January Degustabox

The first Degustabox of the year has been inspired by new year's resolutions and healthier eating plans.

We are always looking forward to our Degustabox delivery, which arrives every month and is full of foodie surprises. This monthly food and drink subscription box is an excellent way to discover products which have only just appeared in the shops or those which might have been around for while, but you haven't had a chance to try them yet.

Thanks to Degustabox, I have found new favourites to add to our shopping list, including some products which I probably wouldn't have tried otherwise.

Each time the box arrives, it's a total surprise, as you don't know what you might find there. You get a good selection of foods and drinks.

If you haven't tried Degustabox subscription box yet and would like to have a go, I have a whopping £7 off discount from your first box (and you can unsubscribe any time) - just use a code 8EVI8 when you place an order.

What did we receive in January Degustabox? Let's have a peek.

Chia seeds are one of the most popular superfoods among the healthy-eating community. The Chia Co is passionate about positive plant based nutrition. Bursting with fibre, omega 3 and protein, these are high quality chia seeds.
Sprinkle them over porridge or fruit salad to add a bit of crunch, or add to smoothies.

Fruit-tella's new offering is 30% less sugar. It tastes as fruity as the classic sweets, but has more fruit juice in it. No sweeteners. Made with natural flavours and colourings.
I still found it way too sweet, but my sons loved it, so the pack disappeared pretty fast.

Popchips, the fastest growing crisp brand in the UK, have launched a new ridged range. It comes in bold robust flavours. We have tried Smoky Bacon. Thumbs up from my guys (though I still prefer the original range, with BBQ being my top favourite flavour, which I buy most often).
Great as healthier crisps, Popchips come at under 100kcal per serving. Popcips are gluten free and vegetarian.

Yushoi Snapea is another healthier snack, which we enjoy. Made using green peas and baked, this snack is highly addictive. New Coconut & Chilli variety is flavourful, crunchy and delicious.

Mothergrain Express Quinoa is a handy addition to the pantry, for a quick and easy meal. You can eat it cold or hot (re-heated is tastier in my opinion). It comes in a sealed pouch, and is ready to eat.

I have used the express quinoa to make a simple vegetarian salad, with roasted cubed squash, chunks of mango, sliced cucumber and pre-cooked artichokes.

Finn Crisp is one of the most famous European producers of thin crispbreads. These are crunchy, crisp nibbles, with seeds and sea salt. They are high in fibre, have no added fat, and could be used as a perfect dipping "tool".

There was a voucher enclosed in the latest Degustabox, for a tub of The Collective yogurt. I have tried in the past a couple of varieties of this delicious yogurt. I really must put the voucher in my handbag, as I keep forgetting about it. There is a new limited edition yogurt that looks very enticing.

Moving onto drinks: Aspire Drinks are healthy energy, calorie free, sugar free beverages. Aspire's active properties include a premium grade green tea (EGCG) which provides healthy sustainable energy and helps support weight management.
The drinks taste lovely, but I would take the weight loss claims with a pinch of salt. I drink green tea daily for health reasons, and haven't noticed any weight loss. I don't think green tea as such helps to shift body fat. It is only a balanced diet and exercise that might help.

Chosan Hibiscus drink is completely organic. It is pleasantly gingery. Made with 100% natural ingredients, it has no artificial additives, preservatives or colouring. Containing 73kcal per bottle, it might be an interesting alternative to alcohol drinks for the occasions when you cannot or don't want to drink alcohol.

Crabbie's Raspberry Ginger Beer is a delightful refreshing drink. It could serve as a great base for a variety of cocktails including Crabbie's Raspberry Delight.
Crabbie's, the UK's number 1 alcoholic ginger beer is crafted for 6 weeks, using real ginger and spices. This product can also be found in a 500ml bottle format.

If you enjoy vanilla-flavoured foods and drinks, you will love Little's instant coffee with French Vanilla. It is very aromatic and slightly sweet. Lovely with a dash of milk.

Protein Boost (Strawberry flavour) comes in a handy size, to carry when you are out and about. Personally I'm not the biggest fan of protein drinks, so this one was offered to a friend, who found it pleasant enough.

