cream or ice-cream, or stir into yogurt. They can be baked as tarte tatin or as muffins, and even combined with meat in casserole or tagine dishes. Some people also make quince vodka. And let's not forget quince fruit paste - some of you may know this as <i><b>membrillo</b></i>.<br />
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There are loads of interesting quince entries on the net:<br />
<a href="http://www.simplyrecipes.com/quince/">http://www.simplyrecipes.com/quince/</a><br />
<a href="http://cookalmostanything.blogspot.com/2009/05/whb182.html">http://cookalmostanything.blogspot.com/2009/05/whb182.html</a><br />
<a href="http://forums.egullet.org/topic/32382-quinces/">http://forums.egullet.org/topic/32382-quinces/</a><br />
<a href="http://gomad-ch.blogspot.co.uk/2006/10/day-of-quinces.html">http://gomad-ch.blogspot.co.uk/2006/10/day-of-quinces.html</a><br />
<a href="http://culinaryart.wordpress.com/2006/11/03/quinces-in-syrup-with-clotted-cream/">http://culinaryart.wordpress.com/2006/11/03/quinces-in-syrup-with-clotted-cream/</a><br />
<a href="http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?p=3343535#post3343535">http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?p=3343535#post3343535</a><br />
<a href="http://www.cottagesmallholder.com/quince-jelly-recipe-102/">http://www.cottagesmallholder.com/quince-jelly-recipe-102/</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodfood.com.au/good-food/cook/recipe/ox-tongue-and-quince-tagine-20131031-2wkaa.html">http://www.goodfood.com.au/good-food/cook/recipe/ox-tongue-and-quince-tagine-20131031-2wkaa.html</a></div>
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Zabeenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14204594909909378615noreply@blogger.com100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14927468.post-18959716685558260162012-06-28T00:07:00.004+01:002012-06-28T00:12:20.995+01:00I say Schaschlik, you say Shashlyk...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-qD_O2X3ioQC3gWedAn9rTmcVA8NnWr03Z1j4GfAOs_M3tEc9zJtkLwh11z3GcGcshxEaWnAYDiN3x719J9lO6wkjpuMTUaPYU5VwrziXH0HVS0Z5AOMq4FRzwXqBQOGv3E9tew/s1600/Schaschlik.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-qD_O2X3ioQC3gWedAn9rTmcVA8NnWr03Z1j4GfAOs_M3tEc9zJtkLwh11z3GcGcshxEaWnAYDiN3x719J9lO6wkjpuMTUaPYU5VwrziXH0HVS0Z5AOMq4FRzwXqBQOGv3E9tew/s640/Schaschlik.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Shashlyk/Shashlik (Poland vs Russia game)</span></b></div>
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Growing up in Germany<b>, </b>meat on a skewer, to me, was <b>Schaschlik</b>. It came from the common fast food outlet called <b>Imbiss</b>, was served in a white cardboard container and was smothered with a hot and spicy sauce.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikgSDsIF0rnKqo8hxccnMmN1BICY6-UaUwbsmOrgeshHz_hEC1b7aeK78RgFDsNQsubk-UJOfGYoT32rfYzkR9tNKJslrbcOxUPsz1UyjVG4Y6uJhOLcQNkf_puWeKCTU5NC121A/s1600/konnopke19072008483-468x378+Schaschlik.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="516" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikgSDsIF0rnKqo8hxccnMmN1BICY6-UaUwbsmOrgeshHz_hEC1b7aeK78RgFDsNQsubk-UJOfGYoT32rfYzkR9tNKJslrbcOxUPsz1UyjVG4Y6uJhOLcQNkf_puWeKCTU5NC121A/s640/konnopke19072008483-468x378+Schaschlik.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Later on I learnt about <b>Brochettes, Kebabs (Kebobs), Souvlaki,</b> <b>Satay</b> and <b>Espetada</b>. In German restaurants, meat on a skewer was called <i><b>Spieß</b></i>, the German word for skewer.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibqHqqSwRZTdQpgEnvVCWLJN7AX1l95IvWZAWN5nR9i53WQTkyuhL6Pjv3flkjo5SnIxR3ZOVnPHJqMf295wS5LWc87QZPlMDzIx3j0eop3JVsvNQ5ef34R0SW8Zv8EXrsxh08uQ/s1600/800px-Shashlik2+Spie%C3%9Fe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibqHqqSwRZTdQpgEnvVCWLJN7AX1l95IvWZAWN5nR9i53WQTkyuhL6Pjv3flkjo5SnIxR3ZOVnPHJqMf295wS5LWc87QZPlMDzIx3j0eop3JVsvNQ5ef34R0SW8Zv8EXrsxh08uQ/s640/800px-Shashlik2+Spie%C3%9Fe.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The best ones were served in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carinthia_%28state%29">Kärnten</a> (Carinthia), the southernmost part of Austria, which borders the northern part of the former Yugoslavia, Slovenia, now an independent country. Heavily influenced by Slovenian cuisine (not just due to its closeness, but also the Slovenian minority living in Carinthia), the enormous slabs of meat came highly spiced, on metal skewers a yard long, and had Romantic names such as "Husarenspieß" (hussars' kebab).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1cplKjkMe4roO1ZmfmZQ7QIqeUB_G4IIbL-g_rhi5zj8sLah5VJ-PjO8AhnnC0CCZi_2bjpaDz5M5r1dV68AJIipb3rbIdGwHlPt_mfSSHt6VqTP5-ZtiKCQDQU6rJ8vRRsQgw/s1600/gemeskutimg_0195-468x297Husarenspie%C3%9F.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1cplKjkMe4roO1ZmfmZQ7QIqeUB_G4IIbL-g_rhi5zj8sLah5VJ-PjO8AhnnC0CCZi_2bjpaDz5M5r1dV68AJIipb3rbIdGwHlPt_mfSSHt6VqTP5-ZtiKCQDQU6rJ8vRRsQgw/s640/gemeskutimg_0195-468x297Husarenspie%C3%9F.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>http://www.berlinerfresse.de/2009/07/21/gemeskut-csarda-ein-ungar-in-mahlsdorf/gemeskutimg_0195/ (This skewer is supposed to look like a hussar's sabre, and it is clearly being served in Hungary or as Hungarian - see flag.)</i></div>
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But back to shashlik/shashlyk. Of the countries that were present in the Euro Championships, Poland, Russia and Ukraine call their meat-laden skewers thus. Before I cooked mine (first pic), I did my usual thorough (and thoroughly time-consuming) research, and (surprise, surprise) the search for 'proper', 'best' and 'most traditional' shashlik produces a plethora of contradictory advice. </div>
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I made up my own mind from the information I found and matched it to my requirements.(Such as: I had chicken to use up, BBQing was out of the question due to the weather, and my grill doesn't work...)</div>
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This is what I did:<br />
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<b>Shashlik</b></div>
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Chicken pieces (or beef, lamb, pork)<br />
1 or 2 onions, minced (food processor, or hand held device)<br />
hot tomato sauce<br />
soured cream* (see below for recipe)<br />
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In a non-metal container, mix the meat with the onion pulp. Mix some of the hot sauce with the soured cream and add to the meat/onion mixture. <b>PUT ASIDE FOR 24 HOURS.</b></div>
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Thread the meat on to skewers (wooden ones needs prior soaking) and grill the meat - best on a charcoal BBQ. I had to fry mine in a pan, eventually taking the pieces off the skewer... But the result was still so good that I wanted to share and recommend this.</div>
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<b>Soured Cream</b></div>
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Of course you can buy soured cream but as you only need a tbsp or two, you then have to find further uses. I had double cream lite in the fridge, so I wanted to use that.<br />
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1 cup of cream<br />
1 tbsp of lemon<br />
1 tbsp of vinegar<br />
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Mix lemon and vinegar, then start whipping the cream, adding the mix 1 teaspoon at a time.<br />
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It isn't quite the same but it'll do as a substitute.<br />
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Next up will be my Iberian Casserole...Zabeenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14204594909909378615noreply@blogger.com228tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14927468.post-70461891115980835672012-06-27T05:22:00.006+01:002012-06-27T05:22:49.472+01:00Nothing fishy, please...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
...was what my men said when Germany played Denmark. - That was ages ago, of course. Before England succumbed to the penalty demon once again. As this usually renders all interest in the Euro Championships null and void, I'd better wind up my recipes.<br />
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For the aforementioned game, I suggested pork knuckle but the boys feared Sauerkraut would come into the equation and demanded the absolute staple of German cuisine: <b>Potato Salad & Würstchen.</b><br />
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So here it is:<br />
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<i>You need</i><br />
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salad potatoes boiled in their skins, then peeled & cut into slices or cubes<br />
mayonnaise<br />
yoghurt (optional)* <br />
mustard <br />
vinegar<br />
gherkins cut up fairly small<br />
capers<br />
salt<br />
pepper<br />
onions (opt.) cut up fairly small<br />
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<i>* I use double the amount of the mayonnaise; it's not very German (i.e. NO yoghurt added), but it saves on the calories.</i><br />
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Make
enough dressing for the amount of potatoes you have. Add some gherkin
or capers brine if it's not tasty enough. It's best to leave the salad
to mature for a few hours before serving.<br />
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Serve with
boiled sausages and some mustard. We like the "Frankfurter" packs of 10
they sell at Lidl. (Not that I'd call those Franfurters - but that's
probably because my Mum's from Silesia, and maybe their sausages came
from Frankfurt an der Oder!!!). At Sainsbury's, they sell a similar pack, an actual German brand, Hertha.<br />
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<i><b>So, what else did I come up with? </b></i><br />
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In no particular order:<br />
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<b>Shashlik*</b> (Poland vs Russia)<br />
Bruschetta topped with Cheddar (Italy vs England)<br />
Piri Piri Chicken and <b>Czech Potato Pancakes*</b> (Portugal vs Czech Republic)<br />
Mixed Meat Shish Kebabs with Chorizo (Spain vs Croatia)<br />
Pork knuckle with Greek salad (Germany vs Greece)<br />
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I didn't see every match, and not every match I saw had a speciality meal, plus I can't remember all of them. I wish Russia hadn't gone out because I was looking forward to <i>Spaghetti with Tomato and </i><br />
<i>Vodka sauce</i>. Instead, we're going to have <i>Schnitzel with Spaghetti</i> for the second semi-final on Thursday, and for tomorrow, I've got a <i>Portuguese-Spanish Casserole</i> planned. And as the final is in Kiev, we're going to have <i>Chicken Kiev</i>, no matter which of the remaining teams get there.<br />
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* Recipes to follow. <br />
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<br />Zabeenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14204594909909378615noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14927468.post-36910097865308714562012-06-13T16:59:00.001+01:002012-06-13T16:59:23.095+01:00Football Foodie <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWaULasx8Io6u80P5UTeKI85Siq4uz0ZwYuiRwiXUmpDD7JYKYXp6RRkVljvd7qHQJBAe-7PSRuCUB2tTmVaNKPXeydpFhLoSkYBqiMTzg6XvlT6-gfZiAdtv2pNYXlvJ9waoASQ/s1600-h/footy+cana4+%282%29cropped.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425840277342188498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWaULasx8Io6u80P5UTeKI85Siq4uz0ZwYuiRwiXUmpDD7JYKYXp6RRkVljvd7qHQJBAe-7PSRuCUB2tTmVaNKPXeydpFhLoSkYBqiMTzg6XvlT6-gfZiAdtv2pNYXlvJ9waoASQ/s400/footy+cana4+%282%29cropped.jpg" style="display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 296px;" /></a><br />
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<i><b>Football Canapes</b> - example from a World Cup (2006?) with all the remaining teams: France & Brazil represented by flags on corner positions (sandwich triangles with cream cheese and cress, footballs rolled from cream cheese and black olives), England, Italy, Germany and Portugal made from sandwich bread cut to size, and cream cheese, red pepper, mozzarella, cucumber, black olives, cheddar cheese. Red and yellow cards in the middle: crackers, cream cheese and red and yellow peppers respectively.</i></div>
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In the European Championships 2012, the first round has been played, and we're into round 2 now, with one of the 'Biggies' happening tonight - at least in my world view: <b>GER - NED.</b> So, tonight, the food will have to be <a href="http://alotonmyplate.blogspot.co.uk/2006/06/curry-sausage-na-klar-currywurst.html"><b>Currywurst</b></a> with <a href="http://friet%20speciaal/"><b>friet speciaal</b></a>.<br />
