Leek and Potato Soup

For those of you who don't know me that well I'll let you into a not so secret, secret...I'm a terrible cook! Which I have to say is pretty frustrating when you're a real foodie like me.  It's not for the want of trying either.  I really do put the effort in but somehow the end product doesn't end up tasting or looking quite so, er desirable.

I really don't get it.  I always follow the recipe step by step. Take for example the chocolate cake I made in August.  I followed that recipe WORD FOR WORD and this was the end result! Shocking I know!

In my defence I would just like to say that a) the recipe didn't explain how much mixture to put in the tin and b) how the heck do you get the icing to stick to the cake without destroying half of it in the process!? On a positive note the cake actually tasted really nice and the five people who tried it lived to see another day.

And then there was the time I made pavlova. Note I said pavlova and not pizza as the below photo would lead you to believe.

Seriously , I have more chance of becoming a quantum physicist than I do a master chef.  However, just occasionally miracles do happen when I'm in the kitchen and it seems only fair to share my culinary delights with those of you also lacking skills in the kitchen department.  I know you're out there, show your faces!

As winter's approaching there's nothing a nicer than a warm hearty soup.  My favourite has to be Leek and Potato soup and it's got to be the easiest soup to make, in the world!!  Obviously I haven't put this to the test, if there are easier soups to make please feel free to comment below.

Leek and potato soup literally has 3 - 4 ingredients, 5 if you include seasoning,  Is that technically an ingredient? Who knows, lets not ponder! When I make soup I always think it's nice to make a big batch so we can get a few lunches from it, you could even freeze some of it.  So bear in mind these quantities are very generous!

8 leeks

7 small / medium potatoes

1 garlic clove

Vegetable stock

Salt and pepper

Cut off the stringy white end of the leek, peel a couple of layers off, then cut off the dark green part and throw away.  It feels like you've cut your leek in half and thrown it away, which seems like a waste but as far as I'm aware there's nothing else you do with that end of the leek!  Again feel free to enlighten me, as we all know I'm no expert!  

Slice the leeks around 2cm thick. Peel and chop the potatoes into quarters or smaller.  Remember, the smaller they are the quicker they'll soften.  Try to keep them roughly the same size so they cook through at the same time.  Add some oil to a big saucepan, throw in the the leeks and potatoes, add a crushed garlic clove and some salt and pepper, put the lid on the pot and leave to sweat on a low heat. I always fret that the veg will stick to the pan, so I keep going back to give them a good stir.  

After about 15 / 20 minutes I add some boiling water with a stock cube so that the veg really begins to boil down.  Then just leave this simmering on a low heat until the leeks and potatoes have completely softened.  Once you're happy the veg has completely cooked through, take off the heat and use a handheld blender to liquidise the soup.  Add water depending on how thick or thin you like your soup.

So in a nutshell, peel and chop your veg, chuck in a pan to sweat, add some stock, boil down, liquidise and that's it! Easy as pie, except that's a ridiculous comment because making pastry is not easy to do, at least not for me anyway! They should change it to 'easy as eating pie'. That I can do!

So, are you a terrible cook?  Do recipes baffle you?  Have you got an easy recipe you'd like to share if so I'd love to hear from you! 

Sure As Eggs

Lately we've been trying to eat more healthily.  We've been eating a lot more salad, grilled fish etc and also tried to cut down on carbs, which I have to say I'm finding difficult!  Potatoes, rice, pasta, bread etc have for me, always been an essential part of every meal on a daily basis! Trying to cut them out has been really difficult!  We've also started trying to eat more eggs. They're packed with protein, full of nutrition and amazingly versatile and to be honest we don't eat enough of them. In fact according to British Lion Eggs the limit on egg consumption has now been lifted as it's known the cholesterol they contain doesn't not have a significant effect on blood cholesterol.  

We were recently sent this Severin EK3157 Egg Boiler, which was handy as we all know I'm pants in the kitchen! This electric egg boiler seemed like the foolproof way to achieve hard or soft boiled eggs and if I can work this little baby anyone can!

