Recipe competition!

Dean's are running a competition during September to find a great baked recipe using a Dean's shortbread, biscuit or oatcake product.  Got one that could be a winner ?  Let us know  !
http://www.deansshortbread.com/2011/09/would-you-like-your-recipe-published-in.html

Dean's Shortbread: Would you like your recipe published in a book?

Dean's Shortbread: Would you like your recipe published in a book?

Highland Show!

I had a great time demonstrating on behalf of the FSAS at the Royal Highland Show - 8 demos over 2 days was quite tiring but it was great fun as always.  My two helpers Maria & Maru were there to help me again and they were brilliant, doing all the prep as well as all the washing up - thanks girls!
With the emphasis very much on healthy eating, it's always a challenge to come up with simple, seasonal, healthy & delicious three course menus that can be cooked in 40 minutes, however I did it!  The big hits this year were my delicious strawberry & vanilla skinny cup cakes, virtually fat free which for a cup cake is quite an achievement.  And my oven baked, southern 'fried' style chicken was also delish, especially with the low fat but oh so creamy mint & garlic dip on the side....mmmm!  Might have to try out those recipes again some time soon!
The weather at the show was pretty good, which is more that I can say for it now that I'm back home in Aberdeenshire - it just keeps on raining.....!  However it's suitable for sitting at the computer typing up recipes, which is what I'll be doing over the next few weeks.  Hannah is off to Edinburgh University in September and has asked me to put together a recipe book of all her favourite things that I make !  Aww bless, a taste of mamas kitchen when away from home...:-(  Most of my regular things that I cook are simply 'in my head' and have never been written down, so I guess it'll take a bit of time to get it all on paper. 
Maybe I'll publish it and sell it - now there's an idea.........!

Nigella's app

The Chicken & Chickpea Pilaff was lovely - very quick, easy.....my kind of recipe!  Served it with a salad and thumbs up all round.  Hubby off to work with the leftovers for his lunch :-)

Time off!

I'm enjoying a few days off from Dean's, partly chilling & partly getting myself ready for the Royal Highland Show which starts on Thursday - I'll be doing healthy eating demos on the Food Standards Agency Scotland stand in the food hall, so if you're at the show be sure to come and say hi, watch a demo and pick up a copy of the recipes I'll be cooking. 
Eddie also has some time off work this week so yesterday we had a lovely day out in Aberdeen, did a bit of shopping and had a fab Italian lunch at Amore in Huntly Street - definitely worth a visit.  Today I'm doing a big supermarket shop - don't want the family suffering from malnutrition while I'm away !  I spotted a lovely recipe in the Mail on Sunday for Chicken & Chickpea pilaff which I'm going to cook tonight.  It's from Nigella's Quick Collection app which I haven't bought yet but might well do, the recipes look fab.  Will let you know what la famille think of the pilaff anyway.  This weekend Eddie & I are going to an Abba themed 40th birthday party - outfits are sorted and though I say it myself we pull off that whole 70's look pretty well !!!  Photos (maybe!!) to follow......;)

Inert Friday!

I got all the shopping done ready to practice Royal Highland Show recipes but didn't quite get around to any cooking!  It was such a nice day here, and because that is soooo rare I felt obliged to take some time to sit outside and absorb some sunshine.  However I did get some cakes baked for an ARC fundraiser tomorrow morning, and have also packed a big bag of paperbacks to donate to the book stall, so am feeling that I've achieved something.  So all I need now is to pack my Marigolds (I'm on the dishes at said fundraiser!) label the cakes, and I'm sorted.  All 'la famille' out tonight so I'm home alone with the dog for company, a very nice bottle of white wine, a packet of Mackies (very delicious) Sea Salt crisps and an excellent novel set in Berlin before the wall came down, which is both brilliant and heartbreaking.  So, second blog now complete and this time tomorrow evening first RHS set of recipes will be practised (I'm making them for tomorrow night's supper!) then all will be well x

First blog !

Am thinking that writing a regular blog must be the way forward.  I've had a website for a few years now and to be honest it's been looking a wee bit dated lately, so really needed to make a decision to liven it up a bit or scrap it.  As a self confessed Facebook addict and an occasional tweeter, I've discovered that social media is where all the action is, so, makes sense to create a blog, post news and recipes etc on it, link to FB & Twitter and forget about the tired looking website.
So here I am writing my first blog.  I'll upload recipes from time to time and let you know (if you're interested!) what I'm up to.  Must dash now as I have to write out a shopping list for things I need to cook tomorrow.  Am practising my recipes for this years Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh in a couple of weeks.  I'm doing demos for the FSA Scotland - love it, always great fun !