It’s a new year – time to get life in order…
Library Corner
At this time of year, I always like to read lifestyle books
that help me get my life in order.
Previous Christmas gifts have included the fabulous The Goddess Guide and The
Goddess Experience by Giselle Scanlon; Clare Coulson’s House Rules, Camilla Morton’s How
to Walk in High Heels and A Girl for
All Seasons; the wonderful Things I
Wish my Mother had told Me, by Lucia Van Der Post; and the
brilliantly-titled How to do everything
and still have time for yourself, by Dawna Walter, also the author of The Life Laundry. I love all these authors and this style
of book – you can dip in and out like a women’s lifestyle magazine, but they
are incredibly useful to keep and refer back to particular sections for
reference for years to come.
I also look for interesting cookbooks to give me recipe
inspiration for healthy meals throughout the New Year ahead – as well as firm
favourites Nigel Slater and Bill Granger; I always go back to my Food Doctor
books for inspiration. I
particularly love Ian Marber’s healthy, low fat salad dressing suggestions, using
staple ingredients like vegetable juice.
Every January, I look forward to perusing my local bookshops
and charity shops for similar finds.
This year I was delighted to find Gok Wan’s Work Your Wardrobe and Nigella
Express in one of many of my well-stocked local charity shops, spurring me to
action to audit my wardrobe and plan some quick, delicious meals!
Then it’s on to some meaty reads to keep me going on the
commute – very excited to start Hilary Mantel’s Bring up the Bodies, especially having just read Alison Weir’s The Lady in the Tower, about the fall of
Anne Boleyn. I also have a stack
of Philippa Gregory novels waiting for me!
Happy reading…
The most wonderful time of the year…
On the subject of Anne Boleyn, I received several lovely
Christmas gifts from my wonderful husband on this theme – my Anne and Henry
Christmas tree decorations - shown in the picture; Hampton Court Tea Blend and Lemon Curd, and the
piece de resistance, a replica of Anne’s famous “B” necklace, in an “R” for me!
Time for tea?
Similarly, I also received a number of gifts from family and
friends related to, you’ve guessed it, tea! I am very proud of my beautiful Twinings tea chest; a
delightful book on afternoon tea from my mother in law; a fun tea towel and
shoe-shaped cake slice; this fabulous White Rabbit mug; and an entirely
different type of tea – Whittard’s Bath Tea Bags!Ah, thank you, lovely people - you know me so well!
We also enjoyed several afternoon teas at local favourites
The Original Maids of Honour in Kew and The Teacup in Richmond, where we
discovered Cinnamon black tea, perfect for this time of year! It smells like Christmas in a cup, and
Cinnamon is so warming and comforting…
Bath time treats
And not forgetting another of my favourite things – Soap
& Glory! I was lucky enough to
receive the enormous bag of goodies that is The
Best of All gift set. I am now
well and truly stocked up with my favourite Soap & Glory treats and looking
forward to some bath time pampering!
It was a lovely, relaxing holiday season – I was ill last
year, so really enjoyed decorating and entertaining in our little cottage this
time round – everything seemed very festive and very cosy.
The snow is on its way – time for some winter warmers…
It’s got a lot colder - snow is on the way. I promised to offer up some seasonal
recipes, so here are some lovely winter warmers to keep out the cold.
All recipes serve 2, but could easily serve more, as there
are usually leftovers that we keep in the fridge for a few days, or freeze!
Creamy Corn Chowder
Serves 2
What I love about this
recipe is that you can easily make it with store cupboard and kitchen staples –
there’s usually a tin of corn on the shelf and some bacon or ham in the fridge!
Ingredients
Bacon/ham/pancetta/Parma Ham – whatever you have. (I used Parma ham)
A glug of olive oil (I’m using Filippo Berio Extra Virgin
olive oil at the moment)
2 chopped large onions
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
Approx. 1 pint chicken stock (can use vegetable stock if
Vegetarian)
6 cups medium-diced white boiling potatoes, unpeeled (2
pounds)
One tin of corn or equivalent weight frozen/fresh corn kernels
2 tablespoons coconut milk/ a quarter of a small can coconut
cream (optional)
2 tablespoons crème fraîche
Grated cheese (any hard cheese works well), or 2 tablespoons
cream cheese
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
To cook
Use a large casserole/stockpot or saucepan. Cook bacon/ham in the olive oil over
medium heat, until crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside. Add the
onions to the pan (you may need to add a little more oil) and cook until the
onions turn clear.
