What`s for dinner Clarey?: Feeding time...
They say the family who eats toge...: Feeding time... They say the family who eats together keeps together, well providing you wear a blindfold and earplugs round my table!! Us...
Saturday, 31 August 2013
Feeding time...
They say the family who eats together keeps together, well providing you wear a blindfold and earplugs round my table!! Usually before I`ve sat down to eat they are asking for seconds, thirds or a drink.I do love to share a meal with my family but music in the background is preferable as it drowns out all the chomping and my innocent looking cola is rarely virginal- usually laced with rum or whiskey and that`s the way I roll to make mealtimes more convivial. Then after all the hard work slaving over a hot stove , vroom and the food`s gone! That`s why I think some of my most memorable meals were eaten outside or on paper plates so the dreaded washing up was avoided.
Before I got married we were a bit poor , but the best fish and chips I ever tasted were from The Wetherby whaler and we had to share one portion between two. The trip up Kendal fell on my birthday when I was treated to a bottle of fizz at the top is the best bubbles I have tasted, that cup of tea and toast after the twins were born was delicious.A real quiche Lorraine on top of a mountain in France when I was 18 and in love and the first apple crumble my James made for me all of these are my favourite cooking heavenly highs. The lows have to be being forced to eat baked beans at Primary school (never eaten them since!) a tuna mayonnaise jacket potato in Filey that had the devil`s food"salad cream" on it bleugh and Spam fritters lovingly cooked for me by my husband when Ofsted were coming(I think I found the Inspectors more palatable!)
I do try to express my love for others by the food I serve them, Queen`s pud for Matty, Sushi for Jemima, Fishfinger sarnies for Lily and Pork fillet with cider cream sauce and chips for James. I know these foods get a direct line to to their hearts and are on hand to mend broken hearts, diminish disappointments and bring smiles to sad days. If life was all beer and skittles we`d exist on crunchy nut cornflakes , but I see food as a way to feed your soul too and to know that you are loved .
James`s pork fillet
1 pork fillet
4 cloves garlic
olive oil
carrot
celery
onions
butter
can of cider
cream
rosemary
oven chips
garlic butter
flat leafed parsley
Fry the onion, carrot celery and garlic and rosemary until golden then add the pork and seal it until brown on all sides. Add the cider and some salt and pepper and roast off in the oven on a low heat for two hours until cooked through but still moist. Finish on the stove by adding double cream , and adjust seasoning , a little tsp of sugar brings the sauce together, then loads of freshly ground black pepper to finish. Take the meat out to rest and then carve into medallions.
Meanwhile you have cooked the oven chips to finish them off , toss them in melted garlic butter and flat leafed parsley. Serve the pork on a bed of wilted spinach,butter,mace sprinking over the top with the garlic chips on the side.
This meal will bring a smile to Jimmy and seems so right when the football or pingpong match has gone wrong! x
They say the family who eats together keeps together, well providing you wear a blindfold and earplugs round my table!! Usually before I`ve sat down to eat they are asking for seconds, thirds or a drink.I do love to share a meal with my family but music in the background is preferable as it drowns out all the chomping and my innocent looking cola is rarely virginal- usually laced with rum or whiskey and that`s the way I roll to make mealtimes more convivial. Then after all the hard work slaving over a hot stove , vroom and the food`s gone! That`s why I think some of my most memorable meals were eaten outside or on paper plates so the dreaded washing up was avoided.
Before I got married we were a bit poor , but the best fish and chips I ever tasted were from The Wetherby whaler and we had to share one portion between two. The trip up Kendal fell on my birthday when I was treated to a bottle of fizz at the top is the best bubbles I have tasted, that cup of tea and toast after the twins were born was delicious.A real quiche Lorraine on top of a mountain in France when I was 18 and in love and the first apple crumble my James made for me all of these are my favourite cooking heavenly highs. The lows have to be being forced to eat baked beans at Primary school (never eaten them since!) a tuna mayonnaise jacket potato in Filey that had the devil`s food"salad cream" on it bleugh and Spam fritters lovingly cooked for me by my husband when Ofsted were coming(I think I found the Inspectors more palatable!)
