Food Round-up: Mexican meals

Food round-up: cooking

Photo credit: Dragon Images via Shutterstock

In Mexico, Cinco de Mayo (5th May) is a time for fiestas! On 5th May Mexico celebrate their victory over a French invasion by having parties which involve mariachi music, margaritas, beer and lots of food. With this in mind for the May food round-up I thought that I would share with you a selection of some delicious Mexican inspired recipes.

One of my favourite vegetables has to be avocado and this recipe from Everyday Healthy Recipes is a delicious way to enjoy avocado. The avocado with salsa and black beans not sounds delicious, but also looks great!

If you are looking for a chilli with a difference then Sneaky Veg has got the perfect dish. This veggie chilli with cornbread crust will certainly please the whole family!

For any Mexican feast, guacamole is a must have. After trying my quick and easy guacamole recipe on Hijacked By Twins you will not go back to pre made again!

If you love tacos then you will love these lamb tacos from Easy Peasy Foodie. Forget chicken or beef these tacos will definitely tickle your taste buds!

If you want a veggie taco then these tacos from Alison?s Allspice will keep your guests coming back for more! Her black bean street tacos with radish corn salsa will certainly keep the fiesta going!

When you think of Mexican soups gazpacho immediately comes to mind. But The Veg Space has created something a little different. Her smoky Mexican quinoa soup is full of goodness and the taste of Mexico!

Looking for a Mexican meal to take out? Then The Crazy Kitchen?s Mexican jam jar salad is what you need. These tasty jam jars full of flavour will keep you longing for lunch time to arrive!

Last but not least is this slow cooked pumpkin and mixed bean chilli from Mummy Mishap?s. Slow cooking the chilli allows the flavours to develop and leaves you with a rich, irresistible sauce!

What are your favourite Mexican dishes?

Unfortunately this is to be my final round-up for BritMums. I have got a new job which means my time is even more precious. But do not worry I am leaving both the Food and Baking round-ups in very good hands! But you can still find me over at Hijacked By Twins.

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About Kirsty Phillipson-Lowe

Kirsty is a busy mum of three children, two of which are twins, housewife and blogger at www.hijackedbytwins.com. Kirsty specialises in family friendly recipes that can be easily made even when life is manic! Whether in the kitchen cooking a meal or baking a cake, it is Kirsty’s favourite place to be. Living the the countryside means she can enjoy freshly grown produce and fresh eggs ready for all of her bakes! You can find Kirsty on Twitter (@k_phillipson) Instagram (hijackedbytwins) Pinterest (hijackedbytwins) and Facebook (hijackedbytwins)

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10 of the most relaxing games on PC

Relaxing games

Navigate the gallery by clicking on the left and right arrows or use the left and right cursor keys on your keyboard!

Real life is rubbish sometimes, and there?s nothing that video games can do about that. But I know that if I?ve had a particularly tough day at work, then sitting down at my PC and visiting a different world can often be exactly what I need to unwind.

There are two things I noticed when compiling this list of the 10 most relaxing games. One is that all of them have excellent mellow soundtracks, highlighting just how important audio is in deciding the tone of any game. The second is that the setting is almost always the star, not the plot or action.

In a lot of them, you don?t actually do much. Proteus, for example, is a glorified walk in the woods and Abzu is essentially a giant aquarium that you can swim around. But it works to their advantage. Without a clear direction, you?re free to explore, to sink into the world, and pay extra attention to the sights and sounds. It?s the perfect formula for forgetting your real-life struggles.

If you?ve got a particular game that helps you relax that didn?t make the list, then let me know in the comments.

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2017 Spanish Grand Prix track preview | 2017 Spanish Grand Prix

If there?s one track which Formula One drivers can lap with their eyes closed it is the Circuit de Catalunya.

Its variety of corners makes it a revealing benchmark track for the season ahead. Especially as teams often use it to introduce their first major upgrades of the season.

But having already logged a combined 7,400 laps of the track in pre-season testing this year alone, the venue is unlikely to offer the drivers any surprises.

Key places to watch will be turns three and nine, which the new-generation cars are expected to tackle flat-out. Will that allow them to qualify five seconds faster than they did two years ago?

They?ve already lapped quicker than that in testing. However that was achieved on super-soft tyres which won?t be available this weekend. This will be the true test.

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A lap of the Circuit de Catalunya

Daniel Ricciardo calls the Barcelona track ?one of the better circuits on the calendar? which as ?got a bit of everything?.

Marcus Ericsson, Sauber, Circuit de Catalunya, 2017Catalunya features some serious quick corners?Turns one, two and three are really good flowing corners.? The run towards them is not as long as at Sochi?s mammoth sprint to the first braking zone, but at over 700 metres it is one of the longest on the calendar. It is narrower too, which makes a greater difference with this year?s wider cars.

The entry speed to turn one is fairly high which means drivers have to be fully committed to make an overtaking move work. It?s one of the reasons why passing at this track is especially difficult.

Turn three previously required a lift on the throttle to achieve an entry speed of around 210kph. This is no longer the case, which may allow drivers to adjust their exit from turn two accordingly.

