Today's Special

Beef Casserole chock full with sliced carrot, diced potato, onion wedges and nipped swede... then after a few hours topped with eight small dumplings. I've added some dried thyme, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf and plenty of black pepper. Salt kept to a minimum on account of using two oxo cubes. Taste and check along the way you might find you need to add a little extra. Each his own.

For sweet...Eastern Rice Pudding.
This is exotic warm and spicy. Add a little cinnamon, ground cloves, light brown sugar and creamed coconut to the rice and milk then top with shavings of butter and bake as normal. I didn't have any creamed coconut this morning so I improvised by dropping in some dessicated coconut. Haven't used the dried stuff before but I think it should turn out alright.

Also being made today is a Banana Loaf. Mary Berry recipe using simple storecupboard ingredients and two over ripe nanas lounging at the bottom of the fruit bowl.
This is smashing!

A quick word about last night's X Factor.

Dull.

Be interested to see who gets the boot. Girl group Little Muffins exchanged woeful stories about overweightedness and becoming strong through experience. Joy boy Marcus cruised, dotty Irish girl Janet forgot her lyrics. This child has no place in the world of entertainment. Meanwhile Misha has. She rocked. But despite that and her new found tears I still don't dig her.