I had a few aubergines that needed using up so decided to make a moussaka. The dish took quite a long time to prepare so is not something I will be making on a regular basis but the end result was really tasty. This one was made from a Delia recipe. Basically you need to slice a couple of aubergines into thin rounds, cover these with salt and leave them to sit for about 30 minutes. In the meantime fry one onion and 2 cloves of garlic. Add your mince and fry until brown, moussaka is usually made with lamb mince, but I used beef mince for this one. Add a cup of red wine, 2 spoons of tomato puree, a teaspoon of cinnamon and oregano and seasoning. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until all the liquid is gone. Then in another frying pan, fry the aubergines in batches in a little olive oil until they are golden brown. Drain them on kitchen paper to remove some of the oil. Then arrange some aubergines in your dish and put a layer of mince on top. Keep putting alternate layers of mince mixture and aubergines until you have run out of mixture. The topping is made from a white sauce and egg. Melt a couple of spoons of butter in a pan, add flour and gradually add a pint of milk, seasoning and a bit of nutmeg. Add about a cup of shredded cheese and keep stirring until it thickens. Take off the heat and cool the mixture. Whisk in 2 eggs and pour over top of your mince and aubergines. The cook in the oven for about an hour on 180. In all this took a good 2 hours to prepare and another hour to cook.

New research which has been carried out by Stuart Young Consulting has questioned the efficiency of wind farms finding they are less efficient than previously claimed. The report claims that wind farms produce just 10% of capacity for more than a third of the time. It also suggests that output is lowest during the times of peak demand. Based on it’s findings the report concluded that wind turbines cannot be relied upon to produce significant levels of power generation. The findings are certainly interesting but I think if wind power is used alongside other ways of generating power it can still be beneficial. I think most people realise that as yet there is not really a plausible alternative to nuclear power.

If you are looking for an unspoilt beach in Britain then you may want to check out this article. It lists some lesser known beaches  (at least they were until the article highlighted them) that might be worth a visit. Among the beaches it recommends are Luskentyre Beach on the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides, Great Bay in St Martins on the Scilly isles and Oldshoremore in Sutherland. Many of the beaches are located in more isolated areas so require a little bit more effort to get too but I guess that’s why less people make do make the effort to visit them. A small price to pay I feel for a bit more of the beach to yourself.

That’s according to this article which says ministers are considering lifting the requirement to have a vehicle tested every year. Instead drivers would need to get their vehicle tested once every two years. The move is being considered to help motorists who are already struggling with rising petrol prices. The Government’s own analysis, however, has found that relaxing the rules could lead to an extra 30 deaths on the road every year. Personally I think a yearly Mot can be an important safety reminder, particularly if you don’t get your car serviced regularly. It can prove to be expensive but in some ways I would rather have the reassurance that I am driving a safe car. Perhaps they should look at reducing the cost of an Mot from the average £55 to perhaps £30, this would make it more affordable whilst still giving the peace of mind of a yearly check.

In a moment of madness I have recently taken on a plot on an allotment. Not that you would currently know it is an allotment. It is currently covered in waist high brambles and nettles and even has a few established trees. Having spoken to other people at the allotment the plot has not been touched for around 10 years. It’s certainly going to be a challenge to get it cleared. We did make a start yesterday clearing the worst of the brambles. I estimate it will take a few more days before we clear the rest. Then comes the really hard work of digging all the roots out. I am hoping to get a small patch dug over in time to plant some potatoes. Although the allotment will be a challenge it is encouraging to see it coming along slowly.

This is interesting it’s a short article about a lady called Maria Hose Cristerna who not only has covered herself with a large number of tattoos that cover nearly 100% of her body but has also recently had horns implanted to try and look like a vampire. To complete the look she also has specially shaped vampire fangs and has changed the colour of eyes, I presume with contact lenses, although the article doesn’t make this point clear. It certainty is an interesting look and as a mother of four children I can’t help thinking she must get a few odd looks on the school run.

According to this article brown bread is starting to becoming more popular whilst sales of white bread in the same period have fallen. Whilst sales of white bread do still far outweigh those of brown the figures do suggest that people are starting to buy more brown loaves. Sales of white bread have fallen by 1% whilst sales of brown have risen by 6%. To put the figures in to context, however, white bread still accounts for 66% of the 12million loaves sold each day, a total of 7.9million, whilst brown accounts for around 27%, 3.24million loaves a day and seeded for seven per cent around 840,000 loaves.

That’s according to this article which looks at Tesco’s new offering tescocars.com The company hopes to offer its users an improved car buying experience. Tesco claim that they have analysed the common problems that people currently have with the industry in order to offer a better service. They will focus on cars which have been well looked after by their previous owners such as ex-fleet or lease cars. The cars are likely to have an higher than average mileage but will still be nearly new and need no work doing to them. Every vehicle will have to meet a 167 point independent RAC Plus inspection and a road tests. Buyers will be able to have their car delivered to their home address or collect it from a national handover centre. It’s certainly interesting to see Tesco moving to corner yet another market, it will be interesting to see how popular their service becomes.