Pudding

Easy Recipes for Chinese New Year | Spiced Chicken & Noodle Soup, Oriental Pork with Sweet Potato, Coconut Ice Cream

Chinese New Year recipes

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Easy Recipes for Chinese New Year

My parents are very conservative eaters, and so the first time I tried Chinese food was as an adult when a friend took me to Chinatown in Manchester – what a revelation!

I have been a fan ever since. It’s Chinese New Year on Friday (the year of the horse), which gives me a great excuse to indulge.

It’s not easy to recreate genuinely authentic
Chinese food, but we can enjoy some
delicious anglicised versions – from the
Dairy Diary of course – that are pretty
close to the real thing.

Here’s my menu for Chinese New Year on Friday. I can’t wait.

Chinese New Year Menu

Spiced Chicken & Noodle Soup

Oriental Pork with Sweet Potato

Coconut Ice Cream

Dairy Diary 2014

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How to save money and still have lots of fun! | Stress-free cooking for friends part one

Stress-free cooking for friends

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How to save money and still have lots of fun!

One of my ‘unofficial’ New Year’s resolutions is to entertain at home once a month. I’m afraid I am one of those irritating people who always tries to look on the bright side and find a solution to someone’s problem; so one evening when my other half and I were having a moan about our lack of social life (due to lack of babysitters and lack of money) I struck upon to idea of eating out, in, once every month.

At the start of each month we are going to sit down and plan out Night Out In. We will pick a couple of friends’ names out of a hat and plan a cosy informal meal – which isn’t going to stress us or cost lots of cash.

So for the price of a few scented tealights
– my current obsession –   some great-value
fresh ingredients and a bottle of wine we
will have a fantastic night in the company
of good friends, without the worry of
finding a babysitter.

Here is my first stress-free menu.

Everything is affordable and easy to make in advance, so it does not intrude on our social time.

Stress-free cooking for friends - recipes part one

Stress-free cooking for friends part one

Starter: Chorizo & Kale Soup

Main: Roasted Cod Loin wrapped in Pancetta

Dessert: Ginger & Marmalade Steamed Pudding

 

Clever One Pot cookbook

 

All of these recipes are taken from
Clever One Pot cookbook, which is
still available to buy online for
just £7.99.

buy bow

 

 

 

 

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Favourite Recipes for New Year’s Eve

Favourite recipes for New Year's Eve

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Favourite Recipes for New Year’s Eve

Did Santa bring you everything you hoped for? If a certain Dairy Diary was missing from your stocking then never fear, we have a few left.

Simply click to order your Dairy Diary and it will arrive in just a few days.

How are you celebrating New Year’s Eve? Although our evening will be spent at home (with three little people asleep upstairs), the occasion can still be special. I’m really looking forward to a cosy atmosphere with lots and lots of candles, Prosecco with a dash of elderflower cordial and some festive nibbles.

Here’s what I plan to make for
our New Year party for two.

Why not try these recipes too?

Parma Ham & Goat's Cheese Bruschetta

Parma Ham & Goats Cheese Bruschetta

Alaska Salmon & Halloumi Skewers

Alaska Salmon & Halloumi Skewers

Flambeed Cherries with Ice Cream

Flambeed Cherries with Ice Cream

 

What are your plans? A huge glamorous gathering? I’d love to know what you’re cooking.

Happy New Year everyone!

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Rhubarb Sorbet

Rhubarb Sorbet

Rhubarb SorbetServes 6
Time 35 mins plus freezing
154 calories per portion
0g fat of which 0g is saturated
Suitable for vegetarians
Suitable for freezing

Pink spring rhubarb 500g (1lb 2oz) washed, trimmed and cut into 2.5cm (1in) pieces
Caster sugar 225g (8oz)
Lemon 1, juice only

1 Put rhubarb, caster sugar, lemon juice and 150ml (¼ pint) of water into a non-reactive saucepan, cover with a tight fitting lid and cook gently for 15-20 minutes until rhubarb is soft.

2 Allow rhubarb to cool until cold, then pour all the mixture into a food processor and blend until smooth.

3 Freeze rhubarb mixture in an ice cream making machine. Or pour into a bowl and freeze, whisking frequently – around once an hour – to prevent ice crystals forming. When the sorbet is almost frozen, transfer to a plastic container, cover and store in the freezer until required.

4 Serve scoops of sorbet in chilled glasses.

A Dairy Diary recipe.

 

 

Our favourite pancake recipes

Dairy Diary favourite pancake recipes

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Favourite Pancake Recipes

For some reason I only ever cook pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. Why is that?

It’s as though someone has passed a law that states they only allowed on one day of the year! I love pancakes too; savoury and sweet, though I’ve not quite mastered a decent savoury pancake yet. I think the French are brilliant at these. I can still vividly remember the crêpe with cream and egg cooked for me on my French exchange as a fourteen year-old (which is more than a couple of years’ ago now, no comments on that please!)

So what’s your favourite pancake recipe?
I adore good old simple sugar and lemon
but I do like to cook something different too.

On the recommendation of my friend Gudi who tested this for me when we were putting together Take a Box of Eggs I shall be cooking Chicken, Broccoli & Cheese Pancake Bake followed by Apple Pancakes.

Roll on Pancake Day, I’m ready with my whisk!

Dairy Diary 2013 | Take A Box Of EggsBy the way, we still have a few copies of Take a Box of Eggs and Dairy Diary 2013,  available to buy online at  www.dairydiary.co.uk.

Make sure you invest in a copy if you haven’t already.

Be warm and toasty on Bonfire Night!

Bonfire Night recipes

It’s a glorious morning this morning, with the sun and frost making everything sparkle.

It will be a cold Bonfire Night tonight and so we had better wrap up warm!

Of course, eating something hot
and scrumptious is essential too.

On Saturday night we headed to our local Bonfire evening with much enthusiasm. The fireworks were terrific, but the catering left much to desire and I’m afraid to say that my five-year-old and I resorted to sharing a tub of pic n’ mix sweets and a hot chocolate as everything else looked so unappetising!

Tonight will be different though as we will be watching those unfailingly comical home-lit fireworks and consuming our own grub. This is my selection of goodies for tonight – all from the Dairy Diary of course! I can’t wait!

Have fun everyone and stay safe.

Broccoli & Apple Soup

Fruit n’ Nut Fapjacks

Hot Mocha Choc

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