Madhouse recipe : Cheesy Broccoli Soup

We eat a lot of soup at The Madhouse and it all starts off in pretty much the same way - putting vegetables in a pot (maybe with cooked bacon or chicken carcasses), covering them in water or stock, cooking them then using a stick blender to create a thick soup, adding seasoning or a splash of cream. Well, today I experimented with a new technique and it created a beautifully thick and creamy soup so I'll definitely have to experiment with other flavour combinations.

Cheesy Broccoli Soup

ingredients :

4tbsp butter

4tbsp flour

2 cups chicken stock 

2 heads of broccoli (or 500g frozen broccoli)

5tbsp cream cheese/cheese spread (Philadelphia or Dairylea for example)

a good handful of grated cheese

salt, garlic pepper, nutmeg, smoked paprika, garlic granules

to serve : dried grilled onions, black onion seeds

Melt the butter, add the flour and cook over a gentle heat for a few minutes, stirring to create a roux.

Add the chicken stock and bring to a gentle boil, whisking constantly. Toss in the broccoli, chopped into florets. Add extra water to cover if necessary. Cook for 15 minutes or so, until a knife goes through easily but it's still bright green. Turn off the heat.

Use a stick blender to puree the broccoli. Add the cheeses and seasonings and whisk to create a thick, smooth soup.

Scatter with dried grilled onions and black onion seeds for extra flavour.

It's a very mild, almost sweet soup, so it's appealing to children. You could always give it a bit of oomph by adding some chilli or curry powder though.

Sunday weigh-in : And breathe !

This week is a maintain - there seems to be no logic to what the scales are saying at the moment so I'll just shrug and go with that ! We're now into the holidays so I can finally chill out, take some well-earned me-time and get out and about with the kids for some long walks. Bring it on ! It looks like the weather has even perked up too, which is a bonus :)

Positives of the week

- Stress levels will radically drop now that I'm on holiday - I' looking forward to slowing things down and just generally chilling out for a while !

Current targets 

Last week's target :  Take some me-time, whether that be sitting on the settee with the kids watching a film or getting out for a run - I need to regroup ! Plan ahead with the slow cooker to avoid freezer diving when I get in late from work. (DONE)

This week's targets : Enjoy my time off. Get out for fun-exercise - long walks, geocaching, playing football with Pierre at the park ...

Short-term targets : 

(1) get back into the 80's
(2) get my "lbs lost" back into double figures
(3)  get my "weight to lose" badge down into the 40's
 (4)  get back to 87kg, my pre-holiday weight   
(5) get my "kg lost" badge back into double figures 
(6) get my "weight loss" badge higher than my "still to go" badge
(7) get back into my (smallest) bright blue jeans comfortably
(8) get back to 77kg - my lowest weight since my pregnancies

Longer-term targets :  Hit my target weight of 70kg.

START WEIGHT :93.7kg (BMI 34.8)

TARGET WEIGHT : 70kg (BMI 26)

WEIGHT LAST WEEK  :  87.9kg 

WEIGHT TODAY :  87.9kg (BMI 32.6)

WEIGHT LOST SO FAR :  5.8kg

STILL TO GO : 17.9kg

CHANGE THIS WEEK : -0kg

Feel free to add your weightloss posts to my weekly linkie - it's great to see how everyone else has been getting on and give each other support and encouragement. :)

Created by MyFitnessPal - Free Calorie Counter

 MyFitnessPal - Nutrition Facts For Foods

#KitchenClearout March roundup and April linky

This month's collection definitely reflects the weather and the changing seasons - it's a great mix of winter warmers alongside some more springlike sunshiney flavours. 

Over at Dragons & Fairydust, Alison's Citrus Baklava was a fabulous way of using up the odds and ends of packs of nuts, which I also have cluttering up my baking cupboard. I've bookmarked this one !

General Tso's Chicken was a dish I remember seeing in America over a deacde ago but this was the first time I'd tried it. It is really tasty and used up lots of ends of bottles (soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger wine and sesame oil) aswell as some out of date cornflour.

I always love seeing what Jane at Onions & Paper will come up with when she starts flinging together everything she has in the fridge - it invariably works out well and this Bacon, Broad Bean & Sweetcorn Sauce is a great chuck-it-all-together masterpiece !

Galina from Chez Maximka used up some peanut beanut in these delicious-looking Peanut Butter Cookies. You can't go far wrong with cookies, in my experience !

Mediterranean Baked Fish cleared out the veg compartment of the fridge and also used up a sachet of Mojito Lime Marinade Mix that had been lurking in the cupboard for ages.

