sitting at the front of the school

 Dogs barking at, cars rushing to go places who knew the streets were so alive! I was slouched down by the gate.My fellow classmates chattering on about what they are going to do at lunch time. My stomach was growling to get it's on some food like cupcakes cookies all thing sweet. But soon enough the smell of petrel was slowly seeping through my lungs and all the sweet sugary confectionery disappeared like a puff of smoke . The sun  was glaring down onto my back like I had my own personal heater. I was ready to come in when ms said to write for ten more minutes annoyed and cold i stated jotting down some more ideas the joy inside me suddenly went through the roof as i saw possibly the most adorable dog i all of history wagging its small miniature tail in the air with its fluffy pom pom head out the window. The air was getting cooler as time went on . The wind was blowing leaves around like ballerinas . My mind was starting to drift away with the wind, as free as a bird. Flying over rivers, mountains and lakes until I'm shot back into reality as the teacher is yelling at us to get up and go back to class and my five minutes of peace was left back with the wind.

summer winter blog ( part two )😁

                        

                    pies slices and quiches   

                                                                             

chicken and ham pie

Ingredients

chicken thigh fillets  6                                             By Anna Glover

olive oil 2 tbsp

leeks 2, sliced

plain flour 50g, plus extra for dusting

chicken stock 200ml

thick-cut ham 150g, cut into bite-sized pieces

parsley a handful, chopped

crème fraîche 200g

shortcrust pastry 375g

egg 1, beaten

Method

STEP 1:

Heat the oil in a deep frying pan, season the chicken thighs and fry for 4 minutes on each side until lightly golden. Transfer to a plate using a spatula. Add the leeks to the pan and fry for 5 minutes until soft, then sprinkle over the flour and stir.

STEP 2

Pour in the stock and bring to a simmer. Slice the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces (don’t worry if they’re not completely cooked through). Stir the chicken, ham and parsley into the leek mixture, then stir through the crème fraîche. Simmer for a 1-2 minutes until thickened and the sauce coats the chicken. Remove from the heat.

STEP 3

Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Roll the pastry out to a 5mm thickness on a floured work surface. Spoon the filling into a pie dish, and brush the rim of the dish with some of the beaten egg. Lift the pastry over and gently press onto the rim of the dish. Crimp the sides to seal, and trim away any excess pastry.

 

STEP 4

Brush the pie all over with the egg, and decorate with the pastry offcuts, if you like. Cut a small steam hole in the middle, and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and the filling is piping hot when a skewer is inserted into the middle.

Mini Quiche 

Ingredients                    by sally baking                                                             addiction

• 2 unbaked Flaky Pie Crust (what I used) or All Butter Pie Crust*
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup whole milk*
• 1/2 cup heavy cream or heavy whipping cream*
• 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper
• 3/4 cup add-ins (see recipe note)
• 1/2 cup shredded or crumbled cheese (see recipe note)

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Instructions

1. Pie crust: I like to make sure my pie dough is prepared before I begin mini quiche. Make pie dough the night before because it needs to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before using.
2. Prep the egg filling: In a large bowl with a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment– or simply using a whisk and mixing bowl– beat/whisk the eggs, whole milk, heavy cream, salt, and pepper together (on high speed if using a mixer) until completely combined, about 1 minute. Cover and refrigerate egg filling until step 6.
3. Preheat oven to 375°F (191°C). Grease two 24-count mini muffin pans. (Nonstick spray is best.) If you only have 1 mini muffin pan, bake these in batches. Roll out first pie dough, fill, and bake then roll out the 2nd pie dough, fill, and bake.
4. Shape the mini crusts: Working with 1 chilled pie dough at a time, place the dough onto a floured work surface. Roll into a large 12-inch circle. Use your warm hands to mold any cracking edges back together as you see me doing in the video tutorial above. From the circle, cut rounds using a 2.5 inch cookie cutter. (Sometimes I use my 1/3 cup measuring cup, which is 2.5 inches in diameter.) You’ll have to re-roll the dough scraps a few times. Work quickly, as the dough becomes much more delicate the longer it’s at room temperature. You’ll get about 24 rounds per pie crust. Repeat with 2nd chilled pie dough for a total of about 48.
5. Place the dough rounds into greased 24-count mini muffin pan(s). Press the dough flat into the bottom of the crevice and up the sides.
6. Evenly pour cold egg filling into each unbaked crust. Top evenly with add-ins, then sprinkle each with cheese.
7. Bake mini quiches until the center is just about set and edges are lightly browned, about 25-28 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan. If greased well, the mini quiches pop right out using a spoon to scoop them up. Serve warm or at room temperature
8. Mini quiches make great leftovers! Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days

 

                  The worst night sleep !!!

