This week my flat has mainly smelt of burnt pan.

Chicken, Leek, Mushroom and Tarragon Soup

In this picture, I realise that the soup looks a little bit like something that might have come out the bottom of a lake but it really is delicious.

In order to make the soup you also get to eat a roast chicken the night before - bonus!







You will need...

Some chicken taken off the skeleton of a chicken.
Munchrooms
Leeks
Fresh or dried tarragon - fresh is better but I had to use dried.
Chicken's skeleton
Carrot
Onion
Celery
Leek
Bay Leaves

O.k Firstly you have to make some stock, it's good if you have a few hours to do this.

Into a pan put your carrot, onion, celery,leek, bay leaves and chicken skeleton. Pour on about 2 pints of boiling water, add salt and pepper bring to boil and then simmer for a few hours.

While I was making my stock this week, I toddled off to type something (about food) and left my stock unattended for a little too long. When I came back all the stock had boiled away and I was left with a black STINKING pan and all black disgusting vegetables in the bottom. The pan had truly met it's maker, so I put it in a bag and left it in the hall for a bit. Its o.k because it was only about £3 from IKEA 4  years ago and the handle didn't work. So now I have a nice new green pan (not because the pan turned green, but because I bought a new one). I will use it tonight to make hollandaise sauce with.

Anyway luckily I had extra veg and bitov chicken skeleton left so I did stock number two.

When you are finished it should look something like this..

(a little bit like someone has done a wee who hasn't drunk a lot of water for a few days).

To make the soup....

Fry your leeks first, then pour on the stock and simmer for a while, 

next add some chopped up mushrooms and a dash of cornflour and simmer for a bit longer. Next add chicken and tarragon, pop the lid back on a simmer for even longer. TA DA! That is it (I think) the end.

This week I have been a little ill. I have had a chest infection - cough cough cough and also

I have had an inflamed wisdom tooth. I have a very odd dentist who makes his sentences go down at the end so much that his voice is so low on the last word that you don't know what it is.

Anyway I knew my tooth was inflamed all I wanted was the drugs to fix it. So I went in and I said Hello Mr, I think I have an inflamed wisdom tooth again, he looked in my mouth (no gloves or anything) just had a little peek and said 'you have an inflamed wisdom tooth, that's £16.50 please' I think he said please I couldn't really hear. I could be a bloomin dentist - easy peasy.

I have also bought a winter knit and some lovely red shoes. 

Scallops are soooo 'on trend'.

Scallops and pancetta with a rocket salad (and optional pasta)

On the cooking programmes everyone cooks scallops. So I thought, I will also cook scallops.

I went to the fishmonger and asked him for some scallops and whilst I was there I said to him 'please may I ask you some other fish related questions?' He looked a bit unsure but then he said 'yes'. So I asked him..

'How do I fillet a fish?'

He said 'its difficult, shane's been working here for 6 months and he still can't do it!' and then he pointed and laughed at a boy behind him, who I assume was Shane. That was the end of my questions.

Anyway to make a scallop dish you will need (for two people)

4-6 scallops
pancetta (i was forced to use bacon bits from Aldi - its fine if you  cut the fat off)
lots of onion and garlic
about 4 tablespoons of butter (i used clover it was fine)
rocket
spaghetti

This is relatively easy to make but you have to do it all at once.

Ok, firstly put your pasta onto cook.

If you're having this as a starter you don't need pasta but if you live with a hungry boy then pasta is a good accompaniment.

For the sauce chop up lots of onion and garlic, about this amount...

Then slowly sweat the onions and garlic in two tablespoons of white wine. Once the wine has mostly evaporated gradually whisk in your butter, season with a bit of black pepper and I used a tiny bit of oregano. This is your sauce. If you can't be bothered to make a sauce, just pour over some olive oil at the end innit.





In another pan fry your pancetta and then in the bacony juices fry your scallops for about 1 minute on each side. Put your pasta and rocket on a plate or bowl its up to you and then place the scallops and pancetta atop. Pour over your sauce and that is the end!!!!!

On Friday night I made a 'speed crumble'. I sent out the hunter gatherer on Thursday night for some fruit for packed lunches and he returned holding proudly aloft a bag of 'Bramley cooking apples'. After trying to eat one raw, I made faces I didn't know I was capable of (like Ron Weasley in Harry P) so I gave up and make a crumble (in 12 minutes)

Peel and chop your apples, place in a bowl and sprinkle on cinnamon and brown sugar.

Then combine 2 cups of wholemeal flour (I used self raising it was lovely) with 1.2 cups of brown sugar and two tablespoons of cinnamon.
Then slowly mix in 1 cup of butter and make the international sign for money with your fingers around the mixture. Sprinkle on top of the apples and put in the oven for 30 mins. I also just speed typed that.

It's very cold in this room. Time for some soup.

Help Needed Please!!!

One of you lovely people has suggested I enter into a Tesco Healthy Eating Recipe competition which I think I just bloody well might do! I can win £5000 worth of Tesco vouchers so all the more ingredients to put in my blog and maybe a few treats as well.

What would be really useful for me is if you could tell me which recipe you've enjoyed reading about or making, as I'm only allowed to enter one recipe. Once I've entered it, the more people that click 'like' on it on the Tesco website means the more likely I am to win. So that would be jolly good guys, either tell me on twitter/facebook or do a comment!

I'm off to Sports Direct now to buy some new gym tops! Sports Direct is a cavern of lycra where none of the staff know where anything is or in fact where they are themselves. I reckon a 5 a side team wandered in in 2007 to buy a football and never left and are now doomed to a life of strip lighting and helping fat people buy pink trousers. 

Later I shall be making scallops with pancetta and optional pasta which I will post asap.

Anyway please tell me which recipe you reckon I should enter and I will be much obliged and maybe even give you a biscuit (or a sausage, I've still got 16).