It's That Time Again....

 All dishes still to be cooked this week and any in the near future will be with weight loss in mind.  I know that when it comes to this subject, many of us want to run screaming for the hills; fat content, weighing and calorie counting don't figure in my plan life is too short but lots of fresh vegetables, smaller portions and tasty little bites of treats do as does a wee bit of gin and tonic and wine...lets face it, you didn't expect any less. I don't intend to tell you my weight gawd help us all as I don't have scales but when I'm down a few dress sizes, I'll letya know!  

I'll work out the calorie and fat content of some meals for those that requested it last time.

I like something sweet in the mornings so that's when I'll be treating myself: digestive biscuits with margarine and jam, Welsh cake, croissant or cookie but just the one.   Lunches will be soups, light snacks, crackers like Ryvita with goats cheese, tomatoes and salads with light sprinkling of nuts and seeds.

The fridge and freezer heave with leftovers yet I have lots of fresh food; it's a battle over which to eat first.   Fresh veg should always be used so today I made chicken soup with chickpeas and grilled vegetables with halloumi cheese.   The kids had a separate meal of salmon pasta.

Pan-fried Salmon Pasta with Parmesan, Lemon and Peas

Cook pasta as per instructions.   Drain and drizzle with a little olive oil, a knob of butter, a large handful of grated Parmesan cheese, a good squeeze of lemon juice and a heaped teaspoon double cream.   Mix well and add in the cooked salmon, cooked peas and top with a good grinding of black pepper and some more grated Parmesan.

 Chicken Soup with Chickpeas

 

This recipe was taken from Sophie Dahl's 'Voluptuous Delights'.   I highly recommend it, I love this soup!   Mildly but expertly spiced, delicate yet full of flavour, I could live off this for a long time.   I intend to make it at some point with the addition of cubed potatoes, maybe some toasted cumin seeds and serve it with flatbread.   Delicious.

 

1 medium onion, chopped**

**white onion but I used red this time, worked well

2 tbs olive oil

Half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon 

Half a teaspoon of ground ginger

3/4 teaspoon of ground turmeric

A pinch of ground cumin

1 swede or turnip, peeled and chopped

2 celery stalks, washed and sliced

2 litres/8 cups of chicken stock

750g/1.5 lbs skinless, boneless chicken thighs, chopped **

**I used two free range chicken breasts this time around....approx 250g...I think the recipe suggestion is rather a lot of chicken but I think thigh meat would work better

400g/13oz can of chickpeas

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh chopped parsley or coriander/cilantro, to serve

Sweat the onion in the oil in a big, deep pan over a low heat.   Add all the spices, stir to coat and cook for several minutes.   Throw in veg and stir, cooking gently.   Add stock and chicken and cook for a further 15 minutes.   Add chickpeas and cook for another 10 minutes.   I put lid on and simmered slowly.   Season to taste.   I added a squeeze of lemon juice too.   Serve with the chopped herb of choice and Sophie recommends a splash of olive oil but I didn't use this time.

 

Grilled Vegetables with Halloumi Cheese

 

Sophie Dahl again!   Tasty although I hate it when veg goes soggy so make sure the veg is thinly sliced so that it crisps up quickly. This was nice but I'm unsure if I'd make it again until my grill is fixed (I used the oven this time).   Thinly slice aubergine and courgette (eggplant/zucchini).   Salt the aubergine and leave for 30 minutes...this will draw out the moisture.   Rinse with cold water and pat dry.   Place with the courgette on a tray, sprinkle with ground cumin and then combine 2 tablespoons olive oil and the juice of half a lemon and drizzle over veg.   Grill for a few minutes (I actually used the oven as my grill isn't working...grilling would be MUCH better) and then turn over.   Add halloumi cheese and blast under the grill under golden. 

Artichoke Tart and Jersey Royal Potatoes with Pesto

Salmon coated in Panko Breadcrumbs with Baby New Buttered Potatoes

The kid's chocolate cupcakes with Nutella and Malteser Topping...well done kids, delicious!

Ryvita with Brie, Pesto, Olives, Cherry Tomatoes, Parmesan Shavings and lightly grilled Parma Ham

 Day One: Today's breakfast was two digestive biscuits with margarine and jam, lunch was crunchy salad and dinner and supper was the chicken soup with a little of the grilled veg.   I ate two chocolates with coffee as I had visitors.   Lets call it dessert.....

The Very Merry Month of May

I have a trip planned to France and London in May; holidays for me are like buses, none for ages then they all come along at the same time, causing chaos.   May is also home to husband's birthday, a concert, 5 school holidays, 6 birthday parties, the school disco and parent's day.   Top that with friends donning the Bermuda shorts to fling caution to the wind/snow/thunder and lightning by dragging out the dusty BBQ and you've got a pretty hectic month.   It's got nothing on June though..........

