Tuesday, 26 August 2014

Why I won't be doing the #icebucketchallenge

It seems that you can not get awy from the hype and awareness raised by ALS in their 'Ice Bucket Challenge'. It's all over every news feed and it's a great way of seeing people unite together in something that is both fun and charitable. 

My brothers were both nominated and made some very entertaining videos. It's all good fun and part of me would like to try to match their standard, however, I feel that I have to stick to my guns. 

Yesterday, my brother nominated me for the 'Ice Bucket Challenge' and, as you've probably gathered, I will not be taking part. 

Now, I don't want to be a fun sponge or hypocritical, but I thought that it would be important to talk about what bothers me about pouring a bucket of cold water on your head. 

I want to start by saying that I think that ALS holds a good objective: the facilitation of people affected by the motor neurone disease. I know that some ethical issues regarding animal testing have been raised about the charity but what I want to talk about today is the awareness campaign itself. 

Perhaps it's because I am currently in Dubai, a city that pours so much money and energy into the desalination of water. This is a process that is costly, damaging to the oceans that surround the UAE and has an impact on green house gas emissions. 

With this knowledge and perhaps even without it, it is so important to realise how fortunate we are. For every one of us that has access to clean running water, so many people don't. 

It is, looking at the scene from a large, a huge waste of water. It's hard to imagine what it might be like not to have water but, if you are able to, imagine that you are starving. Imagine that you have not had enough food to eat for the last week and have no idea when the next meal will come. You are dependent upon rain that does not arrive and soil that is far beyond infertile. And then you see a picture of people in neighbouring countries, throwing vast amount of spaghetti bolognese around in a global food fightand stuffing their trousers with as many slices of bread that can fit, then nominating others to do it too. 

This situation isn't the same but it's very similar. 

Yes, it's true that the water will evaporate into its natural cycle and that we aren't technically throwing away water but the toll that it takes on the environment to give us back drinkable water comes at a large cost. 

So, I suppose what I'm saying is just that we should all remember that we are fortunate to have water and try to conserve it. 

BUT, please remember that I don't frown upon people who have completed the ice bucket challenge. If we were all like me, this would be some awareness campaign and ALS would have fundraised considerably less. 

I am aware of how much water I waste daily on showers and washing up and whatever else. And so I'm not saying that I don't. But in the ways that we can, I believe that we should make a difference and change our habits because, if not us, then who? 

It has been fun to watch the challenges and I think everyone should be proud but, from my personal standpoint, I wanted to stick with an opinion that I am passionate about. The world needs opinions and it depends on all of us to be different. 

I will be accepting the donation part of the challenge, however, in doing what I can for a charity that does remarkable work for people all around the world and that is WaterAid. 

So, I nominate everyone reading, sharing and liking this post to take time to think about the water that they use today. I also nominate you to do something good for charity and to stand up for what you believe in. 

Saturday, 23 August 2014

Change the way you eat, change the way you live!


Photo: 󾍘🌍

After the Easter holidays, at the start of May this year, I came back to uni with the resolve to be a vegan - or at least try it.

The decision to change my diet came from a health perspective which is read about but as I became more aware of what veganism was, I began to realise the benefits and feel good about what I was going into my body. However, as we broke up for summer, I was back to my normal ways.

At first, I was reluctant. Every time I put a piece of meat to my lips, I felt guilty. The taste of milk was refreshingly creamy, but it felt wrong. 

It didn't take long, however, to eat without even thinking. 

Recently, though, I've seen a lot of posts about animal cruelty and the benefits of cutting meat from your life. I spoke to one of my friends a couple of months ago about how I'd become vegan. The meat debate is a bit of a toss up. 

When I think of the world, I think that everything is designed for purpose. So chickens lay eggs that aren't poisonous or toxic or don't fertilise soil because the purpose of them is for us to eat. They are provisions from God. 

But, this is where religion comes into it because Christianity believes that the earth was made for humans, whereas, Buddhists believe that everything is equal. I guess what it comes down to is how you view humans. What is our purpose? And how do we function or rank in relation to other animals? 

It's difficult because, if there are nice ways of providing food then why shouldn't we use this bountiful supply and appreciate the things that we have. If we take the example of chickens, what I mean is that, if there is a more humane way of egg production (free-range hens), then why shouldn't we take advantage of the fruits of the hen? 

