Grilled stuffed mushrooms - Recipe (with Quark)

I am thrilled to announce this was my winning entry in a Quark recipe competition.


A fab dinner party starter. Lay them on a bed of salad and enjoy.
Easy to make and more importantly, really quick !
I have replaced the cream with Quark, which is higher in protein and virtually fat free.
Do bear in mind the mushrooms are also stuffed with blue cheese, so not that low-cal ;-)

Here is the recipe:

Win a family ticket to the Dungeon in London, York or Edinburgh

The Dungeon has moved to Southbank in London.

Read my review here :
http://hussylondonhousewife.blogspot.com/2013/08/what-to-do-with-kids-london-dungeon.html

To win your own chance to scare the family, enter the Rafflecopter below :

a Rafflecopter giveaway


ThePrizeFinder - UK Competitions
Superlucky blog - Competitions listing
Loquax competition forum and listing

What to do with the kids ? - The London Dungeon visit and your chance to win a family ticket for the Dungeon (London, York or Edinburgh)

Last week I visited the London Dungeon for the first time since it moved from the old London Bridge location.
My last visit must be around 10 years back now ! And the Dungeon has changed quite a bit.







The idea is still a "Horrible History" lesson on London from the Great Plague to 1783, where you will plunge to your own death after being sentenced to hanging!
Each of the experience / room present a show with a live actor : 18 in total !

So what is it all about ?

You will start your descent into the murky past of London through the Leper's lift.
The Leper will welcome you to the Dungeon and to his lift.
After learning a bit about leprosy; if you are lucky, you will arrive at Thames River Dock.
But will you survive the ride or fear will be taking over you ?
(During our visit; 2 children had to be removed from the Dungeon !)

Quark & Bacon Souffle - Recipe (Economical recipe)

Do not be put off my making soufflé.
The picture-perfect ones you will find in books are no guarantee but it is very easy to knock up a heavenly light, airy and comforting soufflé.
And this recipe even cuts corner to make your life easier.


A cheese souffle is usually based on a béchamel sauce.
Quark will give you very similar results in 1/2 the effort.
And if you want to soufflé to be really cheesy, do not hesitate to add some grated Parmesan cheese to your base.

What does it take ?

Prep time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 20 to 25 minutes
Serves: 2 to 3
Cost: Economical

What do I need ?

- 4 eggs
- 1 pot of Lake District Company plain Quark
- 50g finely grated parmesan (optional)
- 100g bacon / lardons
- Salt and pepper
- Nutmeg (optional)
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard or 1 tsp powdered mustard
- Butter to butter the dish(es)

What do I do ?

Win a bottle of Alassala's delicious and super healthy Organic Argan Oil, as well as two pots of olives of your choice

Alassala's has kindly offered a bottle of their fab Argan oil (for cooking and salads) as well as some olives of your choice.
I recently reviewed their delicious products, wonderful ethical business and created a couple of Moroccan Chicken Tajine recipes (traditional)

Product Review: My review of Alassala's Organic Argan Oil and other products
Traditional Recipe : Traditional Moroccan chicken, olives and lemon tajine
Casserole dish version : Chicken tajine in a casserole dish - Modernised version of a traditional Moroccan dish

Protein fuelled, low fat lunch wrap with tuna, avocado and Quark - Recipe

A super proteined lunch for sustainable energy.
Even better news, it is very low fat.

My lean version of tuna mayo used to be mixing tuna and cream-cheese.
Thankfully, now that Quark is available on most super-market shelves, this is the ultimate in low fat lunch ;-)
Quark is virtually fat-free and as tasty and creamy as cream-cheese !

Here is my recipe

Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time : 1 min
Quantities : for 2 wraps

What do I need ?

- 2 tortilla wraps
- 1 small can of tuna in brine (200g)
- 1 avocado pear
- 1/2 lemon
- 1 shallot (optional)
- 3 to 4 tbsp The Lake District Company plain Quark
- 1tsp Dijon mustard
- A large pinch of cayenne pepper
- Salt

What do I do?

