Pool Of Light

Looking south towards the Bay of St Malo and the coast of Brittany in France

The tower is an old observation tower built by the Germans during their occupation of the Channel Islands in WWII. Now owned by the Jersey Heritage Trust, it can be rented as a holiday home.

Pretty in Pastel

Photo watermarked and tracked using

I’m trying to go poo-less

I did something rad this morning – I washed my hair without shampoo.  That’s right, I was ‘poo-less’.  I read that a solution of bicarbonate of soda (1 tablespoon in 1 cup of water) would work well and be kinder to the hair and even though it sounds dodgy, I reasoned that we do know that sodium bicarbonate has a reputation for dissolving grease and grime and neutralising odours.  So, purely in the interests of science, I gave it a go. 

I wet my hair then gently rubbed the solution into my scalp (because that’s the bit that gets the most dirty – well, obviously)!  There is, of course no lather so I was a bit skeptical.  (Here’s an interesting, but relevant aside: Did you know that manufacturers actually put a bubble-making agent into washing-up liquid?  It’s pretty much unnecessary but market research has shown that we consumers didn’t trust the liquid to work without those bubbles.  Humans …such simple creatures). 

Anyhoo, I left the bicarb solution in my hair for a few minutes whilst I got on with washing my bod and then I rinsed my hair.  I was genuinely surprised at how much styling gunk came out – impressive.  I finished by conditioning the ends with a solution of 1 tablespoon of cider vinegar to 1 cup of water.  Leave for a minute, then rinse. 

All very New Age.  All very Hippy Dippy Mother Earth and importantly, good for the body and good for the environment.  No sodium lauryl sulphate [SLS] - which makes those highly desired bubbles.   (Whether or not you believe the links between SLS and cancer, this substance does seem to commonly cause scalp irritation so may actually be causing or contributing to your dandruff, if you have it).

So what’s the verdict on today’s experiment?

Surprisingly, my hair doesn’t look half bad.  It appears pretty clean and is less fly-away than usual.  I’m not converted yet however because the poo gives a nice smell and there is, of course, no perfume in this simple bicarb mix.  BUT, maybe I can remedy that with a herbal rinse - rosemary water is good for red/brunette hair.

As my hair is less fly-away, this suggests that some oil still remains.  In all fairness that makes for a healthier scalp, but will it mean that my hair needs washing more often than the every 2-3 days it gets now?  If that’s the case, I’d be using the curling tongs more often – bad news for luscious locks and more time-consuming in the styling department. (Make no mistake, styling my hair is a given if I want to avoid looking like I’ve just been connected up to the electrical supply).

So there we are – an interesting experiment.  We’ll see how it pans out over the next few days.

Anyone had any experience with this poo-less life?  How did you get on?

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This article also appears at my other WordPress site.

Chicken Waldorf Salad

It’s been a long time since I contributed to my own site here and after much um-ing and ah-ing over whether or not to continue Gentle Voice or amalgamate this with my blog, here I am again, posting here. I am nothing if not indecisive. I think.

So without any more wiffle, here’s a little treat for the tastebuds: Chicken Waldorf Salad. This is an incredibly simple but oh so tasty recipe. Don’t be afraid to alter amounts of the separate ingredients because it’s a very forgiving combo of flavours and creativity is the key to good cooking I say!

Ingredients (For two people):

2 cooked chicken breasts (or equivalent meat from elsewhere on the bird), cut into bite size pieces

1 stick of celery, chopped

2 spring onions (scallions), chopped

2 oz (50g) walnut halves, roughly chopped

6 oz (175g) seedless grapes, washed and halved

3 rounded tablespoons of mayonnaise

Salt and crushed black pepper to season

Lettuce leaves (something crunchy like Cos / Romaine lettuce is good).

Put all the ingredients in a large bowl, add the mayonnaise and gently toss through to combine and coat everything. Serve on a bed of lettuce leaves. Simple as …

Simplifying Life

To my friends here at Gentle Voice / Voix Douce, you can’t have helped but notice that I have been terribly bad at updating and adding new entries here.  Keeping two blogs on the go is not something that I want to continue doing (too much time at the computer = a spreading girth).  So, I’ve decided to call it quits, simplify life and combine everything, once and for all, at the site that I naturally seem inclined to update the most often: AC’s Scrapbook.  This will mean quite a bit of work as I re-do hyperlinks etc., but ultimately I think it will make life very much easier. 

