It only took him 2 days

Posted on By admin 6 Comments on It only took him 2 days

You know the xmas tree I mentioned in a previous post? The same post where I put recent pictures of our monster?

Well, it only took him 2 days to destroy it. Ok, ok, so I'm being overly dramatic here, but we got home last night to find the tree fallen on the floor and baubles strewn everywhere in the living room and in the kitchen. I was not amused.

Still, no major harm done. The tree is a bit worse for wear, but it's now solidly anchored to a wall. I'm still picking up stray baubles in the morning, but I guess there's no avoiding that.

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[Recipe] Bacon and Egg Pies

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Makes 12
Ingredients

6 rashers back bacon, derinded
3 large eggs
about 4 fl oz (120 ml) milk, plus a little extra for brushing the top of the pies
salt and freshly milled black pepper

For the shortcrust pastry:

6 oz (175 g) plain flour, plus a little extra for dusting
a pinch of salt
1oz (40 g) softened lard
1oz (40 g) softened butter

You will also need a 12 hole patty tin, each hole 1inches (4.5 cm) at the base, 2inches (6 cm) at the top, and inch (2 cm) deep, well greased, plus a 3inch (9 cm)and a 3 inch (7.5 cm) pastry cutter.

Begin by making the pastry by sifting the flour and pinch of salt into a large bowl,
holding the sieve as high as possible.

Now add the lard and butter, cut into smallish lumps, then take a knife and begin to cut the fat into the flour. Go on doing this until it looks fairly evenly blended, then begin to rub the fat into the flour, using your fingertips only, and being as light as possible. As you do this, lift it up high and let it fall back into the bowl, just long enough to make the mixture crumbly with a few odd lumps here and there. Now sprinkle 1 tablespoon of water in, then, with a knife, start bringing the dough together. Then discard the knife and, finally, bring it together with your fingertips. When enough liquid is added, the pastry should leave the bowl fairly clean. If this hasnt happened, then add a spot more water. Now place the pastry in a polythene bag and leave it in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.

Alternatively, store-bought shortcrust pastry works just as well.

Next, hardboil 2 of the eggs by placing them in a small saucepan and adding enough water to cover them by about inch (1 cm). Bring the water up to simmering point and put a timer on for 7 minutes. Then, when the time is up, cool the eggs rapidly under cold, running water for about a minute, and leave them in cold water till theyre cool.

Meanwhile, grill (or fry) the bacon gently until the fat begins to run and pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6, 400(200Roll out half of the pastry, on a lightly floured surface, cut out 12 rounds using the 3inch (9 cm) cutter and line the patty tin. Now peel and chop the eggs quite small and chop the bacon fairly small, too, Then divide the egg and bacon among the pies and season with freshly milled pepper and a very little salt. Beat the remaining egg together with the milk and carefully pour the mixture into the pies, allowing it to settle as you go. Dampen the edges and roll out the rest of the pastry to cut out the smaller rounds for the lids.

Make a small hole in the centre of each pie, brush the tops with milk, then bake for 10 minutes. After that, reduce the heat to gas mark 5, 375(190and cook for a further 25 minutes.

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weekend update

Posted on By admin 6 Comments on weekend update

This weekend saw us going to town to get a few more xmas presents done, send a bunch of then to Canada (though overseas shipping is a bitch!) and go buy our dishwasher, woohoo! it was delivered earlier this morning, and just needs us to plug everything in tonight.

We were in town for a solid 8 hours, which was extreme, to say the least. I'm glad I'm almost done with my shopping, because I can't take many more weekends like that. I hate shopping when it's so crowded you have to shove your way through crowds to get from store to store.

We got back home on saturday evening and put up our xmas tree.


The cat is having a grand old time destroying it. Every morning, we need to pick up the baubles that have been knocked off and strewn across the living room. Surprisingly, he hasn't knocked it down yet. Having said that, it's still early days.

Speaking of the cat, here are some more recent pictures:



He loves that cat bed, but he can't be comfortable sleeping like that…

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DVD List (as of March 2007)

