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Oven-baked pork stroganoff with mayonnaise

Ahjustrooganov / Oven-baked pork stroganoff with mayonnaise

Stroganoff, for most of you, is associated with the Russian dish boeuf stroganoff, a creamy sauce based on thin beef tenderloin strips and perhaps button mushrooms (interestingly, mushrooms aren't included in böfstrooganov over here). But stroganoff it's also used as a shorthand for various hot dishes using long and thin meat strips. Say, something you'd probably call pork or beef stir-fry strips in English-speaking countries, are called stroganoff pieces over here (you can also buy "maksastrooganov" or thin beef or pork liver strips over here).

Here's a popular Estonian family dinner - oven-baked pork stroganoff that uses less than five ingredients (pork, onions, mushrooms, mayonnaise and seasonings). It tastes lovely with some mashed or simply boiled potatoes, and is a perfect for those cold winter nights.

More stroganoff recipes here on Nami-Nami:
Latvian pork stroganoff "Kurzeme stroganoff"
Mushroom stroganoff

Oven-baked pork stroganoff with mayonnaise
(Sealihast ahjustrooganov majoneesiga)
Serves 4

500 g lean pork (stroganoff/stir-fry strips)
2 large onions
250 g white or button or cremini mushrooms
225 g mayonnaise (I used the local Jaani Provansaal mayo)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
vegetable oil, for frying

To garnish:
fresh chives, finely chopped

Pre-heat the oven to 200 C/400 F. Lightly oil a medium-sized oven casserole dish, put aside.

Peel the onions, halve and cut into thin slices. Clean the mushrooms and cut into thin slices.
Heat oil on a heavy skillet/frying pan, add the pork and fry until lightly browned on all sides. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Put into a casserole dish.

Fry the onions on the same pan, adding some oil, if needed. You don't need to caramelise the onions - around 5 minutes, until the onions are just starting to soften, is all you need.

Scatter the fried onions and the sliced mushrooms on top of the pork. Drizzle or spoon the mayonnaise on top.

Cook in a preheated 200 C oven for about 30 minutes, until the meat and mushrooms are cooked and the mayonnaise topping is lovely light golden brown.

Garnish with chopped chives, and serve with either simple boiled potatoes or mashed potatoes.
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12 Days of Christmas Day 12...

Today is our last giveaway, I hope everyone has enjoyed them as much as I have. 

We have a truly amazing prize to giveaway to one of you lucky lot today. I am quite jealous of the person who wins this prize as I think it is absolutely stunning.

The prize today has been very kindly donated by Stone Bridge, You can find them on Facebook and Twitter




The headband is beautifully hand made from the iconic American design house Ficcare, this skinny metal double headband has been set with 140 brilliant white Swarovski crystals in one of the most comfortable and durable headbands you will ever wear. It has an RRP of £79.

Each strand of this design is very slender, at a dainty 2 mm wide, ensuring hair looks elegant and understated.

The headband is a versatile style that is perfect for lunch, a smart wedding or a black tie do so perfect for any upcoming Christmas function. It is Suitable for all hair types.

To enter this competition use the rafflecopter form below:

A winner will be chosen at random on 12th December 2012.
UK entrants only please.
The winner will be emailed and asked to provide their details so they can be passed on to the prize supplier.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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12 Days of Christmas Day 11...

Today we have a fabulous prize to giveaway thanks to the very kind people from Huggies.

You could win a potty training kit that will include everything you need to help your little ones. The kit includes Huggies Pull Ups in Blue or Pink (leave me a comment saying which colour and size you'd prefer), some moist toilet wipes, a toilet seat and step.

For more information on potty training visit www.pottytraining.co.uk where you will find lots of helpful information and advice.

To enter this competition use the rafflecopter form below:

A winner will be chosen at random on 6th December 2012.
UK entrants only please.
The winner will be emailed and asked to provide their details so they can be passed on to the prize supplier.


a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Orange salad with pomegranate seeds, perfect for the festive season

Orange salad / Apelsinisalat

Citrus fruit and Christmas go hand in hand, no? Well, in my house they do. I like serving an orange salad during the festive season - either as a starter, like this beetroot and orange salad with ginger yoghurt dressing or this fennel and orange salad with a simple vinaigrette or even this super-simple orange and red onion salad. Or as a dessert, in a form of a simple "Orange Ambrosia, for instance.

