In House Green House

Spring is making it's presence known. Suddenly I want as many plants as I can stuff in my room.  I suspect that come autumn I will have no surface space, as it will all be taken up by plants.  This, of course, is not good for the plants.  I am a plant murderer and my room in hospitable environment.  My last Four plants die either because of incorrect care or bad environmental factors.  So I had to make up some criteria/rules for plants that I choose to buy.

1) The plant must be resistant to temperature changes.  I live in a Victorian terrace house, with all the original pieces including the lack of insulation.  This said, if I want my plants to survive winter, I might want to consider leaving a heater on when I'm out.

2)  Plants must be able to survive a week without water.  In case I forget to water them.

3) Plants must come with plastic pot that have drainage holes on the bottom.  So that I can get away with over watering them accidentally.

4) Plants must be able to handle dry air, because I'm not going to realise they need misting until their leaves die.

5) Pots must be small so that I can lift them.  I need to be able to move them for watering and cleaning.

I feel this criteria is the perfect tool for keeping the numbers of plants in my room the bare minimum.  This is a good thing, as the crimes against plants must stop!

Procrastination

Properly organised, I open my assignment.
Right, I need to send an email.
On next to Blogger.
Coffe, my study pal.
Really good time clean.
As well it's not due tomorrow
Since I have wasted an hour.
Then an hour.
Instead of working
Needlessly shirking
And then the day is done.
There is a dawning realisation,
In dazed consternation,
One single word
Nothing.

Dairy Free, Gluten Free Carbonara Sauce

I have a difficult time using commercial foods with my food intolerances.  Over the years I have discovered shortcuts and simple recipes that are every bit as good as their dairy counterpart. This is an excellent Carbonara substitute, however I do warn those who are looking for a milk alternative with that milky taste that this is far from it.

Ingredients:

Bacon rashes
1 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon Tahini
2-3 cloves of Garlic
Cornflour
Cooked Pasta

Preparation:  Peel and crush the garlic.  Dice the Bacon rashes.  Heat the Garlic at a low temperature. Bring the pan to a med-high heat and begin the fry the diced bacon.  As the bacon browns mix in a little cornflour - not too much as this is the thickening agent for the sauce.  Stir in the Soy Milk and Tahini.  It is important this is done over a low heat as soy milk curdles easily.  After a few minutes if the sauce is not yet thick enough, add more cornflour and allow the sauce to thicken.  Strip through cooked pasta.

Spiced Honey Chicken: Cheap, easy and Gluten-free

This recipe for Spiced Honey chicken is not only absolutely yummy, it is also easy to make and completely gluten-free.  Funnily enough, it is also very cheap for those of us on a budget.  It makes an excellent addition to salads or as part of a roast dinner.

Ingredients:

Chicken Pieces (legs, wings; whatever you have).
Honey.
Thyme.
Mixed Spice (or any spices you have handy)
Corn Flour.
Salt.

Preparation:

Preheat the over to 180 degrees Celsius.   Slice or cut the chicken into the desired size and shape.  Gently heat the honey so that it runs smoothly and place in a plastic container.  In a second plastic container mix the cornflour with the spices, thyme and salt.  Dip the chicken in the honey, ensuring the chicken surface is completely smothered.  When the chicken is covered, roll the piece in the flour-spice mix.  The flour-spice mix will soak into the honey - this perfectly fine.  After this place the chicken onto a baking tray.  When all the chicken has been prepared, place the tray in the oven until the chicken is cooked through.

The beauty of chocolate

I admit to having a minor chocolate addiction.  I like it in bikkies, in cakes, in drinkable form.  It's sweet, rich and melts in the mouth.  This is why I dislike it when people say how bad it is.  It's simple not true.


Cocoa powder and Cocoa butter contain traces of vitamins C, A, and D.  The fat contents contains a high amount of Vitamin E.  It also contains good amounts of iron, phosphorus and copper.  Even better, if it's made with milk, it contains protein, potassium, magnesium and calcium.


In addition to these nutritional values, chocolate is also high in antioxidants.  This, in my books, makes it a super-food.


All the information here is borrowed from Tamara Moffett at http://www.livestrong.com/article/279045-chocolate-and-vitamins/