But I realise when I write this, that the word: 'production' maybe shouldn't exist. Perhaps the problem lies when animals become a product or simply mechanisms and parts to a production line. Everything, animals and humans, should be free. Or maybe, you believe different. 

I suppose that the solution, I often think, might be to go completely back in time to a hunter-gatherer era, where you only catch the food that YOU and your family need, WHEN you needed it and, if you're unable to catch anything, then you must eat the fruits off the land. 

I've read that veganism can end world hunger, but another article reminds me that hunger is a multi-faceted problem which has a number of factors which do not just include removing meat from our diets. (You can read the article here.)

I don't have the answer to whether veganism is the way forward and apparently no one else does either. It is a personal choice and the world probably benefits from all of being different. It needs the blood-thirsty carnivores and the plant eating vegans. 

So whilst I know that something has to change, I won't feel so guilty about willing going back to meat. 

When I go back to uni, I can't see myself becoming a vegan again because I'm such a massive foodie and cooking is what I do. I am, however, going to make changes. 

At ASDA, you can be fooled by low prices and forget about the quality of the products. So that is the main thing I'll be changing. But there are other things that I thought I would share and here are a few. 


Buy local produce
This is something that I don't really take much care about. Especially in Dubai. At the moment, as I've said before, peaches are my new found love. And though the best ones, I believe, come from Jordan, the next choice is American peaches - from, literally, the opposite side of the world. On my part, this is a bad choice. By reducing the demand for produce that is flown from many hours away, contributes to the green house effect. Local produce means a significant reduction in green house gases.

Stay away from beef
This has to do with carbon emissions and health factors. An article published by the Guardian says: 
"The popular red meat requires 28 times more land to produce than chicken, 11 times more water and results in five times more climate-warming emissions."
Based on this, it would seem that chicken is the way to go, which leads me onto my next change factor ...

Free range eggs
I never used to worry about eggs. I always went for the cheap eggs in supermarkets to reduce the cost of my overall shop, not wanting to spend a few extra pence on free range eggs, allowing hens a better life.

Dairy-free products
Until recently, I believed that cows produced milk on tap. I have now learnt, however, that milk is taken from lactating cow mothers who are separated from their calves. This is a step towards eradicating animal cruelty.

Responsibly sourced fish
Prevent over-fishing and allow edible ocean fish the chance to reproduce. Eat: crab, hake, halibut, mussels. AVOID: bream, cod, haddock


Meat-free Mondays
Meat-free Mondays is something I saw Jamie Oliver do. It's actually relatively easy to live vegan or even vegetarian for 1 or 2 days a week. Try tofu stirfry, meatfree 3 bean chilli, quorn sausages. 


I hope that you've enjoyed this post. I wanted to write it partly because I wanted to engrain in my own head how important it is to be a good citizen when it comes to food but also because I thought others would benefit and appreciate information which can help change lives. (--- maybe that statement is a bit bold!)

Thursday, 21 August 2014

The Good Samaritan

So a couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post where I talked about 3 petitions that I believed needed your help. Today I have just one.

I got an email from Amnesty International yesterday about the trail of a Japanese man named Hakamada. He is the world's longest prisoner serving a death sentence, which means that for the past 46 years he has lived with the fear of being killed at any given moment.

When I read that, I was astounded. If the death penalty isn't punishment enough, waiting with bated breath for you imminent death is cruel beyond belief!

I often like to imagine certain situations. I like to imagine how other people live and some of the experiences that they have gone through that I am fortunate enough not to experience, or hope never to experience. But in this case, I just can't imagine.

Though I'm slowly lessening the fear I have of death, the thought is still quite scary and I can't think on it for long times. I have no idea what it would be like to have that on your mind constantly for over half of my life!!

Not only is Hakamada's case tragic because, I believe, that the death penalty is hugely wrong, it is all the more disappointing to learn that Hakamada has not had a proper trial - a trail that could prove he is innocent.

For the moment, Hakamada is safe but he still needs help to prevent a re-trial that could have him wrongly convicted.

If you understand how life changing your say could be and want to help, here is the link to Amnesty's petition. Please, please, please Save Hakamada


Tuesday, 19 August 2014

But I don't wanna be a grown up!