I do try to express my love for others by the food I serve them, Queen`s pud for Matty, Sushi for Jemima, Fishfinger sarnies for Lily and Pork fillet with cider cream sauce and chips for James. I know these foods get a direct line to to their hearts and are on hand to mend broken hearts, diminish disappointments and bring smiles to sad days. If life was all beer and skittles we`d exist on crunchy nut cornflakes , but I see food as a way to feed your soul too and to know that you are loved .
James`s pork fillet
1 pork fillet
4 cloves garlic
olive oil
carrot
celery
onions
butter
can of cider
cream
rosemary
oven chips
garlic butter
flat leafed parsley
Fry the onion, carrot celery and garlic and rosemary until golden then add the pork and seal it until brown on all sides. Add the cider and some salt and pepper and roast off in the oven on a low heat for two hours until cooked through but still moist. Finish on the stove by adding double cream , and adjust seasoning , a little tsp of sugar brings the sauce together, then loads of freshly ground black pepper to finish. Take the meat out to rest and then carve into medallions.
Meanwhile you have cooked the oven chips to finish them off , toss them in melted garlic butter and flat leafed parsley. Serve the pork on a bed of wilted spinach,butter,mace sprinking over the top with the garlic chips on the side.
This meal will bring a smile to Jimmy and seems so right when the football or pingpong match has gone wrong! x
Friday, 30 August 2013
What`s for dinner Clarey?: Autumn daysTonight it feels like Autumn, we have...
What`s for dinner Clarey?: Autumn days
Tonight it feels like Autumn, we have...: Autumn days Tonight it feels like Autumn, we have candles, red wine and a little kindling fire crackling in the grate, I so hate to say go...
Tonight it feels like Autumn, we have...: Autumn days Tonight it feels like Autumn, we have candles, red wine and a little kindling fire crackling in the grate, I so hate to say go...
Autumn days
Tonight it feels like Autumn, we have candles, red wine and a little kindling fire crackling in the grate, I so hate to say goodbye to Summer. It is a pang , like when you miss your first love when he goes away.This Summer has quite simply been one of our best, I have loved being with my children everyday, tucking them in, reading stories, dragging them out of bed and telling them to tidy up their rooms!! All to no avail of course. The house was meant to be all tidy after six weeks but of course it`s a total wreck we`ve been too busy having the time of our lives to dust the cobwebs. I rather like cobwebs anyway.
All the dust and cobwebs will still remain when we are long gone. So we are having too much fun to think about the end of the holidays or to brandish any dusters tonight. Tonight I give thanks for all the comfort and joy we take for granted and all the Autumn days to come and that went before.Memories of running along toYork City FC on a cold night , drinking Bovril,getting off the school bus and coming home to a coal fire all ignite hope in me that my little family have the same little rituals to look forward to and to mould them and comfort them when they are grown up and it is the end of Summer for them one day...
Curried parsnip soup
Boil up a chicken carcass with celery, onions and garlic to make a stock. Add 4 large parsnips peeled and chopped and a pint of milk and simmer until soft . Season with salt, pepper and curry paste, a little sugar and cream for silky sweetness and blend until smooth. Serve in warmed bowls with malted brown bread and a slab of butter.The best thing about Autumn is that the dress code is "No bikinis" - goody!
Tonight it feels like Autumn, we have candles, red wine and a little kindling fire crackling in the grate, I so hate to say goodbye to Summer. It is a pang , like when you miss your first love when he goes away.This Summer has quite simply been one of our best, I have loved being with my children everyday, tucking them in, reading stories, dragging them out of bed and telling them to tidy up their rooms!! All to no avail of course. The house was meant to be all tidy after six weeks but of course it`s a total wreck we`ve been too busy having the time of our lives to dust the cobwebs. I rather like cobwebs anyway.
