She Queen of puds
Christmas acts like a magnifying glass, if you are happy and well everything seems to shine. If you are going through bad or sad times or are missing someone it seems magnified too and the pressure to be merry and bright can be too much to bear.
Thankfully all things pass, you might not get a happy ending but it always heralds the beginning of something new and with that , hope translates to the possibilities of better times in the future.
So Christmas has passed us by and I do hope it has been a good one for all my friends. When you hear about good people suffering or dying at this time of year it inexplicably makes me feel as though I've lost a friend.
In my own family we have people who are sick and I know this has put me in touch with a great deal of sadness even though the holidays with my own merry band have been full of comfort and joy.
I am looking forward to the new year with hope that our special ones who are sick will have the strength to cope with and overcome their ills or accept the things they cannot change. I will try to be there for friends and family if they have too much to endure, I love a good party and the best of times but I'm also a doer and am good at being around for the worst of times too.
To make life less difficult for one another and to be always kind and useful are the only resolutions I hope to keep this coming year.
My Matty loves Queen's pudding and after visiting his Mum today in her nursing home he needed some tender loving pudding care. She used to love watching Brookside where Sheila Grant was known affectionately as 'she Queen' , so this She Queen pudding was my way of saying to Matty that I am sorry his Momma is not well and that I'm his port in any storm.
She Queen pudding
4 slices white bread (stale!) made into breadcrumbs
4 egg yolks
3/4 pint of milk
1/4 pint cream
3 tbs sugar
Vanilla extract
4 egg whites
3 tbs sugar
2 tbs apricot jam warmed
Firstly make the breadcrumbs and put in an oven proof dish, then mix the milk cream sugar and a spoon of vanilla extract and pour over the crumbs. Bake for 15 mins at 180 degrees until it is springy to touch, spread the runny apricot jam over the top. To make the meringue whisk the whites until they are stiff, fold in the sugar and whisk again until the whites are glossy. Pile on top of the crumb and jam mixture and cook for ten minutes more in a hot oven until the meringues are brown and cooked. Serve with some cream. Pudding I find, says a lot more about how you feel about someone than a lot of kind words could ever convey.
Tuesday, 27 December 2016
Thursday, 1 December 2016
Shabernet cauvignon chicken
Christmas is coming!
I have been shopping all morning and don't seem to have achieved anything.
I have been pinned in a parking spot between two Grandads in huge people carriers in M&S car park and been subjected to a grumpy checkout old girl in that shop.
I could have grabbed a Grandad and berated them for trapping me and parking inconsiderately. I could have been as rude back to the brusque shop assistant. But away in Marks and Spencer's all I could hear in my head was "Away in a manger" and it might have been a till ringing but I think it was a Christmas Angel singing in my heart and I left the shop feeling deliciously calm.
Everyone has a story so it's so important to be kind this time of year, to frazzled unloved shop assistants selling tons of chocolate biscuits but never getting to eat one, or grumpy old Grandads who have lost the will to live waiting for their wives to return from the shops, but most importantly be kind to yourself.
Advent is a time of waiting.
We all have our own stories to tell or conceal. Happy and sad memories from Christmases past that shape our present day ones. Loved ones we have lost or who left us, special ones who are sick can weigh heavy on our minds. When you think about the Christmas story though it's all about Hope and Light. When we allow ourselves to be infused with the Christmas spirit it's an opportunity to write our own stories and the wait will soon be over.
Christmas will come, follow your own star, it's only a couple of days but the memories we make for our children will last a lifetime.
When I got home from town I felt a compulsion to speak to my parents, even though they've not actually spoken to each other since 1990! They have both recently moved and in my phone book sit jauntily side by side as "Joey Cornwall" and "Jimmy York" making them sound like a couple of old Hollywood film stars! All my memories of the Christmases they gave me and my brothers are light, happy and full of chuckles.
Now I have my own tribe to swaddle and coddle and I feel the need to give them a cracker of a Christmas. I can't remember a single gift I got last year or when I was a child but I do remember how I felt and what I tasted and how I was adored by my parents.
Love is the best gift of all , it fixes everything.
When I have had a few glasses I tend to get my words mixed up !
"Shabernet Cauvignon"Chicken
(when they ask for a spoon for the gravy ,it's just one of the memories I leave for my children.)
1 bottle Cabernet Sauvignon
12 boneless chicken thighs
4 cloves crushed garlic
Celery stick
1 carrot diced
1 leek diced
Sprig of fresh rosemary
Maple syrup
Soya sauce
Tomato purée
1/2 pint chicken stock
Sea salt
Black pepper
Milk
Marinate the chicken in garlic, soya sauce, maple syrup and tomato purée. Fry them in a heavy pan until golden with celery, carrot and leek. Then pour yourself a big glass of red, add the rest to the pan, season and add a splash of milk, rosemary and a teaspoon of sugar, and stock. Simmer until the chicken is tender and the red wine reduced. Serve with some mashed potatoes and curly Kale and a spoon for the little ones to drink their gravy!
Happy Christmas, Love is the answer, Love yourself and those who Love you back.
I have been shopping all morning and don't seem to have achieved anything.
I have been pinned in a parking spot between two Grandads in huge people carriers in M&S car park and been subjected to a grumpy checkout old girl in that shop.
I could have grabbed a Grandad and berated them for trapping me and parking inconsiderately. I could have been as rude back to the brusque shop assistant. But away in Marks and Spencer's all I could hear in my head was "Away in a manger" and it might have been a till ringing but I think it was a Christmas Angel singing in my heart and I left the shop feeling deliciously calm.
Everyone has a story so it's so important to be kind this time of year, to frazzled unloved shop assistants selling tons of chocolate biscuits but never getting to eat one, or grumpy old Grandads who have lost the will to live waiting for their wives to return from the shops, but most importantly be kind to yourself.
Advent is a time of waiting.
We all have our own stories to tell or conceal. Happy and sad memories from Christmases past that shape our present day ones. Loved ones we have lost or who left us, special ones who are sick can weigh heavy on our minds. When you think about the Christmas story though it's all about Hope and Light. When we allow ourselves to be infused with the Christmas spirit it's an opportunity to write our own stories and the wait will soon be over.
Christmas will come, follow your own star, it's only a couple of days but the memories we make for our children will last a lifetime.
When I got home from town I felt a compulsion to speak to my parents, even though they've not actually spoken to each other since 1990! They have both recently moved and in my phone book sit jauntily side by side as "Joey Cornwall" and "Jimmy York" making them sound like a couple of old Hollywood film stars! All my memories of the Christmases they gave me and my brothers are light, happy and full of chuckles.
Now I have my own tribe to swaddle and coddle and I feel the need to give them a cracker of a Christmas. I can't remember a single gift I got last year or when I was a child but I do remember how I felt and what I tasted and how I was adored by my parents.
Love is the best gift of all , it fixes everything.
When I have had a few glasses I tend to get my words mixed up !
"Shabernet Cauvignon"Chicken
(when they ask for a spoon for the gravy ,it's just one of the memories I leave for my children.)
