What`s for dinner Clarey?: Tidying away
I admit it I am gloriously messy. I ...: Tidying away I admit it I am gloriously messy. I step over all the pants that other people have dropped , or better still hoover them up. ...
Thursday, 31 October 2013
Tidying away
I admit it I am gloriously messy. I step over all the pants that other people have dropped , or better still hoover them up. The land of the sad single sock is a definite reality in our house. Where do they all go?
I love cobwebs, it would be callous to dust them all away, destroy a spider`s home, especially on Halloween. So the gothic look of dusty cobwebby chandeliers is one I embrace. Shabby chic or just plain shabby suits me fine.
I will be tidying away my office this week , chucking out years of teaching resources that have piled up and seem to have invaded the dining table. We happily dine in the kitchen but I know Mr N resents all my many bags full of school work that stand in the way of him dining in the dining room. So black bin bag time it is. 20 years of teaching has flown by and though I endeavour to throw away the paper work and files I no longer need, every little shining face that I have been lucky enough to engage and help to read can never be tidied away as they are firmly seated in my heart ,safe as cobwebs.
Celery soup
I was very tempted to throw away a sad looking head of celery yesterday, so glad I didn`t!
4 banana shallots sliced
1 potato
1 sweet potato
1 pint veg bouillion stock
1 pint skimmed milk
1 head celery sliced
applewood smoked cheese 1 small wedge
Fry the shallots, potato,sweet potato and celery in a little oil.Add the milk and stock and simmer until all cooked, whizz up and add the cheese and stir until melted.serve with a swirl of chilli oil and toasted pitta bread.
Happy Halloween everyone. Pumpkin pie recipe tomorrow.
I admit it I am gloriously messy. I step over all the pants that other people have dropped , or better still hoover them up. The land of the sad single sock is a definite reality in our house. Where do they all go?
I love cobwebs, it would be callous to dust them all away, destroy a spider`s home, especially on Halloween. So the gothic look of dusty cobwebby chandeliers is one I embrace. Shabby chic or just plain shabby suits me fine.
I will be tidying away my office this week , chucking out years of teaching resources that have piled up and seem to have invaded the dining table. We happily dine in the kitchen but I know Mr N resents all my many bags full of school work that stand in the way of him dining in the dining room. So black bin bag time it is. 20 years of teaching has flown by and though I endeavour to throw away the paper work and files I no longer need, every little shining face that I have been lucky enough to engage and help to read can never be tidied away as they are firmly seated in my heart ,safe as cobwebs.
Celery soup
I was very tempted to throw away a sad looking head of celery yesterday, so glad I didn`t!
4 banana shallots sliced
1 potato
1 sweet potato
1 pint veg bouillion stock
1 pint skimmed milk
1 head celery sliced
applewood smoked cheese 1 small wedge
Fry the shallots, potato,sweet potato and celery in a little oil.Add the milk and stock and simmer until all cooked, whizz up and add the cheese and stir until melted.serve with a swirl of chilli oil and toasted pitta bread.
Happy Halloween everyone. Pumpkin pie recipe tomorrow.
Tuesday, 29 October 2013
What`s for dinner Clarey?: Fat club part 2I went again tonight, scurrying t...
What`s for dinner Clarey?: Fat club part 2
I went again tonight, scurrying t...: Fat club part 2 I went again tonight, scurrying through the darkness of the old grey town,dodging the puddles , hurrrying past the steamy ...
I went again tonight, scurrying t...: Fat club part 2 I went again tonight, scurrying through the darkness of the old grey town,dodging the puddles , hurrrying past the steamy ...
What`s for dinner Clarey?: Fat club part 2I went again tonight, scurrying t...
What`s for dinner Clarey?: Fat club part 2
I went again tonight, scurrying t...: Fat club part 2 I went again tonight, scurrying through the darkness of the old grey town,dodging the puddles , hurrrying past the steamy ...
I went again tonight, scurrying t...: Fat club part 2 I went again tonight, scurrying through the darkness of the old grey town,dodging the puddles , hurrrying past the steamy ...
