How to Make Popcorn at Home

Popcorn is a wonderful snack and can be as healthy or unhealthy as you want it. Given that popcorn kernels have virtually no calories until you add ingredients, they are a wonderful snack, especially for a night in movie.

What you need:

for 1/4 cup kernels
2 1/2 tbsp oil - groundnut or canola is best due to high smoke point
at least 1 1/2 tbsp butter
fairly deep pan with a lid or with foil to act as a lid

Heat oil in pan on a medium heat. add a few kernels to the pan to check when hot enough - which is when they pop.
Add rest of kernels - spreading evenly over pan and remove from heat immediately. This way they cook evenly. Count for 30 seconds, then return to heat.
Popcorn should starting popping now. Gently shake pan, lid partially off so it doesn't go soggy. Once you think all have popped, place into bowl.
If using butter, add to pan, melt and pour over popcorn.

You can use so many other variety toppings. Sprinkle a hint of sugar or salt over them, or add golden syrup to the butter when melting it, add cayenne pepper or cumin, whatever floats your boat.
Enjoy!!

For anyone with a kindle and £2.05 or $3.05 to spare, I've written a children's book: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stone-Sword-ebook/dp/B006ZQIEPG/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327056598&sr=1-6

Thrifty cooking in preparation for the costs of Christmas

At this time of year we scrimp and save so that we can put on the best possible spread for christmas and new year. It is therefore in our best interest to eat as frugally as possible up to this point. How do we beat the rising costs of groceries?

Making as much ourselves as we can is an excellent start. Bread-making is a dying tradition that many within varying communities are trying to revive. Get down to your local library and find books on baking and breadmaking and get started. A simple white bread recipe will suffice as a starting point and tastes so much better than anything shop bought. it costs a fraction of the price as well.

While breadmakers are an excellent option, i would hazard a guess that many money saved in doing it yourself would be lost on the electrical cost of the breadmaker but it is worth trying if you happen to have one.

Making your own shortbread and biscuits is another great place to save the pennies (unless you buy shop value ranges, in which case it possibly the same but will taste better and you'll know exactly what has gone into them).

Soup in cans or cartons is at a ridiculous price in shops - 85p for heinz tomato soup! Over a pound for covent garden soups! Make your own. it goes much further and tastes much better. try something simple like a home-made tomato and butterbean soup:

2 cans chopped tomatoes (or plum if you prefer)
2 pints stock (veg or chicken)
2 cloves garlic
1 med onion
1 tin butter beans
1 tsp paprika
oil

Put a dash of oil in the soup pot and cook onion until transparent.
Add garlic, tinned goods and paprika. Finally, add boiling stock and bring to boil. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes and leave to stand off heat for 2-3 minutes before liquidising or hand blending. If you have neither, mash with a potato masher. Return to heat for 2-3 mins and serve with homemade bread.

Cheap cuts of meat are the way to go if you eat meat. cook them for as long as you can and they will taste just as good as even the most expensive cuts.

For vegetarians, buying frozen rather than fresh vegetables where possible is a great idea. Some veg do not freeze well - like leaks and peppers - but most are fine, esp peas, broccoli and spinach.

Look out for special offers on cheeses and don't forget that you can shop on the day for foods reduced as they are near their sell by dates. just because food is close to or on this date doesn't mean they are not as good or taste bad, or are in any way unhealthy. Judge by look. Generally all foods within their dates are fine and cost much less than at full cost. The only food I would be wary of doing this with would be fish. With fish, fresher is better.

Remember that you can fish at this time of year. It is very cold but people still go out. Sea bass is in season, as are an array of shellfish.

Finally, buy seasonally. out of season foods always cost more than those currently in season, with the exception of cabbages - which are always cheap.

Good eating :D

End October with Rabbit

Rabbit is rapidly falling back into favour with people as more and more chefs choose this delicate meat over chicken and pork. It is a sustainable meat and while we may feel a bit bad eating thumper, this is one meat that is far more ethically sound than almost any other form. As part of the 'game' group, it is currently in season.

Thankfully not available in supermarkets, this is one meat you want a good butcher to look at. Miximatosis almost wiped out UK populations in the 1980’s and this is when rabbit fell out of favour. A horrific disease, rabbit cannot be eaten if it is tainted with this killer. For this reason, a qualified butcher must look at the rabbit, especially at it’s liver, to make sure there are no signs of the disease. They can then prepare the healthy meat for selling.

This is also a meat that is not taken to an abattoir, and is killed in the most humane way possible – by the hunter upon being caught. A swift and clean kill. For this reason, rabbits will and should never be sold by the supermarket.

How to cook
One of the best ways to cook rabbit is to casserole – or a one pot meal if you like.

1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 leek, 12 prunes, knob butter, 1 pint chicken stock, 1 glass white wine, bouquet garni.
Bouquet garni can be any 3-4 herbs, usually tied together with string or placed in a muslin bag. For this particular dish, a sprig of thyme, sage and a bay leaf would work.

Brown off rabbit in butter in your casserole pot/dish. Add leek, onion, carrot, wine, stock and bouquet garni, cook for a ½ hour. Add the prunes. Cook for a further hour. Serve with potatoes.

For more recipes, check out the BBC Food page

Sage, pumpkin and sausage casserole!

As the nights draw in and the temperatures start to plummet, we start to think of winter warmers that won't involve too much preparation. Casseroles fill this role. Easy to prepare and you barely need to keep an eye on them, they are perfect for autumn and winter.

Pumpkin is now in season and a herb many people shy from can go really well with this autumnal veg is sage. Add in some sausages and you have a hearty, tasty meal. You can, of course, substitue the sausage for other vegetables if you are vegetarian.

Click on the link here for Matt Tebbutts wonderful recipe!

On another note, I have written 3 books. 2 are part of a series set in Scoltand about the Sidhe, fairy folk. Available on kindle and in paperback:

The Island of the Mist is book 2

The Stone in the Sword is book 1

The 3rd book is an adult, sexy witchy werewolf/vampire story set in New York and featuring a strong female lead character, again available in kindle and paperback formats:

The Wolf, the Witch and the Coffin