Drink and dial. Do you remember the days? Or drink and text? I recall deleting some numbers from my phone, save I call them at an inopportune gin related moment. READ MORE
Black & blue muffins
Drink and dial. Do you remember the days? Or drink and text? I recall deleting some numbers from my phone, save I call them at an inopportune gin related moment. READ MORE
Well, it’s still National Picnic week. Have you had a picnic yet? I think we can extend the deadline to include this weekend if you’re pushed for time.
A good picnic must have food that is both fun and delicious in my humble opinion. You can’t just pack up a standard cheese sandwich and expect everyone to get in the picnic mood. That won’t do at all. People expect excellent and imaginative sandwich fillings, some form of crisps and of course a scotch egg, a slice of pork pie, fresh berries (ie/’fun’ fruit) and a cake or flapjack of sorts. (I have never knowingly under-catered).
It was Lawrence’s first birthday today. My grandmother had two children in her early twenties and two in her thirties. She swore her forties were her favourite decade; I’m not sure what that says about early years child rearing back in the 40s/50s! Here are my observations and learnings from raising a baby from 0 to 1 in my mid thirties, the third time round:
Did you know it’s National Picnic Week? Now let’s not be all British and moan about the weather. I personally don’t give two hoots about how sunny it is when it comes to eating al fresco; I have been known to pack up warm soupy picnics for snowy sledging trips after all.
If the kids are crying that it really is too rainy then a carpet picnic is a perfect British alternative. Here are my ‘rules’ for a successful indoor picnic:
Food takes me back to places I physically can’t get to anymore. A plate of corned beef hash with lashings of HP Sauce and I’m 8 again, balancing a slightly too hot tray on my knee of a Saturday evening, watching Blind Date and wondering when I might be old enough to ask clever questions to potential suitors.
Lemony roast chicken accompanied by a very cold glass of Jacob’s Creek Sauvignon Blanc and I’m 17, playing house with my boyfriend and studying Delia’s Complete Cookery Course with the attention my A Level texts never quite got. And then there’s sausage and mash with salted butter beyond belief and sticky onion gravy; that is the taste of my university years. A plate piled so high us girls would have a little break halfway through, just to pace ourselves.
It’s half term, by today (it being Wednesday) the kids are probably starting to itch for something parent-inspired to do. I say put that Prittstick away! Save that jigsaw for tomorrow and instead get them making their own (and your) dinner. These three recipes provide lots of short term concentration span activities. There’s breaking an egg, there’s crumbling feta cheese, there’s measuring out herbs, there’s scrunching and shaping koftas. No time to get bored, oh no.
Then in the 20 minutes they take to cook there’s shredding (with supervision) vegetables, mixing up coleslaw and blitzing hummus. If your kids are anything like mine they love the opportunity to press the buttons of grown up kitchen equipment. Obviously, watch them like hawks. I know I don’t need to say that but I feel duty bound, in a Mum like fashion.
You can watch the recipe being made on ITV’s This Morning by clicking here.
This is one of those surprise recipe experiments that’s both delicious and also quick. I love quick. Quick and I are the best of friends.
It’s also meat free, probably contains more than your requisite 5 a day, especially if served with yet more veggies, like, perhaps a carrot, apple and beetroot slaw. And it gives you that illusion of having eaten lasagne when really you’ve eaten a low carb version. I tend to start my week quite low carb and then work up to an all out snout in the bread basket moment by Saturday evening. Add more cheese to the top for a more decadent Monday dinner than the version pictured.
Lots of great recipes like this in my book, Recipes from a Normal Mum, out now… on Amazon, The Works, at Waterstones, WHSmith, The Book Depository and many smaller outlets.
One year ago: Florentine quiche and Flourless chocolate cake and Cadbury Creme Mini Egg chocolate flapjackand School fair rocky road
Two year ago: White chocolate & cranberry hot cross buns and Cadbury creme egg mess and Banoffee pecan mini pavs
Three years ago: Easter Apostles scone loaf and Carrot cake in a cup for Mother’s Day and Cranberry oaty biscuits
Four years ago: Mini chocolate birds nests and Puff pastry and Walnut bread
Spinach, ricotta and sweet potato lasagne
Please note that all quantities are approximate. If your lasagne dish is huge then you will need more potato slices and more lasagne sheets.
