So bright and early yesterday morning, Husband#1 rushed off to Arthur's for a couple of lobsters and we weren't disappointed. We don't get much lobster in our neck of the woods (or crab, for that matter, except for Chicken of the Sea jars from Costco - which I made nice crab cakes with a few weeks ago) so we make the most of a week at the coast, spending our money on seafood rather than ice cream*! This summer it's been a treat to share some with the gals - lobster potato salad and a crab risotto were both enjoyed, to varying degrees and both are now fans of prawns. Biggie had a couple of bites of octopus the other night and I've promised we'll have octopus and chips when we're home (it's already in the freezer), it's very good and it's rather cheap. She also loves whelks and both will eat mussels.
We're also trying to save some money - there's talk of an extension (Booboo's room is tiny), a holiday home (caravan) of our own and even a foreign holiday one day but we can't afford any of them the way things are. This means if we can avoid going top our usual restaurants and cafés whilst we're here we will. Fifteen pounds on lobster beats sixty pounds for tea for four with puddings and drinks. Having just said all that, Biggie, who turned five within the last month, is scouring the Argos catalogue as I type looking for things to request from Santa and she doesn't let price get in the way...oh dear, she's found the One Direction dolls and having excitedly shouted at me that here they are, she's now singing 1D songs at the top of her voice. Booboo has joined in. Help.
So lunch yesterday was a simple soup, we're eating like it's a Saturday most nights so lunches and breakfasts have to be simple and 'everyday' (do crumpets with full-fat butter fit in with that?!). Today we'll be having pasta with a couple of tins of squid in an ink sauce mixed in. We were supposed to be at the supermarket this morning, to buy some lunch, but we're having a lazy morning and so we've got some tins of squid in ink and we'll mix them with pasta - quick, easy and tasty.
So, back to last night, I was supposed to be doing some work whilst Husband#1 was making lobster mac and cheese, however a rather lovely and famous celebrity chef was badgered (by me) and finally relented and gave my blog a retweet and lots of people decided to have a look at my blog. I was of course obsessed with pressing the refresh button to watch the figures increase. The most exciting thing was the different countries - I've had people read in Kuwait and Hong Kong, fantastic! I then became brave and equally badgered a brilliant food critic who also retweeted. I think Husband#1 is ever so slightly jealous! I'm just excited by Norwegian and Russian readers. New Zealand - I keep seeing new ones, I'm like a kid in a sweet shop. That reminds me, Biggie has just told Booboo that she's so sweet she cold eat her. Bless.
Anyway, work time wasted (depends on how you look at it) the lobster mac and cheese smelt good, but it tasted even better. Not a combination I fancied before I'd had it first time round, but Husband#1 made it for me as a treat when I came in from a late night at work one dark winter evening and my goodness was it just what I needed. For the proper recipe, google Ina Garten, but it is basically lobster, pasta, gruyere, cheddar, nutmeg, milk, butter (of course, this IS Ina!) and breadcrumbs. The first time we had it we had prawns and a little lobster from Lidl - as I said before, where we live, seafood isn't easily come by - but even that was good.
I'm going to stop writing now as I need to give these gals some attention (Booboo is now watching me work, she has just announced). I'll miss them when I'm back at work, so if I hear "Mummy" approximately 176 times every 60 seconds, how bad can that be?
21:15
So, Husband#1 is stood with ear to the door of Biggie and Booboo's bedroom. Biggie has claimed Booboo is talking but, we can't hear her, and we are in a caravan with paper thin walls, so we are testing her. The first telling off has just gone to Biggie who was talking and when Husband #1 opened the door, Booboo wasn't in bed. Typical sisters - my elder sister used to tempt me into her top bunk and then work out a great game which always involved me falling out...and of course then getting told off.
Anyway, back to food. We've gone vegetarian tonight after all of the (delicious) stodge of yesterday. I'd lost my mojo and was on the verge of an Ina recipe (they work for Husband#1. but never if I cook) when I thought of an aubergine dip with pitta. So, I spiked and then roasted three aubergines (it was a main course after all) at about gas mark 6 for an hour or so until nice and wrinkly and left to cool. I took the flesh out of the skins and mashed it up. I then added half a chopped red chilli, a crushed clove of garlic, three chopped scallions, the juice of a lemon, a large dash of extra virgin olive oil and some chopped fresh coriander. This mix went in the fridge for about half an hour - could have been longer but we were hungry, but, a fan of lukewarm food (apart from ice cream) I tasted this and decided chilled was the only option! Finally I served with toasted pitta (I like mine wholemeal) and sprinkled with a little sea salt. A treat and so fresh too - no fancy processing, just a lot of lovely ingredients. It's also good as a dip when guests come over.
*NB I do intend to but a half price large tub of Ben and Jerry's today at the supermarket. Ice cream still has it's place ;-)
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