Well I haven't eaten out for ages and this Friday is the night we've chosen to break the long duck! Going to Iris in Wakefield - very excited. Have checked out the menu. It's not gigantic, but that doesn't make the choice much easier and there may be differences on the day!
Will I make it to Friday without over-eating as I surely intend to then!
Monday, 23 June 2014
Tuesday, 10 June 2014
I Attempted to Migrate to WordPress; Forgive Me Blogger, I Repent.
It's like a joke: A coeliac, a vegetarian, a dark chocolate hater, a person with a severe nut allergy and two diabetics (a type 1 and a type 2) walked into the same dinner party...
So, it was the Father-in-Law's 70th and we decided to throw a surprise party, all the while knowing he would hate it.
It being a working week, me usually being shattered when doing the shopping on Friday's, I looked for convenience and simplicity. I just couldn't face spending Saturday cooking like a mad thing. But it also had to be quite delicious, bearing in mind I was cooking for those who are not just Husband#1!
So, I spoke to my local Butcher (Allums of Wakefield, in Altofts!) who were brill and set me aside three kilos of chuck steak, with which I slow cooked (Sir) Rick's Bullfighter's Beef and a three kilo pork shoulder (boned; sorry foxes) which I slow roasted in the oven overnight to make pulled pork.
So when the guests arrived on Saturday afternoon, one by one, to prolong FIL's agony, I was able to sit down and pretend I'd made him a little something for tea. Quite cool!
So the Bullfighter's Beef, whilst much more delicious when (Sir) Rick makes it, entailed putting the meat, one and a half bottles good red wine, a cinnamon stick, bay leaves, thyme and rosemary (all from the garden!), garlic, cloves, olives and a couple of carrots into the slow cooker and turning on. I left it overnight on the low setting and lo-and-behold it was as tender as I don't know what. (Sir) Rick thickens his with a beurre manié, however my gluten free sister demands cornflour; whichever is quick and easy enough. Lovely served with a macaronade: macaroni, part cooked then put in meat juices, covered in Parmesan and then baked. Lucky for us and tomorrow's tea, there was just enough left to freeze.
The pork meant I had to rub a mix of garlic, vinegar and oil into the skin and put in a very hot over for half an hour before turning it over, adding a little more mixture to the meat and lowering the heat to about 110'c. There I left it until the next afternoon, when the crackling was perfectly crunchy with no effort whatsoever. I served it with a homemade BBQ sauce (tin tomatoes, vinegar, onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and smoked paprika boiled together for thirty minutes or so, then blended) and coleslaw. Of course there were beautifully juicy bread cakes! My only one criticism of this (and it is very small) is that perhaps I might have covered with foil early in the morning. But then again, every scrap was eaten, disappointingly so; there was only one sandwich-worth each left the next day.
With all this, of course I had the gluten free, as well as a vegetarian and a nut allergy sufferer to take into account. So for the vegetarian, I made a mushroom stroganoff. Mushrooms, onion and garlic heated together in olive oil, stock, paprika and cream added with a TBSP of tomato puree and bob was the uncle. Oh, yes, I also tried to flambé some sherry: it didn't work, but it added to the taste! Always goes down well and we've just had the leftovers for tea tonight - served with microwave basmati rice, of course!
What do you make for pudding then? Ina Garten says your guests don't have more fun if you make dessert. That may be true, but then again, I don't have as much fun if I don't delight the masses! The dark chocolate hater and the nut allergy make desserts a nightmare, but add the coeliac and diabetics and it was getting hairy...so I settled on the beautiful supply of summer berries with a range of sauces. We had strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and cherries (of course I de-stoned them, I'm me!) with a choice of dark chocolate, white chocolate (good for the hater) and salted caramel sauce (don't tell anyone I took a reduced bottle of pre-made and loosened it up with double cream!). Worked a treat. I also added a beautiful bowl of marshmallows to dip in; I'll be honest, the kids went mostly for the marshmallows with sauce...Oh yes, there were also mini-meringues, shop bought of course.
Greed insisted I add three large pieces of cheese, which I have since frozen and will eat steadily over the course of the next couple of days.