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We have paid culinary tribute to football games before. England got a <b>Flag of St. George Pizza</b>:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhztUeIp8yA2F8uJFYVVOkgGaB9uxAnzQaZEML2GIWnkchyTtVFQQIu7JcGHXIKR_R26UcSA1qVNpieWM0yYRVwScMVh1fj6U0KhuO_AzjLijvASbQtkcS9uody-RO2urNuMWMYTw/s1600-h/flag2+%282%29cropped+etc.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425839321335526754" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhztUeIp8yA2F8uJFYVVOkgGaB9uxAnzQaZEML2GIWnkchyTtVFQQIu7JcGHXIKR_R26UcSA1qVNpieWM0yYRVwScMVh1fj6U0KhuO_AzjLijvASbQtkcS9uody-RO2urNuMWMYTw/s400/flag2+%282%29cropped+etc.jpg" style="display: block; height: 185px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGoYHBYb5sKEQqImz5sCG06C8xfyZlUNyWfYb5BbiXfSsO50oPhmJ7kZ3KryLN9Ukrmdci3uXqGN_Qwkd3TFmCjuoAtJquIH1WfjJi_Knzx_a5Q5L9IV2vKqHeXGAekrwYrsIh6w/s1600-h/flag7.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425839706959627218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGoYHBYb5sKEQqImz5sCG06C8xfyZlUNyWfYb5BbiXfSsO50oPhmJ7kZ3KryLN9Ukrmdci3uXqGN_Qwkd3TFmCjuoAtJquIH1WfjJi_Knzx_a5Q5L9IV2vKqHeXGAekrwYrsIh6w/s400/flag7.JPG" style="display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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Germany got <a href="http://alotonmyplate.blogspot.co.uk/2006/06/curry-sausage-na-klar-currywurst.html"><b>Currywurst </b></a><b>and <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=14927468#editor/target=post;postID=114987979740935648">Black Tagliatelle, Red Sauce and Yellow Peppers.</a></b><br />
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And during the World Cup in South Africa, I went wild over African dishes. Unfortunately, I never took any photographs or blogged about any of the recipes.<br />
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For this European Championship, we've done the following so far:<br />
<br />
The other day, we enriched the chicken soup with spaghetti (Italy), chorizo (Spain), garlic and paprika (Croatia) and potatoes (Ireland).<br />
Yesterday, I served Swedish meatballs in a creamy sauce, with gherkins and lingonberry sauce, plus spicy meatballs in a tomato based sauce, representing the Ukraine.(The cabbage element featured in the salad!)<br />
And yesterday, we had a Russian-Polish Shashlik, with bought in chips and home-made coleslaw. (Recipe and photographs to follow!)<br />
Kick off about to happen for the Denmark-Portugal match! Toodleloo!!!<br />
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<br />
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<br />Zabeenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14204594909909378615noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14927468.post-8219041870181519362012-06-08T15:56:00.001+01:002012-06-08T15:56:29.250+01:00Planet Football<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8JJzFCCORDFCGJh5jA6sILvLIewhSxa4gSrNzp-trmvUJHKydCFjrpREoREaqTk1Z_KnSPBnQRrX6fmn5UGu39bJXLeVXWJIRwHrnyDfCxLZm-VUyU5kdX_XWhdpCG3D-5TMn-g/s1600/stock-photo-planet-football-55761853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8JJzFCCORDFCGJh5jA6sILvLIewhSxa4gSrNzp-trmvUJHKydCFjrpREoREaqTk1Z_KnSPBnQRrX6fmn5UGu39bJXLeVXWJIRwHrnyDfCxLZm-VUyU5kdX_XWhdpCG3D-5TMn-g/s320/stock-photo-planet-football-55761853.jpg" width="306" /></a></div>
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<div style="color: blue; text-align: center;">
<b>TONIGHT!!!</b></div>
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I haven't even managed to write up everything about <a href="http://alotonmyplate.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/summer-in-city-ii.html"><b>Essen</b></a>, or put my thoughts about the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations into words (but thank God, there are enough sensible people out there who DID complain about the Celeb-Cult-Airhead-Gushing which seemed to be deemed commentary, as unworthy of the BBC), and no sooner are the buntings down (we didn't actually have any - biscuits with a red-white-and-blue theme was my only concession), and I have to deck the Moaning Room (lounge, living room, sitting room - call it what you will) in <b>BLACK, <span style="color: red;">RED</span> & <span style="color: yellow;"><span style="color: #bf9000;">GOLD</span></span>. </b></div>
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Why? Because<br />
<div style="color: blue; text-align: center;">
<b>THE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS </b> </div>
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<div style="text-align: right;">
are on!</div>
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And because football is tribal, I'm afraid I will sit here, wrapped in the German flag. I'll also have a European flag up, but no red and white .... My earrings are just footballs - so that I won't cause offence when I go shopping (at least no football related offence...), but I'm getting a bit concerned about the current colour of my toe-nails: they're the bright and cheerful colour associated with the team who son no.2 thinks will be crowned champions:<i><b> </b><b>Orange</b></i>. Yep, Germany's football arch enemies, the Netherlands. <b> </b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFI2XQzNfXYLIqjB3m23RLskDT0xuHmj2NqqlTMgtkyHs3ocAkdCWxhd8V2_HLiMnOu_nviyfc87ugx7mg1nuHmvSr6OaE_8DZpj9Y5PWEfcZ0xYLUEJONVif-wEIIl6DUgWYTGw/s1600/Klinsmann.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFI2XQzNfXYLIqjB3m23RLskDT0xuHmj2NqqlTMgtkyHs3ocAkdCWxhd8V2_HLiMnOu_nviyfc87ugx7mg1nuHmvSr6OaE_8DZpj9Y5PWEfcZ0xYLUEJONVif-wEIIl6DUgWYTGw/s200/Klinsmann.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvM2HQSqIkD1ORk7Scf0c9fMai7jvyhbJPZjkyNAMTu2BDrKDlvXzSYlyRkAn9ORuwJw5jQYwQRSzgMDm4qvucBsneXIgM1-3ta6yFYFzD3TNgVxZno6L53K1SI5PhApDxD_uu4g/s1600/Clarence-Seedorf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvM2HQSqIkD1ORk7Scf0c9fMai7jvyhbJPZjkyNAMTu2BDrKDlvXzSYlyRkAn9ORuwJw5jQYwQRSzgMDm4qvucBsneXIgM1-3ta6yFYFzD3TNgVxZno6L53K1SI5PhApDxD_uu4g/s200/Clarence-Seedorf.jpg" width="136" /></a> <b> Clarence Seedorf</b> and <b>Jürgen Klinsmann</b><br />
<b><b><b><br /></b></b></b> will both be in the studio over here, so that should become interesting at some point.<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Now,
where's the Pilsener and the vodka for tonight? <b>Poland and Greece</b> will
kick off, but then it's the <b>Czech Republic vs Russia</b> from my Mum's home
town of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wroc%C5%82aw"><b>Wroclaw (Breslau)</b>.</a><b><br /></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="color: blue; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">"Na zdrowie", "Nastrovje", "Na zdraví", "Stin iyia sas"</span><span style="font-size: large;">, "Prost" & "Cheers" </span><span style="font-size: large;">!!!</span></div>Zabeenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14204594909909378615noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14927468.post-27492561852918109622012-06-04T20:11:00.002+01:002012-06-04T20:11:13.605+01:00To die for…<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcBGmcZT-9YtzOAySVBpxDYCZG3yw0vs_GzHKSHWlxsR6rS3H2mqyE1JU5NwoC0k9j5Cp27D00g93wpcHGzy3AWBg4_tUmPIZ307yYom7MXAMubesXBGUZjqhCHxfBRuiwCNGhew/s1600/logo_2012.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcBGmcZT-9YtzOAySVBpxDYCZG3yw0vs_GzHKSHWlxsR6rS3H2mqyE1JU5NwoC0k9j5Cp27D00g93wpcHGzy3AWBg4_tUmPIZ307yYom7MXAMubesXBGUZjqhCHxfBRuiwCNGhew/s1600/logo_2012.png" /></a> </div>
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The theme for the “playing time” of the season 2012 at the
<a href="http://alotonmyplate.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/summer-in-city-ii.html">Grillo-Theater, Essen,</a> (as featured earlier) was RESISTANCE. With only about 10
days in my native city, I clearly couldn’t catch all the plays under this
heading, but I managed three:</div>
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<br /></div>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabale_und_Liebe">Kabale und Liebe</a> (Love & Intrigue) – <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Schiller"><b style="color: #660000;">Friedrich Schiller</b></a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Ulrike Maria Stuart – <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elfriede_Jelinek"><b style="color: #660000;">Elfriede Jelinek</b></a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Ästhetik des Widerstands (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Aesthetics_of_Resistance">The Aesthetics of Resistance</a>) –
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Weiss"><b style="color: #660000;">Peter Weiss</b></a></li>
</ul>
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<b style="color: #660000;"> </b>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Schiller occupies, together with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goethe">Goethe</a>, the same sort of
pedestal in Germany that Shakespeare inhabits in </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Britain.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b><i> </i></b></span><b><i><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXlvUzhuAXon722_Y5BdWZKEezKS3QqqxAkifjQOEYwBYsgOk04pmxrKSn0VDcI76g71uOO0Sb38Uo0fncYTuYDQ82H0gFbhVmuaNq0gWWkMOI610GtjhZIsO_JKzwEhQ4hq8M_Q/s320/portraet_schiller_goethe_g.jpg" width="320" /></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><i>Here they are in the
major location of their creativity: <a href="http://weimar./">Weimar.</a> </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><i>Goethe on the left, Schiller on the right</i></b></span></div>
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His play carries the sub-title ‘A bourgeois tragedy’ – where
‘bourgeois’ refers to the lower middle-class background of the female lead
character, and is not – as one might assume – a pejorative judgement, as
employed by the characters of Jelinek’s play, who were extreme left-wing
terrorists. One of the connections made is Jelinek’s use of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Stuart_%28play%29">Schiller’s ‘Maria Stuart’,</a> by casting <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulrike_Meinhof">Ulrike Meinhof</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gudrun_Ensslin">Gudrun Ensslin </a>(the two major female
forces behind the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Army_Faction">Red Army Faction</a> of the First Generation) as the rival
queens, Elizabeth I and Mary Stuart. The other is the theme of resistance, or
more to the point, the attempt to tear down existing boundaries, social
inequalities, and the armed response to oppressive regimes. At the same time,
all three plays pose the question of individual versus collective
responsibility, and – ultimately - confront the audience (entertained or not,
stirred or not, applauding or not) with characters who were all prepared to die
for their beliefs:</div>
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Luise and Ferdinand die of poison because their love has no
future in a world governed by class.</div>
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Ulrike Meinhof, Gudrun Ensslin and Andreas Baader also
commit suicide because their interpretation of ‘the end justifies the means’ is
not shared by a sizeable proportion of the West German population.</div>
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And most of the resistance fighters against fascism in the
epic Weiss novel(s) turned play are executed by the respective totalitarian
regime they had fought.</div>
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Fitting plays for a time when <i><b>‘to die for’</b></i> refers to nothing
more than a consumer commodity??!!</div>
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<img class="ajT" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/images/cleardot.gif" /></div>
</div>Zabeenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14204594909909378615noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14927468.post-64438206220838247492012-05-29T13:40:00.000+01:002012-05-29T13:40:24.618+01:00Summer in the City II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Pars pro toto</b> - oder vielleicht geht ja auch <b><i>Fotos pro toto:</i></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibpJImz9AkZNdl4Vm7rX0Z-3-jlw2U1O2ck-9pC9k_-H0dd9ms1xP7lZvwMPuEKyXrdXkBpcKAEuzoHbh9dhUNm5wXr7zMESK4q-fmm-ek1deRvByeiI1N1JvflQGixWULOMGitQ/s1600/Essen_Grillo_Theater_Front_1_2005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibpJImz9AkZNdl4Vm7rX0Z-3-jlw2U1O2ck-9pC9k_-H0dd9ms1xP7lZvwMPuEKyXrdXkBpcKAEuzoHbh9dhUNm5wXr7zMESK4q-fmm-ek1deRvByeiI1N1JvflQGixWULOMGitQ/s320/Essen_Grillo_Theater_Front_1_2005.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><i>Second time</i></b> at the theatre - this time for Elfriede Jelinek's Ulrike Maria Stuart (more about that some other time). Successfully coerced a very dear friend to come with me - which was extrtemely nice of her.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEbBfZgqiiMWmOkCkhQvXsqeqTZjVGzsWc6SwL3jvALCoW35MwDUUoFL1JiIGLSyF21-fnr_bm3-vWgcBbsRx5IDMM4SQI4hH4p9Ezao3aqoo4i_d9m0m5ks4X8006uAAIOC13Mw/s1600/images+Bahnhof+S%C3%BCd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEbBfZgqiiMWmOkCkhQvXsqeqTZjVGzsWc6SwL3jvALCoW35MwDUUoFL1JiIGLSyF21-fnr_bm3-vWgcBbsRx5IDMM4SQI4hH4p9Ezao3aqoo4i_d9m0m5ks4X8006uAAIOC13Mw/s1600/images+Bahnhof+S%C3%BCd.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b><i>Second time</i></b> at Bahnhof Süd - this time with an ex-boyfriend who entertained me with his usual outrageous anecdotes. Again in the beer garden:</div>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjxJdiQLIofW3z7lsXID-TVpr4AhXCjsT3Cxwzyomh1vR1idkPQ107owjxTNs-FeGICJNdUV0Lqir2mlNlq68aCV-uzQ3TJUCdi7fcRJzVMwTofNVcdIgAb1Sk4GYLag2_xKe1PQ/s320/5053244_l+Biergarten.jpeg" />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
