Carnage in the Garden

This winter saw some crazy wind and rain and I didn't escape unscathed. This is the scene I awoke to a few weeks ago:

The might have only cost €49.99 but those plastic greenhouses gave life to many seedlings, as well as bringing tomato plants to full maturity. They were basic but provided the main conditions required for early plant health - protection from the wind and warmth from the sun. They were also a great place to store small tools and accessories.

But from the ashes some hope has risen. The plastic covering wasn't worth anything and I suppose the aluminium frame could have been used for staking and support but what I'll make best use of is the light shelving. I have a big problem with local cats using my freshly dug beds as a large bathroom and disrupting my plants. I've used nets but they are a bit troublesome to weigh/tie down especially if you need to remove them for any reason. Dead greenhouse to the rescue with its generous organ donation. The shelves are perfect for laying over my garlic plants, with plenty room for them to continue growing, while deterring cats from digging in that spot. Tent pegs can be used to secure them, yet they are easily removed if needs be. They are also tidier that a net, which can be blown around easily.

Where the greenhouses once stood, I have dug the ground and am beginning to prepare vegetable beds.

My indoor space for starting off seedlings is limited to two miserable window sills so I will have to come up with a contingency plan, especially as I have vowed to make this my most successful year yet. I don't think I'll bother investing in another cheap greenhouse, they served their time but it's time to move on to bigger and better things.

In other garden news, my big heap of garden waste at the bottom of the garden is revealing some lovely, crumbly friable compost from beneath:

Digging digging digging

Sweet Potato Waffles

A waffle maker is not something I ever envisioned myself desiring but after one too many gluttonous visits to my sister's house where plates of homemade muffins and waffles are always at hand, suddenly I could no longer live without one. I started off timidly with a basic plain batter but having gotten to know the correct measurements to suit my machine and learning to gauge the temperature correctly, I'm ready to up the ante and get experimental so I'm beginning with the following recipe. 

This recipe is adapted from the Weelicious pumpkin waffles. On the smart suggestion by my sister, sweet potato is substituted for the pumpkin, which is not readily available in Ireland. The measurements are in American cups. You can get a really handy set of cup measures in a jug in Deals for €1.49

Ingredients

• 2.5 cups plain white flour
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2.5 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 4 eggs beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 6 tbsp melted butter
• 1 cup sweet potato puree (I made this by boiling sweet potato chunks in water until soft and then blending - you can make a large batch and freeze portions for later use)

Method

Preheat your waffle iron to a medium heat.

Sieve the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and ginger together and add the sugar. Mix with a whisk.

Mix the remaining ingredients together and add to the dry ingredients, whisking slowly.

I used 1/3 cup measure per waffle.

Cook for about 3 minutes.

I politely ate one with honey and then devoured three with my bare hands. The waffles stand alone without the honey or any other condiment as they are just sweet enough.

Verdict? Addictive!

Crock Pot Creations: Pork Tenderloin with Apple and Honey

I finally got a slow cooker so I'm slowly finding out what all the fuss is about. If you're like me and have a mountain of random meat parts in your freezer (ex boyfriends and the like) and you don't know what cuts they are, then a slow cooker is a great tool as it is a forgiving method of cooking meat. Last week I stewed pork belly, pork chop and chicken thighs together and each one was as good as the next.

Pork Tenderloin with Apple, Onion and Honey

Ingredients

500g pork tenderloin (steak)
1 apple
1 onion
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp cinnamon
Sprig fresh rosemary

Method

Make slits in the pork.

Peel and slice the apple and onion thinly and insert a piece of each in the pork slits.

Use the remaining apple and onion to make a bed in the crock pot.

Sit the meat on top, sprinkle with the cinnamon and pour over the honey.

Cook for 4 hours on low

My verdict: a really tasty dish that I'll definitely make again. Next time I'll add some more liquid, maybe apple juice or white wine.

White Fish Poached In Milk

I love fish and am always looking for new, easy ways to cook the many fresh fillets that pass through our house. Poaching in milk is quick, healthy and a gentle way of cooking fish, making over-cooking less likely. My fillets of choice today are Flounder, which were caught fresh last night. Flounder is a flat fish similar to Plaice.

Ingredients

• 200ml milk
• 3 small fillets of white fish [anything you want really but I think flat fish like Flounder, Plaice and Dab work best]
• 50g cooked smoked sausage cooked
• 25g onion diced
• Salt and pepper

Method

Put all the ingredients in a pan over a low heat, cover and allow to come to a simmer. 

