Recipe: Scottish Pasties

This is a cheeky little take on the typical cornish pasty- using very similar ingredients in the original cornish recipe, but using haggis instead of lamb! This is a fabulous recipe to make the day after Burn's night, because it's the perfect way of using up any leftover haggis, and any extra swede you may have still. These pastys are really good too, because they can be eaten hot with gravy and veg, or cold as well- just had one cold for my lunch with some of my homemade green bean piccalilli on the side, REALLY nice.

Scottish Pasties (makes 6)

2 tbsp olive oil
½ white onion, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp thyme
200g finely diced swede
1 carrots, peeled and finely diced
1 potatoes, peeled and finely diced
500ml beef, chicken or veg stock
1 tsp bisto gravy granules
1 tbsp Worchester sauce
200g cooked haggis
Salt and pepper to taste
2 sheets ready rolled Short crust pastry
Milk or egg (for brushing)

1. Sautee the onion, garlic and thyme in the olive oil for five minutes, or until softened. Add the carrots, potatoes, swede, stock , Worchester sauce and bisto, bring to the boil, and cook on a high heat for 20 minutes, stirring often.
2. Remove this mixture from the heat, stir in the haggis, and allow to cool. Preheat the oven to 200C. Roll out the two sheets of pastry. Using a bowl as a guide, cut out two circles out of each sheet. Re-roll the trimmings of pastry until the same thickness, and cut out two more circles.
3. Fill these six circles with a generous amount of the haggis mixture. Fold the pastry over and crimp at the edges, and put on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Poke out a couple of little holes in the top of each pasty, brushed with egg or milk, and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes. Serve- hot or cold!

Monday Meeting: The Rubbish Diet Challenge Wk 5

Welcome to Week 5 of The Rubbish Diet Challenge.   

This week, the focus is on the garden and with Spring almost in the air, it's perfect timing to start thinking about how your garden can help reduce rubbish, as well as how you can reduce waste whilst gardening.

Even if like me, you're not a particular useful gardener and are more likely to fall into the category of willing but hapless, there are still things that you can do, to inspire you to keep slimming that bin.

So for those who are ready to embark on Week 5,  have a think about this week's mini-challenges.

1. Stop buying those bagged salads and grow your own instead.  You don't need much space.  A couple of pots will do for planting a few seeds of mixed mediterranean leaves.  So when you're out shopping this week, look out for a packet at the supermarket or garden centre and get planting.  Then plant some more in a few weeks time and keep going throughout the summer.  You'll probably never have to buy expensive salads again.

2. Think about other easy things that you can grow in the garden, such as herbs that you use for cooking.  There are lots of sites that advise on how to grow, harvest and store them for use out of season. I love the online guide at Growing Spaces, which provides very simple advice.  So, if you haven't started a herb garden yet, make this the year to do it, even if you've only got a window-sill. Not only will it save you money, you won't have to worry about recycling all that plastic film or even pots. If you've got a garden and love cooking, I'd also recommend planting a bay tree. The leaves are brilliant for adding flavour to sauces and soup and the branches are great for floral decorations too.  Of course if you love cut flowers, and have the space, consider growing some of your favourites, for you to bring indoors.

3. If you are a fairly keen gardener, think about ways in which you can reduce waste in the garden. It's possible to reduce the number of plants you buy from the garden centre, simply by splitting a plant in two, or learning to harvest seeds as well as propogate.  Of course, plant pots can always be reused, or passed on via sites such as Freegle or Freecycle, but if you find yourself with too many, it's also worth checking if your garden centre will recycle them.  Some recycling centres, such as the ones throughout Suffolk, will also now accept them as part of their hard plastics collections. Other waste that can be recycled as a result of garden purchases includes compost bags etc. Often these are made from the same material as other plastic bags, so check the labels and recycle with your carrier bags if your local facilities provide such services.

4. Get composting. Many people are afraid of composting, but my own experience has shown that even with a cheap plastic bin, it's possible to create something that has nutritional value, even it it doesn't look much like compost or if the only place you can use it is under some shrubs at the back of the garden. And I am in constant awe of how difficult it is to actually fill a compost bin, thanks to the speed in which its contents break down. When it comes to composting, there are many options to consider, whether it's the traditional compost heap, a plastic bin or a wormery. Wiggly Wigglers is a great site for comparing the costs of various options.  Also Get Composting works in partnership with local councils and often has offers available on many solutions.

