party and food

Well I really enjoyed our little party the other night. It was really kind of like a 'goodbye to Durham' party for me in some ways. The girls from the other house and Ian all came over for their dinner and then stayed right through and other people came and went. Burbage made the best mix EVER on iTunes (which I am very excited to now have a copy of on mine.) It was distractingly good, we would all be playing Cranium and then a song would come on that just HAD to be danced to and the volume would be cranked up, some dancing would happen and then the game/conversation/eating/whatever we were originally doing would be resumed.

For dinner we kept it pretty simple, I made a lot of chicken in a cream sauce and made a bolognaise sauce we also cooked some bacon, onions and mushrooms and then we all had baked potatoes with that or whatever other toppings could be found in our crazed kitchen. We over estimated on drinks and deserts but abundance makes for a good party.

I just really enjoyed the time to hang out together, laugh lots and say some good byes. I have such great memories of hanging out with these guys over the last year and a bit. We have lots of fun which is generally of a girlie nature so it takes quite the guy to hang around with us (respect goes out to Mark, Ian, Bob, Ben and any other guy who puts up with it) Thursday night was just one more fun night to hang out together and I am looking forward to more.

I promised I would post some of the recipe's so here goes I'll so one now and some more another time...See if you can try these at home...

I made my Nanna's (which has since become my Mum's and I hope one day to adopt as my...) pavlova which is ALWAYS my favourite thing to eat... I want to put in a disclaimer at this point that my Mum has given this recipe to her friends before and for some reason it just hasn't worked out as good for them so if it doesn't, maybe it's a gene thing but I don't think so, so hopefully you can make it too.


You will need:
3 egg whites
6oz caster sugar
I tsp white vinegar
I level tbs corn flour
Vanilla
double cream
fruit to top it with


So for this one, first wrap foil around the outside of a 7 or 8 inch sandwich cake tin to make a foil case

Smooth down the inside of the case and lightly oil

HAND WHISK (with a rotary whisk...NEVER electric!!!) 3 egg whites until stiff and peaking

add a tea spoon of caster sugar and whisk again until stiff

repeat this 3 times

fold in remaining sugar VERY lightly and cornflower, vinegar and vanilla

Lightly put in foil case

place in oven for 45 minutes at about 120-130 C (higher if fan oven)
DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR
after 45minutes turn the oven off and leave in there for another 30 min to cool

when ready... turn upside down onto serving plate and VERY carefully, using a sharp knife, peel off the foil trying to keep 'crust' in tact.

Whisk up double cream and spead on top and then arrange fruit. Enjoy the yummy goodness

Like I said, when I have time I will post more. I got a new cookbook recently, it's called 'Apples for Jam' by Tessa Kirkos (I think that's her name) and so far, I think it is really great, I have loved everything I have tried. It has a really great variety of recipe's in it. So far I have tried making her lasagne, spaghetti and meat balls, rissotto, bolognaise sauce, mango sorbet, raspberry coolie, bread, brownies, muffins, jam I've made some soups and some other stuff and everything I have tried has turned out great my favourite recipe in it is the apple, cinnamon and walnut loaf!!!!!! So if anyone is thinking of buying a cook book (and you aren't already a super chef like Andy so you don't feel ready for the professional cookbook) then I recommend this one. The cook is divided into colour coded sections and is really beautifully presented with stories and stuff. I also like Nigella Lawson's 'feast' cookbook (I think that's the best one she does. It is divided into different 'celebrations' and food associated with that like Christmas but then also ones from other traditions.

Now I am home, I have a bit of a cold but other than that am doing great.