1 bottle Cabernet Sauvignon
12 boneless chicken thighs
4 cloves crushed garlic
Celery stick
1 carrot diced
1 leek diced
Sprig of fresh rosemary
Maple syrup
Soya sauce
Tomato purée
1/2 pint chicken stock
Sea salt
Black pepper
Milk
Marinate the chicken in garlic, soya sauce, maple syrup and tomato purée. Fry them in a heavy pan until golden with celery, carrot and leek. Then pour yourself a big glass of red, add the rest to the pan, season and add a splash of milk, rosemary and a teaspoon of sugar, and stock. Simmer until the chicken is tender and the red wine reduced. Serve with some mashed potatoes and curly Kale and a spoon for the little ones to drink their gravy!
Happy Christmas, Love is the answer, Love yourself and those who Love you back.
Tuesday, 29 November 2016
What`s for dinner Clarey?: Chewbacca in at the deep end....
What`s for dinner Clarey?: Chewbacca in at the deep end....: Chewbacca in at the deep end. I love to eat. I love to cook and therefore I owe it to my joints to exercise! Last nig...
Tuesday, 15 November 2016
Chewbacca in at the deep end.
I love to eat. I love to cook and therefore I owe it to my joints to exercise! Last night everyone had eaten in my house and they were revising, dressing up as donkeys, watching horror films and listening to Shostakovich ( cats included)! So I thought I might pop along to Aquafit just for fun!
As I left the house I could see my breath in the air, all the cars were getting iced up like a row of Magnums and my spirit wanted to be wearing snugly socks on the sofa quaffing Shabernet Cauvignon ( you only pronounce it like that when you've drunk quite a lot of it to be fair!)
But my Mind and body were drawing me on to the glamorous pebble dashed heights of Kendal leisure centre.
I couldn't find my miracle swimsuit, that frankly must be made out of Freddy Mercurys old spandex, it's so sucky inny , if such a word exists. No I only managed to find my granny unsupportive , please don't let there be a handsome lifeguard one.
As I adjusted the straps to my horror I discovered my armpits were a tad Mediterranean looking and my legs had seemed to have a covering of Winter fur that was just plain embarrassing. To add insult to furry injury I was early and had to endure the 5 second waddle to sit on the side whilst some men from Atlantis types finished off their triathlon training! The spectator gallery was rammed with yummy Mummys ( no doubt plucked and waxed) who all seemed to be smiling sympathetically at this hairy little Hobbit Surrounded by those day glo giant wot sits otherwise known as woggles.
Once in the pool I swam to the deepest part and joined in with all the exercises keen not to flash off my hairy bits , as Megan the beautiful instructor kept encouraging us to do coffee grind armography whilst "it's raining men" boomed out in the background.
I was like Chewbacca in at the deep end but no one really cared and I had such a laugh riding on one of those woggles. What anyone else thinks of me is none of my business and today at Slimming World the scales registered a loss, so that's fantastic.
When I got home I had a bath and stole Mattys razor, he's not bothered,he loves his hairy Clarey as long as I feed him.
So Han Solo and I shared this soup on the sofa by the fire...yum!
Roasted pepper and pumpkin soup
1 pumpkin ( this one was 10p in the reduced bin!) chunked
1 red, green and yellow pepper
1 bulb garlic
1 tin reduced fat coconut milk
Salt
Moroccan spice mix
Chilli flakes
Water
Roast the pumpkin, peppers, garlic in a splash of oil, or garlic fry light until they are soft and smell a amazing, scoop out minus seeds into a pan, the garlic should just pop out of its skin like a purée. Add seasoning coconut milk, and liquidise, return to the pan and add water until it's the thickness you want, add chilli to taste and I add a splash of maple syrup as it brings out the pumpkin taste.
Serve with toasted brown pittas and a nice hairy man!
I love to eat. I love to cook and therefore I owe it to my joints to exercise! Last night everyone had eaten in my house and they were revising, dressing up as donkeys, watching horror films and listening to Shostakovich ( cats included)! So I thought I might pop along to Aquafit just for fun!
As I left the house I could see my breath in the air, all the cars were getting iced up like a row of Magnums and my spirit wanted to be wearing snugly socks on the sofa quaffing Shabernet Cauvignon ( you only pronounce it like that when you've drunk quite a lot of it to be fair!)
But my Mind and body were drawing me on to the glamorous pebble dashed heights of Kendal leisure centre.
I couldn't find my miracle swimsuit, that frankly must be made out of Freddy Mercurys old spandex, it's so sucky inny , if such a word exists. No I only managed to find my granny unsupportive , please don't let there be a handsome lifeguard one.
As I adjusted the straps to my horror I discovered my armpits were a tad Mediterranean looking and my legs had seemed to have a covering of Winter fur that was just plain embarrassing. To add insult to furry injury I was early and had to endure the 5 second waddle to sit on the side whilst some men from Atlantis types finished off their triathlon training! The spectator gallery was rammed with yummy Mummys ( no doubt plucked and waxed) who all seemed to be smiling sympathetically at this hairy little Hobbit Surrounded by those day glo giant wot sits otherwise known as woggles.
Once in the pool I swam to the deepest part and joined in with all the exercises keen not to flash off my hairy bits , as Megan the beautiful instructor kept encouraging us to do coffee grind armography whilst "it's raining men" boomed out in the background.
I was like Chewbacca in at the deep end but no one really cared and I had such a laugh riding on one of those woggles. What anyone else thinks of me is none of my business and today at Slimming World the scales registered a loss, so that's fantastic.
When I got home I had a bath and stole Mattys razor, he's not bothered,he loves his hairy Clarey as long as I feed him.
So Han Solo and I shared this soup on the sofa by the fire...yum!
Roasted pepper and pumpkin soup
1 pumpkin ( this one was 10p in the reduced bin!) chunked
1 red, green and yellow pepper
1 bulb garlic
1 tin reduced fat coconut milk
Salt
Moroccan spice mix
Chilli flakes
Water
Roast the pumpkin, peppers, garlic in a splash of oil, or garlic fry light until they are soft and smell a amazing, scoop out minus seeds into a pan, the garlic should just pop out of its skin like a purée. Add seasoning coconut milk, and liquidise, return to the pan and add water until it's the thickness you want, add chilli to taste and I add a splash of maple syrup as it brings out the pumpkin taste.
Serve with toasted brown pittas and a nice hairy man!
Little gems for little Jem
Nearly 16 years ago I became a Mum. The first time I got twins. Before they arrived I hadn't even picked up a real live baby let alone deliver two seven pound babes and then take them home and attempt to care for them!
The first few months was a blur of feeding, bathing and a washing line of a million babygrows flapping in the wind. It was love at first sight and they took up all my time and love. So many happynappy days followed and having won the fertility lottery with a boy and girl I never thought I might venture to have another baby. Let's face it I was stretched to my limits, living in the lakes with no back up and a four year old wrecking team to deal with. When they were born the midwife who was very wise said the love you find you have for your children is not like a pie that you cut in two , they get a whole pie of love each.
So when I rang my Mum with some "special news" and she said "for Gods sake don't tell me you're pregnant!" I didn't bite her head off because I knew I was still her baby who she was worried about . I also knew there'd be another piefull of love for the next baby.
From the moment Jemima arrived on the way to my brother's wedding she has been a joy to know and the pie of Love she serves up is nothing short of dreamy. She really is a little Jem! Funnily enough she is our foodie one. She likes chicken livers, mackerel pate, sherry and rib eye steaks! She dreams about pork fillet in cream sauce and tonight requested spicy pork little gem parcels for dinner.