The electric egg boiler is pretty small and able to cook up to six eggs at a time with just one small container of water.  Add the eggs, water and then set the timer to the required setting and leave it to do it's thing.  It'll let you know when it's ready by beeping continuously.

The first egg I tried was on a medium setting which seemed to come out quite firm with a soft, but not runny, yolk 

I tried cooking another egg on the lowest setting and this resulted in a much runnier yolk.  Perfect for dippy egg and soldiers, except no carbs means no soldiers!

Whilst on the British Lions Egg website I noticed their sister site packed with 100s of recipes.  I actually can't believe how many different meals you can make with eggs! In fact, I can't believe how versatile the simple omelette is!  I'll definitely be trying out the carb free omelette fajitas and Liz McClarnon's Thai style stuffed omelette! Visit omelette recipes to see exactly what I'm on about and tell me which is your favourite!

*Sponsored post.

The Orange Tree, Newcastle Under Lyme

After a hard days wedding dress shopping, it's an exhausting process honest, mum and I felt we deserved a some lunch at The Orange Tree in Newcastle under Lyme.

Now although I'm a real foodie, I've never felt compelled to write a restaurant review. Until now.  You see, I loved everything about this place. The food. The décor. The staff. Even the toilets! Yes I kid you not, even the toilets get a mention!  How many times have you visited a really nice bar or restaurant only to nip to the loo and discover they forgot to include the toilets in their extensive and rather expensive refurb? It always raises the question, if they can't be bothered about the toilet's what other corners have they cut? In my opinion, attention to detail is essential and this place has got it in the bag.

Light fittings made entirely of feathers (Image courtesy of The Orange Tree)

Not only was the food and presentation pretty spectacular, the staff were lovely.  They were chatty but not in your face, professional yet friendly and constantly working to ensure you received the best dining experience ever.   I chose the Monkfish & Marlin skewers with a honey, lime and coriander , neither of which I'd tried before. The waitress was really knowledgeable of the entire menu and recommended them and I'm so glad she did! The fish had so much flavour I would have sworn it had been freshly caught that day!

Monkfish & Marlin Skewers (Image courtesy The Orange Tree)

The Restaurant (Image courtesy The Orange Tree)

The menu is a little on the pricey side but you're not just paying for great food, you're also paying for the overall experience which in my opinion is worth every penny.  If you're looking for somewhere new to eat and don't mind paying a little extra, you should definitely pay a visit to The Orange Tree.

Have you been somewhere new to eat that you can recommend? Let me know so I can pay them a visit!

P.S. If you get a chance it would be lovely if you could vote for me over at  Ask Her Friends bloggers panel, you could win a prize worth £50!

Visit Amsterdam

Not so long ago the mister and I decided to take a weekend break in Amsterdam.  I haven't been before and it's on my list of places to visit so we impulsively booked a mini break.

Finding an hotel was proving to be tricky.  It turns out there was a massive conference going on that weekend and most of the cheaper hotels were fully booked.  Then we discovered the Bicycle Hotel just out of the city centre.  The Bicycle Hotel was also a hostel.  Some rooms had private en-suites and some had shared bathrooms.  They only had rooms with shared bathrooms available and sharing a bathroom with strangers is my idea of hell.  I actually shuddered at the thought of it but when we arrived I was actually pleasantly surprised.  We only had to share our bathroom with one other room and the place was immaculate. We didn't have to queue for the bathroom once. Yay. 

Our lovely little hotel

 

 

The Bicycle Hotel funnily enough also rented out bicycles and if you're visiting Amsterdam believe me you'll see more of the city on bike than by foot.  Most Dutch people travel by bike.  In fact there are more bikes on the road than there are cars!  It's completely different to England, there are bike lanes everywhere and they even have their own set of traffic lights!

The misters got the hang of it!

I just about managed to stay on my bike!

