...on preparing dinners for a whole week!

In an attempt to make life a bit easier for myself on the days that I work and make sure there is good food on those days, rather than whatever we pick up out of desperation after half an hour in Tesco/toast/random biscuits, I've decided that on a Monday, I'll try to prepare dinner for the rest of the week. This week, I'm making 3 different things. I think these are good, heart meals, so thought I'd bloggage them! Here are the first two, and I shall post the third later in the week,

Recipe 1: Cod Pie!

For Filling

25og cod (mine was fillets), skin still on

1 yellow onion, quartered

8 whole cloves

2bay leaves

pinch of cumin

tsp wholegrain mustard

half a pint of milk

50g butter

50g flour

For Topping

4 large potatoes, peeled and sliced to 1cm thick

25g butter

75g cheese, grated

tsp wholegrain mustard

2tbsp milk

• put potatoes on pot, fill will boiling water, and bring to boil on a high heat
• reduce heat and simmer(you'll take it off when filling is assembled)
• Pre-heat oven to 180c
• put fish in pan
• stud each onion quarter with two cloves and add, along with bay, mustard and cumin
• add milk and stir
• bring to the boil and reduce heat, simmer until fish is poached (6 mins)
• drain milk from pot into a bowl/jug
• remove skin from fish and flake into large chunks, removing any bones- place these and some of the onion peices in casserole dish
• melt butter in pan, add flour and stir till smooth
• add milk mixture, and heat until it thinkens - pour over fish, ensuring that it's covered
• check potatoes are cook, and drain
• add topping ingredient to pan, and mash well
• give a good stir, and dollop on top of filling
• spread out till fairly even in thickness, and draw patterns with fork(this makes the crispy bits
• bake for 25 minutes, or until top is golden and crispy.

We had it with steamed green beans and carrots - I won't insult your intellegence by telling you how to make them!

Recipe 2: Chicken Noodle Soup

2 chicken things, bone in, skin on

2tbsp olive oil

half a red onion, diced finely

2 cloes of garlic, squished a bit and chopped roughly

2 pinches dried chilli flakes

itsp chopped fresh ginger

2tbsp balsamic vinegar

small leek, diced finely

2 carrots, diced finely

handful of baby sweetcorn, thinly sliced(into medallions)

tsp wholegrain mustard

5 pints chicken stock

1tbsp worcestershire sauce (Lea & Perrins FTW!)

2 sheets egg noodles (we get the Sharwoods ones that you boil for 5 mins)

• in a large pot, heat the oil and brown the chicken thighs
• remove, leaving fat
• add onions and garlic to pan, and saute, about 5 mins
• add ginger and chilli flakes, stir through and fry 1 min
• add balsamic and use to deglaze pan, then let it evaporate
• add rest of veg and stir fry 2 mins
• add stock and worcestershire sauce
• add chicken bac to pan
• simmer till chicken is cooked through
• remove chicken, and strip meat from bone
• add back to pan
• break sheets of noodles into pieces and add
• simmer 10 mins

The soup has a bit of a sweet and sour flavour, but not too much. The broth is nice and thick, and the quantities of chicken, noodles and veg are about right I think.

Dave is currently eating a bowl of the soup, though he had half the fish pie and a good portion of veg! It seem to be a success! This makes a big pot of it, so it can be lunches and snacks for the week.

... the good and the bad of the past few days.

I am just pottering around the flat, wasting time till I go collect my freind Katie from the bus station to go and see New Moon (I saw it last night also - I am not even ashamed!). Here is the good and the bad of the last couple of days.

Thursday

Bad - Left for work at 5.40am. Driving rain soaks me, and my trousers are actually soaked throught. I spend an hour and a half on buses, and half an hour standing outside. I also haven't slept well. This lead to me crying on the phone to Dave in a bus stop at 7.30 in the morning.

After work, I travel back to Dundee, and Dave and I get in the car to go to Paisley. The abysmal weather , some roadworks and an accident meant that it takes us an hour to go 5 miles on the motorway. Our one and a half hour journey takes three and a half.

Good- When I actually get to work, I am given dry clothes and cup of tea. Children look very happy to see me, and I spend the day playing and reading books, with occasional nappy changing.

When we get to Paisley, we are fed by Dave's sister and brother-in-law. Cups of tea, pizza, various dippy things and crisps are happy making! Then we go to the flat and sleep. Hurrah for sleep!

Friday

Bad- Man comes to value our flat. Man tells us its worth £15k less than we paid for it. I think you can guess how this feels!