When flipping through the pages of one of my current favourite food magazines, the Swedish-language Lantliv mat & vin, I was immediately drawn to a pretty orange and pomegranate salad. And although Christmas is still a few weeks away, we've had some snow in Estonia already - and it's snowing outside as I'm writing this post - so this salad has been sitting prettily on our table twice during the last week or so. And it'll be definitely making an appearance or two during December.

It'd make a lovely light dessert, or simply one of the dishes on your festive buffet spread. It's also vegan and gluten-free, so suits all kind of special diets.

If you're making this in Estonia and are looking for crushed cardamom seeds, then I recommend buying MEIRA cardamom - it's coarsely ground. If you're looking for fine cardamom "dust" (sorry, powder), then Meira is not for you :) Alternatively, buy whole cardamom pods and grind your own. You'll need seeds from about 20 cardamom pods to get about a teaspoon of ground cardamom. 

Orange salad with pomegranate seeds
Apelsinisalat granaatõunaseemnetega
Adapted from Lantliv Mat & Vin, Nr 6/2012 (Apelsinsallad)
Serves 4, can be easily multiplied

 Orange salad / Apelsinisalat

 4 large sweet oranges
1 ripe pomegranate
1 Tbsp (brown) sugar
1 tsp ground cardamom seeds

Peel the oranges with a sharp knife, then cut into thin slices, crosswise. Arrange nicely on a large plate.
Remove the pomegranate seeds and scatter on top of orange slices.
Mix the ground cardamom with sugar and sprinkle on top of the fruit.
Serve at once or leave to macerate for an hour or two in a cool place, covered.
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12 Days of Christmas Day 10...

Today we have two Mathable Bundles to give away


Mathable is a cross-number game of logic, strategy and skill that challenges children and adults alike. It provides a mini workout for your brain using addition, subtraction, division and multiplication to generate the highest score. Expect plenty of debates and discussions as competition get fierce.


Mathable Deluxe Wooden Edition
To gain the highest score players must use all their mathematical skills, logic and strategy to outwit the other players. The deluxe wooden edition includes the game board, 4 wooden tile racks, 108 wooden tiles and a deluxe tile bag.

Mathable Domino
The classic game of dominos is given a modern twist with Mathable Domino – forget counting spots – now you need to give your brain a workout with 57 numbered dominos.

Mathable Quattro
Card games will never be the same again! Designed for up to 4 players, Mathable Quattro, is based around a four card square, using the mathematical skills often forgotten, this testing game of strategy and quick thinking is guaranteed to cause a commotion.

Mathable Junior
This game is a great introduction to the world of playing with numbers. The reversible game board can be played in two different ways and has 60 tiles.



For more information visit www.mathablegame.com


To enter this competition use the rafflecopter form below:

Two winners will be chosen at random on 7th December 2012.
UK entrants only please.
The winner will be emailed and asked to provide their details so they can be passed on to the prize supplier.
Prize bundle determined by prize provider not myself so i am unsure as to how big the bundle is.



a Rafflecopter giveaway
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12 Days of Christmas Day 9...

Today you can win a set of Crazy soap products, we reviewed these last year and the boys loved them. Read our review here. We will also have a competition over on our Facebook page for you to be able to win a set of these too.





To enter this competition use the rafflecopter form below:

A winner will be chosen at random on 5th December 2012.
UK entrants only please.
The winner will be emailed and asked to provide their details so they can be passed on to the prize supplier.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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12 Days of Christmas Day 8...

The prize up for grabs today is a Spin Mania Game. The boys have been reviewing this game and our review will be live in a couple of days. They loved the game and found it lots of fun and I hope our winner has as much fun as we did.





