slow cooker ~ lamb

this recipe is so good... it takes eight hours in the slow cooker but that just means that once you have prepared it, you can leave it to cook until your meal at night.

so, first off i scored the meat and pushed some crushed garlic and rosemary into the 'pockets'. then i browned the meat, a quick fry on all sides in a hot pan.

into the crock pot it goes

using the oil from the pan, fry up some chopped shallots or onions until soft.  pour in a slosh of wine {*this is obviously optional but delicious!) a cup of stock {homemade or cubed} a handful of bay leaves and a few sprigs of rosemary. bring to the boil.

once the liquid has reduced by about a third, pour it into the crockpot.

cook for 6hrs on LOW. then turn the lamb and add in a tin of flageolet beans {or any bean you fancy really! except baked beans... although i reckon they would be pretty tasty too!}

cook for a further 2 and a quarter hours on LOW.  the lamb and beans may not be covered entirely by liquid during the cooking process but that is okay :)

let the lamb rest for 10mins and serve with the beans and sauce with some sauteed potatoes and plenty of fresh steamed veg.

yum.

sticky fingers

today i decided that we would make fudge! chocolate fudge! of all things, this recipe could not be more messy and sticky and delicious... even if it tried! oh so delicious!

and, if you have a slow cooker... oh so simple...

pour one can of condensed milk into your crock pot, add two big bars of chocolate {the cheaper the better, believe it or not!} a tbsp of vanilla essence and a tbsp of butter. set the oven to high for an hour and check on it every ten mins or so to give it a stir and make sure everthing is melting together.
pour into a tray and leave to set... we added some mini smarties to the top... you know, because it clearly needs more sugar!

this makes some really tasty washing up {licking the bowl and spoon of course} which was obviously a high point for the two small helpers i had... but the waiting for it to set was almost too much to bear! for all of us!

this cuts well, it's soft, it's sweet and it tastes just like the kind you would buy in a shop. this is going to be a staple in this house!

two ingredient pizza

i found a great recipe online the other day... two ingredient pizza. i have to say i was dubious... but thought i would give it a whirl.

pinnies on, hands washed, table covered. all set.

the kids love baking and so do i but it can get messy... a recipe which only needs two things is just perfect for small helpers!

one cup of natural yoghurt and one cup of flour. that is all. and look... delicious and yummy and easy and healthy... ish.

we used a bit more flour than the one cup as the dough seemed a little wet still and gave it a good kneed for about ten minutes, rolled it out and then added our toppings... red pesto, cheese, tomatoes, mushrooms, olives and chicken. i had pre chopped all the toppings and had them out so the kids could help themselves. they had a lot of fun and they ate every last bite!

mothers day craft!

bath bombs

i found this great blog the other day with some inspirational crafts... this one really stood out for many reasons... seasonal, kid friendly. mum friendly! can't go wrong :)

it was so easy to do with the kids and acted as a great sensory/messy play activity! but best of all, the ingredients were all in the cupboard! so here's how...

mix two cups bicarbonate of soda and one cup cream of tartar with a splash of oil and a few sprays of water. then add a small handful of dried lavender and another of dried chamomile (i used the contents of a tea bag)
mix until it holds together when pressed - you may need a few more squeezes of oil or sprays of water.
press into a silicone ice cube tray and leave for a few days... the longer you leave them the harder they go!

as i was giving these as a gift i made up some baskets (string/twine soaked in glue and wrapped around a small balloon, leave to dry and pop balloon!)

i loved these so much i made a second batch but added a drop of beetroot juice to colour it and stored them in this lovely jar in the bathroom!

there is nothing nasty in these so they are suitable for kids and adults! i am going to look out some fun animal or robot shaped moulds and make up a batch for the next party bags!

five days, five meals, one packet of mince... really.

i bought a pound of mince from the local butchers and for the first time ever, i meal planned. properly.

i always, always make a huge batch of something and freeze portions. always have done. always will. it makes me feel frugal. and thrifty. and housewife-y!
but this week was different. this week i made a big batch of mince and made five meals out of it. yes. FIVE.

here's how i did it...

i browned the mince with some onions, garlic and oil. put half of it into another pan.  i added chopped carrots, mushrooms, courgette and a red pepper to both and to one i added two tins of chopped tomatoes to one and some tomato puree.

meal one - mince and tatties ~ add baked beans to the left overs and cover with mash potato in a casserole dish to make meal two - cottage pie.

meal three - spaghetti bolognaise

meal four - add chili powder and kidney beans to the the left over spag bol mince and hey presto we have chili con carne {add rice}

meal five - add all the left overs from meal two and meal four together with some cooked fusilli {any pasta would do though}

now, we are a family of four. four big eaters. and this was plenty of food! okay, so i bulked it up with lots of veg, chopped tomatoes and i added potatoes, rice and spaghetti {and a sneaky garlic baguette or two} but i still managed to feed the entire house {except the dog} a home cooked, evening meal for five nights. wholesome? i think so!