Keep a close eye as the milk can begin to bubble over quickly. 

Cook for five minutes, until fish is opaque.

I served mine over mashed potato with some sweetcorn. Make sure to use some of the warm milk as a creamy sauce.

Roasted Rosemary Leg of Lamb

So this was the centrepiece of our Christmas dinner today. We,be been shunning turkey and ham for a few years now. Last year was Beef Wellington with a chestnut, mushroom and streaky bacon filling and the year previous was pork tenderloin stuffed with apple, apricot, spinach and cheddar cheese. Like a lot of people, I was turned off turkey because I found the meat dry. I now know that successful ways of cooking this big bird include brining for twenty four hours beforehand or separating the joints so the legs can be cooked separate from the breast, the latter needing less cooking time. But I am still not persuaded to undergo either task.

My leg of lamb was a lovely four pounder. I think the accompanying strip of meat is the spare ribs which are fatty and delicious.

Before cooking the meat, I infused some olive oil with fresh rosemary and sea salt.

Which I rubbed into the meat prior to cooking

Pre heat the oven to Gas 6\200C\400F. Place a roasting tray with some goose fat on the bottom shelf (this is for the roast spuds you are obviously having).

When the oven is hot, place the meat straight onto the oven shelf above the roasting tin and fill the tin with your peeled spuds - the juices from the meat will drip down into the spuds - yum.

After 20 minutes, reduce the heat to Gas 4\180C\350F.  Cook for another 15 minutes per lb of meat.

The finished piece:

Breakfast Recipes: Egg Muffins

I love eggs and these muffins are one more great way to enjoy these two tone wonder foods. They are simple to make, quick to cook and totally versatile when it comes to additional ingredients.

As I've written before, breakfast is my least favourite meal of the day as I never know what to have but these muffins are my new best friends.

Ingredients (makes four)

2 eggs
Dash of milk
1 spring onion chopped
Chunk of yellow pepper diced
2 cherry tomatoes chopped
Grated cheddar cheese (a sprinkle per muffin)
Black pepper

Method

It's so easy...

Preheat the oven to Gas 4/350°F/180°C

Line a muffin tin with cases (I use silicon so no need to grease, but you might need to).

Beat the eggs in a jug, add the milk, chopped veg, grated cheese and black pepper.

3/4 fill your cases (I used 1\4 cup measure).

Bake for 20 minutes until there is no liquid present.

 

Allow to cool and pop from the case.

Enjoy!

Frugal Yet Thoughtful Christmas Gifts

Christmas is about the joyous act of giving and receiving and if you are like me, every year you pour over a list of names trying to dream up the perfect present for everyone. I'm not always frugal; I do like to treat some people but there has to be a balance to make this possible. Here are some gift ideas that won't cost a lot but are a bit better than a Christmas decoration made from an empty toilet roll.

1. Family Movie Night Gift Pack

This one is great for taking care of extended family members with children who you would like to/feel you have to give a present to but don't know them well enough to give individual gifts. It also costs very little.

Put together a pack with a few fail proof DVDs (I recommend Studio Ghibli's beautiful cartoon movies for families with children) or a voucher for the local video store or, in the modern way, a flash drive with some movie files on it. Include a packet of popcorn and other treats.

2. Books

Unless you are buying a well thumbed school book, the quality of second hand books can be fantastic. If you have children of your own, a fun way to encourage reading, as well as creating some suspense, is to follow an advent style way of giving a different book for the twenty five days of December leading up to Christmas day.

3. Pre-made cookie/cake dry mixes in a jar

You've probably seen many beautiful photos of this idea online. The basic premise is to layer the dry ingredients of a chosen recipe in a jar and attach a label with baking instructions and a list of the remaining wet ingredients, usually eggs and butter.

4. Vegetable seeds

Growing your own food is addictive. There is nothing more satisfying than planting a tiny seed and a few months later pulling a swollen delicious root for the table. Seeds are really cheap and there is a massive, exciting range of vegetables, some of which you might not have heard of, that will grow in the Irish climate. I love Seedaholic for a mesmerising catalogue of flower, ornamental, herb and vegetable seeds at great prices, fast delivery and superb information sheets.

The main idea behind all of these ideas is that by providing a few key items, you are gifting an experience and therein lies the thoughtfulness.