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Hello my lovely readers!


Hell's yeah, it's summer (albeit raining) but holidays nonetheless and i love it. i've been sketching, staying at mates houses and now catching up with this blog.


here are my sketches from today and yesterday:

Amy winehouse ;)




Random dragon i sketched for peter

My gypsy girl


and finally my crying girl


let me know what you think by emailing me or posting a comment i'd love some feedback :)




Moving swiftly on to our Q&A this week:


okay question one is from a lovely lady in Belgium:




Q:
 Auntie Allie what faith are you, are you Jewish or christian or..? what nationality are you?


A: 
Thankyou for you're question i appreciate my uploads can be a little confusing, i am not Jewish i am catholic. i uploaded some Jewish recipes I've learned through being friends with Jewish people and on request from some Israeli readers. I'm a British national, i was born in the UK and have lived here  for fifteen years so far.


our next question is from Padraig M


Q: Auntie Allie Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i'm in love with my best friends sister and i don't know what to do also my little brother (16) keeps blaming me for the death of his hamster bonno (he was 4 and old) and i never went near it, it sucks cos now he won't speak to me what do i do?


A: 
first things first, chill your beans Paddy- is it okay if i call you that? well i have now so... anyway dependent upon the age of the sister and the reaction of your best friend there should be no reason why you should not be able to go out with this girl. That said if it goes pear shaped you could risk losing a wonderful friendship with her brother are you prepared to do that? there will always be pretty girls but best friends are hard to find and should be cherished. as for bonno
1. he was FOUR! thats amazing for a hamster, most die at the age of two!
2. whilst losing a pet is hard your brother is sixteen acting like he's six, tell him to man the hell up and stop acting like a child over bonno. at the age of sixteen he should be worrying about girls and cars and exams not throwing a strop over a stupid rodent!














Bye for now
love and hugs auntie allie xoxox

  Spicy Fish

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time:16 mins

Serves six

Ingredients

2 tbsp finely grated fresh root ginger
4 garlic cloves , finely grated or crushed
2 whole sea bream or red snapper (about 900g/2lb each) or 6 fish steaks like tuna
6 tbsp plain yogurt
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp mild chilli powder
3 tsp cumin seeds


Method

Slash the skin of the whole fish, if using, on each side with a sharp knife. Mix the ginger and garlic, season with salt, then rub all over the fish.
Mix the yogurt with the oil, spices and seasoning. Use to coat the fish inside and out, then chill until ready to cook.
TO BARBECUE: Cook straight on the rack (or on foil if you are afraid of it sticking) for 6-8 mins each side for the whole fish, or 3-4 mins for the tuna steaks. Cooking time will depend on how hot your barbecue is when you start.

Vegetable Rice Recipe

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Serves four

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 large button mushrooms, cut into 1/4-inch slices (about 2 cups)
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 1 1/4 cups)
1 small yellow onion, finely diced (about 1 cup)
2 cups long-grain rice
1 tablespoon kosher or fine sea salt
4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)

Method

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or other heavy 3-quart pot over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, red pepper and onion and cook stirring, until the vegetables are softened, about 4 minutes.

Add the rice and the salt and stir to coat the rice with oil. When the rice starts to look "chalky," pour enough water into the pan to cover the rice by 1-inch. Raise the heat to high, bring the water to a boil, and boil until the level of the water meets the level of the rice.

Reduce the heat to very low, give the rice a very thorough stir, and cover the pot. Cook until the rice is tender but with a little bite, about 20 minutes. Do not uncover the pot or stir the rice while it cooks. Fluff with a fork before serving. Stir in the scallions and transfer to a serving bowl.

Recipe for Chicken soup with knaidlach

Prep time: 30 mins & 1 hr to rest knaidlach

Cook time: 1 hr 40 mins

Serves six

Ingredients

1 chicken, medium to large

1 large onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 stalks of celery, chopped

2 clove garlic, crushed

2 sprigs of dill, plus extra for garnish

small bunch of stalks parsley

1 bay leaf

2 strips of lemon zest

1 tsp black peppercorns

For the knaidlach:

4 eggs

175 ml sunflower oil

salt, and freshly ground black pepper

150 ml cold water

200 g Matzo meal

150 ml boiling water

To cook the knaidlach:
500 ml of water

500 ml chicken stock

Method

1. Put the chicken into a large saucepan with all the other soup ingredients. Cover with water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour. 

