Sacla Tomato and Basil Bread Topping Review

Posted on July 31, 2012 by Dragons and Fairy Dust

Sacla Tomato and Basil Bread Topping was one of the products I received in a hamper I was recently sent from Sacla to review and I have to admit I wanted to try this one straight away. I have lovely memories of being served Bruschetta while on holiday in Italy. There is something about fresh tomatoes and basil on toasted bread that just brings back the memories of sunny days. It is also a popular starter in Italian restaurants, they will often bring you a plate of Bruschetta while you decide what to order. I was keen to see if this would be as nice.

I opened the jar of Sacla Tomato and Basil Bread topping to be greeted with the scent of tomatoes and basil.

You could see the bits of basil and some chunks of tomato. The tomato was more of a puree consistency than you would get in home made Bruschetta which tends to be chunky. There were some small chunks of tomato but not many.

I had some of that french bread that is partly cooked that needs to be warmed in the oven, so I though I would try it with this. Once the bread came out of the oven I spread on the Sacla Tomato and Basil Bread Topping.

It did look quite appetising once I spread it on the bread so I passed the plate around my family to see what they thought. I thought it had a nice taste, you could taste the basil though the tomato and the flavour was not artificial. It was not as nice as home made Bruschetta would be but it came very close. Both my husband and son approved as well and the their plates were empty.

The Sacla Tomato and Basil Bread Topping does go quite a long way, I used two medium sized french sticks and used less that a quarter of the jar. If you are looking for an appetiser for a party this would work very well. It is also very nice as a pre-dinner snack.

You can find Sacla sauces in most supermarkets. Sacla Tomato and Basil Bread Topping is RRP £1.99. For more information visit their website: http://www.sacla.co.uk/

Quick and Easy Mince Recipe

Posted on July 30, 2012 by Dragons and Fairy Dust

Minced beef is one of those things that there are a lot of different recipes for. In our house my son and I love pasta and would eat spaghetti bolognese until it came out of our ears. Strangely my dog is a great spaghetti lover as well and does a fabulous impression of that scene in Lady and the Tramp where the two dogs both eat the same strand of spaghetti. It is funny to watch him, you can dangle a piece of spaghetti in front of his mouth and he sucks it down in double quick time. My husband is much more traditional and prefers mince and potatoes.

Mince is one of those things that is always handy to have in when you want to make a cheap and easy recipe. I was looking for a recipe that I could do with either spaghetti or potatoes and this one has proved a hit with the family. It is quick and easy to make which is always a bonus when you are tired after a long day. This is the recipe:

Ingredients

One onion
About six mushrooms
Two carrots
Minced beef
A tin of tomato soup (condensed is best but normal soup will work as well)
A tin of baked beans

Method

Add some cooking oil into a pan and heat up.
Chop the onions, mushrooms and carrots into small pieces put in pan.
When the onions, carrots and mushrooms are soft add the mince to the pan and brown.
Add the tomato soup and the baked beans to the pan and stir
Simmer gently on a low heat for about 20 minutes until the mince is cooked.

This is the final result

It is a lovely tomato flavoured mince that can be served with either potatoes or spaghetti and pleases all the household. I suspect it would work very well in a lasagne as well but have yet to try this. If you do give it a go let me know what you think.

Silent Sunday

Posted on July 29, 2012 by Dragons and Fairy Dust

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Why? Why? Why?

Posted on July 28, 2012 by Dragons and Fairy Dust

Why? This is a question that demands to be answered. My son asks me why questions everyday, Why does the dog eat meat? Why do we get rainbows? Why does the sun set? As a mum you need to know the answers to everything it seems, but I have questions of my own that I need answers to. I was tagged in this Meme by the lovely Kay from Brink of Bedlam and it gives me the chance to ask for these questions to be answered. If anyone knows the answers, please tell me!

