QPR Are Premier League :)

Finally, after a long, hard season, players injuries, and memories of previous years hurt and anger, we are Premier League.

We got through the play offs, drawing with Wigan away, before beating them at home in extra time. That home game was yet another game where we really shouldn't have won, if anything about football was fair, but we won, we pulled out a gritty, fighting spirit, though at the end of the day the score sheet will record 2-1.  I will forever remember the ground rocking, the fans in fine voice, the players determination and ultimately playing for the team.  That huddle...........nuff said!

The club itself has made huge efforts to reconnect with the fans.  A lot of us on twitter have met and have become one great family, and QPR have made sure they are on there too, posting pictures and videos and having live discussions where they listen to us on the phone and on twitter.  After the way previous owners have treated us, it has been brilliant to be listened to and appreciated.  Our new owners are just perfect for us, and admit that we are all learning together, but WeRTogether is what is most important.  The players we have now, and 'Arry, can't speak highly enough of them, and under previous regimes we've not that that.

Even little touches like supplying every single one of us with flags on our seats.  Before, during and after we waved those flags and made so much noise, it was brilliant, and I think it gave our fans an edge. AMAZING! To be honest it felt like a home game, our own fans chanting and our own songs playing - maybe Derby have the same songs I don't know, but it felt good.  We all know that Derby were the better side on the day, using the width and passing well, but we never gave up, even after going down to 10 men, we kept at it, and - as per many a QPR fans dream, Bobby scoring with his sweet left foot on 89 minutes.   There were screams, tears and much jumping and hugging and kissing - bruised and battered but worth every minute.  Then the agony - we'd no idea how much added time, and we battled wave after wave of attack - similar to the end of ET against Wigan - finally the whistle, and the dream came true.............

After the excitement of Wembley, the club were immediately inviting us down to Loftus Road the next day to start the promotion party.   We were allowed in free of charge, and got to see the players and owners and ground staff and it was brilliant.  I even dared go on the pitch, something I've not done since the plastic pitch - I got told off and not dared to venture on since.  Amazing!

Philip Beard told a story about how, after the game at Wembley, he found himself left with the Cup.  He decided taking it on the tube wasn't such a good idea, so he took it onto the coach, only to find that he had inadvertently got onto the Derby coach - priceless!

Uncle Tony gave a great speech to us all, he is such a great man who cares - people who say our club are greedy don't know us at all.  It may be fab to have money but it doesn't maketh the club!  Tony's words about the last time being in the Premiership - "last time we were Virgins, now we are not".  Again, brilliant.

Now I sit here, with my blue hair and blue nails, on my own as the family are in Germany - I was supposed to go but no way I was going to miss this weekend.   I have a smile on my face, and I have Saturday's game playing on a loop in the background.   And I can never be lonely, I just pop over to twitter and chat with da family!  Thank you QPRTwitFam, there's no-one else I'd rather have experienced that with,

Thanks for reading.
Annie x

Photos from left to right
1) Myself, blue hair
2) With the boys 
Barry Cope, Whitey @MatwhiteQPR, Ben Jammin @Ben_Jammin_85 , 
Moisty @MoistStrawberry, Me @annieqpr, Liam Bousfield, Fieldie @TractorBoy1987
Beer courtesy of Lidl, Chips courtesy of McDonalds
3) My right foot
4) Clint Hill lifting the trophy aloft, at the Loft but not in the Loft

Mushroom burger to die for............

I am entering the Betta Living Vegetarian Recipe Competition, with my super Mushroom Burger.

My husband introduced meat free Monday to me.  He often complains since that he would prefer a lamb chop with it, but rules are rules.

If you've never tried the mushroom burger I would urge you to do so, it is so tasty and meaty - ironically - and its a healthy twist on a favourite dish!

Mushroom Burger

Ingredients
Olive oil
Portobella Mushroom
Cream Cheese - I use Philadelphia Light
1 Garlic clove chopped
Roll of choice
Lettuce, tomato etc. or whatever you wish to load it with!