Good- I am picked up by my friend Kyla. We hae a road trip to Edinburgh. We meet Jo, Lynsey and May at Jo's house. We have chinese food. We drive to Ocean Terminal, with lots of chat, laughs and innuendo type jokes. My side hurts from laughing. We queue to see New Moon. Even though we are an hour early, there are people the before us. It is mobbed. We finally get in, we manage to get 5 good seats together. New Moon is amazing stuff(go see it!). I get home at 2.30 am, and off to sleep I go!

I got up at 10 today, and have been pottering about since. I am excited to see Katie, and to see New Moon again. It is welcome relief from wondering how we are going to pay a mortgage and our rent here on a long term basis.

Oh, and we did our secret santa person picking last night! Hurrah!

... on some shop love - The Copper Swallow

Recently, I have purchased some items from two online shops. The link between them is that the shops themselves belong to the writers of blogs that I love. I feel it's really important to support independent shops, whether they be high street or online, especially ones who do what they can to help the planet, which is true of both of these lovely ladies! I'm going to do a little post on each of them, so here goes!

First up is The Copper Swallow, the brainchild of the lovely Serena of Cowdy Calling. I've been reading Serena's blog for quite a while now, and as a person she is quirky, artsy, caring and fun. She cares alot about people and the planet, and of this is reflected in her beautiful paper goods.

The packaging - Luxury print and natural binding!

I was so, so excited when she revealed her plans to start making them, and so on the day she opened her shop, I bought some lovely cards! I chose some of the 'Just my Type' series of cards, in which Serena has combined text(typed on her vintage typewriter) and images with vivid colours. The effect is something quite quirky with a bit of a vinatge feel, and I adore them. Actually, there are two I adore so much that I'm going to frame them and hang them in our flat! I also chose one of the 'Beyond the Brambles' range, which features Serena's own photography! She is quite the talented lady! I think you can tell I wasn't dissapointed, all of her designs are quite droolworthy, and I found it hard to choose!

Vivid colour, pattern, strong images and text - lovely!

Oh, and did I mention the manila card mount is recycled!

Something I really liked is the care taken in producing the items. Everything is extremely professionally finished, and the materials used are very high quality (the graphic designer in me appreciates this alot). Alot of them are also recycled, which is awesome. On the bag used to contain your card and envelope, there is a wee surprise in the seal, which I won't show, because when you buy something, it's a nice wee surprise!

Glassine bags- much cuter than the PU ones normally used,

don't you think? Biodegradable too!

These cards are fabulous, there are only a few of each, which means you have no fear of giving the same card as someone else. They are very reasonably priced, and there is even a 4 for the price of 5 offer. I must say as well, it feels very nice buying something when you know the seller has done what she can to help the planet whilst making it!

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them! Well done Cowdy!

...a week in review- parcels, ballet and banterous nights out

This week has been a busy one! I have not blogged at all since last Monday, so this post is going to be looooooong! I promise lovely pictures and a wee recipe at the end!

Tuesday

On Tuesday, I made Dave get up early to take me to the Royal Mail Depot before work, because all my parcels seem to arrie in the two days I am at work, and I had three to pick up. Two of them were warm and cosy-making things for our Poland trip (it is likely to be around -15 when we go). I got us sheepskin insoles for our walking boots, and also myself a new chapeau (in the Hughes flat, we have only French hats)!It is huge, but I love it!

It's REALLY hard to take a picture of yourself with an SLR camera.

Hence the concentration face .

In the other parcel, packaged beautifully, were the things I purchased with my voucher for Caroline's shop Patchwork Harmony, I shall be blogging about my wee bits, but here's a peek at the cuteness of the packaging - cotton ribbon and a tiny Crimble tree peg!

Wednesday/ Thursday

Work was as usual fun but tiring, with some 'awww how cute' added in. My two and a half year old little one has learned to say 'I missed you' though he leaes the 'ed' out. It is quite a nice feeling to walk into the house after my long journey there and here him say 'Lisa, I miss you!'!

On Wednesday evening after work, Dave and I went to a lecture on how the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, and their subsequent inclusion in the EU has affected the youth of modern Britain. It was really interesting from a sociological point of view, and also I learned a bit more about the fall of communism. Afterwards there was a reception with canapes that were tiny works of art!

Friday

In the morning I received my purchases from Serena's Folksy shop, wich I was very excited about! I am going to do a wee feature on it very soon, so a picture of the lovely wrapping is all I shall show!

At 5pm I was picked up by my friend May, and to her house we went to have some fajitas and very nice wine with the girlies, before going to the ballet. We went to see the Moscow Ballet's performance of The Nutcracker, and it was wonderful!

