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Review: Silvercrest Rice Cooker

I bought this.  £9.99 from Lidl as an impulse buy.  I know I’m beginning to use gadgets more than my cooker, but that’s not always a bad thing as I’m a carer for multiple persons as well as trying to earn a small crust now and again.

I love rice, I absolutely do, but I hate, and I mean H. A. T. E cooking the stuff.  I’ve tried steaming it, using expensive bags and double boilers, but they all mean my weak wrists struggle to lift, drain and rinse enough rice for six people in one go.  I often end up overcooking it too.  I know other people pretend it’s hip and call it sticky rice when they overcook theirs, but I don’t like sticky rice, uh uh, not at all.

After another cooker top explosion of rice water boiling over, I saw this little machine and took a chance on it.  I have to say, the little Silvercrest does a fab job for me.  It’s out a couple of times a week and cooks rice perfectly every time and gives my poor wrists and cooker top a rest.  It’s the perfect amount of rice for six people and just a little left over if anyone wants seconds.

Cooked Rice

The rice cooker comes with a little scoop to choose the correct amount of rice, and the bowl has marks for the perfect amount of water.  With the little serving spoon, it’s been £9.99 well spent for me.  Actually, the time it saves in cleaning my cooker tops alone is worth it.

Silvercrest

I guess it depends how many people you cook for.  If I were cooking for two, I might not think it was a huge time saver, but with six, it’s one of those things that I am finding it harder and harder to live without in my kitchen.

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Madeira Wine Cake Recipe

I used to think that Madeira Cake was made with Madeira wine, the same way that liqueurs are often substituted in recipes.  It took a long time for me to realise that the Madeira Wine came in as the perfect accompaniment to a crumbly sponge cake.  I’d be tempted to use almost any sponge cake recipe for use as a Madeira cake, with the addition of some lemon for that citrusy taste to give the cake a tangy flavour.

Here, I’ve used a basic sponge cake recipe.

The accompaniment for sponge cake, to counteract crumbly dry texture, is always a sweet white wine.

Madeira wine from the Madeira Islands is particularly good for this, but choose a sweet variety to accompany cake for afternoon tea.

Unusually, Madeira wine is fortified (made by adding the Madeira spirit) and the flavour is created by heating the wine up to high temperatures and keeping those constant for a good period of time, which also helps to keep the wine for a long time when it’s opened.

Here is my Madeira Cake Recipe Using a Basic Sponge 

Madeira Sponge Cake Slices

Ingredients

  • 250g Caster Sugar
  • 250g Butter
  • 250g Self-Raising Flour
  • 4 Eggs
  • Grated Rind of 1 Lemon

Method

  1. Set the oven to a moderate temperature.  Around 160-170 C.
  2. Mix (cream) the sugar and butter together in a mixer or bowl until smooth.
  3. Add in the eggs and mix until smooth.
  4. Fold in the sifted flour until you have a cake mix texture without lumps and bumps, then fold in the grated lemon rind.
  5. Put the mixture into a loaf tin or two depending on the size.
  6. Bake for up to 35 minutes.  To find out if your cake is fully cooked, use a barbeque skewer to pierce the cake, and if it comes out clean, it’s fully cooked.  Adding a spray or two of cake release to the tins helps with removing your cake once it’s cooked.
  7. When your cake is cool, and I mean cool, slice it in the same way you would a loaf of bread.  If you slice it hot, the cake may crumble into tiny pieces.
  8. Serve and enjoy with a glass of Madeira Wine.  Tesco have a great selection of sweet white wines.

Written for Tesco.

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Which Wine To Choose For Which Dishes

This infographic is posted in collaboration with Roberson Wine.

Do you know which wines go with which foods?  I know I don’t.  As someone who only rarely drinks it, I find myself in a dilemma quite often if we have people over for a meal, and I have no idea which wines to make a choice from.

When Roberson Wine contacted me and offered an infographic that shows me exactly what would go well with fish, beef, chicken and even chocolate, I knew it would be handy for me to keep long term, as a reminder.

