Ho Sodding Ho

And that's me being polite ;)

Not one speck of tinsel has found it's way out of the Christmas decorations box yet. Small people have neither queried or requested it so I'm wondering just how long we can go without it all before it becomes silly and folk start to think I've really been reading those WatchTowers.

I've managed to scrabble together most of one child's presents from Santa, a wee pile for another child and barely a bulge in a carrier bag for the third one. Why does no one know what they want this year?!?

Where is my Christmas spirit? Well the bottled kind that had been languishing at the back of my cupboards for cough cough some time were shoved into a homemade hamper that I put together back in October for Mother to take back down the road with her for my brother and sister-in-law. How organised was I! Yeah ok I guess using the word shoved does imply that it was more a hasty thought of ooh let me quickly put something together for them and save myself a gazzillion pounds in postage.

I spent the equivalent of a small countries debt on sheets of stamps the other day in the hope that it would motivate me to actually write the Christmas cards. Not worked so far. Why do we have to send Christmas cards, am I the only one that finds writing them a chore? If you haven't spoken to someone all year why do you feel obliged to send them a card with snow on the front of it just because it's Christmas? You're probably not going to speak to them again all of next year.

I do however have our Christmas day meat sorted. I expect that says more about me than I'd want a psychologist to know but it was on offer and we really wanted to try one last year but they were all sold out. It's one of those 3 bird roasts thingys and its taking up a huge chunk of my freezer space as we speak. It better be good!

I think I need to sit down with my small people and make the hundreds of snowflakes we do every year and if that doesn't put some sparkle in my baubles then I must be a lost cause and there's no hope for me.

This post was brought to you under the advisement of dear bloggy friends who tell me to just write something/anything.....well you asked for it so how was it? :D

Summertime Nom nom nom's

Now having a pinterest account for some time now you'd think I'd have saved where I found this recipe wouldn't you?
No you probably know me well enough now to know that I wouldn't, that I would see it, think ooooh that looks not only yummy but really easy to do. Thus store it away in my head and have it pop back up again when I least expected.
Yeah that's the Taz you know so well. ;)

So anyway I didn't invent this recipe, I don't even know what the proper name for it is BUT I do know that it is delicious and wee one agrees.

There are only 4 ingredients, well 5 if you want to include the bread. ;)



I don't have quanities I'm afraid. I just used my eye and thought "yeah that looks about right."

* So take a large bowl and pour in a good glug glug glug of olive oil.
* Chop up a bunch of spring onions, finely.
* Chop up a good couple of handfuls of toms, I used cherry vine ones but you could use nice big ones, especially if you've got some home grown - more on that later.
* Take some feta cheese and crumble up. Again no quantity but I guess it depends on how big a bowl you are making.
* Mix up together with the oil and leave to sit for as long as you like, or not long at all if you're like me and wee one and just wanted to eat it straight away.
* Slice up some nice fresh bread, we used a French Stick.


Take yourself out in the sunshine, sit down, take a slice of bread and smoosh it into the dish.


And enjoy!


Added bonus - wee one spotting that the end of the bread was a heart shape, the end to a perfect meal.

Cupboard cooking

Take...

1 chopped onion, peel off and cut away the dodgy bits if it's been lying about in the cupboard too long.
A couple of crushed cloves of garlic, if the fresh stuff has shrivelled up in the cupboard hunt for the jar of lazy garlic you know is in there somewhere.
1 tin of chopped toms or if they're not chopped as mine weren't just use a knife and chop them up yourself.
A squirt of tomato puree, cut the tube open as you would toothpaste to get that very last bit out.
S+P, Herbs to your own taste or whatever you can find in the cupboard.

Simmer away in a pan until you have your very own lovely tomato sauce.


Cooked with a bag of Quorn Mince found stuffed at the back of the freezer when you were doing your clever inventory.

Now either make up the packet of cheese sauce again found in the cupboard or make up some fresh cheese sauce with some flour, milk and that hard bit of cheese that was in the fridge that nobody seemed to be eating.