Afterwards May and I hit the town. There was a bit of drinking, much dancing and merriment, and at the end of the night, we returned to the girls flat, where I was staying, to have toast and tea!

L-R Corona, Me, May.

Saturday

On Saturday, I got the bus to Glasgow, and was picked up by Dave. Off we went to the Paisley flat to do some 'making it presentable', as a man is coming to value it on Friday! Fingers crossed for a good price please!

In the evening time, we met up with some friends for drinks, and I had a few cocktails. Whilst we were having French martinis, my freind Sharon commented that the little straws being held by the froth looked like alien antennae, and so we gave them alien names. Mine were named Splot and Flibbert. I don't know about you, but I think these are good alien names!

Today

Today we had a lie-in(hurrah!), made the flat presentable a bit more, and then went to visit Dave's mum for a catch-up. We got home just after 7, hungry and cold, to realise there was very little for the eating in our flat. We had bacon, mushrooms and pasta, and what it turned into will evermore be what I make when we need something quickly!

Bacon and Mushroom Pasta in 10 minutes

3 rashers streaky bacon (or what bacon you have), chopped to small squares

3 chestnut mushrooms, diced

25g butter

25g flour

pint of milk

3 handfuls pasta

pepper

100g cheese

• Put pasta on, cook according to instructions (I simmered mine 10 mins)
• cook bacon and mushrooms on med-high heat till cooked through, bacon slightly crisp- 3 mins
• drop in butter, cook till melted and frothy- about half a minute
• take off heat, add flour and stir quickly to combine
• add milk, put back on heat, and heat till it thickens - 4 mins ish
• add cheese and stir till it melts
• drain pasta, mix sauce in, serve and add pepper to taste.
• EAT IT!!!

We ate it watching the X Factor results! I am off now to catch up on all the bloggage during the weekend!

... had a busy weekend!(warning - long post containing 3 recipes)

It's Monday again, and this is the scene outside my living room window. Look at the frost rooftops! I think winter is officially here in Dundee. The perfect day for blogging recipes and the weekend's events whilst drinking tea, don't you think?

The weekend past was full of busy for me. Because we knew the weekend was going to be rushed in places, on Friday I cooked lovely beef casserole (which we are having leftovers of for tea tonight), and Dave and I ate it whilst watching QI, Argumental, and a bit of Jack Dee (who actually Dave is very like, if you wish to read his rantings, click here).

I'd eaten half of it by this time, but the light was better where

I was eating, so I took this photo!

We had leftover spiced cider from Bonfire Night, which I have found a hot cup of sends you off to sleep quite nicely!

The picture doesn't show the steam rising off this, or

the spice, appley smell. my blog needs smellivision

On Saturday evening, we were going to a party at Dave's new boss' house. Cue much worrying about what to wear. The thing is, you feel as someone's partner that how you are percieved will reflect upon them. The party was in someone's (quite grand) house, so I was worried about being either too dressed up, or not dressed up enough. Having decided to just buy something new, Dave accompanied me into town, and I dithered and worried around town looking for something. To add to trying to get the balance, I am above the biggest size most shops stock, and I am 5'10", so I am limited! The trusty DP and M&S saved me, and dressed in a new purple dress and patterend tights, off I went to the party.

The party itself was fun - fab food - tuna with wassabi, roast pork, chorizo, smoked salmon, beef stew, oysters, herring - lovely red wine, good music, and really relaxed! There were very dressed up people and very casual people, I was somewhere in the middle, and roughly dressed like the hostess, so I obiously got that one right! I pretty much managed to behave myself and not embarrass Dave, so jobs a good'un! We got home at half past two in the am, and went to bed knoing we had to get up early!

On Sunday, we left home around 11 to go to Dave's parents for lunch, Before heading to a gig Dave was playing in Glasgow. Lunch consisted of good food(Coq au Vin and bread and butter pudding), cups of tea, much chat of our ucpcoming holiday to Poland (EXCITED), and the boys all 'discussing' how their tiny laptop/blackberry/phone was the best. What tends to happen here is that the women mock them for being so obsessed an drink more tea.

Full of food an happiness, we got into the car and drove to Glasgow, listening to Alkaline Trio who I LOVE! Dave and our friend Ross were both playign the gig, so their were lots of freindly faces, but my hangover tiredness kicked in, and by the end I was a walking, talking 'needs sleep' poster!

