Pass it on

I remember watching a TV programme just before I left Canada called "Jamie's Ministry of Food". The show depicted the message of trying to get people in a town (the fattest in Britain) to get cooking instead of being lazy and eating greasy take-aways. I thought that this was indeed a good thing to get started, so went on the website to see how I could get Jamie's message going.

His message encouraged people to set up home party to demonstrate one recipe that they learned to cook. Each member of the party... from 2-4 persons, was to have their own "home-made" recipe- no jars of pre-made food or sauces allowed, it all has to be made from scratch. They were to teach the rest of the group how to make their meal, and at the end of the day, those people will have learned something new and had to have pledged on arrival that they would "pass it on". These people would then host their own party and "pass it on" and eventually, the action of people cooking in their homes again would catch on.

Of course, then I moved and never did anything about this whole Food Movement. That is until now... I am making my effort (via the web) because this is something that I think is really important. Food contributes to our ailments and helps us to be strong. We can learn to use it to benefit our bodies, even if you don't understand the biochemistry behind it. You can learn to make foods from scratch as a way to control the ingredients that you are eating. You can monitor the salt, fats, vitamins that you use by adding these things yourself. You can control the additives in processed foods, because you aren't using them in a home-cooked meal. Finally, you are learning how to cook again- this is something that some people just haven't a clue how to do anymore.

So, what am I "passing on" today:
1: buy it now: Jamie's Ministry of Food cookbook. This book has not yet failed me. I have to give full credit to my friends Becky and Todd because they are the ones that kick-started the idea of this Movement again. We got this book as a moving in present, and it is the best gift you can get! I have tried probably 1/2 of the recipes so far... a new one each week, and I haven't yet made a crap meal. Those of you that are stuck on Christmas prezzies, this is it- I have just solved your problems! Be a part of the movement and "pass it on".

Jamie simply tells you what you need to have in stock and how to cook things from 20-minute meals to a full Sunday roast. The directions are simple, straightforwards, and again... I haven't come across a bad one yet.

2: my recipe to you: Now there are two that I could have chosen from: Lasagne and Minced Beef Wellington, but I am sharing the Lasagne with you (after I talk about the Wellington). The Wellington is super if you are having guests over 5-6 adults or if you want to cook something that will last a couple of days. It looks and tastes impressive (sans peas- I add an extra carrot and shrooms instead) and for me, it is something I would have never dreamed of cooking because I thought it was difficult- it really isn't. You will have to go to the website (http://www.jamieoliver.com/jamies-ministry-of-food/about) or buy the book to get the recipe from me... or come for a visit and I will show you how!

But now, the Lasagne. I chose this one because I have tried to cook lasagne in the past and have never ever been successful. One of Craig's favorite foods is lasagne, and his Mum's is to be rivaled. This one was amazing!

You make the bolognese yourself: 2 rashers of smoked streaky bacon, 2 medium onions, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 carrots, 2 sticks of celery, olive oil, 2 heaped tsp dried oregano, 500g minced beef, 2x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes, sea salt, black pepper, bunch of fresh basil.

Make your sauce- this takes time, but is entirely worth every minute!
Finely slice the bacon- Peel and finely chop the onions, garlic, carrots and celery- place a large pot or casserole dish on med to high heat- Add 2 lugs of olive oil, sliced bacon, oregano and cook and stir until the bacon is lightly golden- Add the veg to the pan and stir every 30 seconds until softened and coloured (about 7 minutes)- Stir in minced meat and chopped tomatoes- Fill one tin with water and stir in with the mixture- Stir in a good pinch of salt and pepper- Pick the basil leaves off of the stalks, and put them in the fridge for later. Chop the stalks and stir into the pan- Bring to a boil- Turn the heat down and simmer with a lid slightly askew for 1 hour stirring every now and again- Take off the lid and cook for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally- Keep an eye on the sauce as it cooks, and if you think it's starting to dry out, ad a splash of water.... now I shortened this to 45 minutes with the lid and 15 minutes without and it worked fine.