Brush the mushroom all over, lightly, with the oil, and place under a medium grill for 6 minutes each side.   Mix the garlic into 2 tbsp of cream cheese then place the mixture around the stem.   Put mushroom back under the grill for a further 6 minutes and its done.  Load it into a roll, with whatever you like, and enjoy! :)

Thanks for reading
Annie x

Schwartz Chicken Curry Recipe Mix for Slow Cookers

I was asked to review a Recipe Mix for Slow Cookers.  In my head I heard "packet sauce" which is not really my thing, but was willing to give it a try.  It was a real eye opener, as the "sachet" contained all the spices etc. required for a beautiful chicken curry.  Although I have a lot of spices to hand in my cupboard, it was simple, and a great idea to have in reserve.  For 80p (at my local supermarket) Schwarz has saved you the faff of buying in all the spices individually, and requires a lot less storage space too!  It also says mild, but it had enough of a kick to it to satisfy our taste.

Recipe
1 packet of Schwartz  Slow Cookers Chicken Curry Recipe Mix
1 onion, diced
1 red pepper, cut into chunks
450g potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
450g chicken, diced - I used thigh
400g tin chopped tomatoes
175g fresh spinach (I actually used a 200g pack)

Method
1) Place onion, pepper, potatoes and chicken into the slow cooker pot.
2) Mix sachet contents with the chopped tomatoes and add to the slow cooker pot.   Stir through.
3) Cover and cook for up to 4 hours on High, or up to 8 hours on Low, or until meat and potatoes are tender and cooked through.
4) Remove lid, stir spinach through and stand for 5 minutes before serving.

They do say you can brown off the meat first if you like, but I was happy to put mine in knowing that it will be well cooked after 8 hours, and using chicken thigh works perfectly for a slow cooker curry.

Chris and I thoroughly enjoyed it, and obviously made too big a deal of it as the kids, who had already eaten, decided to come and steal some of ours too!

My eyes have been duly opened.   I have also bought a Hot Chilli Con Carne recipe mix to try too - it wasn't required for this post, but after the success of the curry, I'm going to try a few more (it was fab by the way)!

Have also discovered a great new recipe website - you can never have enough right?

Thanks for reading!
Annie x

Disclosure:  This is a featured post, but written by myself after cooking the recipe up yesterday.

Slowcooker Vietnamese Yellow Coconut Chicken Curry.............

I've adapted this from an original recipe, to our taste, and it is so yummy.  As I write this has been cooking for 6 hours and the smells are amazing.............

Ingredients
2 tbsp Groundnut or Sunflower Oil
1 bunch of spring onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Around 500g chicken thigh cut into pieces
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
1-2 thin green chillies (seeded if preferred), finely chopped
200ml Coconut Milk (I use reduced fat)
Salt and Pepper to taste
3 tbsp Yoghurt (I use Greek 0% fat total)
More yoghurt and chilli powder to serve (optional)
Handful of coriander leaves

I'm going to throw some cauliflower in in a minute too, last time I added 100g of spinach towards the end.....

Method
1) Heat the oil in a pan, add the spring onions, garlic and chicken, and fry, stirring, for 3 minutes.  Tip into the slowcooker.
2) Add the chillies, spices and coconut milk to the pan, and bring to the boil.  Top over the chicken and season to taste.
3) Cover and cook on High for 2-3 Hours or low for 4-6 Hours.
4) Stir in the yoghurt, taste and re-season if necessary.  Serve over rice, with a dollop more of yoghurt and some chilli powder (optional), and coriander leaves - if you remember to buy them!!!!

Just beautiful, we are off to Vietnam in August, and if I find curries like this I will be a happy bunny!
Thanks for reading!
Annie x

Vegetable Lasagne and Face Painting, what's not to love........

My daughter went to her friends house for a playdate after school, and came back raging about what they had to eat.

So I duly texted Hannah - our multi-talented face painting artist of Glitterbox fame - to find out what they'd had.  Turns out it was a vegetable lasagne, and Scarlett had 3 helpings of it!!!  I asked for the recipe, and Hannah, being a recipe phobe, texted me what was in it.

