VICHYSSOISE

I have been showing my kids the difference between condense milk (a sinful pleasure) and evaporated milk. What triggered their interest was the comments from a major somewhere in Indonesia that instant noodles and tinned milk was making children gay, as if that was a problem. At least we can conclude that there are majors who say seriously stupid things all over the world. This is one of the recipes that I often make with evaporated milk. You need:

- two courgettes (peeled and cut in thick slices)
- 2 leeks (chopped thinly)
- 25 gr butter
- one tin (410gr) of evaporated milk
- two measurements of the tin of water
- salt

Melt the butter in a pan. Add the leeks, cover them with a lead and wait for ten minutes (over low heat) until they become very soft. Then add the courgettes and wait for a further 8 minutes. Increase the heat, add the salt, milk and water and let it boil. As soon as you see bubbles, lower the heat and let it all simmer for 12-15 minutes. Blend the soup. If you want to eat it as a vichyssoise the let the soup cool down and serve it very cold. I also serve it warm some times and it tastes great.

ORANGE FLAPJACKS

Good old flackjacks are having a bit of a revival due to healthy grain and seeds - based diets. If you are a supporter of this fashionable diet you may want to call them 'cereal bars', 'breakfast bars' or 'granola bars', which for some reason make the flapjacks seem indeed healthier. The bad news is that there is nothing healthy in these bars (what is healthy is to eat an orange instead). They are delicious nevertheless.

You need:
- 200 gr oats
- two handfuls sunflower seeds
- four tablespoons flaxseeds
- five tablespoons sesame seeds
- four tablespoons orange peel (diced)
- three tablespoons butterscotch buttons (if you want a healthier versions do not add these)
- 100 gr butter
- 100 gr muscovado sugar
- 1 tablespoons of honey
- 2 tablespoons of golden syrup

Preheat the oven at 200 degrees. Mix the oats, sunflower seeds and flaxseeds, put them on a baking tray and roast them for 8-10 minutes. When you take them out lower the temperature of the oven to 170 degrees.  Melt the butter and mix the melted butter and all the other remaining ingredients with the roasted seeds. Grease and line the baking tray. Put the mixture on it and bake for 25-30 minutes.

When you get the tray out of the oven let it cool down for 30 minutes and then cut it in squares or rectangles. My children are always impatient to cut these and a result we never get neat edges. Regardless or whether these are neatly cut or not the favour is great.