None of this is complaining, you understand; au contraire, I am veree 'appy, mademoiselles.   It's just a wee bit "aaaargh" and a wee bit "when-do-I-do-the-laundry".   

But since it's still only April, we shall sit back and smell the roses/smoked brioche puffs/mince and tatties.   I have a few days until the madness and fun begins.

I was remiss in my homely duties today because shopping, despite being on the list was forgotten; instead, I went to yoga....wonderful, tiring.....then met Shona for coffee and lunch....lovely.... and straight to the school to draw and paint circus decorations....strange.   I made macaroni cheese when I got home, explaining to Kelly along the way what 'necessity is the mother of invention' means; she asked why the cheese sauce tasted even more delicious och, she's a flatterer that 'un than normal although I did get "um...it needs some more pepper, mum"...there's always a critic....and I explained that I only had a little drop of milk left so I used cream for the rest of the white sauce before adding the cheddar cheese.   Hence my use of the phrase regarding mothers and necessities.

This week, we've had................

Chicken and Olive Stew with dumplings

Curried Parsnip Soup with Quick Pan Bread

Spaghetti Sugo (Spag Bog by any other name)

Lucy's favourite!

 

 Happy kids

Potato and Butternut Squash Soup

Lemon Roast Chicken stuffed with Savoury Rice

Plus roasted carrots, potatoes, onions, butternut squash, 

steamed broccolli and green beans and baby boiled tatties.

I shall make a new shopping list up tonight, do the trip tomorrow and add it this week, along with one or two recipes.   Have a wonderful week, bloggy peeps.

Rag Doll Brittle

Florence

I decided to try my hand at making a rag doll; there are so many reasons for this and yet no reason at all. It just is what it is. I got some old clothes and cut them up, stuffing the legs and body with the leftovers; there wasn't really enough stuffing, I think I'll need to find some more rags.

Not being known for my seamstress skills, I had to go over every stitch at least twice but it was almost therapeutic, sewing whilst watching Hustle on BBC!

Lucy fell in love with her, even before her face was put on and Fraser and Kelly want one too. I'm thinking of going to the rag doll makers store...if there was such a store....idiot...and buying proper stuffing and material...maybe hair....to make for the kids and one as a gift for a special wee laddie who has a birthday coming up.

Breakfast was a solitary affair; with the roads being so bad with snow and ice, Brian and the kids left for school early after wolfing down a large bowl of cereal and some toast each so, as I had made some nut brittle last night, I made some coffee and put out a plate of the golden treat for my breakfast. I left some for Brian......Brian: what? There was only coffee when I got home! You greedy witch....

It was a lovely breakfast treat.

I made a quick caramel by boiling sugar and water until it turned golden brown....you must watch this, it can change very quickly...and then adding some chopped nuts, some broken walnuts and some whole pecan nuts. I love nuts but would rather not have them on their own; add some sea salt and chilli or caramel and mmm mmm!

For lunch, I made the goats cheese salad I had been planning for dinner; I love goats cheese, pine nuts and spinach together. It's one of my favourite meals. I had opened the spinach to make soup and decided soup and salad would be a nice combination. My sis arrived and the phone went, hence no photograph.

Goats Cheese Salad
A handful of spinach, watercress and any other leaves of choice, mixed with cucumber and chopped spring onion; I usually use this dressing but since I had my lovely Nudo olive oil...I am not getting paid to tell you how wonderful this is, I promise...I just freaking love it....I mixed it with sapa, salt, a squeeze of lemon, black pepper and a little mint. Dress the salad just before serving. Top with toasted pine nuts and goats cheese, heated under a grill or oven. I topped the goats cheese with some of the onion confit I still had left; this keeps so well because of the sugar and alcohol! I've never combined these before....they were so delicious together.

Spinach and Potato Soup
Chicken or vegetable stock
1 onion, chopped
1 peeled potato, chopped
1 inch ginger, finely grated
Good grating nutmeg
Spinach to taste; I used four large handfuls.
A few sprigs of mint (optional)
Sea salt
Freshly ground black or white pepper

Boil the stock and add in the onions and potato. After 5-10 minutes, add ginger. Bring to a simmer and once the potato is soft, add in the spinach. Simmer for a scant minute and then blend. I use a hand whisk for this soup. Grate in the nutmeg and the mint leaves, chopped. Add extra salt if required and a good sprinkling of white pepper to freshly ground black pepper. Butter bread, if not having with salad like I did and dunk!

French Onion soup...honest!

French Onion Soup; palate sticking, rib tickling, hot, beefy, steamy, tasty bowl of wondrousness. This soup will warm the cockles of your heart, make your wee cotton socks curl up with delight and bring joy and happiness to the world. Kumbaya, my friends!

