Food for thought.

I realised immediately that my resolve for not drinking too much would be put to the test by who turned up and how good the band were. I'm not for a minute attributing blame for my gin habit to those friends who buy double measures (you know who you are) but it can and does add to the quantity consumed; add a good band with excellent covers and you never know what could happen.

As it turned out, the band were good, including a particularly well versed Pink Floyd rendition (although the Frankie Goes to Hollywood cover kind of threw me off track, despite taking me right back to my youth) and a Kasabian number. The people were not the kind to force feed anyone and in fact, in that particular crowd, I'm probably the imbiber. This was no bacchanal evening however and a few gin and tonics with a glass of wine thrown in met our needs.

I was unsure beforehand of course and took the precaution of having scooby snacks ready in the fridge, lots of bottled water and a low fat, tasty dinner just an hour before going out. Cannae take that hangover, girls.

I opted for a undyed smoked haddock fillet and having quantities left of pesto sans pine nuts, I decided to try it with the fish. Pesto goes amazingly well with lemon sole and that is in fact one of my favourite dishes: lemon sole with pesto, crispy courgettes, spinach and sauce verde. More on that later! I placed the fish on foil, smothered it with the pesto and squeezed a little lemon juice atop alongside a few thin slices.

I packaged up the foil and placed it onto a tin, ready for the oven. I then chopped up a selection of tomatoes, spring onions and red pepper, mixed it all with a little pesto, added some fresh thyme, salt and pepper and placed in the tin alongside the wrapped fish.

The fish and salad veg was placed into a hot oven, bottom shelf as the chicken was cooking for the kids and Brian on the top shelf, for 10 minutes. I served it on a bed of mixed leaves including watercress and spinach as well as some rice and green beans.

T'was yummy!

The kids and Brian had roasted lemon and thyme chicken, roasted pearl potatoes, thrown into the chicken 30 minutes before the end. Once the chicken was cooked, it was plated and wrapped in foil to rest. The heat was turned up on the oven and the potatoes put back in-they start to caremalise at this stage because of the lemon juice and chicken gravy still inside the dish. That was served with rice and green beans.So, today, I awoke with only a very mild sore head, thanks to the water, toast and butter and sleep I had last night. It was all go today with parties, walking and the likes so the traditional rolls and bacon were consumed with some frozen yoghurt and berries as an afternoon snack. I felt in the need for some stodge but needed to get it from somewhere other than the chippy! So I made my own version of fried fish and chips....calamari. The recipe for this is as follows and it really was perfect, not too high in fat and I'm full and happy.

Salt and Pepper Calamari with Mixed Rice
A handful of calamari, washed and dried. Calamari is incredibly cheap, the amount I used costing around 70 pence.
Sesame oil
Flour
salt and pepper
Chilli flakes
Vegetable oil for frying
Cooked Rice (I used yesterday's leftovers)
Chopped peppers, cucumber and spring onion and whatever else takes your fancy.
Green Beans

Drizzle over the calamari a small amount of sesame oil, salt and pepper, and mix. Roll in the following mixture: two tablespoons flour, lots of freshly ground black pepper, a good pinch of sea salt, chilli flakes to taste.

Pour oil in pan to cover bottom. Get really hot and add the calamari in batches...don't crowd the pan. The secret to tender, tasty calamari is to treat it like meat: you either cook it very quickly over a high heat or stew it slowly for a long time over a low heat. Cook quickly until the outside turns brown and then turn over. This should only take a few minutes. Place on kitchen towel to dry.

Mix chopped veg into the rice, sprinkle over some soy sauce and place the calamari on top. Eat with chopsticks and enjoy. Hangover, begone!

Nearly forgot...

...I got pine nuts! My life is once again complete. I bought two teeny weeny packets but at £2.00 a packet, I'll be using them like gold dust! There must be a shortage....I must find out.

Drive by posting...

...because I'm going out to see a band, have a few drinks and enjoy the setting sun. I made roast chicken for the kids tonight, along with rice, roast potatoes, roast carrots and steamed green beans. I did not partake of the chicken however, oh no...I instead opted for a lovely undyed smoked haddock fillet, smothered in pesto (got lots to use up!) with a medley (ooh, get me!) of salad vegetables, fresh leaves, rice and a pesto dressing. I've taken pictures to prove it!

