Following on from
yesterday's post, I made Asian noodle broth for the neighbour. By adding Asian flavours (soy sauce, oyster sauce, etc...) you can transform a normal noodle soup into an amazingly tasty meal that is very filling.
Leave the dry noodles in boiling water to cook in the heat (read the packet if it comes with one). In a big pot, add sliced carrot, onion and mushroom and fry slightly in sesame oil (but not very long as you want to veg still slightly crunchy). A good tip here would be to slice all the vegetables and get all your ingredients out ready to go and within reach.
Add the noodles to the slightly fried veg along with a stock cube (veg or meat depending on the people eating), then add soy sauce, oyster sauce, few spoons of sugar, salt (not much as the sauces have salt in), fish sauce, chilli flakes and anything else you think would go well. You'll probably have to add a bit more water from the kettle as the water from the noodles probably won't be enough. Add as much water as you like (depending on how watery you want it to be) and simmer with some sliced meat/tofu and finely sliced coriander roots for a couple of minutes.
Remember to try some of the broth and add more soy/sugar if it needs it. Good cooks always try their food before serving! Serve with a sprinkle of coriander leaves and a trickle of soy. A squidge of lime would go well here too if you fancy it.
This meal can easily be done in 15 minutes - it's so easy and tasty. Even better is that it's comforting and to get a light broth to be comforting is a great thing indeed!
Make sure the veg are nice and crunchy to keep that freshness. I've even got some left for my lunch at work today. Can't wait for midday food time.
So dive into your cupboards today to transform your usual meals into something you'd find on the other side of the world. Tasty food for hardly any extra calories.
Get experimenting!
(11 days until Australia!)
ZP x
So, first, I part roasted the sausages and made the Yorkshire pudding batter to go with it (225g plain flour, 4 eggs, 250ml milk). Heat oil in the dishes for 15 mins in a hot (180 degrees) oven. When oil is hot, put the sausages in and pour the batter around them. Bake for 30 mins until the batter is all puffed up. 
Now this is one dessert that I don’t need to weigh anymore. I love my banana cakes and it’s different every time. To make it easy, use a simple Victoria sponge mix then add banana, mix nuts, and dried fruit. This time I creamed butter and sugar, beat in 2 eggs and then sieved in flour with a little baking powder. I mashed 3 very black bananas and then added them in with some vanilla extract and chopped up my leftover nuts and fruits from the cupboard. I baked until it smelt good and when it didn’t pull any raw cake out when pricked with a skewer. 
Searching through charity shops can lead to many exciting finds...so look what I found. It's a juicer!
On the other hand, when I fancy a treat, cocktails or drinks out are just what you want. When there's nothing impressive coming out the kitchen, skip dinner, and go for cocktails in some local bars down Little Clarendon Street in Oxford. It’s the best place for cocktails in town and you can spend the evening trying some cocktails tailoured to your tastes. Ask the barman and he’ll make you anything…just be prepared to have some stodgy food the following day to cure the drink blues! Blueberry pancakes and a steaming hot sweet tea is my cure (along with lots of cuddles!).
It was a brilliant evening, plus we bumped into my Mum coming out of the New Theatre on the way home…strange coincidence!
We kept going until the lettuce had gone…yum. There was even some mince left to give to Dad for his jacket potato dinner. 
A local pub close to my Dad’s house in Hermitage called The Bunk Inn deserves a post after the lovely food and atmosphere it creates. The locals love the newly refurbished pub and it's perfect for either a pint during a country walk, a Sunday roast with the family, or a romantic meal in the evenings. I have been there quite a few times for dinner (coincidentally I will be going there tomorrow evening for my Sister's birthday meal) and I am always impressed with how delicious the food is. Follow The Bunk Inn on Twitter, or here on Facebook.
When I first visited, they described their dishes as English country
tapas and we continued to order pretty much every plate on the menu. We
were all in awe of their amazing lunch platter that they served (see left). We had
sliced potato chips, potato popcorn, garlic bread, chicken wings, pork
scratchings, rabbit, and lamb cutlets. 
They were all served with various
dips and sauces and it was all fabulous. The lamb and the rabbit shone
as the best dishes, the delicate rabbit meat eased off the bone and the
lamb cutlets (right) went with the blackberries perfectly.
The second time I visited I had the Buffalo burger (without the bun as I'm on my beach holiday diet!) and the chips (I have to treat myself somehow!) were soft and fluffy inside and crunchy on the outside. The slaw that came with it was just tangy enough and there were also pickled cornichons and onions to perk the buffalo meat up a bit. I ordered extra salad as I love the mustard dressing so much! The red wine that the barman chose was perfect and a nice full red was well received on a blistery cold evening.