To enter this competition use the rafflecopter form below:

A winner will be chosen at random on 3rd December 2012.
UK entrants only please.
The winner will be emailed and asked to provide their details so they can be passed on to the prize supplier.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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U Star Novels Review

The boys and I are huge bookworms, we love nothing better than snuggling up together and reading a good book. A couple of weeks ago I was asked if we'd like to review a special kind of story book. This book was the story of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz written by Lyman Frank Baum but with a twist.  Most people know the story well and it is a firm favourite in our house. All 3 of the boys know the story well and they absolutely adore the film too.


The twist about this book is that the boys were put into the story as a character. Callum was the Scarecrow, Nathan the Tin Woodman and James the Cowardly Lion. You can also personalise other main characters too like Dorothy, Glinda the Good Witch, the Wicked Witch of the West and even little Toto the dog.


When you are filling out your details to go in the book you have the chance to write a dedication to whom you want the book to go to. I personalised this book to the boys from myself and their dad. You can also put a date on this page, which makes this a great present to remember a special day.


This is not the only story that you can have personalised from U Star Novels, there are many more to choose from on the website including Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, The Railway Children. For adult readers you can be transformed into Dracula, Romeo & Juliet or Little Women. Each book costs £16.95. 

For your chance to win a personalised book of your choice from U Star Novels head on over to Day 7 of our giveaways.
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12 Days of Christmas Day 7...


Today we have a lovely prize to giveaway. Recently we have been reviewing a personalised story book. you can read our review here. The boys were transformed into the story of The Wizard of Oz.

We have been lucky enough to be able to offer one of you the chance to make your own personalised story too, worth £16.95. You could choose from titles including Peter Pan , The Wizard of Oz, Treasure Island and many more.



To enter this competition use the rafflecopter form below:

A winner will be chosen at random on 2nd December 2012.
UK entrants only please.
The winner will be emailed and asked to provide their details so they can be passed on to the prize supplier.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Crewe Photo Book Review

Recently I was asked if I would like to review a Crewe Photo Book, I accepted and was given a £30.00 voucher so that I could make a photo book.

It is really simple to create a Crewe Photo Book. The hardest bit for me was deciding which photos of the boys I wanted and where to put them as I have so many amazing pictures of the boys.

Before you can start making your photo book you have to download some software but this is only a small file and even people who aren't very good with a computer would find this easy to do. The first thing I did was choose the title of the book and choose the pictures and layout that I wanted for the front cover.

I love how easy it is to upload the pictures you want to use in the photo book, you can manually drag and drop them on to the pages so that you can decide where you want your pictures or you can simply add them all to a side bar and the software will make the album for you and decide which pictures will go where. You can decide how many pictures per page you'd like and the layout of the photos.  I chose pictures of all 3 boys, but I wanted them in order of each child from birth to now and then at the back a few of them all together, so I decided to add the pictures individually to each page, this was a little time consuming as I had to find the photos I wanted, but the making of the photo book itself was quite easy to do. You can choose the background colour for the pages inside too. For the inside of my photo book I chose a lovely baby blue background with beautiful little elephants on them. You can also add text to the pages if you wish too.





My book was created with ease and took little effort for it to look lovely. It was easy to order too once the book was complete. The book I ordered was £28.99 and is made up of 26 pages, however prices start from as little as £5.99 and you can choose how many pages your book will be made up of, obviously the more pages you add the more the book costs but if you were making a book say for a wedding album this would work out as a really good present for the bride and groom or a really cheap alternative to having lots and lots of photos taken and printed by a photographer. My order was processed really quickly and sent to me within a week of ordering.

I am really impressed with the quality of the photo book, the pages are lovely and well printed and the pictures look fabulous.  I think photo books make a lovely Christmas present for family and friends and intend to purchase at least two more of these books for the boys Grandparents as part of their Christmas presents.

You can win a £30.00 photo book voucher, over on our Day 6 competition

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12 Days of Christmas Day 6...

Our daily competitions continue and today we are giving one of you the chance to win a Crewe Photo Book worth £30.00 You can Check out the range of Photo Books available from Cewe-Photobook.co.uk and create your special book today. The winner will be sent a voucher to be able to redeem their photo book.