The child's a diamond - how could I say no...
Spicy pork little gem parcels for little Jem
500g pork mince (5%fat)
2 red chillies
1 bunch coriander
Juice of 2 limes
Fish sauce
Soya sauce
Fry light
4 cloves garlic crushed
1 tbs crunchy peanut butter
1 bunch spring onions sliced
Little gem lettuce leaves
Fry the pork in fry light adding garlic and minced chilli until browned and cooked through then add the finely sliced onions, lime juice , splash of soya sauce and fish sauce. Stir in the peanut butter and chopped coriander. The mixture is quite dry but delicious. Spoon into little gem lettuce leaves and eat with some hungry offspring and a cold beer for Mummy!
Nearly 16 years ago I became a Mum. The first time I got twins. Before they arrived I hadn't even picked up a real live baby let alone deliver two seven pound babes and then take them home and attempt to care for them!
The first few months was a blur of feeding, bathing and a washing line of a million babygrows flapping in the wind. It was love at first sight and they took up all my time and love. So many happynappy days followed and having won the fertility lottery with a boy and girl I never thought I might venture to have another baby. Let's face it I was stretched to my limits, living in the lakes with no back up and a four year old wrecking team to deal with. When they were born the midwife who was very wise said the love you find you have for your children is not like a pie that you cut in two , they get a whole pie of love each.
So when I rang my Mum with some "special news" and she said "for Gods sake don't tell me you're pregnant!" I didn't bite her head off because I knew I was still her baby who she was worried about . I also knew there'd be another piefull of love for the next baby.
From the moment Jemima arrived on the way to my brother's wedding she has been a joy to know and the pie of Love she serves up is nothing short of dreamy. She really is a little Jem! Funnily enough she is our foodie one. She likes chicken livers, mackerel pate, sherry and rib eye steaks! She dreams about pork fillet in cream sauce and tonight requested spicy pork little gem parcels for dinner.
The child's a diamond - how could I say no...
Spicy pork little gem parcels for little Jem
500g pork mince (5%fat)
2 red chillies
1 bunch coriander
Juice of 2 limes
Fish sauce
Soya sauce
Fry light
4 cloves garlic crushed
1 tbs crunchy peanut butter
1 bunch spring onions sliced
Little gem lettuce leaves
Fry the pork in fry light adding garlic and minced chilli until browned and cooked through then add the finely sliced onions, lime juice , splash of soya sauce and fish sauce. Stir in the peanut butter and chopped coriander. The mixture is quite dry but delicious. Spoon into little gem lettuce leaves and eat with some hungry offspring and a cold beer for Mummy!
Friday, 11 November 2016
What`s for dinner Clarey?: Fudge C...
What`s for dinner Clarey?: Fudge C...: Fudge Clare When I was little Friday was sweetie day. I hated school, (which is amusing consi...
Fudge Clare
When I was little Friday was sweetie day. I hated school, (which is amusing considering I`ve been a teacher for 23 years!) My week was punctuated by Coronation Street on a Monday and a Wednesday, Top of the pops on Thursday and hallelujah a finger of fudge on a Friday! Happiness rests on such little things.
Nowadays little has changed, but I do love school now because my colleagues and the children are golden! I still punctuate my week with TV ,University challenge and The Apprentice and on Fridays I still have some fudge although slightly posher than a Cadburys.
Before I had my own children I always used to give other peoples kids fudge , so much so that a little girl Jasmine in Cornwall I knew used to call me "Fudge Clare", a title I am proud to still hold today!!!
Chocolate and pistachio Friday Fudge
2 big bars of plain choc (Bourneville is my fave)
1tbs salted butter
1 large tin of condensed milk
250g chopped salted pistachios
twist of seasalt
This recipe is deliciously easy! Melt the butter,chocolate and condensed milk over a low heat until smooth this will take 5-10 mins. stir in the nuts and pour into a baking tin, refrigerate until set, cut into small pieces and enjoy with glass of Prosecco . To all my Slimming World pals all I can say in my defence is it is Friday!! xxx
When I was little Friday was sweetie day. I hated school, (which is amusing considering I`ve been a teacher for 23 years!) My week was punctuated by Coronation Street on a Monday and a Wednesday, Top of the pops on Thursday and hallelujah a finger of fudge on a Friday! Happiness rests on such little things.
Nowadays little has changed, but I do love school now because my colleagues and the children are golden! I still punctuate my week with TV ,University challenge and The Apprentice and on Fridays I still have some fudge although slightly posher than a Cadburys.
Before I had my own children I always used to give other peoples kids fudge , so much so that a little girl Jasmine in Cornwall I knew used to call me "Fudge Clare", a title I am proud to still hold today!!!
Chocolate and pistachio Friday Fudge
2 big bars of plain choc (Bourneville is my fave)
1tbs salted butter
1 large tin of condensed milk
250g chopped salted pistachios
twist of seasalt
This recipe is deliciously easy! Melt the butter,chocolate and condensed milk over a low heat until smooth this will take 5-10 mins. stir in the nuts and pour into a baking tin, refrigerate until set, cut into small pieces and enjoy with glass of Prosecco . To all my Slimming World pals all I can say in my defence is it is Friday!! xxx
Wednesday, 9 November 2016
What`s for dinner Clarey?: A recipe for Love...I see no distinction between...
What`s for dinner Clarey?: A recipe for Love...
I see no distinction between...: A recipe for Love... I see no distinction between food and medicine. What you put in your body has the power to give you strength to make ...
I see no distinction between...: A recipe for Love... I see no distinction between food and medicine. What you put in your body has the power to give you strength to make ...
A recipe for Love...
I see no distinction between food and medicine. What you put in your body has the power to give you strength to make you healthy and fill you with energy and happiness. A bowl of homemade soup brimming with vitamins and restorative properties is certainly preferable to a pot noodle and a paracetamol! The difference is not just scientific and nutritional, if your meal has been prepared with love and consideration I think it tastes better and does you good.
My three favourite things in life are food, laughter and Love. My three favourite people in my life are my children, feeding them , caring for and loving them is my life's work.
The other night on our way home from the fireworks they were in high spirits and someone swore in the back. I'm no angel but thought I should admonish them for any rude words and asked them to show a bit more grace and manners especially in front of my youngest.
The conversation then turned to dinner, feeling guilty for speaking harshly to them I said they could have anything they wanted.
Twin 1 pipes up "COCKaleekie soup!" Followed by Twin 2 with COQ au vin!" Seeing my annoyance I felt sure the baby of the trio wouldn't and quite frankly couldn't come up with a rude dessert!
"spotted DICK!" She giggled.
Scratch food being the best medicine, it most definitely is Laughter! We laughed all the way home...
Cock a leekie soup
1 cooked chicken carcass
4 medium leeks washed and sliced
4 celery sticks sliced
2 onions sliced
1 small bunch of fresh thyme
Sea salt, black pepper
Sherry
Brown sugar
4 fat cloves of garlic crushed
Strip the chicken off the bones you'll need approx 250g for later, put everything else into a heavy based pan and add about 2 litres of water, simmer for an hour. Remove the bones, add a slug of sherry and a tbs of sugar and the cooked chicken to the pan and heat through. Serve in warmed bowls with a sprinkling of chopped flat leaf parsley, salt and pepper and some warm brown bread and butter.
