What three kitchen items do you use the most often?The oven for baking, the kettle for boiling water and my Italian style stove top coffee pot.
What kitchen gadget do you wish you had?A Kenwood Chef mixer!!!!! I am going to have to go out and but this for myself as hints aren't working!
What kitchen gadget do you never use/wish you hadn’t spent money on?An electric steamer. I only used it a few times but it sat on my work top for ages before I finally took it to the charity shop. I didn't pay much for it as I got it on Ebay, so I didn't feel too bad.
What is your favorite cookbook?
I don't use cook books that often any more. I usually get new recipes from magazines, Good Food is a favourite, or from the internet. I do have a small collection of books though including Delia Smith. My favourite book is my own note book that has my families favourite recipes in and it goes back years.
Who is your cooking inspiration?
I'm not sure anybody has ever inspired me. My Mum wasn't a great one for cooking. She mainly did "meat and 2 veg" type dinners. My sister is a good cook and I have tried some of the things she does. My family love her crispy herb potatoes so I copy that! When my children were little we did a lot of baking and they are all very accomplished cooks. I get recipes from Coralie and Verity sometimes. Veritys homemade chicken and garlic Kiev's are to die for. Other than that I get inspiration from magazines.
I'm not sure anybody has ever inspired me. My Mum wasn't a great one for cooking. She mainly did "meat and 2 veg" type dinners. My sister is a good cook and I have tried some of the things she does. My family love her crispy herb potatoes so I copy that! When my children were little we did a lot of baking and they are all very accomplished cooks. I get recipes from Coralie and Verity sometimes. Veritys homemade chicken and garlic Kiev's are to die for. Other than that I get inspiration from magazines.
What are the three most important items on your spice rack?Sea salt, black pepper and parsley. I tend to use fresh parsley but I do have the dried stuff too.
What are two recipes you use all the time?
Fairy cakes! (Cup cakes, I think to my American friends). A very basic 4, 4, 4 and 2 recipe. That's 4oz each of caster sugar, flour and butter and 2 eggs.
Country Chicken, a dish of chicken breasts , leeks and mushrooms cooked in the oven.
Can you share a cooking/baking secret?
Add a can of Campbells condensed vegetable soup to stews for extra flavour and thickening.
Add a can of Campbells condensed vegetable soup to stews for extra flavour and thickening.
What is your greatest cleaning secret
Only do half an hours worth of chores at a time and then have some "me" time! This isn't exactly a secret, in fact half the blogging community are now doing the same! It works because you don't feel bogged down. My other secret? Washing soda, it's great for removing not just the stains on the laundry but for removing burnt on food from dishes and pans. Just add a scoop to the offending pan, fill with very hot water and leave for half a hour. The burnt bits just rinse off.
Only do half an hours worth of chores at a time and then have some "me" time! This isn't exactly a secret, in fact half the blogging community are now doing the same! It works because you don't feel bogged down. My other secret? Washing soda, it's great for removing not just the stains on the laundry but for removing burnt on food from dishes and pans. Just add a scoop to the offending pan, fill with very hot water and leave for half a hour. The burnt bits just rinse off.
What is your favorite thing to clean
The bathroom. It's an easy job that I do every day and I love it when it's all nice and shiny and the towels are hung exactly as I like them. Yes, there is a right and a wrong way to hang a towel in our house! It really annoys me when that aren't hung properly!
The bathroom. It's an easy job that I do every day and I love it when it's all nice and shiny and the towels are hung exactly as I like them. Yes, there is a right and a wrong way to hang a towel in our house! It really annoys me when that aren't hung properly!
What is your least favorite thing to clean?
The mirrored doors on the wardrobes in my bedroom. It's hard tedious work even though I have special micro fibre clothes that only require water. It still takes ages to polish them. As soon as I have done them, there are nose prints from my dogs on them again Loulou in particular likes to open the wardrobe by pushing the sliding panels with her nose! Actually that is a job that I should do this week. I see they not only have nose prints but hair spray residue on them!
The mirrored doors on the wardrobes in my bedroom. It's hard tedious work even though I have special micro fibre clothes that only require water. It still takes ages to polish them. As soon as I have done them, there are nose prints from my dogs on them again Loulou in particular likes to open the wardrobe by pushing the sliding panels with her nose! Actually that is a job that I should do this week. I see they not only have nose prints but hair spray residue on them!
Oh well, best get on with some jobs now!
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