I'm Maria and I live with my husband Dean, and our two daughters Lisa & Sian.
Our channel covers:
Air frying Slow cooking Various other ways of cooking
Supermarket hauls
Family life
Along the way we'll chat and you can get to know us, and we'd also love to have your comments, tips & ideas along with any questions you might like to ask us.
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Just to add to my previous comment, I looked up other recipes for this meal and they all did it differently so it appears there is no right or wrong way!!
A tip when using syrup is to have some really hot water in a cup.. Dip the spoon in it before loading it with syrup and you will find the syrup just slides off the spoon. Repeat for as a many spoonfuls you require. Hope this helps
Aawh Maria you sound like a wonderful mum what a big family mine are grown up as well I have a son 42 a daughter 45 I lost my youngest daughter she was 30 and I have four grandchildren exspensive at Christmas and birthdays the lasagne looks ok did it taste nice I usually make one from scratch thanks Maria take care ❤️😊👍🏻
My eldest is 40 and the youngest 15. I have a grandson older than my youngest 😂 Yes I agree, it's very expensive at Christmas, I have to start early. The iceland lasagne is nice, it's the only ready made one I like. Thank you for watching 😊
I always made my own when I had a full house, it was so much cheaper. Now only three of us eat it. Its a good idea to freeze the extras, handy for another day. Thank you for watching 😊
You will get better results if you dont overload the basket. Air fryers need rooms for the air to circulate freely around the food. You can always cook several batches
Lovely shop maria my son always says to me but mum you dont need shopping but the are always bits like cleaning bits and spuds veg and meat iceland are great for the pound deals ill have to run my freezers down before i do a big shop at iceland my son hes grown up and is a fussy eater at the moment hes is into noodles and the thin steak with it so he usually sorts him self out so long hes gets something to eat in a day its ok hes got bronchitis and at the moment has a chest infection hes gotantibioics off the doctor atthe hospital hes started them yesterday so when they start working he will eat a bit more well im off to the shops for bits snd cleaning stuff love fran xxxxx
There's always something to buy. Last night I realised I'd forgotten yoghurts so I'll have to pick them up at the weekend, also some dog treats for cassie which I get from b&m. I hope your son is feeling better soon. Thank you for watching. Your support is very much appreciated 😊
I always get my tinned stuff from Aldi keep it stocked up, you mentioned christmas cake i started getting ingrediants but never made one before, just found my Grandmas recipe in one of my late Dads cook books trying to do the same but only a list of ingrediants eek, when do you cook them?
What a great find, I love old recipes. Roughly a christmas cake is made about three months before Christmas. I do mine later though, as I don't marzipan or ice mine because no one likes it. Mines just a very rich and heavy fruit cake so I'm able to make it a couple of weeks before christmas. Thank you for watching. 😊
Sian is and has always been a fussy eater. She doesn't like a lot of things. Even as a baby it was difficult to give her milk and weaning her was a nightmare. We write down what she likes and work her meals from that. Slowly she is adding more things to her list, like she's eating some fruits now which she'd have never done before. Sian loves the trainers, I think she likes the style and colour. Thank you for watching, I really appreciate it 😊
I have cooked joints of beef and gammon plus a whole chicken in my air fryer. All turned out really juicy and properly cooked. I did test with a meat thermometer to enszure they were cooked through. I wouldn't do my meat any other way now.
Hi Maria im glad i saw your mixed fruit reminds me ive got to get mine to make a couple Christmas cakes. You got a really good haul today. Both my husband Ed and i love watching your videos. God bless from us both x
Hi Maria you shopped again Sian’s trainers were good value I know what you mean last week was using things up I was using bubble bath for washing up liquid because I’d run out just generously using things up then I did my shop then after wards think I spend too much money on food so much gets wasted but I do always buy extra for my family and friends if they need it thanks Maria take care ❤️😊👍🏻
Sian loved the trainers, It's the cheapest pair I've ever bought 😂 I normally do a monthly cleaning / toiletry haul but I'm so well stocked up that I don't need to do one this month. Your family and friends are lucky to have a kind person like yourself. It's nice to help others. Thank you for watching 😊
When the mixed fruit is in , I get it really good , for cakes , lovely haul again . made soda bread yesterday quite easy to do bit sticky but enjoyed will have another with😊 perhaps cheese in next only 35 mins in oven . thanks ....😊
Good haul and quite a lot of provisions for what you paid Maria,I only drop in Aldi to check out the middle aisle just like most men who like there tools and gadgets,another enjoyable video flower Xx
True, I should, as you can't always trust what it says on the box. I've found different brands of air fryers do tend to vary in their temperatures and times. Thank you for watching 😊
Hi maria you got a lot for your money iceland is great value ill have to try that kitchen roll that's great value . It was my 70th May gone and my son said do you want a party I said no I don't like fuss so I said well go out door a family meal mybrother his wife and sister her hubby me myson and the 3 grown up grandkids and nephew and niece my sister 2 we had a lovely meal I got surprised with a birthday cake and balloon and banner on table we had a lovely night .I hope you all have a great time love fran xxxx
Happy belated birthday! What a wonderful birthday you had. Last year I had a 60th party, I enjoy music and dancing. It was only the second time I'd had a party, my last one was my 18th!!! I would like to do afternoon tea one year. I've never been out for afternoon tea, I'd love to be taken on one of my birthdays. Thank you for watching 😊
I’m fairly new to your channel but enjoy watching you shopping hauls, can you tell me your family setup please, you mention your daughter Sian allot and I think Dean is your husband but who else is there in the house?