To enter this competition use the rafflecopter form below:


A winner will be chosen at random on 1st December 2012.
UK entrants only please.
The winner will be emailed and asked to provide their details so they can be passed on to the prize supplier.


a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Interview with me on 7 Ravioli foodblog

There's a short interview with me on a Lithuanian food blog 7 ravioli or Septyni virtieniai :) The interview is here.

If you don't speak Lithuanian, you'll find the English translation here.

Thank you, Dalia, it was a pleasure talking to you!
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12 Days of Christmas Day 5...

Today we have a lovely book up for grabs, Callum has been reading this story over the last few days and he absolutely loves it. 

The story was inspired by a tale told by German poet Eduard Mörike over one hundred years ago, this story takes the reader on a magical journey as Sylvester travels by mystical moon horses to Earth, delivering the New Year and returning the Old Year back to be rejuvenated by the River of Life.

You could win a copy of the book Sylvester and the New Year.



 


To enter this competition use the rafflecopter form below:

A winner will be chosen at random on 1st December 2012.
UK entrants only please.
The winner will be emailed and asked to provide their details so they can be passed on to the prize supplier.




a Rafflecopter giveaway
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My recipes in Home & Garden (Kodu & Aed), November 2012



Here's a short overview of the recipes I chose and cooked for the November 2012 issue of the Home and Garden (Kodu ja Aed) magazine, as the magazine's new editor of the food section. If you read Estonian and are based in Estonia, then you can get the magazine at all newsstands until the end of the month.

The photos are by Juta Kübarsepp, who also helped with styling. The props are my own or from my friend Kristiina :)

November is a dark and chilly time in Estonia. There's usually no snow yet, so nothing to reflect back the little light we have during this month (and trust me, there's not much light). However, there are still some things to light up the life during this month - Fathers' Day is celebrated during the second Sunday in November, and there are some folk calendar events as well. (And our little family gets to celebrate my dear K's birthday and the birth of our third child). I was thinking of the Father's day lunch or dinner when planning this menu, yet it'd be perfect for any autumnal family gathering.

For starters, I chose the silky butternut squash soup with a pinch of nutmeg, accompanied by home-made roasted onion grissini. I've blogged about the soup here on Nami-Nami foodblog in October 2008, and I still highly recommend the recipe. The recipe for roasted onion grissini is originally from an Estonian foodblogger Kätrin, but I've modified it slightly over the last year or two.

  Kõrvitsapüreesupp röstsibulakõrsikutega / Butternut squash soup with roast onion grissini

For the main course I chose something autumnal and gutsy. Rabbit has become more easily available here in Estonia for an average shopper (read: you can get it vacuum-packed in your local supermarket), and this rabbit stew with a creamy mustard sauce is an excellent way of cooking rabbit. The recipe is French-inspired and adapted from Anthony Demetre, the chef patron at the London restaurants Arbutus, Wild Honey and Les Deux Salons, more specifically, from his book Today's special: A new take on bistro food - Recipes from Arbutus and Wild Honey. Demetre uses rabbit legs, but for a home cook, using a whole rabbit makes much more sense - and is much more economical, of course.

  Sinepine küülik / Mustard and rabbit stew

 As for the perfect autumn dessert, you cannot go wrong with a classic apple crumble - something that's actually not particularly well-known in Estonia (we're more cake and pie and tart type of people, I guess). I served the crumble with a cinnamon and cream cheese whipped cream - a wonderfully aromatic addition to the crumble.

  Õunakrõbedikud kaneelise toorjuustuvahuga / Apple crisps with cinnamon cream cheese

Check out the October 2012 recipes as well.
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12 Days of Christmas Day 4...


The prize up for grabs today is a Bananagrams game.





BANANAGRAMS® (RRP £14.99) – was named Toy Fair 2009’s “Game of the Year”

Bananagrams is a fast and fun anagram game that drives players bananas! Requiring no pencil, paper or board, Bananagrams comes in a small portable banana-shaped pouch and is perfect fun for kids from 7 –
107 years-old, at home or on the go. 

Created by a word game-obsessed family of three generations, Bananagrams is a labour of love that that has quickly become an international phenomenon.


To enter this competition use the rafflecopter form below:

A winner will be chosen at random on 28th November 2012.
UK entrants only please.
The winner will be emailed and asked to provide their details so they can be passed on to the prize supplier.


a Rafflecopter giveaway
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12 Days of Christmas Day 3...

