Thursday 29 September 2011

Slow and tasty wins the race

I am a rubbish cook. There, I said it. I suck at cooking because half the time I can't be bothered to do it. It seems like a lot of work for ten minutes of enjoyment, and then there's the mountain of washing up to deal with... I am definitely a 'won't cook'.

Or at least, I was...

Just to put it in context here, I am 26, live alone, and have never had much cause to have to do a lot of cooking. I don't have any young siblings, children, or dinner-party type friends. Just me. So when it comes down to it, I tend to cook because I have to, not because I enjoy it.

All of this changed recently when I discovered the magic and wonder of a slow cooker. It has changed my life. No more messing about with complicated recipes or timings or ingredients, or hours in the kitchen when I've got in from work and can't be bothered to continue working because I just want to chill out: I just whack the stuff in, switch it on, go to work, come home, and sit on my bum feeling very smug until about six o'clock when I open the lid and dish up something delicious.

If it was legal to marry an electrical appliance you would be looking at Mrs.Tesco SC356 Slow Cooker right about now.

In honour of my new slow cooker love, here is a little recipe I want to share because I love it so much! It has come to be known as Pork Thinger and is truly delicious.



Add chopped onions to the pot. I used red because the so-called 'super' market didn't have any white.

Slice an apple, I chose Granny Smith, and put a layer over the onions.

Whack some pork shoulder on top.

Mix some stock with some cider. I used one of those Marco Pierre White stock pot thingers, and I chose some Suffolk dry cider. I used 300ml stock and 200ml cider.

Pour over. Add salt and pepper. Whack on high for about seven or eight hours. That's about how long I go to work for.

Near the end, add a couple dollops of sour cream and stir through.

EAT!


I realised at this point I hadn't photographed the finished product. Well, it was just too delicious!

If you have any tried and tested slow cooker recipes, please give them to me!

Monday 26 September 2011

Slight return

Hey there lovely people, long time no see!

Since I was last on, I've been busy eating stews, making autumnal things, trying a spot of embroidery and, as usual, eating plenty of biscuits (see above) and drinking copious amounts of tea. I have missed you all and need a good old catch up! I can't believe September is almost at an end. It's been one of those months where work is insane, and any downtime has been spent staring at walls or the gogglebox because my brain has been unable to engage. It really stifles those creative urges you know!

In other news, I have written a little guest post which you will find over at The Leopard Anchor this morning. The rather fabulous Kirsty has allowed me to run rampant on her lovely blog which was very kind of her! Do go over there and check it out, hopefully it'll go some way towards reassuring you all that I haven't completely lost my creative mojo!

I hope you are all well.

Friday 2 September 2011

Recuperate

Hello everyone, it's been a while. I've not been very well recently and everything has fallen by the wayside! This includes but is not limited to: going to work, cleaning the house, washing (I don't just mean laundry) and obviously keeping up to date with everyone's latest adventures in crafting, creating and cooking. I feel very out of the loop!

Today, though, on a mission to Tesco to get a slow cooker (the call of Autumn gets louder by the day, and I felt I needed one to get me through!) I got my grubby hands on issue five of the grail that is Mollie Makes. It reminded me that I was out of touch with you all. So I'm back on to say that I'm still alive, to say particular thank you to Little Dotty Bird who chose me for a blog award (especially wonderful since I've been MIA!) and to say hello to all the lovely new people who've taken the time to read my inane ramblings! Oh, and to remind you MM is out, in case you didn't know...

Issue five of Mollie Makes is out! Hurrah!
My afternoon treat - a lemon curd muffin. No I didn't bake it - silly!
I hope you are all well. ♥