Enough love in a bowl to silence the cheekiest child and a great way to ward of colds. Chicken soup is known as Jewish penicillin for good reason, it actually can help to reduce temperatures. So I was right, food is medicine- Hooray eat up!
I see no distinction between food and medicine. What you put in your body has the power to give you strength to make you healthy and fill you with energy and happiness. A bowl of homemade soup brimming with vitamins and restorative properties is certainly preferable to a pot noodle and a paracetamol! The difference is not just scientific and nutritional, if your meal has been prepared with love and consideration I think it tastes better and does you good.
My three favourite things in life are food, laughter and Love. My three favourite people in my life are my children, feeding them , caring for and loving them is my life's work.
The other night on our way home from the fireworks they were in high spirits and someone swore in the back. I'm no angel but thought I should admonish them for any rude words and asked them to show a bit more grace and manners especially in front of my youngest.
The conversation then turned to dinner, feeling guilty for speaking harshly to them I said they could have anything they wanted.
Twin 1 pipes up "COCKaleekie soup!" Followed by Twin 2 with COQ au vin!" Seeing my annoyance I felt sure the baby of the trio wouldn't and quite frankly couldn't come up with a rude dessert!
"spotted DICK!" She giggled.
Scratch food being the best medicine, it most definitely is Laughter! We laughed all the way home...
Cock a leekie soup
1 cooked chicken carcass
4 medium leeks washed and sliced
4 celery sticks sliced
2 onions sliced
1 small bunch of fresh thyme
Sea salt, black pepper
Sherry
Brown sugar
4 fat cloves of garlic crushed
Strip the chicken off the bones you'll need approx 250g for later, put everything else into a heavy based pan and add about 2 litres of water, simmer for an hour. Remove the bones, add a slug of sherry and a tbs of sugar and the cooked chicken to the pan and heat through. Serve in warmed bowls with a sprinkling of chopped flat leaf parsley, salt and pepper and some warm brown bread and butter.
Enough love in a bowl to silence the cheekiest child and a great way to ward of colds. Chicken soup is known as Jewish penicillin for good reason, it actually can help to reduce temperatures. So I was right, food is medicine- Hooray eat up!
Wednesday, 5 October 2016
What`s for dinner Clarey?: Conker ...
What`s for dinner Clarey?: Conker ...: Conker time! It's October... I am sitting by a coal fire, with candles burning and a hot wat...
Tuesday, 4 October 2016
Conker time!
It's October... I am sitting by a coal fire, with candles burning and a hot water bottle for company. My Matty has transferred his man flu to me ( we like to share everything!) so I am less Snow White more a Grumpy/sneezy hybrid.
The largest, hairiest spider has just trundled across the floor, closely apprehended by Lola the tabby cat, who is now chewing the poor wee beastie like a cow chewing cud.
My Nanna once said if you lined conkers along the edges of your rooms it would keep spiders away.A waste of jolly nice conkers if you ask me! She wasn't averse to spiders or cobwebs my Nan, she said never to sweep away a spiders home and suggested I just throw glitter in them , I still do.
But conkers they were my Grandad George's forte. In his retirement he took a part time job as a caretaker in a very posh private school. The boys loved him as his job title fitted him perfectly - he took care of us all. He would often have black bullet humbugs in one pocket and a string of conkers in the other and would amuse the tear stained young boarders by playing conkers with them.
My Dads first memory of him 60 years ago when he was a little lad courting my Mum , was of a very kindly man who was a chauffeur and brought the beautiful Bentley home and gave all the local urchins, my Dad included , rides around the crescent of the little council estate where they lived.
Autumn leaves and misty mornings are evocative of past Octobers , getting a wash in my Nannas washing up bowl by the gas fire, crackling when we got into our beds all toasty from the electric blanket. No central heating, just a game of Rummy and a few contraband liquorice all sorts before bed. Three of us rammed into a large single with proper sheets. In the mornings you could see your breath in the air in the bedroom! We certainly were never bored, we used to play schools in the back room and Nanna would be a grumpy teacher telling off imaginary pupils who had the same names as any real bullies we may have mentioned!
We laughed until we cried and then would go and watch the wrestling or the horse racing with my Grandad.
There was always tea in the pot and biscuits in the barrel. My Nanna could make one banana feed the five thousand sliced up in sandwiches.
So hello to Autumn past and present, I embrace the changing seasons and always try to carry some conkers in my pocket and a sweetie in the other just in case any little person I meet needs a kind word or a conker fight!
Autumn tablet
80g salted butter
240ml double cream, or whole milk
1 x 397g tin of condensed milk
900g granulated sugar
Melt all of the above in a heavy based pan and boil up for 30 mins stirring continuously, then turn up the heat for another 10 mins, it will darken in colour. It will be molten hot, so no touching, take off the heat and plunge into a bowl of cold water beating all the time, pour into a lined tray and refrigerate. Yummy fudgey tablet. Happy October.
It's October... I am sitting by a coal fire, with candles burning and a hot water bottle for company. My Matty has transferred his man flu to me ( we like to share everything!) so I am less Snow White more a Grumpy/sneezy hybrid.
The largest, hairiest spider has just trundled across the floor, closely apprehended by Lola the tabby cat, who is now chewing the poor wee beastie like a cow chewing cud.
My Nanna once said if you lined conkers along the edges of your rooms it would keep spiders away.A waste of jolly nice conkers if you ask me! She wasn't averse to spiders or cobwebs my Nan, she said never to sweep away a spiders home and suggested I just throw glitter in them , I still do.
But conkers they were my Grandad George's forte. In his retirement he took a part time job as a caretaker in a very posh private school. The boys loved him as his job title fitted him perfectly - he took care of us all. He would often have black bullet humbugs in one pocket and a string of conkers in the other and would amuse the tear stained young boarders by playing conkers with them.
My Dads first memory of him 60 years ago when he was a little lad courting my Mum , was of a very kindly man who was a chauffeur and brought the beautiful Bentley home and gave all the local urchins, my Dad included , rides around the crescent of the little council estate where they lived.
Autumn leaves and misty mornings are evocative of past Octobers , getting a wash in my Nannas washing up bowl by the gas fire, crackling when we got into our beds all toasty from the electric blanket. No central heating, just a game of Rummy and a few contraband liquorice all sorts before bed. Three of us rammed into a large single with proper sheets. In the mornings you could see your breath in the air in the bedroom! We certainly were never bored, we used to play schools in the back room and Nanna would be a grumpy teacher telling off imaginary pupils who had the same names as any real bullies we may have mentioned!
We laughed until we cried and then would go and watch the wrestling or the horse racing with my Grandad.
There was always tea in the pot and biscuits in the barrel. My Nanna could make one banana feed the five thousand sliced up in sandwiches.
So hello to Autumn past and present, I embrace the changing seasons and always try to carry some conkers in my pocket and a sweetie in the other just in case any little person I meet needs a kind word or a conker fight!
Autumn tablet
80g salted butter
240ml double cream, or whole milk
1 x 397g tin of condensed milk
900g granulated sugar
Melt all of the above in a heavy based pan and boil up for 30 mins stirring continuously, then turn up the heat for another 10 mins, it will darken in colour. It will be molten hot, so no touching, take off the heat and plunge into a bowl of cold water beating all the time, pour into a lined tray and refrigerate. Yummy fudgey tablet. Happy October.
