aprontime's Xanga

Soup, anyone ?

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 12:02:04 GMT

Would somebody like a bit of carrot coriander soup?
I made it. Usualy I add more potatoes and carrots then I did this time. It was good and it was much apreciated but I must say I quite prefer the way I usualy do then the one I did this time. So, next time I will not forget.

Peel some potatoes, carrots, onions and some pieces of garlic. Doesn't need to be potatoes heart shaped, lol.
The garlic gives it a good taste and is very good for the heart, blood pressure, etc.

The onion is very important because also gives a good accent to everything.

Put it to boil with a bit of salt.

Have some coriander chopped, ready to add it but for now, wait. And don't forget to have just a little bit not shoped to decorate.

When you think the potatoes, onions and carrots are cooked, add the freshly cut coriander.

Ah! Now you will feel such a nice scent...
Blend everything and when ready pour some olive oil.

Portuguese people always like to add a lot of olive oil and we put it in everything. We are used to that since we are born - well, even before, this and garlic. The good thing is we are not alone in that because all mediterranic people is like that.
Doctors say it's better to add it after and not before the soup it's cooked because the boiling of it destroy its properties. It has something to be with saturated and unsaturated fats.

Anyway. Now you will see the oil dots on top of the soup. Mix it well.
Now you may eat it.

Here you can see it with more detail.

Such easy thing and sooo good!

Now, remember all the ingredients? Here they are.

And don't forget the salt. And olive oil. Plenty.

Cod with cream

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 17:16:57 GMT

Need an idea for dinner ?

What about cawliflower cheese?

Or maybe cod with cream ?

I won't give you a recipe for cauliflower because I bet all of you know how to do it, but the cod recipe I think you don't know. So here it goes.

. salted cod
. potatoes
. olive oil
. onions
. cream
. parseley
. seasoning

Now, you have to put the salted cod in water till tomorow - yes, you can serve it only for tomorow dinner.

In the morning change the water and repeat the operation some times along the day.
If you put in water sliced cod you will need to cut in little pieces with your fingers. I always buy already done for this kind of recipe.

So, it's the day you will do it for dinner. You put it alredy in water the day before and you shreaded it also.

Boil it but not for too long.Let's say maybe 15 minutes or less.
Leave to cool for a little bit.

In a pan, slice or shop finely a good amount of onion - that will give such a good taste - to a generous amount of olive oil. Let it fry and add parsley in little bits, garlic and maybe some pepper.

Is the onion with a nice colour and smeling like heaven? Add the cod and stir.

At that time you should have boiled and mashed potatoes. If you didn't do it know. Take the cod out of the stove. Never mind if it cools off because it will heat later on the oven.

Put that wonderful mixture of cod, onions, garlic, parseley and olive oil on the mashed potatoes. Stir well.

Put everything in a ovenproof dish and add cheese on top of it.
Put in the oven untill the top is golden.

Ah, then you will know how good it is !

What about eat it with some carrots? - or maybe some broccoli.

P.S.: There's a lot of ways of doing cod with cream. This one is my favorite. And so easy to do.

My new kettle

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 17:14:26 GMT

I have a new kettle.
I liked very much the older one because ot had a "kettle face", I mean, the shape of the old ones.
But it's broken so we needed a new one. It was very hard to find one we liked because we could only find some modern vertical ones. We looked here and in England. And looked again here. Then I gave up and decided to buy a common one.
Then my husband, who had alredy given up also, decided to buy this one. It's not like the ones we wanted but he liked this one and bought it.
It's ok. Quite nice actualy. A bit masculine, I would say, but it's natural, it was a man who bought it.

P.S.: We can see the old one in the reflection as well as me, in the middle, all dark blue with an apron, taking the picture.

Good recipes for Christmas

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 09:24:05 GMT

Christmas recipes

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 07:53:24 GMT

From The National Trust

My Dyson

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 11:45:10 GMT

As I was reading in Tales of Pixie Wood how her vacum cleaner was not very good and she would like to have a Dyson, I remembered mine and how it has worked properly for years and years.

Some time ago it needed some bits replaced because of the hard work and advanced age but, taking that, it is new - or it behaves as new.

Here you can see it. It's not a very good picture but is the one I have available now. I must take one better and then I will post ot so you can meet my friend properly.

It is the kind that can seat on the stairs as I'm hoovering, like a puppy but more well behaved.

The funny thing is it took ages for me to realize that. One day, as I was hoovering the stairs with an hand and the other was holding it, luckely for me, my husband saw me and with amazement with my ignorance said it was designed to seat on stairs and that's why he choose that model!

I couldn't believe my years (!!!) of ignorance !

Obviousely, since that day, it's so pleasent to hoover the stairs and they are clean much more often.

Carrot cake

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 07:19:59 GMT

My oldest daughter made carrot cake.

Here it is cooling.

And here it is, ready to eat.

Doesn't look yammy?

How to make a ribbon rose in 40 sec.

Sat, 30 Jun 2007 09:44:42 GMT

I found this at http://www.cakejournal.com/

FlyLady faces

Mon, 04 Jun 2007 13:16:14 GMT

Basic Cooking Tips

Thu, 31 May 2007 07:03:25 GMT

Tips and Tricks at

http://oldfashionedhomemaking.com/2007/05/08/basic-cooking-tips.aspx