Fat club part 2
I went again tonight, scurrying through the darkness of the old grey town,dodging the puddles , hurrrying past the steamy windows of the chip shop where skinny people queued for bags of chips with scraps.
I have really tried this week to look after myself. To eat breakfast like sane people do.Not to stick my whole head in the biscuit tin when work has been rough.To eat mindfully and actually enjoy food rather than envisaging it attaching itself slyly to my bum as I sleep.
"How do you think you`ve done?" smiled fat club leader.
The Champagne and Quavers spotlight beamed down on me as I recalled a fun weekend on the bouncy castle of lurve. But then also the brisk walk in the sunny park on Sunday with the kids, pushing them on the swings and roundabouts until they went "Wheeeee!"and charging round the city walls of Chester with them yesterday gave me the guts to reply...
"fabulous thanks!"
I stood on the scales still firmly registering "Man weight" but I`ll have you know I am 5 pounds lighter after only a week of knocking sugar and biccies on the head.
Life is all swings and roundabouts really isn`t it, but as I skipped out into the Cumbrian precipitation I had to restrain myself from squealing "Wheeeeeee!"
Tonight my Dad came to dinner and it was so lovely to have him here for once.
Spam omelette
thinly slice a tin of spam and dry fry it in a non stick pan until it goes all crispy, pour in 6 whisked up eggs and a few leftover cooked potatoes and a pipkin of seasalt. Pop under the grill to cook through and puff up, slice like a cake. Just the ticket for a war baby like Jimmy snr.
Happy days are here again.
I went again tonight, scurrying through the darkness of the old grey town,dodging the puddles , hurrrying past the steamy windows of the chip shop where skinny people queued for bags of chips with scraps.
I have really tried this week to look after myself. To eat breakfast like sane people do.Not to stick my whole head in the biscuit tin when work has been rough.To eat mindfully and actually enjoy food rather than envisaging it attaching itself slyly to my bum as I sleep.
"How do you think you`ve done?" smiled fat club leader.
The Champagne and Quavers spotlight beamed down on me as I recalled a fun weekend on the bouncy castle of lurve. But then also the brisk walk in the sunny park on Sunday with the kids, pushing them on the swings and roundabouts until they went "Wheeeee!"and charging round the city walls of Chester with them yesterday gave me the guts to reply...
"fabulous thanks!"
I stood on the scales still firmly registering "Man weight" but I`ll have you know I am 5 pounds lighter after only a week of knocking sugar and biccies on the head.
Life is all swings and roundabouts really isn`t it, but as I skipped out into the Cumbrian precipitation I had to restrain myself from squealing "Wheeeeeee!"
Tonight my Dad came to dinner and it was so lovely to have him here for once.
Spam omelette
thinly slice a tin of spam and dry fry it in a non stick pan until it goes all crispy, pour in 6 whisked up eggs and a few leftover cooked potatoes and a pipkin of seasalt. Pop under the grill to cook through and puff up, slice like a cake. Just the ticket for a war baby like Jimmy snr.
Happy days are here again.
Monday, 28 October 2013
What`s for dinner Clarey?: The rain it raineth everydayIt has been five yea...
What`s for dinner Clarey?: The rain it raineth everyday
It has been five yea...: The rain it raineth everyday It has been five years since my Dad came to my house. I don`t think it was anything I said. It`s just that Cu...
It has been five yea...: The rain it raineth everyday It has been five years since my Dad came to my house. I don`t think it was anything I said. It`s just that Cu...
The rain it raineth everyday
It has been five years since my Dad came to my house. I don`t think it was anything I said. It`s just that Cumbria is such a long way away from my family and it rains all the time.
I used to have one of those whirly gig clothes lines and I would hang out my knickers with pride, usually wearing my pyjamas chatting with my beautiful neighbour Jillian over the garden fence. Those long lion days of popping Cava in the back garden are long gone.
When it`s sunny and I`m not working which let`s face it is about once a year, the Lakes are unbelievably beautiful and they are where we have paddled for the past decade. Where the twins have turned into head turning teens and Jemima has grown from a little gem into a diamond. The dress code is harsh, wellies and anoraks are essential and so not me. Every time I wear my Jaeger leopard print mac to town I fear I might get arrested. But I get up, dress up and turn up everyday to hopefully light up the Kendal gloom for my little anklebiters at school.