All the dust and cobwebs will still remain when we are long gone. So we are having too much fun to think about the end of the holidays or to brandish any dusters tonight. Tonight I give thanks for all the comfort and joy we take for granted and all the Autumn days to come and that went before.Memories of running along toYork City FC on a cold night , drinking Bovril,getting off the school bus and coming home to a coal fire all ignite hope in me that my little family have the same little rituals to look forward to and to mould them and comfort them when they are grown up and it is the end of Summer for them one day...
Curried parsnip soup
Boil up a chicken carcass with celery, onions and garlic to make a stock. Add 4 large parsnips peeled and chopped and a pint of milk and simmer until soft . Season with salt, pepper and curry paste, a little sugar and cream for silky sweetness and blend until smooth. Serve in warmed bowls with malted brown bread and a slab of butter.The best thing about Autumn is that the dress code is "No bikinis" - goody!
Wednesday, 28 August 2013
What`s for dinner Clarey?: The end of the holidays are nigh for the fat rasca...
What`s for dinner Clarey?: The end of the holidays are nigh for the fat rasca...: The end of the holidays are nigh for the fat rascals! Being a Primary school teacher, just like the children I longed for the Summer holid...
The end of the holidays are nigh for the fat rascals!
Being a Primary school teacher, just like the children I longed for the Summer holidays to begin. Being a mother of twins and a yummy little one too the six weeks stretched out ahead of us full of untold fun and we have had plenty of it. We have been on a gastro tour of the UK with my hungry little munchkins delighted to sample everything on all those sunny delicious days. Highlights have been Naga lamb curry in Hereford, Philps Cornish pasties in Marazion, cream teas at Porthcurno,Thomas`s Yorkshire curd tarts and Betty`s fat rascals in York and smoked salmon in Ayr.
We`ll soon return to the hamster wheel of schooldays revolving around in a haze of homework and early nights and early mornings. What is most important is that we have all refuelled for whatever life is going to throw at us this coming term. I am sure we will have big portions of happiness and second helpings of stressful days too. Holidays are essential. Recreation literally does what it says on the tin - it recreates something, in our case our family bonds.We have had many memorable meals together the Champagne and super noodle feast looking over to the purple haze of Arran will last a life time for me. Memory is certainly seated in the heart and all the food we have shared has been delicious because we ate it together.
Life is brief we are all just passing through, so yes we are all a pack of fat rascals after the holidays but i wouldn`t have missed it for the World. Noone need be an outcast at life`s feast as long as they have a friend to share a cup of kindness with...
Today`s recipe is for sweet tooths!
Mars bar tiffin
1 packet digestive biscuits crushed
8oz butter
4tbs syrup
4tbs brown sugar
2tbs cocoa
4 mars bars chopped
Begian white chocolate
Bag of maltesers
Melt the butter, syrup, sugar, cocoa mars bars until a caramel chocolate sauce is bubbling, add the biscuits and press into a tray and put in the fridge to set . When firm cover with drizzles of melted white chocolate pressing random maltesers into the gaps and pop back into the chiller to firm up.
Serve in little squares with a good coffee and a good friend.xx
Being a Primary school teacher, just like the children I longed for the Summer holidays to begin. Being a mother of twins and a yummy little one too the six weeks stretched out ahead of us full of untold fun and we have had plenty of it. We have been on a gastro tour of the UK with my hungry little munchkins delighted to sample everything on all those sunny delicious days. Highlights have been Naga lamb curry in Hereford, Philps Cornish pasties in Marazion, cream teas at Porthcurno,Thomas`s Yorkshire curd tarts and Betty`s fat rascals in York and smoked salmon in Ayr.
We`ll soon return to the hamster wheel of schooldays revolving around in a haze of homework and early nights and early mornings. What is most important is that we have all refuelled for whatever life is going to throw at us this coming term. I am sure we will have big portions of happiness and second helpings of stressful days too. Holidays are essential. Recreation literally does what it says on the tin - it recreates something, in our case our family bonds.We have had many memorable meals together the Champagne and super noodle feast looking over to the purple haze of Arran will last a life time for me. Memory is certainly seated in the heart and all the food we have shared has been delicious because we ate it together.