Did Fil enjoy? I believe so - even the surprise guests were for forgiven for the subterfuge. Did the food go down well? I was proud, whatever! Pretty certain that the rosy cheeks that went home almost seven hours after arriving were happy with drink, drink, more drink and more than enough food!
So, it was the Father-in-Law's 70th and we decided to throw a surprise party, all the while knowing he would hate it.
It being a working week, me usually being shattered when doing the shopping on Friday's, I looked for convenience and simplicity. I just couldn't face spending Saturday cooking like a mad thing. But it also had to be quite delicious, bearing in mind I was cooking for those who are not just Husband#1!
So, I spoke to my local Butcher (Allums of Wakefield, in Altofts!) who were brill and set me aside three kilos of chuck steak, with which I slow cooked (Sir) Rick's Bullfighter's Beef and a three kilo pork shoulder (boned; sorry foxes) which I slow roasted in the oven overnight to make pulled pork.
So when the guests arrived on Saturday afternoon, one by one, to prolong FIL's agony, I was able to sit down and pretend I'd made him a little something for tea. Quite cool!
So the Bullfighter's Beef, whilst much more delicious when (Sir) Rick makes it, entailed putting the meat, one and a half bottles good red wine, a cinnamon stick, bay leaves, thyme and rosemary (all from the garden!), garlic, cloves, olives and a couple of carrots into the slow cooker and turning on. I left it overnight on the low setting and lo-and-behold it was as tender as I don't know what. (Sir) Rick thickens his with a beurre manié, however my gluten free sister demands cornflour; whichever is quick and easy enough. Lovely served with a macaronade: macaroni, part cooked then put in meat juices, covered in Parmesan and then baked. Lucky for us and tomorrow's tea, there was just enough left to freeze.
The pork meant I had to rub a mix of garlic, vinegar and oil into the skin and put in a very hot over for half an hour before turning it over, adding a little more mixture to the meat and lowering the heat to about 110'c. There I left it until the next afternoon, when the crackling was perfectly crunchy with no effort whatsoever. I served it with a homemade BBQ sauce (tin tomatoes, vinegar, onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and smoked paprika boiled together for thirty minutes or so, then blended) and coleslaw. Of course there were beautifully juicy bread cakes! My only one criticism of this (and it is very small) is that perhaps I might have covered with foil early in the morning. But then again, every scrap was eaten, disappointingly so; there was only one sandwich-worth each left the next day.
With all this, of course I had the gluten free, as well as a vegetarian and a nut allergy sufferer to take into account. So for the vegetarian, I made a mushroom stroganoff. Mushrooms, onion and garlic heated together in olive oil, stock, paprika and cream added with a TBSP of tomato puree and bob was the uncle. Oh, yes, I also tried to flambé some sherry: it didn't work, but it added to the taste! Always goes down well and we've just had the leftovers for tea tonight - served with microwave basmati rice, of course!
What do you make for pudding then? Ina Garten says your guests don't have more fun if you make dessert. That may be true, but then again, I don't have as much fun if I don't delight the masses! The dark chocolate hater and the nut allergy make desserts a nightmare, but add the coeliac and diabetics and it was getting hairy...so I settled on the beautiful supply of summer berries with a range of sauces. We had strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and cherries (of course I de-stoned them, I'm me!) with a choice of dark chocolate, white chocolate (good for the hater) and salted caramel sauce (don't tell anyone I took a reduced bottle of pre-made and loosened it up with double cream!). Worked a treat. I also added a beautiful bowl of marshmallows to dip in; I'll be honest, the kids went mostly for the marshmallows with sauce...Oh yes, there were also mini-meringues, shop bought of course.
Greed insisted I add three large pieces of cheese, which I have since frozen and will eat steadily over the course of the next couple of days.
Did Fil enjoy? I believe so - even the surprise guests were for forgiven for the subterfuge. Did the food go down well? I was proud, whatever! Pretty certain that the rosy cheeks that went home almost seven hours after arriving were happy with drink, drink, more drink and more than enough food!
Saturday, 17 May 2014
Watch this Space!
It's a warm weekend and a working mum who cooks is feeling all vacational!
