Easy Peasy Raspberry Jam

Earlier this week I came across a great article in The Guardian about Jam-making.

Anyway it had loads of info about the art of jam-making in general and then a really easy recipe for Raspberry Jam which I have reposted below.

If you've never made jam before, this is a good place to start. Raspberry jam is the easiest and quickest of all jams to make, and one of the most delicious. Loganberries, boysenberries or tayberries may be used in this recipe, too. Because it uses equal amounts of sugar and fruit, you don't necessarily need as much as the recipe calls for. Sometimes when I'm trying to take the mystery out of jam-making for students, I put some scones into the oven, then make jam, and by the time the scones are out of the oven, the jam is made. It's that easy!

Makes 3 450g (1lb) pots.

900g (2lb) fresh or frozen berries
900g (2lb) white sugar, warmed
(use 110g/4oz less if the fruit is very sweet)

Wash, dry and sterilise the jars in the oven for 15 minutes. Put the berries into a wide, stainless-steel saucepan. Mash them a little and cook for 3–4 minutes over a medium heat until the juice begins to run, then add the warmed sugar and stir over a gentle heat until the sugar is fully dissolved.

Increase the heat, bring to the boil and cook steadily for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently (frozen berries will take 6 minutes).

Test for a set by putting about a teaspoon of jam on a cold plate and leaving it for a few minutes in a cool place. Press the jam with your index finger. If it wrinkles even slightly, it is set. Remove from the heat immediately. Skim and pour into sterilised jam jars. Cover immediately.

Keep the jam in a cool place or put on a shelf in your kitchen so you can feel great every time you look at it! Anyway, it will be so delicious it won't last long!



And it tastes fantabulous!

Easy Peasy Peppadew Cheesecake

Our friends over at Peppadew UK have come up with this great recipe for an Easy Peasy Peppadew Cheesecake using Goldews - the mildly sweet and sour version of the more famous Peppadew Pepper.

You can find out more about the Peppadew community by Liking them on Facebook

Sit back and relax while watching the delectable Stacey dish up this delicious dessert!

Are Electric Curtains Really Necessary?

We'd been in Las Vegas for a week for the Domino's Pizza 50th Anniversary Celebrations when we finally worked out how to open our curtains!

Joking aside, how much money is wasted on electricity for these things, when there are many more things that should have money spent on them?

Oh and if you click on the video you also get to see me without many clothes on (sort of!)

Las Vegas Isn't Just For Losers!

We were in Sin City for the Domino's Pizza 50th Birthday Celebrations and, scared of joining the big boys on the Roulette, Craps or Blackjack tables, satisfied our urge to see what its all about by playing a little video poker at the Wynn/Encore.

And for one short moment, we felt we were onto something big as the opportunity arose for a life-changing "turn of the cards" came about.

Here is our story....

Top That - Domino's UK Wins World's Fastest Pizza Maker Competition

In Las Vegas July 22, 2010, amidst 6,000 cheering spectators, Domino’s Pizza named Pali Grewal the 2010 World’s Fastest Pizza Maker. Grewal, a Domino’s franchisee from the United Kingdom made three large pizzas in an impressive 39.1 seconds, setting a new world record. That’s making three pizzas in 13 seconds each! Pali, Domino’s first international winner, won $3,000 in prize money, a trophy and the coveted title of Fastest Pizza Maker presented by Domino’s President and CEO, J. Patrick Doyle.

“I’ve been hungry for this title for such a long time and it is just awesome to finally win it,” said Grewal. “Like any great athlete, I’ve been practising and practising and now I am going to take a day off.”

The finalists represented Domino’s Pizza stores from around the world, as far away as Malaysia. They had to hand-stretch fresh dough, pizza sauce and top three large pizzas – one pepperoni, one mushroom and one cheese – as quickly as possible.

While speed was important, it was only part of the recipe. Quality was scrutinised as two judges highly qualified in Domino’s standard pizza-making practices, inspected the stretching of the dough, application of the sauce and portioning of toppings during the competition. If the pizza was not perfect, it was returned to the competitor who remade the entire pizza, while still being timed.