Life is brief we are all just passing through, so yes we are all a pack of fat rascals after the holidays but i wouldn`t have missed it for the World. Noone need be an outcast at life`s feast as long as they have a friend to share a cup of kindness with...
Today`s recipe is for sweet tooths!
Mars bar tiffin
1 packet digestive biscuits crushed
8oz butter
4tbs syrup
4tbs brown sugar
2tbs cocoa
4 mars bars chopped
Begian white chocolate
Bag of maltesers
Melt the butter, syrup, sugar, cocoa mars bars until a caramel chocolate sauce is bubbling, add the biscuits and press into a tray and put in the fridge to set . When firm cover with drizzles of melted white chocolate pressing random maltesers into the gaps and pop back into the chiller to firm up.
Serve in little squares with a good coffee and a good friend.xx
Tuesday, 27 August 2013
What`s for dinner Clarey?: Happy campers!We went camping to Scotland this w...
What`s for dinner Clarey?: Happy campers!
We went camping to Scotland this w...: Happy campers! We went camping to Scotland this weekend and I fell in love...with the place. Mountains , seaside, forests, sunsets it was ...
We went camping to Scotland this w...: Happy campers! We went camping to Scotland this weekend and I fell in love...with the place. Mountains , seaside, forests, sunsets it was ...
Happy campers!
We went camping to Scotland this weekend and I fell in love...with the place. Mountains , seaside, forests, sunsets it was breathtaking. The camp site looked over to the isle of Arran. We left kendal in the rain Volvo loaded with tents and Champagne super noodle provisions. As we drove into Scotland it was blue skies and pine forests as far as the eye could see.
We pitched our tent and walked through the woods to Calzean Castle where a loan piper was playing as a bride and groom stepped out of the castle. The piper came over to us and we marvelled at the scenery and the imposing Goat fell across the sea before us.He was a charmer and recited Robbie Burns Tam o shanter to us and even gave us his card as he had a holiday house on Arran. We said goodbye and went for a little swim Neal style in just our pants! As we were winding our way home a beautiful red sports car drew up near to us ad the electric window rolled down- it was the piper dekilted and looking more James Bond like than bag pipe! "Enjoy the sunset!" he smiled .
This unexpected sunny weekend was like a little gift to us all, we ate simply and read books as the TV was but a memory, we went to bed early and all snuggled up close together to keep warm. bacon and sausages cooked on a little stove tasted like heaven.I was so sad to leave Scotland and come back to reality. But the magical sunsets have left an afterglow and I know we will go to Arran soon for another adventure. You can pay big bucks for a holiday and take a year to plan it, 5 star luxury would be nice but nothing in my mind could compare to sharing a sleeping bag and a bacon sandwich in the sunshine with the people I love the most.
Haloumi cheese BBQ
When we got home we continued the holiday with a barbecue, there wasn`t much in my fridge but this was delicious.
1 block haloumi cheese sliced thinly
1 red, 1 green, 1 yellow pepper
olive oil
Barbecue the peppers until charred , barbecue the haloumi until stripey, serve inside the peppers with rocket salad, squeeze of lemon juice, slosh of olive oil, lovely with pitta and aubergine hummous.
We went camping to Scotland this weekend and I fell in love...with the place. Mountains , seaside, forests, sunsets it was breathtaking. The camp site looked over to the isle of Arran. We left kendal in the rain Volvo loaded with tents and Champagne super noodle provisions. As we drove into Scotland it was blue skies and pine forests as far as the eye could see.