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* 25th Hour, The
* Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, the (box set)
* Alegria 
* American Beauty
* American History X
* Any Given Sunday
* Babylon 5 - Two volume Set - The Gathering
* Babylon 5 (Season 1)
* Babylon 5 (Season 2)
* Babylon 5 (Season 3)
* Babylon 5 (Season 4)
* Babylon 5 (Season 5)
* Babylon 5 (The Movies)
* Babylon 5 - Cruisades (box set)
* Banlieu 13
* Being John Malkovich
* Beetlejuice
* Ben Hur
* Big Lebowski, The
* Blown Away
* Bourne Identity, the
* Box of Moonlight
* Caligula
* Carlito's Way
* Cars
* Casino Royal
* Collateral
* Contact
* Corruptor, The
* Corsican Twins, The
* Couch in New York
* Count of Monte Cristo, The
* Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
* Cyrano de Bergerac
* Daredevil
* Dark Crystal, The
* Dead Poets Society
* Eddie Murphy Raw
* Enemy at the gates
* Fifth Element, The
* Fight Club
* Frank Herbert's Dune
* Freshman, The
* Full Metal Jacket
* Ghost in the Shell
* Gladiator
* Godfather, The
* Godfather, part II, The
* Godfather, part III, The
* Good Morning Vietnam
* Good Will Huunting
* Great Escape, The
* Grosse Point Blank
* Hackers
* Harry Potter & the Philosopher's Stone
* Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets
* Heat
* Hero
* History of the world - Part 1
* Hithhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
* Hoodlums
* Howl's Moving Castle
* Hustle - Season 1 Box set
* Hustle - Season 2 Box set
* Hustler's Barely Legal
* Incredibles, the
* I, Robot
* Insider, The
* Italian Job, The
* Jarhead
* Kill Bill, Volume 1
* Kill Bill, Volume 2
* Kissing Jessica Stein
* Last Samourai, The
* Law & Order (Season 1 - 6 DVD Box set)
* Leathal weapon 1 - Director's Cut
* Leathal weapon 2 - Director's Cut
* Leathal weapon 3 - Director's Cut
* Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels
* Lost in translation
* Mary Poppins (40th Anniversary Edition)
* MASH Collector's Edition - Season 1
* MASH Collector's Edition - Season 2
* MASH Collector's Edition - Season 3
* MASH Collector's Edition - Season 4
* MASH Collector's Edition - Season 5
* MASH Collector's Edition - Season 6
* MASH Collector's Edition - Season 7
* MASH Collector's Edition - Season 8
* MASH Collector's Edition - Season 9
* MASH The Movie
* Mask, The
* Matrix, The
* MIB
* Minority Report
* Monty Python - Quest for the Holy Graal - SE
* Mulan
* Mummy, The
* Mupper Xmas Carol
* Muppet Show - Season 1 Box Set
* Muppet Treasure Island
* Muppets from Space
* My big fat greek wedding
* National Treasure
* Negotiator, the
* Nightmare before xmas, The
* Ninja Scroll
* Ocean's Eleven
* Office Space
* Payback
* Phantom of the Opera
* Pink Floyd - The wall
* Pink Floyd - London 1966-67
* Pink Floyd - Making of DSOTM
* Pink Floyd - Pulse
* Pirates of the Caribbean
* Pulp Fiction
* Pump Up the Volume
* Pushing Tin
* Rachel Papers, the
* Ref, The
* Replacement Killers, The
* Reservoir Dogs
* Return of Sherlock Holmes, the (box set)
* Revenge of the ninja
* Ronin
* Rounders
* Scent of a Woman
* Score, The
* Seven
* Shawshank Redemption, The
* Sherlock Holmes Feature Film Collection
* Sherlock Holmes - The Complete Collection (Jeremy Brett)
      The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes
      The Return Of Sherlock Holmes
      The Casebook Of Sherlock Holmes
      The Memoirs Of Sherlock Holmes
* Shrek
* Sin City
* Snatch
* South Park - Bigger, Longer, Uncut
* Spartacus
* Spawn - The complete animated series
* Spirited Away
* Star Wars Episode IV-VI Remastered Editions box set
* Suicide Kings
* Thomas Crown Affair, The
* Three to tango
* Truth about cats and dogs, The
* Two if by Sea
* U571
* Underworld
* Untouchables, The
* V for Vendetta
* Who framed Roger Rabbit?
* X-Men
* X-Men 2
* Yamakasi


* About a boy
* Angel - Season 1 (box set)
* Angel - Season 2 (box set)
* Angel - Season 3 (box set)
* Angel - Season 4 (box set)
* Angel - Season 5 (box set)
* Back to the future trilogy
* Barbara Curries Power Packed Yoga
* Batman Begins
* Benny & Joon
* Big Fish
* Bill Bailey - Bewilderment
* Bill Bailey - Cosmic Jam
* Bill Bailey - Part Troll
* Black Books - Season 1
* Black Books - Season 2
* Black Books - Season 3
* Brothers Grimm
* Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Complete Seasons Box Set
* Butterfly Effect, the
* Catch me if you can
* Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
* Chicago
* Chronicles of Narnia - BBC TV Box Set
* Constantine
* Corpse Bride
* Crash
* Donnie Darko
* Dungeons & Dragons (box set)
* Edward Scissorhands
* End of Days
* Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
* Exorcism of Emilie Rose
* Finding Neverland
* Gothika
* Grey's Anatomy - Season 1
* Grudge, the
* Hannibal Trilogy (box set)
* Ice Age 1
* Ice Age 2
* Lakehouse, The
* Legally Blonde
* Magnolia
* Memoirs of a Geisha
* Millenium Season 1
* Millenium Season 2
* Millenium Season 3
* Miss Congeniality
* Moulin Rouge
* Queen - Live at Wembley Stadium
* Queen on fire - Live at the Bowl
* Queen - Greatest video hits 1
* Queen - Greatest video hits 2
* Ring
* Ring 2
* Saw
* Saw 2
* Shaun of the Dead
* Village, the
* True Lies
* Two weeks notice
* Village, The
* Walking with Dinosaurs (box set)
* War of the worlds

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Brain meltdown

Posted on By admin 2 Comments on Brain meltdown

I've been listening to scientists prattle on all day and it only reinforces my views that most academics can't speak in public to save their lives. I hate it, but apparently at least I'm entertaining when I give a presentation. These people are… dull. Not only are they boring, they drone on and on and on and make what could be a really interesting topic about as interesting as a rectal enema. My brain shut down about an hour ago and right now, I'm trying to sit quietly and not droll on myself.