And <b><i>second time</i></b> at the Gebrandenhof, where I had a Carpaccio with white and green asparagus (extremely nice) and a very long chat with a friend from the AKS (my 6th form school), also extremely nice. First time round, I was there with a friend from my middle school. Needless to say - also very long conversations, also extremely nice.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhZs9sSplScVjWM7-rPKJ2V4mLTrPtJ59rVbEZR0nTj9lIGMz8BMdoyr90MdckqQf8k2wEH1VzBKQsawEJ9_9QXPGCBzLG9eVidcAR4pbajta0rlfR6sS3HfzgVqascfTirixtGg/s1600/restaurant_gebrandenhof_essen_aussenansicht.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhZs9sSplScVjWM7-rPKJ2V4mLTrPtJ59rVbEZR0nTj9lIGMz8BMdoyr90MdckqQf8k2wEH1VzBKQsawEJ9_9QXPGCBzLG9eVidcAR4pbajta0rlfR6sS3HfzgVqascfTirixtGg/s320/restaurant_gebrandenhof_essen_aussenansicht.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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</div>
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Now I have to step on it, as I want to see my Mum for the <i><b>second time,</b> </i>too, and tonight, I've got tickets for <b><a href="http://www.aalto-ballett-theater.de/pressefotos/leonce-lena.htm">Leonce und Lena</a></b>....</div>
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<br /></div>Zabeenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14204594909909378615noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14927468.post-21256727126902669062012-05-27T00:01:00.000+01:002012-05-27T00:01:41.410+01:00Summer Time, And The Living is Easy...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheaOI1HOyrzKsWqHRlgd9Rtr_yYnKc6HzS9u_5qsgz73ANh3IE7Nn3riT8-zl7VT1i8B5mIDtwjMAsxEGi_Qmcn9UejxYv74H9Dchqt2Yt8KZv9Qfv6xh9F0w7nlVnsjGboMmvUQ/s1600/3549_4427_02_KabaleundLiebe_6800a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheaOI1HOyrzKsWqHRlgd9Rtr_yYnKc6HzS9u_5qsgz73ANh3IE7Nn3riT8-zl7VT1i8B5mIDtwjMAsxEGi_Qmcn9UejxYv74H9Dchqt2Yt8KZv9Qfv6xh9F0w7nlVnsjGboMmvUQ/s320/3549_4427_02_KabaleundLiebe_6800a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Kabale und Liebe (Love and Intrigue) by Friedrich Schiller at <a href="http://www.schauspiel-essen.de/stuecke/kabale-liebe.htm">Essen Grillo Theater</a></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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Summer indeed and indeed easy. All I did today, was read, write cards, and do crosswords, all in the ambience of my brother's yellow living room (made brighter still by glorious sunshine). Were it not for the street noises, I could well believe I were on holiday. If I took the local train to the south, I'd certainly be convinced, because Essen has an artificial lake, which looks like this:</div>
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But I've only taken the S-Bahn into town so far because I'm a culture vulture, and <i>Kabale und Liebe</i> is sort of the German Romeo & Juliet, AND we did it in middle school, AND I'd never seen it on stage. </div>
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Well, what can I say? I suppose, for the lovely thespians back home who had their last night of the Cherry Orchard tonight - for the record: a glass of white wine was € 4.50, the programme was € 1 (!), and there was no charge at the cloakroom. I also noticed (take note, marketing) that they run a 'full house' campaign on certain days when all seats are <i>considerably</i> cheaper.</div>
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As for the play, it was significantly modernised, which I suppose worked well in places, but also took away in others. The set was a 50s/retro jazz joint - certainly on the main part of what was a revolving stage. There were also revolving doors, revolving hearts, and a revolver. Ironically, the lovers' eventual death was by poison. Other indicated sets were a church, a palace, a ship, a shopping mall. The latter had mannequins, clothes, and in particular, a rather central red bra and knickers combination. I thought it looked like a devil's face - which was probably the intention. There were at least 2 references to Satan. Now, to some people (me included), capitalism/materialism is devil worship, so, in that sense, it's perfect. And the play is, after all, about the ruling classes being above established morals and the law, whereas the lower classes are pure and law abiding. </div>
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I don't think my German teacher would have enjoyed it - far too much colloquial language cheapening Schiller's poetry (why does anyone think it's necessary???), annoying feedback noises, and the ubiqutous nod to the despotic rule of the musical!. -- For crying out loud! Schiller doesn't need jazz, or the blues, and most certainly no third class pop songs!</div>
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(How did Eurovision go, by the way?)</div>
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<br /></div>Zabeenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14204594909909378615noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14927468.post-31642818295301222682012-05-17T15:08:00.000+01:002012-05-17T15:08:24.190+01:00These Foolish Things<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As I had a very dear friend coming over last night, I thought it would be nice to welcome her with a cocktail - and I had just the thing: <b style="color: #e06666;">"Imbibe A Pop Of Spring Colour", </b>an ad in the Guardian said, and the accompanying picture (above) looked very tempting indeed.</div>
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But as nothing ever goes my way, and minor catastrophes and disasters will be thrown onto the path of good intentions - my supermarket's strawberries had been reduced in price, hence sold out; I couldn't find where on earth (or rather: where in this obsessive-compulsive hoarding house) I had hidden the cocktail glasses; and upon plan B ('find 3 matching, suitable glasses'), I smashed one in the process of cleaning the dust off. I also discovered that the bottle of Freixenet Rosada I had deemed to be in the cellar, must have been imbibed on an earlier some such occasion. So, while I will record the recipe, as created by <i>Shaken and Stirred (Oxford) for Freixenet,</i> that is not what we actually had last night...</div>
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I had to use raspberries instead of strawberries, and a bottle of pink sparkling perry, instead of the real thing, and then my friend declared alcohol a no-no, because she was driving... </div>
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Mind you, her raspberry puree with apple, raspberry and cranberry juice <i>looked</i> the better cocktail, as I served hers in a (single, lonely) Margarita glass!</div>
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But without further ado, here's the recipe, which is probably even better than the one we had, and that was GREAT!</div>
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<b style="color: #e06666;">Freixenet These Foolish Things </b></div>
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2 fresh strawberries chopped or 25ml strawberry puree<br />
15 ml maple syrup<br />
25 ml golden rum<br />
2 squeezes fresh lime<br />
Topped with Freixenet Cordon Rosado <br />
<b><br />Method</b><br />
Combine the strawberry and maple syrup<br />
Add golden rum and lime<br />
Shake over ice and strain<br />
Top up with Freixenet Rosado <br />
Garnish Strawberry fan <br />
<br />
<b>Glass:</b> Martini<br />
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I found the photo on <a href="http://madhousefamilyreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/freixenet-cava-review-and-recipe.html">Madhousefamilyreviews</a>, where <b>Cheryl</b> reviewed <i><b>several spring time recipes using Freixenet.</b></i><br />
<br />
And if you want to learn more about Freixenet, you can <a href="http://www.spittoon.biz/wine-cellar-at-freixenet/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Spittoonbiz+%28SpittoonMain%29"><b>here</b></a> and <a href="http://www.spittoon.biz/freixenet-the-key-to-reserva/"><b>here</b></a> - on <a href="http://www.spittoon.biz/"><b>spittoon</b></a>, a blog by <i><b>Andrew</b><b>Barrow</b></i> who actually knows about wine! <br />
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According to my cut-out from the Guardian, Freixenet are sponsoring this year's <a href="http://www.hayfestival.com/portal/index.aspx?skinid=1&localesetting=en-GB"><b style="color: purple;">Hay Festival</b></a> (of Literature and the Arts), so I'll add that link, too. - Just in case... (Every year, I intend to go, and then LIFE happens, as usual...) </div>
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<a href="http://www.hayfestival.com/portal/index.aspx?skinid=1&localesetting=en-GB"><b style="color: purple;">31/5 - 10/6</b></a></div>
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PS: In case anyone is wondering how the diet is going -- not so well, as I can't keep away from the alcohol! But the men are very keen on <a href="http://alotonmyplate.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/fantastico.html"><b>Gino's recipes</b></a> - apart from one, they've all been a great success. More about that some other time. Have to get myself organised, <a href="http://www.hglt.org.uk/"><u><b style="color: #e06666;">The Cherry Orchard</b></u></a> starts on Friday, so I'm doing Box Office tonight, and at the weekend, I'll attend the <a href="http://www.littletheatreguild.org/index.shtml">Little Theatre Guild</a>'s annual conference. After that, I'm off to the Fatherland, where - austerity measures or not - dieting and/or staying away from the alcohol is usually quite impossible.</div>Zabeenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14204594909909378615noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14927468.post-38543175287266359902012-05-01T16:28:00.000+01:002012-05-01T16:28:00.054+01:00I need a bit of rough!<link href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CSabine%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link><style>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: small;">Well, actually, that should read: ruff. But how else does one get traffic to the site? (Hmm, even 'traffic', when translated into German, can have sexual undertones, if one is so inclined..., but I digress...).</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: small;">On the
last day of April, a Pagan festival known as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walpurgis_Night"><b>Walpurgisnacht</b>,</a> is still traditionally celebrated
all over Germany, as <i><b>Tanz in den Mai</b></i>, and with the month of May comes
<b>Maibowle</b>.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: small;"> May Wine or May Punch contains a magic ingredient, a herb called</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: small;"> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%20http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodruff"><b>woodruff</b></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: small;">, </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: small;"> or to give it its German name: <b>Waldmeister</b> - Master of the Woods.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: small;">I have woodruff flavoured
jelly powder and even woodruff flavoured syrup, but </span><span style="font-size: small;">the traditional mix</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: small;"> for Maibowle </span><span style="font-size: small;">would be 2 litres of dry white wine to 1 litre of
sparkling wine (or mineral water), with the bunch of previously dried or
frozen Waldmeister suspended into the liquid so that the stems don't
touch the wine.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: small;"> On Wikipedia, under the heading <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_wine"><b>May Wine</b>,</a> it
is said that the plant is slightly poisonous, so caution is advised -
no more than 5 plants per litre of punch. Which is all very well, if only I
had ANY, but alas woodruff</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: small;"> doesn't seem to be native to Britain.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">So I checked out the German recipes online, to find out whether anyone has