Natvia is 100% natural sweetener, which is sweet as sugar, but without calories and artificial nasties. It is made from stevia plant and natural nectar. It is diabetic friendly, and has only 0.4 kcal per serve. You can use it just like sugar in baking, tea, coffee, smoothies etc. I haven't tested it in baking yet, so cannot share my thought on the matter. I have tried it in coffee and tea with lemon.

Pip's Real Hot chocolate is an artisan hot chocolate. Handmade in Wales, it is gluten and dairy free. Melt it in your favourite hot milk for a delicious cup.

Disclosure: I receive Degustabox for the purposes of reviewing. All opinions are our own.

Dried mushroom soup

Yesterday evening, as we were getting ready for bed, there was a loud bang downstairs. Thankfully, we were all upstairs, and nobody got hurt. I ran down only to see that part of the plastered ceiling has collapsed in the hall. Dust, bits of plaster scattered everywhere... We picked the bigger pieces and swept the rest into a big box. Alas, that was not the end of it. At 3am the bigger part has fallen down, scattering broken plaster all over the room.
It looked like a movie scene. You can almost imagine zombies appearing from the broken cracks...
So, I spent most of the day today, clearing the debris, dusting the bookshelves and putting books into boxes to take away. We had to throw away the rug, it was totally ruined. And now we need to find someone willing to break the rest of the plaster above, remove all the debris and re-build the ceiling.
That's the pleasures of living in an old house, there is always something needed to be repaired. And we only just had a garden wall repaired a week ago.

To cheer us up a bit, I cooked pancakes for breakfast. Eddie usually requests a "face" pancake, with banana slices for eyes, marshmallows as hair and whipped cream for a beard.

For dinner I cooked a simple vegetarian (or even vegan, if you don't add any cream) soup with dried mushrooms.

Dried mushroom soup (serves 3-4)
Ingredients:
2 shallots, finely chopped
2tbsp olive oil
20g dried mushrooms
1tsp butter
1 medium tomato, sliced
2 potatoes

Pour enough freshly boiled water to cover the dried mushrooms in a deep bowl, let them soak for 15 minutes.
Finely chop a couple of shallots, and fry in the olive oil for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove the soaked mushrooms and chop them. Add to the onions, and keep frying for another 2-3 minutes, adding a bit of butter. Place the ingredients in a cooking pan, pour the mushroom liquid in, add a sliced tomato and cook for 15 minutes. Add two peeled and chopped potatoes, and cook for another 15 minutes.
Serve hot, with a spoonful of single cream or soured cream (or no dairy for a vegan meal).

I used a pack of dried mushrooms from Poland - called brunatny podgrzybek or the bay bolete in English. In Russia this mushroom is known as the Polish mushroom. I found these mushrooms in a Polish deli, they are less expensive than porcini.
They work very well in a soup, giving a strong earthy flavour.

I served soup with homemade wholemeal naan bread.

Dark chocolate & strawberry cake mix cookies

After spending almost a week in bed with a rotten cold-flu thingy, I'm slowly getting back into the world of the living. My guys had to live on sandwiches and soup, as I wasn't well enough to cook. Now that I'm feeling better, I thought it's time to bake something today, albeit very simple.
Cookies never last long in this house, but I'm a tad bored of making the same choc chip oat cookies.
For being a foodie, I have a strange fascination with cake mixes. It might be the association with childhood and baking cakes as a kid, I cannot explain why I have a fondness for them. It's not like I cannot bake anything from scratch. I even have a board on Pinterest dedicated just to recipes with cake mixes.
I also know perfectly well that they are not exactly health food, if anything, quite the opposite. Yet buy them I do, and often enough.

Having a rummage in my kitchen, I took out a box of strawberry cake mix, remaining half a bar of dark chocolate, mild olive oil and a small sachet of oats.

Dark chocolate strawberry cake mix cookies
Ingredients:
1/2 box of strawberry cake mix (220g)
45ml mild olive oil
1 medium egg
30g oats
50g dark chocolate, chopped

In a medium bowl mix together all the ingredients - cake mix, olive oil, egg, oats and chopped dark chocolate. Divide into walnut-sized pieces, roll into balls, then flatten them and place on the baking trays lined with kitchen foil or parchment paper.
Bake for 12+ minutes until lightly golden. They will still be soft when you take the trays out.
Cool on the wire rack.
Eat warm or cold, with milk, tea or coffee.