I still don`t know why on earth I am here. I really don`t belong and I miss the seaside. A dip in the sea at Filey and a fresh crab from Flamborough head is all my heart desires.
So back to Jimy snr who storm clouds permitting is arriving like the Queen of Sheba in time for lunch- or dinner if you`re from Yorkshire and so tomorrow it`ll be "what`s for tea our lass?"rather than "what`s for dinner Clarey?"
Shepherd`s pie and Champagne of course (after my return visit to fat club which I will report on I promise!)
which go together like Torvill and Dean or George Michael and Andrew Ridgely or Chas and Dave, all terribly unfashionable but secretly my faves!!
Champagne- Pol Roger , chill and pop silently like a duchess`s fart.
Shepherd`s pie
beef mince
tomato puree
salt and pepper
onions
garlic
celery
butter
carrot diced
beef stock
sherry
maris piper potatoes
butter
milk
condensed milk
Fry the mince, onions and 4 cloves of garlic with 2 celery sticks sliced and a diced carrot in a little butter. Add a tbs of tomato puree and cook for 10 mins until it caramelises. Season and add 1/2 pint of beef stock, a little milk and a slosh of sherry. Boil the potatoes in salted water and mash until smooth. Add butter , seasoning, milk and a tbs of condensed milk. Top the mince with the buttery mash and put in the oven until heated through and crispy on tram lined top.
Serve with savoy cabbage, finely sliced and steamed with garlic,butter and a few drops of soya sauce.
Give to your Dad with all your love and the promise of another dinner date in five years time!
It has been five years since my Dad came to my house. I don`t think it was anything I said. It`s just that Cumbria is such a long way away from my family and it rains all the time.
I used to have one of those whirly gig clothes lines and I would hang out my knickers with pride, usually wearing my pyjamas chatting with my beautiful neighbour Jillian over the garden fence. Those long lion days of popping Cava in the back garden are long gone.
When it`s sunny and I`m not working which let`s face it is about once a year, the Lakes are unbelievably beautiful and they are where we have paddled for the past decade. Where the twins have turned into head turning teens and Jemima has grown from a little gem into a diamond. The dress code is harsh, wellies and anoraks are essential and so not me. Every time I wear my Jaeger leopard print mac to town I fear I might get arrested. But I get up, dress up and turn up everyday to hopefully light up the Kendal gloom for my little anklebiters at school.
I still don`t know why on earth I am here. I really don`t belong and I miss the seaside. A dip in the sea at Filey and a fresh crab from Flamborough head is all my heart desires.
So back to Jimy snr who storm clouds permitting is arriving like the Queen of Sheba in time for lunch- or dinner if you`re from Yorkshire and so tomorrow it`ll be "what`s for tea our lass?"rather than "what`s for dinner Clarey?"
Shepherd`s pie and Champagne of course (after my return visit to fat club which I will report on I promise!)
which go together like Torvill and Dean or George Michael and Andrew Ridgely or Chas and Dave, all terribly unfashionable but secretly my faves!!
Champagne- Pol Roger , chill and pop silently like a duchess`s fart.
Shepherd`s pie
beef mince
tomato puree
salt and pepper
onions
garlic
celery
butter
carrot diced
beef stock
sherry
maris piper potatoes
butter
milk
condensed milk
Fry the mince, onions and 4 cloves of garlic with 2 celery sticks sliced and a diced carrot in a little butter. Add a tbs of tomato puree and cook for 10 mins until it caramelises. Season and add 1/2 pint of beef stock, a little milk and a slosh of sherry. Boil the potatoes in salted water and mash until smooth. Add butter , seasoning, milk and a tbs of condensed milk. Top the mince with the buttery mash and put in the oven until heated through and crispy on tram lined top.
Serve with savoy cabbage, finely sliced and steamed with garlic,butter and a few drops of soya sauce.
Give to your Dad with all your love and the promise of another dinner date in five years time!
Sunday, 27 October 2013
What`s for dinner Clarey?: The clocks went backLast night I had to sleep in...
