PixieWrites

I have curly hair, really quite curly and prone to either ringlets or frizz. Usually fizz, given the climate.

However, recently I’ve been trying something new (I don’t often fall for hair evangelism, especially on the internet, not that you’d know that from the number of styling products I have…) and, without having to shell out zillions of pounds, it’s actually working.

Not Washing My Hair.

Or, at least (and less repugnantly) not using shampoo. Curly hair is dry (even if my scalp sometimes isn’t) and shampoo makes my hair even drier, so I’ve taken to using just conditioner instead – using it massaged into my scalp when it needs it, too.

I’ve a head full of ringlets (which stay intact with the tiniest scrunch of gel… none of this slathering on £9 worth of stuff in one go) and they last. And are predictable. And simple.

I’ve spent my life telling people not to be envious of my curls – when they look good, it’s because it’s taken hours. But now? Yup, go on ahead, be envious. My curls are great.

I’m fairly sure that the BBC weather forcast used to be at least nominally accurate – and from the met office – but recently it’s been a work of fiction with the Scottish weather apparently being based upon the weather in Southhampton.

I know that Scottish weather is not exactly uniform anyway, so it’s usually as well to have an umbrella and some kind of extra layers for warmth available to you any time you leave the house, but really some kind of general picture of what to expect might be useful from time to time – and might encourage First Scotrail not to put the heating on in July (although that might just be a product of their apparent general hate of customers, given they also switch it off in November…).

I’m a big fan of (a)things that can be made in 3 minutes flat and (b)things that can be made from things that don’t go off very quickly. I’m getting better at meal planning – which tends to help with the lurking-at-the-back-until-it-goes-off and the but-I-can’t-be-bothered-working-out-what-to-have-for-tea – but I’m still fundamentally a bit…less than managed in the kitchen.

Having something (other than an omlette, because I’m not a fan) that I can fling veggies and cooked meat into and make a nummy dinner is useful, and Not Quite Macaroni Cheese more or less fits the bill – I tend to buy cheese in ginormous blocks, grate (shred) it in the food processor and then freeze it so I usually have some in (Hard cheese freezes much better like that and it’s useable from frozen), milk’s a staple as is flour.

Not Quite Macaroni Cheese

• 1tsp Butter (or oil, but butter works better for me)
• 4tbsp / 1/2 cup Plain/AP flour
• 1/2 tsp Mustard Powder (which is optional, and I’ve used chilli or smoked paprika or nothing at all)
• 3/4pt milk
• 2 handfuls grated/shredded cheese (cheddar, mexicana.. whatever as long as it a hardish cheese that melts and tastes nice)
• 1 chopped deseeded red pepper (or onion, or courgette, or whatever lurking veg there is. Or frozen veg. Or nothing)
• 2 slices of grilled/broiled bacon chopped (or cooked ham, or cooked chicken, or quorn, or whatever, or nothing)
• 4 handfuls of whatever pasta seems good.

Put pasta on to cook.

Heat butter gently and as it melts add flour and mustard, stirring in with wooden spoon.

Cook for about 5 minutes  – keep it moving and don’t allow it to brown. If it browns gently it’s not the end of the world but move on fast.

Add the milk and let it get a little bit warm before working the flour paste into the milk using the spoon. Keep on stirring until any lumps are gone (in dire cases a whisk or a hand-wand type blender will break down any lumps) and it gets thicker. If it needs thinned, add some more milk and let it warm slightly before stirring it into the sauce. 

Add cheese.  Stir until cheese melted.

Add the veggies and meat and stir until warmed through.

Pasta will be cooked, drain and add the sauce to it, stir through. Eat.

Serves 3 uber hungry people, or 4 normal ones. Keeps in fridge, nukes like a dream.

If I can make something in biggish amounts and freeze the excess for later, it’s likely to be a hit, and crumble is definitely that. It consists of either tinned fruit or fruit stewed and frozen in portions covered in FP crumble topping which can be used from frozen.

Food Processor Crumble Topping

• 8oz/ 2Cups Plain/AP flour
• 4oz/ 1/2 Cup Sugar (I just use common or garden granulated)
• 4oz/ 1/2 Butter or Marge

Pulse in food processor until it resembles breadcrumbs, pour into box and freeze. Makes enough for two largish crumbles.

Crumbles take about 20minutes at “oven temperature” (usually about 200C, but it’s not an exact science. Hot. Until it looks cooked)

Dinner last night was an attempt to follow the Prime Minister’s advice and not throw food away but use it before it went off, so consisted of lentils that were about to go out of date and some slightly soft potatoes.

Sounds nummy, right?

This is what I had;
Lentil Daal
500g Continental Lentils (I’m pretty sure any kind of lentils would work, red would be more claggy though, I think)
2 Tbsp Balti Paste (Or tomato puree, oil and curry powder would be about equivalent)
1pt stock (to be honest, I think plain hot water would be just fine, but I used a chicken cube)
Small quantity vegetable oil

In a non-stick pan, heat up a little oil and the Curry Paste, then add the lentils and fry off until they start to colour.
Add the stock.
Stir until cooked.

Will feed 5,000 (about 6 reasonably sized portions or 8 side portions)
Bombay Potatoes
4 Potatoes of dubious age, scrubbed, de-eyed and any roots cut off
2 Tbsp Tikka Paste (or tomato puree, oil and curry powder)
1/2pt of passata
Small quantity vegetable oil

Chop the potatoes into cubes of about 1/2″ and boil until cooked but still firm
heat a little oil in a non-stick pan and add the cooked and well drained potatoes and curry paste
Cook until the potatoes start to brown, add passata, cook down until sauce is very thick and pretty much just coats the potatoes

Will make 3 portions

Both recipes freeze very well, both microwave like a dream and both are just yum (the potatoes especially and they are also good cold).