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[recipe] Beignets

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If you havent been to New Orleans youve probably never eaten a Beignet, but youve probably had something similar. Cafe au Lait and Beignets, is New Orleans for Coffee & Donuts.

The most famous place in New Orleans for Beignets and Cafe au Lait is Cafe Du Monde on Decatur on the riverside of Jackson Square, which is legendary, you have to go once.

New Orleans Style Beignet Recipe

1 Envelope Active Dry Yeast
3/4 Cup Warm Water
1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Beaten Egg
1/2 Cup Evaporated Milk
3 1/2 – 3 3/4 Cups A.P. Flour
1/8 Cup Butter
Vegetable Oil for Frying
Powdered Sugar in a shaker or sifter

Combine the Yeast, Water, and Sugar in a large mixing bowl. Let this sit until frothy, about 5 minutes, then add the Salt, Egg, and Evaporated Milk. Mix well, then add half of the flour until it starts to come together, then add the butter. When the butter is incorporated start adding the remaining flour, a little at a time until most of it is incorporated. At this time I always turn the dough onto a floured bench to finish by hand, just like when I make bread; its a touch thing. Knead the dough adding just enough flour as necessary to make a non-sticky, smooth dough. Place the dough into a large oiled bowl, loosely cover and let rise (about 1h in a warm cupboard)

After the dough has doubled in bulk, punch it down and turn it onto a floured surface and roll out into a rectangle that is about 1/2thick. With a very sharp knife working at a diagonal to the rectangle, cut into 2wide strips. Now cut into diamond shapes by making diagonal cuts in the opposite direction. Place the Beignets on a floured baking sheet to let rise another hour in a warm place.

When the Beignets have risen, deep fry them in vegetable oil at 180C. Place 2-3 Beignets into the hot oil at a time, being careful not to smash or deflate them. When they are golden brown, flip them over until golden brown on the other side (They go pretty quickly so start checking them right after they go into the oil). Remove to paper towel lined plates to drain. Serve hot topped with plenty of powdered sugar (because the dough doesnt contain much sugar, you will want a lot!). Best served with Cafe au Lait. Enjoy!

Makes about 2 dozen.

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[recipe] Tagliatelle Carbonara

Posted on By admin 2 Comments on [recipe] Tagliatelle Carbonara

This is based on Delia Smith's recipe

Ingredients

8 oz (225 g) dried tagliatelle
5 oz (150 g) smoked pancetta, cubed or sliced (could use lardons or bacon)
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons grated Pecorino Romano (could use parmesan)
4 tablespoons double cream
freshly milled black pepper
olive oil

First of all, cook the pasta. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the pancetta until its crisp and golden, about 5 minutes. Next, whisk the eggs cheese and cream in a bowl and season generously with black pepper.

Then, when the pasta is cooked, drain it quickly in a colander, leaving a little of the moisture still clinging. Now quickly return it to the saucepan and add the pancetta and any oil in the pan, along with the egg and cream mixture. Stir very thoroughly, so that everything gets a good coating what happens is that the liquid egg cooks briefly as it comes into contact with the hot pasta. Serve the pasta on really hot deep plates with some extra grated Pecorino.

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Busy! Busy! Busy!

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Today, I have:

– cooked a pheasant and liver terrine, from scratch
– cooked beignets from scratch
– cooked our usual sunday roast (half a leg of lamb with assorted roast veg)
– installed a shelf in the bedroom to finally clear off the top of our chest of drawers
– unpacked and reconstructed my zen garden
– built the footstool for the Poang chair in the living room
– supplied Katy with copious amounts of tea while she was studying.

In a word, I'm tired – but it's a content tired.

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Money! Money! Money!

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I am wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

It's been a while since I was this tipsy. Honestly I don't remember when the last time was. I'm slurring my vowels and apparently, my breath could stun a small horse. I blame the cheap wine. You will note, however, that my spelling is still up to par, so I can't be *that* bad. Why am I tipsy, you ask? Tonight was the silent auction for the village parish and they were generous with the wine in the hopes that people would bid! bid! bid!

Guess what? It worked :) Luckily, people were more drunk than us so we got off relatively cheap. We bought a dinner for two at our local pub for close to the amount that we normally pay; two bottles of nice german white wine, a nice frame for our guest bedroom and a jar of homemade marmalade. We were also embroiled in a bidding war for a Victoria sponge cake, which we had to win as a matter of principle. We did. Go us!!

The money was going to the upkeep of the local church, so it's for a decent cause. We also got to meet a lot of people from our village, which was fun.

All in all, a good night's fun.

But I am still drunk :D So, wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

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