I've since made it for all of us, the kids devoured it, and Chris loved it too, compliments indeed from my carnivore husband!   So, with permission from Hannah, here it is, just as I received it.

<---------------------------------------------------------------------

Having then nosed around at what Hannah has been up to - as you do (I blame my new obsession with Facebook), I discovered some photo shoots Hannah has been involved with, and she said she was happy to share too, so have a look see below!  Puts my England flag on my blogger header to shame ha!

This was for a Valentines Day shoot Hannah did recently, photography by Jeanette Lendon (who took some fantastics pictures of my kids yesterday), and make up by Karen Snook.  

Maybe, when QPR get promoted back to the Premier League, then Hannah can paint me a nice logo - no worries Hannah, it could be a while yet!

#bringsitbacktofootball

Thanks for reading, now go make the lasagne and let me know how you go!

Annie x

The Real Greek - We Are Dining in W12!

 I was set a challenge, to take on a Westfield London restaurant's signature dish head to head. Had lots to choose from, and was torn between Mexican Wahaca, Brasilian Cabana and The Real Greek.................I settled on The Real Greek in the end, as I am more familiar to Greek food, (we have a Villa Annie in Crete that we frequent).

We headed to Shepherds Bush for the day (home to the mighty Super Hoops), and picked up my mum on the way.  The signature dish here was the Souvlaki, a popular dish across Greece, and served slightly differently depending on where you are.

In Crete the Souvlaki would simply be skewers of BBQ's meats, and if in a wrap it would be known as Gyros - which translates as "plate" i.e. it is a meal in one.

Souvlaki

Here the Souvlaki was served in a flatbread wrap, with their own home-made tstatsiki, red onion, tomatoes, sweet paprika, and a choice of meats, haloumi or falafel.  I opted for the chicken.   It was truly scrummy, the flavours transported me straight back to the little shop in Kalyves where we often stop for lunch..........I must go back to W12 and try the other fillings too, I love haloumi/squeaky cheese as we call it  (though I would say this is more a Cypriot ingredient).

Anyhoo, I digress.  I have since produced my own version of this dish.   It was every bit as yummy, and I enjoyed making it, as much as I enjoyed watching the kids devour it.  We are off to Crete in April, and this has just served to make my heart pine for my little piece of Greece.........bring on the sunshine!


Annie's Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki, red onion and tomatoes in a flatbread wrap!

2tbs olive oil

2tbs lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp dried oregano
Pinch of salt
500g chicken thighs (skinned & boned) and cut into squares.

Combine all the ingredients and marinade for a minimum of 2hrs, but longer if you have time.

For the tsatziki (this makes plenty)!

170g plain Greek Yoghurt (I use the Total 0% fat)
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and grated
1 tbs olive oil
2 tsp white wine vinegar
1 glove garlic, crushed
Pinch of salt

Again, combine all the ingredients and put in the fridge for 1-2 hours.

You will also need flatbreads, skewers, tomatoes and red onion, or whatever other fillings you like.  I also added grilled sweet peppers.

When you are ready to go, thread the marinated chicken onto skewers - if using wooden ones, make sure you have pre-soaked in water for at least 15 minutes.  Put under a medium grill for around 8 minutes a side, until no longer pink in the middle.

Load the flat bread with the chicken, a couple of spoons of Tzatziki (to taste), tomatoes, onion etc. wrap and eat.

In Crete, when you order the Gyros, they put chips in it too, the kids and Chris like it, but I always take mine out - a carb too far in my mind, but hey as you like it!

Thanks for reading!
Annie x

Slow Cooker Roast Pork with Crackling........YES Crackling!

No I'm not going mad, I was sceptical too, but you know what, it works and was bleeping delicious!  The picture speaks for itself...................

The idea is that you let the pork cook slowly in the slowcooker, then finish off in the oven for 45 minutes, around the same time it takes to make your roast potatoes.

Found this recipe at slowcookerqueen.com it's a fab website...... *goes off to search for more little gems*.

UPDATE: I have since used this method for my slowcooker "roast" chicken and it works a dream too :)

Thanks for reading!

Annie x