5. Bury your food waste in your garden.  I know that sounds gross, and I don't really mean that you should just go and dig a hole and bury the remains of your Sunday dinner, just like so.  Of course, having waded through the challenges in Week 3, you should now be on the path to minimising food waste. However, for whatever remains, there are now plenty of solutions that can help you turn any leftovers into compost. Perhaps the simplest is a wormery, which will accept all sorts of mush except for fish or meat leftovers. BBC gardener and Guardian columnist Alys Fowler has also recently published a review of the Bokashi bin, which enables you to collect scraps, including meat, and uses a fermenting process to allow it to be added to your compost bin. Alternatively, the Green Johanna and the Hotbin use hot composting to enable you to add all sorts of food waste directly to other compostable materials.  These are more expensive than your average compost bin, but if you have the space and the determination, they are worth considering.

For more information about the ideas listed above, take a look at the accompanying online guide for The Rubbish Diet Challenge.

Some of our participating households have already got stuck into composting, with others planning to try it soon. I know that Tim is already seeing a real reduction in his waste as a result of getting a compost bin for his garden.  It was tricky trying to catch up with everyone during half term, but now the holidays are over, the weigh-in data is starting to come in and it's already making positive reading.  The results below will be updated as and when the information is available.

1.  Terry-Anna.
Household: 2 adults, in Ipswich Borough, Suffolk. 
WK1 Weigh-in: 1.5 large bags, filling one third of a wheelie bin (fortnightly):  WK 5: 3 quarters of a bag.

2.  Ness.  @NessyThompson
Household: 2 adults & 5 children, a rural village in Mid Suffolk
WK1 Weigh-in:  2 full wheelie bins (fortnightly).  WK 5: 4 bin bags (one bin)

3.  Donna.  @Donna_De
Household: 2 adults, in Tower Hamlets in London. www.beatinglimitations.com/blog
WK1 Weigh-in: 1 30L rubbish sack. (weekly).  WK 5:

4. Amy. @AmyMarpman
Household: 2 adults in New York City.   www.beyondthebluebin.com
WK1 Weigh-in: 2 bin bags - estimated 9kg / 20lbs. (Weekly) WK 5: Not enough rubbish to put out during week 4 but estimating that combined with WK5, this is like to amount to 2 bags for the fortnight, weighing 4.08kg/9lbs.

5: Kate. @BusinessPlumber
Household: 2 adults, in a rural village in Mid Suffolk : www.businessplumber.co.uk
WK1 Weigh-in: 1 unusually full wheelie bin - incl Christmas waste. (fortnightly): WK 5: 2 bags.

6: Jax. @LiveOtherwise
Household: 2 adults, 3 children & a baby on its way, in Suffolk Coast. http://liveotherwise.co.uk/makingitup/
WK1 Weigh-in: 7 small bin bags - filling one third or half of a wheelie bin (fortnightly). WK5:

7.Melanie
Household: 2 adults, 2 children, Aylesbury Vale, Buckinghamshire
WK 1 Weigh-in:  3 large bin bags, almost filling a whole wheelie bin. (weekly).  WK 5 1 bag

8.Tim @Dotterel
Household: 2 adults, 3 children, Lincolnshire.  www.bringingupcharlie.co.uk
WK 1 Weigh-in: 1 full wheelie bin (fortnightly). WK5: 5 small bags, with a few days to go until collection. Currently looking like half-a wheelie bin.

Don't forget, just because the Rubbish Diet challenge is already in WK 5, it doesn't mean that you can't join in.  Just visit the online guide to catch up with everything you need to do.  There's also lots happening on Twitter too, so to join in the conversation just use the hashtag #therubbishdiet, or tweet @karencannard.

Recipe: Quick Thai Yellow Chicken Curry

This is a nice simple recipe, for a quick and very tasty Thai curry. Thai yellow curry is the mildest type of thai curry, much milder than green or red, and in Thai restaurants often potatoes are traditionally added to this dish also. I use Mae Ploy yellow curry paste for this, which is a great brand. I dont think the main supermarkets sell thai yellow paste at the moment- but i'm sure eventually this dish will catch on and there will be enough demand for it so supermarkets will start stocking it- but for now you should be able to find any sort of yellow thai curry paste at your local asian shop. This isn't to be confused with another thai dish known as kaeng lueang or "yellow curry"- which is a very sharp and spicy dish.