Getting my first job back in the UK was one of the best things that happened to me last year. Being chosen and feeling like I'd earned a place within a company was the best thing for my self esteem and also took away the stress of job hunting. Seriously, the Gregg's test was one of the hardest things I could have put my mind through - I just couldn't get it right. But thinking purely with my belly, I applied for every position that became available. But to no avail.

It took me 6 months to eventually get a job and when they (not Greggs) rang me up and said that they wanted to offer me a position, it was a massive relief. 

Since then, I've felt like the experience in retail has set me up. I have now managed to get another job which had me selling sandwiches in corporate offices. 

I was so glad to have the experience and the money I've saved will help me a lot with paying my way through accommodation at uni. But every job I have, makes me lose my childhood. Every new qualification that I get deletes the last. Who really cares what I got at GCSE now? Every new job makes me more into an adult.

When I was younger, all I could think about was growing up. I wanted to be a zoo keeper. I wanted to skip all the education and just get myself into a zoo feeding elephants their breakfasts and making toys for monkeys. 

But then, I began to realise that the older you get, the less holiday you have and, suddenly, I didn't want to be an adult anymore. Since then, I found every reason and more for not wanting to grow up. 

There's something about the mind of children that just mesmerizes me. I don't know how anyone creates stories like that. Save for all the toilet training, nose picking and burping, I reckon that when we're children, we are actually in our prime. 

But there are still those adults who are shy or who are extra specially polite and still go red when you speak to them. 

Speaking to people who work in law firms, you seem incredibly young. But there was this one man who usually comes to buy a sandwich and he's always very polite. So much so that I think of him as a growing child. 

And, in that moment, just this morning, I realised that you don't have to every grow up, if you don't want to. You can mature, learn table manners and grow up in that sense, but you never have to lose that childhood imagination. 

Monday, 18 August 2014

Turbo Oatlets Recipe

Intrigued? Well, this recipe is basically my take on some biscuits that I found on (yes, you've guessed it) BBC Good Food.

They were originally called 'Freezer Biscuits' - a rather unappetizing, uninspiring and bland name that would have you flick past them if you saw them in a recipe book. I suppose the name is practical since these biscuits ARE designed for the freezer.

However, I have christened my version 'Turbo Oatlets' for their speed, rough texture and miniature stature.

And here's how they're made:

Makes 30
Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C

1. Whisk 200g butter with 200g dark brown sugar with an electric whisk

2. Then, beat in 2 eggs (1 at a time) until combined

3. With a spoon or rubber spatula, stir in 200g plain flour and 140g oats

4. At this point you can add whatever dried fruit, flavouring or chocolate that you desire. I used cranberries and cinnamon flavoured milk chocolate chips!



5. Take 2 teaspoons of the mixture and dollop onto a flat baking tray lined with baking paper

6. Round the mixture slightly with your finger and then lightly flatten




7. You should have 30 small balls of the mixture

8. Set to bake for 15 minutes






9. Allow 10 minutes to cool before transferring onto a wire rack until completely cool



TOP TIPS: 
You may end up baking these in batches for lack of oven space and baking tools. For this, measure the correct amount of baking paper and then dollop the mixture onto the baking paper BEFORE transferring onto the hot tray. If the tray is hot, the bottoms will begin to bake before entering the oven. Once you have dolloped the mixture onto the baking paper, simply slide onto the hot tray and IMMEDIATELY pop into the oven.




Saturday, 16 August 2014

Overambitious baking

I am fairly ambitious with my baking, trying new things that I expect to turn out brilliantly. Needless to say, I am sometimes disappointed.

Today I made a chili and lemon bread - which should have turned out as a baguette but instead came to be an over-sized roll. I also made, probably more successfully, a blackberry and coconut cake taken from this recipe from the BBC Good Food site. I followed it to the 'T' so I can't claim any credit for this.

Mine didn't look quite as good as there and I feel like 1 hour might be slightly too long baking, so if I tried again I would probably have it going for 40 minutes instead and then giving it a quick check.

However, and I admit that it wasn't a complete disaster, I had a lot of fun baking which is the most important thing.










Unfortunately, I reckon that it's a lot more calorific than it makes out but small slithers will make it last longer anyway!

