Stressed Rach

Cookery

Next Generation Crock-Pot

Published May 4, 2012 |

We received a Next Generation Crock-Pot to review for Mummy News. I had never used a slow cooker before but I have seen some wonderful dishes made with them.

The Crock-Pot is very stylish in fact I would say it looks gorgeous. It is black and silver which matches my kitchen perfectly and is oval shaped.

It is on the heavy side however it is a 5.7 litre capacity and is ideal for up to 6 people.
I particularly like that it has a keep warm setting which is ideal if you leave it on in the day time but are running late to get home or not all the family are home to eat at the same time.

The removable pot and lid are dishwasher safe, and the pot on its own is both dishwasher and oven safe.
You can adjust your cooking times easily and there is a 20 hour countdown timer on it.

Included with the Crock-Pot is an owners guide which has recipes in it as well as hints and tips and how to use it.
It also has a 2 years Limited Warranty with it.

So that is all the technical details on with the testing…

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I decided to do a pretty easy dish which was beef stew and dumplings. I have never made this before either so I was a bit worried as my husbands attempt at the dumplings ended in mush.

However all went really well. 30 minutes to prepare everything cooking time easily set to 6 hours by pressing the high button.

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Dumplings in 45 minutes before the 6 hours was up and here we have a gorgeous dinner that fed myself, my husband and 5 year old for 1 day and then my husband and my daughter had it for another 2 days so that’s 3 days of meals fantastic!

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My daughter told me that I was the best stew and dumplings “cooker” in the world

I am thoroughly impressed with the Next Generation Crock-Pot and have bought a recipe book so I can make some more delicious food for the family which I can put on and leave throughout the day without having to worry.

The Next Generation Crock-Pot’s RRP is £64.99 and is available to buy from Amazon.co.uk

Slow cooking is healthy – Choose your own ingredients; it’s up to you what you use, organic, farm assured…
Slow cooking is modern – Brushed chrome, stylish designs to suit your kitchen
Slow cooking is trendy – The market is growing and more and more people own a slow cooker in the UK
Slow cooking is convenient – Ideal for people with a busy lifestyle
Slow cooking is easy – No need to be a chef, simply add the ingredients and wait for the results!
Slow cooking is tastier – Cooking meat slowly ensures maximum flavour
Slow cooking is economical – Energy efficient compared to traditional cooking

Posted in Cookery, Reviews, Uncategorized |

Tagged Cooking, Crock-Pot, Family, Food, mealtime, Mummynews, Next Generation Crock-Pot, Review, Slow Cooker |

The Pampered Chef Decorator Bottle Set

Published April 5, 2012 |

By Rach

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I love to bake cakes with the children although it’s usually with my youngest daughter now as my oldest is ‘too busy’ and my daughter loves to have these decorated.

I do find that when using piping bags, or plastic piping equipment it is a tough job to get the icing or buttercream to come out and end up with an aching arm or the bag splitting or just a complete mess!

So when I was asked if I would like to review the Pampered Chef Decorator Bottle I said yes in the hope that I would find something I could use properly, without the achy arms and mess.

In the box are 3 bottles which are squeezy bottles that remind me of accordians they have a screw top tip with a rosette, writing and basket weave tips and also a bottle brush.

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The bottles fit in your hand with ease and the tips are stainless steel.

To test these bottles out we made some cupcakes at the weekend and decided to use the bottles for the buttercream topping.

Putting the buttercream into the bottles was not too bad I used a teaspoon and just knocked the bottle on the worktop a few tips if the mixture clogged at the top so it would go down the bottle. This was probably the longest task of the decorating.

I used the basket weave tip with one of the cupcakes but didn’t really feel that the tip was right for want I wanted to simply unscrewed that tip and added the rosette tip.

The bottles squeezed perfectly, they were so easy to use no aching arms, no splits in the bottles and no air puffs which I sometimes get with the bags.

I could also hold it properly without my hands looking like they were at odd angles.

I absolutely loved using these, Even my 5 year daughter could use them with ease which is a big plus as she is always eager to ‘help’ with everything regarding making cakes and decorating them.

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They are even dishwasher safe!

These bottles have a huge thumbs up with us. Finally something I can use properly!

I can’t wait to try the writing tip when I make a Birthday cake as I know its going to be fabulous.

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The Pampered Chef Decorator Bottles Set costs £11 and you can buy them direct here http://www.pamperedchef.co.uk/ordering/prod_details.tpc?prodId=16553&catId=122&parentCatId=122&outletSubCat=

Posted in Cookery |

Tagged Baking, Cake Decorating, Cookery, Cooking, Cupcakes, Decorator Bottle Set, Easy, The Pampered Chef |

5 Comments

Total Greek Yoghurt – Yum

Published November 17, 2011 |

By Rach

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We were sent some different samples of Total Greek Yoghurt,
We were given
Total Greek Yoghurt
Total 0% Greek Yoghurt
Total 2% Greek Yoghurt
And 4 different Total 0% Split Pots.

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First we tried the Total 0% Split Pops, Tropical Fruits, Strawberry, Honey and Blueberry

All of the split pots are fat-free making them fantastic for myself and husband who are watching out fat intact and they didn’t taste any different to the regular yoghurts you can buy.

They were also loved by my daughters too, They love yoghurt generally, and love ones that you can pour the fruit into.

I found that Greek yoghurt is a lot thicker that usual yogurts, but I liked that as some yoghurts run off the spoon!

These were great and I did go to the supermarket and buy some more as we all liked them.
They cost around £1.00 per pot.