Tuesday, 9 August 2016
Ta dah beef!
Friday I'm in love.
Its our wedding anniversary this weekend , but it is 18 years to the day that we tied the knot, I just love Fridays. We were going out for seven years previous to that so I've spent a quarter of a Century feeding Matt. I don't think he would have married me unless I could cook!
I am a hiking,pingponging,cycling widow but he always rocks up tired and sweaty and hungry at some point in the evening! If there isn't a pan of something lovely waiting for him he is rather prone to becoming Hulk like or "hangry", so I am an expert at chucking a meal together in moments. Ta dah!
This roast beef recipe really works , you only get a Friday feeling when youve earned it. The same goes for marriage , you only get the surge of Love even after 18 years, when someone walks in the room and you still love them and want to feed them when you have weathered good and bad times together and still really care how their day went.
1 joint of beef
English mustard
manuka honey
Season the beef with salt and pepper and coat the fat in honey and mustard. Wrap up tight in foil and cook for 1hr 30mins at 180 . The ta dah moment is when you unwrap the beef and it has made its own wonderful gravy. Serve with Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, cabbage and someone you love.
Its our wedding anniversary this weekend , but it is 18 years to the day that we tied the knot, I just love Fridays. We were going out for seven years previous to that so I've spent a quarter of a Century feeding Matt. I don't think he would have married me unless I could cook!
I am a hiking,pingponging,cycling widow but he always rocks up tired and sweaty and hungry at some point in the evening! If there isn't a pan of something lovely waiting for him he is rather prone to becoming Hulk like or "hangry", so I am an expert at chucking a meal together in moments. Ta dah!
This roast beef recipe really works , you only get a Friday feeling when youve earned it. The same goes for marriage , you only get the surge of Love even after 18 years, when someone walks in the room and you still love them and want to feed them when you have weathered good and bad times together and still really care how their day went.
1 joint of beef
English mustard
manuka honey
Season the beef with salt and pepper and coat the fat in honey and mustard. Wrap up tight in foil and cook for 1hr 30mins at 180 . The ta dah moment is when you unwrap the beef and it has made its own wonderful gravy. Serve with Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, cabbage and someone you love.
What`s for dinner Clarey?: Lemon curd drizzle cakeLast Sunday after b...
What`s for dinner Clarey?: Lemon curd drizzle cake
Last Sunday after b...: Lemon curd drizzle cake Last Sunday after breakfast I was about to take my coffee and sit in the garden to read the papers, but my g...
Last Sunday after b...: Lemon curd drizzle cake Last Sunday after breakfast I was about to take my coffee and sit in the garden to read the papers, but my g...
Lemon curd drizzle cake
Last Sunday after breakfast I was about to take my coffee and sit in the garden to read the papers, but my girls had other ideas. They wanted me to make not one but two lemon cakes! I was a little reluctant ,as I`m currently on a Spartan mermaid`s diet, eating fish and swimming lots, but when it comes to my children, I`m just a girl who can`t say no!
They didn`t want to stay and help and I heard guitar strumming and piano playing drifting down from above and Olympic ping pong commentating from next door, so I put on my pinny and got baking.
I`m not one for recipes, probably because we never have all the ingredients in, so I had a rummage in the cupboards and came up with this recipe and made two scrummy cakes. One they all devoured at lunchtime(even Matty had two slices and he hates cake!) The other was in tray bake fashion and Jemima carefully cut it into 12 pieces and wrapped it in foil for the other lucky recipients. I still was none the wiser who I had made the cake for but just trusted her wisdom.
Cake bowl licked and washed up, I got round to that coffee and Sunday paper lossacking time and forgot about Lemon drizzle #2. Later we went to church and I saw my lovely Lily and Jemima surrepticiously place the cake in the basket of food donations for the Cenacolo community , a group of young men with addictions who come to recover here in Dodding Green . Usually we give them storecupboard items such as spaghetti or baked beans, all perfectly good but nothing special. It made my day to think I have raised children with an Elves and the shoemaker mentality. It is certainly better to give than receive, because nothing could taste sweeter than the thought of that surprise cake being opened by strangers, who realised that they were cared for. Nothing gives you the sense that you are loved and therefore there is Hope like someone baking a cake especially for you.
Children are so generous and selfless , I sat and counted 12 young Italian boys in the front pew and was grateful we had enough cake for them and gave thanks for my three who sometimes are capable of great kindness.
Lemon curd drizzle cake
4tbs of softened butter
2tbs of lemon curd
4tbs sugar
3 eggs
juice and grated rind of half a lemon
8tbs SR flour
milk
icing sugar
lemon/lime juice/rind
water
I creamed the butter sugar and lemon curd until pale and fluffy and added the eggs. Then slowly incorporated the flour, lemon juice and rind and enough milk to make a soft dropping consistency. I baked it in a medium oven (180) for 30 mins until springy and firm to touch.
Meanwhile I made a syrup out of icing sugar , lemon juice, rind and water and boiled it until syrupy. Then I made lots of holes in the cake and poured it over to sink in. When totally cooled I made more icing with icing sugar , lemon juice and less water and drizzled over the top.
We are already plotting our next bake-away (a cake we bake and give away) who knows it could be you? xx
Last Sunday after breakfast I was about to take my coffee and sit in the garden to read the papers, but my girls had other ideas. They wanted me to make not one but two lemon cakes! I was a little reluctant ,as I`m currently on a Spartan mermaid`s diet, eating fish and swimming lots, but when it comes to my children, I`m just a girl who can`t say no!
They didn`t want to stay and help and I heard guitar strumming and piano playing drifting down from above and Olympic ping pong commentating from next door, so I put on my pinny and got baking.
I`m not one for recipes, probably because we never have all the ingredients in, so I had a rummage in the cupboards and came up with this recipe and made two scrummy cakes. One they all devoured at lunchtime(even Matty had two slices and he hates cake!) The other was in tray bake fashion and Jemima carefully cut it into 12 pieces and wrapped it in foil for the other lucky recipients. I still was none the wiser who I had made the cake for but just trusted her wisdom.
Cake bowl licked and washed up, I got round to that coffee and Sunday paper lossacking time and forgot about Lemon drizzle #2. Later we went to church and I saw my lovely Lily and Jemima surrepticiously place the cake in the basket of food donations for the Cenacolo community , a group of young men with addictions who come to recover here in Dodding Green . Usually we give them storecupboard items such as spaghetti or baked beans, all perfectly good but nothing special. It made my day to think I have raised children with an Elves and the shoemaker mentality. It is certainly better to give than receive, because nothing could taste sweeter than the thought of that surprise cake being opened by strangers, who realised that they were cared for. Nothing gives you the sense that you are loved and therefore there is Hope like someone baking a cake especially for you.
Children are so generous and selfless , I sat and counted 12 young Italian boys in the front pew and was grateful we had enough cake for them and gave thanks for my three who sometimes are capable of great kindness.
Lemon curd drizzle cake
4tbs of softened butter
2tbs of lemon curd
4tbs sugar
3 eggs
juice and grated rind of half a lemon
8tbs SR flour
milk
icing sugar
lemon/lime juice/rind
water
I creamed the butter sugar and lemon curd until pale and fluffy and added the eggs. Then slowly incorporated the flour, lemon juice and rind and enough milk to make a soft dropping consistency. I baked it in a medium oven (180) for 30 mins until springy and firm to touch.
