Wordless Wednesday?

I have too much to say.

This week has been spent in the house, mainly cleaning. I'm not even going to begin to bore you with the details except to say, God I'm Bored. If the children say they are Bored, I tell them non possible, mon petit pois (pretentiousness runs in the family) the only people who get Bored are stupid people, people with no imagination. We once had a funeral for Bored (hence the capital letter...you were wondering where I was going with that, weren't you?). We buried him in a box (yes, Bored is a he...of course he is)and said a few kind words and then Bored no longer lived with us. Bored, Can't and Won't all had funerals. We mourned their passing briefly but emotionally.

But Bored is back. He has risen from the dead and I'm trying to keep him hidden within the confines of my head. I can't let the kids see him as they'll be scared, confused and happy, all at the same time. I know how to get rid of him but I miss the wee fella and he has to stick around whilst I continue my rant round the house. Or else Clutter and Confusion will come back. Sigh.

Bored had a nap whilst my mum and big sis visited with wee baby M. I made my usual indoor picnic, this time consisting of cold meats, a round of Camembert, crackers, tomatoes, Parmesan, Pastrami and rolls. The kids had cheese and pickled onion sandwiches with chopped apple and crisps. I then made Welsh Cakes. I had forgotten how much I love these little treats. You cook them in a dry pan which makes life kinda easy as they take around 5 minutes and taste delicious either on their own or with jam...of course, Kelly poured half a jar of Nutella on hers. I tried to tell her everything tastes good with Nutella and maybe she should try it on it's own first but her invisible lalalala and fingers in the ears look was apparent.

Welshcakes
125g cold, diced unsalted butter
250g self-raising flour
75g caster sugar (plus a bit more for sprinkling)
Quarter teaspoon ground allspice (if you can't find, mix some powdered nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves)
100g sultanas or raisins
1 large egg, beaten
Crinkle Cutter, round, approx. 7.5cm and griddle or frying pan

Rub the butter into the flour like you would pastry until it resembles sandy breadcrumbs...don't worry if a little lumpy, then add sugar, spice and dried fruit and stir. Add egg and mix with spatula or wooden spoon. I get in with my hands at this point just to give it a quick knead but hands should be cold and work quickly so it doesn't get warm. You don't have to do this though. Form a ball and then flatten a bit into a disc shape, cover with clingfilm (is this the same as serrano wrap?) and place in fridge for at least 20 minutes.

Roll out onto floured surface to just under a cm thick and then use crinkle cutter to cut out rounds. You will need to re-roll to cut out the rest. It should give you between 10-16, depending on the size of your cutter and the thickness. Neither matters too much.

Preheat the pan over a medium heat, no oil, and place Welshcakes inside and cook for approx. 3 minutes each side. The cakes will rise a bit and go golden-dark brown. I like these on the dark brown side. Remove to a cold plate and sprinkle with caster sugar. Leave to cool and set in the middle before eating with jam, plain (too dry for me)or even that bleedin' Nutella!



I have so many things to sell on ebay; I'm going to start with my teeny weeny Karen Millen suits that I used to wear for work. They are in excellent condition, will now be viewed as vintage and will be worn by some slim, young girl who doesn't know the half of it yet...good on her! I'm putting the proceeds towards my Canada Fund. More on that later...

That Friday Feeling

Thursday Night's Dinner



Yesterday, after a busy day walking, hiking and playing with the kids at Mugdock Country Park, I just about managed to make a quick Macaroni Cheese for them and a small antipasti for myself. Brian helped with the cheese sauce and would like me to ensure this is pointed out (it was lumpy). *Snigger* The plan was to have St. Tropez Chicken but I was limited for time as I was heading out for some fizzy with Lynne. I had marinaded the chicken for two days though so decided to cook it and have it for tonight's dinner instead. I said to husband "ALL you have to do is remove the foil at 8.45pm and turn the heat up a bit. Leave it for 15 minutes, no longer as the honey in the marinade may catch and burn". I said this twice. I left the recipe book open, just incase.

I returned home, ever so slightly inebriated to the smell of burnt chicken; I had a very contrite husband, a blackened oven and missing chicken bits. He'd forgotten all about it and it had smouldered into a blackened mess...at least I think it did, he'd got rid of all the evidence. Come to think of it, it did look a rather tasty dish, he wouldn't have just eaten it....nah....

So, tonight, instead of St. Tropez chicken marinaded in pink champagne and lavender, I had this:



Nothing wrong with toast and beans....

I walked with the kids down to the swimming pool this morning and somehow, this took three blisters and an hour and a half of slow shuffling. By the time we got there, their friends were leaving the pool and a few wet eyes and petted lips later, we left to go on our picnic. Another walk, another blister (my own fault for wearing high heeled wedges...eejit) and the sun was hot. I checked my bag for my phone and it was then I discovered I'd left most of my picnic behind; frittata with chorizo, mini quiches, ciabatta sandwiches, rocket salad and a whole host of other delights were left sitting on the kitchen counter...but hey, I'd brought the Doritos.....*sigh*

We stopped off at 'Joe's' and purchased some more food and arrived at Anne's, knackered, sore and in need of caffeine which she very nicely provided. I explained the story of my food calamity and Anne said not to worry because she had prepared a wonderful variety of picnic delights; pastry quiches, homemade sausage roll twists, little sweet peppers filled with cream cheese...I'm dreaming off those tonight...and tasty cous cous to name but a few. Apparently, my blog has inspired her...how she must have felt when I turned up with a plastic bag filled with crappy rolls, I do not know. It was truly wonderful fayre as was sitting on the deck chairs Karen brought, in the sun, looking at the lovely view and chilling out.

Fraser was returned home safely as we decided he could go play with his friends as it was a crowd of girls we were picnic-ing with and the only energy I had left was to place the following in the oven:




Yup. Pizza.

This weekend I am off to T in the Park, a huge music festival in Scotland. I will, of course, report back on the food. And maybe the music....

Antipasti tomatoes baked in the oven with olive oil, parmesan, sea salt and black pepper. Olives marinaded at home with olive oil, lemon rind, lemon juice, parmesan, fresh thyme and black pepper with sea salt. St. Tropez recipe to follow once I've re-cooked it and tried it first!