Soup. Such a wee word for such a huge dish. I think soup is severely underrated; the smell of a potful as you enter the house on a cold, dark, winter's night, the warmth emanating from the bowl as you hurriedly pull off your jacket, the bug fighting properties of all those vegetables and onions, the heat from the occasional addition of brandy or wine, sitting down with your family, fresh bread ready to be buttered or croutons dripping with cheese as the steam flows upwards in a question mark, wondering why you haven't started yet and then that first, glorious taste when you place that spoon to your lips and sip. Ahhh. Fabulous. The wondrous joy of there always, always being a second bowl and maybe even a third. And it's cheap! Oh how cheap. Cheap, healthy and tasty.
Soup-make a pot today!

French Onion Soup with Croutons

Ingredients

1½ lb (700 g) onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 oz (50 g) butter
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 level teaspoon granulated sugar
2 pints (1.2 litres) good beef stock or beef/lamb (I sometimes use half lamb, half beef)
10 fl oz (275 ml) dry white wine...good wine, not Buckfast.....
2 tablespoons Cognac
salt and freshly milled black pepper

For the croutons:
Baguette, cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) diagonal slices
1 tablespoon olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed

To serve:
8 oz (225 g) Gruyère, grated

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4, 350°F (180°C).

Put the pan on a high heat and melt the oil and butter together. When very hot, add onions, garlic and sugar. Stir occasionally and cook until the edges of the onions have turned dark – this will take about 10 minutes. Then turn down heat to its lowest setting and leave the onions to carry on cooking very slowly for about 30 minutes, by which time the base of the pan should be covered with a caramelised film...if it's not, don't worry, cook for another 10 or so minutes and then continue.

Pour in the stock and white wine, season, then stir with a wooden spoon, scraping the base of the pan well. As soon as it all comes up to simmering point, turn down the heat to its lowest setting, then go away and leave it to cook very gently, without a lid, for about 1 hour. All this can be done in advance but, when you're ready to serve the soup, bring it back up to simmering point, taste,check seasoning and add a couple of tablespoons of Cognac. You don't have to of course, this is optional...but not for me!

Whilst the soup is cooking, make the croutons – begin by placing the bread slices, garlic and olive oil into a bowl, and mix well. Place onto a solid baking-sheet. Bake them in the oven for 20-25 minutes till crispy and crunchy.

When the soup is ready to be served...check seasoning once again, I usually find I need more salt and freshly ground pepper at this point....warm the tureen or soup bowls in a low oven and pre-heat the grill to its highest setting. Then ladle in the hot soup and top with the croutons, allowing them to float on the top of the soup. Sprinkle the grated Gruyère thickly over the croutons and place the whole lot under the grill until the cheese is golden brown and bubbling. Serve immediately.

Alternatively, leave croutons on tray and sprinkle over cheese and heat that way. Sprinkle some grated cheese into the soup bowls, top with croutons and voila. A bowl of mouth watering, tasty, wonderful soup for the cold dark nights.

This is a Delia Recipe...thanks Delia!

The briefest of posts...

...I'm having a party on Saturday (incase I forgot to mention it...) to celebrate my 40th birthday and the fun begins on Thursday, therefore I'm running around like the proverbial blue-bummed beastie, painting a wall here, cleaning a cupboard there, organising shopping lists, cooking, clearing and giving Brian lists. I'll see y'all tomorrow with my soup and stew recipes that I had this week so far. The French Onion soup and Indian Chicken Stew were divine.

Emotions, weather and soup

Each Friday, the members of the Loose Blogger Consortium write on a new topic provided by a member of the group. This week's topic is Emotions and Weather. Check out the wonderful blogs of the other members:

• Conrad of www.levintel.com
• A Creative Writer in Progress
• Change of Heart Stress Solutions
• gaelikaa's Diary
• Grannymar
• I truly am dumber than Einstein
• Magpie 11
• Ramana's Musings
• The Silver Fox Whispers

Ah, the weather! This is a topic we Scots revel in; whole conferences have begun discussing the weather, intellectual debates spring up on whether the rain outside is a shower or a smirr, just grulie or a gandiegow.

My old professor, a wisened old Scot with the gift for the gab, never short of a pun or two, had a habit of throwing up controversial topics right out of the blue, many of which led to near death experiences for those involved...."Rangers are a bit rubbish, aren't they?", "It was all much better when Margaret Thatcher was around, don't you think?", "Marxism; never existed, did it?"to outcries, arguments and the occasional punch in the head. His favourite topic? The weather. One out of every three discussions involved the weather in some way and believe me, it could get dangerous.

I still bump into him from time to time and whether inside or out, he will look up at the non-existent stars, put his hand out, palm raised upwards as if feeling for rain and exclaim "not a bad day, Helen...what are the chances of rain?". Every. single. time. And then we discuss; "So, what are the chances of rain Helen?".

If you were to walk into a restaurant or a shop in Scotland, you'll be given one of many rhetorical questions regarding the weather:
"Bucketing down oot there, eh?"
"It's raining wee men in overcoats, isn't it?"
"Time tae build an ark, hen, don't you think?"