Meanwhile I made a syrup out of icing sugar , lemon juice, rind and water and boiled it until syrupy. Then I made lots of holes in the cake and poured it over to sink in. When totally cooled I made more icing with icing sugar , lemon juice and less water and drizzled over the top.
We are already plotting our next bake-away (a cake we bake and give away) who knows it could be you? xx
Thursday, 28 July 2016
Sausage pie time!
Summer's arrived and I am giddy at the prospect of spending oceans of time in the ocean or paddling pool preferably in Cornwall with my darlings !
We have been swimming everyday of the holidays so far, when my pupils in the end of term show depicted me as a mermaid they were spot on. The freedom and energy of the sea is my idea of heaven. Lying back on the sand listening to the waves and the gulls is magical especially if you are holding someone you love in one hand and a wodge of sausage pie in the other!
These days of wine and roses are few, happy holidays wherever you may be.xxx
Sausage pie
2 sheets of short crust or puff pastry ( you're on holiday so shop bought will do)
4packs of best quality sausages
4leeks sliced
Fresh rosemary and thyme
Butter
Take the sausage meat out of their skins brown in a pan with the herbs in a knob of butter
In another pan fry the leeks in butter until soft
Bake the base of pastry for ten minutes then cover with a layer of sausage meat, then leeks then pastry lid on top. Seal with a little beaten egg and brush allover so that after 30 mins in a medium oven it comes out all golden like a giant pasty.
Every mermaid deserves a pie!
Summer's arrived and I am giddy at the prospect of spending oceans of time in the ocean or paddling pool preferably in Cornwall with my darlings !
We have been swimming everyday of the holidays so far, when my pupils in the end of term show depicted me as a mermaid they were spot on. The freedom and energy of the sea is my idea of heaven. Lying back on the sand listening to the waves and the gulls is magical especially if you are holding someone you love in one hand and a wodge of sausage pie in the other!
These days of wine and roses are few, happy holidays wherever you may be.xxx
Sausage pie
2 sheets of short crust or puff pastry ( you're on holiday so shop bought will do)
4packs of best quality sausages
4leeks sliced
Fresh rosemary and thyme
Butter
Take the sausage meat out of their skins brown in a pan with the herbs in a knob of butter
In another pan fry the leeks in butter until soft
Bake the base of pastry for ten minutes then cover with a layer of sausage meat, then leeks then pastry lid on top. Seal with a little beaten egg and brush allover so that after 30 mins in a medium oven it comes out all golden like a giant pasty.
Every mermaid deserves a pie!
Sausage pie time
Sausage pie time!
Summer's arrived and I am giddy at the prospect of spending oceans of time in the ocean or paddling pool preferably in Cornwall with my darlings !
We have been swimming everyday of the holidays so far, when my pupils in the end of term show depicted me as a mermaid they were spot on. The freedom and energy of the sea is my idea of heaven. Lying back on the sand listening to the waves and the gulls is magical especially if you are holding someone you love in one hand and a wodge of sausage pie in the other!
These days of wine and roses are few, happy holidays wherever you may be.xxx
Sausage pie
2 sheets of short crust or puff pastry ( you're on holiday so shop bought will do)
4packs of best quality sausages
4leeks sliced
Fresh rosemary and thyme
Butter
Take the sausage meat out of their skins brown in a pan with the herbs in a knob of butter
In another pan fry the leeks in butter until soft
Bake the base of pastry for ten minutes then cover with a layer of sausage meat, then leeks then pastry lid on top. Seal with a little beaten egg and brush allover so that after 30 mins in a medium oven it comes out all golden like a giant pasty.
Every mermaid deserves a pie!
Summer's arrived and I am giddy at the prospect of spending oceans of time in the ocean or paddling pool preferably in Cornwall with my darlings !
We have been swimming everyday of the holidays so far, when my pupils in the end of term show depicted me as a mermaid they were spot on. The freedom and energy of the sea is my idea of heaven. Lying back on the sand listening to the waves and the gulls is magical especially if you are holding someone you love in one hand and a wodge of sausage pie in the other!
These days of wine and roses are few, happy holidays wherever you may be.xxx
Sausage pie
2 sheets of short crust or puff pastry ( you're on holiday so shop bought will do)
4packs of best quality sausages
4leeks sliced
Fresh rosemary and thyme
Butter
Take the sausage meat out of their skins brown in a pan with the herbs in a knob of butter
In another pan fry the leeks in butter until soft
Bake the base of pastry for ten minutes then cover with a layer of sausage meat, then leeks then pastry lid on top. Seal with a little beaten egg and brush allover so that after 30 mins in a medium oven it comes out all golden like a giant pasty.
Every mermaid deserves a pie!
Wednesday, 27 April 2016
What`s for dinner Clarey?: Birthday mega lols!I am getting quite mature. Li...
What`s for dinner Clarey?: Birthday mega lols!
I am getting quite mature. Li...: Birthday mega lols! I am getting quite mature. Like a fine wine or a big blue cheese I`m getting better with age! Last week I had an amazi...
I am getting quite mature. Li...: Birthday mega lols! I am getting quite mature. Like a fine wine or a big blue cheese I`m getting better with age! Last week I had an amazi...
Birthday mega lols!
I am getting quite mature. Like a fine wine or a big blue cheese I`m getting better with age! Last week I had an amazing birthday full of kindness. I went to the pub quiz the night before and my friends whipped out a big cake and the whole pub sang "Happy Birthday" to me.
My children made me a video singing "Brimfull of asha on the 45!! " (Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow should be written on my gravestone!)
I had curry and Champagne for dinner and ran out of vases for all the lovely flowers that arrived. I went to London with Lily and we saw my favourite, James Norton, in a play, then had afternoon tea at Fortnum and Masons.Then we jumped into a black cab and caught "Matilda" at the theatre in the evening. We stayed with lovely friends and goggle boxed at their famous neighbours. Then had brunch at Ballans the next day (lobster for brekky!!) and went to Kensington Palace. I hate shopping but went into the Jo Malone shop as I adore perfume, my friend said she was looking for a gift for someone special, so I dutifully sniffed and she went and bought some divine cologne and bubble bath. When we got back to her house she said I was her "someone special" and she gave me the perfume!!!
Everyone deserves a grand day out like that. I am back to being Cinders but I`ll never forget what a ball we had.I don`t mind getting older if the Birthdays ahead will be like that and given that so many lovely people I knew weren`t afforded the privilege of getting old.
Chicken and chorizo for Mima
It`s been hailing today and Jemima had swimming (which is not her favourite) so I asked her what she wanted for dinner and she said "Ooh chicken ,Chorizo and mash Mummy" (which is her favourite!)
12 skinless chicken thighs
6 rashers of bacon
1 ring of Chorizo
2 red onions
2 sticks celery chopped
1 carrot diced
4 fat cloves garlic
2 chicken stock pots
1/2 bottle red wine
butter
olive oil
Mash
5 red potatoes
2 large carrots
4 sweet potatoes
Brown the chicken and bacon a nd Chorizo in a little butter and crushed garlic , season well and add the onions, celery and carrot , continue frying in a little oil until golden, deglaze with the red wine , add the stock pots and some water and a cup of milk. Simmer in the pot for 30 mins.
