Ghastly as it may sound yesterday's spam sweet and sour was superb. With some added reduced in price mange tout and a bowl of fried rice (recipe below) Sunday tea time was to die for.
Today I'm making lentil Bolognaise. A vegetarian favourite easy to prepare and cook and always good to eat. A couple of slices of garlic bread for an accompaniment.

On the baking front I made an English Cherry cake for Hairy Suit's birthday. Glace cherries are notorius for sinking to the bottom cakes if they aren't properly prepped. You need to wash and thoroughly dry the fruit before adding to the cake mix otherwise they sink.
I took the necessary precautions yet as I dried and patted the little horrors they still looked moist and fearing a disaster I resorted to something extreme. Electricity.
Laying the halved damped cherries on kitchen paper I blasted them with me hairy dryer.
The cake was a fabulous success...


FRIED RICE

Some long grain rice, washed and put in pan, add lots of water and simmer till water absorbed.

A chopped onion, a couple of rashers of bacon, snipped into small pieces, a beaten egg, soy sauce, sugar and spring onions.

Just before the rice is cooked fry the onion and bacon, then when the rice is done, drain off any water and dry out over a low flame adding the bacon and onion mixture. Pour in the beaten egg and stir. Then add soy sauce and sugar mixing well. Pour into serving bowl and stir in chopped spring onions.

SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE

fry a chopped onion, some green peppers, sliced carrots, pineapple rings and anything else you fancy like bamboo shoots water chestnuts, mushrooms, mange touts, sweetcorn etc etc
Add some sauce:
MIX
A tablespoonful of tomato ketchup
a good shake of soy sauce
some sugar or honey
the juice from a small can of pineapple
a generous splash of vinegar. I use whatever is handy. On this occasion it was balsamic. But I've used malt, wine and cider.
A sprinkling of Five Spice powder
a little pepper
Into this stir some cornflour and mix thoroughly.
Pour this over your veggies and stirabout. Won't take long to thicken and glisten.