Picture and recipe posting to follow....I know my friend Agnes was looking for a fish recipe from me so this might be the one although lemon sole works better.

I finally shopped today having not needed to because of the weekend's festivities and the remaining food. I spent £36.79 today and that included, along side dinner, lots of fruit, salad, juice, ice lollies (Skinny Cow triple chocolate lollies, 90 odd calories per bar......mmmmmmmmmm), mousse, yoghurt and nutella.

Have a wonderful Friday night!

Helen's Homemade Crisps

Mmmmm. Let me repeat that; Mmmmmmm! I love home-made crisps but since I've been cutting down in all those little ways that make a difference...you know, fat, fried potatoes, fat soaked potatoes...I don't make them that often but I felt the need to share.
Helen's Homemade Crisps

2 large Maris Piper Potatoes
Vegetable or Sunflower oil for frying

Keep the skins on for added flavour and crunchiness. Slice potatoes with a mandolin and place in some cold water. Give them a stir and then drain and dry on kitchen towel. Heat oil until very hot and drop in a handful of potato slices at a time. Give them a stir, separating them as you go along using a slotted spoon. You want to remove them whilst some slices are brown and some still quite pale. Remove and place on more kitchen towel. Repeat as often as necessary until all crisps are cooked. Pat to dry and sprinkle with sea salt. Leave for 5-10 minutes to crisp up.

Keeping it simple, I usually add some extra sea salt and a great big grinding of freshly ground black pepper. Some of the crisps will still be a little soft and most will be crispy...this is the perfect combination. You can add some paprika, vinegar, chilli powder or celery salt, whatever takes your fancy. You must have a remote control, a blanket and a good film handy!

Enjoy!

Burnbrae Blues

Lucy and Fraser have social lives to beat the Royal Family. Therefore, it is not surprising that tonight, they had another party to attend. It was for two boys in their class and they celebrated by trying to blow each other up, along with a dozen other little boys and girls at Laser Planet or Laser Death or some such establishment. A lot of fun was had by all.

They were dropped off and Brian, Kelly and I made our way to The Burnbrae for a bite to eat. Kelly wasn't too keen, having witnessed a previous attempt at family dining in the place and remembering that it left us wanting...did I listen? No, I did not. Kelly, being a good little girl who does as she is told, simply shrugged and said "ok, mum".

So off we trundled, looking forward to a night off and a bit of reasonable fare. We kept it simple, Brian ordering Ham, Eggs and Chips, and since I didn't want to put all our eggs in one basket.....!....I went for the sausage and mash. Kelly was reluctant to pick anything as it was a fairly dodgy looking child's menu but plumped for BBQ chicken and chips.

The Burnbrae isn't known for it's speed but the meals arrived in what seemed like a few minutes...never really a good sign. That being said, Brian's ham and eggs were lovely looking, the eggs cooked to perfection and the ham...well, ham. My sausages were enormous and three huge links were more than this gal could manage. The mash was translucent, never a good thing as it means cheap white potatoes and no butter. The gravy was passable but lumpy and get this: no onions with it. What is the point of sausage and mash without onions? It's like Haggis without the Neeps or Posh without Becks.

Kelly's food was a sight to behold; dried bits of chicken with a bowl full of lumpy bbq sauce from a previous era. Her look of horror said it all. The ice-cream...the tiny scoop they gave her...tasted of vomit, apparently...an exaggeration no doubt but who leaves chocolate ice cream uneaten?

The charming, attentive and lovely waiter (Andrew?) with the long ponytail was so good however that I didn't complain. How very un-Helen like of me.

To make up for this ahem, meal, I made cupcakes. I was supposed to go walking after the party pick up but I thought of others for a change (ROTFL) and stayed at home to make cakes. I want an award.

These were lemon cupcakes with a plain, white royal icing and little flowers atop. They went down a treat.

Recipe to follow.

Wordless Wednesday

Snicker Doodlies or Peanut Butter Squares.

These are not the cinammony, lovely snickerdoodles that we make at Christmas time. These are Snicker Doodlies, so called because they remind me of a cross between a Snickers bar and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. I made them tonight as a surprise for the husband, off fighting with a stick somewhere. He loves a Snicker Doodly, so he does...who wouldn't?