It's part of the interwoven fabric of our rain-fuelled, dreich filled society and it holds the entire country together in small talk and chat alongside it's pals "a wee cup of tea" and "a wee dram".

Emotions are easily ruled by the weather, particularly in this country; getting up on a grey, windy morning would sometimes fill my heart with sighs and I'd feel as if the weather was inside me. Given the choice, I'd choose to curl up in a foetus like position under the blankets and stay there til spring. This was the standard winter blues, felt by many, loathed by all.

For all my moments of affectation, I recovered quickly, unlike others; friends, colleagues and family would show such a disaffected malais during particular months that I worried for their mental health. I instinctively knew it was weather related and we all sat with gritted teeth, waiting for that ray of sunshine, knowing the mood would instantly lift. It was during one of those grey spells that the world began to talk about Seasonally Affective Disorder or SAD and it all made so much sense. SAD was viewed as a severe form of the winter blues and was a depression that lasted through the winter although it normally lifted by the spring. I remember not being in the least surprised to learn that 1 in 8 people suffered from the winter blues with 1 in at least 50 in the UK suffering from the more severe SAD.

Around this time, I watched a programme called 'Northern Exposure' which was based in Alaska, a state with little sunshine and lots of darkness at particular times of the year. People were coming to the local clinic with symptoms of SAD and the doctor discovered 'light therapy' as a cure. This was the first time I'd seen a lightbox to counter the effects of this illness.

I called my friends who suffered the most and with a little hope and excitement, they sent off money to purchase this potentially magical cure. Much to my surprise and that of many, it worked. It didn't work for everyone and it took commitment as you had to use it regularly but positive results were shown. People began to smile again. It was a lovely sight to behold.

I no longer get the winter blues. I realised many years ago that if you live in a climate such as ours, you need to take advantage of the good days and work during the bad. We also seem to have many more cold, sunshine filled days than I remember, the kind of days that make you want to don a woolly bunnet and head for the hills; quite often, I do. Having children has helped; they have a positive impact on grey, winter days as you keep busy trying to make it cosy for them with cakes in the oven, warm lamplight everywhere and gentle music playing. Now, I take advantage of those days too.

smirr-light rain
grulie-unsettled weather
gandiegow-heavy shower
oot-out
tae-to
dreich-dismal and wet; the worst
bunnet-hat
________________________________
Roasted Pumpkin Soup with melting cheese and croutons

We had our roasted pumpkin soup and used the cold, dead carcass to make a jack o lantern. The kids drew on a face and I assisted the cutting; it's a bit dodgy looking but it does the job. The soup was really tasty and there was enough for lunch today with half frozen for a future date.

This recipe is taken from Delia Smith's Winter collection; she sais: "The lovely thing about pumpkin is that it has a really velvety texture in soup, and if it's oven-roasted before you add it to the soup, it gives an unusual nuttiness to the flavour. Just before serving, add little cubes of quick melting cheese like Gruyere or, if you're lucky enough to get it, Fontina. Then finding little bits of half-melted cheese in the soup that stretch up on the spoon is an absolute delight."

Serves 6
Ingredients
For the soup:
1 pumpkin, weighing 3-31/2 lb (1.35-1.6 kg)
1 tablespoon groundnut oil
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
11/2 pints (850 ml) stock, vegetable or chicken
15 fl oz (425 ml) whole milk
1 oz (25 g) butter
freshly grated nutmeg
salt and freshly milled black pepper
To serve:
4 oz (110 g) Gruyere or Fontina, cut into 1/4 inch (5 mm) diced
2 oz (50 g) Gruyere or Fontina, coarsely grated
6 teaspoons creme fraiche
4 oz (110 g) croutons
flat-leaf parsley
Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 9, 475 F (240 C).

Begin by cutting the pumpkin in half through the stalk,then cut each half into 4 again and scoop out the seeds using a large spoon. Then brush the surface of each section with the oil and place them on the baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper, then pop them on a high shelf of the oven to roast for 25-30 minutes or until tender when tested with a skewer. Since I was using the skin for a Halloween decoration, I scooped the flesh out in this instance and roasted it that way instead.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a high heat, add the onion, stir it round and when it begins to colour round the edges, after about 5 minutes, turn the heat down. Let it cook very gently without a lid, giving it a stir from time to time, for about 20 minutes. Then remove the pumpkin from the oven and leave it aside to cool. Now add the stock and the milk to the onions, and leave them with the heat turned low to slowly come up to simmering point. Next scoop out the flesh of the pumpkin with a sharp knife and add it to the stock together with a seasoning of salt, pepper and nutmeg. Then let it all simmer very gently for about 15-20 minutes.