Stir in the seasoning and turmeric and cook for about 3
minutes. Add the chicken stock, bring to the boil, then simmer uncovered for
around (10-15 minutes). Add the
corn to the soup, and then add the crème fraîche and/or coconut cream/milk
and cheese. Cook for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted and the soup
takes on a more creamy consistency. Season with a pinch more salt and pepper.
Serve piping hot with a garnish of crisped bacon/ham and, if you like, some
fresh parsley.
Make it even heartier…
No-chili Chicken Korma
Serves 2
I’m allergic to peppers and chilies, so often miss out on
the wonderful flavours of Indian cooking.
However, after some experimenting at home, I came up with a tasty korma
recipe without any chilies or related products. Should you wish to add some spice, you can add chili
flakes/paste or chili salt towards the end of cooking!
Ingredients
A large glug of olive oil
2 chopped large onions
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon chopped ginger
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 cinnamon stick or ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cumin
Small bunch chopped fresh coriander and parsley (reserve a
few sprigs for garnish) or ½ teaspoon ground coriander
Peeled potatoes – 2 medium/large potatoes should be enough
Frozen peas – about a cup full
Sweetcorn/carrots/beans – any vegetables you might have
handy
One tin of corn or equivalent weight frozen/fresh corn
kernels
2 tablespoons coconut milk
1/2 small can coconut cream
1 tablespoon crème fraîche
Teaspoon tomato puree
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
To cook
Fry the chicken in the olive oil (if using pre-cooked leftover chicken,
warm in the pan with the onions).
Once the chicken is cooked, add the onion (an possibly a
little more oil) until the onions are soft and translucent
Add the ginger, garlic, spices, tomato puree, salt and
pepper, lower the heat and cook for a few minutes, to release the flavours of
the spices. (If you want to make
the traditional version of this with fresh chili, this is also when you add the
chilies). Keep stirring – you
don’t want the mixture to burn to the pan – and add a little water if
necessary.
Add any vegetables and cook for about 10 minutes
Add the coconut milk, coconut cream and crème fraîche.
stir thoroughly and simmer on a low heat until the vegetables are soft, the colour
of the sauce turns a nice yellowy shade and the consistency is creamy. To thicken the sauce, add some.
Season to taste, serve with wholegrain rice and garnish with
a sprig of fresh coriander or parsley.
Veggie sausage casserole
Serves 2This is a cold weather favourite at home. Quick and easy – and can even all be
thrown into the slow cooker and left to bubble away while you’re at work!
Ingredients
6-8 veggie sausages (try Linda McCartney or Quorn sausages)
A large glug of olive oil
2 chopped large onions
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
Tin chopped tomatoes
½ pint vegetable stock (if you aren’t a vegetarian, chicken
stock also works really well!)
Frozen peas – about a cup full
Half a can sweetcorn
4 carrots
Half can cannellini beans
Half can kidney beans
Any other vegetables you might have handy – chopped butternut squash beans,
leeks, spinach all work well
2 tablespoons crème fraîche
1 teaspoon tomato puree
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Fresh thyme
Fresh rosemary
To cook
Fry or grill the veggie sausages, slice and reserve. Cook the onions and leeks (if using) in the oil until
translucent. Add the other
vegetables and cook for around 10 minutes on a medium heat (if using spinach,
don’t add this until a few minutes before the end of cooking). Add tinned tomatoes and stock and bring
to the boil. Add the herbs, season
with salt and pepper. Reduce heat
and simmer for around 15 minutes, until all the vegetables are soft. Add any leafy vegetables (eg. spinach)
and cook for a few minutes more.
Serve over wholegrain rice or pasta, (or with mashed potatoes/carrot and
suede mash) and garnish with any fresh herbs you might have - parsley works
well.
Happy New Year everyone – and bon appétit!
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