Lemon and coconut tarts with Quark - Recipe

These are particularly delicious warm.
It is a classic french recipe, usually made with shortcrust pastry.
I made this one with puff pastry to :
1. Gain time, the puff pastry doesn't need blind baking ;-)
2. The result is even better with the flaky puff pastry against the light macaroon type filling
I made individual tartlets but feel free to make a large single one.

Preparation time: 15 mins.
Cooking time: 25 to 30 mins
Serves: 4 to 6 tartlets or a large tart for 6 people

What do I need ?

- 1 sheet of ready-made puff pastry
- 60g butter
- 75g sugar
- 2 eggs
- 75g plain Lake District Company Quark
- juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
- 45g desiccated coconut

What do I do ?

Batiste - Leave in Smoothing Conditioner Mist - Review

Still part of the latest BzzAgent Batiste campaign, I was given a can of Leave in Smoothing Conditioner Mist to try for free.


I thought the dry shampoo was convenient for emergencies but I wasn't converted.
Now; I am definitely a convert of the Conditioning Mist !

Through the years, I have tried various leave-in conditioners with results ranging from mediocre and leaving my hair greasy to good or above average with decent softening properties.
Never had I yet come across a miracle product.
Batiste Conditioning Mist could fit into this category now ;-)

What does Batiste say about it?

Goodbye brittle mop, hello silky locks - a few spritz of the superlight dry feel Smoothing Conditioning Mistspray, infused with Argan Oil, is perfect for the days when you are fighting the frizz or dry ends are driving you dotty. A quick spritz into the mid lengths & ends nourishes, smoothes fly-aways and helps retain moisture in dry unmanageable hair, giving you shiny, great looking hair every day.

What do I think ?

What to do with the kids this Summer - Cutty Sark - Deck & Captain's Quarters - Greenwich, London

Here is the second and last part of the Cutty Sark's photo album.
We are looking at the deck and some of the Captain's quarters.

The bow and some impressive rigging
More below:

100% Ethically Source and Organic Cooking Argan Oil from Alassala - Review

We all know the benefits of argan oil for beauty and the product has now become ubiquitous in cosmetics.

Many claiming they contain argan oil, even if it is a fraction of a percentage.

However, I fell in love with aragan oil for its initial intended purpose about 10 years ago : cooking !

The taste is wonderfully nutty but more discreet than hazelnut or walnut oil.

I used to buy it on trips to Morocco or some specialists shops on the continent.

Finally ! I can now buy it in the UK, online at Alassala :-) 

http://www.alassala.co.uk

What is Alassala Organic Argan oil ?

Argan oil comes from the nut of the argan tree.

It is only found in South West Morocco and produced naturally by women cooperatives.

After cracking, the inner “almond” is ground into paste and the golden oil extracted. 
One tree, producing 30Kg of fruit, delivers just one litre of oil. Alassala Organic Moroccan Argan Oil is 100% pure and natural. It is perfect for healthy diet as it is rich in essential vitamins, such as Vitamin E and Omega acids.

Win your own Alassala's Organic Argan cooking oil and Alassala's olives of your choice starting soon.

Moroccan Chicken tajine with Alassala Organic Argan Oil - Traditional method - Healthy recipe

A few weeks ago, I posted a recipe for the Moroccan chicken tajine with olives, preserved lemons and potatoes.
As most of us do not own a tajine dish, I modernised the recipe and made it in a casserole dish.
However, for the traditionalists; here is the recipe as my nanny used to make ;-)
If you have a tajine dish, this is even more delicious than the previous recipe !

The Argan oil is not compulsory but will make a delicious and healthy addition.
You can buy the Argan oil at Alassala on line; they also sell some delicious olives and preserved lemon.
And for those of you who only believe in Argan Oil for beauty; they also sell the cosmetic version.
Alassala online shop

Win your own Alassala's Organic Argan cooking oil and Alassala's olives of your choice soon.

A new competition to win the above will start on 20th August.
Come back to this site to enter through the rafflecopter on the competition post (Will be published 19th August)
See the range of olives here : Alassala's olive range

Here is the recipe :