Thai Yellow Chicken Curry (serves 3)

2 tbsp olive oil
½ white onion, diced finely
1 garlic clove, finely diced
1 tsp crushed ginger
1 yellow pepper, diced
3 mushrooms, diced
3 baby sweet corn, diced
400g diced raw chicken breast
1 tsp Schwartz Thai 7 Spice mix (mostly made of chilli garlic and ginger powders)
1 rounded tbsp yellow Thai curry paste
1 tin coconut milk
200ml chicken stock
Handful fresh basil (plus extra for garnish)
100g frozen peas
Splash of soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Fry the onion, garlic and ginger in the oil on a medium heat for 3 minutes. Add the peppers, mushrooms and baby corn, and fry for a further 3 minutes.
2. Add the chicken and thai spice, and cook for a further 4 minutes. Add the coconut milk, thai curry paste and chicken stock, bring to the boil, and cook on a high heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
3. Add the basil and frozen peas, and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring often. Add a splash of soy sauce, season to taste, and serve with some extra basil leaves on top.

The Rubbish Diet, Wk 4: Saturday catchup. Bins, Blogs, Zambia & Cars

I'm afraid I've not been around much this week, but with very good reason.  It's been a very busy half-term holiday and we've been scuttling around keeping the children entertained, including visits to London and Cambridge.

Of course, always on the look out for rubbish inspiration as well as examples of urban grot, I had my camera at the ready to snap some photos, some of which were tweeted using the hashtag #RubbishHolidaySnaps.  Well, one has to maintain one's reputation, don't you think, especially when it's been previously noted in the national press.

But it's great to see that more towns and cities are now providing on-street recycling facilities for shoppers and visitors. Pictured left, is an example of the bins that have been upgraded in Cambridge City Centre, enabling passers-by to recycle cans, plastic bottles and glass.

Yes, I agree, most people would be more interested in taking photos of Kings College, which has much more of a spectacular presence, but any glass or aluminium recycled in these bins could be with us as a resource for just as long as the buildings pictured behind.  I just wish that council waste & street-scene departments would hook up with the local tourist information services, to proactively publicise the pride that they take in these facilities, to help raise awareness and to seek to improve capture rates.

In other news, a new website hit my attention this week,  Zero Waste Events.  Inspired by the Zero Waste Events Protocol for London 2012, Zero Waste Events has been created by Coca-Cola and WRAP, to develop a network of knowledge, ideas and case-studies for enabling events to be managed with the promise of zero waste to landfill.  It is aimed at becoming a long-lasting legacy of the games itself, learning lessons from the knowledge of running such a major event in the UK.  The network is free to join.  Just visit zerowasteevents.org for more details.

Now one of the greatest surprises over the last few weeks, has been the enthusiasm amongst the Twitter community for getting on board with The Rubbish Diet Challenge. As well as the "Rubbish Diet 8" - ie, the households who have agreed for me to mentor and prompt them along with my smiles, soft reminders and other subtle techniques - other folk have volunteered themselves for the challenge too and some are also blogging about it.  If you haven't caught up with them already, do make sure you have a peak at their blogs or tweets:

@Wholeself aka Kate Grifftiths:  Blog - http://mumsdaword.blogspot.com/
@TurquoiseLemons aka Kate Stuart: Blog- http://www.turquoiselemons.com/
@RubbishGeek aka Joanna Boardman: Blog - http://www.letswastelessnel.blogspot.com/
@MichelleBest: Blog - http://mjbest.wordpress.com/

Twitter has proved to be as useful as ever for sharing updates and connecting up with folk who are interested in reducing waste, and one of the most inspirational links this week has been finding out about tweeter & blogger, Catharine Witheney's experience in Zambia.

The blogpost that she wrote to describe recycling in the capital city of Lusaka is very humbling indeed. It highlighted the appreciation of maximising resources and the care in choosing some packaging materials over others, as well as finding resourceful ways of generating value out of something that is peceived to have no value at all.

Naturally, Catharine's experience in Zambia is such a contrast to life in the UK and similar developed countries and whenever I hear first hand accounts like this, it always make me re-evaluate the definition of "developed" and the disconnection with the value of resources that such progress has created.  Catharine's blogpost is truly inspirational and touches on a range of simple solutions that underpin what Zero Waste thinking is hoping to achieve in a wider sense.  So do pop along to have a peek: http://withenay.blogspot.com/2012/02/rubbish-post.html.

And moving swiftly back to the industrialised western world, with which I am more familiar, I couldn't close this week, without sharing the news that car manufacturer Ford is switching to the use of recycled plastic bottles for the interior of its new electric car.  Recycled PET is proving to be a popular material for many products and this is the latest in a long line of applications such as clothing, umbrellas, accessories and packaging. 

The news announced on Edie this week reveals that Ford aims to divert two million plastic bottles from Landfill, and through this process it will help raise awareness of recycling in the U.S, where the capture rate is still only 29%.