What`s for dinner Clarey?: The clocks went back
Last night I had to sleep in...: The clocks went back Last night I had to sleep in my mother-in-law`s dining room on an inflatable double bed with the amorous Matty Neal f...
Last night I had to sleep in...: The clocks went back Last night I had to sleep in my mother-in-law`s dining room on an inflatable double bed with the amorous Matty Neal f...
The clocks went back
Last night I had to sleep in my mother-in-law`s dining room on an inflatable double bed with the amorous Matty Neal for company having had a bit of a hooley with his brothers. It was like being on a bouncy castle of lurve with a water buffalo! The rafting snores made me giggle and the ticking of several alarm clocks drove me insane but I was snuggled up with my sweetheart with the half term holidays stretching out before me like a red carpet to freedom, pampering and laziness. James and Matty had set all the clocks in order to be up at six to drive to windy Blackpool for a 4* table tennis tournament . "ping pong" the glue in our marriage`s love sandwich.We got to bed at 1am and getting comfy was like trying to get out of a ball pool covered in superglue, having imbibed several VATs (Vodka and Tonic my new skinny drink of choice). First the snoring kept me awake, then the wind rattling the roof tiles. Eventually I decamped to the leather settee with the reclining leg rest. It kept going up and down like a bride`s nightie as I rolled around under a scant blanket.
I blessed the sunrise and Matty and James trolled off to Blackpool at 7am full of ping and pong.
Sadly we had forgotten that the clocks went back last night and they arrived an hour early , so trundled off to the golden arches for brekky.
I scampered upstairs and sunk into a marshmallow duvet double bed vacated by the girls who had tripped downstairs to watch SpongeBob.
It has been the perfect Autumn day today, we have been to the park, had a party tea of sandwiches and chips and now the lights are low and the fire is on and tonight I am claiming a bed. I am too old to go for a ride on the bouncy castle of lurve tonight, I deserve a good night`s kip.
Cheesey leeks
4 large leeks
4 slices thick Yorkshire ham
1tbs butter
1tbs flour
1 pint milk
creme fraiche
1tsp English mustard
1 pack grated mature cheddar
1 pack grated mozzarella
1 pack grated fresh parmesan
Slice the leeks and boil in salted water. To make the cheese sauce, melt the butter stir in the flour and add the milk. Stir over a gentle heat until smooth sauce ,add a grating of mace and lots of cheese and mustard. Stir til a cheesey silky sauce is made. Wrap the leeks with ham and put in an oven proof dish , cover with cheese sauce, top with grated mozzarella and grated parmesan, op in a hot oven for 20mins. Cheesey heaven! Guaranteed to give you dreams all night even if you are on a bouncy castle of lurve! x
Last night I had to sleep in my mother-in-law`s dining room on an inflatable double bed with the amorous Matty Neal for company having had a bit of a hooley with his brothers. It was like being on a bouncy castle of lurve with a water buffalo! The rafting snores made me giggle and the ticking of several alarm clocks drove me insane but I was snuggled up with my sweetheart with the half term holidays stretching out before me like a red carpet to freedom, pampering and laziness. James and Matty had set all the clocks in order to be up at six to drive to windy Blackpool for a 4* table tennis tournament . "ping pong" the glue in our marriage`s love sandwich.We got to bed at 1am and getting comfy was like trying to get out of a ball pool covered in superglue, having imbibed several VATs (Vodka and Tonic my new skinny drink of choice). First the snoring kept me awake, then the wind rattling the roof tiles. Eventually I decamped to the leather settee with the reclining leg rest. It kept going up and down like a bride`s nightie as I rolled around under a scant blanket.
I blessed the sunrise and Matty and James trolled off to Blackpool at 7am full of ping and pong.
Sadly we had forgotten that the clocks went back last night and they arrived an hour early , so trundled off to the golden arches for brekky.
I scampered upstairs and sunk into a marshmallow duvet double bed vacated by the girls who had tripped downstairs to watch SpongeBob.
