Blog every day in May: Dream job.

I went to a very academic school and did really well. I finished with GCSEs and A-levels and a place at University.

I completed a degree in Chemistry and had no idea what I wanted to do for a job. I had never had any burning desires to be anything in particular. I had always had jobs from being a teenager, but nothing that stood out as a career.

I knew that I didn’t want to go into scientific research, I had absolutely had enough of studying so didn’t want to do a masters degree or PhD. and I didn’t fancy a graduate scheme either.

This is how I ended up being a Pizza Hut manager!

Later on I trained to be a teacher, once I could face academia again, and that is what I do now. I’m lucky enough to be able to work part-time to balance my favourite job of all…being a mum.

It dawned on me a few years ago that I would actually have loved to be a chef. The trouble was that I didn’t know this when I was at school. I had an amazing education and can hardly say that the grammar school that I went to held me back, but no-one would have ever advised me to go down that career path in a million years. I got 8 A grade GCSEs and 5 A-levels in Chemistry, Biology, Maths, Further Maths and General Studies  and an AS-level in Physics! Clearly, a job in catering was not on the cards!

Nowadays, I’m happy with the job I have. It fits into my life with the kids and I get time to do other things that I like.

I intend to really get my craft business off the ground in the next year. I would like nothing more to make and sell more of my handmade goodies and this is definitely within reach. Being able to make a bit of money doing what I enjoy would be brilliant.

I also would really love to have an underground tea room in my home, which at the moment is out of the question with a house bursting at the seams and two young children, but in the next few years, may become a reality.

Meal Planning Monday (20.05.13)

I keep thinking that Evie has finished for the half term holidays; Rod is off work this week and as Evie only goes to school in the afternoon, all morning I was thinking it was half term!

Anyway, I’m over that now she’s safely deposited at school and I have a biscuit eating baby watching me blog at the kitchen table!

Our foodie exploits from last week are below…

Cottage pie went down well with Evie

Clandestine Cake Club in Spen Valley

Beetroot and hazlenut cake

Fabulous colour of the beetroot cake mix

Reduced shelf paella bargain

Leftover ham and potato pie

This week we have Monday to Thursday at school, Friday is an INSET day, Saturday I’m taking 3 cakes, 2 tea loafs, 2 dozen scones and 50 pigs in blankets which I have to bake at some point this week to my friend for her mum’s surprise 75th birthday afternoon tea, and on Sunday we’re going to Scraborough for the day for a 4th birthday party and day out.

So here’s the food!

Monday – Evie is having leftover cottage pie from the weekend and I’m off freezer diving!

Tuesday – mum’s for tea

Wednesday – lasagne

Thursday – BBQ pork

Friday – Cottage pie

Saturday – Freezer dive, possibly frozen pizza

Sunday – might have fish and chips at the seaside.

I you want to see what everyone else is eating and join in, then click the link below!

Blog every day in May: Newsflash!

Blogging about the news is not something that I would ever normally do. I don’t really get the chance to watch the news these days. If I every manage to get up without the kids on a morning I might watch the BBC Breakfast news, but usually we’re watching Tom and Jerry or Curious George.

I catch the news via twitter usually. I get brief snippets via other peoples’ tweets and I’ll read the links to newspapers that they post. This amuses me a bit whilst I’m enduring the same episode of some cartoon for the goodness knows how many times!

So today I have made an effort to notice what is going on in the world outside my little bubble…

And it is mostly doom and gloom! Two people dead in a house gas explosion, car bombs in Iraq, Briton arrested over child killings.

It’s no wonder that I don’t miss not regularly watching or reading the news. I struggle to be interested enough in any of this to blog about.

I do think that it is important that news is reported, but right now I’d rather be planning my meals for the week…and that’s what I’ll do!

Blog every day in May: Favourite Traditions

As children we were always fed well with family food. On a Sunday we would have a roast at Sunday teatime.

Nowadays, we do the same at my house. My mum is always invited and if my brother and his girlfriend are free then they come too.

Roast dinner on Yorkshire Pudding Day

We have roast pork a lot, or as a treat we’ll have beef. Very occasionally lamb makes an appearance.

We have loads of roast potatoes, far more than is necessary for the number of people that I’m feeding! If there are more than 3 adults I do 2 big dishes of them in the oven.

Roast potatoes with Sunday dinner

My steamer gets some hammer too. I’ll cook 2 or 3 types of veg in it to keep us all happy.

And of course we have plenty of gravy.

Lemon curd steamed sponge pudding

The steamer often gets used in the afternoon to make a steamed sponge pudding, lemon curd, golden syrup or chocolate (click on the links to get the recipes.)

It’s great to have this meal as a family, to chat and catch up and share good food. We’ll keep this tradition going!

Blog every day in May: Best Friends

I have known the person that I have been friends with longest for 25 years.

We met age 11 when we started at high school. We were in the same class. I didn’t know anyone at my new school and I suppose C was the first friend I made. I had lots of other friends at school, and because of the wonders of Facebook I know what most of them are up to these days. However, I still actually see C (in the flesh) most weeks. We have hobbies and interests in common and along with other mutual friends, we remain close. There are others in the group of friends that I have known for over 20 years and I think that it is really nice that we have stayed friends for so long.

Another friend of mine, G, was a friend I met at university. This means that I have known her for 15 years. We tend to not see or hear from each other for 6 weeks and then we meet up 3 times in a week. We have spent Christmases, birthdays and many other special occasions together and it is great to have such a kind and generous friend who has always been there when I’ve needed her.

Ham and potato pie: another recipe to use up your leftovers.