The (giant) paddling pool is filling up outside, I'm making a trio (well four actually) of salads for tea and the prosecco is chilling.
Excellent!
The (giant) paddling pool is filling up outside, I'm making a trio (well four actually) of salads for tea and the prosecco is chilling.
Excellent!
Monday, 31 March 2014
Raclette...mm, mm, mmmmmm
Best Saturday tea in ages - and the left over veg I roasted on the grill, froze and had tonight in a risotto. Yum.
Nothing more to say.
Tuesday, 18 March 2014
Why can I not get to bed early?
This isn't really going to be a blog post. This is going to be a chocolate-denied rant. (it's been almost two weeks!)
I want to go to bed early, not work from 7am to 11pm with a couple of hours of travelling in between. I want to get up at 8am, not 6am having turned off the light at 12am the night before. I want to be able to read for pleasure and relax whilst doing it, not read for 20 minutes at 11.30pm, feeling all the while guilty that I should be asleep. I want to know when to quit ranting in blogs and to get up and walk away to bed to sleep, rather than to read more about poor old Blackfish and consider how I can help release them all. (Who needs sleep?)
I want to cook lovely, time-consuming teas, lunches, breakfasts even, for my (we are) family and see the look on their faces when I put it on the table. So what if the looks range from tears (Little Biggie) to mild, curious disgust (Biggie) to adoration (Husband#1 - there's a reason I love him!)? I just want to do it every day, not just every now and then. Experimental falafel bake tomorrow. Will update with the results from Grimace Watch.
I want to snuggle up to Husband#1 (whilst he's still here) for longer than 5 minutes every morning before we both jump out of bed screaming we're late, only to discover it is 6.13am and have to jump back in for another 30 seconds (thank goodness for the superstitious Husband#1!).
I get good holidays to see my gals, relax and cook, but I want to live my life each day and not waiting for the weekend as I currently do - collapsing on the settee with a (proudly homemade-from-scratch) pizza by 8.30pm at the latest. Last week we'd eaten it by 7.30pm and were in bed asleep by 9pm. I want to be able to take my gal to school every day and see those ginormous smiles every day at picking-up time. I want to spend time with Husband#1 before he leaves me (Little Granny told me he inevitably would this morning) and I have to start looking out for Husband#2 - so glad I gave Husband#1 a moniker right from the start of this blog. Face-saving, I think; almost as if planned. Fed up of snatching twenty minutes of chat during the gal-related madness that is 6pm - 7pm each evening (favourite, yet most frenetic part of the day). Fed up of waking my beauties up too early for their own good. Only saver there is the fact that I get to do it every morning and carry each one through to our bed separately (there is a rota for who get's Mummy's side as opposed to Daddy's side, which is strictly adhered to) whilst the stretch and yawn like little cuddly dormice, until they randomly trump. I think it's the law?
Ah, it's not all bad, I suppose :-)
Tuesday, 25 February 2014
A Trip Away Keeps The Slimming At Bay
Goodness me how I've grown since last week! And I only wish it was as a person, rather than in person. Had a delightful weekend in York with Husband#1 - and yes, I missed the gals hugely, but as we've had different holidays, we won't get any sleep ins this week so a couple of nights and days with no routine was needed. Sleep? Have some. Want to eat? Do it. Don't want to eat? Who cares. Even the T.V. watching was kept to a minimum as we read whenever we liked. What a treat getting to the end of a whole paragraph's worth of sentences without being interrupted. And who better than to read than Adrian Mole? Deep, meaningful and at times, hilarious. I do believe Husband#1 must have known Sue Townsend when younger, as surely she couldn't have used anyone else as her muse? Even if he was only three when it was written (or similar).
So it started on Saturday when we found our way, without desperate phone calls, to the Blue Rooms - which are at the centre of York and lovely. A new little, Korean restaurant, called Obishi, has opened up just next door so we went in - how cute. It is like a bedsit, with about 16 seats on various tables and a kitchen at the back. The food was a treat as well. We've never eaten Korean before, but I'd go again. Just the right amount of spice and the octopus that Husband#1 had was absolutely beautiful. I could have had more, but as was pointed out, we were eating out again that evening and had fancied tasting something in the market...