Grewal, a multi store franchisee from Surrey has been with Domino’s for over 18 years. Grewal has been making pizzas since he was 13 years old.

Domino’s began the “World’s Fastest Pizza Maker” competition in 1982 to honour pizza makers who best exemplify the company’s philosophy of keeping efficiency in the store to allow sufficient time for safe, timely pizza delivery.

“Domino’s Pizza is extremely proud to employ the fastest pizza makers in the world,” said Doyle. “Our emphasis is on the quality of the pizza, while also using our expertise to get them made quickly. The goal for everyone in our stores is to get hot, great-tasting pizzas to customers’ doors as quickly as possible. The annual ‘World’s Fastest Pizza Maker’ competition recognizes those who do this with the speed of champions every day.”

Wazuzu Las Vegas Rocks Due to The Power of Twitter

If you only go out for one meal during your stay in Las Vegas then may I heartily recommend Wazuzu in The Encore.

Nicola and Imelda, two of our Twitter friends, had visited a few months ago and positively insisted that we pay Chef Jet Tila and his team a visit, while in town for the Domino's Pizza 50th Birthday Party, with our good friends Andy and Lisa.

After a few Tweets back and forth to Jet, we knew it was going to be something special.

@NicolaMac @LincolnMOD @simonpickles @wazuzuLV lemme know when they visit @wazuzuLV I'll roll out the red carpet!less than a minute ago via UberTwitterjettila
jettila

The quality of the photos does not do the food justice, so many apologies for that, but the whole experience really was exquisite.

We has Sushi for starters.

Our server Waymon was attentive throughout and very knowledgeable about the food.

Then, having Tweeted Mike at Tasting Las Vegas to find out more about the food from someone with local knowledge, he came back with the following suggestions.

@simonpickles The Drunken Noodles (I like beef) and the Panang Curry w/ Roti are must gets. @jettila's crew will treat you good.less than a minute ago via Twitter for iPhoneMike
TastingLasVegas

And what great suggestions they were. The portion sizes were massive, the Jasmine Rice had the right consistency, and (as usual) the wine flowed!

This is the Penang Curry.

And finally here are the Drunken Beef Noodles!

So all that remains to be said is thank you to Jet Tila again, for rolling out the red carpet, to his brilliant team for making the evening so enjoyable, and to Mike at Tasting Las Vegas for the menu suggestions.

So if ever you're in town you must try out Wazuzu in The Encore!

Domino's Pizza Huyton Leads the Way with Foursquare Promotion and Gains International Recognition

Domino's credits Facebook and Foursquare promotions for lifting online sales by 61 percent in the U.K. and Ireland during the first half of this year compared to the same period in 2009. The international pizza chain also announced on Monday that web-based sales now account for 33 percent of its revenue, compared to 26 percent in 2009..... (Read the Full Article here)

With much gratitude to my new TwitterBuddy Chris Heine at Clickz for writing about us in such a nice way.

VendrTV Finds Out About Mobile Pizza of the Highest Quality in Seattle

Nestled in the Pike Place market is Veraci Pizza, a mobile pizza outfit burning apple wood and making just the most delicious Neapolitan pies.In the episode, Dan spoke with owner Marshall Jett about his business and learns the ins and outs of cooking pizza

Domino's Pizza Credits 29% Profits Increase to Social Media Presence

Domino's Pizza has attributed strong growth in online sales to its use of promotions on location-based mobile application Foursquare and social media after revealing a 29% surge in pre-tax profits to £17.5m....... (Read More)

(Marketing Week)

Pizza Shop Owner Cycles to New York to Advocate Pizza Diet

Matt McClellan, 33, a Florida pizza shop owner, cycled from St. Petersburg, FL. to New York eating nothing but pizzas.....

Read the full story here

Dunelm Mill St Helens Sets the Standard with Great Customer Service

This story from The St Helens Star speaks for itself.

Going Above And Beyond the Call Of Duty.

Another great example of the Power of Word of Mouth.