Last year the two Mercedes drivers got no further than turn four during the race as they collided while disputing the lead. On an ordinary lap drivers are minded to avoid locking the front brake before taking an early apex.

The track drops as the drivers quickly approach the next corner. ?The hairpin into turn five, going down you don?t see the apex until late, so it?s a tricky corner,? explains Romain Grosjean.

Turn six serves only to keep sign-writers in employment; the next true corner is number seven. This was a significant braking zone last year, where drivers reduced their speed by around half. They should be able to attack it with considerably more commitment this time.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull, Circuit de Catalunya, 2017Slow chicane was added ten years agoThe same is true of turn nine. On his 2016 pole position lap Lewis Hamilton reduced his speed from 261 to 217kph here, but we should see the drivers keep the throttle wide open this weekend. It can be gusty at this point on the track, however, and a messy exit will prevent drivers from being able to open DRS immediately on the following straight.

The final sector of the lap is considerably slower than it was when the circuit first opened 26 years ago. Turn ten became a sharp hairpin in the name of overtaking back in 2004, with mixed results at best. It is ?very tricky under braking? according to Grosjean. This begins a busy sequence of mostly slow corners.

Turn 12 is the only corner left on this part of the track which is unchanged from the original configuration. The long turn sets the drivers up for the sharp, slow right-left-right which was introduced ten years ago as the run-off on this section of the track was though too small for the old, high-speed final corners. The final corner is much the same as it was, but the approach speed is now so low it?s just an acceleration zone.

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Greek Bean Soup (Fasolada)

Fasolada is a traditional Greek soup, mostly prepared in cold weathers. It is a healthy combination of beans, tomatoes, carrots and various healthy spices. Bean lovers will appreciate this.

Greek Bean Soup (Fasolada)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup white kidney beans
  • 1 onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 carrots, sliced
  • 1 stalk celery, chopped
  • 1 (450 g) can diced tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 1-2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
  • Salt, to taste
  • Ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Soak the beans in cold water and let them stand overnight. Slightly rinse and drain in a colander.
  2. Transfer the beans to a large pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. After 3-4 minutes pour off the boiling water, add 3 cups fresh cold water and set over a medium-high heat.
  3. Once the water returns to the boil stir in the carrots, tomatoes, onions, tomato paste, thyme, olive oil, oregano and celery, and season with salt and pepper. Let the dish simmer over low heat for about an hour until the beans are tender. In the end, add the chopped parsley, give a stir and remove the soup from the heat.

http://agirlcalledjack.com/greek-bean-soup-fasolada/

Tags: Bean, Carrot

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2017 Spanish Grand Prix TV Times | 2017 Spanish Grand Prix

Join us on F1 Fanatic Live throughout every session of the Spanish Grand Prix weekend plus IndyCar action from the Indianapolis road course, Formula E racing in Monaco, Formula V8 3.5 from Monza and the Formula Two and GP3 support races in Spain.

Look out for the live page on the site during every session and follow all the action with your fellow F1 Fanatics.

Here are the details of Sky and Channel 4?s coverage of the 2017 Spanish Grand Prix in the UK:

Friday to Sunday 12-14th May 2017

Day Session Channel Coverage starts Session starts Session ends
Friday Spanish Grand Prix first practice live Sky Sports F1 08:45 09:00 10:30
Friday Spanish Grand Prix second practice live Sky Sports F1 12:45 13:00 14:30
Saturday Spanish Grand Prix third practice live Sky Sports F1 09:45 10:00 11:00
Saturday Spanish Grand Prix qualifying live Sky Sports F1 12:00 13:00
Saturday Formula V8 3.5 Monza race one live BT Sport 3 14:00 14:21
Saturday Formula E Monaco ePrix live Channel 5 14:30 15:00
Saturday Formula Two Spain feature race live Sky Sports F1 14:40 14:40
Saturday GP3 Spain race one live Sky Sports F1 16:10 16:20
Saturday Spanish Grand Prix qualifying highlights Channel 4 17:30
Saturday IndyCar Grand Prix of Indianapolis live BT Sport 2 20:30 20:50
Sunday GP3 Spain race two live Sky Sports F1 8:20 08:25
Sunday Formula Two Spain sprint race live Sky Sports F1 9:30 10:35
Sunday Formula V8 3.5 Monza race two live BT Sport 3 10:30 10:46
Sunday Spanish Grand Prix live Sky Sports F1 11:30 13:00
Sunday Spanish Grand Prix highlights Channel 4 18:45

Watch F1 live on Sky Sports with Now TV for as little as £6.99

Want to watch all of this weekend?s Formula One coverage on Sky Sports? F1 Fanatic readers in the UK can buy a 24-hour subscription to all Sky Sports channels for £6.99 or a one-week pass for £10.99 to watch this weekend?s grand prix.

And when you buy using the link below you also make a contribution to F1 Fanatic! Find out more and sign up here:

For details of coverage in your area see these links or share information in the comments:

Find times for every F1 session this year and all the 2017 race dates with the F1 Fanatic Google Calendar.

