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!

do it yourself

i am a big fan of make do and mend. & i love the idea of making something myself instead of buying it from a shop. presents for friends and family are often handmade... as are the cards of course. and i am starting to make products around the house too... this is all part of my back to basics plan. with the addition of some shop bought staples for good measure.

my seed bombs and bath bombs always go down well. and i recently made my own rose toner which is amazing as a morning, mid day slump spritz. but it is also great to set makeup, to soothe tired or sunburnt skin. to tighten and reduce wrinkles and it calms and acts as a mild astringent for blemishes... and all you need are two ingredients and a spray bottle {i got mine from superdrug}

fill with water {preferably distilled} and add a capful of rose water ~ or more depending on personal preference and size of bottle
and that's it.
simple yet effective.

for under the kitchen sink i have another spray bottle with vinegar and water in... great for cleaning and deodorising any surface {including carpets} add a bit of bicarb and you have a better spray than you can buy in the shops! plus, if you add an essential oil to the mix you will not only be adding a lovely scent to the room but you will also be upping the antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal qualities to your all-purpose cleaner.

this is my latest make do and mend project... three pairs of leggings fit for the bin = two good as new pairs of leggings!

reduce, reuse, recycle

this year i have decided that we need to be more organised, more waste aware and fitter.

lately i feel like we have slipped back into a world where i didn't think about consequences of my actions.  we are so caught up with daily life that i find myself doing whatever option is easiest ~ putting the extra few cartons of milk in the bin to save me going downstairs to the recycling boxes. buying a bag of apples instead of buying them loose... i have even stopped using my cloth nappies and wipes.

you see, my sons skin is very sensitive. we really only use eco eggs and occasionally a bit of lavender oil for fragrance but lately his nappies have been causing very sore nappy rash so we stopped for a while... but that while has become a month... almost two.

i missed the freshly washed smell of washing. i missed the clean smell of bleach ~ these have all snuck back into my cleaning cupboard.

i just want to get back to my frugal self... i want to be that person again! so the challenge is on... will keep this blog updated with my progress...

so far i have got out the cloth wipes, cotton hankies and nappies.  i have made a huge batch of bath bombs for the kids baths ~ method

feeling better already!

monkeys, lions and a surprise rainbow

back in march it was my little girls 4th birthday. four. i have no idea where the time has gone! to mark the occasion we decided a trip to the zoo was in order... ten years of living in edinburgh and not one visit to the zoo (except as a photographer)!

i baked a cake. this cake. and i made a hole in the middle which i filled with m&ms before icing it.

i decided that there was a lot of colouring involved in the making of this cake and that i would make the layers using natural colours found in food... so i used grated carrot, juiced spinach, juiced beetroot, egg yolk and blueberry puree. making the colours was a lot of fun and poppy really enjoyed helping me with this bit! she was off to bed for the actual cake making though...

the zoo is a great place to visit with children, plenty to keep them occupied, lots of space to run wild, toilets dotted around and best of all it's fun for adults too :)

it was a really fun day and the sun even came out for a wee bit so we could enjoy our birthday picnic, cake and bubbles! we all knew it was time to go home when poppy dropped her beloved pink rabbit into the penguin enclosure and cried like she had lost the love of her life. a very lovely young man leaned over and saved him for her and thus saved the day!