It has been the perfect Autumn day today, we have been to the park, had a party tea of sandwiches and chips and now the lights are low and the fire is on and tonight I am claiming a bed. I am too old to go for a ride on the bouncy castle of lurve tonight, I deserve a good night`s kip.
Cheesey leeks
4 large leeks
4 slices thick Yorkshire ham
1tbs butter
1tbs flour
1 pint milk
creme fraiche
1tsp English mustard
1 pack grated mature cheddar
1 pack grated mozzarella
1 pack grated fresh parmesan
Slice the leeks and boil in salted water. To make the cheese sauce, melt the butter stir in the flour and add the milk. Stir over a gentle heat until smooth sauce ,add a grating of mace and lots of cheese and mustard. Stir til a cheesey silky sauce is made. Wrap the leeks with ham and put in an oven proof dish , cover with cheese sauce, top with grated mozzarella and grated parmesan, op in a hot oven for 20mins. Cheesey heaven! Guaranteed to give you dreams all night even if you are on a bouncy castle of lurve! x
Saturday, 26 October 2013
What`s for dinner Clarey?: It`s nice to be important but it`s more important ...
What`s for dinner Clarey?: It`s nice to be important but it`s more important ...: It`s nice to be important but it`s more important to be nice. I am blessed with a beautiful lack of ambition. All I want to be is happy a...
It`s nice to be important but it`s more important to be nice.
I am blessed with a beautiful lack of ambition. All I want to be is happy and that is my ambition for my children too.
Everyday and all through my life and I am sure it is the same for most people there are lots of people telling you what to do , wanting to be in charge. I like to think I am too cerebral to be ruthless like that, the traffic warden mentality that you can spoil someones day everyday because of your rules or power is not a mind path I choose to follow.
The democracy that exists in my home can lead to chaos, with lack of bedtimes and routines for where to put your dirty socks but out of chaos comes a loving order that we are all happy in the gutter looking up at the stars.
Having worked full time recently , I can`t say housework is the top of my priority list! Yesterday was my day to tidy! Then a call came in that last minute guests were looking for a room at the Inn. "Of course" I said with a horrified shudder, toilet brush time is not my favourite sport! So I was like a whirling dervish all day, cleaning out my mental and real closets. Then just as the table was set and the fire lit we got a call that our guests had been waylaid, weren`t coming.
Mr N arrived home to a haven of orderly domestic bliss, plumped up cushions , roaring fire, three types of curry and a rather fine bottle of Chianti on the go. "I wish someone would ring up and pretend to be coming every Friday night " he beamed.
However grey the day, however chaotic your life if you keep shining your light out into the World it always beams right back to you. Instead of being grumpy I was liberated that the will to help someone else yesterday actually boomeranged back to me and I helped myself. Half term holidays will be fun now and feather duster and toilet brush time is over!
Three curries and a ping pong match.
Curry 1-Salmon curry
Thai red paste
8 salmon fillets
coriander
3 onions , 3 cloves of garlic,
light coconut milk
Marinate the salmon in the thai paste, meanwhile fry the onions and garlic until they are caramelised , microwave the fillets for about 4 minutes until just steamed and add to the onions stir in the milk and add a tsp of sugar . Gently simmer and add a big bunch of coriander snipped up.
Curry 2- Cauliflower cheese , pumpkin and potato curry.
1 cauliflower
paneer cheese
gnocci
hot curry powder
madras paste
pumpkin flesh
olive oil
sea salt
Boil a small cauliflower until tender, fry a packet of gnocci in a little olive oil and salt until crispy then roll in hot curry powder, roast some pumpkin flesh in the oven with a little olive oil, seasalt and fennel seeds,
To make the curry combine the cauliflower and pumpkin in a pan with a tbs of madras paste, add a tin of light coconut milk a tsp of sugar and the Indian cheese and cook over a gentle heat until reduced , to finish add lts of fresh coriander and the crispy curried gnocci balls.
Curry 3- Prawn madras
2 packs of prawns
madras paste
tinned tomatoes
skimmed milk
coriander
garlic
This is my skinny one! To make the sauce , dry fry 4 cloves of crushed garlic, add 1 tbs of madras paste and then a tin of tomatoes and half a bunch of chopped coriander. Once the sauce is reduced , add the prawns and a slosh of skimmed milk and the other half of the coriander.
