Salaric Cooking

My aunt gave us a rice cooker and I have to say that initially I was why do we need that? It’s just yet another applience I have to find a home for and I had been saying no to one for ages. But then I went to my cousins house where they were using the rice cooker she had given them and I thought wow – this is actaully really usefull especially for parties – shame we don’t have room for one.

Then we were presented with on and I was really excited as was my husband (yes I know we can’t help getting excited over mundane domestic things), we have been cooking at least once a week with it since – we have also used it to cater for our cub and scout group plus a few parties 🙂

It is really easy to use – the only thing I found slightly annoying is that it doesn’t have the lid clip thing for the serving spoon that my cousins one had and there’s was a black and silver one rather than white which would have fitted with the kitchen better as I’d been saying I didn’t see the point of one I was amazed to get one at all.

And on top of that it fitted easily onto the shelves so I did have space after all!

It’s apparently a Cooksworth rice cooker – what ever it is rice cookers are fantastic!

My little girl had an easter egg hunt for her friends and so we decided to put out a spread of food as well – I don’t have any specific easter table cloths so had to go with the brown and orange stripped one which has mostly been used to dress her daddy up as Joseph in a play (don’t ask). I put out the four little easter egg candles I had, these have pictures of butterflies and flowers on them embossed in white on the blue, green, pink and yellow of the candles.

I put these around the minature red rose I was given as a thankyou for hosting another party!

I then made a plater of cheese sandwitches – cut into triangles – the right size for small children – I grate the cheese as it goes furthur!

I also had platters of Easter egg biscuits, easter bunny biscuits and nutty choc cornflake nests that my little girl had helped creat!

We had bowls of grapes, carrot sticks, crisps and vegitable crisps – I’m afraid I cheated and just bought a bag of pre-chopped carrots!

Then i put out a plater of really bad colouring full marshmellow animals – all blue rabbits, yellow chicks in their eggs etc… and little minni chocolate swiss roll catipillars with white chocolate faces. The colouring full easter pals came from the Pound shop and the catipillars where bought by a friend at Marks & Sparks I think.

For the actual hunt there were egg shaped lollys as well as chocolate eggs! Oh and plastic toy eggs to try and reduce the number of sick children at the end off it all! We ended up rationing the amount of found chocolate the kids could eat. Sorry about the wonk on the photo!

Some of Jean’s easter decorations are on the table too – she made the invites for the events as well (ok with lots of help!).

The perants seemed to enjoy themselves as well as the kids 🙂 The easter bunny even appeared!

One of our nearest towns is Cheltenham and it is notorious for its festivals and so last year I was not suprised but I was disappointed to see the end tail of a food festival so made a note to self to keep an eye out for it this year.

This weekend we sported the signs for it and went to investigate but alas they had just put up the signs in preperation for the coming weekend instead – the 19th-21st of June when we have other things on and wont be able to attend for yet another year 🙁

But it looks fun – it costs £5 an adult and under 16’s are free!

So if your around Gloucestershire this weekend then this looks a fun even with guest chiefs and things!

I wish I was going 🙁

Oh well there is always next year I suppose – they appear to being doing the real ale thing as well as wine which is always fun!

As well as Easter Egg shaped ginger biscuits it turns out that Morrisons Bakery where producing large tubs of ginger rabbits with features impressed into them! These were supposed to just be eaten but along with the Eggs I gave them to my little girl and dad to decorate with the selection of cake decorating things we had lerking in the house.

Dad made some really good rabbits with rice crispies for ears and little sugar hearts for noses etc… They went down really well at her Easter egg hunt!

FISH.–carp, crayfish, herrings, lobsters, mackerel, mullet, pike, prawns, salmon, soles, tench, trout, turbot.

Pike are apparently known as jackfish in Canada – I have assumed here that Mrs Beeton ment the English definition of Pike! Tench is also known as the Docter Fish.

MEAT.–Beef, lamb, mutton, veal, buck venison.

Having trouble finding out what buck venison is but am assuming that it is young male deer – if anyone knows differently – please let me know!

POULTRY.–Chickens, ducklings, fowls, green geese, leverets, plovers, pullets, rabbits, turkey poults, wheatears.

Turkey poults turn out to be turkey chicks. Leverets are hares that are less than 1 yr old incase you were wondering.

VEGETABLES.–Artichokes, asparagus, beans, cabbages, carrots, cucumbers, lettuces, onions, parsnips, pease, potatoes, radishes, small salads, sea-kale, spinach,–various herbs.

Ok I don’t know which type of artichoke she means here – I am assuming its not Chinese Artichoke and from looking at things in my garden I would say its more likely to be globe artichoke than jeruselum.

FRUIT.–Apricots, cherries, currants, gooseberries, melons, nectarines, peaches, pears, pineapples, raspberries, rhubarb, strawberries.

Ok I am assuming that pineapples have to be grown in glass houses/green houses/aurbatariums in this country not sure about some of the other fruit here!