The Easter holidays are coming up, and we can get good weather at this time of year, even in Scotland, which is perfect for the first barbeques of the season.

I found this quite interesting.  I hope you do too.

Roberson Wine Food Pairing_Final

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Do Onions Bring Tears To Your Eyes?

One of the most versatile ingredients for many dishes has to be onions.  The majority of mine have onions in some shape or form, whether they’re red, white or just small shallots.

Without going into too much depth, there is a lot of goodness in our onions and we’d all do well to eat more of them than we actually do, depending on our current intake.

Why are onions good for us?

In a word, phytonutrients, or plant nutrients as I know them better.  The substances that help prevent some diseases and are good for our health.  If you don’t know what those are, you’re in good company.  Neither did I, until I skimmed through the notes from my University course from years ago.   I must have known at some point, but it had been very well forgotten.  All I could remember was that they beat tomatoes and carrots hands down.

Onions 255

Where are the nutrients?

What I did remember, was to peel onions very lightly, taking off only the outer skin where possible, to keep the best flavour of the onion.   I grew up having the benefits of a thin peel for potatoes from my grandmother, but the benefit of onions hadn’t been drummed into me so well.

When onions are cooked for soup making, they don’t lose their health benefits.  Some will leech into the water or stock, but they’re still there, doing us a lot of good when they’re cooked into our food.

There is also some discussion around whether onions help reduce our stress levels.  Just for that reason alone, it’s worth adding them into our diet.  I find that when they’re cooked into food, a strong oniony taste disappears, which is always good if we’re cooking for children and making smooth soups, where the individual taste of vegetables can be easily hidden from children.

Cooking onions for soup.

Using the sauté method, where we slowly cook our onions until they’re soft, brings out the natural flavour that many of us love.

Happy hearts.

Like garlic, onions have a beneficial effect on our hearts.  There has been talk about onions helping to stop clots forming in blood, but how true that is, I haven’t had time to research fully.   As a mum, I’m happy to go with the old wives tale of onions being a natural reducer of cholesterol.

A kitchen garden vegetable.

As a plot renting household, we tend to always have plenty onions on the go.  They’re easily grown and fresh onions always seem to taste sweeter than their shop bought companions.  We successfully grow traditional onions as well as the small sweet spring onions and their leeky companions.

Our onions tend to differ in size and colour, often with different varieties mixed together, but we find the small yellow ones easiest to grow in our cool climate.

onions1

Where did onions come from?

On the internet, I found that people tend to say they came from Egypt, thousands of years ago.   They were held in high regard and even buried in tombs with important people.

Choosing and Storing Onions.

Make sure your choices have a good round shape with an unbroken stem and a crispy top layer.  Soft spots and dark spots can mean the onion is past its best and are best avoided.   In the past, I’ve made the mistake of putting onions in my fridge, but that should really be avoided as often as possible.  Keep them in the dark, in a dry but well ventilated room.  I’ve kept onions for up to a month, but sweeter varieties can degrade more quickly.

Helping the Stinging Eye Syndrome.

I suffer from this badly, yet my youngest child can chop the meanest of onions and shed never a tear.  When we cut into onions, we release a natural gas that can bring a tear to the eyes.  Apart from being incredibly useful for actors, there seems to be little other benefit for the rest of us.

I’m told the following can work, but for me, these seem to do  nothing.  And I’ve tried them all.

  • Using a very sharp knife.
  • Cut low and stand tall, maximising the distance between your eyes and the onion.
  • Wear glasses.  I have to say that I wear glasses most days and they don’t help me with this problem at all.
  • Stick the onions in the freezer for a few minutes before chopping.
  • Chop them up outside.
  • All of the above.

 

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The Gift – Five Present Ideas for Your Other Half

This guest post is in collaboration with Thorntons Gifts For Men.

 http://www.dreamstime.com/royalty-free-stock-photo-gift-wrapped-image22965175

If you have a special occasion like an anniversary or a birthday coming up, finding a present for your significant other that’s truly meaningful can be stressful. Men can sometimes be difficult to shop for, and sometimes, generic just won’t cut it. Here are five ideas for alternative but thoughtful gifts for the tricky hombre that will work in just about any situation.