Next the soup should be processed to a puree. Because there's a large volume of soup, it's best to do this in two halves. What you need to do is whiz it until it's smoothly blended, but as an extra precaution it's best to pass it through a sieve as well in case there are any unblended fibrous bits. Taste and season well, then when you're ready to serve the soup, re-heat it gently just up to simmering point, being careful not to let it boil.

Finally, stir in the diced cheese, then ladle the soup into warm soup bowls. Garnish each bowl with a teaspoonful of creme fraiche and scatter with the grated cheese, a few croutons as well, if you like them, and a sprinkling of parsley.

Food for Sickies

Every nation will have certain foods that they give to the sick and hungover; within every nation, there will of course, be variations and from city to city, it changes once again. Within those cities and towns, each family will tweak and add to each recipe, adding a little nutmeg here, some spring onions there.

In the west, a version of chicken soup tends to be favoured or at least some kind of broth. It's tasty, full of nutrients and hydrates the body and soul. It's the first thing I crave when ill, knowing that a little will go a long way to making me feel better.

When the main cook is ill, though, does she get her soup? What does she or he get fed in her time of need? Over the years, I've only been floored with illness a few times and I tend to lose my appetite. After a few days however, I need to eat and have been content in the past with a chippy fish and chips or similar, Chinese food, curry or scrambled eggs. Since the kids came along, all that changed as they too need to eat proper food regardless so, thanks to a well stocked freezer, we usually manage fine.

This week, I croaked out instructions to Brian; he made some classic dishes for the weak and bed ridden including vegetable and lentil soup, homemade bread and scrambled eggs which he was rather proud off: it was very good. His face at first when I suggested he make some bread though..... It was a meal fit for a king, very simple yet wonderful and I felt instantly better.

Other traditional dishes for the Glaswegian sick include Scotch Broth, which I'm making today, chicken noodle soup for the kids, mince and tatties for those in recovery, steak pie for the first day well and curry, a new tradition and a great one because of the ginger, the garlic...both super foods for getting you better and the spices give you that buzz; taste buds aren't always great when you've had the flu or similar so this is one dish you can be sure of getting a kick from.

Do you remember that huge vegetable curry I made just as I fell ill no connection, I promise! Well, that was my first proper meal with a little rice and paratha which Brian made, checking in with me every now and then to make sure it was being done right. It was and it was great.

When I started to feel a little better, I helped Brian make the bread for the Lahmacun, having already had the lightly spiced lamb mince in the freezer from the last batch I'd made. I don't think the photograph does it too much justice, what with the...um...burnt looking bits but believe me, it tasted wonderful; this is so easy, tasty and simple. Perfect in fact, for this week. See recipe below.

Yesterday, on feeling a little better, Brian took the kids to the park and I prepared a simple meal of what we call American Mac n' Cheese, because we add a mix of breadcrumbs and grated cheddar to the top of the homemade cheese sauce and bake it in the oven. I have no idea if this is accurate to how it is made in the US or not, I think we saw it in an American film once and the kids wanted to try it, hence the name.

Brian's bread, garlic'd

We'll be living off leftovers and making do for a few more days yet as the flu which has moved to my chest consumes me with coughing; I was so exhausted after making the mac and cheese last night that I had to lie down for an hour; how pathetic is that....but then I painted a wall afterwards and spent the rest of the night hyperventilating with no way to hide what I'd done when Brian came back from Aikido to find me comatose on the couch but it looks great today.

Lahmacun
For the dough:
150g bread flour
100g plain flour
1 teaspoon easy blend yeast
Half teaspoon salt
125ml warm water
1 tablespoon olive oil

Combine the flour yeast and salt and add water and oil- mix and form a dough. Knead for 5-10 minutes and place in an oiled bowl, turn over once and cover with clingfilm. Leave it somewhere warm to rise, approx. 1 hour.

Once it has approx. doubled in size, punch the air out of it and divide into 8 pieces. Roll into circles of approx. 12 cm each and leave them on an oiled baking sheet (I put down parchment paper first) with tea towels over them to stop them drying out, for about 20 minutes.

Lamb Topping:
1 medium onion, very finely chopped
1 fat garlic clove, very finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
250g lamb or minced lamb, very finely chopped in food processor
pinch of cayenne pepper, ground allspice
Half teaspoon cumin
*optional-half chilli pepper, seeds removed
3 tablespoons tomato puree
2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, finely chopped plus more for serving
lemon juice
Melted butter

Fry onion and garlic together in the oil until soft but not coloured; sprinkle in some salt to help keep it from browning. Add the minced lamb along with the spices and then stir in tomato puree. Stir well and cook for 10-15 minutes until the lamb is browned and cooked through. Add the lemon juice (about half to 1 whole lemon) and season with salt and pepper.

Use the melted butter to coat the bread rounds, making sure you completely get the edges (so they stay quite soft). Place a large tablespoon or so of mince onto the bread and spread out with the back of a spoon. When complete, place in oven at 220 degrees Celsius/gas mark 7 for approx. 10 minutes. Keep your eye on it so that the mince doesn't burn although the top will catch slightly. Turn the baking tray(s) if need be.