Why does the phone always ring just as I get into the bath? Do they have some secret way to tell that I don’t know about?
Why whenever I am in a hurry, does my son seem to move in extreme slow motion?
Why is it that whenever I spend ages cleaning the house, two minutes after the rest of the family come in it is messy again looking like I never bothered?
Why can’t I be super efficient and organised? I need a way to get everything done in the shortest amount of time without forgetting anything. It’s never going to happen is it?
Why is it when I go to the shops to buy something specific I manage to come home with everything except the one thing I went in for?
Why does it always rain when I put the washing on the line and go to work thinking it will be a lovely day?
Why does the dog only jump up for a cuddle just as I am about to stand up?
Why is there never enough bread left for the next day when I buy loads?
Why does one half of a pair of socks always vanish. I buy loads of pairs, after a few washes I am left with a pile of odd socks. Is there a worm hole to an alternative sock universe somewhere in the house?

I am passing this meme on to some other bloggers to find out what questions they would like answered. To join in you need to do the following:

Post your whys – as many or few as you want
Link your post to Mummy Central
Tag five bloggers to keep this going or leave me comments below letting me know what your burning whys are.

I tag the following bloggers

Zoe at Splodz Blogz
Claire at Life, Ninja Killer Cat and Everything Else
Jo at Given to Distracting Others
Elaine at Sassy’s World
Galina at Chez Maximka

New Covent Garden Soup – British Inspired Recipes

Posted on July 27, 2012 by Dragons and Fairy Dust

New Covent Garden Soup has launched a new range of soups that use British Inspired recipes to help to celebrate all the great events taking place in Britain over the summer. We have had the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and now the Olympics is about to start. I was sent some vouchers to try these new soups and let you know what I thought. I had a bit of trouble tracking them down but eventually cornered the New Convent Garden soup in Sainsburys and brought them home to try.

The New Covent Garden soups British Inspired range includes Beetroot & Horseradish, Vintage Cheddar & Piccalilli, Garden Pea, Rocket & Lovage and Parsnip, Apple & Elderflower. They can be eaten hot or cold, so they are perfect for the variable British summer weather. You can have them hot on a cold day or cold on a hot day or vice versa if you prefer! You can’t miss them in the supermarkets, they are in the chiller aisle and have Great British Recipes emblazoned on the top of the carton.

Vintage Cheddar and Piccalilli

Piccalilli is one of those odd things that everyone has heard of but no one is quite sure what it is. Bright yellow in colour, it is a mix of vegetables with seasoning of mustard and turmeric. It is used as a pickle like accompaniment to food. This soup was inspired by a traditional pub classic and is a blend of Vintage Cheddar cheese and chopped vegetables with a hint of mustard heat.

The Vintage Cheddar and Piccalilli soup is a lovely yellow colour with generous helpings of vegetables. I was wondering what cheese soup would taste like but it is gorgeous. It tastes more like a vegetable soup with hints of cheese and mustard in the background. The family really enjoyed this soup

Beetroot and Horseradish

I love the spicy tastes of horseradish, I put it on lots of different sandwiches. I really like the idea of a beetroot and horseradish soup. Beetroot has an earthy warming taste and I think the horseradish will really spice it up and make it more interesting. I shall be looking out for this one.

Garden Pea, Rocket & Lovage

I love pea soup, it is a very British warming soup. There is nothing nicer than fresh peas picked from the pod on a summer day. Rocket is a lovely peppery lettuce like plant but I was not sure about lovage. It is a herb that was grown in English gardens for hundreds of years for its healing qualities so this soup is really combining very British ingredients. Add a touch of Vintage Cheddar to finish it off and the soup sounds lovely.

Parsnip, Apple and Elderflower

I have made parsnip soup myself and to be honest it was a bit bland. I was wondering what I could spice it up with. It seems like Covent Garden soup have the answer with their mix of parsnip, apple and elderflower. It contains honey roasted parsnips, mixed with tangy Bramley apples and delicately softened with floral elderflower hints. Finished with sour cream and nutmeg, it does not sound at all bland.

The good thing about New Covent Garden Soups is that they contain no additives or preservatives, flavourings, colourings or modified starch of any kind. You can find New Covent Garden Soups in most supermarkets, I found the British Inspired range a bit harder to find though.

For further information about New Covent Garden Soup Co.’s range of products, visit the website: http://www.newcoventgardensoup.com/