Chicken Skewers with Chilli Butter

Basting with butter during cooking keeps the chicken lovely and juicy.

These skewers or kebabs are so easy to make and can be ready to eat in next to no time.  Either on the BBQ or using a grill-pan, you can still create that. lovely char-grilled look.

For vegetarian's just leave out the chicken!

If you want to make these in advance, just drizzle them with a little olive oil or better still the chilli butter baste, cover with cling film and pop them into the fridge.  Remove them about 20 minutes before cooking.

  

  No need for a printable recipe here:

For the chilli butter baste just melt a big knob or two of butter (depending how many skewers you're making) along with a glug of olive oil.  Throw in some finely sliced chilli, cook for a couple of seconds, remove from the heat and add in some chopped flat leaf parsley.

Using metal skewers, or you can of course use wooden ones - but be sure to soak in water for at least half an hour to prevent them burning.  Thread chunks of red and yellow bell pepper, chicken, red or brown onions (or both) along with some baby cherry tomatoes and your set to get that grill-pan on.

Once the pan or BBQ is ready to cook on baste the skewers with the chilli butter and turn every now and then basting as you go.  

   

Cook till the chicken is properly cooked through and serve straight away with whatever takes your fancy.  We had tabbouleh and pitta bread.

High Speed Training Courses - Review

Do you know that if you decide to sell food items from your home, or you want to sell food at a pop up event, you would be required to have a Food Hygiene Certificate?  For anyone that regularly works with food it’s a useful qualification to have anyway.  Or maybe you just want to make sure you are safeguarding the health of your family.

    

Screen shot of the Food Hygiene and Safety Course taken from High Speed Training website:

Having been given the opportunity to take a couple of courses from 
High Speed Training, this is how I got on: 

It has to be said, High Speed Training is in my opinion brilliant! 
I've recently completed and passed two courses; Level 2 Food Hygiene and Safety and Nutrition and Healthy Eating. 

I would never consider going out to a class to get these certificates as I simply don't have time.  I didn't find the courses boring at all, in fact both the courses were really interesting.  The nutrition one is quite long and I was worried I wouldn't pass as it's quite in depth, but no worries, I passed!

Are the courses easy to understand? 

Yes they are very easy to understand.  There's a list of the different course activities which you simply complete in order.  Each slide is read out to you in a nice clear voice and you press 'next' to continue in your own time without feeling rushed to take it all in. 
You can stop the course at any point, anytime you fancy, go and get yourself a cuppa, then go back to it later on whenever it suits you - it remembers where you're up to. 

  Once you're done, it's time to take the quiz which tells you whether or not you've passed.  Your certificate is then posted out to you the next working day, but you can print a temporary certificate in the meantime if you wish.  

  

  All in all:

High Speed Training is the ideal way to gain certificates in a wide range of subjects from Hygiene and Safety through to Financial Services and Business Skills.  Each course is reasonably priced and they are CPD certified and meet UK/EU requirements.

 More about Level 2 Food Hygiene and Safety for Catering:

This course is aimed at food handlers working in catering or hospitality including hotels, restaurants, cafes, bars, fast food outlets, takeaways, cafes, kitchens, hospitals, schools and colleges.

The course gives learners a basic awareness of good hygiene and safety issues and meets food industry regulations, with reference to employees preparing, cooking and handling food in catering settings.

More about Nutrition and Healthy Eating:

With so many people eating the wrong kind of foods, the Nutrition and Healthy Eating course is a great way to ensure you understand how to eat properly and maintain a healthy diet for all age ranges from infants to the elderly.

This course gives an overview of each of the essential components in a healthy diet and explains the different requirements of special diets, including the special diets of children, vegetarians and people in care homes

 Many thanks to Ryan at High Speed Training for making these two courses available for me to review.

Organic Herbal Products - Relax Massage Oil from Pukka

We all know it's important to eat well but healthily too and for general well-being it is also good to relax.  With today's busy lifestyle it's easy to grab quick (and often unhealthy food) and never even seem to have time to eat properly.  Some people even find themselves eating on the move too which isn't ideal at all.  To avoid aging, it's important to take time out to actually slow down and relax.