tried using the syrup. And lo and behold, they have! What can I tell
you? I saw the most curious recipes.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">1.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">750 ml lemonade (woodruff flavour)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">1 bottle of sparkling wine</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">1 bottle of white wine</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">1/2 bottle of Schnaps (wheat)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">2.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">3 l of white wine</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">1/2 l of red wine</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">125 g honey</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">woodruff</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">3.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">white wine</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">sparkling wine</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">woodruff</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">mint</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">lemon balm</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">2 slices of lemon</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">4.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">1 bottle of sparkling wine</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">250ml of vodka</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">800ml mineral water</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">200ml woodruff syrup</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">600 g stawberries</span></div>
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And another one, admittedly called <i>East Prussian May Punch</i>, does not contain any woodruff, but red wine, sparkling wine, dark beer and arrak! Which reminded me of the <i>Altbierbowle </i>which was popular in Germany in the early 80s. Now that I've brought my parents' big punch bowl upstairs from the cellar, I think I'll do that for the next book party at my house... But I'm digressing again.</div>
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I ended up with a mixture of the above: 200 ml of the syrup, topped up to 800ml with mineral water, 1 bottle of white wine, 1 bottle of cava, a few strawberries, 2 slices of lemon, some mint, and then I made the fatal mistake of adding a bit of rum. I don't think it needs any spirit - but if one feels there should be some, then it is definitely advisable to use a clear one with little own flavour!</div>
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It certainly does work with the syrup - in fact, just the syrup and wine and mineral water would make it very similar to the one you can buy ready made in bottles, in Germany that is. So, no good at all here, and I haven't seen any syrup here either. Sometimes Lidl sell the jelly powder, and I must give it a go - I'll report back.</div>
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Ideally, I'd grow my own woodruff. I know that some people have done it, and use it in interesting recipes, such as <a href="http://www.deliciousdays.com/archives/2006/05/22/woodruff/">woodruff flavoured panna cotta with a strawberry jus. </a>Sounds and looks divine.</div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.deliciousdays.com/archives/2006/05/22/woodruff/"><br /></a></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Apparently, </span>strawberries marinated in woodruff until they turn into clear red juice make a fantastic <i>dessert soup</i> - probably a strange concept on this green little island. <i>Kaltschale</i> is not that unusual as a pudding in Germany, nor would it be in Scandinavia or Holland, I daresay. I can't talk for the French, but I do know that they call woodruff<span lang="EN-GB"> "aspérule odorante" or "reine des bois", Queen of the Wood. Whereas the </span><span lang="EN-GB">Dutch </span>refer to the haybed of Maria: <span lang="EN-GB">'Onze Lieve Vrouwe Bedstro'.(I do not recall where I found these bits of information...sorry).</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>Zabeenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14204594909909378615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14927468.post-13595309651771136622012-04-25T11:09:00.000+01:002012-04-25T11:09:58.084+01:00Keeping my Men Fruity<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This week, I tried out two recipes from the current edition of <b>ESSENTIALS</b>, which received not so warm reviews. Not so much because the food wasn't nice - in my opinion it was - but because my men are prejudiced when it comes to vegetables.<br />
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So, what, the gratin contained squash and sweet potato! It also contained parmesan, didn't it? It was creamy, wasn't it? (Though I replaced the cream with full fat yoghurt and 1 avocado - probably didn't lower the calories but the avocado fat is healthier) I even served them a meat skewer, didn't I?<br />
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<b>Squash & Parmesan Gratin, p.119</b> -- takes 1 hour 20 though<br />
(squash, potatoes, red onion, parmesan, double cream, chicken stock, garlic, parsley; cook covered for 50, then uncovered for 20 at 180)<br />
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<b>I thought it was yummy at only 394 calories</b>.<br />
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The next recipe didn't work so well because my grill isn't working, and baking the lamb cutlets just didn't do the trick. And can I please remember now that neither man nor boy like lemony things??!!<br />
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<b>Meat & Two Veg with a Twist</b>, p.109 -- 30 mins marinating, ready in 30 after that<br />
(2 lamb cutlets per person; marinade made from zest of 1 lemon, garlic, parsley and chili flakes; 'sauce' made from capers, black olives, tinned artichokes & lemon juice; 3 small waxy pre-boiled potatoes each, threaded on to a skewer with asparagus spears; first put the marinated cutlets under the grill for 3-4 minutes per side, then add the skewers - brushed with some of the remains of the artichoke oil - for another 5 minutes; drizzle the 'sauce' over everything; serve. USE YOUR FINGERS)<br />
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<b>As I love lemony things, I thought this was great; especially at only 409 calories! </b><br />
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I served both mealsa with a mixed salad. Unless there are steamed vegetables to go with a meal, I always serve a salad, and the men have not only come to expect it, they make their own when they're cooking. So, that's an enormous step towards the <b>5 a day</b>.<br />
<br />
And what's my way of keeping my men fruity? Keep a fruit bowl right next to where they're "working" and replenish with small, easy peel (or no peel!!) fruit, like clementines, plums, grapes etc. The more frugal my main meals get, the fruitier my men become - it's that easy!<br />
<br />Zabeenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14204594909909378615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14927468.post-28736204934414954172012-04-23T23:18:00.000+01:002012-04-23T12:18:04.841+01:00Szechuan Hot & Sour Soup<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxTiVPfYgPoJTnRkuAAlV6Qs1MSeuScsXSkhIb5u3i31wR2_ZJNSuiOw7uD-eUCXSfCLNriphq-R9ZrtopH2EgEHlYvBe6JPUGyP_Jj-hLFSabsUy3bRutcyWs2M21jC5aoEGaaA/s1600/Chinatown+BIrmingham.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxTiVPfYgPoJTnRkuAAlV6Qs1MSeuScsXSkhIb5u3i31wR2_ZJNSuiOw7uD-eUCXSfCLNriphq-R9ZrtopH2EgEHlYvBe6JPUGyP_Jj-hLFSabsUy3bRutcyWs2M21jC5aoEGaaA/s400/Chinatown+BIrmingham.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chinatown Birmingham</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Most bought soups, no matter which format (tinned, carton, bag), are not really up to much, I find. I'd much rather make my own, starting with a tsp of olive oil and a sizeable amount of chopped onions. Very finely chopped celery also adds flavour and health benefits. Then I add whatever vegetables are left/need using up, or otherwise, passata and spices for a tomato soup.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One of the only bought-in soups I really liked, was this one: </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.asianhomegourmet.com">Asian Home Gourmet</a>, Special Paste for Soup, Szechuan Hot & Sour Soup, Suan La Tang.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Birmingham has a Chinatown </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(albeit small </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">in comparison with London) with Chinese supermarkets, so this is easy enough to get hold of.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One word of warning though: it says use water or stock, and I did the latter the other day, and it turned out far too salty. So, note to self: only use water! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>Zabeenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14204594909909378615noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14927468.post-15222302003598572102012-04-20T23:17:00.000+01:002012-04-20T23:17:21.155+01:00Homo Soupiens<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWlBH7w_cPTeJlZjyZqd0aq3h6K1OIjsyJh3jKulNClBEzPNLglS2opnxiV6qZiHBLlNz-KUtse-MB1QrMeUGCnI4OPhf2jbr08S0nKUY6XGZsn3Rh-DQjnTWdXSkdcTL6zG1loA/s1600/red+pep+soup2.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5733072877537281858" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWlBH7w_cPTeJlZjyZqd0aq3h6K1OIjsyJh3jKulNClBEzPNLglS2opnxiV6qZiHBLlNz-KUtse-MB1QrMeUGCnI4OPhf2jbr08S0nKUY6XGZsn3Rh-DQjnTWdXSkdcTL6zG1loA/s400/red+pep+soup2.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
The other day, I mentioned <b>soups</b> for lunch. I have always found, when on a diet, I turn to soups. In fact, I turn into a veritable <b>Homo Soupiens</b>! (Remember, you read it here first!).<br />
Most soups, even in restaurants, are low cal (by comparison), but give you that warm, comfort food feeling that salad just can't deliver. (And salads, other than home assembled ones, are, as you will know, great deceivers in terms of calories/fat content...)<br />
<br />
This recipe for a red pepper and lime soup came from a very dear friend of mine, and in her collection it comes under the heading <span style="font-weight: bold;">"Recovery Recipes"</span>. It is my absolute favourite, and it really does make the spring return to your step!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />RED PEPPER & LIME SOUP</span><br />
(4 portions)<br />
<br />
4 large red peppers, de-seeded and chopped<br />
1 large onion, chopped<br />
At least 1 clove of garlic, choped<br />
1 teaspoon of oil<br />
grated zest and juice of 1 lime<br />
1.5 pints of stock, hot<br />
Chilli sauce to taste<br />
Salt & pepper to taste<br />
<br />
In a large saucepan, fry onion, garlic, and peppers till soft<br />
Add all other ingredients, with HALF the stock (this means yuou only have to use the food-processor/liquidiser once)<br />
Simmer for for 15 min<br />
Cool briefly and puree until smooth<br />