Snicker Doodlies
For the base:
50g dark muscovado sugar
200g icing sugar
50g unsalted butter
200g smooth peanut butter

For the topping:
200g milk chocolate
100g plain chocolate
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 square brownie tine, lined, approx.23 cm square.

Stir all the base ingredients together until smooth, either in a mixer or with a wooden spoon. Don't worry too much about lumps. Press the mix into the tin trying to make the surface as even as possible.

To make topping, melt the chocolate and butter together and spread over the base. Put in fridge to set. You may think you can eat all of this at one sitting but you can't. No-one can. Homer Simpson couldn't. It is very rich but incredibly more-ish so be careful. Do not say I didn't warn you.

Sunshine and Sandals.

I've not been shopping this week yet as there seems to be plenty of food left over from the weekend's celebrations. I can't seem to sit still even though it's been so busy; my energy levels are fluctuating between very high and crash and burn so I'm thinking a slow and steady pace all week will keep me going.

Yesterday, I took most of the remaining basil I had left and made a pesto by blending together garlic, Parmesan, salt and olive oil. I didn't have pine nuts, yet again because I can't seem to find them anywhere! It's like they've suddenly become extinct or as rare as...well, a rare thing; the labels are there in the shops, taunting me: 'pine nuts', 'organic pine nuts', 'not quite organic but still ok pine nuts'. Yet the shelves are empty. Has there been a national shortage, a crisis I'm unaware off? Is it something to do with the disappearing bees? Who knows? Any thoughts? So, yes, back to the point, my pesto had no nuts but still tasted delicious.

I also had a good pile of tomatoes left so yesterday I slow roasted them as I did for the brunch, with basil, Parmesan, salt, olive oil and balsamic vinegar and placed them in the fridge, once cooked (after eating some straight from the oven and burning my tongue...greedy wench).

When I was hungry later on, I boiled up some fusilli and added a spoonful of the pesto, a handful of the tomatoes and a wee amount of olives to the cooked pasta.....talk about a taste sensation! It is so true that the simplest dishes are just the best...it was wonderful.

After such a great meal, Kelly, Lucy and I walked to the park whilst Fraser was at his last 'Beavers' meet. It took us around 40 minutes and Kelly took her bike; she is becoming really confident and was very safe which was good to see. After a play around the park, we wandered down to MacDonalds for ice cream...the extra ten minute walk in the sun was lovely and I only had a spoonful of the white stuff.

Today, as usual, I had a mad dash out the door to get to yoga in time and was buoyed along by the sunshine and sandals; there is something wonderful about having your feet out in the sun, not something we get to experience too often in Scotland! Yoga was wonderful and really instructive; I learnt a lot about my breathing and bandhas and felt great, if in dire need of coffee and lots of it. Afterwards, I walked down to meet Ann for our usual activity which instead of leading us all the way to Milngavie, a town a few miles away, led us instead to the Burnbrae for a plate of their wonderful antipasti and an afternoon of chat.

I shall come up with some inventive pasta for the return of the clan from swimming and give it some name which sounds Italian and like I've been cooking it for years...as long as it tastes good and is said with authority, they should believe but there are too many dishes with 'a la Helen' these days.....

Potato Scone Recipe

Those of us who enjoy a potato scone usually just purchase them from any nearby shop...woe betide the corner shop who runs out of Morton's rolls or potato scones...sausages we can do without, bacon at a push but not the humble tattie scone.

Bought pre-cooked, we like to re-heat them in a frying pan and eat with our fried breakfast or Sunday Brunch with a sprinkling of salt or some good old tomato or brown sauce. Potato scones however are the simplest thing in the world to make and taste even better fresh. Most traditional Scottish recipes are made from cheap, local ingredients, particularly those that come immediately to hand from the cupboard. The Potato Scone...or tattie scone as we like to call it, was a way of using up left over mashed potato and this is the only time I make it too. I can't help eating one as I cook them but as is the tradition, I let them get cold and reheat them for everyone later.

Potato Scone

Ingredients:
Half pound (225g) boiled and mashed potatoes (Maris Piper is what I always use)
2.5oz (65g) flour
3 tablespoons melted butter and a meagre tablespoon milk
Half teaspoon salt

Method:
Mash the potatoes while they are still warm and add the butter, milk and salt. Add in enough flour to make it a pliable dough but without making it too dry-this is very important. Add more butter if this happens but the type of potato will also affect this.

