Homemade potato wedges recipe

Homemade Potato Wedges

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

3 large potatoes - washed

1 teaspoon of Paprika

3 teaspoons of Mixed Herbs

1 teaspoon of Five Spice

1 teaspoon of Ground Ginger

sprinkliing of Salt

sprinkling of Black Pepper

Olive Oil

Lemon Juice

Butter/Margarine to grease

Recipe:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180'c - Gas Mark 4
2. Grease a baking tray using butter or margarine (pastry brush) and pout some olive oil into a small bowl
3. Chop potatoes into quarters, then into wedge-shaped slices
4. Pour all the herbs and spices into a small bowl and sprinkle half over the greased baking tray
5. Using a pastry brush, 'paint' the wedge slices with olive oil and lie them on the baking tray (on top of the herbs and spices)
6. Use the remaining herbs and spices to sprinkle over the wedges - this way they are coated both sides
7. Slide the wedges onto the middle shelf and cook for approx. 20 minutes
8. Remove them from the oven and squeeze lemon juice lightly over them, also sprinkle the Salt and Black pepper
9. Shuffle them a little to ensure they're not sticking
10. Pop them back in the oven for another 15-20 minutes until crisp on the outside and soft inside

Enjoy!

Happy Saint Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

The above picture is definitely me and my boyfriend in cartoon gaming form!

(i will now refer to my boyfriend as Sonic in all posts)

As i leave the house for work at 6:30am - i haven't yet had the privilege of receiving my prezzies from my Sonic.. i can't wait until i get home!

I know a lot of people say they don't see why love should be specifically celebrated on this day and that you should show it all year round.. but there's no reason not to make this day special.

I always say i'll never go out for dinner on valentine's day as the 'offers' always seem to be more expensive than if you went on any other day! So instead i plan special meals at home that we wouldn't usually eat and spend the day (or closest day to it) just being together.

My Menu

Starter: Homemade garlic mushrooms

Main: Sirloin steak served with homemade wedges and onion rings

Dessert: Homemade coffee biscuits or coffee cake

The main course is such an easy option to cook! Simply fry the steak, shove the onion rings in the oven. Then i have such an easy recipe for homemade potato wedges - i will post this next!

As for the starter using tiny mushrooms and cooking them in a saucepan with melted cheese and garlic YUM spread.. easy peasy and really quick!

Then the dessert is apparently my 'famous coffee cake' so i'm very used to making it

I've also managed to book the day off work tomorrow and luckily Sonic works from home so we'll have a special meal tonight but then we'll spend 'our valentine's day' together tomorrow so we have more time to make the most of being together.

Have a happy and Love-filled day!

Coronation Chicken Wraps!

Coronation Chicken Wraps

(Makes 4 wraps)

Ingredients:

2 Chicken Breast Fiillets (chopped)

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

1/2 a large Onion

1 tablespoon Curry Powder

300ml Chicken Stock

1 teaspoon Tomato Puree

1/4 Lemon, juice-of

2 tablespoons Mango Chutney

100ml mayonnaise

3 tablespoons Double Cream (whipped)

4 Tortilla Wraps

- Salad is optional

Recipe:

1. Chop the chicken breast fillets into small pieces and set aside
2. Chop the onion and then prepare chicken stock (in a measuring jug)
3. Heat the Olive Oil in a large saucepan or Wok and add onions
4. Fry onions for 5 minutes or until beginning to brown
5. Lower the heat slightly and stir in the curry powder, mixing all the while
6. Add the Chicken stock, Tomato puree, Lemon juice and Mango chutney
7. Stir until it begins to bubble, then lower the heat and cook for 5-10 minutes (it will thicken slightly)
8. Allow to cool (takes around 10 minutes) then stir in the Mayonnaise and Double cream
9. Return to the heat
10. Add the Chicken pieces and cook for 5-10 minutes until chicken has heated and cooked thoroughly
11. Use a slotted spoon to put into the centre of tortilla wraps then fold up and serve immediately

Enjoy! They're suprisingly filling!

Happy Ash Wednesday - Beginning of Lent!

I'd just like to start by saying HAPPY ASH WEDNESDAY to everybody!

So.. as it's the first day of Lent, what's everyone giving up?

Chocolate has to be the most common one!

I like Lent, it is a time every year in which to monitor your self-control which i find a warming experience. I feel proud of myself at the end of Lent that i have managed to give up something that i really enjoy for 40 days (and 40 nights) and it makes it feel all the more rewarding the next time you indulge in your chosen treat!

I gave up meat one year as my dad dared me that i wouldn't be able to do it, it was difficult as first but i soon got used to it and i suprised myself with how i managed to live my daily life quite easily without eating such a common food. Infact i got so used to it that i ended up not eating meat for over a year! I did feel much better for it but then when a special occasion came around a year later it really did feel good to indulge in a large sirloin steak! Yum!

I've decided to give up fizzy drinks. As they are such a 'normal' part of life for so many people i think it will be tough for me as it's so easy to just grab one when you're thirsty for convenience. So that's my challenge..

I couldn't have possibly given up meat this year.. the Coronation chicken wraps i've just made were to die for! Far too yummy to be waiting that long to indulge..

