When there is nothing in the fridge…. thank goodness for the freezer!

Still waiting for my delivery tonight (the godsend of any working mother!) and so the freezer has to deliver instead. I freeze Abbie portions of anything that I make that is freezable. We’ve already had paris mash this week and today Abbie chose veggie soup. A quick zap in the microwave and presto! Dinner is served!
Basic veggie soup
Roots: carrots, parsnip, potato and/or turnips
Alliums: garlic and onion/leek
Extras:peas/broccoli/green beans
Chop
Cook in a little oil in a big pan until going soft
Cover with veg stock and cook for 1 hour
I play around with the ingredients every time I cook it. Always yummy!

Waybaloo…. more like WaybaPOO!

A few weeks ago, we were in Sheringham Park when I saw an invite to ‘come and play peeka with the Piplings!’ Yes, for the uninitiated, Waybaloo was coming to town and even though Abbie had not seen the programme for months, she was beyond excited! I even invited some friends to join us!

In the bower...

Imagine then the disappointment, no mortification, upon entering the bower to find 2 knee-high cardboard cut-outs of said Piplings and a plastic playhouse and slide. Where were the Piplings? Clearly they had better things to do….

Yojojo's house....

Thank goodness that a) it was a free event and b) we could easily nip to Lizzy’s for a restorative cup of tea and a comfy sofa upon which to put the world to rights…..

Paris mash - from Sophie Dahl

'Feeds a few' says the recipe - I encourage you to cut the ingredients by at least half - we have weeks of leftovers!

Had this wine with our lentil supper - absolutely gorgeous!

Kale, egg and chorizo – quick and yummy..

Our kale crop is going strong and I am fending off the catepillars as best as I can! Thought i would capitalise on Abbie’s current love of the veg by making this dish. Steam the kale until tender whilst frying cubes of chorizo (rounds cut into 4) until they are crispy. Stir the kale into the chorizo and all its paprika juices. Serve topped with a perfectly poached egg and crusty bread on the side. It’ll be clean plates all round…..

A World Cup breakfast…..

I neee no crystal ball to forsee our family viewing for the next 6 weeks. Gone is children’s tv, much to the annoyance of Abbie….. enter the Rugby World Cup. So it was coffee with Ireland v USA and breakfast with Wales v South Africa. I made a spelt loaf using Doves Cottage flour, using the usual sponge method. The resulting loaf was very reminicent of French bread.. fluffy inside, a soft crumb and a crusty exterior. Perfect with both lemon curd and homemade loganberry jam.
Now all that needs to happen is for Wales to win…..

My baby starts in Reception today….

The passing of another year is very marked at the moment. Although we haven’t got any of the ‘starting school for the first time’ feelings, as Abbie attended Nursery at the same school last year… it still seems so soon to be starting ‘big school’. Abbie is chomping at the bit, of course, to get back and see her ‘old and new friends’. And I will be getting back into the routine of after-school snacks for the car journey home…… not prepared at all today so will be a slice of cake stolen from staff tea!

In praise of the Toastie maker!

I have now hit the point of my hangover where I want junk food….. but I am strong!
Abbie is starving, however, and frankly whatever form dinner takes, it has to be minimum effort. Enter the toastie maker – my saviour. In no time Abbie is sitting up to a plate of cheese and olive toastie with baked beans. And I can sit down, stare aimlessly into the middle distance and think about how bed is now only a few hours away…….

A safari dinner and a hangover!

Not quite what we did!

Have to admit today I am not feeling great…. a tad hungover still at midday, even though my wonderful husband made me scrambled eggs for breakfast and I slept until 11. I tend to do this once a year and this must be this year’s event! Somehow convinced myself and those around me that I would be attending Zumba this morning – loud music and shaking my booty would not have been ‘just what the doctor ordered’ this morning!

Anyway the reason for my poor appearance today was a ‘Safari Dinner’ – what a fantastic concept! Organised by my Headmaster’s wife, we ventured around the school and town, visiting classrooms and kitchens to eat each course with a different group of people. At the end of each course everyone received envelopes which told them where they were off to next – ingenious and exciting! We started in a classroom at school where Parma Ham and Melon & Chips/Dip were provided with copious amounts of wine. Then onto one of the boys’ houses down the road where we were treated to Roast Beef and all the trimmings main course by a very talented Housemaster, served with copious amounts of wine. We hotfooted it back to school to serve our course, pudding, in my lab! It was quite a challenge to give that space the right ambience – but SummerPudding Trifle triumphed again (see previous post ‘How to impress your mother-in-law #2 – July). We also served kir royale made with my homemade creme de cassis or madiera. Lastly, we all converged upon the library, where we were treated to a massive selection of cheeses with copious amounts of port.

Have to say that the best moments were passing other groups in town and discussing what we’d had and where we were going….. and the copious amounts of wine obviously! I truly deserve this hangover!