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| Recipe of the week... ... Greek salad |
Ingredients:
A handful of ripe cherry tomatoes, 1 beef tomato, 1 medium red onion , ½ a
cucumber, 1 green pepper, 1 handful fresh mint leaves, 1 large handful pitted
black olives, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 3 tablespoons Greek extra virgin
olive oil, 200 g block feta cheese, 1 teaspoon dried oregano
Serves:
2 big bowlfuls of salad
Time
taken: Half an hour max
Dietary:
Vegetarian & gluten-free
--
Hi
readers,
How
are you all today? As I write, it’s a bright Saturday afternoon and we’re
kicking off the August bank holiday weekend, in Sheffield, with some sunny
sunshine. It’s lovely out! Not forecast to last though, so I’m packing my bags
for a weekend away glamping with a little trepidation… I think it’s going to be
a wet one.
But,
oh well! It’s an August bank hol tradition isn’t it, to make fabulously summery
plans and then get soaked piss wet through. Would it be England at all, if the
weather held out??
I
tell myself these things while eyeballing the weather app on my phone. May your
thoughts be with me – sodden in a field somewhere – this weekend, readers.
While you’re off… having a marvellous time indoors? Jet setting abroad?
Sleeping with a roof over your head at night?
What
are your plans this bank holiday weekend, readers? Do you have some fun lined
up? I hope wherever you are and whatever you get up to – you have a total ball
and forget all the everyday rubbish for a while. Leave it behind!
--
- Food
for thought -
This
weekend, carefree readers, I have some take aways from life lately to recommend
to you. These are…
Listening
My
latest audiobook, which was recommended by a friend recently and which has been
the soundtrack to my commute for the past couple of weeks. Not bad at all. It
did take a wild tangent and maybe become a little far fetched, as plausible vs
non-plausible plot lines go, but it’s had me gripped on the drive to and from
work! Sweet Little Lies follow Kat, a
police officer in London, haunted by the disappearance of a friend in her
childhood, and spending the run up to Christmas investigating the murder of a woman
just found dead in London…
Watching
Randomly,
as myself and the Mr were looking for something to stick on and watch in bed on
a Sunday eve. Now we’re hooked. In this series, from the late 90s, Louis
Theroux goes over to America and explores all the weird things that happen there,
which are normal in America but don’t seem normal here at all. He investigates
with a playful spin on deadpan reporting and it’s hilarious to watch. Plus, I love
a good throwback to the nineties. Would highly recommend this series for your
Sunday evenings.
 |
| Shooting aliens with brain power |
Reading
The
newspaper, again
I
just can’t get enough, readers, and wonder what the world would be like if
everyone read the newspaper more. Pick up a copy of The I – it doesn’t cost
much and doesn’t take long to read. There’s loads of puzzle inside. You learn
stuff. Like, in a newspaper I read recently, I Iearned that so many students got
unconditional uni offers this year they just didn’t bother to sit their
A-levels as they didn’t need them. They’re heading to uni in September and
haven’t sat a proper exam since their GCSEs – how has this been allowed to
happen?? I’m so angry and so scared for the students when they get to uni, it’s
going to be hard work to catch up surely, and if they drop out they don’t even
have A-levels to fall back on. They just not qualified. University should be
about student success – not money.
Enjoying
Having
friends over lately
I’m
not a social creature, readers, I’d happily not see people at all. But I’m in
the habit of seeing people now, as a trained adult human, so I do it all the time
and I’m terribly broke, so I’ve started inviting people over here, as a cost
saving measure. And it’s quite nice really! We hosted pre-drinks not long ago,
with a bunch of glamorous gals sipping fizz in the living room, and then there
was a curry night with more wine than was sensible on a school night really.
And then, last week, and indoor barbecue! It’s nice to light a candle and set
the radio playing and invite the rabble in – why not have your people over more
often, readers?
 |
| They come for my cake arrangements |
Wondering
How
the fuck am I going to sew this blanket together?
I’ve
been working on a blanket project, readers, ever since I learned to knit in
October 2017. I set out with the goal of knitting 100 squares, and then sewing
them together with wool into one glorious blanket, which I’d snuggle under for
the rest of my days. Ten months on and I’ve now knitted 98 squares. With only
two more to go, and having progressed no further with my wool work in all this
time, than the mastering of a simple square… I’m beginning to worry about the
sewing part. It’s a big bit of the project which I’ve entirely disregarded
until now. If anyone out there, among my readers, has been in this situation
before – PLEASE CONTACT ME. Otherwise, I may just go on knitting squares...