I always have a stash of chocolate bars in the kitchen, mostly dark, as milk and white chocolate doesn't last long here (my guys love white and milk chocolate). I enjoy just a little bit of dark chocolate at a time, and love different flavours, so you can find several opened bars in the kitchen at any given time.

Adding this post to #KitchenClearout linky run by Cheryl from Madhouse Family Reviews.

365 Little Things 500-piece jigsaw puzzle from Ravensburger

If you enjoy jigsaw puzzles with intricate patterns and great attention to detail, you will be thrilled to discover a new addition to Ravensburger range - 365 Little Things 500-piece jigsaw puzzle.
I'm a huge fan of jigsaw puzzles, and find them a very relaxing hobby. My favourite puzzles are with lots of details.

365 Little Things is exactly that - a big pattern of knick knacks, curios, trinkets and mini ornaments  one for every day of the year. Here you will find a selection of netsuke, gaming pieces, antique coins, seashells, rocks and crystals, marbles, thimbles, badges
This wonderful illustration of a collector's stash of mini objects was created by Mike Spike. The design is intricate and complex. As you go along, adding piece to piece, you discover one fascinating detail after another including worry dolls, an old walnut, a fluffy feather, miniature food items for the dolls' house...

The image is bright and colourful.
Once finished, the puzzle measures 49x36cm.
It is suitable for ages 10+. Ravensburger puzzles are well known for their high quality premium grade cardboard jigsaw pieces which easily slot together. The cardboard has a linen finish print to minimise glare on the puzzle image.

This was the first time I worked on Mike Spike's design, and I have totally enjoyed it. I will be looking forward to getting to know more of his artwork for jigsaw puzzles. In fact, as my birthday is coming by the end of this month, I might just put some puzzles on my wish list.
It was a real pleasure to assemble this jigsaw puzzle. I imagine any puzzle lover will be happy with such a beautiful gift.

Disclosure: I received the puzzle for purposes of reviewing. All opinions are entirely my own.

Teksta Micro Pets Adventure Park - Dino

Robotic pets might sound futuristic, but they are here, and they are taking the world by storm.
Teksta have launched a new generation of micro pets which are smaller and more interactive than before. We first came across Teksta micro pet robots last year, when we reviewed a Teksta Puppy.
Four new Teksta Micro Pets include Dinosaur, Puppy, Kitty and Raccoon. All four robotic pets look very cute.

Image credits: Teksta

These smart toys respond to your touch and voice. Their eyes light up, they make funny noises and zoom around the play set, or just on the smooth surface.
You can collect all four sets, join the playsets together, turning them into one big play world.

The animals are supposed to produce realistic sounds, but with a dinosaur it is a bit of a poetic license. Our Dino sounds like a crow in the cold weather, it makes a hoarse rattling cawing sound, but then that might be a genuine dinosaur noise. Anyway, he is pretty cool and cute.

The Dino comes with its own adventure park, which you can assemble in different ways, either as a wavy track or a big wheel. There are instructions enclosed with the set. I'm not very good with assembling, but my 6-year-old has built the track with some help from friend.

To make it move, turn the switch on and clap your hands. The Dino will happily play football, zooming around the room.

Pros: a cool modern design; small size - convenient to carry around; compatibility with the other sets.
Cons: not as interactive as you'd like it to be.

This toy might make a lovely present for a techie-minded child. To check out the other Teksta toys, visit Character.

And now comes the bit where you say: Don't do this at home! Or if you want to put a micro pet on your head, don't forget to switch it off, if you don't fancy your hair to be pulled out by the moving wheels.

Disclosure: We received the Teksta set for the purposes of testing and reviewing. All opinions are our own.

Beef biltong stew for Mr Matekoni (Precious and Grace by A.McCall Smith)

Precious and Grace is the seventeenth novel from the much loved series No.1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith. I have read all the books in the series, and always look forward to a new book.
There is not much of a mystery involved in this installment, but there is a usual dose of kindness and philosophical thoughts on life, humanity and forgiveness.
Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi help a Canadian woman find her past. She spent her childhood in Botswana 30 years earlier, and wants to re-discover her past.
The case, though simple enough, is threatening to shake Precious and Grace's friendship. Will they fall out over the case?
Then there is a pyramid scheme, in which Mr Polopetsi is involved, a lost dog who wants to be loved, Mma Potokwani with her delightful fruit cake and much more.
There is a certain idealism in all the No 1 Agency novels. In Precious we see a symbol of Mother Africa, traditionally built, kind, wise and patient. She always finds good in people.