Return to pan, add rest of stock, return to heat until just about to boil<br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-size: 78%;"></span></span>Zabeenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14204594909909378615noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14927468.post-67570795660213007882012-04-19T11:22:00.009+01:002012-04-19T12:02:08.902+01:00Fantastico!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO460GZNYVjvGjVAZTQ-iOd2OLDl2HMUkOG5VthzoA6ENWwidbxkMmiyU_dV5Zon9UhXVJQIZh5VPiVokM_6RwOr4jjs0ryQznmige2SA0I6pGeLZFVUnBKNrk_w4g-nRTKc92Qw/s1600/Fantastico.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 321px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO460GZNYVjvGjVAZTQ-iOd2OLDl2HMUkOG5VthzoA6ENWwidbxkMmiyU_dV5Zon9UhXVJQIZh5VPiVokM_6RwOr4jjs0ryQznmige2SA0I6pGeLZFVUnBKNrk_w4g-nRTKc92Qw/s400/Fantastico.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5733063076990785314" border="0" /></a><br />Another fantastic recipe from <span style="font-weight: bold;">Gino </span> - yesterday's spicy fish soup (p81; <span style="font-style: italic;">The Italian Diet</span>, not the one above ).<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>Admittedly, I added a few thin slices of Chorizo (cut into 4 pieces), an addition I saw in another recipe, and that might have made it so super yummy (and more calorific, of course). Definitely got the thumbs up from The Boy - who had seconds. So another <span style="font-weight: bold;">three star recipe</span>.<br /><br />I don't just use Gino's book, of course<span style="font-style: italic;"></span>. One of the problems with dieting (and cooking for the rest of the family at the same time), is that you also want to use up what is in the house, or you really need to use up frozen food to make space for all the soups you're cooking right now for your lunch time meal...<br /><br />So, some of the time, you just have to make it up as you go along and hope that it's still low fat and low cal. I find that portion control in terms of the stodge (rice, potatoes, pasta) helps, and also my little rule of never using more than a <span style="font-weight: bold;">TEASPOON</span> of olive oil - whatever your recipe says!!! Most pan-fried things are most forgiving if you add a tad water if they are too much clinging to the pan. So, absolutely no need to add more oil!<br /><br />At other times, you have to check your books/notes/the net for what to do with your glut of mangetout/chicken/beansprouts. One of my favourityes for diet recipes that work, are tasty and fast, is <span style="font-weight: bold;">Ainsley Harriot's <span style="font-style: italic;">"low fat meals in minutes"</span>. </span>This is where I found Wok-it Chicken Chow Mein on page 75, for my ingredients above. Unfortunately, this recipe wasn't as great as others I have cooked from his collection. I loved the way the mangetout are sliced lengthways (looks great and cooks them faster), but all in all, it could have been tastier and moister. Still a 2 stars meal as far as the men were concerned - though they did add salt!Zabeenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14204594909909378615noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14927468.post-56773332152477126452012-04-15T20:06:00.011+01:002012-04-15T21:34:48.105+01:00Back to Square 1<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPsO2WOLDQtfsBHLfkejGbKH9tz72pqDequmY9FvIp5lzbzrHu2tTQvfPUgyXM5FVBTyU2nnNwYk0u_zlQBfZBgjVIDyfUXrA3zoEaSfyZYidpSYYvt2sdYQAPt6e-Bn2te9Oo3Q/s1600/back-to-square-1.webp"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 316px; height: 327px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPsO2WOLDQtfsBHLfkejGbKH9tz72pqDequmY9FvIp5lzbzrHu2tTQvfPUgyXM5FVBTyU2nnNwYk0u_zlQBfZBgjVIDyfUXrA3zoEaSfyZYidpSYYvt2sdYQAPt6e-Bn2te9Oo3Q/s400/back-to-square-1.webp" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731713438353862082" /></a><br /><p>I can hardly believe that more than a year has passed and I haven't blogged at all!! Certainly not about food. But even my <a href="http://http://frombrumtoberlin.blogspot.com/">'From Brum to Berlin'</a> contributions were rare.</p><p>What's much worse though is the fact that, not only have I not lost any weight, in fact, in 2012, the Battle of the Bulge is an even tougher one, as I'm actually back to the grossly overweight state I was in when I was approaching 50. Since then, I had been down somewhat twice, though never all the way to my ideal weight of however many years ago. One might well say that this is the weight my body wants to be but that's just one of the facets. </p><p>Now, if I could say that the diet(s) fell by the wayside because I finally addressed all the issues inside and outside this house, then at least SOME things would be all sunshine and roses. But no, the domestic battle front has also not moved one little bit, in fact, it can safely be said that we are well and truly entrenched!</p><p>But it's all going to change now, right?!! Right... The self-help books - of which I own too many for it to be healthy - all seem to say that step 1 is to state what you're going to do, and then do it. So, here goes:</p><ol><li><strong>I'm going to lose weight this year and keep it off</strong></li><li><strong>I'm going to get the house restored</strong></li><li><strong>I'm going to put my affairs in order</strong></li></ol><p>I've said it, now on to the far more demanding following through...</p><p>In terms of the diet, we started last week, and while the men DID have some chocolates over Easter, I managed to abstain. So far, so good. </p><p>I'm going to cook a lot from <a href="http://www.ginodacampo.com/">Gino D'Acampo's </a><em><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Italian-Diet-Gino-DAcampo/dp/1856269116/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334521424&sr=8-1">The Italian Diet</a></strong></em>. I bought it at a Charity shop and son Nr 2 has been through it, marking the recipes he would like me to try out, and I've got a few favourites of my own.</p><p>So far, we've had</p><ul><li><strong>Light Spicy Meat Balls p75</strong></li></ul><ul><li><strong>Baked Stuffed Onions With Sun-Dried Tomatoes p53</strong></li></ul><p>Both were delicious, and the meat balls were an absolute treat, my men said. So <strong>3 stars </strong>there!</p><p>Next week, I'm intending to cook</p><ul><li>Spicy Fish Soup p81</li><li>Fillet Of Cod With A Spicy Red Pesto p132</li><li>Egg & Salami Salad With Toasted Pine Kernels p95</li></ul><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Zabeenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14204594909909378615noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14927468.post-23950643896281310002010-01-20T12:13:00.021+00:002010-01-20T15:26:55.355+00:00All diets work...<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4jAOye7D8TalI2cLNZJPFqRfxxp_-7kFleXwCbX9uof1vKvLUEp2tdSi2UMS1xM8yVJ8nT7KK0YSAx7y7LDaL6AwzwEnVev5NfqdbEGPh1ZIpMBuF9ziGAmqLbsD86lt6psMVng/s1600-h/tikka+mackarel+50+%282%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 332px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4jAOye7D8TalI2cLNZJPFqRfxxp_-7kFleXwCbX9uof1vKvLUEp2tdSi2UMS1xM8yVJ8nT7KK0YSAx7y7LDaL6AwzwEnVev5NfqdbEGPh1ZIpMBuF9ziGAmqLbsD86lt6psMVng/s400/tikka+mackarel+50+%282%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428796374129975154" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tikka Mackerel on Salsa with Bombay Wedges</span></span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span>In this, my latest, attempt to lose</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span>weight</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">, </span><span>I am <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">not following a particular diet plan.</span> I am counting no points or calories, and I won't cut out any food groups. So, certainly no <span style="font-style: italic;">'just eat xyz for a week'</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">.</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span><span>What am I going to do then? - you might well ask. </span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span>Well, I think: <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">ALL DIETS WORK.</span> </span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span>If you stick to them, that is. Some people claim that they did and still didn't lose weight. That's not my experience. I always did lose weight, although sometimes not as much as the diet promised.<br />I think what doesn't work is the <span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">maintenance.</span> Once you've achieved your goal weight, the old bad habits creep back in, you lose the impetus to keep up the exercise, and before you know it, you're back to square one. </span><br /><span>As I said before, one overweight person isn't like the next. I can only talk for myself, really. Even with the best intentions, there comes a point when I can't be bothered to count and weigh and add up. There comes a point when I just haven't got the time. There comes the point when I'm grateful when HE offers to cook...</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span><span>After numerous attempts</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span></span><span>of losing it and putting it back on - I refuse to call it yo-yo - I have come to the conclusion that, basically, I need to stay on a diet for the rest of my life. That I have to see the whole thing as <span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">a handicap</span>, as a dear friend of mine called it recently.</span><span> </span><br /><br /><span>There are many, many reasons why this is difficult, one of them:<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">Healthy/Diet recipes are not suitable for the whole family </span></span> </div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span><span>Of course, some of them claim to be - and maybe they are, somewhere in the universe - but they're usually not suitable for <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">MY Family.<br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">But if I want to keep this up indefinitely, and don't want to cook several meals, then they have to be not only suitable, but actually <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">LIKED</span> by my family. So, my very personal, tailor-made plan is: </span></span></span><br /></div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>I will<span> draw</span><span> on all the recipes that I have liked from any of the diets I have been on in the past </span><span></span></li><li><span>I will test out recipes that may fit in, i.e. suitable for all of us, and ideally, under 400 calories for the main meal<br /></span></li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;">My men will give each main meal a rating of up to three stars.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">no star = don't cook it again</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">1 star = we will eat it again</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">2 stars = we LIKE this one</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">3 stars = we LOVE this one</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">This is an adaptations from a recent Tesco magazine recipe:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(Serves 4)</span><br /><br />4 mackerel, filleted (I bought just 3 fillets)<br />1 Tbsp Tikka curry paste (I used Pataks)<br />juice of 3 limes (I used half lime, half lemon)<br />1 red chilli, chopped<br />3 tbsp fresh coriander<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">For the Salsa:</span><br />1/4 cucumber, peeled and diced<br />4 plum tomatoes, diced<br />1/2 small red onion, very finely chopped<br />1/2 tsp toasted cumin seeds<br />1 Tbsp fresh mint, chopped<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">For the Bombay Wedges</span>:<br />As many small new potatoes as you allow per person, scrubbed and cut into wedges<br />1 - 2 tsp Bombay spice<br />1 - 2 tsp olive oil<br /></div><br />1. Soak wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes<br />2. Skewer the mackerel and place into a shallow dish<br />3. Spread with the tikka paste<br />4. Add chopped coriander chilli to lime juice and drizzle over the fillets, leave to marinate for 10 minutes<br />5. Boil water and blanch wedges for 2-3 minutes, then pat dry<br />6. Pre-heat the oven for 10 minutes to 2oo C<br />7. In a small plastic bag, combine olive oil, Bombay Mix and wedges, mix well<br />8. Spread wedges out on a non-stick baking tray and season. Bake for ca 20 minutes<br />9. Mix all the ingredients for the salsa and arrange on the middle of your plates<br />10. Pre-heat the grill for the mackerel, grill for 3 - 4 minutes<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I served ours with Bok Choi, but Savoy Cabbage would have been equally nice. My men gave it <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">2 stars</span>, so this will become one of my staple oily fish dishes. The original Tesco recipe had no extra stodge or veg but salad leaves added to the salsa and came - at <span style="font-weight: bold;">2 fillets</span> per person - to <span style="font-weight: bold;">255 calories</span>.<br />As you can imagine, my men cannot start to comprehend the idea of 'no stodge', so I added the potato wedges. Not sure what the exact calorie count would be for my version. I didn't have the wedges, and I was perfectly full and satisfied.<br /><br />Tesco's were selling mackerel fillets which were <span style="font-weight: bold;">already marinated</span>, and although I did go through the trouble of following the recipe, my verdict is that you could use them straight away without the bother, especially as all that good marinade is tipped away.<br /></div><br />At<span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">£1.77</span> for the three fillets, it was also <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">incredibly cheap.</span>Zabeenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14204594909909378615noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14927468.post-35545420733855983152010-01-19T10:02:00.001+00:002010-01-20T13:48:27.044+00:00Losing it Again...