Thursday 22 March 2012

Family meal of the week - marmalade roast chicken

All ready to go into the oven
Ingredients:

4 tbsp good quality marmalade
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp ground ginger
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp wholegrain mustard
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp water
Salt and pepper
3 clementines, sliced
6 chicken thighs

Method:

1.  Place marmalade, onion, ginger, garlic, mustard, oil, water and seasoning into a large bowl and blitz with a hand blender for 30 seconds until well combined.

2.  Add chicken thighs to the bowl of marinade and coat well.

3.  Transfer to an oven-proof dish, top with the slices of clementine and cook at 200 degrees for 45 minutes.

Serve with baby new potatoes and your favourite vegetables.

Tuesday 13 March 2012

Family meal of the week - fuss-free Carbonara

Ingredients:

150g spaghetti
2 egg yolks
50g bacon
2 tbsp grated cheddar
1 tbsp grated parmesan
Ground black pepper

Method:

Cook spaghetti as per packet instructions.

Cut bacon into strips and fry in a little olive oil until crispy.  Set aside.

Beat egg yolks in a large bowl, with a splash of hot water (1tbsp taken from pasta cooking water is ideal).  Add the cheese and stir until you have a creamy sauce.

Drain pasta and add to the bowl of sauce.  Stir well before adding the cooked bacon.

Serve with a generous topping of black pepper.

Et voila.

Monday 12 March 2012

Stubby the Giraffe

Jasmine likes to be told stories, particularly in the car.  Before the engine has even started up, a little voice pipes up from the back seat.

"Mummy/Daddy, can you tell me a story?"

To be honest, creating stories on the spot has never been my strong point.  I need, at the very least, pens, paper and, most importantly, time.

Daddy, however, has proved very good at coming up with stories at a moment's notice.  And, on one car journey a week or so ago, he told us the story of Stubby the Giraffe.  This has since become one of Jasmine's favourite stories and I have been meaning to write it down ever since:

"Stubby the giraffe was the size of a cat.  He had a short neck and even shorter legs.  Stubby lived in Africa and ate berries and leaves from the smallest bushes.  However, Stubby had to share the food on these bushes with other small animals - dogs, chickens, even mice.  And even though Stubby was the size of a cat, he was not as fast.  Indeed, Stubby could not run at all, and by the time he had plodded over to the bushes to eat, all of the fattest, juiciest berries and thickest, greenest leaves had been gobbled up by the dogs and chickens and mice.  Stubby was always hungry and it made him sad that he was not as fast as the other small animals.

That evening, as the sun began to set, Stubby curled up alone and felt sorry for himself.  Then, suddenly, he had an idea; a splendid idea that just might work.

Stubby jumped up, squeezed his eyes shut, gritted his teeth and then he

STREEEEEEEEEETCHED

with all his might.

There was a POP and Stubby opened his eyes to find that he was taller.  His legs had grown so long that he was now more the size of a cow than a cat.  Stubby smiled to himself, settled down for the night, and looked forward to breakfast.

The next day, Stubby woke up and was already smiling.  He could not wait to taste the berries and leaves of the tall bushes; the bushes that he could never have reached the day before.  Slowly, he made his way to some lovely green bushes and licked his lips.  But, to Stubby's dismay, as he got closer, he heard the sound of hooves and, quick as a flash, three horses had raced to the bushes and now stood together, scoffing all of the huge red berries and thick green leaves.
Stubby's face fell and he stopped walking.  He knew now that by the time he eventually reached the bushes, all of the best food would have already been eaten, just like before.

Stubby slumped down to the ground and curled up in a ball as best he could with his new, longer legs.  Stubby was sad and spent the day sitting beneath the hot red sun, wondering how he would ever eat again now he had strong, fast wild horses to compete with.  Then, as afternoon became evening, Stubby suddenly had another brilliant idea.

He jumped up, squeezed his eyes shut, gritted his teeth and then he

STREEEEEEEEEETCHED

with all his might.

There was a POP and Stubby opened his eyes to find that he was taller.  But this time, it was not his legs that had grown, it was his neck.  Stubby looked around him at the magnificent view and then looked down at his feet, which now seemed miles away.  Stubby was amazed by what had happened and slowly lowered himself to the ground to rest before morning.

The next day, Stubby was up bright and early.  He stood tall, and spotted a beautiful tree in the distance and decided that he would eat there for breakfast.  Stubby began the long, slow walk to the tree.  Around him, other animals began to wake and they looked up in amazement at this tall, elegant creature and whispered to each other; wondering who this animal might be and where it had come from.
Stubby felt proud.  He was still as slow as ever, but he was now the tallest animal in the whole of Africa and this meant that, when he finally reached his chosen tree, he was able to eat as much of the fruit as he wanted to - the fattest, juiciest berries and thickest greenest leaves were now his.

Stubby the giraffe was never hungry or sad again.

The End."

Sunday 4 March 2012

To My Children




To the smallest people in my life; the funniest and the blondest.  My children.  You give me so much to live for and I hope you never feel short-changed.  I'm sorry I can't always keep the bad people away from us, but know they will have to get through me before they can touch you.

Love you both to the moon and back!