Bacon and Egg Pie Recipe

                                                I am quite proud of the lattice ;)

This dish is fantastic, although the instructions sound fiddly and long, it is actually quite simple. All the changes I made are in bold, otherwise this recipe is from Annabel Langbein. I made this for my Granpa as he quite likes a good bacon and egg pie.

Prep time: 10 mins / Cook time: 55 mins / Serves: 6

3 sheets (450g) ready-rolled savoury shortcrust pastry

250g streaky bacon, cut into 2cm pieces

2 sauteed onions

2 medium potatoes, peeled, cooked and thinly sliced

3 tbsp soft herbs such as parsley, basil, chives or spring onion tops, chopped

14 eggs

¾ cup milk

1 tsp salt

ground black pepper

1)      Preheat oven to 200°C. Place a flat baking tray in the oven to heat – the pie will sit on this and the heat will help it to crisp. *I skipped this and the pie was absolutely fine, go ahead if you want to though.

2)      Cut a piece of baking paper to fit a 40 x 30cm baking dish or roasting pan. It should cover the base and reach about 3-4cm up the sides. Remove the baking paper from the baking dish or roasting pan and lay it flat on your bench. Dust it with a little flour and lay 2 pastry sheets on top. Join the pastry sheets by pressing them together firmly with a small overlap. Roll out the pastry to cover the paper. Lift the paper with the pastry and lay it into the baking dish or roasting pan (it will reach 3-4cm up the sides). *I skipped this step, I put the baking paper straight into the pan, dusted it with flour, and then put the pastry on, and it turned out fine.

3)      Sprinkle the bacon over the pastry. Top with the sliced potato and sprinkle with the herbs. *Add the sauteed onions here, sprinkle them over the pastry. Break 8 whole eggs over the top.

4)      In a mixing bowl, lightly whisk the remaining 6 eggs with the milk, salt and pepper. Pour this evenly over the whole eggs.

5)      Roll out the remaining sheet of pastry very thinly and cut it into narrow strips. Arrange the strips in a lattice pattern on top of the pie, trimming off any excess.

6)      Place the prepared pie on top of the heated baking tray and bake for 12-15 minutes until the pastry is starting to puff and turn golden. Reduce the heat to 180˚C and bake until the pastry is golden and cooked through on the base – about a further 35-40 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature with a salad and pickles or chutney. It will keep in a covered container in the fridge for 2-3 days.

.xo

Why to NOT be yourself

You say “I’m not very confident. I don’t know what to say and do in social situations.”

Some genial do-gooder says “Just be yourself! You’re awesome!”

But..

If everyone were themselves, we would be self-centered, stealing, cheating, lying, abusing, etc. When we think about it, selfishness is what is destroying this world (aside from the need for love).

We don’t need to be more like ourselves, we need to be more like Jesus. Let him transform us into the best version of ourselves. Finding out who we are and what we stand for (WHAT DO I STA-AA-AA-ND FOR WHAT I DO I STA-AA-AA-ND FOR SOME NIGHTS I DON’T KNOW ANYMOOOOOOOOORE) is a quest with a rocky road, or a crossword answered with some 1840s euphemism for a mouldy bagel filled with pig. Can you imagine trying to track that baby down in a dictionary?

Tips:

       1)      Don’t try to be like other people. Unless they are Jesus.

2)      Eat your bible. Become fat in faith.

3)      Let Jesus in, let him be your heartbeat, let him transform you, show you what he thinks of you.

4)    Be unique. I get so frustrated when I catch myself acting like Bob and Joe from across the road.

5)      Dance*.

You’ll find out who you are. Don’t worry. Replace that question mark with a tick.

*Optional but highly recommended. Scientists have proven that it is an automatic feel - good. Scientists have also proven that the people who have the most birthdays live the longest.

.xo

Something called our Western World

     Watch this video. It is so inspiring and doesn't it really bring into perspective our Western culture?

 

video from irisglobal.org

     I am guilty of taking for granted the things that I have, and I completely agree with what Heidi is saying. Our time on earth is this long _____________ and our time in heaven is as long as you can imagine + forever. It doesn't matter how much money we earn. What shoes we wear.

 

     How easy is it to forget, in this swirl of Western culture, that there are people with no father, or mother, no food or water, riddled with sickness and disease.

     But it is easy. It is very easy. It is too easy.

     I want that intimacy. I love her - Heidi Baker is such an amazing lady, you can find more about her and her ministry here.

     What else do I say? Hope this inspires you, keep drawing closer and remembering THERE ARE KIDS IN AFRICA THAT HAVE NO FOOD. Love you.

 

     .xo