7 Things I can learn from my dog


This is Chester. He's a 5 year old cocker spaniel with a fat belly, a love of dental chews and an over-active bottom. And since being at uni I haven't been able to spend nearly as much time with him as I would like. 

Like every dog, he loves food and all he seems to wait for is the next dinner time. It occurred to me one day this week - whilst he hovered over me emptying a can of dog meat into his bowl - that there are somethings I would like him to know about the world. There are things that, I wanted him to know, we're worth getting up for - and it wasn't always food. 

But then, I suppose, as a dog, there isn't much to look forward to besides food, walks, sleep and new people. 

If Chester couldn't learn the joys of my world, then what could I gain from him? 

7 things I can learn from Chester 

1) Everyone is good (until they're not)
One I the most important things that I can learn from Chester is that everyone should be seen as good. He is a great upholder of a phrase similar to 'innocent until proven guilty' only his is 'best friend until proven mortal enemy'.

Every dog Chester meets gets a bum sniff, nose rub or lick. Everyone is his best friend and they stay that way unless they attack him or give of an evil aroma. 

Sometimes I feel humans are judgmental of people we don't know or make false assumptions about one person for some reason or another. Chester doesn't do that and that makes the world a more friendly place. 


2) Seize every opportunity 
As Chester sits at your feet in the kitchen or springs up towards the source of any 'potentially edible and certainly unidentifiable' object on the floor, it may seem that he's greedy. 

Perhaps it could instead be called opportunity taking. 

At every and any point in the day when he is able to possible wiggle out a bit of food from us, he will try his best to make sure he gets it. 


3) Get good sleep 
One of the first observations about this dog is that he sleeps ALOT. He spends most of his day getting some shut eye and almost wakes up in the morning just to get his 9am nap. Although, whilst seems lazy, no one will deny the benefits of good sleep. 


4) Forgive and forget 
They always tell you this: dogs are great at forgiveness. A poorly treated rescue dog will, nearly always, go back comfortably into a home with humans. 

Why? Because they forgive. 

Chester is good at this. He doesn't hold a grudge. Much. 

If he's been told off, he'll still come back for love. If we shut him in a room alone whilst we have visitors (which he hates) he'll still come to us and thank us for letting him out. 

For him, it's not about what we did, it's about what we're doing for him now. 


5) Never settle for less than you deserve 
Chester is good at making sure that we give him what he thinks he deserves. Every morning at he waits for the specific order of food before he will eat anything. We lay out his biscuits in his bowl first at which he growls until we give him his dental stick. 

If we put out dry food for him at dinner but don't mix it with any dog meat, he goes on hunger strike and won't eat. 

He'll never let himself be denied what he knows he should get. 


6) Stick up for yourself
Chester is very vocal. That was on of the first observations that was made after the breeder handed him to us. He whines a lot and growls even more. But he's never stern until he is teased when he will (try to) give us a piece of his mind. 


7) Have no inhibitions
Chester is prone to drop a gargantuan stink on certain days whenever we are near. He definitely has no inhibitions in this area and when we tell him about it, he looks at us like: 'What? You think I did that?' 


Thursday, 14 August 2014

What's the deal with veggie cakes? (+ recipe)

The carrot cake is never questioned. It has been around since the medieval age and it seems to resonate with people: it is deemed acceptable to put this orange vegetable into our cake batter and top it with cream cheese frosting.

It was initially used as a sweetener, for lack of cheap and good access to the more common staple of any cake: sugar.

When I told my mum that I was going to be making courgette cake, she turned up her nose. It had never struck me that courgettes in a cake might be weird, but I found a recipe on the BBC that I thought I wanted to try. If a website publishes it, I guess it's normal.

But, actually, putting vegetables in cake is the norm a few of the reasons being that they sweeten the cake (as we saw with the carrot situation), they create moisture in the cake and are cheaper/ more easily resourced.

I've seen countless recipes for beetroot brownies and vegetables are a particular favourite for bulking out 'healthy' cakes.

So, today I've made a courgette traybake with orange (which I have yet to taste!) I have taken and adapted this recipe from BBC Good Food's courgette muffin recipe. 