<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju15fHf_1XvLr-fY78tkETfoS6Mbx3TXobMlPCJxgb7a1mUMQU0mbIHmRJu1bY6H0Tb-WNz0tSG8QI1n8H5z0yuDwAG1cZfFEHZYtRm0qQZEHRpHVIPScnhHBfsFjEfbBVAZJolA/s1600-h/blue+water+cropped+%282%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 292px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju15fHf_1XvLr-fY78tkETfoS6Mbx3TXobMlPCJxgb7a1mUMQU0mbIHmRJu1bY6H0Tb-WNz0tSG8QI1n8H5z0yuDwAG1cZfFEHZYtRm0qQZEHRpHVIPScnhHBfsFjEfbBVAZJolA/s400/blue+water+cropped+%282%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428815243619496386" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Water after blanching red cabbage</span><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />The first kilo has gone, and I'm already feeling:<br /></span><ul><li>lighter</li><li>brighter</li><li>more energetic</li><li>less moody</li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;">I still don't sleep soundly, mainly because of lots of aches and pains, and I still wake up with pins and needles.<br /><br />I have started on some light exercise, but I haven't managed to drink any more <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">water</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">,</span> really. I usually try and do this with herbal teas, as straight cold water isn't very appealing in the winter, but I don't think I've managed the <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">required minimum of 2 litres</span>. Maybe keeping the 2 l bottle at room temperature will help.<br /><br />Why is water so important? Apart from keeping our vital juices going (saliva, mucus, digestive), it regulates the body temperature, it "maintains blood-glucose levels by releasing sugar from the cells as needed" (Suzi Grant, <span style="font-style: italic;">48 hours to a healthier life</span>, penguin). Apparently, it even helps prevent allergic reactions, so really important for hay fever and asthma sufferers like me.<br /><br />But <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">fizzy water encourages cellulite</span>, apparently!<br /></div>Zabeenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14204594909909378615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14927468.post-9343220698024245082010-01-13T13:13:00.001+00:002010-01-13T13:19:28.444+00:00Snowdrops Keep Falling On My Head<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnp5qVmzcr6UTa3j89ZGsDSg-FOxkEIuG48Zq34ur5qj9ZIL4zEOmP2kUPOCPDcTwWHv7ChUCoZOIpHJr-_DVN74KaRKFbySMeKpNtGNbLyKcrvBMZdw7OaBphtI4yqMGjZrfWfg/s1600-h/Fee+001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 248px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnp5qVmzcr6UTa3j89ZGsDSg-FOxkEIuG48Zq34ur5qj9ZIL4zEOmP2kUPOCPDcTwWHv7ChUCoZOIpHJr-_DVN74KaRKFbySMeKpNtGNbLyKcrvBMZdw7OaBphtI4yqMGjZrfWfg/s400/Fee+001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425847244544847826" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">January's</span> birth flower, according to Wikipedia, is the carnation or the<span style="font-weight: bold;"> <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">snowdrop</span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">.</span> The little snowdrop fairy above is an approximation of what I must have looked like for Carnival. In several areas of Germany, dressing up for Carnival on Rose Monday (the Monday preceding Shrove, i.e. Pancake, Tuesday) is very popular (more about that in due time). My Mum made that costume for me when I was eight maybe, and my legs were never that thin, even then. Nonetheless, everyone was always on about what <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">"a bad eater"</span> I was, and on paper at least, I was always underweight.<br /><br />They needn't have worried. Now, some 40 odd years later, with a <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">BMI of 30 or 31,</span> I'm considered <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">obese.</span> The struggle to get down to at least 25 has been going on for a long time, and while I managed to get even further down at some point, it has always crept back up. Whatever anybody comes up with in terms of explanations why some of us face this life-long battle, I usually just want to scream.<br />Why can't they see what is blindingly obvious to me? <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">The overweight, the obese, the clinically obese are </span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">not one big group</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">, </span>all with the same problem(s) and the same underlying factors!!! Of course there are people who have the most outrageous diets, who totally gorge themselves on an epic scale. Of course there are people with a fully fledged eating disorder.<br />But anyone who was perfectly within the norm as a child and teenager (or even below, like me) may simply be a victim of a cluster of factors from within the unhealthy Western life-style. And yes, a predisposition to put on weight is another factor. Some people live that same life-style without putting weight on. Maybe some, but not anywhere near 3 stone in a year. They are, of course, the 3 stone I had lost before - as the saying goes: <span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">I</span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"> keep losing weight, but it keeps finding me</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"> </span>- and it is a sad truth that 90 % of people who lose weight put it back on!!! (No, I cannot tell you where I've got that figure from, I didn't record that.)<br /><br />What makes it so much worse is:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:none; mso-layout-grid-align:none; punctuation-wrap:simple; text-autospace:none; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning:14.0pt;} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">When you lose weight, you lose weight and muscle, when it goes back on, it usually goes on in fat!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></div>So, I'm all blubber now<span style="font-style: italic;">, </span>and the only way to change that is the dreaded E-Word:<span style="font-style: italic;"> <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">EXERCISE.</span><br /></span>It is the only way to increase muscle, after all. The good thing about it is:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">The more lean muscle you have, the higher your metabolic rate!! For every pound of muscle, your body uses around 50 extra calories per day.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span>But, luckily, snowdrops keep falling, which gives me the excuse for not getting into the car and to the gym...</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:none; mso-layout-grid-align:none; punctuation-wrap:simple; text-autospace:none; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning:14.0pt;} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--></div>Zabeenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14204594909909378615noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14927468.post-82929343913497595612010-01-06T15:52:00.009+00:002010-01-06T16:31:32.202+00:00El Dia de los Tres Reyes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZReU2CnYcbZJ9oBdpVcIIwoiiPUeem43W_WrmsLT1aq4iFeSPA-nyzHM6fnd9BJmIx_7LPAIHlDbEnhQKaQmGnszA3cunT9MugNUY7q5sqlc20J7bGWmVQ8RXDB0CiMX8IL0MTA/s1600-h/PC240238.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZReU2CnYcbZJ9oBdpVcIIwoiiPUeem43W_WrmsLT1aq4iFeSPA-nyzHM6fnd9BJmIx_7LPAIHlDbEnhQKaQmGnszA3cunT9MugNUY7q5sqlc20J7bGWmVQ8RXDB0CiMX8IL0MTA/s400/PC240238.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423655925750861138" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size:100%;">is what the Spanish speaking countries call Epiphany, and this is what we saw in Spain - the three kings entering the house, very much in the same fashion as Father Christmas/Santa (who could be seen alongside climbing the walls</span></span>).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size:100%;">I have written about the feast of the three kings <a href="http://alotonmyplate.blogspot.com/2009_01_01_archive.html">before</a> when I made the French Kings' Cake. It was very nice but also very rich, so this time I'd like to make one which is more bread than cake. See <a href="http://www.malaysiafrance.com/2009/01/kings-cake-from-different-countries.html">here</a></span></span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" lang="EN-GB"> for an overview of kings' cakes from different countries.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" lang="EN-GB"></span></span></div><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size: 14pt;" lang="EN-GB">The Spanish </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">Rosca de Reyes</span> and the Portuguese <span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">Bolo Rei</span> both fall into this category, but it is the <span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">New Orleans</span> version that takes my fancy. First of all because the King Cake has a complete season there - namely between <span style="font-weight: bold;">Epiphany</span> and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Mardi Gras</span> - and secondly because this connection is responsible for its Carnival colours, <span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">purple,</span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 0);">gold</span> and <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">green. <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">See <a href="http://whatscookingamerica.net/Bread/KingCake.htm">here</a> and <a href="http://www.nolacuisine.com/2007/01/06/king-cake-recipe/">here</a> for more information and recipes. I'm probably going to end up with a combination recipe.<br /></span></span></span></span></span></p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Verdana; panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:536871559 0 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;} p {mso-margin-top-alt:auto; margin-right:0cm; mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:0cm; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]-->><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {color:blue; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style>Zabeenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14204594909909378615noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14927468.post-18555006688741286032010-01-04T18:08:00.002+00:002010-01-04T18:34:27.599+00:00Happy Twenty Ten!<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgURBZ_sbOTZNPlNPVK2BA7kAyELIbrwp8noyVdv04yjuLuWy46sN6gpGF-bW9ZvABdW4sgMJ4gIfVpP-rgG2EevgfVV5AB03gFKFSfe4GFlPi8zbHbTSNEMA0X9Oxl_E4ItEJ3Fw/s1600-h/DSC04076.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgURBZ_sbOTZNPlNPVK2BA7kAyELIbrwp8noyVdv04yjuLuWy46sN6gpGF-bW9ZvABdW4sgMJ4gIfVpP-rgG2EevgfVV5AB03gFKFSfe4GFlPi8zbHbTSNEMA0X9Oxl_E4ItEJ3Fw/s400/DSC04076.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422949750197593410" border="0" /></a>I got this in card form for my birthday. I believe it's a Banksy. So fitting. A lot of the time, I don't manage beyond the above - and sometimes, even getting dressed lies well beyond my capabilities... No, I kid you not. Today is the first day of the new year that I have achieved as much, and apart from a handful of e-mails it has been my only form of action No, hang on, I've done a little clearing up in the front room, and I've emptied the dishwasher. My only other contribution has been in a consultancy role with regard to a painting in the style of Klimt. I even provided just the right sort of golden paint. I knew where that was, you see, as opposed to far more important things such as passport photograsphs for Ben's term time bus pass...<br />So, it seems this year has begun as so many others before, with me out of action due to a cold, and other members of the family as disorganised as usual...<br />BUT, as I am out of bed and dressed, I shall call today a successful day! Maybe, if I keep my expectations low, I can actually try and attack one or the other thing on my plate!!!<br /></div>Zabeenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14204594909909378615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14927468.post-77280167710784309922009-11-11T21:29:00.001+00:002009-11-11T21:57:43.000+00:00Balls-Up and Bollocks!<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJRyWQQjBQK-VNfQagvrdTZiHZmKG1hGpPAlWrXFBMy_6mwKJdPWWZGg4T-kFepME0f33UD9rbBxN4NwlJwSlhs68E831qdguMDRbDxlDJxNwJ4WKjkE9o6xQUVl4wOf4p9cmxtQ/s1600-h/laternenlauf7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 263px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJRyWQQjBQK-VNfQagvrdTZiHZmKG1hGpPAlWrXFBMy_6mwKJdPWWZGg4T-kFepME0f33UD9rbBxN4NwlJwSlhs68E831qdguMDRbDxlDJxNwJ4WKjkE9o6xQUVl4wOf4p9cmxtQ/s400/laternenlauf7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402954841487542498" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Lantern Procession on St. Martin's Day</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you've seen my last entry's title and now this one, you must think I'm deliberately and unnecessarily rude (and you'd probably be right... I'm Continental and therefore of a more robust ilk in terms of coarseness, much to my kids' embarrassment), but there is actually a rationale behind this one: two recipes I tried out happened to be balls of one kind or another, and neither of them worked out. So there, that's my justification for the profanities.