I’ve finally taking the leap and bought myself an air fryer. Friends have been telling me how much they love theirs but for some reason I’ve been putting it off. I did quite a bit of research and decided on the Ninja dual zone in white. After ordering on line I was quite worried when I collected it… it was the size of a tank. What on earth had I done? Despite its size it is rather lovely and looks quite good on the work surface.
In my new role as PA to Emma @buildergirl1 one of my many varied roles is to do some batch cooking for her and get son, Noah. I’ve been doing this for a few weeks now, making healthy gluten free meals to freeze and enjoy at the end of a busy day. Noah asked me the other day if I could make GF chicken nuggets. I had to admit that I’ve never made them before but I like a challenge and I would do a test run to see what they would be like. I thought this would be a good starting point to try out my new air fryer.
I’ve made oven baked “fried” chicken before so used a similar recipe for the nuggets. I cooked these nuggets in just 12 mins, with the corn cobs in the second oven for the same time. Teamed with a salad and some garlic mayo they tasted better than any nugget I’ve tasted before.
The outside was perfectly crunchy but the chicken was really moist.
I have cooked and eaten half the nuggets and put the other half in the freezer to cook another day…. Maybe Noah will fancy trying them this week for his tea, I’ll let you know if he approves.
My verdict on the air fryer? Why oh why did I wait so long? I love it….
#glutenfree #glutenfreefood #airfryer #chickennuggets #garlicmayo #saturdaytea #ninja @ninjakitchenuk
I am keeping myself very busy at the moment. Among the ‘other’ jobs I do I have just started working part time as a P.A to @buildergirl1 .
Builder Girl stated to appear on my page a few months ago, I have no idea why the algorithm sent her posts to my feed but I was straight away interested to see what she was up to.
Her website says - B.G aka Emma is championing diversity and showcases the prowess of woman in the construction industry. She’s one wonderful woman!!! She is full of energy and committed to providing the best on every project she takes on. All of this is true but what I also see is a strong independent woman doing a bloody good job and having a good time doing it. Her business is growing and just like any successful business she needs reliable people around her.
A few weeks ago I saw a post on her social media saying she was looking for a part time P.A. and I decided to apply.
I’m delighted to say that I am now part of the team and I’m looking forward to getting stuck in. This role is going to be very varied and no day is going to be the same. One day I may be helping out with the bookkeeping, holding the end of a tape measure, collecting supplies or like you can see from the video I may be doing some batch cooking for her freezer.
Whether you’re local here in Cheshire and looking for a builder or just want to see what this powerful woman achieves in her business, I suggest you give her a follow.
#buildergirl #powerfulwomen #femaleboss #femalebuilder #cheshirebuilders #personalassistant #bosslady #changingstereotypes
A fun post that’s been put onto social media by the theatre.
@davenhamtheatre
TRUTH OR LIE
Angela (playing the part of Donna) enjoyed life as an international spy before settling down to 18 years as a French chateau owner. She now enjoys competitive basket weaving.
#bogusbiog #onetruthtwolies
Thought you may like to see it but I think you guys will all know the answer 🤣
#davenham #davenhamlife #amdram #amdramtheatre #cheshirelife
Tandem Tour Day 8. A day off in Cadiz.
Cadiz is a busy tourist city where large cruise ships drop off their passengers for day trips.
The famous seen from Die Another Day was filmed here at the beach. Halle Berry looked fabulous walking out of the sea towards the bar where Pierce Brosnan was watching her from the beach bar and offered her a Mojito. We found the beach location quite easily with the castle in the background but I think the bar was a product of Pinewood Studios imagination as there was not a bar to be seen let alone one serving Mojitos 🤣🤣
There are plenty of historic buildings and lovely squares with cafes, bars and restaurants. The people are very friendly and welcoming.
Our hotel here, the Soho Boutique, has been our favorite hotel of our stay. It’s very close to the central square and has lovely stylish bedrooms with a good breakfast selection too.
Can you feel a but coming on?
Sadly there is…
But…..when you move away from the busy cosmopolitan squares the city is sadly lacking… it feels like there has been very little investment in recent years and little love given to the area. Many of the old buildings, once majestic, are falling into disrepair. The streets are untidy and to be absolutely honest, a little smelly.
There’s lots to love about Cadiz and it’s defiantly worth a day trip but did we love it? No we didn’t. Will we revisit? Very unlikely.
#tandemtour #biketour #dieanotherday #jamesbond #halleberry #cadiz
Today we’ve had a day off from the bike so we could enjoy Rhonda. We drove through here a few years ago on a classic car tour but only stayed one night and didn’t get enough time to look around.
If you haven’t been here yourselves I suggest you put it on your wish list.
It’s a beautiful town steeped in history with both old and new streets to visit. From the old town, a dramatic path takes you right down to the bottom of El Tajo, to the foot of the mighty “New Bridge” that spans the canyon. It’s a steep climb so take some sturdy and comfy shoes… we have walked miles!
#rhonda #andalucia #espania #wishlist #padronpeppers #spanishtomatoes
Tulips… after plain old simple daffodils, tulips are my next favorite spring flower.
The snowdrops, daffs and camellia are now out in the garden and I just needed a little ‘springness’ inside the house.
What do you think of these beauties?
Of course - I can’t pull the wool over your eyes, you knew all along that these tulips are not real……but they are really good faux.
The secret to using faux flowers in the house is to only display them when they are actually in season. Use different vases to give them a different look and if the vase is glass, like this one, add a little water for a more realistic touch.