Cuts into 8 large rectangles
PRE-HEAT OVEN TO 200 DEGREES C

1) Peel 180g of courgette and grate

2) Place in a large bowl

3) Add the juice of 1 satsuma and stir

4) Melt 75g butter and add to the mixture

5) Add one egg and stir (NB. make sure that the butter has sufficiently cooled to avoid creating scrambled egg)

6) Add 300g plain flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp of mixed spice and 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon

7) Stir until all combined

8) Now add the juice of 2 more satsumas

9) Stir in 100g caster sugar and a generous handful of golden raisins

10) Now place in a shallow square tin and bake for 25 minutes







11) Once removed from the oven, leave to cool for 10 mins then turn out onto a wire rack

12) Slice into 8 and consume!






 

How I learned to love to be single

For all my life, in terms of relationships, it's just been me, myself and I. I just fancied writing about something that, maybe, everyone feels like they have to do. I know that I've felt slightly abnormal because I haven't followed the 'conventions of teenage-hood', as it were. But I guess I haven't found the right person. In fact, the more and more I think about it, it seems like I might be happier, single. I don't want this post to later be hypocritical. What I write today is jut how I feel now. (Also, this is aimed at no one in particular, but just my general experience :D) 


Growing up, I think much of my school life revolved around who was going out with who. It was like trivia: Guess who's going out with ___?!" 

It was always quite exciting to find out but more so to see how long people could keep the girlfriend and boyfriend status up. 

As we moved from little year 7s to year 10s and 11s, relationships began to last longer than a matter of weeks that you could count on your right hand. 

Love was now real. 

I wasn't ready for a boyfriend in year 7. In fact, I was still playing with Barbie's when I got home after school. But, low and behold, that was the last time I ever had a 'boyfriend'. I say boyfriend like this because, even thought we said we were on a relationship, we most probably weren't. 

I hated being social outside of school and so cinema dates and going to each others houses was a no-go. We simply saw each other in school. But even then, it wasn't love so much as it was experimental. 

But still, for all my false delusions about love, I still wanted to have someone. 

Every new school year I thought: this will be it. But every year I ended, I was still single.

It was finally at university when I realised how important it was to have your own time. I saw people every day. When I cooked dinner. I heard them as I went to bed. I bumped into everyone, everywhere

Though the social side of things has really helped me and is something that I really love about uni, I did still need my free time. 

I found a few spare moments to blog. But I hardly ever had time to read for pleasure nor work on writing stories. There was always something to be done and if I rejected social meetings in order to spend time with me, myself and I on a hobby, I felt anti-social.

I missed the time I had to myself. To do nothing or, conversely, work on something extra-ordinary. 

I also began to work out that being in love with someone was an incredibly emotional and time-consuming thing! (It also ate most of your credit and got you to watch films that you wouldn't normally watch, with food that you wouldn't normally have bought). 

Having a boyfriend was all-encompassing. You had to think for not only 1 person but 2. 

Maybe that's because I'm selfish in that respect, or maybe because I just don't know enough but there are some things I love about being un-romantically-attached. 

- I can eat what I want by the call of my stomach 
- I spend more time with my friends 
- I can get a cheap phone tariff 
- I can choose to see family or go on trips at the drop of a hat 
- I can spend more money on my family's presents at Christmas 
- it's ok to spend all my holiday in Dubai 

Maybe things will change as I get older, but sometimes there are people who ask: 'is there anyone you like?' Or who say: 'He'd be good boyfriend material.' But to both statements I would have to answer 'no' and 'maybe' and as for why: 'because I just like it this way.' 



Wednesday, 13 August 2014

THANK YOU!



Here's to all of you, for your continued support and readership of this past year. Last week I, unknowingly, reached the 100 published posts mark and I would like to thank all of you for reading and supporting something that I really love to do!

THANK YOU!

RECIPE: Peach Cakes

At the moment, peaches are my FAVOURITE fruit and one of my favourite flavours. So, as promised ...