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I decided to use the other 3 pots in cooking(of sorts).
While I was browsing on Total Greek Yoghurts’ Website I found they had lots of recipes listed and found a Tuna and Pasta recipe
Which my daughters loves so I made up a batch every few days using first the Original Total Greek Yoghurt, then 2% then 0%.

They loved it, wolfing it down like there was no tomorrow.

They couldn’t tell the difference between each batch I made.

Never once did they say it tasted different, Which I think is a good thing that they taste the same from the original to the 0 % ones.

You know? I don’t even think they know I used yoghurt and think I put mayo in it instead. haha

Total Greek Yoghurt, Classic, 0% and 2% are available in most good supermarkets and costs around 88p for a 170g pot.

Another thing my girls like was the fantastic advert for the yoghurt

TOTAL yoghurt is unique. FAGE’s exclusive straining process removes the watery-whey from pasteurised cows’ milk to leave an extraordinary rich, velvety texture and creamy taste. It takes 4 litres of pasteurised milk to make just 1 litre of TOTAL strained yoghurt. And because all that milk is used, there is no need to add any sugar, sweeteners, thickeners or additives. Just milk, cream and live active cultures to create 100% natural TOTAL yoghurt.
TOTAL Greek Yoghurt is the perfect food for weight conscious foodies: those who want to lose or maintain weight but certainly do not want to compromise on taste. Thick, delicious and creamy, TOTAL is incredibly versatile and can be used as a substitute for Mayo, cream or crème fraiche. By choosing TOTAL over any of these other food products, you will be saving on calories and fat content rather than splurging!

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Try TOTAL as a low fat substitute for mayonnaise, crème fraiche and cream. TOTAL Classic Greek Yoghurt, has approximately 86% less calories than most full fat mayonnaises and double cream has almost 90% more fat than TOTAL Classic.

As well as being low in fat, TOTAL contains NO additives and NO preservatives. It’s 100% natural and contains only two ingredients (milk and live cultures). TOTAL is also a good source of protein, making you feel fuller for longer.

Very often, highly processed, chemically-derived additives and preservatives are used in low fat foods to make up for the loss of flavour that occurs when fat or sugar is omitted from their high calorie cousins. This is not the case with any of the TOTAL range.

Website - http://www.totalgreekyoghurt.com/home/default.aspx

Posted in Cookery, Food, Reviews |

Tagged 0% fat, 2% fat, Cooking, Fat Free, Fruit, Split Pots, Tasty, Total Greek Yoghurt, Yoghurt |

The Dairy Book Of Home Cookery

Published October 28, 2011 |

By Rach

sam_3307 I was given the opportunity to review The Dairy Book Of Home Cookery. I love to cook when I get the chance, which to be honest isn’t as often as I would like due to a hectic life.

I gave my children and husband the choice in what I should cook and they decided on a Fruit Crumble, With Apple and Blackberries as the fruit. Which is really no surprise to me as they love their puddings.

My youngest daughter is almost 5 and wanted to help mummy. So once I had cut and prepared the fruit my daughter sprinkled the sugar over each layer of fruit. She then helped measure out the ingredients for the crumble and rubbed it all almost all on her own bless her.

The only problem I found with the recipe, which seems to be in most cook books that I have used is there is never enough crumble, My family love the crumble so I double the ingredients for that. sam_3353

The recipe itself was really easy to follow and the results were fabulous as you can see from the photos. My family really enjoyed it.
The recipe book of course doesn’t have just puddings in it, It has a lot of other dishes including vegarian dishes such as Vegetable & Nut Cobbler.
Other recipes include Lancashire Hot Pot, Quiche, Soup, Pasta dishes, Salad dressings and much more, including howhow to soft boil an egg.

sam_3355 This book is ideal for everyone from someone that is a novice in the kitchen to a person that is always cooking. The wide range of dishes to choose from is immense and there is something for everyone in it.

At £10.49 it is a must for anyone that owns a kitchen!

You can view their website right now and try out their free recipes http://www.dairydiary.co.uk/recipes.html

I was also given a beautiful Dairy Diary Giftset which is for 2012 so obviously I haven’t used it yet but I have looked through it sam_3308 thoroughly and love it, there are also some great recipes in the pages of the larger diary.

It would make a fantastic gift for a family member or friend.
The Dairy Diary Set, including a handbag-sized pocket diary, pen, notepad, page markers and stickers, is available at an unbeatable price of just £8.99.
Sticky notes, page markers and notepad are kept in a handy organiser folder.
You can highlight important dates with the page-markers in a choice of easy-to-spot colours.
Staying organised on the move is easy with with the popular pocket diary.
Contents: Dairy Diary with events stickers,Page markers in five colours, Sticky notes, Notepad, Designer pen, Pocket Dairy Diary

THE DAIRY BOOK OF HOME COOKERY
Culinary trends – and celebrity chefs – come and go, but The Dairy Book of Home Cookery remains the first choice for millions of cooks, and deserves a place in every kitchen.
home-cookery-chi Loved by millions of cooks and now brought right up to date for 2012.
With extensive cooks information plus 18 chapters from soups to desserts, including baking and confectionery, this is the perfect reference for both novice and experienced cooks.
So, whether you’re looking for a new cookbook that has everything you need to create traditional dishes or culinary masterpieces to wow your friends and family, you already own a previous edition that’s been used so much you need to replace it, or you want to hand down your cooking experiences to family members – The Dairy Book of Home Cookery is the perfect companion for any kitchen.

Over 3 million copies sold home-cookery-blaa
900+ recipes & variations
18 chapters
Recipes that work every time
Easy-to-follow instructions
Essential cooking techniques
Nutritional facts for each recipe
Hints & tips for success
Ribbon page marker
http://www.dairydiary.co.uk/index.html