Yes Dean is my husband. We have six children, although five are grown up, Siân was a surprise late one. At the moment 4 of us live permanently at home. The others have their own families, so when you hear me mention children it could be grandchildren, some of them have appeared in older videos like vlogtober and vlogmas. We have 7 grandchildren. Thank you for watching 😊
Hi Maria you got a lot for your money my Tesco shop came today and it was double that crazy I’m excited for your daughters birthday you’ll have to play her happy birthday sweet sixteen by Neil Sedaka love that song and Halloween my favourite time of year mine all live away so I don’t get to do the food parties that I’d like but I love all the scary stuff and people dressing up fun can’t wait thanks Maria ❤️👍🏻😊
I was impressed with my haul, I think all of the £1 items bump it up a lot. I love doing buffets. I'm not a fan of Halloween, that's down to Dean and my eldest daughter, I do like doing the buffet though, and I like to see all of the happy faces of families out and about. I'm not into horror so I always dress as a pumpkin as its a fruit 😂 I was only saying to the family recently that I don't know who anybody is on Halloween. They're all dressed up and I don't recognise anybody lol. I will have to play Siân the Neil Sedaka song on her birthday. She's not keen on a lot of fuss, but it is her 16th. Thank you for watching 😊
hello , we did an Iceland shop last week we went a bit mad also , struggled to squeeze it in so no shopping for a while just fresh veg and milk , soon mounts up , thank you 🙂
I've had to switch my big chest freezer on in the shed to put everything in. Mind you I have emptied my small chest freezer to defrost it. I'll have to get some more yet ready for Sian's 16th birthday buffet. Its lucky I like shopping! 😂 Thank you for watching 😊
oh that bike is just darling. I love crochet and I use to ride a motor bike too before I had all my back and leg problems. I miss it so much. I would love to try and crochet that, is there a pattern for it?
Hi Maria, just tried your method for frozen sausages, I took mine up to 190* for the 20 mins, I turned mine halfway and they were perfect for my taste, really enjoyed my sausage sarnies with brown sauce, you mentioned bacon, that's even easier and quicker than the sausages, but I like mine a bit crispy. thanks for the video, it was very helpful. AIR FRYER BACON (BACK ) @ 165* FOR 10 MINS FLIP HALF WAY NICE WITH DOUBLE YOLK EGG & BEANS + SAUSAGE.