We pitched our tent and walked through the woods to Calzean Castle where a loan piper was playing as a bride and groom stepped out of the castle. The piper came over to us and we marvelled at the scenery and the imposing Goat fell across the sea before us.He was a charmer and recited Robbie Burns Tam o shanter to us and even gave us his card as he had a holiday house on Arran. We said goodbye and went for a little swim Neal style in just our pants! As we were winding our way home a beautiful red sports car drew up near to us ad the electric window rolled down- it was the piper dekilted and looking more James Bond like than bag pipe! "Enjoy the sunset!" he smiled .
This unexpected sunny weekend was like a little gift to us all, we ate simply and read books as the TV was but a memory, we went to bed early and all snuggled up close together to keep warm. bacon and sausages cooked on a little stove tasted like heaven.I was so sad to leave Scotland and come back to reality. But the magical sunsets have left an afterglow and I know we will go to Arran soon for another adventure. You can pay big bucks for a holiday and take a year to plan it, 5 star luxury would be nice but nothing in my mind could compare to sharing a sleeping bag and a bacon sandwich in the sunshine with the people I love the most.
Haloumi cheese BBQ
When we got home we continued the holiday with a barbecue, there wasn`t much in my fridge but this was delicious.
1 block haloumi cheese sliced thinly
1 red, 1 green, 1 yellow pepper
olive oil
Barbecue the peppers until charred , barbecue the haloumi until stripey, serve inside the peppers with rocket salad, squeeze of lemon juice, slosh of olive oil, lovely with pitta and aubergine hummous.
Wednesday, 21 August 2013
What`s for dinner Clarey?: Whatever the weather bring your own sunshine!Liv...
What`s for dinner Clarey?: Whatever the weather bring your own sunshine!
Liv...: Whatever the weather bring your own sunshine! Living in the Lake district for 10 years I think I have just realised that those lakes don...
Liv...: Whatever the weather bring your own sunshine! Living in the Lake district for 10 years I think I have just realised that those lakes don...
Whatever the weather bring your own sunshine!
Living in the Lake district for 10 years I think I have just realised that those lakes don`t fill themselves. We are enjoying some liquid sunshine today and after all the fantastic sunbaked days we have enjoyed I don`t mind at all. Yesterday was hot with candy floss clouds so Team Neal demanded a look at the sea and a trip up Blackpool Tower.I know my Nanna and Grandad loved Blackpool and when we peeked in the ballroom all red velvety and gold rococo I imagined them there dancing cheek to cheek in a kiss me quickstep style. (I bet they are doing similar in heaven right now- I hope they are.) George and Muriel are quite simply influential giants in my life. A dinner lady and a care taker who took care of us all. Teaching us to play cards, eat sweets, play schools in the back room, love wrestling and love each other, that was their legacy.
They lived in a little council house in Clifton in York with no central heating but the warmth they generated in that little home fuelled my childhood with radiant good times and inspired me to recreate a happy family of my own. I`m always missing my home town and cups of tea with my Nanna in her sunny front room but yesterday the short trip to Blackpool reconnected us through space and time to a sunny seaside town that like us is unsophisticated , uncomplicated and unapologetically dedicated to having a good time.
So the lesson of yesterday was Geography and History, even if separated by distances of spiritual miles which cannot be travelled , where we come from, those we have loved , our shared histories shape who we are today and tomorrow. Whatever the weather , bringing your own sunshine to each day helps make our lives worthwhile. We have over 200 bones in our bodies but my Nanna had only 3 to mention. A Wish bone to hope for happy days and good health ,a back bone to stand up to sad times and illness and a funny bone to laugh off all adversity and rainy days.
Vodka and Orange jellies
These are my step Mum Helen`s creations and look innocent but are really wicked!
2 packs of orange jelly
Posh fresh orange with juicey bits
vodka
Make up the jelly with boiling water then after dissolved add fresh juice and vodka instead of the other half of water pour into little glass jam jars and leave to set in the fridge. You must try these for a grown up teatime treat.