<br /><br />My pumpkin pie at Halloween didn't work out either; and ok, I always called it the <span style="font-style: italic;">penultimate </span>recipe - implying that there was certainly something still in need of improvement ... but, my, this time it hadn't even set properly, and the crust was far too hard... I felt completely defeated. What on earth was I doing writing a food blog? It's not as if I have to add anything special to the world of food blogging anyway, and now it seems I've lost my cooking mojo completely. Today, I even managed to mangle a bought-in pie!<br /><br />The heart seems to have dropped out of my cooking world. I've got a backlog of photographs and recipes, and I certainly need to record my favourite slimming recipes, but I really don' t know when that 'll be. The sooner the better, my jeans seem to say, stretched as they are, to bursting point, and yes, St. Martin (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martinmas">Martinmas</a>, <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">today</span>) would be a good day to start, with six weeks leading up to Christmas. Maybe I'll actually get round to roasting a goose on Sunday, and then we can all start to 'de-grease' after that . The goose is as traditional as the lantern procession for the kids (see above) . I'll try and remember to tell you more about it next year...<br /></div>Zabeenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14204594909909378615noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14927468.post-19306564606147211312009-09-21T14:24:00.000+01:002009-09-21T14:54:42.522+01:00A Cock-up on the Catering Front<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr3D6vucW0WvRcv8LrBWsA4SXoJ5Lfo45CT1_ewxXTNPsADCrWfAHJsg1mXHmT2A-aiWDaIfhILlvb5ncPamFmzByGqddCqO2BX3bgwuuKncWpHoSekFOr44odlTfbcqUFoi_k9w/s1600-h/welsh-road-sign-cock-up.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 288px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr3D6vucW0WvRcv8LrBWsA4SXoJ5Lfo45CT1_ewxXTNPsADCrWfAHJsg1mXHmT2A-aiWDaIfhILlvb5ncPamFmzByGqddCqO2BX3bgwuuKncWpHoSekFOr44odlTfbcqUFoi_k9w/s400/welsh-road-sign-cock-up.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383881003570350498" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Example of a Cock-up on the </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Linguistic</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Front</span> <span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">(1)</span></span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">For further explanation, go to footnote 1, for my story of a cock-up on the culinary front, read on:<br /><br />You would have thought that someone with a food blog would want to cook for their friends, especially those they don't see all that often, those who have to travel a fair few miles, friends like my 'girls': 'my College friends'. -- 'College' and 'girls' both being somewhat misleading, as the place where we met was a Polytechnic, and the time so long ago that none of us fit the description of 'girl' anymore (though some of us try...).<br /><br /></span> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:85%;"> <span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >I can't even start to express how much I wished I had cooked.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />But as soon as we approached Monday, I knew I'd be working flat out just getting the rooms sorted. Somehow or other, I have never actually defined "A lot on my plate" in terms of the long list of items that I should be doing, or more precisely, </span></span> <span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >should have been doing</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"> for quite some time. For quite some <span style="font-style: italic;">decades!<br /></span>Without going into the question which mental condition this is symptomatic for, beyond straight-forward procrastination, suffice it to say that the list has never got any shorter, or the plate any emptier. Empty, in actual fact, does not seem to be in my user manual - every room of the house is so crammed full of stuff that only on a good day may you venture from one end to the other and open the curtains or the window. (It isn't yet quite a case of "tunnels only"<span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:78%;" >(2)</span>, but we're getting there.)<br /><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Now, instead of getting on with it immediately, Monday was dedicated to mourning the Crown Prince's departure, which prompted me to start a new <a href="http://frombrumtoberlin.blogspot.com/">blog</a>. The usual delaying tactic of rather writing about your inadequacies than doing anything about them. To cut a long story short, it wasn't before Wednesday that I started attacking Ben's filthy room (I gathered 2 washing baskets full of dirty clothes in the process), and with a whole day spent at <a href="http://www1.aston.ac.uk/">Aston University </a>for the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Boulton">Matthew Boulton</a> <a href="http://www1.aston.ac.uk/staff/aspects/community/matthew-boulton-bi-centenary/">lectures</a> on Thursday, it wasn't until the arrival day itself that I managed to cut trenches into the jungle that is Dom's old room.<br /></span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />There was no time to shop, let alone cook. A take away it was going to be. We ventured out and had a look at the plethora of restaurants/take-aways in walking distance (3 Chinese, 2 Pizza places, 2 Indian restaurants, and a Fish & Chips). We chose Chinese and ordered 3 Vegetarian dishes and one with King Prawns. To our utter shock and horror, when we got home and opened the dishes, we found that all of the Vegetarian options contained meat - chicken, beef, prawns, all thrown in, as if to say - you didn't specify which, so we've given you a mixture. It was awful, because our Vegetarian friend now didn't have anything to eat other than egg fried rice and noodles. What on earth were they thinking? </span> <span style="font-family:arial;">It was very late and we were very hungry, so we didn't even take it back.<br />Has anybody else ever had such a strange experience?</span></span><br />_____________________<br /><span style="font-size:78%;">(1)</span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">For the derivation and meaning of 'cock-up', see <a href="http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-coc1.htm">here</a>.<br />For 'Lost in Translation in Swansea', see <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7702913.stm">here</a>. </span><a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7702913.stm');" title="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7702913.stm" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7702913.stm"><em></em></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">(2)</span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">For further reference, see <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1109168/Shopaholic-spinster-dead-3ft-unopened-goods.html">here</a> and <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1107584/Loner-built-network-tunnels-rubbish-home-dies-getting-lost-labyrinth.ht">here.</a></span><br /></div></div>Zabeenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14204594909909378615noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14927468.post-17565641815986721702009-09-16T12:47:00.011+01:002009-09-16T14:52:19.769+01:00RIP Keith Floyd<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5vcazmSRdve5ul3oMd0fiFHULeGDsXwh6Buksq4iUP7623SvfXu8JrNHyF90mUrVAtCHVRlGFAWw9FJQoLHL22s8ezwStgz_x3vS5C3LWrDRVsiOxDWHBBy1Fi7-Y5oOgADFkzQ/s1600-h/DSC04006.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5vcazmSRdve5ul3oMd0fiFHULeGDsXwh6Buksq4iUP7623SvfXu8JrNHyF90mUrVAtCHVRlGFAWw9FJQoLHL22s8ezwStgz_x3vS5C3LWrDRVsiOxDWHBBy1Fi7-Y5oOgADFkzQ/s400/DSC04006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382031075383216674" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Choucroute</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">d'Alsace</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I wonder how many of my fellow food bloggers in the UK felt the urge to cook something special last night in memory of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Floyd"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Keith Floyd</span></a>, the incorrigible cook and TV presenter, who had died the night before. It was a particular shock as on that very night, the BBC had broadcast a programme about him. I couldn't help wondering whether watching it had given him the heart attack - Floyd had looked frail enough during the filming, and I don't think the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Allen">Keith Allen</a> led documentary did him any favours.<br /><br />Let's rather remember his larger than life exuberance, his lack of reverence, and the abundance and abandon he brought to British cooking. I got out <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Floyd-France-Keith/dp/0563205962"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Floyd on France</span></a>, cracked open a bottle of wine, and Choucroute d'Alsace is what I ended up with.<br /><br />"Trust you to hone in on a region the Germans invaded", was Mr ALOMP's reaction to the rather Teutonic, meat and Sauerkraut dominated dish. Hmm, yes, apparently due to domestic pulling powers, such as 'what do I actually have in?' (I'm German, so I <span style="font-style: italic;">always</span> have Sauerkraut in) and 'what needs to be used up?' (smoked ham, smoked sausage - both Polish, but then, so were the ancestors if you go back far enough), I had to forego Floyd's maxims "<span style="font-style: italic;">careful shopping"</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">"fresh ingredients"</span>, and decided on an approximation of the dish featured on page 227. But maybe there was more to it? Maybe all that talk of good, honest, hearty home cooking had me salivating for childhood fare? (Come to think of it - at the Malmö Food Festival, of all the international dishes I could have gone for, I had plumped for Bigos - the Sauerkraut based Polish Classic, interestingly sometimes referred to as Silesian Bigos, Silesia being the area my Mum is from.)<br /><br />In any case, it had made me block out the fact that neither of my remaining men (D eventually off to explore the Capital of the fatherland, or rather, in our case, the motherland) <span style="font-style: italic;">like</span> Sauerkraut, a fact which wasn't helped by the only one of Floyd's maxims I adhered to - <span style="font-style: italic;">"an unhurried approach"</span> - which resulted in the food being served very late. They ate it all but they didn't love it. Whereas I have to admit, I did. In rather colloquial German, <span style="font-style: italic;">"Ich hätte mich da reinsetzen können"</span> - roughly translated, <span style="font-style: italic;">"I could have settled in it".</span><br /><br />Oh yes, there was plenty of <span style="font-style: italic;">Riesling</span> in the Sauerkraut and I also made <span style="font-style: italic;">Poires au vin rouge (</span>p 33). Needless to say copious amounts of red and white were also imbibed. Ah, no one quite like Keith Floyd! I very much hope that he ended as he did in the epilogue of <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Floyd-France-Keith/dp/0563205962"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Floyd on France</span></a>:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"And me? I am sitting - another fallen star - waiting for the early train. But happy." </span><br /></div></div>Zabeenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14204594909909378615noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14927468.post-66853184715662886602009-08-24T20:09:00.021+01:002009-08-24T21:48:04.261+01:00Eurofret #1<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqA1s8IqcHAOCJlFwWVkymXyiHCU0s9BbhUDvMGOQezq0zhyhilqVrD-c6y4I78ieu1NxUMj85rMSI2bXI9jPLQ5U6mHi1KvRHpW8Y4Vf3Lyamzj7Up83XLMDYnnqV5AaxRUYOmA/s1600-h/dsc03998+%283%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 290px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqA1s8IqcHAOCJlFwWVkymXyiHCU0s9BbhUDvMGOQezq0zhyhilqVrD-c6y4I78ieu1NxUMj85rMSI2bXI9jPLQ5U6mHi1KvRHpW8Y4Vf3Lyamzj7Up83XLMDYnnqV5AaxRUYOmA/s400/dsc03998+%283%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373609714518544210" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Spaghetti con Aglio e Olio</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:85%;">We're back from our holidays, and I'm very pleased that my contribution for <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><a href="http://alotonmyplate.blogspot.com/2009/08/dinner-and-movie-wall-street_20.html">Dinner and a Movie</a> </span>went out as scheduled. It's the first time that I left a blog entry to be published in absentia. (Ironically, the deadline was extended to today!) But that is not what the <span style="font-style: italic;">fretting</span> is about. <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">"Eurofret"</span> is a sign somewhere around the ferry port of Dunkirk, and each time we go that way, it strikes me as an ideal title for a TV show where people can complain about Europe.