Turn out onto a floured surface and roll until about quarter of an inch thick. Cut into six inch circles and then into quarters. Prick all over with a fork and cook in a heavy pan which has been lightly greased. Cook each side for about three minutes or until golden brown. Try one with salt and sauce, say mmm and then let the rest get cold to re-heat later.

Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home,
Nothing brings this back than the taste of a scone.

Just call me Rabbie Burns........!

The party's over.

It has been a wonderful weekend. Really. Even with yesterday's hangover. The hair of the dog at Ricky and Irene's was totally unexpected but actually seemed to help. Worrying.

The tea party today turned into a brunch as everyone was arriving at 12.30. It seemed appropriate, being a Sunday and having a fridge full of bacon and a cupboard full of eggs and tomatoes. I served bacon, sausages, potato scones, potato frittata, (the potatoes first cooked in olive oil, thyme, rosemary and garlic, all removed before adding the eggs), a cheese omelette cooked in oil and an omelette with spring onions and Parmesan cooked in butter.

I cut large tomatoes in half and roasted them with olive oil, a large handful of chopped basil, a sprinkling of thyme, a grating of Parmesan and a drizzle of balsamic. I added a great big pinch of Maldon sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and popped them in the oven at 150 degrees Celsius. I slow roasted them for an hour and they really were delicious; the tomatoes were soft and sweet, the basil crunchy...I really recommend these. We served rolls, bread and butter and great steaming mugs of tea, what else?

After brunch, we had birthday cake and coffee. It was a calm, chatty, lovely birthday brunch. When everyone left, I knew I had to move and move fast. I realised if I didn't keep moving that I might fall down in a little heap and not move for a few hours, bar some twitching. So, I went upstairs to repair the damage 10 or 12 kids can amazingly inflict in such a short time.

By then, I wasn't fit for cooking even though Frank my wonderful father in law was here. I suggested pizza at Massimo's as a birthday treat and everyone thought it was a grand idea. Hallelujah! We bumped into the lovely Jo and family who, amongst almost all of Bearsden, had had the same idea as us: they were seating them out the door! The sfiziosa pizza was lovely although not as spicy as normal and I ate only a few slices. The kids hardly ate anything before running outdoors to play. Sigh. Thank goodness for take out boxes.

I laughed heartily when Brian 'suggested' making snickerdoodle cake. Instead, we went to Asda where the kids got to spend some of their birthday money and mini chocolate muffins were bought for those who wanted to partake in a sweet. I know, I hear you all cry...but they didn't even eat their dinner! Look, it was their birthday, we're all allowed a day off from the norm. So yes, I let them have muffins and sweets too. Thrrp.

After all this and feeling slightly faint, I stumbled inside, grasping about in the haze for coffee. But I had a revelation last night. More on that later. The revelation came back to me and I crawled up the stairs at 8pm, shouting instructions for baths (for the children) and went for a 30 minute walk in the sun. The day still isn't over as uniforms need to be found but you know, I'm alive, I'm well and I have three happy children, a smug husband and a reasonably contented father in law. Life is grand.

A small party glimpse...

...I can't believe no-one took pictures of the BBQ party food for me but such is life and we have a small glimpse.

Birthday cake!

Parachute Games organised by Val...great fun!

There sure were a lot of kids!

Exhaustion

What a wonderful bbq; the kids had a ball, the parents were laughing and even the sun shone...well, for some of the time. The treasure hunt went down a treat as did the wonderful games Val played with them...thank you Val, who also cooked!

80 sausages, 80 burgers, 100 hotdogs, 40 ribs, 12 veggie burgers, 8 veggie skewers, 6 prawn skewers, 24 chicken breasts, potato salad, mozzarella and tomato salad were all consumed in their entirety. Most of the pasta was eaten as was the fruit salad and there was not even a crumb of chocolate cake left. It was a lovely night.

Some friends came back afterwards but I eventually succumbed to tiredness (apparently...oops) and woke in a dehydrated and tired mess. That's when I realised I had kids staying over and there was a fun day planned at the bear factory and then food, drink, sweets... It's 4pm and I'm just home. Exhaustion is creeping in. The kids were wonderful though and it was a nice day. I must away and get showered again though as we are heading to Ricky and Irene's. Oh, and then there is tomorrow's tea party....................!