Serve with brown rice,boiled with cardomon pods and ...
Fat free raita
1 pot of fat free greek yoghurt
1 cucumber grated
1 tbs mint sauce
1/2 red onion grated
Combine alltogether.
Phew what a pallaver trying to spice up my life! Follow with a good game of ping pong with a Forrest Gump lookalike (Mattos!)
I am blessed with a beautiful lack of ambition. All I want to be is happy and that is my ambition for my children too.
Everyday and all through my life and I am sure it is the same for most people there are lots of people telling you what to do , wanting to be in charge. I like to think I am too cerebral to be ruthless like that, the traffic warden mentality that you can spoil someones day everyday because of your rules or power is not a mind path I choose to follow.
The democracy that exists in my home can lead to chaos, with lack of bedtimes and routines for where to put your dirty socks but out of chaos comes a loving order that we are all happy in the gutter looking up at the stars.
Having worked full time recently , I can`t say housework is the top of my priority list! Yesterday was my day to tidy! Then a call came in that last minute guests were looking for a room at the Inn. "Of course" I said with a horrified shudder, toilet brush time is not my favourite sport! So I was like a whirling dervish all day, cleaning out my mental and real closets. Then just as the table was set and the fire lit we got a call that our guests had been waylaid, weren`t coming.
Mr N arrived home to a haven of orderly domestic bliss, plumped up cushions , roaring fire, three types of curry and a rather fine bottle of Chianti on the go. "I wish someone would ring up and pretend to be coming every Friday night " he beamed.
However grey the day, however chaotic your life if you keep shining your light out into the World it always beams right back to you. Instead of being grumpy I was liberated that the will to help someone else yesterday actually boomeranged back to me and I helped myself. Half term holidays will be fun now and feather duster and toilet brush time is over!
Three curries and a ping pong match.
Curry 1-Salmon curry
Thai red paste
8 salmon fillets
coriander
3 onions , 3 cloves of garlic,
light coconut milk
Marinate the salmon in the thai paste, meanwhile fry the onions and garlic until they are caramelised , microwave the fillets for about 4 minutes until just steamed and add to the onions stir in the milk and add a tsp of sugar . Gently simmer and add a big bunch of coriander snipped up.
Curry 2- Cauliflower cheese , pumpkin and potato curry.
1 cauliflower
paneer cheese
gnocci
hot curry powder
madras paste
pumpkin flesh
olive oil
sea salt
Boil a small cauliflower until tender, fry a packet of gnocci in a little olive oil and salt until crispy then roll in hot curry powder, roast some pumpkin flesh in the oven with a little olive oil, seasalt and fennel seeds,
To make the curry combine the cauliflower and pumpkin in a pan with a tbs of madras paste, add a tin of light coconut milk a tsp of sugar and the Indian cheese and cook over a gentle heat until reduced , to finish add lts of fresh coriander and the crispy curried gnocci balls.
Curry 3- Prawn madras
2 packs of prawns
madras paste
tinned tomatoes
skimmed milk
coriander
garlic
This is my skinny one! To make the sauce , dry fry 4 cloves of crushed garlic, add 1 tbs of madras paste and then a tin of tomatoes and half a bunch of chopped coriander. Once the sauce is reduced , add the prawns and a slosh of skimmed milk and the other half of the coriander.
Serve with brown rice,boiled with cardomon pods and ...
Fat free raita
1 pot of fat free greek yoghurt
1 cucumber grated
1 tbs mint sauce
1/2 red onion grated
Combine alltogether.
Phew what a pallaver trying to spice up my life! Follow with a good game of ping pong with a Forrest Gump lookalike (Mattos!)
Tuesday, 22 October 2013
Day one of being good
After my Buddha moment on the carpet I finally decided that I should rejoin fat club! "Nice to see you" the slimming consultant beamed ("big fat boomerang!") she must have been secretly thinking!
So I got on the scales (first time in about 3 years shocking I know) and wondered to myself as the digital scales rocketed to "man weight!" a)could I possibly be with child?b) could a child be possibly hiding in my cardigan pocket ?or c) maybe had I let myself go rather alot!
