This Tuesday is Shrove Tuesday. According to the Christian tradition, this is the last day to indulge yourself and use up the food that you aren’t supposed to consume during Lent. In the past, fat, butter and eggs were all ingredients that weren’t to be eaten from Ash Wednesday - hence our nom nom-ing of pancakes!
Delia Smith has a great receipe for pancakes. While eating them with sugar and lemon on Tuesday evening, why don’t you start thinking of what you’re going to give up for Lent? Then go to www.DigiPromise.com to tell your friends.
Bon appetite!
For the pancake mixture:
110g/4oz plain flour, sifted
pinch of salt
2 eggs
200ml/7fl oz milk mixed with 75ml/3fl oz water
50g/2oz butter
To serve:
caster sugar
lemon juice
lemon wedges
Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl with a sieve held high above the bowl so the flour gets a airing. Now make a well in the centre of the flour and break the eggs into it. Then begin whisking the eggs - any sort of whisk or even a fork will do - incorporating any bits of flour from around the edge of the bowl as you do so.
Next gradually add small quantities of the milk and water mixture, still whisking (don’t worry about any lumps as they will eventually disappear as you whisk). When all the liquid has been added, use a rubber spatula to scrape any elusive bits of flour from around the edge into the centre, then whisk once more until the batter is smooth, with the consistency of thin cream. Now melt the 50g/2oz of butter in a pan. Spoon 2 tbsp of it into the batter and whisk it in, then pour the rest into a bowl anduse it to lubricate the pan, using a wodge of kitchen paper to smear it round before you make each pancake.
Now get the pan really hot, then turn the heat down to medium and, to start with, do a test pancake to see if you’re using the correct amount of batter. I find 2 tbsp is about right for an 18cm/7in pan. It’s also helpful if you spoon the batter into a ladle so it can be poured into the hot pan in one go. As soon as the batter hits the hot pan, tip it around from side to side to get the base evenly coated with batter. It should take only half a minute or so to cook; you can lift the edge with a palette knife to see if it’s tinged gold as it should be. Flip the pancake over with a pan slice or palette knife - the other side will need a few seconds only - then simply slide it out of the pan onto a plate.
Stack the pancakes as you make them between sheets of greaseproof paper on a plate fitted over simmering water, to keep them warm while you make the rest.
To serve, spinkle each pancake with freshly squeezed lemon juice and caster sugar, fold in half, then in half again to form triangles, or else simply roll them up. Serve sprinkled with a little more sugar and lemon juice and extra sections of lemon.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/basilpancakswithsuga_66226.shtml
This is the second day of 2010 and you might not yet have made your New Year’s resolution. If you feel like doing something better in 2010 than you managed in 2009, or are going to steel yourself to try something new, then visit www.DigiPromise.com and make your resolution there.
This applies equally, perhaps especially, to those of you who have already forgotten your resolution for 2010!
This is the time of year for reflection, and often for considering ways of self-improvement (if required - some of you might already be perfection personified).
If you are planning to make a New Year’s resolution, where better than DigiPromise to make that resolution. During 2010, I am going to try to go to the gym more often - at least more than the once a month I currently manage! DigiPromise offers a quick and easy way of making a resolution public, letting friends know about your resolution, and providing you with reminders about your resolution (lest you begin to backslide!)
Visit www.digipromise.com to make your resolution!
Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year and a 2010 to remember.
“I promise to go to the gym more often during 2010!” — Tom’s New Year’s Resolution
Exciting news - DigiPromise is launching a new section in the next few days! Users have requested that we help suggest some promises to them and we have listened. We will be launching a ‘Recommended Promises’ section, which will include interactive suggestions for those who want a helpful nudge in the right direction.
If you have a promise that you think would be useful for other people, then please email your suggestion to thomas@digipromise.com
“Nearly all bat species found in the UK, spend some of their time in woodland, with ancient trees being a particular favourite” — Woodland Trust
“The majority of hedges around today were planted during the enclosures of the 18th and 19th centuries. Some 200,000 miles of hedges were planted between 1750 and 1850” —
Campaign to Protect Rural England
As quoted on DigiPromise.com for those undertaking a promise to protect the countryside.
When setting up any new organisation or beginning a new interest, it is vital that you prepare thoroughly. Researching an area you are already keen on should prove stimulating - if you are finding it tiresome and tedious then warning lights should be flashing.
DigiPromise did not really lend itself to the creation of a traditional business plan, as I was not developing it for monetary gain, but was instead looking to help people. I did not need a bank loan to set the website up as I was takin the website development costs from my salary. But I knew that a business plan helps to focus the mind on what goals you are trying to achieve.
An initial scouring of the internet turned up many good ideas about business plans but little in the way of constructive, comprehensive advice. I spoke to friends who had experience of working for start ups or who had set up their own companies, but their advice was more relevant for those hoping to make profit. So instead I turned to books.
Even in this technologically advanced age, the old fashioned guide made from pulped trees and ink has its place of prominence. After a considered (i.e. lengthy) trawl through the business section of Waterstones, I bought the Financial Times Guide to Business Start Up and Starting an Online Business (For Dummies), two very standard textbooks but both excellent in the advice provided. Neither book was directly applicable to the creation of a not-for-profit website but the books were full of veritable gold dust, from tips on contract negotiations to advice on taxation, from pointers towards Government grants to sensible wisdom on book-keeping.
The main advantage gained from hours pouring over the books was an understanding that to turn an idea into reality was a time-consuming and laborious process, one that would only reach its conclusion through concentrated and long-term effort. There are no quick fixes in business, a point it makes well to heed in advance but is all too often learned on the job!
The first task to focus on was the name. This might seem insignificant but there was great symbolism in finding a name. The name of the website became a sort of nom de plume, a talisman for inspiration.
DigiPromise.com was not always the favoured option. There were alternatives, many too embarrassing and cringeworthy to recall. www.givesomethingup.co.uk and www.givealittlepartofyou.com being two of the less appealing! I was indecisive and could not decide between a number of, admittedly more catchy, options and so I hit upon the necessity of doing a little bit of market research.
The market research for what would become DigiPromise.com was really quite basic. I set up a questionnaire on a free website and asked friends and family to provide some feedback on the idea, including whether they would use such a site (yes!), how often they checked their emails (most do so more than three times a day!), and whether they would consider paying (no!).
Apart from dispensing with the worst naming options, this limited research proved invaluable. Friends offered some much needed encouragement to the project and advised me to focus on individual pledges rather than grand political ones. Good sound advice!
Proper market research would come later but it is always worth testing your idea with friends and family to see if those closest to you have any interest in the concept. Just beware false praise and remember - your friends are often less likely to let you down gently if they are not impressed!
“Exposure to nature has been shown to reduce blood pressure, reduce heart attacks, increase mental performance and soothe anxiety” — Campaign to Protect Rural England