 

There's a lot to do in Amsterdam and if you're travelling by bike you'll find even more things, as you tend to go off the beaten track, or in our case get lost.  Here's a couple of places we stumbled across.

 

 

Electric Ladyland Museum

The Electric Ladyland museum is not your typical museum. It's the first museum of fluorescent art together with a collection of common rocks that glow naturally under UV lighting.  This is a guided tour and the guy who runs it has spent decades building sculptures, collecting rocks and art work.  If it wasn't for this guy it would just be a room full of boring stuff but his passion and knowledge about every object in the room becomes contagious and at 5 Euros worth a visit.  Oh and he's a total hippy so it's worth it just to meet him and hear his crazy stories!

Once of the many displays

 

Felix Meritis Observatory

 

 

The Observatory is a building with so much history.  Built in the 18th Century it's original use was to promote the arts and science and give certain men upstanding within the community. Eventually as other museums and theatres opened in the city the Observatory lost it use but has now re-opened to the general public.  The cost of the tours was 6.50 Euros and the view from the top is breath taking.

 

 

I love the height of the buildings and the hidden gardens

 Of course there's all the other usual places to visit when in Amsterdam.   I'd recommend Anne Franks House, Van Gogh Museum, Rijks Museum, even the Red Light District.  If I'm honest the RLD is the strangest place I've been to, especially as some of the windows are nestled between bars, restaurants and shops.  It's weird that it seems so normal!

Bloemenmarkt

The floating flower market is quite a touristy area but worth a visit because the smell is amazing and great for souvenirs.  My sisters are now the proud owners of slippers in the shape of clogs and everyone else got a bonsai tree!

What To Eat

There's something for everyone in Amsterdam.  Even if you're the fussiest of eaters you'll find something but if you want to try something different I'd recommend The Pancake Bakery On the menu you'll find a sweet and savoury option, which is normal in Holland.  I went for the bacon and pineapple pancake which was actually pretty nice and the portions are huge.  You wont need to eat for the rest of the day after finishing one of these!

Something else to try is Febo. Heated food in a machine.  Just put your money in and remove your chosen item.  Great if you're on the run and need something quick.  Not so great if you're looking for a nutritious hearty meal!

You also need to try poffertjes.  These are like mini pancakes and so sweet and yummy.  I could eat these all day!

So there you have it.  Just some of the things you can do in Amsterdam.  Have you been away recently?  Have you got a favourite city or ever been to Amsterdam?  Let me know I'd love to hear all about it.

Manchester's Calling

Ages ago I bought the boyf  two tickets to see the Kings of Leon for his birthday. Obviously I insisted one of those tickets was for me, haha.  It felt like the event was never going to arrive!  I'm not sure who was more excited, me or him!

Anyway last Monday we caught the train to Manchester.  We checked into our hotel, did a little shopping in the Northern Quarter, for those who don't know that's the vintage/indie area, a LOT of eating, responsible drinking and then a night at the Manchester Arena. The Kings of Leon were AMAZING!  I actually forgot how many awesome songs they have.  I prefer their earlier stuff before they became insanely famous.  There's something special about loving a band before EVERYBODY and their mother's heard of them.  

1. Love this window display.  2. I learnt that polenta is NOT Italian for potato and is in fact cheese!  3.  Vintage Heaven in Pop Boutique.  4.  Excited on the train.  5.  Mmmm figs and mascapone cheese.  6.  OMG Bunty!!  7.  The pizza I wish I'd ordered.  8.  Cool sign.  9.  New skirt from Pop Boutique.

Normally when I go to gigs I prefer to stand.  I always think the atmosphere is generally better and you get to dance or in my case jump around like a loony, etc.

I could only get seated tickets this time round but I can honestly say I was NOT disappointed!  Even though we were right the other end of the arena we still had a good view and everyone sitting around us was really nice and friendly, etc. Which reminds me, how 's this for a random moment?  We were actually seated next to a couple who were in the queue in front of us at Burger King, four hours earlier! What are the chances of that!?  I love it when things like that happen!