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10 Incredible New Pioneers Of Old-School Metal

Ever since the halcyon days of Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Blue Cheer and Steppenwolf, extreme music has been a force to be reckoned with, driven by aggression, machismo and, above all else, unadulterated volume!

Nowadays, the acts at the very top of the mountain are nostalgia groups: predominately, they’re bands that peaked in the ’80s or ’90s, and are continuing to headline massive festivals, as well as regularly tour all over the world to this very day. This includes the likes of Metallica, System of a Down, Slayer, Anthrax, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Sepultura, Tool and Megadeth.

And this, in turn, begs a question:

What happens when, inevitably, these older acts at the very pinnacle of metal’s popularity call it quits?

Some have been going for thirty-plus years and, as horrid as it is to fathom, their performing days are definitely numbered.

In fear of this eventuality, I’m going to put forth some possible replacements: new bands that channel old-school heavy genres from the ’80s and ’90s (like thrash, black, death and progressive metal), and will carry them brilliantly into the future.

To clarify, a band is classified as „new“ if it has: a) existed for less than five years, and b) released a maximum of one full-length studio album. That way, hopefully this article introduces you all to as many new, up-and-coming acts as possible.

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Traditional Baklava

Phyllo dough was not born in Greece, but rather in Istanbul during the Ottoman reign. But the Greeks can lay claim to creating the paper-thin version. It is well known that the Turks brought Baklava to Central Europe.

Traditional Baklava

Ingredients

  • 5 cups finely chopped blanched almonds
  • 4 1 cups sugar
  • 1/3 cup bread crumbs
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 lbs phyllo dough
  • 1 lb unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
  • 1 stick cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 300°.
  2. Combine almonds, one cup sugar, bread crumbs, and ground cinnamon in a large bowl; set filling aside.
  3. Unwrap phyllo and trim to fit in a baking pan.
  4. Grease pan with some of the melted butter.
  5. Place 1 sheet of phyllo in pan; brush with butter.
  6. Lay a second sheet of phyllo over first sheet, brush with butter, and sprinkle with two tablespoons of almond filling.
  7. Spread a sheet of phyllo out on a clean work surface, brush with butter, then transfer, buttered side up, to pan.
  8. Evenly sprinkle with almond mixture. Set aside two sheets of phyllo for the top, then continue alternating almond mixture with single buttered sheets of phyllo.
  9. Use reserved phyllo sheets, separated only by butter, to cover top.
  10. Brush top with butter.
  11. Cut across baklava with a serrated knife at about 2? intervals. You should have 8 equal strips.
  12. Sprinkle top with water, cover with two sheets of parchment paper, and bake until golden, about 1 1/2 hours.
  13. Heat remaining sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon stick, and two cups water in a saucepan over medium heat; cook until sugar dissolves, about 15 minutes.
  14. Remove syrup from heat, and discard cinnamon stick; let cool.
  15. Remove baklava from oven. Discard parchment paper, then pour syrup over entire surface.
  16. Tilt pan so syrup reaches all corners, then set baklava aside to cool for 2-3 hours.
  17. Finish cutting baklava on the diagonal for a traditional diamond shape or cut into squares.
  18. Serve and enjoy!

http://agirlcalledjack.com/traditional-baklava/

Tags: Pastry

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A Code whatever your mood ? Giorgio Armani Codes

Giorgio Armani hasn?t just built a clothing empire, worthy of his Roman roots, no indeed, his reign for over forty years stretches across kingdoms including Armani Exchange to Armani Privee, right the way through to Armani Nevè (Skiwear) to Armani Casa (home) and of course Armani Timepieces to Armani fragrances.

One of the most popular and successful amongst his stable of scents is Giorgio Armani CODE, which has recently added a new member to the family in the shape of Code Colonia. A new male fragrance which offers a combination of citrus tones including bergamot, mandarin and pink peppercorns, with aromatic middle notes of clary sage that blend with floral notes and resonate with salicylate orange blossom. The trail ends on a more fleshy base note with woody, amber and tonkanotes. Recommended to be worn during the day for a clean and fresh aroma.

If your looking for a scent best worn at Night maybe opt for the original Code, a fresh light and harmonious lemon with delicate bergamot evoking the crystalline elegance of a cologne. Olive flower, with its strangely attractive aromatic aniseed notes. Pure, smooth and radiant, like a good quality red wine, it?s inextricably linked with Latin origins. A combination of tobacco, fine leather and rare woods blend with tonka bean, coumarin and heliotrope.  This much loved scent captivates with its deep, warm, soothing qualities.

Lastly, this alluring, powerful and fiery male scent. It involves the classic Code base of tonka bean, but with Profumo it has been amplified by a sensual woody-Amberg accord and notes of burnt styrax wood. It contains a burst of head notes with green mandarin essence, crisp green apples and cardamom. The freshness continues with aromatic lavender notes and nutmeg essence tainted by the purity of orange blossom at its heart. Each element in the fragrance is warmed by tonka bean with its accents of tobacco, before being enveloped in a woody-Ambery accord. The supple leather notes of the styrax essence meld with a hint of praline sweetness making it prefect for the transition from evening into night.