<br />Well, we've been to Germany, Denmark and Sweden, and I've got a lot to fret about. So I thought I 'd start a little series. I'll make it food-related if I can.<br />That shouldn't be too difficult - with the pound so weak, <span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">everything was astronomically expensive,</span> so, lots to fret about. The above dish, re-created today, was one of the exceptions, a mere 6.50 € I think, which is nearly £ 6.50 now. But if you think how little goes into it...<br /><br />My 'version' came with cherry tomatoes and 'Pepperoni'. On the Continent, those are types of small, spicy pickled peppers (often known as <i>peperoncino</i> or <i>peperone piccante</i> in Italy and pepperoncini or banana peppers in the U.S.), not the spicy variety of salami in Italo-American dishes. However, when you look up the recipe, the 'classic' one would not feature anything much besides the oil and garlic in the title.<br /><br />But what the heck, I liked the addition of tomatoes and spicy peppers. I also liked the use of red chillies, as opposed to chilli flakes, which I found in online recipes. Everyone seemed to agree on the use of parsley - but I didn't have any. I had bought 'sun-kissed oregano' at Waitrose instead (because I'm a sucker for 'romantic marketing'). So, this is what I did:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Spaghetti</span><span style="font-size:78%;">, enough for x people<br />1 tbsp of </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >olive oil</span><span style="font-size:78%;"> per person (I used a very special one, 'Colonna Gran Verde', with the zest of organic lemons, which I bought in a delicatessen in Henley-in-Arden, because the addition of lemon juice and zest was also recommended in a number of recipes)<br />1 large clove of </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >garlic</span><span style="font-size:78%;"> per person, cut into slivers<br />2 </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >cherry tomatoes</span><span style="font-size:78%;">, halved, per person<br />1 fresh </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >red chilli</span><span style="font-size:78%;"> per person<br />2 </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >yellow pickled peppers</span><span style="font-size:78%;"> per person (mine were from Lidl; very mild)<br /><br />Boil the spaghetti in salted water until al dente.<br />In a large pan, heat oil and add the garlic slivers, keep stirring. It's important the the garlic doesn't turn brown. Add chillies, peppers and tomatoes.<br />Add the drained spaghetti to the pan and mix well.<br />Season liberally with salt and pepper.<br />Add finely cut oregano right at the end.</span><br /><br />I served it with a mixed salad and a glass of red wine. Grated parmesan is optional.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">I had this first in the port of <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Husum</span>, Germany.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRuYTvcBVAB-TiTU_BjQteXBZPPPL60Ntky0eRHMGRFGkCv5d96nH96m7zYA_0MZwriREc4IMkwoF2q7tAQJmdbJHGOHmpNVIxxsCQMlm7Ur7ifUbl8KPe8XUL8G2SQLyjdhnLAQ/s1600-h/DSC03943.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRuYTvcBVAB-TiTU_BjQteXBZPPPL60Ntky0eRHMGRFGkCv5d96nH96m7zYA_0MZwriREc4IMkwoF2q7tAQJmdbJHGOHmpNVIxxsCQMlm7Ur7ifUbl8KPe8XUL8G2SQLyjdhnLAQ/s400/DSC03943.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373634435189655506" border="0" /></a><br /></div></div>Zabeenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14204594909909378615noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14927468.post-85811109864635341582009-08-20T13:09:00.002+01:002009-08-20T13:09:00.158+01:00Dinner and A Movie: Wall Street<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnn6HGOG9e2a4HKvnk19qd373HppwnWMlU2Gk8l68-J3SjA5SlQaCKEln1Jqt87o7mP-IHY2l0iexRbK_5N0HLzQ5jnxLmCekfrsFMN0fgKnDVj5xg_QUIQXbvqaEyiU0ipSslIg/s1600-h/DSC03871.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnn6HGOG9e2a4HKvnk19qd373HppwnWMlU2Gk8l68-J3SjA5SlQaCKEln1Jqt87o7mP-IHY2l0iexRbK_5N0HLzQ5jnxLmCekfrsFMN0fgKnDVj5xg_QUIQXbvqaEyiU0ipSslIg/s400/DSC03871.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367207601743713426" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">Micaella's Dough</span><br /><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;">It seems like I don’t get round to anything else these days, in blogging terms, other than the beloved cinematic food event that is </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >Dinner and a Movie.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.norecipes.com/dinner-movie/"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOI-FiF24hiRsinWW4PF7Q7YF6GXAln0g3BnLCVY23C8ONqhW-7PFNOfYy-wb5banNmRDjdFyPbB4-rR5iAjPh7ilnkS7l13nBxLY7icML8zpnmHMqxaIfVmWT4LfnX4PPtRyow/s400/dinner_movie%5B3%5D.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367208873805576578" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Joint hosts are <a href="http://www.norecipes.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Marc</span></a> (<a href="http://www.norecipes.com/">norecipes</a>) and <a href="http://stickygooeycreamychewy.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Susan</span></a> (<a href="http://stickygooeycreamychewy.com/">stickygooeycreamychewy</a>), and they take it in turns to select the film and organise the round-up. This time, it was <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">Marc</span>'s turn, and he</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> chose the 1987 <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">Oliver Stone</span> film <a href="http://www.norecipes.com/2009/07/25/dinner-and-a-movie-wallstreet/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Wall Street</span></a> for the month of August. As most people probably know, it features <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">Michael Douglas</span> as a ruthless corporate raider, <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">Charlie Sheen</span> as a young man (<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">Bud Fox</span>) desperate to be a player in the cut-throat world of international finance, and <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">Martin Sheen</span> as his Union leader father who has rather different values.<br />Douglas, who wasn’t Stone’s first choice, won the Oscar for his portrayal of the unscrupulous <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">Gekko</span> who corrupts the young Fox. (Who doesn’t remember the line, <span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">"Greed is good"</span>?) The latter eventually does not even shy away from insider dealings and a quasi betrayal of his father.<br /><br />Other memorable lines are, <span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">“There is no nobility in poverty”</span>, <span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">“You’re not naïve enough to believe we live in a democracy, are you?”</span> and <span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">“It’s all about bucks, kid.”</span> It’s this all encompassing theme of money which inspired my food choice: <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">DOUGH. </span><br /><br />Dough is only one of the numerous food-related synonyms for money:<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">beer tickets, bread, cake, cheddar, cheese </span>(</span><span>and variations such as <span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">gouda & veeta </span>for velveeta</span><span style="font-style: italic;">), <span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);"> cream, lolly, chips, gravy, roll, bacon, beans, berries, cabbage, kale, lettuce, sugar,</span> </span><span>and</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> <span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">clams </span></span>were all amongst those found in my online search.<br /><br />In German, the only one with food associations is <span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">Eier</span><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);"> – eggs.</span> Well, one of those went into Micaella’s dough, as did some cheddar (for other ingredients, see below). To obtain a dough, you have to <span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">knead</span><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);"> (</span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">kneten</span><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">)</span> your ingredients, and <span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">Knete</span>, interestingly, is German for plasticene/play-dough and happens to be another colloquial term for money.<br /><br />My dough was not turned into a loaf sized <span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">bread</span>, but <span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">little breads</span><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);"> – </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">Brötchen</span><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);"> = rolls. </span>Which, I believe (though his fate remains open at the end of the film), is what <span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 51, 153); font-weight: bold;">Gekko</span> will have to bake smaller ones of…<br />Confused? <span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">“Kleine/kleinere Brötchen backen”</span> is a frequently used idiom, which means<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">to become more reticent; aim lower; take a backseat; to economize; become subdued after initial bragging; become more modest; conduct business with less voracity...</span><br /><br />as in:<br />"BASF muss <span style="font-style: italic;">kleinere Brötchen backen</span>. Die schlechtere Konjunktur lässt die Gewinne des Konzerns schwächer fließen als erwartet" -<br />“BASF has to retract. The economic down-turn has meant lower profits than the company expected.”<br /><br />How fitting… but for the time being I’ll leave it to somebody else to comment on the total insanity that is the world’s betting shop, also known as the Stock Exchange, and just concentrate on how to make cheesy dough for little rolls:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">Micaella's Dough<br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">1 egg</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">lukewarm water<br />3 3/4 cups of strong bread flour<br />1 1/2 tsp of salt<br />2 tsp of sugar<br />2 tbsp of soft butter<br />1 tsp dried yeast<br />2 cups of grated cheese<br /><br />Put the egg into a measuring jug and beat lightly. Add lukewarm water to make up to 300ml, mix. Pour into a large bowl. Add the flour and completely cover the liquid. Add the salt, sugar and butter in three different places around the edge. Make a small indentation in the middle into which to sprinkle the yeast. Start kneading (or use kneading implements, or use a bread maker), then add the cheese and continue until everything is well mixed. Set aside to rise. (A warm place is always recommended, which is sometimes not as easy as it sounds. I cover the bowl with a shower cap - a trick I picked up from the Hairy Bikers - and put the bowl in the top oven without switching it on. It'll get a bit warmer once the bottom oven is being pre-heated.) After about an hour, your dough should look a bit like mine above. For a loaf, put the dough into a bread tin and set aside to rise again (ca 45 minutes), then bake in a pre-heated oven at C200 for about 40 minutes on the middle shelf. For rolls, divide the dough into about 8 portions and form into rolls. Place on to a baking sheet lined with baking paper, set aside to rise for about 45 minutes and bake for about 25 minutes.</span></span><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGVT3W9uGDNyP3BKjuDd0MVwSPuRY4v-ysBtr3VYFh1YLrdTRI-qNdTsLcHxhTad_-UJWTvXhAg1I8vIruxpGRAjM7iHhDlbpqv9nzpsMPEd2zDFHQhgbfPXty_Rn9e8XFWZ_PUg/s1600-h/DSC03874.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGVT3W9uGDNyP3BKjuDd0MVwSPuRY4v-ysBtr3VYFh1YLrdTRI-qNdTsLcHxhTad_-UJWTvXhAg1I8vIruxpGRAjM7iHhDlbpqv9nzpsMPEd2zDFHQhgbfPXty_Rn9e8XFWZ_PUg/s400/DSC03874.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367244883659288274" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153); font-weight: bold;">Cheesy Rolls</span>Zabeenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14204594909909378615noreply@blogger.com261