Poor, Neglected Wee Blog

I'm feeling bad about my blog.  I've neglected it her...him...? over the past few months as my time is consumed by manic me managing mainly mince but urgent, immediately in need of attention mince just the same.   I will therefore wrap it the blog in a wee snuggly blanket for a week or so and try to keep it warm so that it can be happy once again.   Anyone got a loan of a feather duster?   I dinnae like those spiders....

It has been the birthday weekend of the year, that one weekend when parties take over our lives and we collapse around Tuesday, exhausted and happy that it's over for another year.   The Twins turned 9 on Monday and with it came parties; not just theirs, I hasten to add.   The partying began on Friday when Lucy had a sleepover in an indoor Bedouin tent thingy with 8 other wee girls.  

 We put on a buffet of mini baked potatoes with cheese and tuna, stuffed pitta pockets, carrot sticks, antipasti, homemade bread, cheese, lots of it in real and disguised form i.e. cheese strings, mini babybels etc.  

There was watermelon, grapes, pineapple, tomatoes, cucumbers, bread sticks, sweeties, cookies, pigs in blankets, pizza to name but a few.  

 And of course, there was cake.....

The weather was glorious so a lot of time was spent outside playing; Fraser was supposed to go out with dad but instead, gelled his hair back, put on a white shirt and waistcoat and became the butler for the evening......

....and then it was a sing song on the X-box but before that, there was time to put the candles in....

And some sparklers......

And sing happy birthday!

Finally, a dvd was asked for with 'midnight feast'....it wasn't really midnight, I'd put the clock back two hours.....and then the count down to get them to sleep!

Lucy at her party

 Happy Girl! 

So, that was that....no, wait....it wasn't.   Then it was Fraser's turn!

Skywalking and climbing at Climbzone, Braehead was the party of choice and a doddle compared to the sleepover; take 5 kids, bundle them into a car, let them scale new heights and giant walls which they loved while you watch with a coffee and a camera then take them for burger, chips and ice cream.   Done.

Of course, cakes are still required....

Mice and worm cupcakes

Then there was the family tea party...even more cakes.... 

And of course, party bags (or cups in this case)....

Done yet?   Not quite.   We had a BBQ to attend which was lovely with chicken marinated in pesto and bbq sauce, burgers, fat sausages, pork with sweet chilli sauce and buckets filled with potato salad, amongst many other things. 

Finally, Lucy had her friend's party to attend and after taking them to the local restaurant for dinner on Monday night, the night of the actual birthday, we collapsed in that little heap and were thankful that birthdays are but once a year.

My 9 year old, ready for the BBQ.

 And lets not forget big sis who was wonderful during the entire weekend.

Fried Prawn Patties

I had a lovely lunch with Maureen today; well, when I say lovely, it was grand to see her but the Burnbrae has been bought over by some cost cutting, penny pinching morons who provided us with half the portion of food we were used to and decided on a 'half hot half cold' theme when providing grub. When asking for a latte, they informed us that it was instant coffee for now. Bill please. We headed to Costa for a proper cup of the black stuff.

So, hunger set in rather quickly on my return and on searching the freezer for some sustenance I uncovered frozen, raw prawns (shrimps) hidden at the back. What to do, what to do? I could stir fry, breadcrumb, curry or chop. Saute, flambe, souffle or plop. Hmmm. Skewered? Fried? Fried! I had a brainwave.

Fried Prawn blobs Patties! Just the thing.

First job was to defrost the prawns. Obviously, fresh prawns would be better but hey, when hungry and frugal, frozen will do.

I shelled the prawns, shoved them in a blender alongside a finely chopped clove of garlic and 2 finely chopped spring onions. I added half a teaspoon salt, a good grinding black pepper, a little cayenne and 60g plain flour. If using Nigella's recipe, you'd add 4 teaspoons of sherry as well but I prefer wine to the mix. I then added water and mixed to make a thick batter, covered with clingfilm and waited 1 hour.

During this hour, I continued painting; I have been decorating. I have one room half completed, five more to go. Why do I start these things? Kelly is moving into the big room so she was first; after some deliberation, she decided on lilac for one wall, magnolia for the rest. She then decided she wanted painted onto the wall, a girl holding a baby dove, looking over at a mummy dove on a branch........yes, this is what she decided. HUH?? Was my first response. What the freakin'......?? my second. "Ooooookay, Kelly" I said "I shall do my best". Well, it's finished, for better or worse....

So, the hour has passed and I heat some olive oil in a pan. I take teaspoons of the mix and fry in the oil, turning after a minute and cooking on the other side. When brown on both sides, place onto plate covered with paper towels.