"What are your weaknesses?" she asked in front of a huge hall of huge ladies.
"Food?" I lamely replied.
(I love it , every sticky toffee, space dust, belly busting ,bacon butty mouthful of it. My plea in the dock of big ,fat,round court would have to be guilty.Guilty pleasures though.)
So as I sit here weighing around the same amount as before I was about to deliver twins I am inspired to see if I can eat myself slimmer. At the moment I skip breakfast, eat choccy biscuits and coffee all day and then have a gourmet dinner with my sweetheart and have a fair few shandies each and every night.
I have worked hard to develop a more beautiful soul and like my Nanna always said "you get the face you deserve pet!" unfortunately you get the bum you deserve too!
Everyone who had lost weight at fat club this week had said they had eaten lots of pea and ham soup-
so here goes. Big and bouncy I`ll always be but able to run up Kendal fell and tie my own shoelaces without having a tussle with my chest would have to be my personal target!
Pea and ham soup for lardy(that`s what my name is when you don`t use predictive text!!)
1 bag of frozen peas
1 small ham hock
onions
potatoes
tarragon
stock
Boil the ham in water until cooked , discard half the water if too salty and top up to 2pints with chicken stock, boil everything up together including the ham from the bone. Add a little tarragon and black pepper.
Whizz up til thick, have for your lunch and feel virtuous for once.
Wish me luck, a hungry foodie is a frightening thing to behold.
After my Buddha moment on the carpet I finally decided that I should rejoin fat club! "Nice to see you" the slimming consultant beamed ("big fat boomerang!") she must have been secretly thinking!
So I got on the scales (first time in about 3 years shocking I know) and wondered to myself as the digital scales rocketed to "man weight!" a)could I possibly be with child?b) could a child be possibly hiding in my cardigan pocket ?or c) maybe had I let myself go rather alot!
"What are your weaknesses?" she asked in front of a huge hall of huge ladies.
"Food?" I lamely replied.
(I love it , every sticky toffee, space dust, belly busting ,bacon butty mouthful of it. My plea in the dock of big ,fat,round court would have to be guilty.Guilty pleasures though.)
So as I sit here weighing around the same amount as before I was about to deliver twins I am inspired to see if I can eat myself slimmer. At the moment I skip breakfast, eat choccy biscuits and coffee all day and then have a gourmet dinner with my sweetheart and have a fair few shandies each and every night.
I have worked hard to develop a more beautiful soul and like my Nanna always said "you get the face you deserve pet!" unfortunately you get the bum you deserve too!
Everyone who had lost weight at fat club this week had said they had eaten lots of pea and ham soup-
so here goes. Big and bouncy I`ll always be but able to run up Kendal fell and tie my own shoelaces without having a tussle with my chest would have to be my personal target!
Pea and ham soup for lardy(that`s what my name is when you don`t use predictive text!!)
1 bag of frozen peas
1 small ham hock
onions
potatoes
tarragon
stock
Boil the ham in water until cooked , discard half the water if too salty and top up to 2pints with chicken stock, boil everything up together including the ham from the bone. Add a little tarragon and black pepper.
Whizz up til thick, have for your lunch and feel virtuous for once.
Wish me luck, a hungry foodie is a frightening thing to behold.
Monday, 21 October 2013
What`s for dinner Clarey?: Christmas is coming and Clarey`s getting fat!It...
What`s for dinner Clarey?: Christmas is coming and Clarey`s getting fat!
It...: Christmas is coming and Clarey`s getting fat! It is about 10 or 11 weeks until Christmas and the thought of all that is undone just sends...
It...: Christmas is coming and Clarey`s getting fat! It is about 10 or 11 weeks until Christmas and the thought of all that is undone just sends...
Christmas is coming and Clarey`s getting fat!
It is about 10 or 11 weeks until Christmas and the thought of all that is undone just sends me into a chocolate biscuit eating frenzy!