Today's Prize is a lovely Winter Warmer Grobag, it is sure to keep any little one warm on a cold winters night.




The new 3.5 tog Winter Warmer Grobag is newly designed for this season and is suitable for when room temperature can fall below 16 C – if you team it up with a Gro-suit your guaranteed a warm, contented baby all night long.

The 3.5 tog is made in exactly the same way as existing Grobags but has a layer of thicker and more insulating wadding as its middle. The lining is made from the same super soft jersey as other Grobags while the outer layer is a luxurious cotton rich velour. All of these help achieve the higher warmth rating of the 3.5 tog. As with all baby sleeping bags it is important to be aware of the temperature of the room in which your baby is sleeping and ensure that your baby is appropriately dressed which is why each 0-6 & 6-18 months. Grobags come with a free room thermometer and what to wear guide. The 3.5 tog Grobag fits perfectly into the range as it also meets the British Standard and is FSID recommended.


To enter use the rafflecopter form below:


A winner will be chosen at random on 28th November 2012.
UK entrants only please.
The winner will be emailed and asked to provide their details so they can be passed on to the prize supplier.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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12 Days of Christmas Day 2...

Here is day 2 of our 12 Days of Christmas in November competition. Today you have the chance to win a Grinch Teddy from the lovely people from the Build a Bear Workshop. 


To enter use the rafflecopter form below:

A winner will be chosen at random on 27th November 2012.
UK entrants only please.
The winner will be emailed and asked to provide their details so they can be passed on to the prize supplier.


a Rafflecopter giveaway
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12 Days of Christmas Day 1...

Today is the first day of our 12 Days of Christmas in November competitions, we have some lovely prizes to giveaway in the next 12 days.

Each competition is open for a week and open to UK residents only. Winners will be chosen at random and contacted via email. 


So to kick start our competitions we have a fabulous prize that any young Eddie Stobart fan would love to have.


We have 1 annual membership to the Steady Eddie Club to giveaway


Travelling with Children is about to get easier as Steady Eddie takes to the Road with a new Steady Eddie Club website!  There is also the launch of an exciting new Steady Eddie online store where there are plenty of great gifts for kids and adults alike.


To celebrate the launch of the new Steady Eddie Club, we are lucky enough to be able to give away 1 annual membership which include a Steady Eddie cap, drawstring bag, truck spotter’s notebook, fanzine that will mailed to your home 3 times a year, wallet and exclusive membership card – altogether worth £15.99.


The prize-winner will also receive free premium access to www.steadyeddieworld.com  which features travel-related games and books for children aged 4-9 years.  Steady Eddie World contains exclusive content for members including: online games, downloadable puzzles, recipes and videos introducing Steady Eddie and his friends!


To enter use the rafflecopter form below:


A winner will be chosen at random on 26th November 2012.
UK entrants only please.
The winner will be emailed and asked to provide their details so they can be passed on to the prize supplier.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Primula Pods


Recently the boys and I have been trying out a new product. This product was the Primula Pods.



The Primula Pods are perfect for lunch boxes or snacks. They are available in two delicious flavours, Cheese and Cheese ‛N‛ Chive and they come in a net of 5, each cheese is sealed in a fun peel-able pod.




 The pods are:
  • High in Calcium 
  • High in Protein
  • Suitable for Vegetarians 
  • Gluten Free
  • Contains no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives
The boys love them and have been taking them to school in their packed lunches as they are the perfect size. They are available to buy in Morrisons and other independent stores priced around £1.29.

 Each Pod also features an illustration of one of the adventures of Primula’s cute mouse character Mr Nibbles and his family. Children can join the Nibbles family adventures in the magical online world of Pod Island, a new fun and interactive website www.primulapods.co.uk.  Packed with exciting stories, extraordinary characters and engaging games, Pod Island offers hours of entertainment, in an environment that parents know young children can explore in safety. There are new games and activities added regularly, the website also features competitions and prizes for young Pod Island Explorers to win and become an ‘Official Pod Island Explorer’.