 Relax:
Everyone should seriously try to find some time to actually relax properly.  Looking after your skin is important and a nice massage not only makes you feel good as it relieves stress but also nourishes the skin and makes it radiant.

The Laughing Cow Cheese Triangles - Now with Emmental

The Laughing Cow has added a new flavour to its light range of cheese triangles, Laughing Cow Light is now available with Emmental. 

 Made with real Emmental cheese and Laughing Cow Light, is tasty and really creamy but even better it's low in calories at just 25 per triangle.  

The Laughing Cow Light with Emmental is the latest addition to the Light family.  Available now in Tesco and Asda in 128g round boxes of eight triangles - you'll find them on shelf with the cheese spreads.

Perfect Snacking Cheese:

These cheesy triangles are perfect for popping into a lunch box or taking on a picnic.  Spread over crackers or use as a smooth and creamy sandwich filling, personally I like to eat one with an apple. 

 

Potato and Chorizo Omelette - Jamie Oliver Recipe

Jamie's omelette is, as he says a cross between a Spanish tortilla and an Italian frittata. 
It's Spanish because of the chorizo and potato, but a little Italian too because he likes to finish it off in the oven instead of on the hob, so it puffs up like a soufflé.

This is my slightly titivated version, Jamie puts rosemary in his which he fries in the chorizo oil till crisp, other than that it's pretty much the same recipe.
If you make it be sure to make the kind of parsley salad which is sprinkled over the top before serving as it's really lovely.

Shopping Trolleys Get Fashionable

Yes indeed, shopping are the way to go!  

Recently I've seen more and more younger people using them and that's because they're getting far more trendy and up to date than the kind my nan used, bless her.  The Mail online published a recent article with the following headline;  Granny chic is back! Shopping trolleys are the hot new must-have for glam girls on the go 'more Fearne Cotton than Dot Cotton'

 Fantastic news for anyone that doesn't drive:
If you don't drive or just want to pop to the shops on the way home from walking the kids to school then this fashionable shopping trolley from Sabichi's new Lemongrass collection is the very thing you need.

Dishwashers - More Hygienic than Washing up by Hand

Most people would agree that washing the dishes is nothing but a chore!  However, there are still an awful lot of homes without a dishwasher. 

What’s more Economical – The Dishwasher or Washing by Hand?
I must point out that I haven’t always had a dishwasher; I used to think that with just the two of us, there was little and no point in buying one.  However, after discovering Homebase dishwasher range, there’s no going back.  I’ve since realised you don’t have to have a huge family to justify having one.  All we do is start loading it in the morning and then keep adding to it throughout the day.  At the end of our evening meal we set it to start and when we get up in the morning the dishes are washed and dried without effort. 

Moroccan Style Butternut with Spiced Tomatoes and Feta

Soft sweet butternut with harissa spiced tomato sauce along with tangy feta and crunchy pumpkin seeds.  Oh yes, this is good food.

In my opinion Marks and Spencer are simply the best for their fantastic and top quality range of food.
After spying this dish from their recent 'Dine in for Two' menu, I had to have a go at making it.

I made the sauce from tinned cherry tomatoes and added rose harissa, oregano and a splash of sherry vinegar along with a couple of other bits and bobs.  Of course you can find the recipe if you continue reading.

Thai Red Curry Foam - YOKO Design Cream Whipper Video

 Cream Whippers are not all about Cream!
There are so many more amazing things you can do with them once you've mastered using it.  That said, they are not at all difficult to use, it's just about getting your recipe right.  

 At first my Thai red curry foam either set too much or didn't set enough.  But I wasn't going to let a cream whipper get the better of me, so I now have the recipe perfected.  I'm still learning new things but in my video I'll show you how to use one and just a couple of things you can create with a cream whipper.

My video shows how to make a cold Thai Red Curry Foam that's great for serving as a starter by adding a few Prawns and there's Fizzy Fruit!
I've also mastered edible coffee but I'll show you that later on in this blog.

Soft Touch Cream Whipper 500ml:

Now, there are many cream whippers out there to choose from, but it has to be said very few are as stylish as this one by YOKO Design.

