Lasagna!

(Before I start….or should I say continue; this has sat in my drafts half finished for weeks.  I made this whilst Megan was on holiday in June, probably about a month ago.  That tells you a lot about my motivation levels to actually complete the post.

Here goes nothing then, lets get it finished… )

***

I made lasagna, and it was yummy.

To start, I sliced a leek, diced an onion and two stalks of celery.  Mushrooms were also sliced in readiness for use later.

I sweated the leeks, onion and celery, adding a pinch of salt at this stage, and then added crushed garlic.  The mince followed that, and for a ‘lighter’ take on a lasagna, I used turkey mince rather than the usual beef.  The mix was cooked until the meat sufficiently browned.

Mushroom and trusty value chopped tomatoes followed, as well as Italian seasoning and salt and pepper.

Once the sauce was cooked through thoroughly, thus began the construction of the dish of deliciousness.  I pre-bought a white sauce for quickness, so the layering began.  The end result was three meaty laters.

I put some sliced tomato on my side of the dish as well as some cheese, and in the oven it went for 35-40 minutes at 180c/gas mark 5.

I was very happy with the outcome!  Micheal seemed to enjoy what he had too 🙂

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Barbarossa Wood-Fired Pizza

I stayed over at Paul’s place on Wednesday night, which meant a little jaunt out into Middlesborough for a bite to eat.

We took a stroll down Bedford Street, and decided to give Barbarossa a try.  Paul had been told good things, so following both the positive words previously heard and also our shared love of pizza, it seemed like a sound plan!

Ham, Mushroom and Olive Pizza

Sparkling Elderflower

Decor and patrons of the restaurant

Barbarossa prides itself on their sourdough bases being wood fired.  As a glance at the menu will depict, the options on offer range from your classic options such as margarita and Ham & Mushroom (which I opted for, with added olives), to the more interesting Wild Boar.

My verdict on the pizza I had?  Bloody delicious.  The base was of good thickness and the char from the wood burn was perfect.  The toppings were of a very good quality, and distribution across the dough was even.

For £11.45, I got my pizza and a drink.  I felt fully satisfied without any sides, although they are available for anyone wanting to flesh out the meal any more.

The Barbarossa Pizza Kitchen in Middlesborough comes well recommended.  I am looking forward to visiting again.

Who doesn’t love a Tea House?

Last week, whilst off work for a few days, I took the opportunity to visit two tea houses here in the North East of England; one I have been to several times before, and another for the first time.

Curry Night, and the start of a new Blogging Adventure

If you are reading this, you will know that it’s been a long time since I posted to this blog.  My drive to blog has been low as of late…as has my drive to be active on social media in general.  I am still active on Instagram, but it can’t deny that I am not as engaged as I once was.

I was chatting to Michael, my husband, over the weekend, and I was expressing to him how I feel like I don’t manage to find a lot of ‘hobby’ time.  I enjoy painting and drawing but the arts in general are something I am wildly out of touch and practice with.  I used to enjoy spending time coding (very amateur indeed) my own webpages.  My desire to be active in the body positive community as an activist has waned since I hit my bad mental patch this time last year.  I love to play board games, and it is the one thing that I still actively do, but it is a group activity and I want something to do for me.

In my pondering over what I could do to get myself going with something again, and found myself thinking about my recent attempts to bring more fruit and vegetables into food.  I have found cooking to be an enjoyable task recently, and when I eat out, I already find myself taking pictures and sharing food online that I enjoy already.  So I started to consider whether to start blogging again, with a focus on the food I prepare, the food I eat when out and about, as well as drinks.  We all know I have an unbridled love of tea!

I gave it a few days thought, and the idea has stuck…so here we go!

Last night, we (meaning myself and Megan), made a curry mix from Rafi’s Spicebox.

 

The curry mix instructions are easy to follow, and make the most delicious food.  When you choose your mix, it is made to the level of spice you want, and is put together in put of you.  All the spices you need for your curry are included, and the combinations are as authentic as they can possibly be (Rafi’s is a family run business, opened by Rafi from Hyperbad in India.  Rafi passed away in 2013, but the business is still run by her two sons).

We made the Mas Paretal curry with diced lamb, peppers and chickpeas, and these ingredients took on all the flavours beautifully.  We will definitely be having this mix again!

If you have a Rafi’s Spice Box anywhere near you (a list of shops and stalls can be found on the website), then I fully recommend giving their curry mixes a go.

And…I hope you stay with me as I journey on this new blogging adventure.