Alcohol

It might be something of a cop out, but rest assured: most guys will be thrilled with a booze-themed present. If he considers himself to be something of a craft beer aficionado, a mixed case of artisan brews should satisfy. If he’s more of a spirits man, you might want to opt for something which adds a bit of theatre to his evening drink: crystal tumblers, whisky rocks and personalised hipflasks are all perfectly viable options.

Food

When man isn’t drinking or sleeping, he’s usually eating, so cater to your beloved’s foodie whims with something delicious. If he’s a spice fanatic, buy him a chilli plant he can lovingly tend. If he loves cooking, opt for something culinary but manly, like a set of razor-sharp Japanese knives. You never know, he might even cook you a delicious meal with his new present to say thanks.

Gadgets

Adding the element of innovation to an everyday process can turn any chore into a delight, so consider what he loves doing and then find a way to streamline it. If he loves music, consider buying him a nifty portable speaker or Bluetooth headset; if photography’s more his style, buy him a zoom lens for his camera phone or a selfie stick.

http://www.dreamstime.com/royalty-free-stock-image-headphones-image29677986

Hamper

Sometimes, just one gift isn’t enough, and for the truly special occasion, gift hampers are a savvy choice. Usually, these will be organised around a theme, so whether he loves whisky or chocolate or wine, you’re likely to find hampers for him that are a good fit and geared around his passions.

Subscription

If your fella is something of a film fanatic, he’ll love you for getting him a subscription to an online streaming site. Netflix and Amazon Prime might already be on his radar, so consider something a little edgier; Mubi, for instance, curates and streams a different foreign or art house movie every day, and will tick all the boxes for any true cineaste.

With this gift ideas you’re sure to put a smile on his face on that special occasion. Have fun!

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Changing RSS Feed Address & How To Subscribe to the Scottish Mum Blog

This has niggled me for a while.  I know some stat couters use it, but to be honest, it’s pretty worthless as a method of establishing follower counts these days.  I changed my RSS (think Google Reader eg) over to Feedburner a few years ago, lost all my original RSS subscribers and it was at the point where Feedburner began to wind down.

Love My Blog 255

I took my e-mail subscribers and duly let them all know about my change back to WordPress E-Mail, then Mailchimp came along for those.  I’m making a change to that too, more as a means of keeping control and being able to have them all in one place for the long term.

What it does leave me with, is around 150 older subscribers I haven’t managed to find, who still have my Feedburner RSS feed directed to them.

I have no way of ever knowing who they are and Google isn’t supporting Feedburner any more, so it’s old hat, even older software, and I don’t trust it anymore.

I do know that those subscribers regularly read the posts, as Feedburner tells me they do, so to stay with me, you’ll need to do one of the following.

Old RSS Feedburner Subscribers

This was my last feed address:  

If you’re subscribed to this, your posts shouldn’t stop too soon, but they will stop eventually.  To keep subscribing, simply delete that option and resubscribe.

My New RSS Feed Address 

http://scottishmum.com/feed/

If It Doesn’t Work?

If you are redirected to Feedburner, your cache may need cleared, or you could subscribe by some of the other ways to keep in touch.

Subscribe By E-Mail

With this option, even if I post multiple times a day, you will only ever get one e-mail as a digest at a time.

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Subscribe to my mailing list.


Powered by MailChimp

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There is still the option of subscribing by simply using the WordPress Direct Subscription options.  I’ll leave one active on the blog for those of you who do prefer that, but some of you may prefer to delete your old blog e-mail subscription and sign up to the Mailchimp version above.  Even if I post three times a day, you’ll only get one e-mail 🙂

Social Media

In those little square boxes above this post on the right hand side, are most of my social media channels.  Feel free to visit me there and catch up on what’s going on.