So on we walked into town and one new dress later, we had German wurst - mine hot and smoky - in the market. I was good, though and used the bread only as a holder. For tea we went to The Whippet Inn. We were a little early and - shock! - had to sit in the bar for a drink! It's been a while. The starters were delicious. Squid and scallops, perfectly cooked, both dishes. I was disappointed with my vegetarian pie for the main course as it was a little dry - as if kept warm for a little too long. The pastry just crumbled when I tried to get it on the fork, which was a shame as well. It did taste good, though. Husband#1 was in heaven with his haloumi and aubergine platter - which looked like a piece of Jackson Pollack artwork, I have to say. We decided to be good and had a layer of Milk Tray for pudding back in the apartment.
The next day we lunched at Loch Fynes, which was lovely - with a view of the river Foss and a beautifully fruity glass of white wine which reminded me of summer. For tea we went to the Blue Bicycle and what a treat. Scallops for both of us as starters, mine with an Indian twist. Excellent. And then, steak for Husband#1 and cod with beef cheeks for me followed by a lovely assiette of puddings to share. One thing: why on earth do people insist on spoiling food with rhubarb?
So, four restaurants, one street food experience and two fried breakfasts later, here I am, fatter than ever and buckling the legs of the chair as I type.
Good to be home, however, Biggie and Little Biggie keeping us on our toes as ever. Back to cooking this week, though nothing too testing. Friday will bring a trip to the fish market in Leeds so looking forward to whatever that leads to!
So it started on Saturday when we found our way, without desperate phone calls, to the Blue Rooms - which are at the centre of York and lovely. A new little, Korean restaurant, called Obishi, has opened up just next door so we went in - how cute. It is like a bedsit, with about 16 seats on various tables and a kitchen at the back. The food was a treat as well. We've never eaten Korean before, but I'd go again. Just the right amount of spice and the octopus that Husband#1 had was absolutely beautiful. I could have had more, but as was pointed out, we were eating out again that evening and had fancied tasting something in the market...
So on we walked into town and one new dress later, we had German wurst - mine hot and smoky - in the market. I was good, though and used the bread only as a holder. For tea we went to The Whippet Inn. We were a little early and - shock! - had to sit in the bar for a drink! It's been a while. The starters were delicious. Squid and scallops, perfectly cooked, both dishes. I was disappointed with my vegetarian pie for the main course as it was a little dry - as if kept warm for a little too long. The pastry just crumbled when I tried to get it on the fork, which was a shame as well. It did taste good, though. Husband#1 was in heaven with his haloumi and aubergine platter - which looked like a piece of Jackson Pollack artwork, I have to say. We decided to be good and had a layer of Milk Tray for pudding back in the apartment.
The next day we lunched at Loch Fynes, which was lovely - with a view of the river Foss and a beautifully fruity glass of white wine which reminded me of summer. For tea we went to the Blue Bicycle and what a treat. Scallops for both of us as starters, mine with an Indian twist. Excellent. And then, steak for Husband#1 and cod with beef cheeks for me followed by a lovely assiette of puddings to share. One thing: why on earth do people insist on spoiling food with rhubarb?
So, four restaurants, one street food experience and two fried breakfasts later, here I am, fatter than ever and buckling the legs of the chair as I type.
Good to be home, however, Biggie and Little Biggie keeping us on our toes as ever. Back to cooking this week, though nothing too testing. Friday will bring a trip to the fish market in Leeds so looking forward to whatever that leads to!
Thursday, 20 February 2014
Food, Food, Food - is that unimaginative?
So, it would seem that tonight is the start of a culinary ten days which will see me put on about ten pounds or something ridiculous. I really must control myself after this.
Last weekend was a treat with shoulder of pork cooked in a low oven for 22 hours and then served with coleslaw, BBQ sauce and balsamic onions for Sunday lunch. Pudding was a rice pudding cake, which was nice enough, though heavy. I'd have preferred the rice pudding mix before it was set - now that was good!