If you're me then realise you've no pasta sheets then take the left over tortilla's from the bread bin and use in place of said pasta sheets.


Then get on with some fancy layer work.

A bit more of that grated cheese because of course you'll have remembered to hold some back for the final topping.

Pop in the oven for 20-30 minutes, I can't be more accurate than that I'm afraid as I kind of lost track of time and just judged it by eye. This style of cooking makes my small people giggle as the timer bell inevitably goes off when we're already sat down and starting eating.
Anyway I digress....
Serve up with a lovely salad and there you are..

A healthy, frugal yummy meal from things you already had in your cupboards/freezers/fridges - see told you those lists would come in handy eh? ;)

Do you know exactly what you have?

Don't panic I'm not asking you to share anything racy but rather I'm curious as to whether other folk know how much food they have in their cupboards and freezers.

I'm sure I can't be the only one who used to rummage about and couldn't remember either buying that or when exactly it was put in the freezer.

I've been doing weekly menus and posting them up on the fridge door for some time now. Not only is it a great money saver as I know exactly what I need to buy each week, it has also stopped the daily "What's for tea Mum? Ooooh do we have to have that!" conversations. Everyone knows what's coming and amazingly no one seems to moan. Of course no doubt now I have totally jinxed myself saying that.

So there I was buying only what I need for each weeks menu but still having to do the rummage to fit things in the cupboards and freezer.

Enough I thought to myself, well I probably said it out loud to the dog. Poor old beast has to listen to a lot of my ramblings bless him.

So I pulled everything and I mean EVERYTHING out of the freezer and the cupboards and I wrote me an inventory.




As you can see when I painted the kitchen cupboards with the blackboard paint I didn't have enough to do the insides of the doors - oops!


Once the lists were made I realised I could feed us for a good couple of weeks only having to buy a few fresh bits and pieces thus saving my grocery money and having that cash free to put towards an upcoming large bill. Brilliant!

Now each week I consult my lists and never have to wonder whether I have something when the mood takes me to make something.

Next job is to design some nice sheets so they look a bit prettier stuck around my kitchen. :)

So do you know exactly what you have?

Busy, busy, busy

Well there have been another two trips. The nice man, who helps me unload my car, at the recycling centre and I are now definately on first name terms and he's even been telling me his 'bad' jokes. Trust me they're bad! LOL

This morning a friend called round to collect the home gym that the ex bought years ago, used twice and very 'kindly' left behind along with a whole other load of cr*p that I'm having to work through or maybe he thinks he can just leave his stuff here forever? I'm thinking after two years I can start insisting things leave right?


I did ask him to take the gym but he said he didn't want it and to do whatever I wanted with it. So I have. I made a half hearted attempt at selling it a while back but it was more trouble than it was worth and with my new clearing out rules firmly in my head it was time it just went.
So it is now living at my friend's house ready for when his son is home on leave so he can keep up with his training. :D


Then it was off to town to collect the two desks that I reserved online last night from Argos. Both reduced in their Spring sale and because I also bought a much needed lockable filing cabinet and my bill went over £100 I got a £10 voucher back. Result!
Before I picked them up though I quickly ran into good old Farmfoods to see what bargains were to be had. Is shopping at Farmfoods the same everywhere I wonder? You see loads of bargains but you can't buy too much as you can't park anywhere remotely close and those bags are heavy!

So a quick shop in FF's and a stop over at Lidl's and that's our meals sorted for a good wee while.

Then it was home to begin the build...



I think there must be something wrong with my technique as every single chuffing time I build a flat pack I end up with a blister on the palm of my hand. I obviously grip too tightly ;)

So wee one is now the proud owner of a new desk and is very excited to fill up all the drawers with all her art stuff and fill the pots on the wall hanging thingy I bought in Ikea yonks ago with all her pens. :) Yes I put that up too AND a mirror AND I took down an old tv stand that I think the ex had welded onto the wall as it was near impossible to get off but off it came. Hmmm actually I think that might actually explain the blister on my hand.

