...Lemony roast chcken...

Yes, I know. I think that I have neglected the blog. Truth is that I have been very busy lately at work, and making money is sweet, so I often work overtime.

Anyway, today I am going to share a recipe with you.

Lemony roast chicken with onions, mushrooms and baby potatoes. Five generous portions and leftovers for curries.

You will need:

• 1 large chicken (I buy the expensive one from Marks and Sparks as I am certain it tastes better than the cheap ones). If you have no access to Marks and Sparks, prefer organic chicken for a better flavour.Treat yourselves to good food.
• One bag of baby potatoes, or if you grow your own, certainly prefer your own crop. Fresh potatoes taste fantastic.
• At least 20 white, medium-sized mushrooms.
• 2 red onions, chopped roughly.
• Salt, pepper, paprika to taste.
• Rosemary, oregano and sage. Be generous with sage and rosemary, not that generous with oregano. Too much oregano can spoil the flavour.
• 1 lemon
• Olive oil (5 tablespoons will do).

1. Preheat oven to gas mark 6
2. Place chicken and all other ingredients in the over tray and roast for 45 minutes.
3. After 45 minutes in the oven, turn the chicken upside down and place the tray back into the oven for another 45 minutes.
4. Your dinner is ready. Drizzle some lemon on it, and voilà!

...Bared to you and Reflected in you (Crossfire I and II) by Sylvia Day...

I recently read these two books (erotica - if you are not into it don't keep reading) and I wanted to share my impressions with you.

Bared to You

A clever story; but totally imaginary. The book is full of tall, thin, fit, beautiful people, with the main protagonists being filthy rich. It does not correspond to everyday life for the average Jo.

Now, coming to the porn (sorry, I meant to say 'erotica'), this is also very average in my opinion.

OK, the erotic 'scenes' are spicy, but not spicy enough for someone who is into S&M. There is a balance of erotic domination and submission in the first book, while the main protagonists are trying to establish their sexual personas.

Oh, and basically no scene of anal penetration.

I think that the book is so soft for S&M lovers, that they would rather read the Bible instead.

The plot is interesting, but nervous wrecking. I was annoyed to read the repetitive descriptions of 'will he leave me?', 'have we broken up or not'?, etc...

But in the end, I also read the 'Reflected in You' book, as I had some time to kill in the Bank Holiday weekend.

Reflected in You

Same drama, some rich people some bitchiness, same repetitive boring story, but fewer sex scenes, and not S&M enough for me. Again, only a vague trace of anal, but now the rich male protagonist is clearly the dominant one; with the young Eva being submissive in the bedroom sector.

Frankly, I lost interest in the book before I reached the middle of it, but I carried or reading.

Towards and in the end of the book, there was a crime (murder) featured, but not much sex. The story of the murder investigation was not that cleverly conceived in my opinion; and of course it did not correspond to reality. I understand that Day's objective was not to write crime fiction but erotica, but frankly, she should have paid more attention to detail.

Conclusion

If you think that the book is totally crap, then think again. Have you read the Fifty Shades of Grey? If yes, then the Crossfire Series is a masterpiece compared to it. Really. The Crossfire series is better written than the Fifty Shades of Grey. No kidding!

But in the end of the day, nahhh, not good enough for me. Bloody hell! I have wasted 3 days of my life!

...Hot patio sizzle chilli peppers...

Do you love your chilli peppers? Now it is time to start your seeds indoors! 
 
I have just bought some seeds of the 'hot patio sizzle chilli' variety (posh Latin name: Capsicum annuum) and I am growing them in pots in the patio. I am planning to give a couple of them away as gifts, in pretty pots.

They are decorative and they are supposed to look like this when they fruit.

 
Yes, I bet mine will look equally great! 

Plus, I can use them in my curry. They are mildly spicy - just about right. Not too hot, not too mild!

I will keep you up-to-date about how this project is progressing. 

Meanwhile, bye for now! 

..Megumi Igarashi...

This is art:

This is art:

This is art:

This is art:

This is art:

This is art:

But this is not art?

Release Megumi Igarashi now!

...Xmas humour...

 Cheesus crust

Cheesus toaster

Cheesus grater

Cheesus cheetos

Full BBC Documentary Films 2014 Hermaphrodites Male and Female Sex In O...

...Childfree women are invisible...

In a society where everything is child-focused (even in the West), becoming a mother is seen as the top achievement for a woman in her life.

Take a pregnancy announcement for example - or the birth of a baby. 
The (future) mother is congratulated - again and again and again. Congratulatory cards and presents are sent to her and the father.

Well, I thought that making one's genitalia procreate is as common as changing one's t-shirt. Procreating is a biological function. So, what's the point of congratulating someone when a baby is born? We are 7 billion people on this planet and we are struggling for natural resources - so why do we congratulate every human being adding into the problem via procreation? 

Some of you may say that giving congratulations when a baby is born is a social obligation. We are entitled to say 'congratulations' to expectant parents, otherwise we will be stigmatised as 'antisocial'. 

Well, I don't! I 'd rather be myself and be called antisocial than say something I don't mean. 

But let us now go back to the points raised on the first paragraph. 

Is having a baby the top achievement in a woman's life? 

In fact, the answer is yes. With so many women out there, many cannot boast for anything else than 'being a mum or a grandma'.

But how about the childfree? We certainly don't tick the boxes that would make us worthy in the eye of the 'normal' beholder - don't we? 

So, how about if a woman - a childfree woman - does really well in education or in her career? 

Take Jennifer Aniston for example. Remarkable and awarded actress. She is often labelled as selfish because she has had no children (here).

Second example: Gertrude B. Elion: Nobel Prize for Physiology/Medicine, 1988 US. She was never married and had no children.

There she is: in the picture. 

MY ROLE MODEL

So, is getting a Nobel Prize less important for a woman than having a baby? It is for the average Jo out there. 

You know what? Sometimes I think that poor Gertrude received very few congratulations cards after winning the Nobel Prize, compared to what she would have received if she announced she gave birth to a baby.