Today, I am relaxing, staying in the flat because we have 3 packages to pick up from missing the post and I refuse to add the others to the collection, and baking a cake. Now here's the thing. The past few days have produced three recipes that I think are worth blogging, so I'm going to go ahead and do it here! Beef Casserole, Hot Spiced Cider and today's Pear-Ginger Upside-Down Cake!

Recipe 1 :Beef Casserole Topped with Potatoes

4tbsp olive oil

500g diced beef

50g flour

large red onion, diced

3 carrots, diced

5 large chestnut mushrooms, diced

1 pint beef stock

250 ml red wine

400g tin chopped tomatoes

tsp mixed spice

tsp parsley

tsp basil

tsp oregano

3 medium potatoes, peeled and slice to 1cm thickness.

• heat 2tsp oil in a pan
• flour beef chunks, brown in batches and remove from pan
• add onion and remaining olive oil to pan, fry till soft (3mins). there will be brown juicy flour bits in the pan, but leave them there, it's fine in the end
• add a little of the wine to deglazze the pan, scraping all the bits into it
• add rest of wine, tomatoes including juice, and herbs.
• cook on a low medium heat for 2 hours, stirring every 20 mins or so
• you should end up with a really dark, quite thick, glossy sauce

• somewhere in those 2 hours, parboil your potato slices - 7 mins should do it
• add beef mixture to pan, top with potatoes and brush with butter
• cook in oven for 30ish mins, till golden

You should find the top of the potatoes are crisp and the bottom nice and squidgy, like in a gratin. The beef should be tender, and the sauce deep, sweet ansd herby. These amounts made enough that we had a sizeable bowl each, and there was enough of the casserole to have with baked potatoes for another dinner. Leftovers for the win.

Recipe 2 :Hot Spiced Cider

1ltr Good quality sweet cider( I used Henney's because I love it)

500mls cloudy apple juice( I used Copella English Apple)

2 Cinnamon sticks

1tsp ground cinnamon

1tsp ground ginger

1tsp cloves

1tsp ground nutmeg

Put everything in a pot on a medium heat (if you want to remove the alcohol, do it on high), and simmer for 10 mins. If your cider is carbonated, it will fizz, which is fine, but to keep the alcohol in, you can't let it boil. Strain it to remove the cloves. and drink on a cold night, when you are watching the fireworks(feeling a bit smug that everyone else is paying £2 for watery tea), and then have the leftovers re-heated the next night, to make you cosy before bed.

Recipe 3: Ginger-Pear Upside Down Cake

Ginger and pears go. They just do. Might as well have them both in a cake then eh?

150g butter

150g light brown muscavado sugar

30g root ginger, chopped

tin of pear halves, drained

1tsp baking powder

2tsp ground ginger

1tsp cinnamon

2larg/3 medium free range eggs

• Pre-heat oven to 180c
• mix till smooth 25g butter and 25g sugar
• spread over the bottom of an 8inch round, non stick cake pan.mould. if you pan is not non stick, butter it and line bottom with greaseproof paper
• scatter over quarter of the ginger, and place the pears in flat side down.

• put remaining ingredients in a large bowl, and beat with electric mixer(mine is a ahdn mixer) till smooth.
• dollop a spoonfuls of the mixture between the pears, then and rest of it. this make it easier to keep the pears in place
• bake in centre of the oven for about 35 mins, till top of cake springs back when pressed

• remove from oven, and leave to cool in pan for at least 10 mins
• turn onto a plate, so that pears are visible, and remove paper if used
• serve warm, or leave to cool completely and slice.

Some of the cider would be pretty good with this I think! If serving warm, some vanilla ice cream would be lovely, If serving cold, creme frais would work well.

...remember, remember the 5th of November

The 5th of November in the UK is Guy Fawkes' Night, also know as Bonfire Night. It commemorates the Gunpowder Plot, which you can read about in the link. All over the UK, councils set up bonfires and firworks in community parks, and communities watch them together. In smaller, more rural areas, people build their own fires and organise thier own displays.

I really, really love fireworks, some of my favourite childhood memories are of my whole family going to displays, and when I lived in Dalmellington, building our own bonfire, and roasting potatoes on the edges of it. The potatoes were alwasy burnt on the outside and almost raw in the middle, but it was tradition! At the centre of all of these memories is my mum, handing out sparklers and clapping with us in our excitement about the fireworks, and making us hot chocolate when we got home.

6 years ago, after a long period of illness (noticably from when I was 8), my mum died on Bonfire Night. Until two years ago, and even last year to an extent, the event just brought out a horrible feeling of helplessness and sadness in me. I always miss her, but for some reason, this day being an anniversary amplifies it. Part of me hated the fact that I could not take pleasure in something that she had loved so much, and that I have so many memories of.