--
-
Feeding a friend -
My
recipe this week, readers, is one I cooked for dinner last night for the Mr. We’d
been on the booze a couple of nights in a row this week, what with the indoor barbecue
and then an anniversary meal out together, so really we just wanted healthy
food and tap water and a night in. What a Friday night, readers!!
I
joke, but actually we had a fun night – we ended up watching Naked Attraction
with the Mr’s housemates and that show is sooo
strange – then we woke up feeling fresh and energised this morning. I’m not
saying I plan to ban wine on Friday nights going forwards – that could never
happen – but I am saying it’s nice for a change. Just once in a while.
Anyways,
we’re going on holiday to Greece in ten days, readers. Not long to go now! And
we’re all over the holiday hype, so I though a taste of Greece would be nice on
our Friday night. I got the ingredients in for a Greek Salad and we made a
little mezze to go with, some pitta, houmous, tzatziki, vine leaves…
What
a feast! I my Greek Salad was very successful. I made one based on a Jamie
Oliver recipe – you can find the original here. According to Jamie, this
is a Greek Salad is done the classic way with juicy tomatoes, olives and
crumbly feta, as… “The key to this
beautiful authentic Greek salad is bold flavours from super-fresh ingredients”.
Tempted??
If you’d like to give it a go yourself, here’s the recipe in just five simple
steps…
--
- Greek
Salad -
Ingredients:
A handful of ripe cherry tomatoes, 1 beef tomato, 1 medium red onion , ½ a
cucumber, 1 green pepper, 1 handful fresh mint leaves, 1 large handful pitted
black olives, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 3 tablespoons Greek extra virgin
olive oil, 200 g block feta cheese, 1 teaspoon dried oregano
1. Start
by taking a deep breath, and then another. Try to quiet any loud noises in your
mind and calmly pour a cool drink. If it isn’t tipping with rain, open a window
for some fresh air indoors. Clear a surface and gather together all the
ingredients you’ll need. Set a little music playing, maybe, in the background?
2. First,
begin with some veg prep. You’re ruler of your own world here, and can cut the
veg into different shapes and sizes for the salad, depending on how you’d like
them. One by one, cut up the green pepper (deseed it), red onion (peel first),
the cucumber half, the beef tomato, your olives, and your cherry tomatoes –
tossing your chopped veg into a large bowl as you go.
3. Roughly
chop the mint leaves and save some for garnish, adding the rest to the bowl of
salad. Drizzle with a tablespoon of the vinegar and a tablespoon of the extra
virgin olive oil, then add a pinch of sea salt.
4. Quickly
toss everything together with your hands, and then spoon out the salad between
two bowls. Halve your block of feta cheese and sit a block on top of each salad.
5. To serve,
sprinkle the oregano over the top along with the reserved mint leaves, then drizzle
with extra virgin olive oil. Your salad is ready for you to tuck in!
--
- Recipe
round up -
What
do you reckon, readers? Would you take this salad on? It’s so easy to throw
together – honestly, I sorted the whole thing while the Mr was making a phone
call. He reappeared to find tea all ready to go – it’s never that simple
normally! And other than locating a Greek olive oil and getting in the red wine
vinegar if you don’t have any already, it’s entirely simple, straightforward ingredients.
I
must say, readers, I think this dish confirmed to both me and the Mr that we
aren’t fans of raw onion. There was a lot of onion left in our dishes by the
end, and I probably won’t bother including any in my next Greek salad. But each
to their own – maybe you’re a big fan of the raw onion. And, otherwise, the
recipe went fine really!
I
didn’t have any mishaps in the kitchen and our salads came out looking largely
like the photo on Jamie’s recipe, and tasting good. If you haven’t tried a
Greek Salad before you’re in for a bowlful of strong, bold, salty flavours.
Lots of flavours and zing and some refreshing cucumber thrown in for good
measure.
Whether
or not you’ve booked a holiday to Greece, readers, I highly recommend a Greek
salad. And whether or not your friends are marrying in a field tomorrow I’m not
sure glamping’s advisable, given the weather forecast this weekend. Good luck
to all attending.
Drizzle
safely,
Hayley
--
-
Closing thoughts -
If
you’ve been inspired to give this recipe a try, readers, whether I’m speaking
to you on the day of this post or you’re reading some far out time in the
future... please drop me a line to let me know whether it went okay. I’d love
to hear how you got on in the kitchen and your thoughts on this dish. Plus,
it’d be fab if you’re able to share any tips you have for success, or your
suggestions to improve the recipe? Please send your wisdom my way.
Thank
you for reading!
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