Behold, it’s a miracle – I’ve found time to write up a timely review of something! I did some work with Gibson’s Games earlier this year, so when they asked if I’d like to review a couple of them over Christmas I was happy to help. You know, one for the team and all that ;)
Anyway, fast forward to yesterday night. This is a picture of Lovely Bloke, our two boys and my mum and dad playing Bingo. E is 5 (nearly 6) and W is 4 so I was a bit apprehensive about their playing it.
but don’t have the time #678
1. It was very lovely to have my parents, brother and Lovely Bloke’s parents with us on Christmas Day.
2. That we did buy too many Christmas presents for the boys for Christmas.
Disclaimer: Thinking Slimmer is totally one of my clients. And I’m totally pimping them via this blog post. But it’s not actually part of my work for them – it’s something that I want to share, with you…
My Christmas gift for 2012, is two fold. One part of my Christmas gift to you it is a free download, to help you manage your eating over Christmas. You don’t *have* to put on a minimum of 5lbs if you don’t want to. (Apparently, research shows people put on, on average, at least 5lbs…) You can still eat and enjoy food, but you don’t need to do it to a point where you beat yourself up about it afterwards….
For a friend who has never done it, despite owning a slow cooker, here’s how I do ham in coca cola, along with a round up of other people’s ham in coca cola receipes – from nigella, to delia, everyone’s done it at some point!!!
1. Buy a big piece of unsmoked ham, (I buy £25 in money’s worth), buy coca cola – the branded stuff, enough to cover the ham in the slow cooker entirely, and one or two onions, and some brown sugar. And you must buy a disposable tin foil tin from the 99p shop – this is vital !!!
2. Wash ham to get rid of gunky bits. Put in slow cooker.
3. Take skin off onion or onions, chop into 4 – big chunky bits, add to slow cooker and cover with coca cola.
4. Turn slow cooker on and leave to cook for at least 8 hours if not more. Look at the cooking time if you’ve got a Huge Bit of Ham.
5. Take ham and mushy onion out of the slow cooker. Keep some of your “juices”. They are lush. Don’t panic if it’s split into two. We just re assemble it as best we can. And eat a bit whilst we are there ;)
6. Score ham, the rub in lots and lots of brown sugar – demerera sugar, wahtever you like, but brown is always nicer.
7. Some people add cloves n “stuff” but I don’t.
8. Put some of the “juices” over the ham and onions in the tray – they make a congealed sauce that is drool worthy.
9. Put into very hot oven to crisp up – meat and for juice to evaporate and thicken.
10. When you’ve got a crispy topping, turn the oven off and leave to cool where it is.
11. Remove from oven. Ensure husband is to hand to stop you gorging on it there and then.
12. Eat as snacks, meals, sneaky bits on the side. Put sauce into a bowl for dipping or jug if it’s runny enough. Eat the onions yourself. They are a treat for the chef !!!!!
Please note: our ham looks NOTHING like the picture. It’s burnt, crispy, chewy, dripping with juice and doesn’t hang together nicely for slicing like the image. It’s the first I could find!!
Here’s ham in coca cola nigella style
http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/ham-in-coca-cola-171
Here’s ham in coca cola delia style, but it looks quite different receipe wise
http://www.deliaonline.com/community/yourrecipes/maincourses/Ham-in-something-other-than-coke-in-a-slo-cooker.html
Here’s ham in coca cola from the good food channel
http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/516270
Here’s a whole conversation on ham in coca cola from Mumsnet!!
http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/food/874709-Christmas-Ham/AllOnOnePage
You know when something comes to you in the post that you’re so not expecting, and you get all hyper over it? That happened today :) And I’m so chuffed that I’m taking to my blog to say thank you for it. I know someone who works at the Handpicked Collection, told them that I was lusting over most of their stationery range for Christmas but Lovely Bloke refuses to let me have any more of it, so I’ve got to sort it out for myself <sob, sob> so she sent me this. It’s brilliant!! And so very me!!
So I’m shamlessly promoting it now, because it’s so cool – the blurb on the website says:
“How many great ideas/inventions have almost been lost because they came to someone at night who did not write them down? Sleep therapists advise writing down your thoughts at night to stop your mind racing. This bedside journal includes writing prompts and quotes about sleep and night.
Handpicked because: Might turn insomniac into Booker winner.
Give it to: Bedroom bibliophiles.”
I don’t want to be a Booker winner, I just want to go to sleep with a clear head!!
xx