Please take this as a heads up therefore that in the coming days/weeks Gentle Voice, like the Cheshire Cat, will begin to disappear from your screen.  I very much hope that you’ll  stick with me by re-bookmarking me at my main address: http://angelcel.wordpress.com/.  All the goodies (hints, tips, recipes, advice) that should have been happening here will  happen over at AC’s Scrapbook, together with what that site is known for – interesting web finds, photography and my occasional commentary on the world.  I can actually envisage that the Gentle Voice element will happen a whole lot more often, once the pressure to come up with entries at these two sites has been reduced.  Am I making sense? …or just rambling?  (Probably best not to answer that).

Suffice to say – I really hope I’ll see you over at AC’s Scrapbook.  Do say hello when you’re over there, won’t you.

Welsh Rarebit

I never promised that it would be all fine cuisine around here (quite the opposite, I think) so since we all seem to be freezing our buns off at the moment I thought I’d refer to one of my favourite cold weather comfort foods – something that I happily snaffled for my lunch today and poo to the diet guilt in this cold snap.  I love cheese but God has decreed that hot cheese shall be totally irrestible, both in smell and taste, to all but the steeliest-willed skinniest of skinnies. 

I have quick combos that I love on a cold day: toast one side of a slice of bread under the grill then spread the other with tomato puree (paste), good grated strong Cheddar (the real thing, not that plastic muck that tries to pass itself off as Cheddar) and sprinkle on some dried oregano.   Pop back under the grill and cook until the cheese is melting and just starting to brown.  Voila! -  Pizza Bread!     I’ve successfully substituted a scraping of Sacla red pesto and then cheese when I don’t have tomato puree (making a kind of Basil-ly pizza bread.  Mmmmmm…).  And for true connoisseurs of the Toast and Cheese Tasters Guild nothing can compare to a scraping of Marmite and then the grated cheese (although if you haven’t tried Marmite before you may want to take it easy with that one – Marmite truly is a product that you either love or hate.  It has been known to make grown men cry).  

Purists, however, will undoubtedly prefer to go through the extra kerfuffle of making proper Welsh Rarebit (also called Welsh Rabbit, although of course no rabbits are actually harmed in the making of it).  Lovely, but I’m normally too much of a gannet to muck around and do things ‘properly’.  Here, however is the authentic recipe for this English (well…Welsh) classic:

Welsh rarebit (Serves 4)

(By the way, the phrase Welsh rabbit was coined in the 18th century to describe this cheese on toast. Some believe it was invented when the Welsh wives spied their menfolk returning empty-handed from the hunt and had to melt cheese as a substitute for game).

This Welsh rarebit with egg is from the Edwardian chef C Herman Senn:

• 9 oz/255g freshly grated Llangloffan, Caerphilly, Cheshire or Cheddar cheese
• 1 oz/30g unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp fresh breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp Colman’s English mustard powder, mixed with 1 tsp water
• 1 egg, beaten
• Salt and pepper
• Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce (optional) – a few drops of each may be added to the mixture
• 4 slices of good bread, white or brown, lightly toasted and buttered

Heat the oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7. Mix the finely grated cheese with the butter, breadcrumbs, mustard and egg. Beat well, season with salt and pepper to taste and spread thickly on buttered toast. Cook in the oven until golden brown (5-10 minutes).

That’s it.  Enjoy…  And stay warm!

Butter Chicken

 

 

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS

For the marinade

• 50g natural yoghurt
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 cm piece ginger, finely grated
• 2 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 green chillies, seeds removed and chopped
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp tandoori masala powder (optional)
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 500g skinless fillets of chicken thighs, cut into 3cm pieces

For the masala

• 4 tsp raw cashew nuts
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 tsp butter
• 1 bay leaf
• 5 cm piece ginger, finely grated
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp tandoori masala powder, (optional)
• 1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 3-4 tbsp milk
• 100ml single cream
• 1 chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped

For a lower fat alternative, try using reduced fat evaporated milk instead of cream in the masala

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Method

1. For the marinade: Mix the yogurt, flour, oil, aromatics and spices together, then place the chicken in a shallow dish and coat it with the mixture. Marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight if you can.

2. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and gently fry the marinated chicken over a medium heat for 10–15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

3. For the masala: Soak the cashew nuts in hot water for 10-15 minutes, drain and grind to fine paste in blender, adding a little milk if needed.