If it is going to be a few minutes before they are taken to the table, drape them with a tea towel to stop the crusts getting hard. These are delicious as is but I like to sprinkle with some extra parsley and another squeeze of lemon juice and either serve alongside a green salad with a good goats cheese or with goats cheese dotted on top of the lahmacun. You can add this a minute or so before taking out of oven so that the goats cheese melts if you like. Really, really delicious.

I have to say, I wouldn't waste my time making this paltry amount of lamb topping as it freezes beautifully; I'd usually make 4 times the amount and freeze it in 250g batches. You could do the same with the bread, freezing it at the point you'd place it in the oven or make the entire lahmacun as normal and freeze from cooked; I can vouch for them defrosting beautifully and warming up splendidly in a hot oven for 5 minutes. Apply to face.

Me Maw, Me Maw...it wisnae Me Maw

The kids and I went to an open day at the local fire station; we saw a chip pan fire, dogs catching baddies and rescuing bodies, falconry in action, the kids got to touch the tawny owl, sit in a police car and put the siren on and left with an armful of useless but delightful goodies.

We walked into the mini nearby town and then home via the park and ski club. I wanted to lie in the middle of the busy road and have a car just run me over after the third hour walking. Energy, where are you? I'm thinking I can't be eating enough cake! Yeah...that's what it is...I need more cake. And gin. Wonder if you can make a gin cake.....?

I've not had to shop for a while as I'm using up all the ingredients already littering the kitchen cupboards, freezer and fridge. A few items were purchased yesterday alongside the beef for the steak pie; milk, croissants and sweeties for the kids.

Today, I made a large pot of vegetable and lentil soup, pot pies, a fresh fruit loaf and triple chocolate muffins of which I had none....greedy kids! I used all store cupboard ingredients and the cost was minimal.

The pot pies used the remainder of the beef in stock from yesterday with added vegetables and topped with mashed potato and an equal mixture of cheese and breadcrumbs. They bake in the oven for around 20 minutes at a medium heat or until breadcrumb topping turns brown. They were lovely.

The soup used up the rest of the carrots and turnip and the muffins contained a mixture of dark and milk chocolate chips as well as some chocolate buttons sitting in the sweetie drawer.

Tomorrow, it could be anything; pesto potatoes or pepper pancakes; chili chocolate or chicken chausseur. Whatever it shall be, it shall be after brunch with my mum as it is her birthday! I've left bacon in the fridge and eggs in the cupboard for the family to fend for themselves during my short absence....what's the chances of them waiting til I come home?

Raindrops keep fallin' on my head.

It's a rainy day in Scotland; the natural state of things. I cooked most of the day and looked up various hotels and venues for my trip to Canada in a few weeks...I'm really excited at meeting up with my old friends in Toronto, visiting Montreal and walking the Bruce trail, possibly staying at Niagara on the Lake and visiting some wineries. Can you hear that high pitched noise? That's me, screaming in a pitch reserved for cats and dogs, so the kids can't hear how excited I am.

I made Carrot, Honey and Ginger soup for lunch today, alongside pan toasted ciabatta with cheese and chorizo, cheese and ham and just plain ole cheese. I stuck to the soup only, letting the rest of them wire in to the bread, having lost another 2 pounds this week and not wanting to put it back on in one sitting!

Carrot, Honey & Ginger Soup
5oz/150g onion, thinly sliced
3/4 oz/20g root ginger, thinly sliced
3oz/75g unsalted butter (I used much less than this-around 1oz/25g)
1oz/25g honey
21oz/600g carrots, sliced
1.5 pints/1 litre water (I used a mild chicken stock)
One third oz / 8g salt (just added it to taste!)
Fifth oz/5g white pepper (just added it to taste!)
Squeeze lemon juice

Sweat onions and ginger in butter over gentle heat for ten minutes...do not brown so keep and eye on them. Add a droplet or two of water if required.
Stir in the honey and let it melt.
Add carrots and stir. Pour in water or stock.
Add seasoning to taste, bring to boil, cover then simmer for 45 minutes.
Pour into liquidiser and process to a puree.
Check the salt and pepper, add more if required, add lemon juice and serve with a little cream.

This soup is excellent if left to get cold, placed in fridge and reheated.

For dinner, I made pizza & chips; not any old pizza and chips but homemade pizza: the dough, the sauce and I even milked the buffalo myself....ok, I lie but the rest is true. The chips were made with sweet potato, cut into chips, drizzled with a little olive oil, sea salt and thyme and roasted in a medium to high oven for 20-30 minutes, until soft and browned a little on the outside.

