Quick Dumpling recipe

Potatoes have been used in bakery for many decades. Probably even centuries. One of my strongest, and earliest, memories of such a use of the potato was back when I was about 9 years old, and we were studying the world war 2 diet. The whole class was made to try scones (which, by the way, were delicious), and then were made to guess the ingredients. And, you guessed it, they contained potatoes.

This, of course, inspired me to invent the following recipe. Of course, by invent, I do not mean to say that this idea has not been thought of by others, but merely to say that I have come up with the idea using my own experimentation in the kitchen.

These are fantastic in a stew, or as bread rolls in their own right. In fact, these may even work as a pizza base if you put enough flour in! For extra flavour, add some chopped fresh parsley. For even more, add a small pinch of thyme and a crushed juniper berry.

So, Vicky's Potato Dumplings.

2 - 3 medium sized potatoes. (alternatively, 1 large potato, or 5-6 small potatoes.) Any variety will do, but I use tesco value 'tats, which do the job perfectly well.

1 knob of butter

Roughly 1/3 of a 500g bag of self raising flour. This varies entirely on how much mashed potato you use. You may find that you need less, or more. Use your intuition.

Boil up the potatoes until they are very soft. Drain them.
Mash them with a knob of butter. Add a pinch of salt.
Scrape the mashed potato into a mixing bowl and gradually stir in the flour, until you can no longer stir it. At this point knead in more flour until you get a nice tough dough that doesn't stick to your fingers.

At this point the cooking of this dough is entirely subjective. If added to a stew, just roll them up, chuck them in and leave them there until the stew is cooked.

If you want to make your bread roll type things, roll pieces of it into balls, put them on a tray and stick them in the oven at 200 C for half an hour. If they're not ready, leave them in for 10 more minutes. If they're still not ready, see the sentence before. Any more, and you can pretty much guarantee they're done!

Serve the potato dumpling rolls hot with a small amount of butter - delicious!

Warning, these are filling, but delicous. If you find yourself polishing off too many, I would certainly advise a trip to the gym the following day! :-)

Tip of the day...

Chillis. Love 'em or hate 'em, chilli's are very popular in many culinary styles in many cultures all over the world. Over the years, hot food has gradually become staple in British cuisine.
The chemical in chillis that make them hot is called Capsaicin. In fact, the 'hot' sensation is triggered because capsaicin is actually a nerve poison! But it's not all bad news - it just so happens that the part of the brain that processes pain is closely linked to the part that processes pleasure. It also stimulates the release of endorphines, giving the consumer of the chilli a mildly pleasurable, some would even liken it to a slight euphoric, feeling.

So, if you consider yourself one of the millions of people that like a bit of extra spice, maybe this tip is for you!

Got some medium heat chillis lying around in the fridge? Stick them on the window sill. The sun will evaporate the water in the chillis, leaving you a pepper with really concentrated heat! Just one slice of semi-dried chilli is the equivalent 1 whole fresh medium chilli...

Just don't let it get in your eye! ;-)

Food tips!

So, I'm a bit of a foodie. As a result, like a true scientist, I'm going to be documenting a lot of my findings in the kitchen! Recipes, tips on everything from new and interesting flavours to frugal cooking. It all goes on the blog (with any luck!)

So, Read on for my first tip!

Getting Physical

I'm getting rather excited at the moment!

Before you get any carnal thoughts, I'll explain to you what's happening.

A couple of months ago I was umming and aarring about doing a physics degree. Well, I call up Sussex University asking whether they do a foundation year Physics degree and you'll never guess what! I am already qualified for it with my A levels!!! Woohoo!
So, I applied through UCAS. Instantly accepted - unconditional offer. Great stuff!
I've been to have a look round - the campus is lovely, the staff are so helpful and I get to see my cousin all the time. I couldn't be happier with my decision! :-)

So there we have it - I think I'm finally on the right track! I'm finally going to be studying Physics. This may be the thing that leads me to my dream of winning a nobel prize!

I guess now all I have to do is start thinking of interesting ideas....

Government lifestyle restrictions

So, as you probably know, this stupid 5 a day thing seems to have filtered it's way through everyday life. All you hear about food nowadays is "Low in saturated fats" "Not eating salt is healthy" "Chocolate causes cancer" "Meat shouldn't have any fat in it" "lots of Omega 3 will turn you into a genius". You know the sort of headlines I'm on about.
It's making me wonder if I can cook a nice tasty meal out of government advice on food. In fact, I wonder if I could go a week eating food, only cooked exactly as the government would want you to eat. No salt, limit myself to 5 portions of fruit and veg a day, no fat (grilling seems to be the way forward). Mostly fish I imagine, but I couldn't have cod (because of all the headlines about overfishing for cod), or tuna (dolphins...). Lamb is too fatty, and I've got a feeling that the government disapproves of chicken (or any poultry for that matter) unless it's burnt to a crisp. I can't eat pork either because too many religions disapprove. I might be able to get away with some lean beef, and I suppose rabbit and venison would probably suffice too. So I've now got a couple of meats to work with over the week.

Obviously, more research will be needed on approved foods - heaven forbid I overlook some other kind of food the government disapprove of!

Perhaps I could also incorporate it with a bit of carbon footprint reduction too! Just imagine - I could try and cook this government friendly food with low CO2 Methods (LOL). This could be entertaining.

Watch this space for the blog on my experiment. It should also include videos!

Predictable flip flop to physics...

So, doing the Chemical Engineering course this year made me realise how not into chemical engineering I am.

It made me realise that there's only ever really been one degree course for me - physics. I think everyone around me knew it - even I did to some extent, but I just didn't have the grades for it.
So this week I've been phoning up universities, asking them if they'd consider me. Rejectionss all around, except for Kent. This leaves me with an awkward decision. I could try A levels again, and get good grades this time round, or I could go to Canterbury.

Kent means a very long journey up and back - long enough to only warrant once a fortnight seeing Matt. Not good enough. BUT, it also means I am in a university studying what I want to study under the safe protective cloak of the student loan. A nice thing to have in this awkward economy.

On the other hand...

A levels mean that if I do well, a whole load of options open up. For a start, Southampton, Surrey and Sussex... or even Imperial (If I do really well) would be available! Sussex would mean that I could be enjoying myself over in Brighton, which I would love. Southampton is a highly respected Russell group university, and I could get taken VERY seriously if I go there. And if I make imperial... well! That's just a fast ticket to NASA!

Difficult choice. I'll see what happens. (Read, I'll do what dad says)

Out with the old, in with the new.

Spring is a time for change. Getting rid of the old shit, and welcoming in the new shit. So this year, I'm chucking out the Kawasaki and getting a Suzuki Bandit. Fancy something a bit bigger, with a warranty on it now that I've got the money. Just a sounder investment, you know?

Paint job might be a bit nicer too.

Back on the motorbike...

But no money to feed it, for with the bad always comes the good, to restore the delicate balance of the universe. This week's turn of bad luck was my untimely firing (through some fault of my own, admittedly).
However, far outweighing the awful luck of losing my job, was getting my beloved bike back! It had been off the road for over a month, so when an old friend offered to help me out I jumped at the chance! Especially for the princely sum of a few cuppas - although I shall definitely pay him back in the coming weeks.
He swapped over the engine and put the bodywork back on, and it is now ready for the roads again - and admittedly with a little more torque than I remember it... but hey, parallel twins deliver their power in lovely ways!!
Next thing to do to it is to spray the bike. Not sure whether to keep the yellow or not. Black would increase the resale value, yellow would keep it's character. Both equally desirable!
Yellow or black. I think a google comparison is in order...