4. Heat the butter in a large sauce pan, add the bay leaf, ginger and garlic and cook gently for 1 minute until lightly golden. Mix in the masala powders and fry for a further minute. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and sizzle until the mixture reduces and the tomatoes have lost most of their moisture. Mix in the cashew paste and add enough milk to get a thick, saucy consistency.

5. Add the chicken and cook on a low heat for 10 minutes to warm through. Reserve a teaspoon of the cream and stir the rest in with the chilli, then season to taste. Spoon into a warmed dish, garnish with the reserved cream and serve with chapatis.

British and U.S. Equivalents

Separated by a common language, sometimes following recipes in the US / UK can prove difficult if you’re apparently not familiar with the ingredients mentioned.  Here is a simple run-down of equivalents that I hope will help.  Please let me know, by leaving a comment below, if you come across any more and I will include them.

BRITISH VERSION                       AMERICAN VERSION

Aubergine                                        Eggplant

Beans, Broad                                   Fava Beans

Beans, Soy                                       Edamame

Beef, Flank Steak                           London Broil

Beef, Rump Steak                          Beef, Top Round

Bicarbonate of Soda                      Baking Soda

Caster Sugar                                    Granulated Sugar

Cheese, Emental                            Swiss Cheese

Clotted Cream                                No equivalent  (The closest equivalent to this would be to use stiffly whipped heavy cream)

Coriander                                         Cilantro

Cornflour                                         Cornstarch

Courgette                                         Zucchini

Cream, Clotted                               No equivalent  (The closest equivalent to this would be to use stiffly whipped heavy cream)

Cream, Double                                Heavy Cream

Cream, Single                                  Half and half cream

Cream, Whipping                           No equivalent  (Whipping cream has the consistency of single [half and half] cream but with a higher fat content it can be whipped into peaks)

Digestive Biscuits                          Graham Crackers or similar

Flour, Plain                                     All Purpose Flour

Flour, Strong                                  Bread Flour

Flour, Wholemeal                         Flour, Wholewheat

Gelatine                                            Gelatin

Glucose Syrup                                 Light Corn Syrup

Golden Syrup                                   Corn Syrup

Icing Sugar                                       Confectioners’ Sugar

Madras Curry Powder                     Curry Powder

Mince (meat)                                    Ground meat

Mincemeat (for cakes)                    No equivalent  (A ‘preserve’ or mix of finely chopped fruits like apple, raisins, sultanas and citrus peel, with shreds of suet – often used in ‘Mince Pies’)

Pastry Case                                         Pie Shell

Pine Kernel                                         Pine Nut

Plain Flour                                          All purpose flour

Polenta                                                 Cornmeal

Salad Onion                                         Spring Onion, Scallion

Self-raising flour                                No equivalent  (Substitute All Purpose Flour with a raising agent)

Swede                                                   Rutabega

Tomato Puree                                    Tomato Paste

Vanilla Essence                                  Vanilla Extract

Vegetables:  Beans, Broad                 Fava beans

                              Beans, Soy              Edamame

                               Courgettes             Zucchini

                               Swede                     Rutabaga

Whipping Cream                                Heavy cream  (Whipping cream has the consistency of single (half and half) cream but with a higher fat content can be whipped into peaks)

Thanksgiving 2009

To all my American friends, I wish you a Happy and Peaceful Thanksgiving.

‘A few Zzzzzs’  

Cranberry Sauce

This tasty sauce, traditionally eaten as an accompaniment to turkey can also be used with goose, game and cheese.  Can be served either warm or cold.

 INGREDIENTS

1 orange, juice and zest

175g / 6 oz sugar

5 tablespoons port

359g / 12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries

1 eating apple, finely chopped

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If you are using fresh cranberries, give them a wash and pick them over to discard any that look ify.

Finely grate the zest from the orange and squeeze the juice. 

Dissolve the sugar in a medium pan with 4 tablespoons of the port and the orange juice.

Stir in the cranberries, apple and orange zest.  Cook, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes (slightly longer if you are using frozen cranberries), until the fruit is soft and the juice has thickened slightly.  

Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of port.

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This sauce will keep for weeks if kept in warm sterilised jars with plastic lined, screw topped lids.  Store in the fridge.

To sterilise jars:  Thoroughly wash and rinse the jars and place, upside down, in a cold oven.  Set the oven temperature to 160C  /  325F  /  Gas 3  (140C  for a fan assisted oven).   When the oven has reached the right temperature, turn it off and open the door.  Sterilise the lids by boiling them for a few minutes in water.  Be careful when removing the glass jars from the oven – they will remain hot for quite some time.