Home-made Pizza with fresh Tomato Sauce and sliced Mozzarella
Pizza Dough
250g plain flour, good Italian 00 flour is best but isn't necessary
1 heaped teaspoon easy-blend dried yeast (half 7g sachet)
Half teaspoon salt
150ml warm water with 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil added
1 baking sheet, lightly oiled

Combine flour, yeast and salt and pour in water and oil mix. Form a dough, adding more water if necessary. When it looks bound...it'll still look messy though...plop onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes. Put into an oiled bowl, turning once to oil both sides of the dough, cover with clingfilm and leave in a warm place to rise for an hour.

Make the tomato sauce. This is the same as my usual tomato sauce recipe except I use 2x500g cartons passata and I do not add the water/stock or milk. This can then be used as a pizza sauce and for a variety of other uses.


Put oven on to 240 degrees Celsius/gas mark 9.

Make the chips.

When dough has doubled in size, punch all the air out of it and knead for another minute. Press out onto the baking sheet, atop a baking tray or pizza tin; press out until it nearly fits the tin. spoon over some sauce and bake in the oven for approx. fifteen minutes. Check, you don't want it to burn.

Turn oven down to about 220 and add a little more sauce...just a little and fresh mozzarella, sliced. Sprinkle with a little salt and black pepper or any other toppings of choice. Pesto or basil would be lovely with this. Cook until mozzarella has melted and browned a little...approx. 5-10 minutes.Serve with the chips, salad and some cold meats; you have the option of course of putting the meats...salami, chorizo, pepperoni...on top of the pizza before the cheese. Enjoy.


Edited to add: I forgot to say, with this being served for a family of five, the calorie content per person was 372 calories. There is also lots of tomato sauce left over for pasta and bread pizza.

Will you look at the time?

That's one thing about the summer holidays; time starts to merge and before you know it, it's 10pm, rather than the usual, strict limits of school days. I'm not complaining; it's lovely in fact. I got up late today for the first time in ages. I mean, really late...for a mum. I got a cup of tea in bed and read a bit of a book before coming downstairs to the smell of pancakes, made by Brian to be greeted by happy children, instead of the usual wail of "what's for breakfast? I'm STARVIIIIIING!!!!"

For lunch, we had soup. I made watercress and spinach soup for Brian and I and tomato soup for the kids. I offered them each a £100 to try the green sludge soup but to no avail. In the photograph below is Fraser's response to being offered £100.

The answer was clearly no. Wouldn't touch it with a barge pole, I think Lucy said. "Not for a £1,000,000!" Kelly replied. Even I was dubious. I used two full packets of the leaves, thinking of all the goodness but it did begin to look like pond water. I adjusted it a bit and actually, despite the appearance, it was lovely.

The kids were still in their pjs come lunchtime, as you can clearly see from the photo; I know, I'm a terrible mother...not to them obviously, they think it's wonderful....and in holiday time, that's all that counts.

We had a really tasty meal of lamb chops cooked with sticky bbq sauce. I decided to use my own recipe and serve it with rice instead of mashed potatoes...a good choice. The bbq sauce was really delicious and I have loads left.

Lamb Chops with Sticky BBQ Sauce, Boiled Rice,Yoghurt Raita,Roasted Baby Plum Tomatoes, quick Caramelised Onions and warm Pitta Bread.
4-8 lamb chops (we had 6-3 each and a bit much)
For the BBQ Sauce:
olive oil, tablespoon
1 finely chopped shallot
1 finely chopped, fat garlic clove
Half red chilli, seeded and finely chopped (huge fat chilli so use more if preferred)
Approx. 2oz dark muscovado sugar (it's worth buying this, great for caramelising)
Approx. 2oz soy sauce
Approx. 10 fl.oz. tomato ketchup
For the raita:
Low fat yoghurt
chopped cucumber to taste
Squeeze lemon juice
salt and white pepper
Sprinkling parsley and coriander, fresh (don't buy 'specially though)
For the onions:
1 onion, thinly sliced
Olive oil
Salt
Teaspoon muscovado sugar
For the tomatoes:
Handful baby plum tomatoes, halved or quartered
Teaspoon olive oil
Half teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Salt & pepper
Sprinkling parsley

Basmati rice or rice of choice

Pitta Bread

Make the BBQ sauce first. Heat the olive oil in pan over a medium heat, add shallot, chilli and garlic, stir and leave for a few minutes. Add the sugar, soy and tomato ketchup...I admit to using different amounts of tomato ketchup each time but I usually put in about two huge squeezefuls. Stir and taste...add more tomato ketchup if you prefer. The sauce should still look quite dark and only a little red...that's how I like it but using the full amount of sauce will taste just as great if a little milder. Bring to the boil and simmer for a few minutes. Stir and then place in a bowl.

Put oven on medium/high for plum tomatoes. Put on rice and cook as per instructions. Place plum tomatoes in an ovenproof dish and pour over a mix of all the tomato ingredients. Place in oven for around ten minutes. Once ready, leave in oven so they stay hot but turn oven off.

