UK Amazon Kindle Forum discussion

Yep - I'd agree with that Janet! But the cornish wouldn't... :0)

Jay-me (Janet) wrote: "This is what I call a turnip. http://www.bigoven.com/uploads/Turnip...

This is a swede http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia..."

I'd call them both turnips! But the second is also a swede, or a proper neep. What we used to make lanterns from when pumpkins were still an unheard of rarity.

Patti (Totally Bananas) wrote: "Rosemary wrote: "http://www.eastlothiannews.co.uk/news...

err...yummy?"

Oh jeez.

Why not just eat a tub of lard with a spoon?"

Scotland is not the only place guilty of heart attacks on plates. Sussex Pond Pudding is a suet pud with a huge amount of butter and a lemon in the middle. This is a very old recipe. I get the impression that some people in the south think that all Scots eat deep fried Mars bars often. I don't know anyone who has tasted them.

I'd call them both turnips.
No, I've not met anyone who admits to have actually eaten a deep fried mars bar.
Canada is just as guilty as anywhere for having high fat foods, which made sense before the advent of central heating. That food was necessary to stay alive.
Shame it's so darn tasty!

Jay-me (Janet) wrote: "This is what I call a turnip. http://www.bigoven.com/uploads/Turnip...

This is a swede http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia..."

Yes, your swede is my swede.It's very tasty when cooked and mashed with carrots (half and half is fine, but quantities not vital). Mash with butter, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Made Geoff's Loose-Lady sauce today, with some meatballs and spaghetti for Boxing Day dinner. It was delicious.

I did have to let it simmer a little longer that the 30 mins to reduce down, but that's probably because I made it with 4 x the ingredients. Decided to make a huge batch and freeze it because the tinned tomatoes were being sold at half price, and I already knew I had tons extra of the olives, capers and anchovies.

Great sauce Geoff, thanks for sharing it ;-).

Glad you enjoyed that Maureen. We had this for lunch today, Sophie is sat beside me snarfing hers as I type. Delicious.


Stilton, Leek and Mushroom Risotto

Ready in 35 minutes, serves four. You don’t have to use Stilton – any leftover hard cheese from your cheese board will work well in the recipe.

1.2 litres hot chicken stock
1 medium leek, trimmed and chopped
15g butter
1tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
250g mushrooms, sliced
350g Arboria risotto rice
150ml white wine (optional)
200g frozen peas
125g Stilton, crumbled.

1. Heat the stock in a pan until simmering. Keep over a very low heat so that it’s always hot when you add it to the rice.
2. Cook the leek in the butter and oil over a medium heat, stirring often, until soft, but not coloured. Add the garlic and mushrooms, stirring frequently until the mushrooms start to shrink.
3. Add the rice and stir to coat all the grains. Cook over a low heat for 1 minute, then pour in the wine, if using, and simmer until it is absorbed.
4. Add the stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring often, allowing the stock to absorb before adding the next one.
5. After 15 minutes add the frozen peas. Heat until simmering again and cook until the rice is tender, adding more stock when necessary.
6. Remove from the heat and stir in the Stilton. Season with pepper and serve.

when Linda cooked it, she included more leeks and, of course, more Stilton!

Dessert Pizza

Add a bit of cocoa to pizza dough you make in a bread machine, roll out, top with grated chocolate, chopped nuts, wee marshmallows, bake then drizzle with chocolate sauce before serving.
You can also top with berries and/or sliced banana before serving.

Banana and caramel sauce is nice...

This isn't exactly a recipe, but my mum and I made lasagne today, including the lasagne sheets! It was great fun - we didn't cook the pasta sheets first(youre supposed to), and it turns out great!

Nowadays you don't need to cook the pasta sheets just make sure the sauce is quite fluid. It takes a wee bit longer but does make it easier.

Thanks, Mo (: We were experimenting!

I almost bought myself a pasta machine for Christmas. Then I gave my head a shake as I know I'd never be bothered to use it.
The same friend who I borrow her ice cream maker from has one anyway...

Love making and eating lasagne. I never pre-cook the pasta. As Mo says, just make the sauce a bit runny.

Another of my favourites and today's lunch. I love the way the flavours interact with the honey.