Remove the bolognese from the heat- Tear and stir in the larger basil leaves- Taste the sauce and season with a little more salt and pepper if it needs it. This makes a considerable amount of sauce, so it is good to freeze and use again!

Preheat your oven to 375F/190C

Next, for the lasagne:
250g dried egg lasagne sheets (I bought the pre-cooked ones that don't need re-cooking), 100g Parmesan cheese, 1x 600mL tub of creme fraiche (or sour cream), 1 large ripe tomato, (3/4 cup wilted spinach- my addition)

Grate your Parmesan and mix it to your creme fraiche.
Spoon a third of your bolognese sauce into the bottom of an earthenware ovenproof dish (approx 25cm x 35 cm)- Follow with a layer of lasagne sheets and another third of sauce- dollop a third of your creme fraiche mix- Sprinkle with a good pinch of salt and pepper and top with another layer of lasagne sheets- Spoon over the rest of the bolognese sauce (your wilted spinach) and another third of the creme fraiche- Finish with a final layer of lasagne sheets and top with the rest of the creme fraiche- Scatter over some extra Parmesan- Top with some slices of tomato and fresh basil leaves- Cover with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes- Remove the foil and cook for another 20 minutes until the lasagne is bubbling and golden- Serve with fresh green salad.

Try it out and pass it on!

Distances

Ack! It is yet again the end of another month, and I am thinking to myself "where has the time gone?!"
Week by week goes by and something comes up that is worth blogging about, but I just don't seem to find the time to get it down in type. For instance, I have uploaded pictures from an event at the very start of the month, but never got around to writing about it. I remember thinking that getting the pictures up is the part I always dread because it takes the most time, so I tried to do that first. However, it seems that it has taken me longer to sit down and hash this out.

So, what have I been up to?!

Like I said, the start of the month was the Living Angels Concert. Our friend organised a camping/ music festival weekend to raise money for the Living Angles charity that he set up. The event was held just outside of Tamworth (just outside of Birmingham) on a fantastic summer weekend. The weather was hot and the whole gang managed to make it out for the weekend. The gang + some ex-POWD memebers from Sunderland that Craig and I hadn't seen in a really long time. There was live music all weekend (including Chilli con Queso from the Cosiers) , foot massage (bliss!), Zumba, and some North vs. South cricket.

Next up was the completion of the Global Corporate Challenge event. I took part in this last year and this year. All it really is is a challenge to see what corporate team can take the most steps in the 100-or so days. So from early May, I don a pedometer to track my stepping. This year I beat my daily average from last year with a whopping 13293 steps per day... Most of this stepping came from my 3-Peaks challenge which has significanty skewed my results, but still... I am happy with anything more than 10,000 per day. In the course of the challenge I mustered:

-1,475,620 total steps= daily average of 5.29 miles and 536 calories

-Total calories= 59, 497, which according to the calculator= 367 glasses of wine or 441 pints of beer or 165 bars of chocolate.

For your information (again, according to this calculator): 10,000 steps= 4 miles= 400 calories.

Or, more simply: 100 calories per mile.

One 175mL glass of red wine= 119cal

One 175mL glass of white wine= 130 cal

One bottle of rose wine (Faye)= 533 cal

35mL of JD + Diet Pop= 79 cal

On the topic of mileage and drinkage, I have been running again. I have a second 1/2 marathon of the year coming up on October 23rd. Hooray!! I had been feeling really negative about running againg, but a magic banana and a new route seemed to work that negativity out: I am now feeling really pumped about this race.

So pumped, that I registered for a 10km race the 2nd weekend of October.

Now let's see how this balances out:

If I run an average of 10 miles on the weekend (sometimes more and sometimes less), that = 1000 calories; thereby, on the weekend I can drink 8.4 glasses of wine!! Fantastic!! And on that note and as it is Friday night...