Ooo...I've got a cold. I rarely get a cold - maybe just once a year or two. It's not particularly a heavy one this time and I can get on with whatever I have to do, but when I found a few hours in between lessons (I'm a language teacher) today I had a nap. It helps, you know.
Not only when I have a cold but I regularly get some kip. It's such a blissful and highly pleasurable thing to do. I guess I'm lucky to be able to spare some time to sleep during the day and without having any headache afterwards or without being unable to get to sleep in the night. And it's not a 10-minutes power sleep. I sleep properly for half an hour to an hour and I still have my eight-hour beauty sleep during the night. My night sleep and day sleep are 'compatible', if you like.
When I'm awake I'm in top gear all the time. I am never in neutral, and therefore I just to have to turn off the engine altogether sometimes. Because of my nap I am never sleepy nor tired, I am alert, and I am fully charged during the day. Nappers can respond quicker and more accurately than non-nappers. It's scientifically proven, and I highly recommend it ;)
Recipe for today is Apple Turnovers. I buy a packet of all butter puff-pastry from a supermarket. It's very easy, and you know what's in them unlike shop-bought ones.
Ingredients (for four large ones):
a packet of about 400g puff-pastry (all butter ones, I insist)
2 eating apples, peeled, cored, and chopped small
a handful of raisins
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of butter
1 egg
Preheat the oven to about 190C.
Cook the apple pieces, raisins, butter, and sugar in a pan until juice runs out. If the juice stays for a long time after the apple pieces are cooked, just drain the excess. This mixture has to be dry, otherwise you'll end up with a very soggy turnovers. Leave them to cool.
Roll out the pastry to about 15cm x 60cm with a rolling pin. I say 'about' and it doesn't have to be exact. Cut them into about four 15cmx15cm squares. Put a quarter of the apple mixture onto each square.
Beat the egg in a small bowl and wet all the edges of the pastry with it. Pull one corner to the diagonally opposite corner and make a triangle parcel. Seal the edges by pushing them down with a folk. Prick the top of the parcel with a folk as well. Brush the rest of the egg wash on the top of the parcels. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until golden and crispy.