Living in the Lake district for 10 years I think I have just realised that those lakes don`t fill themselves. We are enjoying some liquid sunshine today and after all the fantastic sunbaked days we have enjoyed I don`t mind at all. Yesterday was hot with candy floss clouds so Team Neal demanded a look at the sea and a trip up Blackpool Tower.I know my Nanna and Grandad loved Blackpool and when we peeked in the ballroom all red velvety and gold rococo I imagined them there dancing cheek to cheek in a kiss me quickstep style. (I bet they are doing similar in heaven right now- I hope they are.) George and Muriel are quite simply influential giants in my life. A dinner lady and a care taker who took care of us all. Teaching us to play cards, eat sweets, play schools in the back room, love wrestling and love each other, that was their legacy.
They lived in a little council house in Clifton in York with no central heating but the warmth they generated in that little home fuelled my childhood with radiant good times and inspired me to recreate a happy family of my own. I`m always missing my home town and cups of tea with my Nanna in her sunny front room but yesterday the short trip to Blackpool reconnected us through space and time to a sunny seaside town that like us is unsophisticated , uncomplicated and unapologetically dedicated to having a good time.
So the lesson of yesterday was Geography and History, even if separated by distances of spiritual miles which cannot be travelled , where we come from, those we have loved , our shared histories shape who we are today and tomorrow. Whatever the weather , bringing your own sunshine to each day helps make our lives worthwhile. We have over 200 bones in our bodies but my Nanna had only 3 to mention. A Wish bone to hope for happy days and good health ,a back bone to stand up to sad times and illness and a funny bone to laugh off all adversity and rainy days.
Vodka and Orange jellies
These are my step Mum Helen`s creations and look innocent but are really wicked!
2 packs of orange jelly
Posh fresh orange with juicey bits
vodka
Make up the jelly with boiling water then after dissolved add fresh juice and vodka instead of the other half of water pour into little glass jam jars and leave to set in the fridge. You must try these for a grown up teatime treat.
Friday, 16 August 2013
What`s for dinner Clarey?: A Mermaid`s taleI am back from Cornwall where I ...
What`s for dinner Clarey?: A Mermaid`s tale
I am back from Cornwall where I ...: A Mermaid`s tale I am back from Cornwall where I swam in the sea everyday and remembered what life can be like. All worry clouds have floa...
I am back from Cornwall where I ...: A Mermaid`s tale I am back from Cornwall where I swam in the sea everyday and remembered what life can be like. All worry clouds have floa...
A Mermaid`s tale
I am back from Cornwall where I swam in the sea everyday and remembered what life can be like. All worry clouds have floated away for the moment and we are still on holiday.
Sand in all your crevices and sand in your sandwiches was inevitable, sun burn, sea water in your ears and jelly fish attacking your wet suits. But as long as we danced in the waves everyday until the tides literally wore us out we were happy. Drunk with tiredness and the after glow of behaving more like children than the Captain Sensibles our everyday work life requires us to be.
Or does it? My new year`s resolution is to go swimming everyday and not give up being a mermaid anytime soon.
Mermaid pate
1 bag of watercress
1 tub of cream cheese
Blend together until seaweed green and silky smooth, spread on oatcakes and top with smoked salmon.grab a merman and have a little frolick in the waves. Much better than sunbathing like ordinary people!
I am back from Cornwall where I swam in the sea everyday and remembered what life can be like. All worry clouds have floated away for the moment and we are still on holiday.
Sand in all your crevices and sand in your sandwiches was inevitable, sun burn, sea water in your ears and jelly fish attacking your wet suits. But as long as we danced in the waves everyday until the tides literally wore us out we were happy. Drunk with tiredness and the after glow of behaving more like children than the Captain Sensibles our everyday work life requires us to be.
Or does it? My new year`s resolution is to go swimming everyday and not give up being a mermaid anytime soon.
Mermaid pate
1 bag of watercress
1 tub of cream cheese
Blend together until seaweed green and silky smooth, spread on oatcakes and top with smoked salmon.grab a merman and have a little frolick in the waves. Much better than sunbathing like ordinary people!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)