Chicken with tomatoes and honey

Main course

Cooking time: 80 minutes

Total time: 95 minutes

Ingredients

1 chicken, approx. 3 lb, quartered or 4 chicken pieces
3 tbs/45ml butter or sunflower oil
Salt and pepper
1 onion grated
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tsp/10ml cinnamon
¼ tsp ginger
Pinch of saffron powder (optional)
3 lb tomatoes, skinned, cut into large pieces, or 2 x 14 oz cans of plum tomatoes
2 tbs of fragrant honey

Garnish

2 oz blanched almonds (Optional)
1 tbs of sesame seeds
1 tbs of chopped parsley

Method

1. Put chicken pieces in a large pot with butter or oil, seasoning, garlic, onion, spices and tomatoes.
2. Cook gently, covered, stirring and turning chicken frequently, for about one hour, or until the flesh can be pulled easily off the bone.
3. Remove chicken and reduce sauce further until tomatoes begin to caramelise, stirring often. Take care that the bottom doesn’t stick or burn.
4. Stir in the honey and return the chicken to the sauce. Heat thoroughly.
5. Fry almonds in 1 tbs oil, or toast them with the sesame in a moderately hot oven for 7-10 minutes.
6. Serve chicken hot, covered with the sauce and garnish ingredients.

Linda’s notes: I tend to use boneless chicken breasts. If too large or lots to feed – cut into pieces.

My 7 year old daughter Caitlin wrote her own recipe yesterday which I have to share with you all because it's rather cute, though I wouldn't necessarily recommend cooking it...

Chocolate Yum Sponge

Ingredients:

Melted chocolate
Brown sugar
Butter
1 Egg

Method:

1. Put the chocolate in the microwave for 3 mins
2. Sprincul in 5 shugere spoons of brown sugar
3. Put in 50g of butter
4. Crack in 1 egg
5. Put in the uvun for 15 mins

We reckon that given a bit of whisking up and a cool enough oven it might turn out like a souffle but I'm not much of a pastry chef.

Jenny wrote: "My 7 year old daughter Caitlin wrote her own recipe yesterday which I have to share with you all because it's rather cute, though I wouldn't necessarily recommend cooking it...

Chocolate Yum Spong..."

Awwww - love it!

:0)

What's not to like Jenny?

It definitely contains everything a 7 year old likes!

that's dead cute! Hope she realises that the oven has to be on for it to cook anything though

I'm not sure she's mastered the ins and outs of the "uvun" just yet, Jud, but she might surprise me, she often does!

Aww - how sweet!

It's missing one essential food group - BCBs (burnt crunchy bits!)
Nicked that off Terry Pratchett!

I'm the only one in my house that likes BCBs so when I "accidentally" burn the sausages I get to eat all the best ones.

I love BCBs. I hate it when I go to the carvery and order roast beef, they cut off the nice crunchy end bit and THROW IT AWAY!!!!

Gingerlilly: *cry*

I know, it kills me not to shout at them...

If you ask them for the crunchy bits that no-one wants you might even get extra meat. I've seen Ignite do that trick with the dark meat of turkey at a carvery and it worked a treat.

What a give-away!

I would happily chew on all the end bits. They don't seem to understand the concept though - its usually a couple of very friendly eastern european girls who don't understand anything that I say.

Geoff (G. Robbins) wrote: "Another of my favourites and today's lunch. I love the way the flavours interact with the honey.

Chicken with tomatoes and honey

Main course

Cooking time: 80 minutes

Total time: 95 minutes

I..."

Wow Geoff, that soups sounds amazing. I never thought of cinnamon and saffron in chicken soup. I'm definitely going to give it a try.

Ok, here's what I'm eating *right now* as I type (the keyboard is a bit messy to be honest)

Japanese Mackerel (serves 1 - to serve more just multiply up the ingredients)

Ingredients:

1 - 1.5 ready cooked smoked mackerel fillets
1/2 inch piece of ginger
2 spring onions
1 mushroom
a few spinach leaves (optional)
any other quick-cooking veg you happen to have lying around
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp water
1 tsp miso
Splash of oil for frying (sesame blend is good)

Method:

Chop all the veg as small as you can.

In a frying pan or wok, fry off the ginger and spring onion for about 1 minute
Add the carrot and mushroom and whatever other veg you have (except the spinach) and fry for another 2 minutes
Flake the fish and add it to the pan along with the soy, miso, mirin and water.
Simmer over a medium heat until the liquid is all absorbed. Towards the end, add the spinach.

Serve with white rice.

The original recipe uses fresh mackerel which is probably even better. If you cook it with fresh mackerel you will need to add more soy (as it's less salty) and add the fish to the pan with the carrots and other veg, extending the cooking time until the fish is just cooked.