French Chicken with Garlic & Herb Wedges was a double whammy of seasoning sachets that needed using up.

Fully Loaded Potato Skins (aka Twice Baked Potatoes) are the ultimate comfort food and are great for clearing out the fridge - squidgy tomatoes, hard cheese, odds and ends of ham, ... it can all go in there !

We seem to have a glut of muesli so I decided to try incorportaing some into our constantly evolving recipe for Fridge Cake. Muesli Fridge Cake is just as delicious and sounds slightly healthier !

Back to clearing out the seasoning sachets - Brazilian BBQ Chicken with Sweet Potato Wedges & Mango Salsa was a taste of sunshine on a plate and was also a very healthy option.

I loved the way my Bacon, Cheese & Potato Wreath came out and it was a great way of using up a couple of leftover baked potatoes.

And finally, Chicken & Vegetable Soup was a very frugal meal using a couple of chicken carcasses after a family meal.

Fancy joining in? Have a rummage through your kitchen cupboards, spice rack, freezer or fridge and see if there's anything that needs using up then come and share your creations with us. Or if it's way past its sell-by date, throw it in the bin and come and tell us what you found ! It would be great if you could add my badge and a link to this post for anyone else who wants to get involved.

An Easter Feast from Bahlsen ! (review)

Despite having just received their Easter eggs, the Madhouse kids let out an audible squeal of delight when they discovered the fabulous selection of chocolatey treats that Bahlsen had sent through for us to devour review. We've tried both Choco Leibniz and Pick-Ups in the past and love both of them, but we were unaware that there are quite so many different variants available.

The classic Milk Chocolate Pick Up often finds it way into our shopping trolley. It doesn't sound that amazing on paper - you get two fairly plain Rich Tea-type biscuits with creamy milk chocolate in the middle - but what makes it so indulgent is that you get a thick slab of real chocolate rather than the fake chocolate-flavoured paste that often passes as a filling for biscuits. As well as the classic version, we got to try out Dark Chocolate, Choco & Caramel (my favourite) and Black 'n' White, the kids' new favourite because it is like two Oreo biscuits sandwiched together with white chocolate. Very tasty and very moreish ! 

The Choco Leibniz range is equally chocolatey - in fact, it says "more chocolate than a biscuit" on the packaging because the thick coating covers the whole surface area with an extra chocolatey margin around the edge. Tastewise, they remind us of the Pick Ups because they are just as indulgent but they come in a sharing pack, rather than the individually wrapped Pick Ups which are ideal for packed lunches and snacks on the go. We'd already been won over by the White (white chocolate covering a dark cocoa biscuit) and Milk chocolate varieties, but having now tried the Dark, Caramel and Orange ones, I think I have a new favourite - orange. Totally chocotastic and the flavour reminds me slightly of Terry's Chocolate Orange, which I only ever treat myself to at Christmas so it seems extra special.

Bahlsen Biscuits are the leader of biscuits in Germany and if you're a bit of a chocaholic, they're bound to be top of your leaderboard too. You might want to hide them out of the way of the kids though or they won't hang around for long !

star rating : 5/5

RRP : Pick Up - £1.69 for 140g (5 pack); Choco Leibniz - £1.79 for 125g

Disclosure : We received the product in order to write an honest review.

#readcookeat recipe : Austrian Linzertorte (Jane Costello - Summer Nights at the Moonlight Hotel)

I have a whole stack of #readcookeat recipes that I've bookmarked, so I'll be aiming to work through some of them during the next two weeks while I'm on holiday. I was spoilt for choice when reading Jane Costello's Summer Nights at the Moonlight Hotel (click through to read my review) because one of the characters is a keen baker and ends up entering The Great British Bake Off, so I had lots of scrummy cakes and bakes to choose from.

The first foodie mention that had me pricking up my ears was this one:

p106 Barry made his first batch of drop scones after episode one of The Great British Bake Off and has never looked back. (He later goes on to create a Taj Mahal in gingerbread but I thought that would be slightly over-ambitious !)

I wasn't entirely sure what drop scones were, but a quick google revealed that they are also called Scotch Pancakes and they look very similar to American-style pancakes.

The next foodie mention had me smiling smugly :  

p169 The following morning – Saturday – I wake up with a knot in my stomach, wondering when he's going to ask me out, like he said. We barely saw each other yesterday and logic tells me that no man, no matter how smitten, would follow up a first date by bursting through the staff room door and taking me in his arms while Joyce chokes on her Swiss roll.