Over the past two years, as I have become more settled in all aspects of my life - relationships and career alike, I have also been comfortable in dealing with feelings I think I just wasn't equipped to. Having spoken to Dave and my sister about it recently, I have realised that time actually is a great healer, but only if you allow yourself to deal with things, and are aware of the support network you have. Where previously most of my memories focused on my mum's deteriorating health, I've found in these two years that I am able to remember the good times much more. I've stopped feeling that I have to be so very sad, because though I miss her immensely, my mum's one ideal for my sister and I was always just that we be happy.

Last year Dave and I went to two different displays, and though I had some moments, I was ok for the most part. This year, I realised that in the run up, whilst I have had the feeling of loss - it actually feels like theres a wee hole somewhere - I have also looked forward to going out for the occassion, watching the fireworks as part of a community, and being with my husband. This felt to me the most appropriate way of remembering my mum, not in sadness, but by doing something that she so loved to do with someone I love, by thinking of her, and being happy.

... loves sweet potatoes. And soup. you can probably see where I'm going with this one!

This is my favourite teacup. It is huge and has red flowers. Whats not to love?

Normally when Dave and I go shopping, I have a rough idea of what I want to make for the week. When we bought the chicken for our roast, I knew I would use the leftovers for soup. In the same shop, I decided to get an extra sweet potato, though I hand't decided what to do with it.The end result. For some reason my soup is always this colour!

I spent 3 hours today simmering the chicken carcass (Does anyone else REALLY not like the word carcass? it gives me the icks!) and some root vegetables to make stock for some chicken soup. I don't want you to get the idea that this is something I do frequently. I do make vegetable stock from scratch, but beef and chicken stock normally come in the form of cubes. The only reason I made my stock this time is that homemeade stock is really good if you do have time, and I had the chicken carcass anyway.

I was planning to make the soup on Monday, but after spending hours on buses going to and from Glasgow, coughing and spluttering, I ended up having enchildas for tea. Asda pre-made (though fresh) ones. Housewife extraordinaire image shattered eh?

So anyway, the soup. Well, I love soup. I can put it in the freezer, Dave can take it to work for lunch, and you can bung anything in, with good results 90% of the time. Normally if I use chicken in soup, I make it with rice, but the sweet potato in the fridge was calling to me. No really 'Lissaaa, Lisaaaa, put me in the soup, It will be delicious' it said, and so I did. The resulting soup is yummy (the talking sweet potato is clearly quite smart).I am so, so looking forward to having a bowl of it for tea.

Sweet Potato and Chicken Soup

This is what it looks like when it's just boiled...

For Stock (feel free to just use cubes though)

Carcass of roast chicken (i left all of the meat and skin on, for the nice roast chicken flavours)

2 carrots, sliced thinly

1 leek, sliced thinly

1 tsp mustard

1 tsp turmeric

itsp parsley

6 pints water(you may need more to top up)

• put everything into a soup pot
• bring to the boil
• simmer for 3 hours till liquid reduces and take on flavour
• strain

At this point, I took off the meat off the chicken, discarding skin, bones and veg used for stock, and shredded the chicken. If you don't have leftovers cook 3 chicken breasts in olive oil in your soup and, shred them and leave what juices have come out in the pan. Just add your olive oil to it.

...and it should look like this, with chunks of sweet potato,

carrot and chicken near the end

For Soup

1tbsp olive oil

1.5 Red onions, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, squished

large sweet potato, diced

chicken meat from roast/ 3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

3 small, carrots sliced finely

1 leek, sliced finely

1 heaped tsp mustard

2 stalks rosemary (tied together for eay removal)

2 bay leaves

good pinch chilli flakes

3tbsp tomato puree

salt and pepper to taste

• Heat oil in soup pan
• add onions and garlic, cook till soft (3mins ish)
• add veg and chicken, cook 1 min
• add all other ingredients
• bring to the boil, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 20 mins.
• when sweet potatoes are soft, use mashed to mash within soup
• boil further 25 mins
• remove rosemary stalks(leaves will have fallen off) and bay
• mash a little more.

The end result. For some reason my soup is always this colour!

This soup is really nice. It's quite sweet, so you may wish to add more salt, but it have a lovely deep, comforting spicy flavour, and is nice and meaty from the chicken. everything breaks down so that the 'bits' are small enough that I don't want to blend it, as its quite thick and hearty. It will set me up nicely for getting up early tomorrow, and provide tomorrow's dinner as soon as I get home!