Reading Precious and Grace, I came across a detailed description of one of the meals Mma Ramotswe cooks lovingly for her husband. I was intrigued, and tried to google it.
I couldn't find any exact recipe. There is plenty of recipes for beef biltong stew, but none of beef AND biltong stew, so I had to "invent" it. This recipe is based on the authentic biltong stew recipes, but cooked with beef too, so it's a mix of several different variations of the stew. I hope Mma Ramotswe would approve.

"Mr J.L.B.Matekoni sniffed at the air. There was no doubt about it - Mma Ramtoswe was making his favourite stew. The aroma, detected even as he set foot on the stoep, was unmistakable...
Onions were the key to that: the recipe, developed specially for him by Mma Ramotswe, advised by Mma Potokwani, involved onions chosen for their smallness and sweetness - "not these football-sized onions they try to sell us", warned Mma Potokwani. These were gently softened in sunflower oil flavoured with a pinch of chilli flakes, and then the beef, fine Botswana grass-fed beef... was added in small pieces. this was then sealed before the addition of stock and a small quantity of chopped ostrich biltong, the dried and salted meat that people considered such a delicacy."

Beef biltong stew
Ingredients:
3tbsp mild olive oil
1tbsp chilli olive oil (optional)
5 shallots, finely chopped (about 150g)
450g beef, cubed
1tsp plain flour
1tsp ginger, grated
2tbsp tomato puree
2tbsp peanut butter
a mug of beef stock
1 tin of plum tomatoes (Cirio)
35g biltong (a pack of King's biltong)

In a deep frying pan heat 2tbsp of olive oil.
Finely slice the shallots and cook in the frying pan until translucent, stirring regularly. Once cooked put the fried onion in a big pan or pot where you're going to cook your stew.
Add more olive oil to the frying pan, and brown the beef cubes (dust them with flour before cooking). Season with salt, but not too much, as the stock has added salt. Put all the ingredients in the pot - chilli oil, grated ginger, tomato puree, beef stock and tinned tomatoes.
I used Waitrose Cooks' Ingredients beef stock. Place the pot in the oven preheated to 200C. Cook for 5 minutes, then lower the heat to 180C, and cook for an hour+, occasionally stirring.
You might need to get a bit more water if the stew becomes too thick. Add the biltong in the last 15 minutes of cooking.
Serve hot.
Biltong adds an interesting strong flavour to the stew, and more chewy texture. Mma Ramotswe used ostrich biltong. I couldn't source it locally, but even if it were available, I don't think I am very keen to try ostrich.

In this recipe I used two products from Cirio - tomato puree and plum tomatoes - which work perfectly in this rich flavoured stew.
I used chilli flavoured olive oil, but if you don't have it, a teaspoon of chilli paste or flakes would be a good substitute.

Itsu Crispy Seaweed Thins and Miso

Dry January, Veganuary, any other new year's resolution, you name it, I haven't joined in.
While it makes sense for many people to begin a new year with a series of resolutions, I'm in the grumpy old women's club, thinking January is miserable enough without giving up nice food and drink.
I looked today at a row of healthy kale and chia seeds smoothies at Waitrose, and found them very depressing. For me that would be like a punishment.
I'm all for healthy food, but it has to taste good.
When you are feeling peckish, it is not easy to resist temptation, and reach for the tin of biscuits or a box of chocolates, open a bag of crisps or salted nuts.

Itsu Crispy Seaweed Thins are my latest addiction. I have first come across them last July, when there were a couple of seaweed thins in Degustabox food box. Since then, I've been buying them regularly (found in Waitrose, Sainbury's, Tesco etc) .
They are tasty, and they are healthy. Hallelujah! I'm happy to eat them any time of the year, not just January when people are encouraged to eat healthy meals and snacks.

Itsu Crispy Seaweed Thins which come in three flavours - sea salt, sweet soy & sea salt and wasabi - are new vegetable crisps. One pack provides 22-24 kcal which makes it an ideal snack for anyone on a diet.

Seaweed is set to be the superfood of 2017. As Jamie Oliver says, seaweed is "like dynamite - fibre, nutrients, all the minerals, aids digestion - unbelievable!"
While I'm not sure about the dynamite reference, I'm a big fan of seaweed. When I was a child, my Mum used to buy tinned seaweed salad, and I loved it. I have never been able to find anything like that in the UK.