Tomorrow's job is to build up big one's desk who desperately needs it as she's cramming like mad for her upcoming pre-lim exams (mocks to those of you south of the border) and subsquent Highers (A Levels) and I'm sure she'd find it much better being able to work at a desk, well her back will thank her in years to come anyway LOL


Another job will be to tell you about the award I have been awarded by the lovely ME no not Me but the ME you'll get to meet if you click on the link ;)

Yes well

to make up for probably scarring a fair few of you for life with that poor piggy on my last post I thought I'd share some photos of the lovely Tapas big one and I shared while we were down in Glasgow.
Hopefully this will help bring any lost appetites back ;)








The food was absolutely gorgeous and as you can see from the last photo we were struggling to finish it. The lovely waiter urged us to keep eating but we just couldn't force anymore into our very full tummys. You have to like a restaurant where the staff are obviously of Spanish descent AND they encourage you to eat. :D

I'm thinking of reasons why we need to go back to Glasgow really really soon just so we can go back the restaurant again and again. :)

They don't make them like they used to

Just think of the complaints if they still ran ads like this...


I'm not sure about stimulating them but I imagine Mum and Baby would certainly sleep well!!




Ummm well beer goggles do have a lot to answer for. LMAO




I think there might be a fair few more vegetarians in the world if this was on the butcher's door.

Seriously?

Is it just me?

Do you consider

McDonalds
Burger King
Pret
Pizza Express


as restaurants?

Personally I thought they were fast food outlets, somewhere you walked in, asked for something that had probably already been cooked 10 minutes ago and then you sat at a plastic table.

Restaurant to me means more proper table with a tablecloth, proper cutlery and someone that comes to your table to take your order and advise you on the choices.

Today I received an invitation to become a SECRET DINER at one of the above restaurants.

Can anyone else smell Spam?

How do you pronounce Yoghurt?

Now personally I call it YOGurt as I say I don't go joe-ging I go JOG-ging. Actually I do neither but that's besides the point. :)

But a lot of people pronounce it YO-ghurt as in Yo-Yo

Not that it really matters but I'd be interested to see how people from different places say it. :)

Now my real reason for all this yoghurt talk is that I bought one of these...



and duly followed the instructions expecting (as my friend makes) lovely creamy thick yoghurt.

What I ended up with was sloppy drinking yoghurt that will be fine for making smoothies but not so great for the usual yoghurt on a spoon type of eating.

What did I do wrong? Does anyone have some yoghurt making experience they can share...please?

Thank you for all the lovely comments about big one's dance and birthday. She had a great time (for both) I will be posting pics of the birthday cake that I made at one in the morning in due course. Why was I making cake at one in the morning? Oh that was so I had something to keep me awake and busy while waiting up for the 'come and get me now Mum' phone call. ;)

So was it good for you?

I certainly hope so. ;)

Intentionally blurry Santa - honest. ;)

Why is it that we spend weeks if not months working ourselves up to the big day then it's all over in what feels like minutes?

Anyway enough to say Santa came, small people were suitably thrilled with their gifts, a huge plate of food was eaten and then several chocolate based treats.

The cake is yummy.

I feel about 25 times bigger than I did a week ago and I'm not talking height!

One more sleep

and Santa will have been.

Thankfully we finally got our cakes iced








and our cookies made.




I'd like to wish everyone who pops over here a very very Merry Christmas, I hope your day is happy and stress free and on Christmas Day take just one moment to stop, stand still and look around you. Look at those happy faces and hold that memory because that's what Christmas is all about. (((Hugs)))

How much!!

I went food shopping yesterday, I only needed some veg, a few bits for our meals and some things for our Boxing Day - Christmas Day Mark 2. My pal is working Christmas Day so she and her wee lad are coming round to open pressies and eat lots of goodies on Boxing Day.


Anyway I digress, so there we were with our trolley just over half full trying to avoid all the mad one's with their overflowing trolleys with enough food and booze in them to feed probably their entire street!



