BLOGEXTRA-Nutcracker

Nutcracker

We spent the first time

in a marshmallow slow dance,

our numbers biro’d on a crumpled square

and he kissed my hands.

Our bodies were covered in a 

pale thin skin like powdered sugar, so sweet. 

So strong under our silk and taffeta

I could smell you as we danced.

Gold circled my finger. 

He still kissed my suddenly heavy hand.

BLOGEXTRA Shelfie

Terrible quality, but this is my new bookshelf. Woohoo

BLOGEXTRA- A Clue

Last week on Twitter I hinted that there were a few changes coming to the blog very soon.

Here is the clue. Can you guess what it means?

BLOGEXTRA - Bleached

(Christina’s world by  Andrew Wyeth)

Bleached 

Lying awake rather than asleep.

The slice of a blade on my forearms

stabs through the sun glare.

I can cloud catch here

and hear

the clanking of the plough bit.

Rough straw points stubble

against my palm,

through my fingers,

layer by layer

down through skin till the tip

of golden grass scrapes along

living bone.

Lay here for days, stretching out.

Drying white and tight

Flattened by the sky.

Getting lighter. Bleached

in the field.

BLOG EXTRA - Sigara Boregi

How to make a delicious Turkish dish in the UK.

This is my favourite thing to make to take to BBQs. It is a cheese and pastry dish which can be eaten cold, but are best fresh out of the pan like pancakes. Makes twelve. 

Ingredients

Filo sheets
Feta cheese
Parsley
Garlic (optional)
mixed herbs (optional)

***For a smoother filling, add and egg and mix more. I like chunky cheese filling, so I don't use the egg.***

1) Crumble the cheese in a large bowl.  

2) Chop the parsley up, quite small. 

3) Mix into the cheese. Add the mixed herbs and garlic and any other flavorings now. If you're using the egg, now is the moment. 

4) There are six sheets in a box of filo pastry. cut triangles out of the flattened six sheets to make twelve. 

5) Put a small sausage of filling onto the wide end of each pastry sheet. fold in the ends and roll towards the thin end. 

6) Seal the borek by dipping the point in water. 

7) Fry each one. You can use a deep fat fryer, or they can also be shallow fried. Cook until golden and crispy. Pat down with paper towels and serve. 

They will go quick! 

BLOG EXTRA - Nighthawks

While at university, one exercise we had to do was to look at a painting and then write a poem based on it. One poem we were shown was Nighthawks. 

Pavement Observation 

Ham sandwiches stacked up neatly on the cake stand.

It’s clear at night and through the rumble,

the flick of a dishcloth echoes through glass.

Staring down I count the spike stripes,

jumping, concrete heavy, between the cracks.

There is a glob of pink bubble gum

stuck under a soul by the bar stool - 

It’s caught in the yellow light from bare bulbs.

Bubble gum on its way home. 

BLOG EXTRA KATSU CURRY

BLOG-CEPTION!!!

My excellent blogger chum at Chic It Yourself is full of ideas to keep up appearances on a budget. If you love sales, crafts and quirky tips this is the blog for you. I love Wagamamas, but I always have the same thing, yaki soba - not very interesting. CIY put up this recipe for Katsu Curry from another BBC food blog by Gizzi Erskine and inspired me to try something new. So here we go - entering the third layer of food blogging!

Keeping it stylish in my slippers and PJs before we begin.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil 
• 1 onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp medium curry powder
• 600ml chicken stock (I used an oxo cube, as recommended by CIY)
• 2 tsp honey 
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• ½ tsp garam masala 
• Salt and pepper
• 4 x 100g chicken breasts
• 100g flour, seasoned with lots of salt and pepper
• 1 free-range egg, beaten 
• 120g breadcrumbs

RICE

First I started washing the rice, you cannot really wash it enough. This is how I cook my rice: I wash it a few times in cold water (until I get bored, maybe 3 - 5 rinses). Then I let it stand in warm water with a pinch of salt. This par cooks the rice so I leave it until it cools down a fair bit.
I then rinse it once more in cold water before putting it into a sauce pan with a knob of butter. I fry the rice in butter and then cover the rice with water, bring to the boil. Once it's boiled for a few minutes, I take the rice off the heat, cover, and let it steam for 10-15 minutes.


THE CURRY

First, sweat the vegetables. saute the onion and garlic for a few minutes. Roughly chop the carrots and sweat them with the onion for ten minutes with the lid on. 

Next, stir in 2tbsp of flour and 1tbsp of medium curry powder. The flour and curry powder will turn to a nice paste that coats the carrots. Slowly add the chicken stock. Spoon in the honey and splash in some soy (this is the healthy way to make sauces glossy, rather than using butter). Simmer for 20 minutes.

SIDE NOTE . . .

Is anyone else's lid cupboard similar to this? I had a bit of a panic looking for the right size!

Meanwhile, across the kitchen . . .

Seasoned flour, egg and breadcrumbs. I was baffled by bread crumbs... how did CIY get hers so small and crumbly? I don't know the secret so my breadcrumbs were a bit of a disaster, still tasty though. Can you buy these perfect breadcrumbs? Chic It Yourself, seriously, what is the crumb-y secret?

 Coat the whole chicken breasts into the flour, then the egg and finally cover with the magic breadcrumbs.

Into a hot oven for 12-15 minutes and then slice diagonally when ready. 

Here's the rice steaming. I was a little worried that there wouldn't be enough to go round. (I'm used to cooking huge comfort portions) So I decided to use the left over egg to make fried rice.

 It is starting to look rather gorgeous. And smell incredible! I added the 1/2 tsp of garam masala and salt and pepper while I fried the rice.

We loved it! Try it  at Chic It Yourself