Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Chicken Pot Pie

This was a nice easy mid week dinner..... Chop 1 clove garlic, 1 brown onion, 1 carrot, 1/4 fennel bulb, 1 stick celery (all roughly cut) for 1 second at speed 5. Add 50g olive oil and sauté for 5 minutes varoma speed 2. Add 200g cream, 200g water and 2 tbs tenina's chicken stock powder and cook for 10 minutes 100 degrees speed 2. Dice up 650g chicken breast and add to the bowl along with 2 tbsp of sundried tomato pesto and cook for 5 mins at 100 degrees reverse speed 1. Add 100g corn kernels, 50g peas (I used frozen) and 100g plain flour and cook for a further 5 minutes at 100 degrees reverse speed 1. Pour the cooked filling into a shallow ovenproof dish and allow to cool for 30 mins. In the meantime roll out a 375g block of puff pastry to around 0.5cm thickness. When filling has cooled then cover with the rolled pastry, trim edges and press the edges to seal. Brush with beaten egg and cook in a pre warmed oven at 200 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until puffed and golden. Yum! You could use a different pesto for flavoring, or add different veggies to taste.

Friday, August 3, 2012

Kitchen Hands Scrub

For a scrub to use when you have garlicky or fishy hands in the kitchen try this- using a potato peeler peel the skin from two whole lemons and blitz using the thermomix for 3 seconds at speed 8. Next add 500g rock salt and blitz again at speed 8 for 1 second. Scrape the sides down and add 100g of olive oil and mix at speed 2 for 20 seconds or until well combined. Keep in a jar near the sink so it's easy to get to with stinky hands, just rub hands together with about 1 tsp and then wash off with soap and water. Nice smelling and smooths the skin. I'm going to experiment with some other flavours and oils for a shower scrub for feet and body next... perhaps mint and lime, or lavender, maybe almond oil?? I think raw sugar would work for this too, as long as you use oil rather than water so it doesn't dissolve.