Ham and potato pie

I bought a cooked ham joint from the coop for 90p. They have a “hot roast chicken shelf” and one of the other things they sell on it is cooked gammon hocks. They are really tasty and the meat just fall off the bone. I can’t resist them when they are reduced to a quarter of the original price.

Bargain!

We ate a bit with some pasta and what was left was made into this pie.

The recipe is one of my “use up what is in the fridge” recipes, hence I think it would work nicely with left over roast chicken, or maybe use leek in the filling, or perhaps a parsnip in place of one of the carrots. Just make it up as you go along; that’s what I usually do!

Ham and potato pie (serves 4)

Ingredients:

For the pastry:

160g selfraising flour

60g trex, lard or other hard fat

pinch salt

OR, 250g ready made shortcrust or puff pastry

For the filling:

1 – 2 tablespoons of oil

1 onion, diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

1 tbls plain flour

300ml stock (I used a vegetable stock cube, chicken would work either)

150ml milk

Leftover ham, cut or shredded into bite size pieces.

Method:

1. Make the pastry (if you are making your own) according to the method you can find here and leave it to rest in the fridge until you need it.
2. Heat the oil in a wok style pan or other large pan and soften the onion. After a few minutes add the other vegetables and cook for 5-10 minutes.
   

   Soften the vegetables in oil

3. Stir in the flour and cook for a minute or two then add the stock stirring all the time.
4. When the stock is boiling, reduce the heat to low and cook until the potatoes are just tender. Keep stirring now and then as the thickened sauce may start to stick to the bottom of the pan.
5. Add the milk and stir and the ham to warm through. Turn off the heat whilst you prepare the pastry.
   

   Leftover ham

6. Roll out the pastry to just larger than the large pie dish you are using. Place the pie dish upside down on the pastry and cut out a circle of pastry to fit the top of the dish.
7. With the leftover pastry, cut strips out to the fit around the top of the dish. Wet the edges of the dish and stick these pieces onto the dish. The circle of pastry will be stuck to these strips.
   

   Pastry strips around the edges of the pie dish

8. Pour the filling into the dish. Wet the strips of pastry that you have put onto the dish already and using the rolling pin, roll the pastry over the pin and stick onto the top of the pie. Crimp to seal. Make a hole in the top of the pastry to let the steam out.
   

   Filling in the pie

   

   Crimp the edges, probably more neatly than this!

9. Bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 20-30 minutes until the pie is golden brown.
   

   Golden brown pie just from the oven

   

   Leftovers

Blog every day in May: Walk to work

I’m going to veer off topic for today’s blog. I don’t walk to work…I drive 15 miles with a stop at the nursery to drop off my child.

Currently, I am on maternity leave, so instead of this post I’m going to post a recipe…it’s what I love best!

This recipe is for ham and potato pie and you can find how to make it here…

Blog every day in May: Pampering

Pampering? Not sure I know that that is!

My idea of relaxation is when my baby boy stays asleep in the car when I have dropped my big girl off at pre-school on a lunchtime. I can have a cuppa and my lunch in peace. I can read a blog or two, tweet, read a bit of a book…all whilst I’m ducking in and out of the house every 2 minutes to see if the baby is still asleep on the drive!

I’m sure there was a time when I used to kick back and relax, but I can’t really remember.

In all seriousness I’m not really one for pampering. I rarely sit still. I’ll be faffing around in the kitchen, trying and failing to tidy up, putting the washing on or pegging out, ironing, feeding the kids, baking, crafting…you get the picture. If I am watching telly I’m usually crocheting or blogging at the same time.

When I run out of things to do I go to bed, I’m always late to get there.

I’m never bored. There’s too much to do!

Blog every day in May: Life’s a Lesson

I can’t really think of a single most important lesson that I have ever had. I suppose my whole childhood was a lesson.

I had a great childhood with great parents who taught me great values. They supported me, pushed me and looked after me. They have always been there when I needed them and supported me in all my decisions, good or bad.

I have been shown how to be a great parent and I guess that that is the best lesson that I’ve ever learnt. I hope that I can follow their instruction.

I hope that I can have the patience with my children that my mother had with me - I’m not sure that I’ll ever have such a long fuse with my strong-willed first born.

I wonder if I’ll be better at passing on my father’s desire to win – I’ve done better at that as my daughter is desperate to come first is distraught if she doesn’t win competitions and games.

Sadly, my dad passed away 5 years ago but thank goodness my mother continues to be a great role model and support as a Grandma. I’m fairly sure that I couldn’t manage without her!

Blog every day in May: Food Glorious Food

What can I say? Food consumes my whole life!

If I’m not eating food, I’m making food, thinking about food, talking about food or writing about food!

My cakes – Lemon Meringue Cake

I love to bake and to cook. I love how a pile of ingredients can come together to be a cake, a casserole or a pie.

One of last week’s sourdough loaves

I love how food brings people together. People can talk over food, can talk about food, can eat the food and say yum!

My cakes – Angel Food with Chocolate Ganache

I like the reaction that my baking and cooking gets. I want my food to be delicious and I want others to enjoy it too.

I want others to be able to cook and eat delicious and healthy food (and not so healthy treats). And I want others to know that it doesn’t have to cost the earth.

Reduced shelf bargain

I hope that my food is delicious and frugal. I use ingredients that may be cheaper or leftovers, but I make them into great meals that my family love to eat.

Dishes to use up leftover roast pork

There are many recipes already on my blog and many still in my head that I hope that I can share with you soon.

I hope that I inspire others to make good value and tasty food and they have or gain the love of food that I have!