 

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Soup Maker Recipe: Pickled Onion and Celery Soup

Pickled onions are pungent.  This recipe won’t suit everyone, but if you like a tangy taste, give it a go.  How tangy you want pickled onions soup, depends on the vinegar the onions you pick have been pickled in.  The stronger the vinegar, the more pungent the soup.  Sweet vinegar will give a vegetable soup that tastes like most others, but the celery helps give it some bite.

Serves4 – 6
Prep time10 minutes
Cook time28 minutes
Total time38 minutes
DietaryDiabeticGluten FreeVeganVegetarian
Meal typeSoup
MiscFreezableServe Hot
By authorLesley Smith

INGREDIENTS

  • 150g Small Pickled Onions (Drained. Use Sweet Vinegar if possible, for a less tangy taste.)
  • 150g Celery (Chopped and Sliced)
  • 150g Potatoes (Cubed)
  • 150g Carrots (Sliced)
  • 800ml Vegetable Stock
  • 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
  • Salt & Pepper (To Taste)

NOTE

Makes 1.6 Litres

METHOD

Step 1.Lightly saute the pickled onions in some olive oil. The goal is to release the pickled onion taste, without the onions becoming brown or overcooked.
Step 2.Add all the ingredients into your soupmaker and choose the chunky setting.
Step 3.Serve chunky, or blend if you prefer your soup smooth, but the tangy oniony taste that you can get with the chunky version will fade into the other vegetables when they’re pureed.

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Amazing Scents From Gorgeous Mother’s Day Flowers & 25% Discount Code

Mother’s Day for 2015, is Sunday, the 15th of March.  If you haven’t thought about a present for your mum, it’s about time you did.

Debenhams kindly sent me a bunch of flowers to review.  With plenty to pick from the Mothers Day Flowers range,  I was spoiled for choice.  I also have a discount code for those of you who are looking to send your own bunch of flowers to your own lovely mums, which will expire this year.

The code entitles you to 25% off a bouquet.  The only bouquets exempt from the discount, are those in the Flowers By Post range.

Code:  DFBLOG25

In the end, I settled for this lovely bunch of sweet avalanche roses with lilac & scented lilies.  My lilies haven’t bloomed yet, but when they do, they’re bound to be gorgeous.

Debenhams Flowers 3

Debenhams Flowers by Post have a range starting from £19.99 for a bouquet to go through the post to whoever deserves one in your life.  I have no excuses, I just like having flowers around the house, but so rarely get out to buy them.  I find myself looking forward to birthdays and some family visits from people who always buy me flowers.

Debenhams Flowers 6

My flowers came in a lovely big box.  I did wonder how they would get to me, but the box was big, had air holes, and the flowers were in a little patch of wet soil that kept them moist.  It was very light indeed, but held the flowers securely.

Mothering Sunday AKA Mother’s Day

It’s held on the fourth Sunday of Lent.  Exactly three weeks before Easter Sunday and most often sits in the last two weeks of March, or early April.  It’s a day where restaurants are kept on their toes, with early bookings from everyone who wants to celebrate their own mothers, grandmothers and great grandmothers.  If you’re planning taking your mother out, it’s time you booked your restaurant place, or you’re very likely to be disappointed.

Traditionally, people would visit their own parents, but with distances that people live apart from these days, sending a card or bunch of flowers can often be the only way to get a parent know you appreciate them.

It’s often like another birthday in many families, with presents, cards and a special meal to celebrate.  The shops are full of cards, boxes of chocolates are stockpiled on shelves and we buy them like they’re going out of fashion.

Where Did Mother’s Day Come From?

It really does hark back to a time where people went to church to celebrate their mother.  It could have been a good excuse for a day off, but special services meant that even the scullery maid would have been allowed to go home with a little present, possibly from her employer.  It’s very possible that gifts started in this way.

