Tag Archives: Food

Help your New Year’s Eve go with a bang!

Party ideas for New Year's Eve

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Help your New Year’s Eve go with a bang!

Ok, so I may not actually be following my party planning tips – yet!

With three small children and no babysitters, we usually struggle to stay awake to toast in the New Year in our pjs with a glass of lukewarm Prosecco and a few peanuts. However, in a few years’ time I will make up for it with a few fabulous parties! Excuse me if I start to sound like Pippa Middleton, but here are my plans for future New Year’s Eve gatherings, and how I celebrated pre-children.

I always think it is more
appropriate to offer a buffet
rather than a sit-down meal.

Then everyone can circulate and chat easily without having to converse with those sitting next to them. It also means that I can invite more people without worrying about chairs. I set the scene with sparkly silver decorations and lots of candles. I am old-fashioned too and absolutely LOVE party games. Charades and Pictionary or Cranium always evoke plenty of laughs, especially after a glass of champagne!

Lots and lots of delectable nibbles and delicious things to drink. I like to provide a mixture of shop-bought snacks and homemade. This enables me to enjoy the preparation without getting too stressed out. Mulled wine is a wonderful start to the evening but I also provide something non-alcoholic for the drivers and non-drinkers.

One really easy (old Dairy Diary!) drink I have made on numerous occasions is a jug of cranberry juice heated in the microwave with brown sugar, orange peel and freshly squeezed orange juice. Strained into glass mugs and served with a slice of orange. Delicious!

And for the food? A range of cheeses and crackers and grapes is easy and always popular. I offer bowls of crisps and homemade dips, as well as some succulent stuffed olives. I cook a few good quality pizzas and garlic breads and slice thinly.

And for your homemade goodies? They vary from year to year, but here are just a few of the best from Dairy Diary past and present.

Dairy Diary Festive Recipes for party food and drinks

If you’re entertaining on New Year’s Eve you will want to make the preparation as easy and hassle free as possible.

We have put together a super collection of our favourite Dairy Diary and Dairy Cookbooks festive and party recipes so that you can plan ahead to ensure that you enjoy the party too! They include…

Dairy Diary Favourite Festive Recipes has been formatted for mobile devices and PCs, so you can easily read the ingredients when shopping and follow the recipes in the kitchen or print from your computer. Take a look now http://www.dairydiary.co.uk/festive-recipes

 

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind…….. Happy New Year all!

 

 

 

St Andrew’s Day

St Andrew's Day

An icon of St. Andrew the Apostle by the Bulgarian iconographer Yoan from Gabrovo. 19th century.

On Friday it’s St Andrew’s Day – commemorated by the Scottish to remember their patron saint.

Andrew was a fisherman from Galilee, one of the original apostles who spread the gospel.

He was crucified by the Romans for his advocacy of Christianity. Some 300 years after his death the emperor decided to move his bones.

Legend has it that a monk was warned of this by an angel, who told him to move St Andrew’s bones to keep them safe. The monk transported them from Greece to Scotland. The place where he brought them shore is now known as St Andrews.

Of course, nowadays St Andrews is famous for
more recent events, such as the meeting place of
William and Kate – at Scotland’s oldest university –
and for its magnificent golf course.

I haven’t been fortunate enough to visit yet, but it does look like a lovely place, with magnificent beaches. Perfect for a blustery walk followed by a fish and chip supper!

 

 

For a taste of Scotland try these two delicious recipes

Scottish Oatcakes recipe and Cock-a-Leekie Soup recipe

Cock-a-Leekie Soup  and Scottish Oatcakes – both recipes are taken from the Around Britain cookbook.

Dairy Diary 2013 | Weekend recipes from the 2013 diary

Beef Casserole and Lancashire Scones recipes

The weather has taken a turn for the worst again with much of the UK forecast to experience lower temperatures over the next few days at least.

So we have a couple of suggestions to brighten your weekend.

This warming Beef Casserole recipe is simple and quick to prepare and can then be left to cook for a couple of hours while you get on with other things. Serve with a creamy mash and you have the ultimate comfort food!

Freshly baked Lancashire Cheese Scones are so moorish.  Sunday mornings are perfect for a little home baking and at just 30 minutes these little beauties are well worth the effort. The aroma is irresistible!

Why not share with your friends?

Have a safe and warm weekend.