(I'm posting the recipe next if anyone's interested!)

Good Luck Everyone!

I've been very lucky this week!

This week i have been lucky enough to be selected for 2 product tests with separate websites!

I am especially excited about these as i love spreading the word about new products, sharing experiences and also spreading the word of the sites that i'm working with!

It makes me feel good that i can give something back :)

Viakal - Savvy Circle

I was lucky enough to be picked to help trial a New Viakal limescale remover with Savvy Circle. I am a big cleaner in my house and do find it especially difficult to keep my bathroom and sink areas clean. I will definitely be keeping you updated on how well the product works and how it suits my needs!

The project details ask me to firstly, use the product as i normally would any other. Then to continually give my feedback to the site over the length of 6 weeks, filling out reports and taking photos as proof. Best of all i get to keep the product and continue to use it as i wish afterwards.

The product description:

 Everyone wants their kitchen and bathroom to look clean and have a great shine, but limescale and watermarks can make surfaces appear dull and unhygienic. Viakal has developed a limescale remover with a unique polymer pro-shine technology. The Viakal formula has been specifically designed to efficiently remove watermarks and limescale, while improving appearance, shine and protecting surfaces from further damage.

The formula works in the following ways:

• An acidic system works to remove unsightly limescale and watermarks.
• A thick formula allows the product to remain in contact with the surface for longer.
• The surfactants remove bathroom soil.

I'll keep you updated with how it goes! 

Sure Compressed Deodorant - BzzAgent

I was also lucky enough to be chosen to review New Sure Compressed Deodorant for BzzAgent. As i have a very busy lifestyle with working full time and also running the blog, i thought that hopefully, i would be an ideal candidate to test a new deodorant that promises to keep the same length of protection but being in a smaller bottle.. luckily they thought the same!

I am very excited to be testing this product more-so because, i am very eco-friendly and very pro-recycling! I think the idea is brilliant to reduce packaging and in turn, reduce waste. I am having fun spreading the word through family, friends and colleagues and now i hope to pass the message onto all of you!

It is a brilliant size, especially if you go out straight from work and you need to keep deodorant in your work bag and don't want it to take up loads of space! So far i have used the product for 3 days and i am very happy with it! I think i will probably change my deodorant full-stop to this now as it helps to promote the eco-message which is very me! It has given me maximum protection for a great amount of hours too!

Product description:

Something big (or should we say ‘small’) is happening to Sure deodorants... They have compressed even more protection into a little can half the size! That’s right, after years of development and testing, Sure have managed to re-engineer their aerosol deodorants so that it sprays out less gas than before but delivers more antiperspirant ingredient.

I will definitely keep you posted as the week goes on!

Happy Shrove Tuesday! (pancake day!!)

As always, i get very excited when it comes to pancake day.. growing up my mom made it a tradition that we'd have pancake's for tea without fail every year, even if she's been working night shifts (as a nurse).

My mom is a christian so also the Shrove Tuesday link always made pancakes more yummy, knowing that we would all give something up for lent the following day.

I'm looking forward to trying out some new pancake flavour combinations this year as i think it's time to change things up a little bit..

My list of flavours are:

• Blueberry and banana
• Nutella with walnuts
• Lemon curd

But of course i will also be using the traditional favourite: Lemon juice and sugar!

I hope everyone has fun making pancakes and i will put another post up later with my attempted efforts of the night!

Happy flipping! :)

BzzAgent: McVitie's Breakfast Biscuits

Thanks to BzzAgent i had the opportuntiy to test the New McVItie's Breakfast Biscuits before they were released instore. 

These are available in the flavours if:

• Porridge Oasts with Red Berries
• Porridge Oats with Apple & Sultana
• Porridge Oats with Honey

My flavour was the Porridge Oats with Red Berries.

I was sent the product in a discrete plain cardboard box with a simple 'BzzAgent' sticker on the front. I think this is brilliant as it keeps everyone from knowing if there are valuable products inside but when it's delivered, you still know exactly where it's from yourself.

When opening up the box i was greeted with a lovely message saying "Thankyou for opening your package so quickly!" Which i thought was a very nice personal touch as it gave me the feeling that my opinion mattered.

The box itself looks brilliantly bright and instantly noticable with the usual McVitie's logo. It looks very attracted and i definitely think that i would be drawn towards it in a supermarket. Especially as at the minute, they are retailing at just £1 in Tesco!

Opening the box, i found 6 packets of 4 biscuits. The packs are individually wrapped in a little cellophane packet so easy to fit in your handbag with no mess! The biscuits are about 15cm in length which i think are quite big so i was quite impressed.

As to the taste:

When you bite into the biscuit, it has a nice crisp texture but is also quite light. The flavour is also quite strong but without being overpowering - they are really yummy!

I found the flavour of oats came through with a nice hint of the red berries which made the biscuits really enjoyable as well as quite filling. I will definitely be taking some with me to work tomorrow to see how they settle into my office routine!

I definitely recommend these and i will definitely be buying a few boxes on my weekly shopping trip!

Rating: 5/5