Here's the recipe for these sweet and delicious peach cakes! (Taken and adapted from BBC Good Food)

Makes 6
Set oven to 200 degrees C

1) Whisk (by hand) 3 eggs with 100g brown sugar and a drop of vanilla essence until the mixture is combined and foamy (but not pale)

2) Melt 25g butter and pour into the above mixture

3) Whisk until combined

4) With a wooden spoon, fold in 100g wholemeal flour (or plain flour), 1 tsp baking powder, 25g ground almonds and a pinch of salt

5) Line a muffin tray with 6 paper cases (though, if you oil the dish well then you will not have to use paper cases - I found that the mixture stuck to the paper, but it could possibly stick to the dish too.)

6) Divide the mixture evenly between the 6

7) Place a heaped tsp of peach jam in the middle



8) Then, thinly slice 1 large or 2 small peaches and place about 3 slices on top of the cake mixture and jam





9) OPTIONAL: Sprinkle with flaked almonds (I forgot this step but it tasted good all the same)

10) Bake for 20 minutes until golden and fully cooked (insert a spike into the middle of the cake. If it comes out dry then the cake is fully cooked)






11) Remove from the tray and cool (You can also have this warm with ice-cream - vanilla - which I think would taste delightful! But, equally, as good as a cooled muffin)

TOP TIPS: Try this with various different fruits. Try strawberry jam or plum jam with sliced plum on top OR marmalade. The possibilities are endless!




Tuesday, 12 August 2014

Life Lessons From Mrs Doubtfire

I guess everyone was just looking for a good bit of news in between the wars that are ripping people, families and countries apart. But, this wasn't it.

Mrs Doubtfire was such a massive part of my childhood and is still a massive part of my life now. It is one of my favourite films ever, and so when I heard that Robin Williams had died this morning, it felt like a piece of my life had shattered.

Without Mrs Doubtfire I wouldn't have half of my vocabulary. In fact, we'd just spent our summer holiday a couple of weeks ago quoting the film in various places.

I actually remember watching 'Mrs Doubtfire' for the first time. We were in a hotel in France eating pizza. It was also the first time we'd ordered room service. 

I was about 8 - the age I was picking famous role models and beginning to understand films. 

Nothing compared to Mrs Doubtfire, in my mind, for a very long time. And that film gave me my representation of Robin Williams for every subsequent film that I saw him in. That's who I believed he really was. He wasn't an actor. He was Mrs Doubtfire.


I'm finding it really hard to say what I mean. Usually that's because I've been over-blogging. Or I'm too tired. But this time I think it's just because I'm at a loss. 

So I've decided to create a list of lessons that I've learnt from Robin Williams using my favourite quotes from my favourite film of them all. 

Life Lessons from Mrs Doubtfire

1) Don't let anyone destroy who you are


2) Make sure no one gets in the way of your family


3) In every tricky situation, there is always a solution


4) Opportunities that change your life, come at the strangest of times

I spent much of my time trekking the Indian Himalaya singing: "James Brontasaurus! I eat wood, danah, danah, danah, dun ..."

5) Stop at nothing to get what you need


6) You only get once chance at life, make sure you have a good time! 

Monday, 11 August 2014

NEW CREATION: Christmas clusters (by mistake)

It always so happens that when I plan to how you a recipe, it always goes wrong.

I baked individual pineapple upside down cakes for my parents anniversary meal - I didn't take a picture and actually they went splendidly well. 

Still, I don't think I could have salvaged the look of that Swiss roll! 


It's too early to be thinking about Christmas, by apparently it's only 20 Fridays away. 

And these cakes have nothing to do with Christmas, bar the fact that they give off, what reminds me of, a Christmassy aroma. 

The culprit: mixed spice. It is one of my all time favourite spices and I just had to add them to these rock cakes gone wrong. 

This recipe here is a mixture of some of my favourites in the baking world: the aforementioned mixed spice and rock cakes. 

Rock cakes were one of the first things that I learnt to make at school in year 7 and they've been one of my favourite things to bake. They're so simple, delicious and don't (unlike most cakes) rely on appearance to make them a winner. In fact, the messier the better. 

So what I've conjured up today is a smaller and more spices version of the traditional raisin rock cakes. 

Behold the Christmas Cluster!


Yeah ... the oven makes them look better.

We ate them as they were, but I feel like they should be served warm and with cream! Feels like winter's coming!

Rub butter into flour
Add dried fruit, sugar and spices


Add 1 egg
Add milk and stir




Bake at 200 degrees C for 20-25 mins


And you're done! Tah-dah!