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Oxtail ragout with celeriac mash

Veisesaba / Oxtail / Härjasaba / Lehmasaba

Oxtail - isn't it beautiful? I admit that I blatantly nicked the idea for today's post from the wonderful Jeanne in London, who wrote about a 20-hour sous vide oxtail stew in her award-winning blog, Cook Sister! Here's my oxtail story.

Nightview / Öine vaade Albarracinile
Albarracín at night, March 2008

I still remember my first encounter with oxtail - on a plate, I mean. My dear K. and I were travelling in Spain in March 2008, visiting the lovely Ximena of the Lobstersquad fame in Madrid, and visiting some other off-the-beaten-track cities that Ximena and her also very lovely husband J. had suggested. One late afternoon we arrived in the picturesque Albarracín in Aragon (yep, on the lands of the medieval Kingdom of Aragón). After checking into our hotel for the night, we wandered on the streets of Albaraccín, looking for a tiny restaurant called Rincón del Chorro. Somebody somewhere had recommended it, you see. The night was already dark, but we were obviously too early for dinner, as all we found was a locked door. We returned an hour later, to find a small but busy restaurant. The menu wasn't long - I opted for the pickled partridge (a local speciality, I was told), K. ordered the rabo del toro or oxtail.

Rabo de Toro / Oxtail Stew / Härjasabahautis e. veisesabahautis e. lehmasabahautis

Both were brought to the table pretty quickly. While the partridge was lovely, the oxtail was wonderful and although the idea of cooking it myself seemed a wee bit daunting initially, I've become a huge oxtail convert over the years and cook this particular cut of beef regularly.

My favourite oxtail dish takes slightly less time to cook than Jeanne's and as there's definitely no sous-vide machine in my kitchen, it can be cooked in a simple stovetop saucepan. But I guarantee it'll be just as delicious ;) The inspiration for the dish is from a blog written by an Estonian restaurateur, Mme Randrüüt - see here. It's an interpretation of the French classic, mijotée de queue de boeuf et purée de céleri rave or stewed oxtail with celeriac pureé. If you haven't cooked oxtail before, then slowly cooked oxtail has the most wonderful sweet and meaty flavour, which is pretty much universally liked. While we happily gnaw away on the slowly cooked oxtail pieces (there's a link to another oxtail stew recipe here on Nami-Nami at the bottom of this post), it can be intimidating to somebody who's new to oxtail - or if you're wanting to serve oxtail in a slightly more elegant manner. This oxtail ragout is the perfect solution then.

Oxtail / Härjasaba e. veisesaba

In Estonia I usually get my oxtail cut into chunks and packed neatly on a tray. Very convenient, even if it is only sold in one major supermarket and only on certain days, so one has to pre-plan carefully. If you have a friendly butcher at your favourite market, you can obviously order some whenever you need it.

Oxtail ragout with celeriac mash
(Veisesabaraguu)
Serves two to three (can be easily doubled)

Oxtail ragout with celeriac mash / Veisesabaraguu selleripüreega

1 kg oxtail pieces
2-3 Tbsp oil
500 ml (2 cups) boiling water
few fresh parsley sprigs
few fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
3-4 whole black peppercorns
3-4 whole allspice berries
salt, to taste

Season the oxtail pieces with salt.
Heat oil in a heavy saucepan, sauté the oxtail pieces until dark golden brown on all sides.
Add the water, herbs and seasonings. Bring into a boil, then reduce heat and cover the saucepan. Simmer gently for about 3-4 hours until meat falls off the bones easily.
Remove from the heat, cool. Remove the meat off the bones, discard the bones and return the meat into the stew.

(This can be done a day in advance). 

Skim the excess fat from the top of the stew. Re-heat the stew and simmer gently for another hour or two, until the stew has thickened. Taste for seasoning.

Serve with a celeriac/root celery mash - prepare like your regular potato mash, just use root celery instead.

