Home made hand sanitiser gel
2020-03-15 10:01
Not really a recipe in the sense of what I normally post here, but it seemed like the best place to file it all the same.
Hand sanitiser is currently sold out pretty much everywhere, however we've people in the family who might be especially vulnerable to COVID-19 so need to minimise the chances of us contracting and communicating on.
So, as I keep some Isopropyl around anyway, I decided to make my own. The consistency isn't quite the same as shop-bought - it's a little more runny.
The recipe also uses some tea-tree essential oil, as it's supposed to have anti-bacterial and anti-septic effects. Unfortunately I can't stand the smell of the stuff, so I added a few drops of lime essential oil to help mask it a bit.
The measures below will create about 60ml (give or take depending on the essential oil), you should increase proportionally if you need more - to be effective the alcohol content must be at least 60%, the measures given will create a 64% concentration (assuming your total essential oil addition weighs in at 1ml, which is perhaps over generous).
You need 99.9% Isopropyl for this, using 70% won't work as you'll water it down below that important 60% mark. You can, however, dehydrate 70% Isopropyl (or even 50%) to get near-pure alcohol.
Slow Cooked Shepherds Pie
2020-02-05 17:25
I love Cottage Pie and Shephards pie. But a slow-cooked version of them leads to much, much softer mince and makes the house smell awesome all day
Out of convenience, this recipe uses a couple of Shepherds Pie spice sachets - you can make the mix up using herbs and flour if you'd prefer. One thing to note though, is that you should under-provision the water - unlike cooking in the oven, the sauce won't reduce down in a slow cooker, so it needs to be about the right consistency from the outset.
Unlike when you cook it in the oven, the top of the potato doesn't crisp up (you can put it under the grill for a bit if you'll miss that), but the edge of the potato layer does.
If you're feeling adventurous you can also add mixed beans to this, or outright swap the lamb for Beef and make a Cottage pie instead.
Turkey Samosas
2020-01-31 08:53
I was in the mood to make something a little different, so I had a go at creating Samosas.
The cooking aspect of them is simple enough, but I clearly wasn't designed to fold filo pastry - it takes a bit of care, and I was convinced that the triangles were going to split in the oven. It turns out though, it doesn't need quite as much care as I assumed.
These samosas use turkey but it should work fine with pretty much any mince - just need to make sure it's lean mince (or that you drain it) otherwise the pastry is likely to get a bit soggy.
A low fat cooking spray is required, not for health reasons so much as because you use it as a sort of glue. Brushing oil instead should work fine, but takes a bit longer.
Can be served as a main, side or snack.
Fish Pie
2020-01-29 17:59
I really don't like fish, but I'm in a serious minority in my family. Fish Pie is quite quick and easy to make, and doesn't really need any taste-tests along the way
I think the idea of adding peas to the mash was originally Jamie Oliver's, but I may be misattributing
Traybaked Chicken and Mediterranean Veg
2020-01-29 17:43
Found scrawled amongst some paperwork, a relatively quick and easy tray-bake chicken recipe
Can be served alongside salad, steamed new potatoes, rice or just some thick crusty bread
Spiced Beef Tagine
2020-01-29 17:31
I'm not sure when or where I got this, I found it scrawled down whilst sorting through some paperwork. It's a bit of an involved recipe, there's no wandering off and resting while it cooks...
Spiced Beef Tagine served on a bed of Couscous
Stuffed Chicken Thighs with Lemon Sauce
2020-01-29 17:13
I'm not entirely sure where this recipe originally came from, I found it scrawled down whilst I was sorting out some paperwork - I suspect it's probably based on a recipe in a book somewhere.
Chicken things stuffed with herby sausagemeat, best served in a Lemon Sauce
Lemon Sauce for Chicken
2020-01-29 17:10
I'm not entirely sure where this recipe originally came from, I found it scrawled down whilst I was sorting out some paperwork - I suspect it's probably based on a recipe in a book somewhere. It makes a Lemon sauce best served on a light meat - like Chicken.
Sweet Sticky Pork Chops
2019-09-20 07:52
I'm a fairly recent convert to having pork chops on rice, but when they're drenched in a good sauce it works really, really well
This recipe gives a sweet sticky sauce with a very slight hint of spice, while being really quick and easy to make - theres no prep and you can make it in 2 pans, one for the rice, one for the pork.
Grog
2019-09-19 10:16
It be International Talk Like a Pirate Day, so thought I might be posting a piratey recipe.
What could be more piratey than Grog? The name's not very descriptive in itself, but it's basically a limey sugary rum - they used to make it to help stretch their rum rations out a bit. Lime juice probably helped reduce the risk of scurvy too.
This isn't the same as "Navy Grog" which is a cocktail invented in the 1940s, and contains 3 different rums, 2 differnt juices, soda water and honey syrup. This be pirate grog
If you don't have a cocktail shaker (I don't), you can just use a (clean) empty jam jar or similar instead - basically as long as the lid seals, it'll work