Tips To Preventing Stretch Marks in Pregnancy

Beauty Tips: Information to Preventing Stretch Marks in Pregnancy

At the time of pregnant you know that you and your body want to face a lot of changes. Your stomach stretches and swells where other places just aren't the same size that they used to be. But it is importance it to know that soon you will be holding that precious land handsome little child in your arms. Most of the researcher’s proclaimed that the likelihood of you getting stretch marks during pregnancy will amplify if your mother had stretch marks during pregnancy. Let us observe some good quality tips on preventing stretch marks during pregnancy.

Consume a healthy well reasonable diet and drink ample amount of water. Speedy weight increase is a familiar cause of stretch marks and is unhealthy for you and your baby. Eating right at some stage in pregnancy can aid you keep your weight gain below control. Talk with your doctor regarding how much weight you should achieve during time of your pregnancy. Just for the reason that you are eating for two doesn't mean that you have permission to exceed it. Drink abundance of water to keep your skin well hydrated and elastic.

Acquire your pre natural vitamins. Your body needs further vitamins and minerals at this time therefore taking your vitamins will enhance those needs. It will also assist you to enlarge beautiful skin and hair during your pregnancy.

One more way to keep away from stretch marks is to use creams that contain vitamin E or cocoa butter. Massage these creams on top of your skin where stretch marks are forming. The massaging act itself can raise blood flow to that region and moderate visible stretch marks. There are bounties of creams on the market that declare to lessen the appearance of stretch marks. You might crave to seek numerous to see what works pro you.

Beauty Tips For Teeth

Beauty Tips: Good Teeth Implies Good Health

Strong teeth imply the strong health! Without help of teeth no one could able to eat anything or able to taste anything as they desire.  So it is must to take care of your teeth daily. You must be very care in choosing your tooth paste, which afford strength to the teeth. You are eating as your desire; hence gems are getting into your teeth and slowly damage your teeth. So be careful for now itself!

Let us observe, how to maintain the teeth by some excellent procedures that given below:

• First of all you need to learn the system of brushing. If you clean your brush in the systematic manner, then gems won’t stay inside your teeth. All the first, brush your teeth with good quality of brush, which available at all shops now. Brush your teeth gently in the circular manner. At the same time, massage it your finger.
• You must want to select good quality of tooth paste, which are accessible in the market.
• Transform you toothbrush once in ninety days.
• Floss habitually to eliminate the plaque and food debris caught between the teeth.
• Make use of a mouthwash to formulate certain that your breath is fresh. Position a few drops in lukewarm water and rinse your mouth subsequent to you clean your teeth in the morning.
• Brush your teeth for two times daily, which is morning and at night before going to bed.
• visit the famous dentist regularly to clean your teeth.

Recipe: Pheasant, Mushroom and Leek Casserole

This is what I cooked Nick for Valentines day, although he decided he'd rather spend the night at the pub rather than coming home for dinner! Humph! If i wasnt used to it, i guess i'd be annoyed- but anyway, he bought me a very nice bouquet of flowers for Valentines (I suppose I would be annoyed if he didnt- we live next to a ruddy florist! Lol!!!). Very nice bouquet indeed- not the usual red roses, but a really colourful spring bouquet with red tulips, little daffodils and blue hyacinths- and i love the hyacinths because they make my little desk smell lush! This is the first time i have cooked or tried pheasant- i bought it because it was on offer at Sainsburys- but i must admit I am very pleasantly surprised. So was Nick too actually, who before dinner was determined to say he didn't like pheasant, even though he can't remember ever trying it! You could try this recipe with any other game bird, or even chicken or pork if you prefer.

Pheasant, mushroom and leek casserole (serves 3)

1 tbsp olive oil
40g butter
1 red onion, diced finely
2 thin streaky rashers smoky bacon
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 skinless pheasant breasts, diced
200ml white wine
125g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
1 large leek, diced
300ml chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1-2tbsp double cream
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp corn flour, mixed with water
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Fry the red onion, garlic and bacon in a casserole pot for 3 minutes. Add the pheasants and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the wine, and cook for 2-3 minutes in order to burn off most of the alcohol.
2. Add the mushrooms and leeks and cook for a further 2 minutes, stirring often. Add the chicken stock and bay leaf, cover, and put in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove, add cream, mustard and corn flour, and return to the oven for a further 30 minutes.
3. Give the casserole a good stir, and put back into the oven for a final 30 minutes. Remove, season to taste, remove the bay leaf, and serve!