Looking for more oxtail inspiration? Here are some recipes:

Papardelle with oxtail ragu by Skye Gyngell
Oxtail ragout with papardelle by Sammy and Bella (My Kitchen Rules)
Oxtail braised in dark beer by Nami-Nami
Coda alla vaccinaria by Food Lover's Odyssey
Glazed oxtails by Simply Recipes
Korean braised oxtail by Kitchen Wench
Alsatian oxtail stew by Choosy Beggars

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Fellowes Shredder Review

Identity fraud is something that could affect anyone, fraudsters don't discriminate and target both businesses and individuals. Having your identity stolen isn't just an inconvenience, it can be devastating. Research shows that 24% of UK citizens have been a victim of identity fraud, this is surprisingly the highest in Europe and a further 75% have been exposed to scams used by identity fraudsters. I would like to think myself quite aware of scammers and the tricks that they use online, I protect my passwords, I don't send my details to suspicious looking emails (and I must get about 100 a week many of which say I've won the lottery or been left millions of pounds - I wish or the ones supposedly from the banks saying my account is suspended even though I don't bank with them) and I'd also like to think that I am the same when it comes to protecting my identity in everyday circumstances.



With the cases of identity fraud crimes on the increase paper shredders have become something of a necessary home appliance. shredder is a great way to dispose of household documents that may expose a families personal information including addresses and bank details. A shredder is a great way to protect against fraud, it takes next to no time at all if you keep on top of shredding unwanted documents and personal information. The shredder will also shred debit and credit cards, not just paper. I can shred up to 11 sheets of paper at once. There is no need to take out paper clips or staples either as they can be shredded too.



With the increasing prevalence of shredders in the home, it’s important for people to protect more than just their identity.  Households with children and pets need to consider the safety of all of their home appliances, including paper shredders. We were sent a DS1 Shredder from Fellowes to review, it features a patented SafeSense™ technology that ensures the safety of the user by automatically disabling the shredder when sensing hands or pets are too close to the paper feed.  An electronic sensor surrounds the shredder’s paper entry and shuts down the machine immediately when it comes in contact with the energy field created by humans and larger pets. This is great for us with three small children and 2 nosy boxer dogs.


I really like how user-friendly this particular shredder is, it features a pedal bin for easy waste disposal and it holds up to 18 litres of paper thanks to its large bin, this means you can shred more paper between empties.



The shredder uses has a cross cutting style which makes it more difficult to reconstruct documents. It has a cut size of 3.9 x 35 mm.



Fellowes Motto is "Don't Let It Be You" you can find out more here about how to keep your identity safe here. http://www.stop-idfraud.co.uk/support/. Luckily I have never been a victim of Identity theft and hopefully never will. Using a shredder will hopefully help keep it this way.
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Children in Need 2012 with Build A Bear Worskhop


Build a Bear Workshop have worked with BBC Children in Need for the last five years. In 2010 they donated an amazing £135,000 to the charity.



In store children can make their Pudsey and Blush Bears now or you can purchase ready made ones from the Build a Bear Workshop website. There are also smaller bears available to buy too.


This year the new Pudsey is available with either a hoodie, jeans and cute trainer combo or with gorgeous set of cosy PJs! The ultimate gift for the little Build-A-Bear Workshop aficionado in your house. He is priced at £15 with £5 being donated to Children In Need. Pudsey’s best friend Blush is right on trend for BBC Children in Need this season, showing off her spots with a pretty polka dot matching bow and pink t-shirt. Again she is available to buy for £15 with £5 going to Children In Need.


New for 2012 is the Pudsey smallfry™, He comes dressed in a cool t-shirt with signature patch and paw print and who can forget the beautiful Blush smallfry™, who wears a cute polka dot bow with fetching red t-shirt. Both can be bought for £8 each with a £1 donation from every bear sold going to Children in Need.



Children in Need's mission is to make a positive change to the lives of disadvantaged children and young people across the UK. This years event will take place on 18th November. Last year they raised an amazing £39 million. This money has helped many organisations who work with children aged under 18 with mental, physical, behavioural and psychological disorders. They also help children who are living in poverty or who have been abused and neglected.

The boys will be wearing their PJs to school on 16th November to take part in their school fund raising events for Children In Need. We always support this very worthwhile charity and will always be happy to help raise awareness for such a great cause.




*We were not paid in anyway for writing this post*
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