In the meantime peel and chop the potatoes and carrots and boil until soft , mash, season and add a knob of butter. Serve in warm bowls with a glass of red wine and Prince Charming .xxx
I am getting quite mature. Like a fine wine or a big blue cheese I`m getting better with age! Last week I had an amazing birthday full of kindness. I went to the pub quiz the night before and my friends whipped out a big cake and the whole pub sang "Happy Birthday" to me.
My children made me a video singing "Brimfull of asha on the 45!! " (Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow should be written on my gravestone!)
I had curry and Champagne for dinner and ran out of vases for all the lovely flowers that arrived. I went to London with Lily and we saw my favourite, James Norton, in a play, then had afternoon tea at Fortnum and Masons.Then we jumped into a black cab and caught "Matilda" at the theatre in the evening. We stayed with lovely friends and goggle boxed at their famous neighbours. Then had brunch at Ballans the next day (lobster for brekky!!) and went to Kensington Palace. I hate shopping but went into the Jo Malone shop as I adore perfume, my friend said she was looking for a gift for someone special, so I dutifully sniffed and she went and bought some divine cologne and bubble bath. When we got back to her house she said I was her "someone special" and she gave me the perfume!!!
Everyone deserves a grand day out like that. I am back to being Cinders but I`ll never forget what a ball we had.I don`t mind getting older if the Birthdays ahead will be like that and given that so many lovely people I knew weren`t afforded the privilege of getting old.
Chicken and chorizo for Mima
It`s been hailing today and Jemima had swimming (which is not her favourite) so I asked her what she wanted for dinner and she said "Ooh chicken ,Chorizo and mash Mummy" (which is her favourite!)
12 skinless chicken thighs
6 rashers of bacon
1 ring of Chorizo
2 red onions
2 sticks celery chopped
1 carrot diced
4 fat cloves garlic
2 chicken stock pots
1/2 bottle red wine
butter
olive oil
Mash
5 red potatoes
2 large carrots
4 sweet potatoes
Brown the chicken and bacon a nd Chorizo in a little butter and crushed garlic , season well and add the onions, celery and carrot , continue frying in a little oil until golden, deglaze with the red wine , add the stock pots and some water and a cup of milk. Simmer in the pot for 30 mins.
In the meantime peel and chop the potatoes and carrots and boil until soft , mash, season and add a knob of butter. Serve in warm bowls with a glass of red wine and Prince Charming .xxx
Wednesday, 2 March 2016
Mother`s day love
I absolutely adore my Mum. She is stylish, smart. hard as Whitby jet and my role model. She is interesting and entertaining enough to make me want to ring her everyday, I do and we always end the call laughing like drains and I feel like I`m invincible. She thinks I`m the greatest and doesn`t want to change or improve me and she tells me everyday that she is proud of me. She is a fabulous
grandmother, wonderful Mother and a terrible cook!
I dedicate all my recipes to her because she is the reason I can cook, all those mornings waking up to the smoke alarm as she burned our breakfasts made me who I am. She quite simply is the best person I know and the love and respect I have for her is written on every page of my heart. In turn she inspires me to be a better Mum...
Joey`s (JD`s)chilli chicken
12 skinless chicken thighs
4 cloves garlic
soya sauce
maple syrup
2 red chillis finely chopped
olive oil
slosh of Jack Daniels
marinate the chicken in all of the other ingredients for a few hours then grill until sticky serve in toasted pittas with shredded lettuce and spring onions.
Love you Joey.xxx
I absolutely adore my Mum. She is stylish, smart. hard as Whitby jet and my role model. She is interesting and entertaining enough to make me want to ring her everyday, I do and we always end the call laughing like drains and I feel like I`m invincible. She thinks I`m the greatest and doesn`t want to change or improve me and she tells me everyday that she is proud of me. She is a fabulous
grandmother, wonderful Mother and a terrible cook!
I dedicate all my recipes to her because she is the reason I can cook, all those mornings waking up to the smoke alarm as she burned our breakfasts made me who I am. She quite simply is the best person I know and the love and respect I have for her is written on every page of my heart. In turn she inspires me to be a better Mum...
Joey`s (JD`s)chilli chicken
12 skinless chicken thighs
4 cloves garlic
soya sauce
maple syrup
2 red chillis finely chopped
olive oil
slosh of Jack Daniels
marinate the chicken in all of the other ingredients for a few hours then grill until sticky serve in toasted pittas with shredded lettuce and spring onions.
Love you Joey.xxx
Thursday, 21 January 2016
What`s for dinner Clarey?: War and PeaceThis week my beautiful twins James ...
What`s for dinner Clarey?: War and Peace This week my beautiful twins James ...: War and Peace This week my beautiful twins James and Lily turned 15. Their birthday always brings some necessary sunshine to what is that ...
War and Peace
This week my beautiful twins James and Lily turned 15. Their birthday always brings some necessary sunshine to what is that awkward thunder cloud third week after Christmas when you have to get real and knuckle down to some proper work!
We were given a glimpse again of seasonal joy , real snow, wrapping paper strewn everywhere, red velvet cake for breakfast and bottles of Champagne popping as the glass half full mentality was restored.
They are so alike and so different at the same time my twins. A real Yorkshire concoction , half me which equals Yorkshire pudding , half their yummy Dad aka The Viking and ta dah we have bred supermodels!
They are thoroughbreds though. Tall and blonde and kind and useful- an irresistible tag team and a couple of winners. I won the gene pool lottery when I spied and snared their handsome father. When I like millions of others watched "War and Peace" this weekend and the divine Natasha and delicious Andrei waltzed off with the nation`s hearts it reminded me of that moment of falling in love.
Some people find love after a long slow burn, others say they have never experienced the feeling of "the fall" but I did.
We were watching a football match and the mounted police were called in for crowd control and there was danger in the air. Matty took my hand and I felt I was home at last and that was 25 years ago and wherever he may be is home to me. I am so grateful for all this Love and our children, James and Lily and Jemima are the glue in our love sandwich.
It is like War and Peace in our house most days, lost keys, teenage broken hearts, "tidy your room" spats and table tennis domination always give way to the impromptu Beatles sing songs at the dinner table, warm fires, warm hugs and that unbreakable belief in family.
Cooked tea
When it is the twins birthday they always ask for curry followed by this tea which our beautiful Usma Pasha makes for us as her daughter Saffyr shares their birthday with them.
5 tea bags
5 cardomon pods
full milk
boiling water
sugar
Coming from York we always use Yorkshire tea, boil up some water and equal amounts of milk in a pan with the cardomon add the tea bags and "cook" until syrupy and the cardomon has had chance to infuse, serve with sugar - better than pudding!
This week my beautiful twins James and Lily turned 15. Their birthday always brings some necessary sunshine to what is that awkward thunder cloud third week after Christmas when you have to get real and knuckle down to some proper work!
We were given a glimpse again of seasonal joy , real snow, wrapping paper strewn everywhere, red velvet cake for breakfast and bottles of Champagne popping as the glass half full mentality was restored.
They are so alike and so different at the same time my twins. A real Yorkshire concoction , half me which equals Yorkshire pudding , half their yummy Dad aka The Viking and ta dah we have bred supermodels!