I know I shouldn`t - I`m not that keen on chocolate biscuits and as the gusset on my tights works it`s way down to my knees whilst sitting cross legged on the carpet trying to be spiritual in RE with my class, I am slowly turning into a Buddha. I blame it on the dark nights...when I get home I want a gravy dinner, I want mash and a steamed sponge pudding with custard! I even had a spoonful of condensed milk to sweeten up the darkest and wettest of Mondays tonight , so before I transform into the mother of all comfort eaters and apply to be a Father Christmas at the Co op I am going to stop and let this little cookery blog be my saving grace.
I am a big fan of big knobs of butter, lashings of cream and Baileys on everything but in a vain attempt to squeeze into a party dress rather than tent I am going to be good for the rest of the year . So if I plan what`s for dinner tomorrow tonight it might prevent me from rushing from staff meetings (chocolatey Clare covered in Kit Kat crumbs!) to the wine aisle. I am going to drink water and have lots of soup and no bread. If I have no bread there is no need for butter - my bete noir(black beast!!) I suppose then I better go swimming too (my fave thing to do)as I haven`t been for a swim since I splashed in the waves in Cornwall in August.
Work just gets in the way of being the best me I can be. So I am going to spend the most quality time I can with those who would find me irreplaceable ( a very select number!) and get ready to sparkle and shine in December.
Yesterday I made Grandma Betty this carrot soup she was recalling carrot jam in the war and how she used to take shrapnel into school instead of conkers and it was delicious...so here goes 10 weeks of no butter , sugar or alcohol (gulp!)
Blitz up Carrot soup
4 sticks celery
2 large red onions
8 carrots chopped
3 large cloves of garlic
1tbs curry powder
1 tbs Turmeric
chicken stock
semi skimmed milk
seasoning
a little slosh of olive oil
Fry the vegetables in a little olive oil and add turmeric and curry powder, 2 pints of chicken stock and boil until tender. Blitz and add a little milk to make it creamy and then serve in warmed bowls with lots of black pepper and those people who would find you irreplaceable even if you looked like a Buddha.
It is about 10 or 11 weeks until Christmas and the thought of all that is undone just sends me into a chocolate biscuit eating frenzy!
I know I shouldn`t - I`m not that keen on chocolate biscuits and as the gusset on my tights works it`s way down to my knees whilst sitting cross legged on the carpet trying to be spiritual in RE with my class, I am slowly turning into a Buddha. I blame it on the dark nights...when I get home I want a gravy dinner, I want mash and a steamed sponge pudding with custard! I even had a spoonful of condensed milk to sweeten up the darkest and wettest of Mondays tonight , so before I transform into the mother of all comfort eaters and apply to be a Father Christmas at the Co op I am going to stop and let this little cookery blog be my saving grace.
I am a big fan of big knobs of butter, lashings of cream and Baileys on everything but in a vain attempt to squeeze into a party dress rather than tent I am going to be good for the rest of the year . So if I plan what`s for dinner tomorrow tonight it might prevent me from rushing from staff meetings (chocolatey Clare covered in Kit Kat crumbs!) to the wine aisle. I am going to drink water and have lots of soup and no bread. If I have no bread there is no need for butter - my bete noir(black beast!!) I suppose then I better go swimming too (my fave thing to do)as I haven`t been for a swim since I splashed in the waves in Cornwall in August.
Work just gets in the way of being the best me I can be. So I am going to spend the most quality time I can with those who would find me irreplaceable ( a very select number!) and get ready to sparkle and shine in December.
Yesterday I made Grandma Betty this carrot soup she was recalling carrot jam in the war and how she used to take shrapnel into school instead of conkers and it was delicious...so here goes 10 weeks of no butter , sugar or alcohol (gulp!)
Blitz up Carrot soup
4 sticks celery
2 large red onions
8 carrots chopped
3 large cloves of garlic
1tbs curry powder
1 tbs Turmeric
chicken stock
semi skimmed milk
seasoning
a little slosh of olive oil
Fry the vegetables in a little olive oil and add turmeric and curry powder, 2 pints of chicken stock and boil until tender. Blitz and add a little milk to make it creamy and then serve in warmed bowls with lots of black pepper and those people who would find you irreplaceable even if you looked like a Buddha.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)