Seaweed, the green superfood is naturally packed with nutrients, zinc, iron and B vitamins. It's a great source of iodine. The seaweed for this snack is harvested from the crystal clear seas around South Korea.
The thins melt on the tongue, leaving a flavour of the sea in your mouth.
These snacks are low calorie (22-24), so basically guilt-free. And they are highly addictive. I can easily eat the whole packet of 3 mini boxes in one go, so have to limit my intake at one 5g packet per day.

I have tried all three flavours, and sea salt is my top favourite.

Nutritionist Charlotte Stirling-Reed helped to create an Eat Beautiful Report for itsu. According to the report, 31% of the UK's new year's resolutions in 2017 will be eat healthier.
"Japanese life expectancy is currently one of the longest in the world and their dietary habits are often heralded as part of the reaso for this long lifespan", says Charlotte.
The traditional Japanese diet features plenty of nutrient-dense foods particularly seaweed and miso.

Itsu miso soup is an instant miso made from soya paste with seaweed and soy sauce. It contains 42-44 calories per serving.

Miso soup is a great lunch option. Itsu miso soups come in convenient pouches. All you need is squeeze the paste in a mug and pour boiling hot water, stir it and the soup is ready.
Miso soup is a fermented food and a great boost of protein (especially important for people on vegetarian and vegan diets).
 Charlotte says: "Many people are unaware that although low in calories and fat, miso soup is also high in protein, which is important for muscle and bone health. As well as containing protein, soya beans are a good source of fibre, vitamins and minerals".

I do enjoy miso in a mug, though I am not going to swap a cup of coffee for miso. When I want a coffee, I want a coffee, and miso soup is not a substitute. As a lunch meal, it's perfectly fine.

Itsu miso is a paste rather than powder (like some other brands of miso soup), which gives it a much fuller flavour and lovely texture. I love the seaweed pieces floating in the soup. Add a little bit of shrimps which are naturally low in calories, some shredded Chinese leaf or Savoy cabbage, and you get quite a substantial meal.

Two years ago, when I was on a 5:2 diet, I often had miso soup for lunch, with shredded cabbage and chopped quorn sausages and a sprinkling of chopped spring onions. Add a rice cake (28kcal), and the total lunch would be less than 150kcal.

Miso soup with shredded Chinese leaf

You can also use these pouches of miso soup as ingredients for cooking.
Cheryl from Madhouse Family Reviews has recently cooked a stir-fried miso turkey breast with bok choi. It is a healthy and tasty recipe. Inspired by Cheryl, I am going to cook chicken stir fry with miso tonight.

Miso chicken stir fry with Chinese leaf and rice noodles

To learn more about the itsu range, visit Itsugrocery.

Disclosure: I received a selection of itsu products for the purposes of testing and reviewing. All opinions are my own.

Sing (review)

"Best film ever!", enthused my 6-year-old, as the closing credits were rolling to the catchy tune.
And Sing was jam-packed with songs. I've just had a quick look at the number of soundtracks, and was amazed to find out that there were 64 of them, some appearing as just a few lines, some in full.

Image credits: Universal

We've seen the trailer of this animation several months ago in the cinema, and since then Eddie has been asking me when we would go to see it. Well, finally this most anticipated film of the season has been released in UK cinemas.
Directed by Garth Jennings and produced by Chris Melendandri and Janet Healy, it stars Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johansson, John C Reilly, Taron Egerton and Tori Kelly. The film is produced by Illumination, the corporation behind Despicable Me and Minions.

Image credits: Universal

The story is set in the antropomorphic animal world where the animals behave like humans. The animation is pretty impressive, the story, though not too complicated, is sweet and amusing.

Buster Moon (McConaughey) is a dapper koala who owns a theatre which has known better days. By now, both the building and its owner don't make any profit. Delusional Buster comes up with an idea of a singing competition, along the lines of American Idol, X-factor and Britain's Got Talent, inviting the contestants from all walks of life.
Buster's dedicated to his theatre, but he is not a businessman. Thanks to a mistake done by Buster's secretary iguana with one glass eye, the award money prize is advertised as $100,000 while in fact Buster could just about offer $1,000.
And so the crowds arrive for the auditions, with gems like "Oh my gosh, look at her butt!" (which my son found absolutely hysterical)... Some of the songs are immediately recognisable, some less so, but they match the characters performing them perfectly.

