It's all scone wrong...

So I tried to come over all 'domestic goddess' and bake some scones this afternoon and boy did it hammer home just how bad I really am at cooking! I swear I followed the great Delia Smith's recipe TO THE LETTER and they still turned out looking more like biscuits than scones. They were tiny and flat (and yes I did use self-raising flour) and generally a huge disappointment. I always find myself lusting after those amazing baked goods people seem to be whipping up left, right and centre and then posting on their blogs but this experience has reinforced my belief that baking simply is NOT for me!

So, to cheer myself up I naturally spent some quality time over on Pinterest where I found a few of these beauties:

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Drooling yet? I know I am! They all look a little different, but they certainly look nothing like my weird scone-biscuit hybrids! Ah well, I guess I'll stick to fairy cakes from now on...

Does your baking ever go drastically wrong or does the finished product look like the ones above? Any fail-safe recipes I could try?

Sarah x

It's Tradition!

So here we are, it's Christmas Eve! You'd have to be a bit of a Scrooge to not be feeling Christmassy by now! I definitely think the build-up in the weeks before the big day is just as much fun and I've got to admit I still haven't lost that 'night before Christmas' excitement. Christmas Day in our house is often quite hectic, especially when the grandparents are staying, so rather than trek to church in the morning, we go to the crib service the night before. Even though this is aimed at children, it's a great chance to sing some carols and immerse yourself in the festive feeling.

weheartit.com

Christmas day in our house hasn't changed much since we were children, and I love that! My little sis (not so little really, she's almost 18!) still insists on dragging us out of bed at some ungodly hour - while this used to be 7am, we've managed to push her back until 8.30am! I've never exactly been a morning girl, but somehow it seems a little easier when you know that Father Christmas has been!

After presents from Santa and breakfast, we head out to our local beach for a short walk on the cliffs. My friends all say they can't think of anything worse, but I love doing this (especially last year when it was a white Christmas). It blows away the cobwebs and gives you a chance to work up your appetite. We also often bump into people we know, so it's a great time to wish people a 'Merry Christmas'.

The cliffs last Christmas Day

Once the turkey is in the oven and we've had a light lunch (usually soup), it's into the lounge to open all the presents under the tree. My sister and I used to love choosing and handing out the presents and it's become our job for the afternoon. We usually have some nibbles and a glass or two of champagne while we open our pressies, which always goes down well.

After presents it's time for dinner and boy does my ma know how to put out a good Christmas spread!

I hope everyone has a lovely Christmas and has a chance to relax and spend time with the people they love. Have a great day everybody!

Sarah x

Recipe: Cajun Chicken with Pineapple Rice

My friends threw a little 'Come Dine With Me'-style party the other evening and we all had to take a dish. Now I am not the niftiest in the kitchen, but had a crack at it and this was the dish I made! I must admit I was pretty pleased with it, as it's tasty and actually quite healthy (although the mountains of yummy pudding after certainly weren't!). The only thing this bad boy doesn't win any points for is looks - I actually won 'Least Aesthetically Pleasing'! But anyway I though I'd share the recipe:

Cajun Chicken with Pineapple Rice – serves 4

Ingredients

·         Olive oil

·         1 red pepper

·         1 small tin of sweetcorn

·         2 tbsp Cajun spice mix

·         250g long grain rice

·         1 chicken stock cube

·         1 small tin pineapple chunks in natural juice

·         Chicken (standard pack)

Recipe

1.      Heat oil in pan and fry diced pepper, sweetcorn and half of spice mix

2.      Mix up stock cube in 700ml of boiling water, then add this and rice to pan.

3.      Bring to the boil, gently stir in and then lower the heat. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

4.      Meanwhile, cut chicken into chunks and rub in the remaining spice mix.

5.      Heat oil in a separate pan and fry chicken.

6.      Gently stir in pineapple chunks and juice into rice and allow to simmer for a further 3-4 minutes.

7.      Add chicken and serve.

8.      Enjoy!

It's also great cold if you fancy taking the leftovers for lunch the next day!

Sarah x

Back with a Veg-ance

Don't think that title really worked did it? Never mind, sorry I've been off the radar for a while, things have been so busy! But here I am once again.

I HAD to share my Innocent Veg Pot experience! I am not a vegetable lover at the best of times, and really struggle to try and get my five a day in. Recently I've been making a big effort to try and eat properly, as I know I'll always feel so much better when I've had plenty of fruit and veggies. One of my problems is that I find just plain old veg so boring (and broccoli is just plain horrible), so when I spotted this little pot reduced  in my local shop, I couldn't wait to try it!

Delicious!

I had the whole pot for dinner and it was delicious! I'm not a huge fan of spice, but it was perfect and although there were no noodles/rice etc., it was still really filling. For people like me who don't drool over healthy stuff, this is the perfect solution. I must admit, they're not cheap so I would only buy them reduced, but if that's your bag then I thoroughly recommend!

Well done to the lovely Innocent people :)

Sarah x