Win this Hamilton 12 Piece Dinner Set from M&SLast chance this weekend
to win a Hamilton 12 piece
dinner set from M&S.

If you haven’t entered the prize
draw closes on Monday.

Beef Casserole recipe is taken from the Dairy Diary 2013.

Lancashire Cheese Scones recipe is taken from the new Take a Box of Eggs Dairy Cookbook.

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

Chinese New Year Recipes

Chinese New Year recipes

It was a little hectic in the office last week, ensuring that all the final 2013 Dairy Diary proofs were checked and signed off before the start of Chinese New Year (when our factory shuts down for a fortnight).

Thankfully everything is done now, so we can relax and think about the other products, such as the pocket diary, calendar, new letterheads etc. etc.

Several people have asked me how I work on a diary all year round, but with only two of us in the office we get involved in everything and the work is never finished!

I noticed in the diary that it’s the Chinese year of the dragon, which sounds pretty exciting.

I thought I would do a bit of research and find out what that is supposed to represent. According to Chinesenewyear2012.net: In 2012, the Dragon is welcomed back after the 2011 year of the Rabbit. Each of these animals are thought to bestow their characteristics to the people born in their year.

While the Year of the Rabbit was characterized by calm and tranquility, the Year of the Dragon will be marked by excitement, unpredictability, exhilaration and intensity. The Rabbit imbues people with a sense of cautious optimism, but people respond to the spirit of the Dragon with energy, vitality and unbridled enthusiasm, often throwing all caution to the wind.

So, I am intrigued to find out what animal I am.
I have checked out my birth year and I am a rabbit. Apparently, I am ‘affectionate, co-operative and pleasant, with lots of friends. But can get too sentimental and seem superficial. Ideal careers areas include law, diplomacy or the stage.’ I don’t know if my other half would agree with the co-operative bit!! And I seem to be in the wrong career. After some research, I have decided that I was born in the wrong year. I am definitely a rat, but would prefer to be a monkey! ‘Rats are said to be imaginative, charming and very generous to those they love – although they do have a tendency to be quick-tempered and over-critical. They are supposed to make good writers, critics and publicists.’

‘If you are born in the Year of the Monkey, you are very intelligent, well-liked by everyone, and will have success in any field you choose.”

Have a look at your birth year on chinese.new-year.co.uk

or you could just enjoy Chinese New Year by having a go at one of our delicious, Chinese-inspired recipes:

Sweet & Sour Lamb 
Special Fried Rice 
Lemon & Garlic Chicken 
Duck with Plum Sauce

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Duck with Plum Sauce

Duck with Plum Sauce recipe from Just One Pot

A bed of noodles with rich and succulent duck breasts and fruity sauce.

Preparation time 10 minutes
Cooking time 15 minutes
Calories per portion 733
Kcal Fat per portion 21g of which saturated 3.9g
Serves 2

For the plum sauce
Red plums 200g (7oz), halved, stoned and quartered
Cinnamon stick 1, halved
Dried red chilli 1, crumbled
Preserving or granulated sugar 75g (3oz) (or to taste)
Red wine vinegar 3 tbsp

For the duck
Olive oil 2 tbsp
Red onion 1, peeled and finely chopped
Root ginger 5cm (2in) piece, peeled and chopped
Skinless, boneless mini duck fillets 225g packet, or larger fillets, sliced
Pak choi 3, trimmed and sliced
Straight-to-wok noodles 300g packet

1 For the plum sauce, cook the plums in a wok with the cinnamon, chilli and sugar over a gentle heat for a minute or so. Then add the vinegar, stir well and simmer for 5–10 minutes or until the plums are tender and the liquid has reduced. The exact time will depend on the ripeness of the plums. Stir often to prevent the mixture from sticking to the wok. Tip into a bowl and remove the cinnamon stick. Rinse the wok.

2 To cook the duck, heat the oil in the wok, add the onion and ginger and stir-fry for a minute or so. Then add the duck and stir-fry for about 6 minutes or until the meat is golden and tender. Add the pak choi and noodles and stir-fry for 2 minutes.

3 Add half the plum sauce, mix well and serve on warm plates with the rest of the plum sauce in a separate bowl.

Cook’s tip 
Oriental food specialists Amoy make great straight-to-wok noodles. After cooking your stir-fry ingredients, you just add to the wok and cook for 1–2 minutes.

A Just One Pot  recipe.

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