Debenhams Flowers 4

Scottish Mum’s Mother’s Day

My mothers day usually consists of much of the same as every other day of the year.  There are still three children to feed, clothe and organise, and there’s still the elder to get up, give her medicine and get dressed., so these flowers are lovely, and I do appreciate them.  Appreciating blooms has come late in life to me, but these days, I’d take a bunch of flowers over a box of chocolates every time.

If someone in my family arranged a flower delivery for me, I wouldn’t be at all upset.  Now, perhaps I should leave a note or two lying around for the kids to find, and pass onto their dad!

 
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Win £50 To Spend in Jamie Oliver’s Italian in Aberdeen & Up To 3 Kids Eat Free #aberdeen Closes 31st March 2015

Who doesn’t like the idea of a fabulously free meal.  Up for offer today, I have a £50 meal to give away for one lucky prize winner to spend in the Aberdeen Jamie Oliver Italian restaurant.  The giveaway ends on the 31st of March 2015, at midnight.

Jamie Oliver 4

The voucher can be spent on anything on the menu, and would likely cover a 3 course meal for two adults.  Up to 3 Kids will get their meals for free with the prize. (approximately £6 each.)

The giveaway is to celebrate the Aberdeen Restaurant, Jamie’s Italian.  I haven’t had the pleasure of eating there yet, but I’m sure I’ll get to it at one point.  There are also restaurants in London, Glasgow, Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, Exeter, Leeds, Newcastle, Nottingham, St Albans, and more.

Our Local Jamie’s

Jamie‘s Italian Aberdeen is one of the newer enterprises.  The Italian Restaurants are a partnership between Jamie Oliver and his Italian mentor, chef Gennaro Contaldo.

The first restaurant opened in Oxford in May 2008, and has grown to many new ventures.  The Jamie’s Italian menu is based on dishes that people would eat in Italy, carefully made, but without much fuss.

Pasta is made on site each day and the children’s menu is perfect for families.  Our local in Aberdeen is currently the most Northerly restaurant and sits on the first and second floors of the old Esselmont & Macintosh Department Store on Union Street.  I have many memories of Esslemont and Macintosh, and was sad to see it go, but I’m sure Jamie’s Italian fills the space well.

Booths are spacious and there are large open windows, so it’s perfect to relax.  There is also a chance to host parties and celebrations on the upper floor, for up to 130 people.

The Giveaway

Entry is by Rafflecopter only.  Complete the steps to be in with a chance to eat at a Jamie’s Italian Restaurant.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Giveaway Rules

 – Open to UK Mainland Entrants only.

– 1 Winner will win one meal to the value of £50, with up to 3 children eating free in Jamie’s Aberdeen Italian Restaurant

– The prize will be booked in the UK, through contact with the Scottish Mum Blog and Jamie’s Italian.

– The Scottish Mum Blog is not responsible for your prize and cannot be held liable in any way for non delivery or non receipt at your end.

– Winners will be notified within 2 days of giveaway end. If the winner does not respond within 3 days, a new winner will be drawn.

– The winners will be chosen by Rafflecopter random generator.

– Scottish Mum Blog and Jamie’s Italian reserve the right to amend, add or withdraw this giveaway at any time.

– Each entry method entitles you to one entry into the draw.

– Closes 31st March 2015 at midnight.

 

 

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Creme Egg Brownies – With A Surprise Middle

Cadbury is my favourite chocolate, but making a cadburys cake hadn’t come into my kitchen until now.  For an Easter recipe, it seems a good idea to use one of the things that we only get for a few months each year, the renowned Cadburys Creme Egg.

The kids wanted a tray bake to take to a friend’s house, but I had so little that would actually fit into any one recipe and sponge didn’t seem to be the answer.  I had too few eggs, so it had to be brownies.

My eldest pottered round to the local co-0p and came back with a variety of cream eggs, with different fillings.  It wasn’t quite what I’d asked for, but hey ho, they were all Cadburys chocolate of some sort.

We ended up with some full sized Cadbury Creme Eggs, and some Cadbury Caramel Mini Eggs.  I was at a bit of a loss, so brownies seemed to be the answer for this conundrum.  I’m just glad these are going out of the house, as they are delicious and far too calorie laden to be more than an odd treat.

