Friday, 31 August 2012

DWZI - Back to Reality

This week started out badly.

I had a little accident with my car... the first one in 7 years.
I feel terrible.
It was all my fault.
The worst thing is that I hit a parked car and had to leave a note since the driver wasn't there.
The driver finally phoned me and I was so relieved that he was actually fine about it.
We still have to meet up to fill in the required paperwork.

Oh well, some days are better than others.
Things have improved significantly since Tuesday and the week seems to be ending well. 
Have a great weekend everyone! 

You can find all the DWZI participants here.


Thursday, 9 August 2012

Ricotta Hotcakes

What to do with half a tub of ricotta... what to do?
Ricotta hotcakes! Yes!
Great idea.

I found a Nigella recipe, halved it and made some early morning 'pancakes' served with strawberries. (Yes, I couldn't be bothered to explain hotcakes vs. pancakes...)
The kids really loved it.
Happiness.


Here is a link to Nigella's recipe.

FYI - I halved all the ingredients and made about 12 delicious hotcakes.

Here is a copy:

Ingredients:

250g ricotta cheese
125ml semi-skimmed milk
2 large eggs, separated
100g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt
2 teaspoons groundnut oil
TO SERVE:
250g strawberries, chopped (or other berries of your choice, of course)



Serves: Makes about 25.
Put the ricotta, milk and egg yolks into a bowl and mix well to combine. Stir in the flour, baking powder and salt and gently whisk to make a smooth batter. Beat the egg whites until they become foamy - this isn't hard work even, whisking by hand, which is all that's needed here - and then fold them into the ricotta mixture.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan and drop in heaped dessertspoons of batter.
Cook the pancakes for about 1 minute until golden and then flip them over and cook for another minute. Keep the cooked pancakes warm, by tenting with foil on a large warmed plate, while you work your way through the batter, and then serve with syrup - if you must - and strawberries.


Tuesday, 7 August 2012

Easy Cookies

Heidi wanted to bake cookies.
Not like I need an excuse...
With limited ingredients in my cupboard I found a recipe that looked simple enough.

I wanted to make cookies with jam in them but Heidi said no.
I figured I better make something she will eat or else I'll be stuck with a whole lot of cookies and one unhappy child.

The cookies were very easy to make and tasted delicious.
Sweeter than I prefer, but I had to hide them from Heidi because she absolutely loved them and tried to eat them all!



Here is the link to the recipe on the Good Food channel, it was adapted from a Rachel Allen recipe.

Here is a copy:

Ingredients
225 g butter, at room temperature
110 g caster sugar
275 g plain flour
ground spices, or finely grated zest (optional - I used a teaspoon of vanilla essence and a dash of cinnamon)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 170C/gas 3.

2. Cream the butter in a large bowl or in a food mixer until soft and creamy. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture is pale and fluffy.

3. Sift in the flour and spices or grated zest (if using) and bring the mixture together to form a firm dough.

4. Using your hands, roll the dough into walnut-sized balls and place them slightly apart on a baking tray (no need to grease or line). Flatten them slightly with the back of a damp fork and bake in the oven for 13–15 minutes, or until they are light golden brown and slightly firm on top.

5. Carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.






Friday, 3 August 2012

DWZI - Weighty Matters

Weight.

It is a constant battle. 

But one I feel like I'm starting to win and that, my friends, is a really big deal.
I lost 15 kg and have kept it off now for about 4 months.
Its not easy.

This week I was once again amazed when getting on the scale and seeing that I'm maintaining my current weight, just keeping it constant. 

I have to weigh myself at least once a week... and I watch my calories every single day. 
But I also have a treat every single day. A caffe latte or a cappuccino (skinny of course!), a little cookie and even a scoop of ice cream every now and again.

Mostly I eat a LOT of vegetables.

The problem with being educated is that you have no excuse.
You know what is 'bad' for you.
I know.

We all make our food choices, and we all have to live with them.
Have a great weekend!!

You can find all the DWZI participants here.




Thursday, 2 August 2012

Ciabatta Sandwich

Ciabatta bread is one of my favourite breads.
I'll eat it any day, with any meal.
It works perfectly well as a sandwich for lunch.
Add some ham, tomato, cucumber, lettuce, red onions and don't forget the mustard.
Yummy!




Wednesday, 1 August 2012

Conversion Tables

I often use American recipes.
Sometimes I bother converting them, sometimes I just take my chances...

Here is some handy conversion information which I found on Delia Online.

I shamelessly copied it directly from her site. This way I always know where to look!
Here is a link to her conversion webpage.


American Cup Conversions Liquid Conversions
American Imperial Metric  ImperialMetric American 
1 cup flour
1 cup caster/ granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter/margarine/lard
1 cup sultanas/raisins
1 cup currants
1 cup ground almonds
1 cup golden syrup
1 cup uncooked rice
1 cup grated cheese
1 stick butter
5oz

8oz
6oz
8oz
7oz
5oz
4oz
12oz
7oz
4oz
4oz
150g

225g
175g
225g
200g
150g
110g
350g
200g
110g
110g
½ fl oz
1 fl oz
2 fl oz
4 fl oz
8 fl oz
16 fl oz
15 ml
30 ml
60 ml
120 ml
240 ml
480 ml
1 tbsp
1/8 cup
¼ cup
½ cup
1 cup
1 pint

WeightsDimensions
ImperialMetricImperialMetric
½ oz
¾ oz
1 oz
1½ oz
2 oz
2½ oz
3 oz
4 oz
4½ oz
5 oz
6 oz
7 oz
8 oz
9 oz
10 oz
12 oz
1 lb
1 lb 8 oz
2 lb
3 lb
10 g
20 g
25 g
40 g
50 g
60 g
75 g
110 g
125 g
150 g
175 g
200 g
225 g
250 g
275 g
350 g
450 g
700 g
900 g
1.35 kg
¹⁄₈ inch
¼ inch
½ inch
¾ inch
1 inch
1¼ inch
1½ inch
1¾ inch
2 inch
2½ inch
3 inch
3½ inch
4 inch
5 inch
5¼ inch
6 inch
6½ inch
7 inch
7½ inch
8 inch
9 inch
9½ inch
10 inch
11 inch
12 inch
3 mm
5 mm
1 cm
2 cm
2.5 cm
3 cm
4 cm
4.5 cm
5 cm
6 cm
7.5 cm
9 cm
10 cm
13 cm
13.5 cm
15 cm
16 cm
18 cm
19 cm
20 cm
23 cm
24 cm
25.5 cm
28 cm
30 cm

 VolumeOven Temperatures 
 ImperialMetric  Gas Mark°F °C 
2 fl oz
3 fl oz
5 fl oz (¼ pint)
10 fl oz (½ pint)
1 pint
1 ¼ pint
1 ¾ pint
2 pint
2½ pint
4 pint
55 ml
75 ml
150 ml
275 ml
570 ml
725 ml
1 litre
1.2 litre
1.5 litre
2.25 litres
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
 275°F
300°F
325°F
350°F
375°F
400°F
425°F
450°F
475°F
140°C
150°C
170°C
180°C
190°C
200°C
220°C
230°C
240°C
If using a fan oven you will need to reduce the oven temperature in a recipe by 20 degrees.



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