#fauxflowers #fauxflowerstyling #fauxtulips #tulips #cutflowers #freshflowers
I know how you guys love to read my trivia so I thought you would like a to hear this.
It’s opening night and my first performance on stage. Don’t say ‘break a leg’ and instead wish me ‘bonne merde’ or ‘chookas’. Isn’t language both wonderful and funny 🤣
It’s traditional to wish the cast and crew good luck with the saying ‘Break a leg’ but where does this term originate?
The most common theory refers to an actor breaking the “leg line” of the stage. In the early days of theater, this is where ensemble actors were queued to perform. If actors were not performing, they had to stay behind the “leg line,” which also meant they wouldn’t get paid.
If you were to tell the actor to “break a leg,” you were wishing them the opportunity to perform and get paid. The sentiment remains the same today; the term means “good luck, give a good performance.”
In Australia they wish you ‘chookas’ - This term seems to have come into use during the early days of J.C. Williamson’s dominance of the theatre scene in Australia. In the early 1900s chicken was very expensive and regarded as a treat.As most shows paid fees depending on the box-office take, a full house meant that the performers would be able to afford a chicken meal. The cry ‘chook it is’ was shortened to ‘chookas’, and eventually used by performers to wish each other a successful show regardless of the number of people in the auditorium.
Our current play was originally performed in French and so it feels right to go with the French theatre tradition. They say ‘Bonne Merde’ which directly translates to ‘Good Sh*t!🤣🤣
It’s generally accepted that this relates back to the 19th century, when people would go to the theatre in their horse and carriages. If a performance was particularly popular, there would be carriages lining the street in front of the theatre and theatergoers wouldn’t be able to avoid stepping in the horse poop from other carriages’ hors
Small room……. BIG statement.
After waiting the obligatory 12 months
of no decorating aloud in a new build, I’ve finally got started.
What better place to start than the smallest room in the house….
The cloakroom.
Some of you will recognise this wallpaper. We used this gorgeous wallpaper from @littlegreenepaintcompany on our bedroom walls at
the chateau. I had one full roll left plus a few shorter pieces and I am so pleased I packed them away and brought them with me.
This dramatic paper certainly packs a punch!
Notes:
- sorry, I completely forgot to film myself wallpapering 🤦♀️
- the walls were sanded lightly and any dints filled before I started.
- I sized the walls before I wallpapered to help with the adhesion.
- I sanded the plastic tile trim before painting with gold paint but I didn’t like the finish. I decided to gold leaf it instead. ( sorry, forgot to film that too 🤦♀️🤦♀️)
- I used a tinted paint to match the wallpaper from @tikkurila_uk
Love it 😀😀😀
#cloakroom #littlegreenepaintcompany #wallpaper #goldleaf #doityourself
Going in there early ( and strongly) with a lunch time pancake!
I have a busy evening ahead so instead of having to rush my pancakes or worse still…. Not having any pancakes, I have decided to cook and enjoy them now.
This one has banana and cream topping but my favorite is a simple sugar and lemon one.
What’s your favorite way to eat your pancakes?
#pancakes #schrovetuesday
Snowdrops.
My garden is waking up at last.
As you know I’ve only been in the house for just over a year and so this will be the first full year since my garden was created.
I planted spring bulbs on mass in autumn and they are now starting to poke their heads above ground. These beautiful little snowdrops, the first flowers of the year, were planted much earlier when my Dad dug them up from his garden last March and I planted them ‘in the green’ here at mine. It feels good having something from mum and dads place (my old childhood home).
The snowdrops signal the start of the garden season, and they bring a smile to my face.
#snowdrops #snowdropseason #garden #flowers #springiscoming #flowerbulbs #springbulbs
When I’m not cooking, baking or decorating I’m busy rehearsing for the play that I am in at my local amdram theatre.
Unlike many amdram groups The Davenham Players own their own theatre. Davenham is a small village in the heart of Cheshire and The Players, run as a charity by volunteers, purchased the building over 50 years ago. It’s a small theatre seating between 60-80 and we’ve just had the most wonderful new seating making it a wonderful space to enjoy theatre, music and comedy.
Acting is something new to me and I’ve thrown myself right into it with both feet. I really fancied the idea of being in a play and I’m really enjoying the experience but OMG, learning lines is not an easy task. Over the last few weeks there have been many moments where I’ve held my head in my hands in despair! Talk about working your brain cells, it’s blown my mind. I have 4 weeks left to opening night and I am now feeling a little more confident… fingers crossed 🤪
I’m working with a lovely bunch of likeminded folks, all with far more experience treading the boards than I do. With their support I’m just about keeping my head above water.
This little video mashup from a recent rehearsal gives a little flavour of what’s in store ( I love the music). The set is still being built with props and costumes slowly appearing.
If any of you fancy coming along to watch. Tickets are available
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/northwich/davenham-theatre
#localtheatre #amdram #davenhamlife #davenham #localtheatre @davenhamtheatre #outifmycomfortzone #justdoit #dosomethingnew
Gluten Free Shortbread biscuits.
This is my go to, - never fail-, recipe for perfect GF shortbread.
Shop bought GF biscuits are so expensive and there’s usually only about 10 in each packet. Steve tells me they taste pretty dam awful too. I know it’s great that the supermarkets are catering for GF folks but I think there’s a lot of work to be done on biscuits!
I always make plenty as they get eaten so quickly.These biscuits are a great accompaniment to desserts such as panna cotta or taste great with a cuppa. They will keep for a couple of weeks in an airtight tin.. if you want to store them this long I suggest you hide them as they are hard to resist.
#glutenfree #coeliacs #wheatfree #shortbread #biscuits #homebaked
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