Image credits: Universal

Buster chooses a group of lead contestants - Mike, a crooner-con-artist mouse (MacFarlane), shy teenage elephant Meena (Kelly), Mum of 25 piglets Rosita (Witherspoon) and her "Piggy Power" stage partner Gunther (Kroll), young gangster gorilla Johnny (Egerton) and porcupine postpunk-rocker Ash (Johansson)

Image credits: Universal

With so many hit songs performed, the competition story is more like a background for a jukebox. The film has plenty of lovable characters.
I'm a bit embarrassed to confess that my eyes have welled up in one of the scenes. OK, I didn't really cry, but sniffled a bit, when the knackered Piggy Mummy Rosita started her dancing routine to the sound of Bamboleo in an empty supermarket. She made me think of us all, unappreciated stay at home Mums, who are taken for granted. So, I could totally relate to Rosita.

The film is lighthearted and sweet, a perfect family film.
This flamboyant musical production will appeal to children and grown-ups alike.

Image credits: Universal

Many thanks to WayToBlue for helping to source the images for my blog post!

Italian baked meatballs with mozzarella

The recipe for Italian baked meatballs appeared a year ago in January 2016 edition of Delicious magazine. I don't buy every issue of Delicious, as my house is overflowing with cooking magazines as it is.
If anything, I need to declutter, and I have started to mercilessly recycle dozens of magazines, just leaving a few cutting from each issue, as we are running out of space. I have to be ruthless, though I am keeping some of the older issues of BBC Good Food and I am definitely keeping all Taste Italia magazines, as they are just too good to be recycled.

Delicious magazine runs a regular competition Cook the cover. Last year I did take part about 3 times, and a few times the year before, but have never been lucky. I am not even sure they see all the entries, as when you post a photo on Instagram with a hashtag, they don't seem to acknowledge it at all. Sainsbury's magazine runs a similar competition, where you need to post a photo of the dish from the current issue on Twitter, and they usually either like the photo to show you that they have seen it, or even tweet back to you.

Italian baked meatballs was the cover recipe a year ago, and this post has been in my draft since then. I have adapted the recipe to suit my list of ingredients, but if you fancy reading the original recipe, just follow the link above.
It is a proper Italian comfort food, perfect for cold weather, though also quite high in calories, so perhaps not for people on a diet. You could use leaner beef mince and skip mozzarella to make it less calorific, and use the oil spray.

Italian Baked Meatballs with Mozzarella
Ingredients:
For the tomato sauce:
4tbsp olive oil + more for frying the meatballs
2 anchovies (optional)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely crushed
2 tins of peeled plum tomatoes (Cirio tinned tomatoes are highly recommended)
a pinch of dried thyme
1tbsp ketchup
a pinch of brown sugar

For the meatballs:
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1tsp dried basil
500g beef mince
125g fresh mozzarella
zest of 1/2 lemon

First prepare the tomato sauce - heat the olive oil in a deep frying pan, add the anchovies, onion and garlic and fry over the gentle heat for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add tinned tomatoes, thyme, ketchup and sugar. Bring to boil, then lower the heat and cook for half an hour, stirring often.
Make the meatballs by mixing all the ingredients except the mozzarella cheese together.
Using hands, roll the meatballs the size of walnuts.
Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the meatballs, and cook on all sides until well browned. Transfer the meatballs in a deep baking dish, pour the tomato sauce over them. Tear the mozzarella into pieces and scatter over the meatballs and sauce. Bake for 10 minutes at 180c until the cheese has melted.
Serve with a nice crusty bread to mop up the sauce.

The original recipe suggested cooking a garlic baguette, but I think there were robust flavours going on without the garlic bread.

As always, when you cook tomato-based sauces, source the best tinned tomatoes, for example, Cirio, which are well known for high quality and flavour.

Have you ever taken part in Cook the cover competition? Were you a lucky winner?

