Cheap Cheap Chicken Pie

I have always loved to cook, but pastry has never been my strong suit. I learnt to work with the ready to roll frozen stuff and this chicken pie is a firm favourite in our house. It's pretty quick to put together and generally looks like you've made more effort than you actually have. There is also the added bonus of it being ideal for baby led weaning. the sections of pastry and chunks of chicken are perfect for little hands. I always make too much mixture, so the quantities below will make two pies

All you need is:

two pack of ready roll shortcrust pastry (one per pie)
one tin of mixed vegetables
one tin of chicken soup
4 chicken or turkey breasts.

oven tray
parchment paper
a mixing bowl
a frying pan
a sharp knife
a tin opener
olive oil

Start by covering an oven tray in some parchment paper. I tend to use the foil backed stuff from Lakeland. That stuff is amazing and so useful for everything.

Once you've covered your tray, roll out your rectangle of pastry.

Using a sharp knife, draw (not cut) two lines down the length of the pastry to mark it into thirds.

Cut matching notches down each outside edge...you will use these to form your lattice.

Now open your tins of soup and veg and pour into your bowl.

Cut your chicken breasts into wee chunks and brown off in a tiny amount of olive oil

Once browned, pop them into the bowl with the soup etc and stir together. Spoon the mixture down the centre of your pastry rectangle then, working from either end, fold in your pastry strips at an angle to create your lattice top.

 Repeat for your second pie. Bake in the centre of the oven at 200 (180 for fan assisted) for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. If you have not used frozen pastry then you can freeze the second pie for another day.

I serve it with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli. A big hit wit my lil guy! Not much left at all

 Enjoy!

I've got big hair and I cannot lie

So I've had a lot of people asking me how I manage to get my hair up into a scarf. You see I have a lot of hair. A LOT. I once had a hair dresser tell me I had three heads worth, and it costs twice the usual price to get it dyed as they need to use so much dye. Appointments at the salon can take a whole day, and you can see the "oh shit" look going across a hairdressers face when I take my hair down. Hair elastics and bands take one look at my head and quiver in fear. It can break a bobby pin in two without breaking a sweat, and needs a gazillion pins and clips to hold any style in place. Added to this I have a huge head. I adore hats, and even suit them pretty well, but rarely get any that fit my ginormous head and those elasticated headbands just slid right off my oddly shaped bonce. Because of this I'd always shied away from bandana hair styles, as those measly lil things so rarely ever went around my fat head.

All that changed a few months back. I went to see the fabulous Sarah Dunn, proprietor or Sarah's Doo Wop Dos, and she set my hair in rollers for an event the next day. I'd brought along a huge silk scarf to tie around the curls, but hadn't expected anything other than the most perfunctory of bows, and totally assumed it would look like a dog's dinner. However, Sarah is bloody magic, and managed to whip up the most stylish turban. It got me thinking, and a few weeks later I saw another pal who had a lot of hair wearing a turban and looking bloody amazing so decided to give it a go for myself. After some practice and a bit of finessing, I've found a method that works well for me, and it's now one of my favourite quick and easy hairstyles for a vintage look that doesn't take much time. Below is my method, which you are welcome to use and adapt to suit yourself. I hope it helps some busy mamas to have an easy hair day once in a while, whilst still looking like you've made an effort.

First you will need a few essentials. 

Hairbrush

Tailcomb

Your preferred pins and clips

Hairspray, and pomade if you have any

A large silk scarf (Primark are currently doing some fabulous ones, like the green I've used today, for just £3, and if you are in Northern Ireland, Dunnes Stores have a few gorgeous ones in their sale too)

 

Start by brushing it out, and using the tail comb to section off the centre front segment. I use the end of my eyebrows as a guide to my sectioning. 

That done, I roughly brush the rest back into a ponytail and twist it up into a rough French pleat. 

 

Over the years I've found that the best way for me to ensure it stays up is to secure it with a few extra strong hair pins first, by inserting the pin in the opposite direction first, then bending it back on itself before sliding it into the hair. It's really hard to describe so hopefully the photos below will help.

 

Add as many pins and clips as you need to feel secure, but don't worry about it being neat cos the scarf hides everything anyway. 

Now we go back to our front section. Comb it out neatly, then back comb the Shit out of it. That's a technical term and a vital step. In order to not kill my hair, and to be able to brush it out less painfully later, I find that only combing downwards helps. Insert the comb, pull it downwards, then take out and repeat. Spray copiously with your favourite hairspray.

 

At this point I add some pomade to ends of the hair, as I find it makes it easier to get (and hold onto) a roll.

 

Now wrap the segment around your fingers and wind inwards until you get to the head. 

 

It does take some practice, but now clip the roll into place on both sides then grab your scarf and fold in half, point to point.

 

Find the centre point of the long side of your scarf triangle and place it at the nape of your neck. Secure it by crossing two clips over each other. Gently pull the side of the scarf into place (without tying it! Not yet!) and secure at your temple with more crossed clips. When both sides sre clipped into place, lightly roll the ends of the scarf inwards (see bottom right pic)

 

I tend to tuck the point in my mouth here to hold it in place as I tie the ends on the top of my head, behind the roll. I then pull the point over the top of the tie to the back and tie the ends again, before taking the point forward a final time and tucking it under the knot. 

 

Finally, I take the ends of the scarf down the sides and tuck them under the scarf, securing with yet more pins. Voila! Neat, tidy and it looks like you made more effort than you actually did!