It is a healthy dish and most delicious.

That sounds wonderful Jenny.

I have a good friend who goes mackerel fishing frequently and always brings us a few. I usually do a Delia recipe with them. Next time I'll use your's, Jenny. It sounds light and delish! Thank you!

Patti, how great to have your own supplier of fresh fish! You'll have to let me know how it tastes with fresh mackerel.

That sounds both delicious and nutritious. I must look out for smoked mackerel. Fresh is probably too much to hope for unless you're right on the coast somewhere.

That's great Dakota, hope you enjoy it!

If you need any more motivation for this recipe, I've been eating a heavily Japanese influenced diet over the last week and have lost 2 lbs!

However I feel I ought to put out a slight health warning: like a lot of Japanese food it's quite salty which might be an issue for those with blood pressure or heart problems. (For me, it's just an excuse to drink lots of jasmine tea!)

2 lbs! I'm on it!

The Fried Rice Hangover Cure

I always make too much rice, mainly so I can have fried rice for breakfast or lunch, such an innocent vice really.

I came up with this combo this morning, based on what we had in the fridge, and afterwards reckoned it would make a great hangover cure. It's got loads of natural pick-me-ups and unlike a fry-up won't leave you feeling bloated. If anyone tests this in the field, so to speak, do let me know if it was effective!

Ingredients (serves 1):

1 quantity of cooked rice (left over rice from last night's curry is fine, as long as it was refrigerated)
2 spring onions
1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger
half a chilli, chopped (optional)
1 egg
1 mushroom
large handful of baby spinach leaves
soy sauce
1 tbsp mirrin or chinese cooking wine (optional)
oil for frying

Method:

Sigh, hold your head and promise never to drink again.
Drink a large glass of water.
Chop the spring onions, ginger and mushroom as finely as you can be bothered.
Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan on medium-high heat and fry off the ginger, spring onions and mushroom (plus chilli if using)
Add the egg and mirrin and scramble with a wooden spoon.
Hang on in there.
Crank the hob up to its highest heat.
Add the rice and soy sauce to taste; stir.
After about 1 minute add the spinach.
Carry on frying and stirring until the spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes.
Bung it in a bowl and wolf down the lot!

I served it sprinkled with sesame seeds and brown linseeds for an extra boost.

I tried to melt some chocolate in the microwave in a pyrex glass bowl the other day and it fired off like WW3. I couldn't believe it, the sparks and the explosions were really spectacular, luckily I was very close to the switch and stopped it straight away. I've done it before but never had that problem. I once had it with cheap kitchen paper and I could understand there may have been impurities but what was in the chocolate?

Grief! I melt chocolate in the microwave all the time and have never had that happen! What brand was it?

You want spectacular, put a CD in the microwave, one minute on high. Indoor fireworks!

Let me guess. Sophie?

'Just to see what would happen, dad'?

I have just had chicken in spicy chocolate sauce . I got the recipe from the net. It had chicken onions, peppers peanut butter lime juice chilli,tomatoes, peanuts and chocolate. All I can say is do not try this at home as it was disgusting. What do I do with the leftovers. I might think about putting a curry paste in but it might spoil the curry. Just thought I would put this in as a warning if anyone sees it and fancies it.

Geoff .. and a knackered microwave.

That's a shame, Mo. It looks like it could have had potential. Terrible waste of chocolate, too. :(

My chocolate was Lindt, (the good stuff 70%) and I didn't leave any bit of foil on.

This was good chocolate too but I wasted it. C'est la vie. Know next time. You don't really know unless you have tried it. I have some beautiful Booja Booja Raspberry truffle that I might have to make up for it. I am not a truffle fan but these are something else.

Lynne (Tigger's Mum) wrote: "My chocolate was Lindt, (the good stuff 70%) and I didn't leave any bit of foil on."

That's just weird. I think I'll google exploding chocolate tomorrow.
Your microwave is working fine still, yeah?

Mo? How can any living being NOT BE A TRUFFLE FAN?

Oops. Shouting. Sorry I was shocked by that comment.

If anyone ever feels like giving me a present.... http://www.amazon.co.uk/Feeding-Your-...

I love to send you that, GL. Can I send to you from .uk?

If I put it on my wishlist and send you a link I think you can. I have an address specified for the wishlist so it handles all that for you.

Kewl.

Let's do that. You've had enough colds. It's time you caught something nice, I think.