Make raita by adding all the ingredients to the yoghurt and mix.

Onions: heat oil in small pan over a medium heat. Add onions and cook until brown. Add salt, stir and then add sugar. Stir, leave on low heat until required. Once soft though, turn off.

Chops: place oil in pan over a medium heat...add chops and fry for around 4 minutes until brown. Pour bbq sauce on to uncooked side of chops and turn over. Add some more bbq sauce to browned side and cook for another 3-5 minutes, depending on how you like them.

Place pitta bread in toaster until warmed and slice in two.

Plate up, sniff with pleasure and eat 'til stuffed!

The kids turned their noses up at my lamb chops, the little...cherubs...so they had leftover chicken cooked in a stock of chicken and tomato puree served with rice and cucumber slices, as requested. A bit bizarre, possibly but they were so happy with the presentation...kids are so easy sometimes...and ate it all up.


I was going to bake but ran out of steam. It happens.

What Soup?

Yesterday I spent £46.28 on the weekly shopping bill. Brian and I will be going out for dinner tonight so there will be a few less meals to think about. But first, last week....

I have been cutting down on what I eat the last few weeks as I'd like to lose a bit of weight; I've lost four pounds so far. When 'dieting' before, I found that the cost of fresh, healthy and low fat food could sometimes be high but in fact, with a bit of organisation, dieting or in my case, changing some of my eating habits can be cost effective: lose pounds and save pounds!

The best discovery I've made so far to eating healthy but feeling full and being able to eat when you want without spending a lot of money is...wait for it....SOUP! Every day this past week I've made soup which I've had for my lunch with bread and occasionally for dinner. A large pot of soup costs approx. £1.00. Seriously. Here is an average ingredient and cost list for a pot of soup:
Knorr Chicken stock cube approx cost. 16 pence (Using home-made stock £0.00 pence)
Lentils approx cost. 18 pence for 100g (£3.78 x 2 kg)
Carrots x 2 approx cost. 20 pence
Onion, large approx cost. 16 pence
Turnip,small, half approx cost. 30 pence
Leftover chicken/ham approx cost. 0 pence

Some soups are more expensive than others of course but I've used a lot of leftover ingredients which have already been costed for the week so a lot of items haven't cost much at all. This week I had the following soups:
Chicken & Rice
Watercress & Spinach
Lentil
Tomato and Basil

Chicken & Rice
Home-made stock was used for this but a Knorr chicken stock cube is great. Chicken carcass was boiled with a bay leave, half a carrot, half onion and a few black peppercorns and leftover herbs. This was then simmered for a few hours, drained and left to get cold. Any 'scum' or fat that had risen to the top was scraped off and then I re-simmered it to concentrate the flavour.

I threw a carrot and quarter of leftover turnip into the blender. I chopped an onion and all of this was added to stock. Boil and then simmer. Any leftover veg can be used as the base for this soup (except green veg!). If you like to blend your soup then make sure you do this before adding the rice and chicken; I've made this mistake and it isn't good. I then added a cup (approx. 100g) of basmati rice, washed. I cooked the soup for approx. 15 minutes on a simmer and then added the chopped up leftover chicken. After a few minutes, the soup was ready. Brian, wee'est 'un and I loved it; the other two are not huge soup fans.

Watercress & Spinach
I do have a nice recipe for this but on this occasion, I added leftover leaves which I'd used for salad to the leftover pot of chicken and rice soup with an added cup of chicken stock (Knorr this time). It was delicious and very healthy not to mention ready in 2 minutes. For adults only!

Lentil
Knorr Chicken stock cube, lentils washed and added to stock, brought to the boil and simmered whilst preparing rest of vegetables. Two carrots and half turnip were washed and chopped small and added to pot alongside a chopped onion. Once it was almost ready, leftover ham was added to the pot. Again, Brian, wee 'un and I loved it.

Tomato & Basil
There are many recipes for tomato soup; this one is a very quick version. A chicken or vegetable stock cube is dissolved in a small cup of hot water and added to approx. 350g passata (sieved tomatoes, Asda sells jars at approx. 90p for 700g and smaller cartons) and bring to the boil, immediately turning down to a simmer. An onion is blended so that it is almost mushy but finely chopping would do and added to the passata. You could add a chopped garlic clove at this point too. The tomato soup is simmered for five minutes and then I add a teaspoon of sugar and a good pinch of salt (sea salt somehow works better) and a very good grinding of black pepper. I also add a fine grating nutmeg but don't buy it just for this. It is important to taste this soup and make sure it is to your liking...add more salt if you feel it is too bitter and more pepper for spice. At the end I add a handful of chopped basil leaves and give it a quick blend with the hand blender. I then serve with a few chooped leaves sprinkled on top. There is virtually no calories in this and if you add a chopped up chili then you have spicy tomato soup.