They are thoroughbreds though. Tall and blonde and kind and useful- an irresistible tag team and a couple of winners. I won the gene pool lottery when I spied and snared their handsome father. When I like millions of others watched "War and Peace" this weekend and the divine Natasha and delicious Andrei waltzed off with the nation`s hearts it reminded me of that moment of falling in love.
Some people find love after a long slow burn, others say they have never experienced the feeling of "the fall" but I did.
We were watching a football match and the mounted police were called in for crowd control and there was danger in the air. Matty took my hand and I felt I was home at last and that was 25 years ago and wherever he may be is home to me. I am so grateful for all this Love and our children, James and Lily and Jemima are the glue in our love sandwich.
It is like War and Peace in our house most days, lost keys, teenage broken hearts, "tidy your room" spats and table tennis domination always give way to the impromptu Beatles sing songs at the dinner table, warm fires, warm hugs and that unbreakable belief in family.
Cooked tea
When it is the twins birthday they always ask for curry followed by this tea which our beautiful Usma Pasha makes for us as her daughter Saffyr shares their birthday with them.
5 tea bags
5 cardomon pods
full milk
boiling water
sugar
Coming from York we always use Yorkshire tea, boil up some water and equal amounts of milk in a pan with the cardomon add the tea bags and "cook" until syrupy and the cardomon has had chance to infuse, serve with sugar - better than pudding!
Tuesday, 5 January 2016
What`s for dinner Clarey?: The cure for the pain is The Cure.I`m so sad th...
What`s for dinner Clarey?: The cure for the pain is The Cure.
I`m so sad th...: The cure for the pain is The Cure. I`m so sad that Christmas is over and that to eat Ferrero Rocher for ones breakfast at 3pm in your PJs...
I`m so sad th...: The cure for the pain is The Cure. I`m so sad that Christmas is over and that to eat Ferrero Rocher for ones breakfast at 3pm in your PJs...
The cure for the pain is The Cure.
I`m so sad that Christmas is over and that to eat Ferrero Rocher for ones breakfast at 3pm in your PJs is no longer allowed.
Christmas and New Year was spent with my favourite people and for a few days we feasted and forgot our worries. Suddenly we are propelled back to reality with the pressures of work and school, packed lunches to make, shirts to iron and this awful British weather to endure.
The first day back at work is always pretty hard to enjoy. Loss of liberty keenly felt by pupils and teachers alike! Whilst driving to work in my car yesterday I stumbled upon a cure for the post holiday pain- The Cure.
Volume blaring , I was transported back to the 80s when I had no troubles to speak of and worked on York market at the weekends selling fruit and vegetables. What a lovely job that was. Trimming cauliflowers, making beautiful displays of carrots and bananas eating grapes for lunch with The Shambles as the backdrop to my working day.
Youth is wasted on the young , I`m sure I took for granted all the fun of the market and the fact that my wage packet was all mine and wasn`t for paying bills with! No, I spent my money on clothes from Top Shop and Fry`s chocolate, taxi rides from nightclubs and Earl grey and cinnamon toast at Betty`s of York.
Music is so evocative of the ghosts of holidays past and I instantly felt better and happy after "Boys don`t cry" sped me on to work. When I was young and fearless and Robert Smith lived on my bedroom wall, I didn`t stop to see any obstacles in my way I hurdled over them and life seemed so easy.
I listened to the echoes and deduced that Life is like an echo. Whatever you do will come back to you. If you smile, smiles will be returned x10. If you cry and moan the pain revolves. So there I was this morning listening to The Cure driving to the swimming pool, a grumpy pool attendant said I couldn`t get in the pool as I was early, so instead of running back to the changing rooms (which is what my 44 year old self wanted to do) I sat politely on the side , resplendent in my swimming cossie, like a rather Reubenesque marooned mermaid, like my teenager self would have and I got in and swam 20 lengths effortlessly.
So the cure for the post party pain is The Cure for me. Let your life this year echo with a play list of happy days always.
Lamb hotpot
6 lamb leg steaks cubed
6 banana shallots sliced
4 cloves garlic
1 pint lamb stock
sherry
2 carrots sliced
brown sugar
1 stick celery chopped
6 large potatoes sliced thinly
Fry the lamb in a little butter, add the shallots, garlic,carrots, celery until browned. Add the stock and a glass of sherry and a tbs of brown sugar. Place in a large oven proof pot and layer the potatoes on top, scatter the top with a little butter and plenty of salt and pepper. Cover with foil or a lid and bake for two hours on a medium heat until the potatoes are soft and cooked through.
Eat in a warmed bowl by the fire with red cabbage and a glass of red wine , comfort and joy even after the Christmas lights are put out
I`m so sad that Christmas is over and that to eat Ferrero Rocher for ones breakfast at 3pm in your PJs is no longer allowed.
Christmas and New Year was spent with my favourite people and for a few days we feasted and forgot our worries. Suddenly we are propelled back to reality with the pressures of work and school, packed lunches to make, shirts to iron and this awful British weather to endure.
The first day back at work is always pretty hard to enjoy. Loss of liberty keenly felt by pupils and teachers alike! Whilst driving to work in my car yesterday I stumbled upon a cure for the post holiday pain- The Cure.
Volume blaring , I was transported back to the 80s when I had no troubles to speak of and worked on York market at the weekends selling fruit and vegetables. What a lovely job that was. Trimming cauliflowers, making beautiful displays of carrots and bananas eating grapes for lunch with The Shambles as the backdrop to my working day.
Youth is wasted on the young , I`m sure I took for granted all the fun of the market and the fact that my wage packet was all mine and wasn`t for paying bills with! No, I spent my money on clothes from Top Shop and Fry`s chocolate, taxi rides from nightclubs and Earl grey and cinnamon toast at Betty`s of York.
Music is so evocative of the ghosts of holidays past and I instantly felt better and happy after "Boys don`t cry" sped me on to work. When I was young and fearless and Robert Smith lived on my bedroom wall, I didn`t stop to see any obstacles in my way I hurdled over them and life seemed so easy.
I listened to the echoes and deduced that Life is like an echo. Whatever you do will come back to you. If you smile, smiles will be returned x10. If you cry and moan the pain revolves. So there I was this morning listening to The Cure driving to the swimming pool, a grumpy pool attendant said I couldn`t get in the pool as I was early, so instead of running back to the changing rooms (which is what my 44 year old self wanted to do) I sat politely on the side , resplendent in my swimming cossie, like a rather Reubenesque marooned mermaid, like my teenager self would have and I got in and swam 20 lengths effortlessly.
So the cure for the post party pain is The Cure for me. Let your life this year echo with a play list of happy days always.
Lamb hotpot
6 lamb leg steaks cubed
6 banana shallots sliced
4 cloves garlic
1 pint lamb stock
sherry
2 carrots sliced
brown sugar
1 stick celery chopped
6 large potatoes sliced thinly
Fry the lamb in a little butter, add the shallots, garlic,carrots, celery until browned. Add the stock and a glass of sherry and a tbs of brown sugar. Place in a large oven proof pot and layer the potatoes on top, scatter the top with a little butter and plenty of salt and pepper. Cover with foil or a lid and bake for two hours on a medium heat until the potatoes are soft and cooked through.
Eat in a warmed bowl by the fire with red cabbage and a glass of red wine , comfort and joy even after the Christmas lights are put out
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