The next day there was pork a plenty and so I made extra BBQ sauce and we had cold roast sandwiches for lunch - wow what a treat that was (especially as there was a little coleslaw left as well!). Tuesday saw the pulled pork wrap with BBQ sauce...but that was where it ended. It will happen again, though. I don't make many roasts, but that was lovely and surprisingly un-greasy when cold.
Monday was garlic mushrooms on ciabatta, to which I have now added a poached egg, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and a sprinkling of Parmesan. It was a dream to see Biggie polishing it off in minutes, though I have to say her ciabatta was on a separate dish as she doesn't like soggy bread! Little Biggie (as she will henceforth be known) was a little unwell and doesn't like mushrooms, so I made her the equally sophisticated tomatoes on toast with extra virgin olive oil, a smear of garlic and a sprinkling of Parmesan. Went down a treat. We can have vegetarian nights after all!
Tuesday was another treat - it's been a surprisingly good week - with a leek and haddock risotto. Again, Biggie had it downed in seconds. I am very proud of her ability to eat and enjoy.
And so to Wednesday, when there was a blip and a near-miss with a takeaway. I'd planned a favourite; roasted mackerel with crushed new potatoes and broccoli, but I just couldn't see it on Wednesday. Neither could Husband#1. So we decided to try it later. I made Biggie hers (which again, she sat and ate without question) and then we had ours after the girls had gone to bed. I'm glad we did - I'd forgotten how good roasted smoked mackerel is. Not much beats it, in my book.
Tonight does see the takeaway, but Biggie had anchovies and mussels mixed with tomato puree and pasta. Ate every bit. What a girl. Little Biggie had tea at nursery so she sat at the table devouring dates and apricots instead. Those girls are fabulous!
And so to the weekend ahead: Friday night is of course the night of the pizza, but Saturday we're eating at the Whippet Inn in York and on Sunday, the Blue Bicycle. Lunches are yet to be decided, but I'm willing to bet there won't be M&S sandwiches!
Last weekend was a treat with shoulder of pork cooked in a low oven for 22 hours and then served with coleslaw, BBQ sauce and balsamic onions for Sunday lunch. Pudding was a rice pudding cake, which was nice enough, though heavy. I'd have preferred the rice pudding mix before it was set - now that was good!
The next day there was pork a plenty and so I made extra BBQ sauce and we had cold roast sandwiches for lunch - wow what a treat that was (especially as there was a little coleslaw left as well!). Tuesday saw the pulled pork wrap with BBQ sauce...but that was where it ended. It will happen again, though. I don't make many roasts, but that was lovely and surprisingly un-greasy when cold.
Monday was garlic mushrooms on ciabatta, to which I have now added a poached egg, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and a sprinkling of Parmesan. It was a dream to see Biggie polishing it off in minutes, though I have to say her ciabatta was on a separate dish as she doesn't like soggy bread! Little Biggie (as she will henceforth be known) was a little unwell and doesn't like mushrooms, so I made her the equally sophisticated tomatoes on toast with extra virgin olive oil, a smear of garlic and a sprinkling of Parmesan. Went down a treat. We can have vegetarian nights after all!
Tuesday was another treat - it's been a surprisingly good week - with a leek and haddock risotto. Again, Biggie had it downed in seconds. I am very proud of her ability to eat and enjoy.
And so to Wednesday, when there was a blip and a near-miss with a takeaway. I'd planned a favourite; roasted mackerel with crushed new potatoes and broccoli, but I just couldn't see it on Wednesday. Neither could Husband#1. So we decided to try it later. I made Biggie hers (which again, she sat and ate without question) and then we had ours after the girls had gone to bed. I'm glad we did - I'd forgotten how good roasted smoked mackerel is. Not much beats it, in my book.
Tonight does see the takeaway, but Biggie had anchovies and mussels mixed with tomato puree and pasta. Ate every bit. What a girl. Little Biggie had tea at nursery so she sat at the table devouring dates and apricots instead. Those girls are fabulous!
And so to the weekend ahead: Friday night is of course the night of the pizza, but Saturday we're eating at the Whippet Inn in York and on Sunday, the Blue Bicycle. Lunches are yet to be decided, but I'm willing to bet there won't be M&S sandwiches!
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