Pimp My Can Of Chicken Soup

Welcome to the first installation of pimp my soup and this week we have chicken soup

Ingredients 

You guessed it > chicken  soup 

Anything else you want to chuck in please though not the kitchen sink

I put in sweetcorn and some chunks of cooked potato 

Method 

Open can into saucepan 

Chuck everything else in

Heat through 

Declare yourself a genius 

Windows On The World

Windows on the world are many at the minute although you can not travel by air plane train as you’re restricted to what is available to you on foot and I’m really lucky to live near stunning countryside and woodland. So when I needed to get my prescription the other day I decided to take the very long way round to get it ! If you look through the photos you will see how enchanting the area in which I live is. I live for travel as as a rule I enjoy going to far-flung places and those nearer to home and as you might expect this has clipped my wings .


I have been getting my travel fix through the television with such programs as Sir Tony Robinsons round the world by train and Race Across The world ( these are certainly 2 must see programs in recent times )

I have never taken the world for granted and I love it every time I step out the house to have the freedom I do ( though now it is once a day ) 

There is inspiration everywhere I look and I love my photography as does Mr T and we are sad that we've had to cancel our holiday to Corfu , I have had to cancel my spa trip with my good friend Jane , Mr T has had to cancel his pre birthday trip that he was going to go on while I was at the Sap because Mr T does not like Spas in the slightest it really is his idea of hell.Also our afternoon tea at Bettys for my husbands birthday was also cancel and it is the big 50 birthday as well.

So for now it is armchair travels mainly with my eyes firmly on the windows on the world and there is certainly no harm in dreaming as dreaming doesn't cost anything at all .

Frugal Recipe Corn Beef Hash

Its a time of frugal recipes for most especially for me this week as this week its the turn of the car to blow up. So  really not wanting be eating beans on toast for the umpteenth time again. I decided upon Corn Beef Hash. Mr T did question whether I knew how to cook it , I smiled through gritted teeth and imagined clubbing him to death with a Maris Piper ( not really although ...)

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp butter

1 small onion

1 tin of corn beef

enough waxy yellow potatoes for the number of people who will be dining.

1/2 cup beef stock

1 tsp yellow mustard

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

pinch of sugar

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Finely dice the corned beef and onion.  Peel the potatoes and boil them until they are fairly cooked but not mushy.

2. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pan over medium-high heat.  Sauté the onions until soft.  Add the potatoes, corned beef, stock, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and sugar.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Stir well, lower the heat, cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes.  Uncover, stir, cover again, and cook for another 5 minutes.

3. Now at this point you could continue cooking on the heat for another five minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed, stiring occasionally.  Raise the heat to medium-high and cook until the hash becomes crusty.  Stir, let the hash sit for a while and then stir again. 

But as J and Mr T were out at rugby practise I decided to put in in the oven so I transferred the ingredients to a lightly buttered Denby dish.

3. I cooked the Corn Beef Hash for around 20 minutes at 180c though you can turn it down quite a bit if people are going to be late ( looks at Mr T)

Frugal Recipe Corn Beef Hash.

The Easiest And Quickest Sponge Cake In The World Possibly !

This is the quickest sponge cake you will ever bake in your life leaving you time for other activities.

Ingredients 

1 egg

2 oz self raising flour.

2 oz low fat spread.

2 oz soft brown sugar.

Tablespoon Lyle’s Golden Syrup 

You could also melt a square of chocolate at the bottom of a microwaveable cup etc.

Mix the self raising flour , sugar and spread and egg all together till looks smooth !

Put a tablespoon of golden syrup into the bottom of the cup / mug   

Obviously the amount of cake  mixture you put in will vary depending on the size of the cup/mug aim for about a quarter.

Any left over mixture can be used in another cup/mug or even a ramekin.

Place in the mircowave for no longer than 3 minutes otherwise your cake will burn.

Once you hear that magic ping then take out and enjoy!

You will find the cake rather moorish !! and so simple with ingredients that you will probably all ready have in the cupboard.

How To Clean Brass With What Is In Your Home

Vinegar, Salt and Flour: These are extremely versatile home staples can be combined to make a paste to clean tarnished brass. 

Dissolve 1 teaspoon of salt ( though I just just used a couples turns of my salt grinder )into a tablespoon of vinegar (any vinegar will do I used red wine vinegar and add flour until the mixture becomes a paste. Then you rub it into the brass ( I used a teaspoon to do this )leave for about 10 minutes, then rinse with warm water and buff dry.