Ingredients:
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Place the spinach in a microwave proof bowl and cover. Defrost in the microwave according to instructions. Carefully squeeze any excess water from the spinach using your hands or by pushing it against a sieve with the back of a spoon. Melt the butter in a frying pan on a low heat. Add the garlic clove and fry for 1 minute. Do not allow it to go brown. Add the spinach and stir. Then add the ricotta cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Turn the heat up and stir well whilst it warms through for 2 minutes. Tip into a lasagne dish/roasting tray.
Slice the sweet potatoes lengthways and lay over the spinach and ricotta mixture in one layer. Then add the lasagne sheets, again in just one layer. Stir together the yoghurt and parmesan and cover the lasagne sheets with it until they are entirely covered. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes until a knife passes through the lasagne easily. Top with more cheese if you wish.
NB: You can use fresh spinach instead of frozen. Simply place freshly washed spinach in a frying pan over a low heat with a drizzle of olive oil until it wilts, then set aside to cool. Be sure to squeeze any excess water from it after it cools. You may need to do it in batches as fresh spinach starts off looking like a lot of leaves, but cooks down to almost nothing.
I feel I could be in danger of teaching grandmother to suck eggs. But I’m ploughing on through anyway. It’s pancake day, or rather Shrove Tuesday. The day to use up all the fat and eggs in the house before the first day of Lent.
Now I am pretty sure most of you have a pancake recipe already. Perhaps some of you are expert flippers. If you’re not in possession of the perfect recipe or the right wrist action then read on. This recipe works for me every time. You do need a non stick frying pan though. And nerves of steel. Expert flipping is all about nerves of steel.
This recipe plus my chocolate pancakes recipe and my spinach & ricotta filling recipe are all here too as well as a video of me flipping pancakes with the boys.
Lots of great recipes like this in my book, Recipes from a Normal Mum, out now… on Amazon, at Waterstones, WHSmith, The Book Depository and many smaller outlets.
Last year: Chocolate and banana flower shaped cupcakes, Subtle coconut rolls, Easy chocolate cupcakes and Chocolate orange tea buns. Oh and I almost forgot my Almond and fig granola.
Two years ago: Love cupcakes and White chocolate, lemon and macadamia cake and Roasted celeriac, carrot and parsnip soup and My lightest Yorkshire puddings.
Three years ago: Bake me not chocolate cake and Jelly and ice-cream meringue roulade and Good flapjack and Banana, butterscotch and fig traybake.
Four years ago: Treasure hunt ice-cream and Rhubarb and ginger chutney and Carrot cake.
Pancakes
Makes about 7 large pancakes 22cm in diameter
Ingredients:
(This recipe first featured on ITV’s This Morning).
Pancake day is looming. So I thought I’d offer you up something just a little different. I know you like your wafer thin crepes with sugar, lemon, Nutella, jam, caramel, bananas etc, but I wanted to champion the savoury pancake. It’s thicker, it’s less about tossing and it’s very happy when sitting next to sliced avocado.
Lots of great recipes like this in my book, Recipes from a Normal Mum, out now… on Amazon, at Waterstones, WHSmith, The Book Depository and many smaller outlets.
Last year: Chocolate and banana flower shaped cupcakes, Subtle coconut rolls, Easy chocolate cupcakes and Chocolate orange tea buns. Oh and I almost forgot my Almond and fig granola.
Two years ago: Love cupcakes and White chocolate, lemon and macadamia cake and Roasted celeriac, carrot and parsnip soup and My lightest Yorkshire puddings.
Three years ago: Bake me not chocolate cake and Jelly and ice-cream meringue roulade and Good flapjack and Banana, butterscotch and fig traybake.
Four years ago: Treasure hunt ice-cream and Rhubarb and ginger chutney and Carrot cake.
Fluffy sweet potato pancakes
Makes 12
Ingredients:
NB: These keep in the fridge for 3 days, well wrapped. Or freeze in bags separated by non stick baking parchment. Re-heat in a preheated oven at 180C/gas mark 4 for 15 minutes before serving (slightly longer from frozen). Remember, if feeding these to under 1’s then leave out the salt.