Have you been to any gigs lately?  Who's your favourite band?  Do random things happen to you?!  Tell me!  I wanna know!

P.S  I'm now on Instagram if you want to follow me

Guest Post - Veggie Pizza from Scratch

Hello "A Girl I Know' followers! I am Penni from Banjelope. I have a blog mostly about creating amazing meals in the kitchen, as well as fun design things like printables and other whimsical wanderings. If you like this recipe, I hope you'll check out my blog.

Now, if you think making homemade pizza from scratch is too hard, stop thinking that way. Homemade pizza takes about an hour, but most of that time is waiting for the dough to rise. The dough really consists of four ingredients (yeast, water, flour and oil) and the toppings are all up to you. I never thought about making my own dough until my friend and attorney partner at my law firm, Emily, taught me how to make pizza from scratch. I was amazed at how easy and delicious the result was! Today, I am sharing my pizza dough recipe with you. The toppings are really up to you, but I used veggies and italian cheeses.  I also used pesto as my pizza sauce, mostly because my husband is obsessed with pesto. You can go sauce-less or use a tomato-based sauce if you prefer.  All the other ingredients in the dough, like the herbs and spices, are up to you and completely optional. I like to put a lot of stuff in my dough, because why not? If you want to keep it simple,

Pizza Dough Ingredients:

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water (90-110  degrees Fahrenheit or 32-37 degrees Celcius)
• 2-2.5 cups flour (I used all-purpose unbleached flour).
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• dash of garlic salt/powder
• dash of onion powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1-2 teaspoons white sugar
• Italian herbs of choice. I used oregano & parsley

Directions:

 

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. I used instant yeast in water roughly 100 degrees Fahrenheit. I do not have a thermometer, so what I do is heat up the water and test it on the inside of my forearm. If the water feels roughly the temperature of my skin, then I put the yeast in the water. If its too hot, then I let the water cool for a minute or two and test again (and repeat if necessary). If its too cold, then I heat it up for a couple of more second in the microwave. If you do have a thermometer, then try to get the water between 100-110 degrees Fahrenheit before you put the yeast in. The yeast should look something like this when done. Yummy looking, right?

While the yeast is dissolving into the water, in a separate large bowl, combine the flour, olive oil, salt, white sugar, spices and herbs together and mix. Once the yeast mixture is creamy, add the yeast mixture into the large bowl. Hand or use utensils to mix well until a stiff dough has formed. Cover with a towel or damp paper town and let rise until doubled in volume, or about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Once the dough has doubled in size, kneed and turn the dough on a well floured surface. Carefully form and spread dough into a round or square shape, depending on how you want your pizza to look. 

Don't mind the messy counter-tops!

Once your pizza dough is formed, lay it on a pizza stone or a pan of your choice. I use a pizza pan that is circle and has circles cut out of it to make the pizza crisp. Cook your dough, with nothing on it, for about 4-5 minutes. This lets the dough get slightly cooked and to make sure the middle of the pizza will be cooked through. It should look something like this: 

Cover with your sauce of choice. Today, I used pesto on my veggie pizza. You can add whatever veggies you want as a topping. I used mushrooms, tomato slices and red onions. I also like to brush the crust with a little oil, but that is up to you. Add the cheese at the end. I used a mix of mozzarella and a local cheese, roughly 1-1.5 cups worth of shredded cheese. Cover with any more herbs you may want.

Put it in the oven and let cook for 15-20 minutes, depending on how you like your pizza cooked. I am partial to a well-cooked and crispy pizza. If you like it more gooey, then keep it around 15 minutes. Take it out and enjoy! Is there anything more satisfying then a home-made pizza? I think not.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. My husband always looks forward to pizza night. This recipe takes about an hour to make, but it is mostly waiting around. It's completely worth it, and it's completely personalizable, meaning you can add any toppings, sauces, cheeses or anything else you may want.