Light and crispy spring rolls

Here's what you can do with 54p of bean sprouts, Vietnamese rice paper and leftover veg. We added a little leftover chicken to ours too. The result was a very crunchy and light version of the usual Chinese spring roll and we loved the lightness of this starter.
We were going to buy Filo pastry until we found the rice paper in the cupboard. A quick look on the internet made us wonder if we could use this type of rice paper for frying, as its generally used for steaming.
Our experiment worked well and much much better than anticipated.
We used a double layer of rice paper the result was a crunchy outer layer and a chewy inner layer which was very enjoyable. We will be making them again!
Interestingly, although we weren't looking for gluten free products, we thought all rice paper would be gluten free naturally. To our surprise this wasn't always the case as some also contained wheat - so do check the labels if that's your requirement.
To make 5 extra large spring rolls (10 cm long/4cm diameter - similar to the size in a chip shop) you can cut corners and buy a ready made stir fry mix. We just happened to have some savoy cabbage (10g sliced - couple of leaves), carrot (1), spring onions (2) and mange tout (10). All we had to buy was a pack of bean sprouts and you will only need to use 60g. We thinly sliced everything and added some leftover cooked chicken. This was marinated in a teaspoon of five spice powder, a tablespoon of hoy sin sauce, 3 teaspoons of soy sauce and an inch of grated ginger. We made 5 large spring rolls to enable us to experiment with various coatings e.g. egg and breadcrumb or batter if necessary. As it turned out, au naturelle worked exceeding well and after tasting the first one, we had no desire to experiment further. One is enough to satisfy as a starter (as in the picture), it was very filling and extremely more-ish. OK we did share the initial sample. The remainder are in the fridge to see how they behave overnight.
Down to calories - if these were steamed they would be no more than 100 calories each. Even fried, they didn't seem to soak up the oil and were very light and crispy. As a starter we suspect these will be under 200 calories each - that's not bad in our opinion.

CAN'T GET CLOTHES TO FIT

So you think you've put on weight? You are out shopping for clothes and nothing fits? It can be a nightmare finding clothing in your size but (as I've recently discovered) especially for us girls with larger or smaller busts than erm 'average'. Trying on, breathing and squeezing in, may provide you with a good workout - but how may times have you left the store without any purchases and a lot of frustration?
It appears I am a different size in most stores generally and I've got used to it being that way, but more importantly I realise I am not a standard size anywhere because my bust, or should I say 'cup size' in particular is out of proportion to the rest of my body. If the dress fits on top the bottom is too baggy and so on…
One solution could be to make my own clothes, time consuming I know but I've soon realised even this  idea is not particularly straightforward.
I was comforted by this 1930s 'Practical Paper Pattern' found in a charity shop.
The woman who owned this dressmaking pattern seems to have experienced the same sizing problems we still find today, despite being able to choose patterns in a particular bust size.
I love the way she has written 'cut wider' and 'waist and hips too narrow'. Sadly the pattern was never cut out, perhaps she was too daunted at the thought of altering it?After some research I discovered (to my joy...) there was perhaps an answer to why clothing doesn't fit: apparently all dressmaking patterns are designed for a 'B' Cup. I wonder if most clothing manufacturers do the same? Quite often for me a close fitting dress requires upsizing which doesn't do a lot for moral, and when the bust fits the rest of the dress doesn't.

Now my blog post wouldn't be complete without some talk of food. Today I'm making a LEEK & POTATO SOUP. If you have a moment it really is so simple to make. If pushed for time, use frozen leeks!

I'm going to use my usual recipe which I've linked to, although today I'll be adding a large spoonful of cream at the end and a topping of fresh croutons! Just a touch of luxury and a bit of extra filling.
Soup is often low in calories and not filling enough, leaving you open to hunger later.
If you are thinking of buying cast iron cooking pots for use on the hob and in the oven, I have to say they are fabulous to cook with.
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