I made a Polka Dot Swiss Roll a couple of months ago. It is actually a lot simpler than it looks so do click through and check out the recipe.

This is the one that I decided to recreate though :

p335 When I return to the sofa for the rest of the Bake Off, it's fair to say that I'm fighting a losing battle for Edwin's attention against seven Austrian torte and a batch of rosemary-infused drop scones.

As I love globecooking, the mention of Austrian tortes piqued my interest. I found lots of recipes for Sachertorte, which is a very rich chocolate cake, but I loved the sound of Linzertorte, which is basically a posh jam tart. I used the Hairy Bikers' version as my inspiration, and tweaked a few ingredients to use what I had in the cupboard.

Linzertorte

ingredients :

150g sugar

150g plain flour

75g ground almonds

75g dessicated coconut

1/2tsp cinnamon

150g cold butter, cut into cubes

1 egg, beaten

200g good quality jam (traditonally raspberry)

a sprinkle of icing sugar, to decorate (optional)

Combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, ground almonds and coconut in a bowl. Normally, it's 150g of ground almonds and no coconut but I only had the end of a bag left so I topped up with coconut and it was delicious. Rub in the butter until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.

Stir in the egg with a wooden spoon then gently knead when it's turned into a ball of pastry. Tear off about 1/4 of the dough for making the lattice top and reserve.

Flatten the ball with your hands then place it in a greased pie tin and use your fingers to press it out until it covers the entire base and goes halfay up the sides.

Spread evenly with raspberry jam. (I used a jar of damson jam that was lurking in the cupboard.)

Roll out the reamining pastry with a floured rolling pin and cut into strips. Lay across the top in a lattice design. Chill for 40 minutes if you have the time, then bake for 30 minutes at 190° until the pastry is pale golden brown.

Leave to cool before cutting into slices. The pastry is beautifully crumbly and the coconut/almond flavour really complements the jam. This disappeared in record time with Pierre asking me to make another one as soon as it was all gone !

*** Don't miss my country-by-country globecooking recipe index ! *** 

Want to try some more Austrian recipes? How about Apple Strudel, Goulash & Spätzle, Kaiserscharrn and White Cabbage Salad with Liptauer?

Fancy cooking the books? Join in with the #readcookeat challenge over at Chez Maximka.

This used up the ends of two bags - ground almonds and dessicated coconut - as well as a jar of damson jam from a Christmas hamper, so I'm adding it to this month's #KitchenClearout linky.

Book review : Armadillos - P.K. Lynch

It's a tough life being an armadillo. If you manage to survive the blistering heat, thorny bushes and harsh terrain of your desert homeland, then protect yourself from your predators with your in-built armour, the chances are there's a great big 18-wheeler truck just over the horizon ready to turn you into roadkill on the asphalt. Nevertheless, against all odds, they survive.

The same could be said for fifteen year old Aggie. Despite her downtrodden 'sub' family existence, her absent mother and the long-term incestuous sexual abuse that she has suffered at the hands of her father and brother for as long as she can remember, she is a survivor too. Until one day, she decides that she doesn't want to take it any more and quite simply walks away. Texas is a big place so if you want to run away, it's easy to disappear into the landscape.

The story is a classic coming-of-age novel (although Aggie's childhood had already been ripped away from her years ago), with Aggie learning a whole new set of survival skills, meeting up with an eclectic and eccentric group of homeless people in a squat. She starts off as a streetwise but wide-eyed and naive young girl but she soon sees that other people have their own demons and hidden agendas. While running away gave her a chance to move on, her inner torment ultimately leaves her paralysed so she must go back home to find closure, even if it's not exactly what she had in mind.

Aggie is a wonderfully complex character, by turns incredibly tough and heartbreakingly fragile. The supporting cast of characters are pleasingly diverse too, although they do seem to fall rather too cleanly into good guys and bad guys. The descriptions of the places are so atmospheric that I could imagine the tumbleweed drifting across the dusty landscapes and deserted gas stations with a creaky sign - or maybe I've watched too many US road movies ! I could really see this being made into a film actually. 

The tone and spirit of the book reminded me of American classics such as The Color Purple and I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, so I was very impressed to discover that the author is actually Scottish. This is her debut novel so I can't wait to see what else she will come up with in her future work.

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £8.99

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Legend Press (1 April 2016)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 178507959X
• ISBN-13: 978-1785079597
• Product Dimensions: 19.9 x 3 x 13.1 cm
• 
  

Disclosure : I received a copy of the book in order to write an honest review.