Amish Sugar Cookies (#ReadCookEat)

There is a whole sub-genre of spin-offs of Jane Austen's works - sequels, prequels, adaptations of the classic stories as retold by different protagonists. Most of it is mediocre. Some of these books are amusing, and are a decent homage to the genius of Jane Austen.
Sense and Sensibility by Sarah Price is an Amish retelling of Jane Austen's classic. I have found this book in a charity shop, and just had to buy it. I have read a couple of books by Sarah Price in the past, so I was familiar with the Amish romance genre.
If you assume that's a bit of an improbable setting, think of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies which gained lots of fans...

The Dashwoods - Elinor, Marianne and Margaret - become Eleanor, Mary Ann and Maggie Detweiler. Three sisters and their mother are forced out of their family home by their step-brother John and his unbearable wife Fanny. Their distant cousin offers them a chance to move to a run-down cottage on his land.
Eleanor, practical and sensible, falls in love with Fanny's brother, Edwin Fischer. Mary Ann, impulsive and immature, becomes infatuated with handsome Willis who is set to inherit his aunt's farm. She is the opposite of her older sister, as she is not able to hide her emotions.
As in Austen's novel, sisters' lives go through heartache before they manage to find their happy end. The relationships in the book are pretty close to the original, but the setting is very different.
Sarah Price has skillfully transferred Austen's story to blend with the Amish way of life.

I tend to read novels, looking for food descriptions and references, and this book didn't disappoint. I had quite a choice of quotes to pick from the novel, deciding which recipe to recreate.

"Perhaps, Eleanor said, you would like to come inside. Maem prepared some fresh meadow tea and sugar cookies for your arrival". She said the last part directly to Henry, a smile still on her face...

While the rest of the family enjoyed the fried chicken, corn salad, and sliced tomatoes, fresh off the vine, Eleanor had merely picked at her food...

Shortly after Saturday's supper, a simple fare of fresh bread, pasta salad, tomatoes and meatloaf, Mary Ann stood by the open kitchen window, her face turned to the breeze...

She tried to focus on baking chocolate chip cookies and double fudge brownies to donate to the local firehouse for their fund-raiser.

I started looking up Amish sugar cookies recipes, but they all seem to be catering for big families or events. They also seem to differ from author to author: some use butter, some oil, or a mix of oil and butter.
Then I remembered that I have downloaded The Best Amish Baking Recipes book by Jamie Smith a while ago, when it appeared as a freebie on amazon.
I halved the amount of every ingredient, and even then I got over 40 cookies. All the amounts are converted from cups into grams. I had to add more flour, as simply halving the original recipe made for a very runny batter, not suitable for cookies.

Amish Sugar Cookies
Ingredients:
280g caster sugar
2 medium eggs
180ml vegetable oil
250ml buttermilk
2tsp baking soda
1/2tsp salt
2tsp vanilla extract
1/2tsp cinnamon, ground
500g self-raising flour

In a big mixing bowl beat the eggs with caster sugar. Add the oil and buttermilk, baking soda, salt, vanilla and cinnamon and sift in the flour. Mix well.
You will need to bake these cookies in batches. Place the foil over the cookie trays, and place spoonfuls of the cookie dough on the tray, leaving about 4-5cm space between the cookies because they expand quite a bit. Sprinkle brown sugar on top of each cookie and flatten it a bit with a glass.
Bake at 180 for about 12+ minutes until golden in colour. They will still be very soft when you take the trays out. Once cooled a bit, carefully place cookies on the cooling rack, and later in a cookie tin.
These cookies are soft and chewy, and lovely with a cup of tea.
They will keep well for a few days in a closed container.

In this recipe I used two types of Tate & Lyle sugar - caster sugar and brown sugar with stevia (which is made from the natural extract of the stevia plant. 1 tsp provides approximately the same sweetness as 2tsp of sugar). If you are using just the brown sugar in the recipe, halve the amount of sugar for the cookie dough.

Have you read a book recently which inspired you to run to the kitchen and cook to your heart's content?

I hope you are inspired by books to join in the #ReadCookEat challenge.

The idea is to choose a book, either a world classic or modern fiction, or even memoirs and pick up a dish mentioned or described in that book and then recreate it in a recipe. Please say a few lines about your chosen book, and maybe even do a quote from the book.

If you decide to take part, please add the badge to your post and link up back to me, and either use a link-up tool or add the url of your post as a comment. Alternatively, email me with the link to your post (my email is sasha1703 at yahoo dot com).

I promise to Pin all blogs posts taking part in this challenge, as well as RT and Google+