Maybe I'm just out of touch as I don't have lots and lots of people to invite round for drinks and nibbles but I do wonder how much of that food ends up in the bin.



Right I better go get these Christmas cakes iced, as happy as I would be with just marzipan on them I think the small people would like something a bit fancier. ;)

Not many sleeps now.

In fact so few that I thought I better start making a check list.

* Cards written and posted. CHECK
* Presents that need posting posted. CHECK
* All Santa's presents bought. CHECK
* Xmas Cake baked and marinated in lots of brandy. CHECK
* Trees erected and decorated. CHECK
* Snowflakes made and hung. CHECK

* Paper chains made and hung. CHECK



Still to do.

* Finish Santa's wrapping.
* Ice the Xmas Cake.
* Buy Xmas dinner bits and bobs.
* Buy Boxing day buffet bits and bobs for my pal and her wee son coming round.

Oh and some 'friends' say I have to make myself a Xmas jumper!! Hmmm not sure about that one.


Plus I'm sure there are other things that my brain is currently chosing to let me forget but will no doubt remind me in a last minute panic.
But I'm not going to panic I'm going to enjoy this Christmas with it just being me and my girls. Their Dad is working abroad until January and this year it is my brother's turn to have Mother for Xmas and New Year. :D
All a recipe for a relaxed, happy and stress free holidays me thinks.

Tunisia Part 1

The food was delicious.

Let them eat cake

Yesterday I made a cake with wee one.

I have had one small slice!

This is how much cake is left today.



Do you think I should make cakes more or less often?
And yes it is a bit of a whacky Alice in Wonderlandesque coloured cake. Dusty pink sponge and violet buttercream icing. Well why not? :D

What's left?

I came across an interesting article the other day/week/month - anyway sometime ago. And the article by Donna Werbner was about British Brands that are no long 'British.' So after reading that I thought I do a bit of further investigating myself...

As your probaby already aware lots of our iconic cars are now made and owned by foreign companies.
* Rolls Royce. (Now BMW)
* Bentley. (Now VW)
* Jaguar.(Now India's Tata Motors)
* Mini. (Now BMW)

Did you know that Gatwick Airport was bought out by an American private equity firm this year? I didn't!

But what about our very British cup of tea?

Tetley Tea - yes Tetley tea of the wee men in white coats and flat caps fame
are now owned by India's Tata Group.

And your sugar lumps? Apparently Tate & Lyle were bought out by American Sugar Refining this year too.


And the very cup you're drinking from? Wedgwood was sold to an American private equity firm last year.

Now our food.

Our beloved Cadbury's established in Birmingham in 1824 was we know bought by the America firm Kraft this year. Pray that they don't make our chocolate taste like theirs!! Seriously American chocolate is not so nice!




Walkers crisps of Mr Lineker fame, first made by a pork butcher in Leicester who due to the World War Two rationing of meat had to find another way to earn money looked to the un-rationed potato. Well Walkers was bought by Fortune 500 American firm PepsiCo in 1989.

Most of our (favourite sweets) such as Kitkats, Smarities, Aero, Fruit Pastilles and Yorkie bars are now made by Nestle - a Swiss Company. Don't even start me on the whole Nestle boycott debate!


Fish and Chips anyone?
Harry Ramsden's was sold in 1999 to a Swedish firm.


HP Sauce - well you can't have chips without sauce can you? Bought out by Heinz in 2005.

And if all that food gives you a bit of indigestion and you need the chemist? Boots which was established in Nottingham in 1849 by John Boot was first sold to a foreign company in 1920 to the American United Drug Company. Part of Alliance Boots since 2006, it is now owned by the Italian tycoon Stefano Pessina and the American private equity firm KKR.

So if you're wanting to support Britain during your afternoon tea break?

Well you can still enjoy a nice cuppa

and a slice of toast spread with some lovely British butter. ;)



I hope you had one (cuppa) while reading all that. :)