Serves16
Prep time15 minutes
Cook time40 minutes
Total time55 minutes
By authorLesley S Smith

INGREDIENTS

  • 250g Unsalted Butter (Softened)
  • 375g Caster Sugar
  • 200 Grams Plain Flour
  • 3 Eggs
  • 50g Cocoa Powder
  • 5 – 6 Cadbury Creme Eggs
  • 16 Cadbury Mini Eggs
  • 1 teaspoon Coffee Powder (Optional)

METHOD

Step 1
Preheat your oven before you start and set it to 180ºC, or reduce it to 160ºC for a fan oven.

Step 2
Grease a medium to large baking try or roasting tin.

Step 3
fAdd all the ingredients to the mixer, or bowl, and mix/fold until smooth. Many people will beat the sugar and eggs together first, but I don’t bother for brownies. I just throw it all in.

Step 4
Pour into your choice of baking tray and smooth it all into the edges.

Step 5
fPut into the oven for 20 minutes, lightly score the top of the mixture in the cake tin into portions and push half or a whole mini egg into each portion.

Step 6
fPut the brownies back into the oven for a further 20 – 25 minutes, or until the mixture stops wobbling when you shake the pan.

Step 7
fLet your Cadburys Brownies cool down before putting smushed pieces of Cadbury’s Creme Egg on the top and serving. The kids wanted a bit of colour, so we added a little icing writing to the plate, which pleased them very much.

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Crustless Tattie, Cheese, Tomato & Onion Quiche

Not everyone likes pastry, or wants the calories and fat that come from making it.  It doesn’t mean we have to do without quiche style dishes.  This version is made using a regular oven dish, with all the ingredients just placed in.

PASTRY FREE POTATO, CHEESE, ONION AND TOMATO QUICHE (CRUSTLESS QUICHE)

Pastry Free Potato, Cheese, Onion and Tomato Quiche (Crustless Quiche)
Serves10-12
Prep time20 minutes
Cook time30 minutes
Total time50 minutes
AllergyEggMilk
Meal typeLunchMain Dish
MiscPre-preparableServe ColdServe Hot
By authorLesley Smith

INGREDIENTS

  • 700g Baby Potatoes
  • 25g Garlic Butter
  • 500g Cheddar Cheese (Grated)
  • 250ml Semi Skimmed Milk
  • 12 Medium Eggs
  • 1 Large Onion (Finely Chopped)
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • 1 Vegetable Stock Pot
  • 250g Cherry Tomatoes (Cut into thirds.)

METHOD

Step 1
Set your oven to approximately 160 – 170 c.

Step 2
Wash and smother the baby potatoes in garlic butter. Place them on a microwave safe plate and cook them for 10 minutes. Remember to pierce each one, or you could end up with exploding tatties. If you don’t have a microwave, simply boil them for ten to fifteen minutes, then drain and let the garlic butter melt on the skins.

Step 3
Beat your eggs and mix in the milk. Have your chopped onion ready to go into the dish. Feel free to saute your onions in a little olive oil if you like them done that way too. I would have added mushrooms, but my mother wouldn’t eat the meal and she’s eating with us tonight, so it’s a mushroomless variety.

Step 4
Slice the baby potatoes into evenly thick slices. I usually get about three or four slices from a baby potato.

Step 5
Pour around 1-2mm of the egg/milk mix into the bottom of your dish. Mine is approximately 10 inches by 8 inches in size. You could use a couple of smaller oven dishes just as easily.

Step 6
Place a layer of sliced potatoes onto the bottom of your dish, then layer some cheese on top and add some tomatoes. repeat with some more potato and then the cheese, until you run out of ingredients.

Step 7
Top up the dish with the remainder of the egg/milk mix, making sure to pour slowly, with the intention of not disturbing the filler too much.

Step 8
Pop in the oven and bake until the egg is set. Usually around 20 – 30 minutes.