Globecooking recipe : Cheeseburger macaroni (USA)

As a keen globecooker, I love trying out authentic products from foreign countries so I'm always trawling the supermarket shelves, on and offline, trying to spot new (to me) products to try.

 One such product that kept popping up in various shapes and forms in the US import aisles was Hamburger Helper, which, it appears, is basically a box of dried pasta with seasoning that you cook with mince and milk. That sounded easy enough to recreate so I decided to try it from scratch. It's basically a hob-top pasta bake and the fact that it was ready in 15 minutes and the kids loved it means that we'll definitely be having it again. I tried the classic Cheeseburger Macaroni version but I'll be tempted to try different combinations of ingredients to see what else works.

Cheeseburger macaroni

ingredients : 

1 pack minced beef

2 onions

3tbsp tomato concentrate

seasoning : 1tsp each of smoked paprika, garlic pepper, garlic granules, sugar, oregano, 1/2tsp salt

3tbsp flour

2 cups milk

1 beef or chicken stock cube

2 cups water

3 cups uncooked macaroni

2 cups cheese - grated cheddar would be fine, as would mozzarella, but I went for the cheese slices that you use in hamburgers, to stick with the theme

optional : ketchup & American mustard to serve

Put the mince in a large pan with the onions and cook until all the pink has turned brown.

Add the seasoning, herbs and spices.

Toss in the tomato concentrate and the flour and give it a good stir.

Add the milk (don't panic when it goes a really bright yellow colour !), the stock cube and the water.

Drop in the macaroni and give it all a good stir so the pasta is covered in liquid.

Cook for 10-15 minutes until the pasta is cooked through, stirring every now and then.

Stir through the grated cheese or lay cheese slices on top. Turn off the heat and leave for a couple of minutes for the heat of the dish to melt the cheese.

If you really want to stick with the cheeseburger theme, serve with a dollop of ketchup and American mustard on the side.

*** Don't miss my country-by-country globecooking recipe index ! ***

 If you want to try some more American recipes, how about Hoppin' John & Collards (South Carolina), Parmesan Chicken Breast, Minnesotan Hotdish, General Tso's Chicken or Snickerdoodles ? 

What's Cooking at The Madhouse? menu plan 1/4

Woohoo we've made it to the holidays ! As usual, the next two weeks will be a chance to sort through the cupboards and have a good clearout, as well as work through some of my bookmarked recipes, including #readcookeat and globecooking dishes that I've yet to make. I'll plan lunches and evening meals but the lunchtimes are likely to change as they often end up being leftovers from the day before or even picnic type meals if we head out on an impromptu adventure. I also have a few things relisted that have been bumped over from previous weeks because I had leftovers to use up instead of making what was planned. 

Saturday 

lunch - I think a trip to McDonald's and their softplay will be on the cards

dinner - cheese & broccoli soup - which got bumped off the menu in favour of chicken and vegetable soup last week, to use up the chicken carcasses

Sunday

lunch - roast dinner with all the trimmings

dinner - "bits and crisps" as the kids call our version of smorging ! (cucumber, cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks, apple slices, cheese, cured meats, olives, crackers, crisps, ...) & leftover soup for us

Monday 

lunch - beefburgers & creamy pasta with mushrooms, onions and peas

dinner - Kung Pao chicken with rice or noodles & prawn crackers (I got a box to make yourself in a past Kitchen Trotter box so the kids will love seeing them puff up when they hit the oil !)

Tuesday 

lunch - I have visions of a shepherd's pie type dish with spicy chicken, topped with mash and/or cranberry stuffing - not sure how it will pan out yet !

dinner - samosas with couscous & tomato salad

Wednesday 

lunch - spicy sesame beef with noodles & stir-fried veg

dinner -  Dublin Coddle

Thursday 

lunch - Diet Coke BBQ chicken with rice & salad

dinner - smothered pork chops with wedges & whisky marmalade glazed carrots

Friday 

lunch - fakeaway KFC, Actifry chips & coleslaw or bbq beans

dinner - spicy chicken & salad pitta pockets

***Click on my Menu Plans tag to see all my other weekly menu plan blogposts.***

Want to see what everyone else is eating ? Head over to Meal Planning Monday at Mrs M's blog !

Bargain Hunting with Miss Thrifty and Pampers Wonder Week

I've just been putting together this week's roundup of the best new UK freebies, hunting out free samples and fab money-saving discounts to share with you all to help save a few pennies. With perfect timing, I stumbled across an email from Pampers all about their Wonder Week of deals that launched this week. It proved so successful last year that they've decided to bring it back again, with lots more amazing savings and another whole week of wonderful deals. 