I don't eat the fat off of meat either. It's not that I don't like it but for some reason I can't swollow it It will only go so far down then it sticks. When I was a toddler I use to go around the dinner table and take the fat off peoples plates that they didn't eat and chew on it like it was gum. My mom didn't take us out to eat often. lol
Slow cooker for me. Air flyer failure for me with gammon/ham. Can cider or apple juice and 3 hrs on low abs gorgeous. I eat all the soft fat but not skin. My dad did and died at 95 so don’t subscribe to fat = harm
I've yet to try a joint in the slow cooker, but I'm sure it will be lovely. I like meat to fall off the bone. I don't go along with modern fad dieting, give me proper dinners, good old fashioned eating anytime. I have an aunt who owned a butchers shop, ate meat everyday along with green veg, raw milk and butter, she's 96 next month. It goes to show doesn't it. Thank you for watching 😊
You should try toasting egg in bread. You need thick bread, make an indentation in the middle with a spoon then crack an egg in it. I made this frequently when I first got an air fryer, although I haven't made it in a long while. It's great watching the experiments, and seeing the different results. Keep up the good work Maria! 😊😊😊
I've never tried that, but I've seen pictures of egg in bread with slices of bacon around it and cooked in the air fryer. I like the idea of trying the egg in bread. Does it cook like a fried egg would? And what settings and timings do you use? Thank you for watching 😊
Hello Maria, I make my toasted cheese sandwich in my airfry toaster oven, I'll never use my breville sandwich toaster again, it comes out with the cheese melted perfectly without making the bread like wood. If you have to get out the airfryer every time to make toast Maria it might not be very convenient unless doing some for family too.😃👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
I use my toaster normally, but I like to test what I can do with my air fryer. I feel like I'm trying to catch it out 😂 I like to give things a go when it's suggested to me. I love cheese toasties in the air fryer, they cook really well. Eve Sian likes them and she's really limited in what she'll eat! 😂 Thank you for watching, it's really appreciated 😊
another experiment , well done , I did belly pork strips tonight they had been marinated himself had it with boiled rice , a first for me. at the weekend going to have a go at soda bread, not in air fryer , just want to give it a go, I am going to do a cheese toasty in the air fryer for lunch tomorrow , we do live exciting lives don't we , keeps us off the streets. take care thank you 😕😕
I like cheese toasties in the air fryer. The belly pork with rice sounds nice. I'm not big on pork, but with a nice marinade it'd make all the difference. I never know what to cook. I live with a fussy bunch of eaters (myself included) and find myself always making the same things. Thank you for watching 😊
My toaster has been in a box in the shed for about 6 months Maria,I only use my air fryer now,it has a grill pre-setting of 205c for 6 minutes and my air fryers pre-heat automatically for around 3 minutes but I don't wait for it to pre-heat I just put the bread in and turn it when I see one side is browning (usually after 3 or 4 minutes) I love Costa's brown toast,it's so good, and their's is done in the same oven they do the toasties etc in,we have one of those ovens in our Morrisons staff room and I put my bread in that instead of the toaster and it's far crispier,my Granddaughter loves the croutons I make in the air fryer you should try it,they are so tasty as a snack,I cut the bread into small squares with a pizza cutter,normally 4 cuts each way to get 16 croutons from one slice of bread,toss them in a bowl with some oil and the seasoning of your choice and air fry them at 200 shaking regularly till they are golden and crispy,she some times dips them in a little bowl of Nutella,another enjoyable video flower Xx
It's the first time I've used the grill setting on my air fryer, I was pretty impressed with it. I've never tried costa toast despite going in regularly. I just have a latte and the occasional lemon muffin. Thank you for watching 😊
Maria have you done egg on toast in the airfryer I treated myself to a 2 drawer airfryer I've got asingle airfryer and an airfryer oven but when I use my oven or single airfryer I've got to guess the time for 2 things init I got it yesterday but I've got a nasty cold so jm waiting til my cold goes before I om it ,I'm in one of those moods j cant be bothered with me having copd I hope the cold doesn't go on my chest love fran xxxxxxx
@@francisraffle2948 I've done poached egg in my air fryer, but I've not done it on toast. I often think I'd like to try out a two drawer air fryer, I can cook two different things at once then, but I've not got enough room for it. I hope your cold gets better soon and doesn't get on your chest. Take care 😊
Thank you for doing this, I think using grill makes it closer to the toast I like. What I'm thinking is that maybe if I put a rack in and put my bread on that so that it's closer to the element. The out side might toast quicker before the inside has a chance to dry out maybe. I think it might be more like the way a toaster works. I had a problem with my food staying in one place when I turned My air fryer on, because of the fan. I put a small spoon on top of my food and it held it still till it was cooked. You just need to be careful not to reach in and grab the spoon when your done, use tongs or oven mits to take it out and lay it down and let it cool for a bit.
It's worth experimenting. I preferred the grill option, it browned it better. Something I need to get is some mits to pick bigger things out. Thank you for watching 😊
well i have never had a pud turn out with the syrup looking like that i have made loads and with jam but i have never warmed the syrup , i thiught when i saw u putting it in the pudding basin there was far too much sponge you praps could of used less or bigger dish u might find the syrup wouldnt of turned out like that , i find it amazing never seen anything like it 🤣🤣🤣
It reminded me of a volcanic eruption where the centre has blown out of the volcano! 😂 I definitely could have done with a bigger dish! Thank you for watching 😊
When we were trying to get to grips with yhe air fryer Gary did toast. Took about ages if I remember right and he was dead pleased it did toast and I said Gary we have a toaster lol. Xxx
I'm surprised by what it does do, especially the boiled eggs. I honestly thought they'd explode. Me & Dean were debating who was going to clean the mess up, so we were pleasantly surprised when they didn't explode! 😂
I can't believe there's only 2 more gardening collabs left and then we are finished for another year x aw I'm glad the guine pigs are settling in really well x
