Weekly Update!

Jazzy Veg & Marshmallow Icing!

This has been another quiet week, though this weekend has been fun. On Tuesday at the Country Club I had teriyaki lamb rump medallions with a ginger and spring onion dressing, accompanied by chargrilled broccoli and asparagus in a peanut-sesame dressing. The veg was amazing, I would just have that as a snack on a lunch time, the dressing really perked it up. The lamb was deliciously tender and again, the dressing complimented it nicely.

On Wednesday Mum came round during the day to finish my wardrobe off so I finally have all my clothes hung up and looking lovely! I took Aum to the Cake Gallery that evening as he skipped drama and I was babysitting - I had a raspberry and white chocolate sponge with raspberry pieces in the cake and marshmallow in the icing, it was amazing!

On Thursday I had a chilled one, caught up with some writing and jobs around the house. Friday was Valentines Day (see previous post) and on Saturday I spent the day testing out my new curlers (slight fail, but not too bad) and writing an article for London Fashion Week. In the evening Mo and I went out for dinner with friends at a place in town called Dogs N Dough (see previous post) and today has been spent recovering and writing a few more Fashion Week articles for Candid. They will be up next week for you to look at!

New Tastes...

Dogs N Dough

Last night, a few of us went to a diner in Manchester called Dogs N Dough. I had never heard of it before (it was our friend's suggestion) but went online to check out the menu and was immediately excited!

The premise, for those that are familiar, is similar to Almost Famous, a burger bar in the Northern Quarter that does huge, stacked burgers with everything from candied bacon, to doughnuts to steak in them - and are hugely calorific! The difference with Dogs N Dough is that, as the name suggests, it is hotdogs and pizza which they specialise in - and considering I am not a huge burger fan, this seemed like my ideal replacement.

We had a table booked for half 7, and eventually managed to find it, as it is tucked down a tiny side street off St Anns Square. Down some stairs leads to a big room with green lacquer tiles on the walls and low over-table lighting, so it has the effect of an old fashioned snooker hall. We ordered some drinks whilst we waited for the other members of our group to arrive, and perused the impressive (read: huge!) menu.

I decided to go for pizza, whilst everyone else in the group opted for a hotdog. Mine had macaroni cheese and bacon on the top, carb overload! I managed 5 out of 8 slices which I was pretty happy with, and the boys were willing to finish it off! Other things ordered were the 'Philly Cheese Steak' which was topped with steak, shallots, barbecue sauce, peppers and cheese, the 'New Yorker' with pastrami, swiss cheese, jalapenos and horseradish mayo and the 'Burrito Dog' topped with salsa, guacamole, chilli, peppers and cheese, and we also got a few portions of fries, some loaded with chilli and cheese. The boys were on pitchers of Budweiser which worked out as a good deal, and I shared a bottle of wine with one of the other girls, as one of our party was a designated driver.

The bill came to £24 each (we split it for ease, except the driver) which included a tip, and as I'd had near enough a full bottle of wine as we ordered separate glasses afterwards, I thought it wasn't too bad. The service was good, and it had a really cool atmosphere, and decent music; I'd love to go back to try something else off the menu next time!

Homemade Recipes...

Valentines Day!

Yesterday was Valentines Day, and though I am not a huge fan of the holiday, I thought seen as I have a boyfriend this year I might as well celebrate it somehow. I decided to cook for us both, as I enjoy cooking and it's cheaper/ less slushy than going out on the night!

For starter I just did a homemade platter, which had french bread, brie, pate and olives. I find that the simple dishes are often the nicest, although I was pretty full after eating it all! 

For main course I made slow cooked beef bourguignon and dauphinoise potatoes. I was well prepared, as I chopped the 4 rashers of bacon, 3 onions, two handfuls of mushrooms and 2 carrots the night before, so that I just had to pan fry them in oil the following morning before adding them to the slow cooker. I covered 400g beef cubes in flour and then lightly browned them, before adding them too to the mix, and then poured half a beef stock cube, 150ml of red wine, a chopped garlic clove and 1/2 tbsp tomato puree over the top and gave it a stir. I then left it bubbling all day for about 6 1/2 hours. (Recipe from the Good Food Channel). 

To make the dauphinoise, I peeled and par boiled the potatoes for a couple of minutes, before thinly slicing them and placing them into an ovenproof dish so that they slightly overlapped. I then grated 2 garlic cloves, and added them to 175ml double cream and 100ml skimmed milk (this can all be cream if desired, I just wanted to lower calories slightly!) and poured it over the potatoes before topping with some grated cheese and baking them in the oven for approx 1 hr at 175c. (Recipe from BBC Food).

For dessert I made a tarte tatin, served with the remaining double cream. I peeled and cored 6 small apples, and sliced them in half before placing them to one side. I then heated 100g sugar, seeds from a vanilla pod and 50g butter until it was a bubbling caramel and tossed the apples in the mixture before pouring into an ovenproof dish. I then placed shop-bought puff pastry over the top, squashed the edges around the apple mixture and trimmed the edges before baking at 190c for 25-30 minutes. (Recipe from Jamie Oliver). When it was finished, I flipped it over onto a plate, and though mine was a strange shape due to using a dish that was too big to cook it in, it tasted delicious and was surprisingly easy to make.

It all went down a treat with red wine for me and Coronas for Mo, and there was plenty of dessert left for the day after!

Weekly Update!

Sushi, Steak & Cake!

This week has been a build up to my housewarming really, so I haven't done a great deal. On Monday I met up with Tasha and Abi and Dave the guy Abi is seeing, and we went to Gastronomy for some lunch. I had a bacon and brie panini (seem to have it every time!) and a few cups of tea. I had to dash off to get Aum from school, but it was nice to meet Dave and chat to the girls albeit briefly. 

On Tuesday I went to the country club and had peking duck sushi, which given that I don't normally like duck (I find it a bit too dry) was delicious, though I think Aum was a bit gutted he didn't get it! On Thursday I went round to Mum and Dad's for squash stuffed with cous cous, feta and pine nuts for tea and then stayed back at mine.

On Friday Geoff and Brian arrived for the weekend, and Rick came as he lives nearby so we went out for a few drinks and some dinner at The Flying Horse at the end of my road. What was supposed to be quiet drinks turned into a 3am drinking session, typical when us uni lot get together!

Yesterday I spent the day prepping for the party with Mum (see previous post) while the lads went into town and met a few others before heading back. Today I've been hella hungover, but feel a bit better now, so Mo is making steak for dinner and I've cooked a Betty Cocker chocolate orange swirl cake for dessert - yum!