Simple recipee

Forget "chicken a la king"- here's something tastier and just as simple.

You'll need:

8 chicken thighs on the bone- keep the skin on- that's the best bit

1 tbsp olive oil

200ml dry white wine

4 medium leeks- cut into 5cm lengths

2 cloves of garlic- crushed

Leaves from 4 srigs of thyme- not sure how you get just the leaves off.

2 bay leaves

200ml chicken stock

A handful of chopped parsley (finely if you're after Michelin ratings)

One and a half tbsp Dijon mustard (I used Colemans- what the heck!)






Here's the deal-

Heat your oven to 200 degrees cee- gas mark 6. Season chicken.

Brown for 3 mins then 1 min on the other side.

Use the fat from the chicken frying exercise, add the wine and bubble for 5 mins.

Add everything else- ah- except the mustard and parsley. Bubble for 5 mins.

Tip the bubbly mixture into the chicken pieces.

Cook in oven for 30 min covered with foil, and for 30 mins uncovered.

Whisk the mustard into the cooked juices (of course you'd have removed the cooked chicken before whisking it to smithereens!)

Reunite the chicken and mustardy juices. Sprinkle on parsley and you're ready to "roll". (or mashed potato if you prefer, or rice.)



And also here's a bit of a slight twist on the traditional Irish Stew-

You'll need-
4 tbsp olive oil
2 large onions
1 garlic clove
1.6kg braising steak or shin
5 tbsp plain flour
600ml Guiness
500ml beef stock
2 sprigs of thyme
Chopped parsley


What you do-
Heat 1 tbsp oil and fry over medium heat- the onion, garlic & thyme for 2 minutes or until soft.

Season the flour with salt & pepper & dust the beef with it- or in it.

Heat 3 tbsp oil in a casserole dish over high heat & fry beef until browned.

Add onions, garlic, & thyme (fried above) to the casserole dish & heat over a medium heat. Then add the Guiness, stock & herbs (what herbs?) & bring to the boil.

Cover & simmer on low heat (how else would you simmer?) for 2-3 hours or until the meat is tender.

Add the chopped parsley and serve (and enjoy- with some extra Guiness).




Yum-yum.

Fuelling up

Thought I'd create a directory of really good fuels and gels to test out in the coming weeks.

Just coasting really most weeks- as I have to keep breaking off to go on my training course in Group Psychotherapy- or Psychobabble as I prefer to think of it.

So here goes-

Most popular seems to be TORQ products- http://www.torqfitness.co.uk/ for hydration and energy. One 51 year old marathon runner (older than me) recommends CLIF bar Shot Bloks http://www.clifbar.com/ . There's NaKD (http://www.naturalbalancefoods.co.uk/) and 9 snack bars sound good (http://www.naturalcollection.com/ ). Also Maxi Fuel Viper Active 35grams of carbs(http://www.maxifuel.com/ ). Also Gatorade Perform Orange with its' 30g of carbohydrate, or Maxi

If it's drinks you're after then try Powershot Organic Energy (http://www.thehealthbay.com/), or Orbana Energy (http://www.orbana.com/). All the local supermarkets stock- Neurosport- which replaces electrolytes & minerals but is low cal.

How about "4:1" by High5- http://www.highfive.co.uk/ which is four parts carbs and one part whey protein- good for extending endurance- now that's just what I need.

For endurance- there's Nectar Sports Fuel Concentrate & Gatorade Endurance Hydration.

A few runners use "yoursportsfuel" before and after races- but I can't find a website for it- I'm sure there is one. One runner takes a Bi-Carb capsule beforehand to prevent lactic acid build-up which causes the dreaded "wall", and there's even talk of milk and coconut water as a recovery drink.

Whatever will they think of next- now order on-line and experiment. Or maybe make your own. 200ml (Isotonic) or 400ml (hypertonic) of concentrated orange squash- in 1litre of water with a pinch of salt. Simples. Serve chilled.

Ab-s-o-lute-ly Flawless.

Just been to see the Flawless show- concert if you like- at the Lowry in Manchester. Those guys were absolutely fantastic.

I was worried at the start about how a dance troupe would keep us engaged for the whole show but the guys pulled it off beautifully. They must have fab producers, directors, choreographers n stuff- cos it all worked so well and so smoothly.

We started off with the kind of dance routines we're used to from the "Britains Got Talent" days- but quite quickly moved on to various other pieces- each telling a story. There was the extended story of the homeless man with excellent graphics in the background- skillfully enacted so that you felt you were in a sort of breakdance musical or opera. The changes between routines were so seamless that you didn't dare take your eyes off stage for even a moment.

There were the individual performances in the second half- with each "chosen" performer using a prop (or "talisman") of their choice in their individually led dance routine- but with support available in the background. The best was the guy with the cloak and his fight routine which was absolutely captivating.

It was fantastic the way the guys would move in and out- from background to foreground, from action to stillness, so effortlessly and fluidly. They never seemed to be out of breath, never put a foot wrong. No wonder- they're all so physically fit- and every now and then-a dancer would change their outfit on stage to reveal the most amazing "six- pack" to a chorus of "whoo's" from the audience.

The speed and intricacy of the dance moves was breathtaking- at times they performed the impossible- but at times it was simple- like their take on 80's funk. I found myself thinking "I could do that". There was lots of Michael Jackson bits- perhaps a little too much- but you could see how much he inspired them.

We all enjoyed the audience participation at the start of the second half- with all of us concentrating hard to master the required routine using our "PWG's" or "Protective White Gauntlets" -white gloves really- but it worked so well and created a wonderful visual effect in the room with the lights dimmed. I remember thinking at that point- "these guys should be in the opening ceremony for the Olympics for sure".

And then afterward- the guys sat for ages- all in a row- chatting with the fans, signing stuff, and having umpteen pictures taken. They were so genuine and friendly and warm. My daughter had a poster, her "Britain's Got Talent" picture book- which the guys loved, and her new white gloves which light up- all signed.

What an experience. What a night.

I was inspired too- not so much to dance- couldn't- I have tried. Rather to hold onto my dreams-"never mind the competition".

Thanks guys.