2. Skim off any scum that has risen to the surface and then carefully strain the liquid through a sieve or colander lined with muslin. It is important to do this slowly so that only the clear liquid goes through. Any of the cloudy chicken stock can be reserved to cook the Knaidlach. 

3. To make knaidlach, beat the eggs, oil, seasoning and water, then tip in enough matzah meal to make a thick mixture. Add the boiling water, mix well and leave to stand for at least an hour. 

4. Put some oil on a plate and roll the mixture into balls about the size of large walnuts. 

5. Bring the water and chicken stock to a rapid boil. Drop in the balls; lower the heat and simmer, half covered for about 30 minutes. Leave to cool, then remove from the stock. Re-heat separately and add to the soup when serving. Don't re-heat the balls in the chicken soup. 

6. When the chicken has cooled slightly, remove the meat from the bones, discarding the skin. Chop the meat into chunks. 

7. Put the chopped chicken into the soup and add the cooked dumplings, a couple of sprigs of dill and serve in nice big soup bowls.

  Recipe for Matzah Ball Soup

Also known as Jewish penicillin. Matzah balls are more traditionally known as knaydelach (Yiddish for dumplings). Matzah ball soup is generally a very thin chicken broth with two or three ping-pong-ball sized matzah balls (or sometimes one very large matzah ball) in it. Sometimes, a few large pieces of carrot or celery are added. Matzah balls can be very soft and light or firm and heavy. " Matzah ball soup is commonly served at the Passover seder, but is also eaten all year round.


Below is the recipe for matzah ball soup. The parsley in the matzah balls is not traditional, but It adds flavour .


Ingredients:
1/2 cup matzah meal
2 eggs
2 tbsp. oil or schmaltz (melted chicken fat)
2 tbsp. water or chicken broth
2 tbsp. fresh chopped parsley
a little black pepper
2 quarts thin chicken broth or consommé
A handful of baby carrots or regular carrots cut into large chunks (optional)
a few stalks of celery cut into large chunks (optional)





Method:
Beat the eggs, oil and water together thoroughly. Add the matzah meal, parsley and black pepper and mix until you achieve an even consistency. Let this sit for a few minutes, so the matzah meal absorbs the other ingredients, and stir again.
Bring the broth to a vigorous boil, then reduce the heat until the broth is just barely boiling. Add the vegetables to the broth (if used). Wet your hands and make balls of about 1-2 tbsp. of the batter. Drop the balls gently into the boiling water. They will be cooked enough to eat in about 15 minutes; however, you may want to leave it simmering longer to absorb more of the chicken broth flavor. They are done when they float on top of the broth and look bloated.
For lighter matzah balls, use a little less oil, a little more water, and cook at a lower temperature for a longer time. For heavier matzah balls, do the reverse. If you are using this to treat a cold, put extra black pepper into the broth (pepper clears the sinuses).

Food, Glorious Food!

I haven't mentioned before that i am also a very keen cook, i love cooking and am quite passionate about it so i thought i'd upload some of my favourite foods to cook and the recipes for these wonderful foods :)

Bosanski Lonac - Bosnian Pot

Total time: 2hrs and 10 mins

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 2hrs

Ingredients:

1 kg beef (I used 2 pounds of beef and 1 pound of pork) or 1 kg lamb 
1 cabbage (cut into bite sized wedges)
2 -3 carrots (peeled and cut into bite sized pieces)
3 -4 large tomatoes (cut up in wedges)
3 -4 large potatoes (peeled and cut up in wedges)
2 onions (cut up in wedges)
2 garlic cloves (thinly sliced)
2 green bell peppers (cut up in wedges)
1/2 tablespoon cooking oil
1/2 tablespoon vinegar
salt and pepper
water
white wine

                

Directions:

1. 1
   Cut up vegetables in large pieces.
2. 2
   Cut meat into large pieces.
3. 3
   Layer meat and vegetables in a large soup pot. (one layer of vegetables, one layer of meat, and so on).
4. 4
   Add 1-2 dl (deciliters) of white wine and water. (I just Add about 1 to 1 and 1/2 cups total).
5. 5
   Cook until meat and vegetables are cooked. (Mine usually takes about 2 and 1/2 hours on low to medium heat).
6. 6
   NOTES:do not stir this stew. just let the vegetables and meat simmer together and they take care of themselves. I also added a few "shakes" of paprika after everything was finished cooking and served with crusty bread