I had dinner with a friend recently. She’s my Very Amusing Mum Pal. A VAMP if you will. We got to talking about our sons’ behaviour when eating out. Now the reason I love my VAMP is that she always says the things I want to. Not in an annoying ‘Oh I’m just one of those people who speaks my mind’ way, (which is just a euphemism for ‘I am really rude and have no filter’). Oh no, she says it like it is in a funny, observational fashion. In another life she’s have been a stand up comedian. As it is, her sons are just growing up with unrealistic expectations of how funny Mums are. Their future wives have their work cut out.
Anyway, I digress. Her observation was this, ‘Every time another parent comments in a slightly patronising manner that we’re just soooo lucky we can take the boys out for lunch and have a conversation with them and not rely on ipads/phones with apps/Nintendos/other Apple products, I want to shake them by the shoulders and shout WE SPENT YEARS SOCIALISING THESE CHILDREN. THEY DIDN’T COME LIKE THIS YOU KNOW – ABLE TO SIT AND COLOUR IN A HIPPO WHILST WE SHARE GARLIC BREAD. WE HAVE PUT IN HOURS AND HOURS OF HARD LABOUR. SNIPING AT THEM, TELLING THEM OFF IN HUSHED TONES, EATING AT GREAT SPEED IN ORDER TO LEAVE BEFORE A TANTRUM EVOLVES. THEY DON’T JUST COME LIKE THIS. WE JUST DIDN’T TAKE THE EASY WAY OUT.’
Can you see why I love her now? She’s always right about everything. But in an amusing way.
Onto the recipe! These fritters are great gobbled up as they are or with an array of dips. Or with some baked ham and eggs. Babies rather like them, though be careful how many they eat as halloumi is rather salty. Basically, they’re the most versatile fritter in the world. (Alert: over claim). And do feel free to substitute ingredients – like the jam or the cumin or even the veg. Halloumi is well worth getting hold of though as it’s a cheese that loves a frying pan.
Lots of recipes like this in my book, Recipes from a Normal Mum, out now… on Amazon, at Waterstones, WHSmith, The Book Depository and many smaller outlets.
Last January: Lemon & blueberry loaf, my Bake Off Cherry Bakewell inspired cupcakes, plus Sesame bread sticks
Two years ago: Love cupcakes, White chocolate, lemon and macadamia cake and a perfect wintery Roasted celeriac, carrot and parsnip soup.
Three years ago: Bake me not chocolate cake, Jelly and ice-cream meringue roulade, Good flapjack and Banana, butterscotch and fig traybake.
Four years ago: Treasure hunt ice-cream, Rhubarb and ginger chutney and Carrot cake.
Halloumi, courgette and carrot fritters
Makes about 16 though depends on how large you make them
Ingredients:
Grate the courgettes and leave them in a bowl for 10 minutes. In the meantime grate the carrot and the cheese and mix together in a bowl. Squeeze the grated courgettes over the sink to release as much excess water as you can, then stir into the other grated ingredients. Add the cumin, flour and baking powder and stir until the grated ingredients are thoroughly covered.
In a jug, mix together the jam (this is optional, please leave out if you prefer but it does lift the cheese a little), milk and eggs using a fork. Beat for a minute then pour over the grated ingredients and mix to combine thoroughly.
Heat the oil in a non stick frying pan over a medium heat and drop heaped tablespoons of the mixture into the hot oil about 3cm apart. I managed 3 fritters in my pan – any more and it would have been overcrowded and the fritters may have steamed each other rather than fried to create crispy edges. After a minute or so use a slice to lift the fritter and check it has crisped and browned on one side. If it has flip it and fry the other side. If it hasn’t then carry on frying it. Once crisp on both sides remove to a plate and carry on frying batches until all the mixture is used up. You may need a little more oil.
Notes:
You can keep these fritters warm in the oven as you wait for the rest to fry. Just put it on a low heat. You can also reheat these fritters from cold (keep them in the fridge if you can’t eat them all) in the oven or the microwave, though they do have a little less of the ‘crisp’ to them. They also freeze well, in between sheets of non stick baking parchment. You can bake them from frozen or indeed let them defrost overnight in the fridge and bake from chilled.
Holly Bell 