I like to make homemade mayo for this but Hellmans will do the job just as well! Add some lime and fresh coriander though. If not partial to mayo, squeeze some lime juice over the tasty little blobs and eat immediately. Bleedin' luverly.

Tomorrow is the big silver wedding anniversary party. My friend Sam did the cake:

Isn't it wonderful? I know you can't see the whole thing, I was not averse to pulling it out and setting it up for your perusal but you just know what would happen, don't you? Especially with three wee acrobats around. I shall take some more pics at the event and report back on the deliciousness of this tasty baked lovely.

Have a freakin AWESOME weekend!

Baking for the Soul

I enjoy baking; I enjoy baking almost as much as I enjoy eating. That's saying something. I find the more baking you do, the easier it becomes; pulling together the ingredients for a loaf or a cake or scones becomes second nature. The kids help, the house smells lovely and the tastes are divine. It is totally worth it.

There are some recipes that are incredibly simple and after a half dozen tries, come out perfect every time. I would say, for me, that would be bread, lemon cake, chocolate muffins and Madeira cake. Every idea stems from these basic mixes whether it be flatbread, chocolate cake or a nice fruit loaf so then those things become easy.

Buying the occasional tin, a few extra ingredients now and then, you begin to find yourself with a well stocked larder for all things cakey. What could be better? The kids say they feel like cake; 30 minutes later, there is one on the table. A visitor calls to say they'd like to drop by for coffee...no problem, get the muffin tin out. Not only do you know what is going in to the cakes, you also get to limit sugar if you are so inclined, it saves you so much money and you always have the capacity for a laden table at any time.

Do I sound like Nigella without the double entendres and the finger lickin' eyeballing? Do I? You'd think by the sounds of it, I float about in a gingham apron, red lipstick on, making sure home and hearth are always welcoming. Well, I don't. I'd like it to be like that not the lipstick or gingham part and on the whole, these days it is pretty great but not all the time and in fact, there was a time when it hardly ever was like that for me.

Having three kids within 18 months of each other, working and studying, there were times when baked beans seemed a rare delicacy or toast and jam could make me weep. I remember curling my lip at the tidy, aproned hostess who said "oh, you don't bake?" with a barely contained sneer as if I'd said I didn't brush my teeth or clean my sink. "Lady" I'd think, "I can bake and would love to bake but some mornings, I forget to put underwear on. I've not slept in three weeks, my friends have deserted me because I'm always busy and the last thing my stomach needs is yet another half pound of lard cake".

I only thought such things of course, being a mannerly gal but bad karma would sail through my veins, wishing her a burnt sponge cake and a broken nail alongside split ends and rats in the pantry. Karma has a way of turning such thoughts right back atcha though.

I love to bake and I love to cook; I am in a position these days where I have a certain amount of time to allow myself these luxuries. Not everyone has the time, the patience or even the inclination; you invite me round, believe me when I tell you I'm happy with a co-op sponge and a ham sandwich, nothing could please me more...I'm happy to just be invited and to be in the company of friends. If you want to give it a try, brilliant, you want a hand and advice, even better but if you don't, it doesn't matter...you can always come round to my house and I'll do it for you. It would be a pleasure.

Whatever path you choose, the only way to get the best out of life is to be optimistic, have faith in others, always have hope and treat everyone with kindness except that girl who talks about you behind your back or her that sneers at you with her red lipstick on at all times...nah, be kind to them too, they need it more than most. Combine that with a lack of judging and a good listening ear and you can't go wrong. That, my friends, is the secret to a good life.

And now for something completely different..........
We watched Hugh Fearnley Wuthering Heights on the tv the other day. He was trying to get some folk to eat free range or organic chicken and I warned the kids that they were about to see a chicken be killed, bled, feathered and dismembered. They wanted to watch and I let them. I have a theory that kids need to know where food comes from, how it is created and that animals die so they can eat meat.

Fraser wasn't very happy, Kelly was fascinated and Lucy looked on with indifference and the occasional "eeuch". The next day, Fraser said he wasn't entirely comfortable with seeing it and Kelly decided she might like to go vegetarian. I told her she could decide when she is 11 but for now, she was too young. She doesn't eat a lot of meat anyway but I'd love some input on this; when should kids get to have a say in what they eat? What say you? Should they abide by the laws of their parents dinner table since we work and pay for the food that goes on it or should they have an equal say as we brought them into this world to think and act in an independent manner?

I made loaves and lemon cake with my new wee tins that I brought back from Canada so the first batch was Canadian/Scottish bread, hence the flags. I have no photos of the wee lemon cakes of which I made two; one to say sorry and one to say thank you. They were whisked away, still hot to the recipients who told me they were lovely.

For my Canadian/Scottish friends and all my others too...