From 31st March – 6th April, Pampers will be working with selected retailers across the UK (Amazon, Asda, Boots, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Superdrug, Tesco, Waitrose) to give you a week of amazing deals.

All you have to do is visit the Wonder Week website at www.pamperswonderweek.co.uk, select your preferred retailer from the list available and your product deal then click through to their site to purchase. Not only will you get significant savings on buying the best quality products like Pampers in bulk, you can enjoy the convenience of having all your favourite nappies and wipes delivered directly to your door, freeing up as much time as possible for you and baby.

Wonder Week is all about buying in bulk to enjoy savings, which bargain-loving blogger Miss Thrifty (aka Karyn Fleeting) is passionate about as a simple way to save pounds. Karyn shares her tips on ways to save money and find discounts on her award-winning and hugely popular blog Miss Thrifty, which is in The Times Top 50 Websites to Save You Money.

Below, she shares her top tips to bulk buy successfully:

1. Always compare costs and check the price per unit.

In the UK, a product’s price label on the supermarket shelf will also specify the price per unit: if you are considering a bulk purchase of a product, then check this price-per-unit, compare it and make a judgement call as to whether you will be saving money in the long-term.

2. “Stack” coupons and offers for additional savings.

To “stack” is to put multiple coupons towards the purchase of a single item. You can collect coupons from magazines and websites. If the supermarket with the best bulk-buy offers isn’t your closest, remember that you can obtain the savings anyway, if you take advantage of price match schemes.

3. If you are buying baby products, think long-term.

Think ahead if you are bulk-buying baby items such as clothes and nappies. Babies grow so quickly, so it’s sensible to buy a size up, or mix and match your bulk buy products. Disposable baby wipes are something you’ll be buying for years, so your bulk buy will definitely get used!

4. Be wary of bulk-buying a product or brand you haven’t bought previously.

Fortunately, many of the baby brands are available to try at no cost or low cost. Pampers, for example, will send you free samples (www.pampers.co.uk).

5. Remember to adjust your household budget.

For those new to bulk-buying, here is a neat idea from an American money-saving blog, which is applicable to UK shoppers: raise your grocery budget, temporarily, by 25% - “take advantage of big sales when you see them…eventually, you won’t need that extra 25%” (The Simple Dollar)

Whether it’s teething, wind, or just excitement that’s disrupting those 12 golden hours of sleep, every parent has their own tried and tested tricks to help encourage a restful slumber, but something that might get overlooked is a reliable, comfortable and absorbent nappy. Pampers Wonder Week will see amazing offers on the full Pampers range including New Baby, Premium Protection, Baby-Dry nappies Baby-Dry Pants and Pampers Sensitive Wipes, so your little one will have all they need to sleep through the night and wake up for a day of boundless play, every day!

All of the product offers & pricing are at the sole discretion of the retailer, but you’ll be able to make the most of offers like the ones below:

Amazon

30% off voucher* with Amazon’s ‘Family’ discount, meaning up to 50% off’ for Amazon Prime members*

Asda

 Baby Dry Giga Pack £12 (instore only)*

12x Sensitive Wipes for £8*

Baby Dry Jumbo Packs are 2 for £18*

New Baby Jumbo Pack are £6*

Boots

 5x Baby Dry or New Baby or Active Fit Essential Packs for £25*

5x Pampers Mega Packs for £45*

12x Sensitive Wipes for £8*

Morrisons

 3x Baby Dry Essentials Pack for £15*

3x Baby Dry Jumbo Pack for £25*

12x Sensitive Wipes for £8*

New Baby Essential Packs 2 for £13*

Ocado

 5x Baby Dry or New Baby or Active Fit Essential Packs for £25*

12x Sensitive Wipes for £8*

Superdrug

 5x Baby Dry or New Baby or Active Fit Essential Packs for £25*

Tesco

 2x Baby Dry or New Baby Dry Pants Large Packs for £14*

New Baby Jumbo Packs 2 for £14*

Waitrose

 5x Essential Packs for £25*

3x 5x Sensitive Wipes for £12*

Promo Disclaimers:

*All pricing is at the sole discretion of the retailer

I remember how many nappies and wipes we used to get through when the Madhouse kids were small, so buying in bulk for these products is definitely a great way of saving a few pounds (not to mention avoiding emergency supermarket dashes when you run out unexpectedly !).

Disclosure : This post was created in partnership with Pampers.