Vegetarian Lasagne

Hmmmmm...I can hear you saying it at the thought of veggie lasagne. I spent most of yesterday saying the same thing.

You see I've been a vegetarian for 22 years and apart from bacon butties I've had no desire to eat meat. I never really liked the taste or texture of meat and I don't really like meat substitutes like tofu or Quorn. However a certain husband to be has had a hankering for lasagne and so yesterday I took the plunge and bought some Quorn mince *shudder*. 

Here's how to make it...

I browned the mince and while it was burning nicely I chopped up a carrot and half an onion into the teeny tiniest pieces imaginable and added these to the mince. Once the onions had softened I popped in a squished up garlic clove and a handful of basil and a tin of tomatoes. 

While the mince mixture was bubbling away I made a white sauce...I did add mustard and a generous handful of cheese to it so it wasn't a true bechemal sauce but it was tastier. ..

Now to the construction.  You put a layer of mince, cheese sauce and lasagne over and over again until you have run out of ingredients.  Try to finish off with a final layer of sauce and a generous sprinkling of veggie parmesan. 

Bake, serve and enjoy xBx     

Mini Baguettes

Afternoon all, 

Yesterday was a bit of a 'stay in bed' day.  Saying I felt rough would be a bit of an understatement...  However by the afternoon I was going slightly mad from being in bed so I bundled myself into my poorly jumper and headed to the kitchen, pulled up my stool and let the kitchenaid do all the hard work. 

So these were made with the hope that they would be little delicate breadsticks to go with the delicious garlic dip that the delicious Miss Rachel made.  They turned out quite chunkier though...all the more to dip with!

I do like a recipe like this that you dont need to go and fetch special ingredients for, you can just mix and make.

Ingredients.
2 tbsp honey,
1 1/2 cups of warm water,
1 packet fast acting yeast,
4 1/2 cups of bread flour,
1 tbsp salt,
2 tbsp melted butter

Method (could not be simpler!)
*Measure your ingredients using the darling measuring cups that cousin cath bought.
*Melt the butter in the new sospan fach that the parentals bought me for Christmas.
*Pop all the dry ingredients into your mixing bowl and give them a quick stir.
*Add the honey, water and melted butter.
*Start the mixer on a low speed and mix just until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl...I told you it was easy!
*Plop the dough onto your work surface and squidge it into a rough rectangle shape.
*Divide the dough into 12/18 pieces (this is where I struggled,  division was never my forte)
*Roll each piece into a long sausage and pop it onto a baking tray.
*Cover and leave in a warm place (under the duvet) until you're ready to bake.
*Bake in the oven until they're golden brown at 200ºc 

Toppings
I put a mixture of garlic salt, butter and olive oil on ours last night but I think you could put anything on them...within reason.  Maybe poppy seeds, chilli flakes, sesame seeds,  parmesan. ..

Eat and Enjoy

xBx

New Starts

So this is 2013. This is the year where everything changes. No more needing to feel scared. No more worrying about things I cannot change. just being...

Here are 13 things I am looking forward to;

• seeing the new daffodils peeking through the soil
• learning how to ice a cake
• using my new pizza shovel
• saying I do, me too
• lying on a picnic blanket with a cup of tea, family, friends, bunting and Mr Plumtree
• travelling with a warm bum
• moonlit walks back to the upper arches
• seeing Betws-y-Bryn get covered in snow
• filling a jar with happy memories
• being showered with homemade confetti
• training Finn how to shut a door behind him
• seeing how many layers of knitwear it's possible to wear while still being able to breathe
• December 31st 2013

Homemade with love Christmas

Hello my lovelies! Did we all have a beautiful Christmas? Here in Britain we were promised a White Christmas but sadly we ended up with a very, very, wet Christmas instead.

Nevertheless we still managed to have a lovely time. Presents were given and received, food was eaten and a  lot of non alcoholic wine was drunk by Mr Lardshow and I.

So to the homemade presents we made... our little white house has been smelling a lot like a little gingerbread house recently. Mr Lardshow helped me to make the gingerbread snowflakes and then on Christmas Eve when he had to go to work I brought the biscuits up to bed and got to work on the icing.

I really enjoyed icing these biscuits. There's no set design that you have to do, you can make them as basic or as complicated as you want. They did take me a long time though. Nearly 3 hours! The ones I'm most impressed with are the smaller snowflakes. They actually look like snowflakes!

I love the contrast of the brown and white, they match  our presents that we wrapped up with brown paper and string. 

So it will soon be new year's eve and the lovely Miss Rachel is coming up to stay. I can't wait to get cooking with her. 

2013 is going to be a new start. I. Can't. Wait.

Love. Love. xBx

Gingerbread

Happy Christmastime! The first of many gingery biscuits.

A few years ago I decided to stop buying presents for the sake of it and started making presents for people.

I have to say I don't like the taste of gingerbread but I love the way the smell of freshly baked gingerbread fills the house and makes it feel all cwtchy and Christmassy especially when the Christmas tree lights are on.

Once the biscuits have cooled down I like time pop them in a box and then' let it snow' all over them...

There's lovely xBx

Christmas Cotton Reels

Hello all,
Just a quick post on my new phone to show you some festive fancies I've been making. I was trying to make Christmas wreaths but I fear the wire we've got isn't strong enough. Anyway I thought you'd like to see the lovely ribbons and colours.
Enjoy.
XBX

Sugar coated shells.

Hello all, well it's nearly December and I can't wait. November has been a grotty mostly housebound month.

Here's to a month of Christmas biscuits, homemade gifts, a winter wedding, a visit to some much loved friends and a New Year with the delicious Rachel.

Baking is a struggle at the moment so I have no delights to share with you. I thought I'd show you some beautiful shells that we saw when my beloved took me out to the seaside one day.

They look like they've been covered in caramel and are just ready to be nibbled on...enjoy!

xBx