This good-looking Soft Touch Cream Whipper is available in bright green, bright orange or black.

 Smooth and soft to the touch, perfect for vegetable or fruit mousses, sauces, and hot or cold creams.  The cream whipper comes with three innovative nozzles, so you can be as creative as you like.  Everything is easy to clean with the bottle brush provided.
Requires nitrous oxide gas cartridges (not included in the box) but sold separately.  It is made from aluminium and is rubber coated.

Apologies in advance for my not too professional video! 

*If the video doesn't show on your device it can be found here.

My recipe for Thai Red Curry Foam can be printed by clicking on the icon below.

A short while ago I reviewed the YOKO Design Silicone Cooking Bag, Popcorn Maker and Omelette Cooker - you can find my post and video here.  

YOKO Design products can be purchased from Emporium Direct over at Amazon.

Many thanks to Sergio at YOKO Design for sending me this amazing cream whipper.

All opinions and thoughts are my own.  I was not required to write a positive review.  I only ever post reviews on products I like the look of, and therefore would buy myself.

ColourTone Knives from Stellar Cookware - Review

Stellar Cookware have recently added these Colourtone Knife Sets to their existing product range.  They're not only good-looking and stylish, but importantly, the knives are sharp just as you'd expect.  The steak knives cut through steak effortlessly. 

 
Good Sharp Knives are Essential in the Kitchen:

You are far more likely to slip and cut yourself if using a blunt knife.

HomeMade Pizza Recipe - Serrano Ham and Chorizo

Pizzas are so very easy to make at home and of course the best thing is, you can add whatever combo of toppings takes your fancy.

For this pizza I used a selection of Spanish meats from the Tapas range at Marks and Spencer.  Even the pizza sauce for the base is a doddle to make.

Spanish Serrano Ham, Spicy Chorizo and Lomo, finished off with Sweet Bell Peppers, Cheese and a little sliced Red Chilli. 

You can use a ready-made Pizza base as I did.

Quick and Easy Salad - OXO Good Grips Salad Spinner Review

Spin up a delicious and easy salad with the new OXO Good Grips Little Herb and Salad Spinner.  Perfect for cleaning the leaves of those 'Living Salads' you can buy these days.  Or of course, if you grow your own then that's even better!

  I'm not a huge fan of the pre-packed salads you see in supermarkets.

Why?  Because they have their shelf-life extended using 'modified atmosphere' packaging, which creates a balance of gases inside the bag to retain moisture and prevent browning.  Research has shown that a manufacturing technique used to keep the greens crispy for longer also destroys vitamins and protective anti-oxidants.

So with that said, much better to buy an OXO Good Grips Salad Spinner and wash your own leaves!

This newly designed 'Little Herb and Salad Spinner' from OXO Good Grips is excellent and serves as an attractive salad serving bowl too. 

One-handed operation, the non-slip ring on the base sticks to your worktop whilst spinning salad in next to no time.

At the press of a button, the brake mechanism stops the spinning immediately.  The flat lid makes storage more convenient and comes apart for cleaning at the press of a button.  I love the shape of the bowl which has a wide base and a flat top.

There's a non-slip ring on the base which makes it stable even when spinning at top speed!

 The flat top of the spinner makes storage convenient in either the refrigerator or cupboard.  This spinner is available with a green or clear basket.

Personally I like the clear basket - don't you think it looks good?

The inner basket can be used separately as a colander and the
    The elegant, clear bowl is perfect for serving too.  Top-rack dishwasher safe Made from BPA-free plastic.

Salad of Baby Leaves, Peppers and Plum Tomato with Feta:

So simple there isn't a recipe!
Just wash and spin some salad leaves of your choice in your OXO Good Grips Salad Spinner.  Add halved baby plum tomatoes, diced bell pepper, sliced spring onion (if you fancy it) and crumble over some feta cheese.

Season and dress with your favorite dressing - job done.   

Thank you to OXO and Cherelle for sending me this to review.

  All opinions and thoughts are my own.  I was not required to write a positive review.  I only ever post reviews on products I like the look of, and therefore would buy myself.