Whose idea was it to sleep on the marae? Three hours of sleep, that's who much sleep I got during that night. 11:00 pm the lights finally went out .We were all shattered after the day before. 12:00 am the snoring started. I was looking up at the ceiling, the beautiful maori patterns going across the roof, the tikis staring at me creepily, their eyes filled with questions . The mattresses we slept on were smelly hot and uncomfortable. The pillows were shiny and sticky. At about 1:00 am I got maybe  about 2 hours of sleep finally! 

But then I woke up at 3:00 am tired and grumpy and found 10 people snoring loudly. It sounded like a stampede of elephants. My mum, dad sister and everybody else were sound asleep but me i was stuck with the elephants. To make things worse i was now cold and then i realized why i  found out my mum had took my sleeping bag and what really annoyed me was that my mum had a rant about how she was only wearing shorts and t-shirt so she would be to could in my sleeping bag but i was way to tired for arguing. Again I drifted off to sleep, finally sleep! But then I hear my sister yelling in my ear and jumping on me like she was a monkey. The sound of people rustling in their bags to find their clothes like someone in a movie theatre eating popcorn loudly. I yawn and loudly get up looking like a hunchback. I had a bowl of muesli and all seemed right again also if you're planning to sleep on a marea bring ear plugs and that is not a joke.

                                     

  

summer winter food blog 😁

 

Chicago style chicken dogs           scroll down there 

                                                        there is more                                                                   delicious   

                                                             recipes

                                                         to be seen !!                                                                                                    

                                               

                                                          

                                         

jarred pepperoncini peppers, thinly sliced, plus 1 Tbsp brine                         

Ingredients 

1 tsp. 

honey                                                                                                       

1 tsp. 

yellow mustard, plus more for serving

1 tsp. 

poppy seeds

1/4 

small sweet onion, thinly sliced

4 

fully cooked chicken sausages

4 

hot dog buns

2 

small plum tomatoes, sliced into half-moons

4 

dill pickle spears

1 

small romaine heart, thinly sliced (about 3 cups)

1.  1 Heat grill to medium. In a bowl, whisk together pepperoncini brine, honey, and mustard; stir in poppy seeds. Add pepperoncini peppers and onion and toss to coat.
2. 2 Grill sausages, turning occasionally, until lightly charred and heated through, 10 to 12 minutes. If desired, grill buns.
3. 3 Stuff sausages into buns along with tomatoes and pickles. Toss poppy seeds and onions with romaine and spoon on top of sausages. Serve with remaining romaine mixture and extra mustard if desired.
4. BY THE GOOD HOUSEKEEPING TEST KITCHEN

    

Easy Greek Salad       

Ingredients

• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil                                                 
   

  
  

  
  
  
  
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar                
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano, more for sprinkling
• ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 English cucumber, cut lengthwise, seeded, and sliced ¼-inch thick
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
• 5 ounces feta cheese, cut into ½ inch cubes                           ELISE BAUER
• ⅓ cup thinly sliced red onion                     
  20 Ratings

   51 Comments
• ⅓ cup pitted Kalamata olives
• ⅓ cup fresh mint leaves
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, mustard, salt, and several grinds of pepper.
• On a large platter, arrange the cucumber, green pepper, cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, red onions, and olives. Drizzle with the dressing and very gently toss. Sprinkle with a few generous pinches of
•  oregano and top with the mint leaves. Season to taste and serve.

Winter vegetable &    lentil soup                                                     

Ingredients                     

by Sara Buenfeld

• 85g dried red lentils 
• 2 carrots,  quartered length ways then diced
• 3 sticks celery, sliced
• 2 small leeks, sliced
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme  leaves
• 3 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tbsp vegetable bouillon powder
• 1 heaped tsp ground coriander

Method

• STEP 1

  Tip all the ingredients into a large pan. Pour over 1½ litres boiling water, then stir well.

• STEP 2

  Cover and leave to simmer for 30 mins until the vegetables and lentils are tender.

• STEP 3

  Ladle into bowls and eat straightaway, or if you like a really thick texture, blitz a third of the soup with a hand blender or in a food processor.                               By Sara Buenfeld

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