Category Archives: Personal

And Now – Shepherd’s Pie

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First of all, mom, I made paella for you when we lived in the old flat. But I’ll make it again!

Shepherd’s Pie

Freely adapted from James Martin’s recipe. He is, after all, my cooking boyfriend. Please note that Shepherd’s Pie is made with lamb. The pie made with beef is Cottage Pie.  Have you ever seen a Shepherd herd a cow? I think not.

Serves 4

600 grams lamb. I like to buy a shoulder and cut it into chunks
2 carrots
2 parsnips
1 swede (also known as rutabaga in the US)
1 T flour
2 T rosemary
2 cups lamb stock (you can use chicken or vegetable if you can’t get lamb)
2 T tomato puree

Topping
Mashed potatoes made however you like them. I use about 600 grams of potatoes to cover the pie
Shredded cheddar cheese
Grated Parmesan cheese

Place the vegetables, flour and rosemary in the food processor until finely chopped. Put into an oven proof dish that has a good lid and spread the chunks of lamb on top.  Place over a medium heat on the stove top and pour the liquid into it, stirring it in. Bring to the boil, cover and put into a 150 c oven for 2 hours or until the lamb is cooked and most of the liquid is gone.

Remove the veg and lamb from that pan, draining any liquid left, and place in a casserole. Top with mash and cheese.

Return to the oven at 170 c for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Eat.

🙂

As Requested – Paella

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Shepherd’s Pie was also requested but I’ll do that another day!

Ingredients

Serves 4

1 T olive oil
1 red pepper
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
2 T smoked paprika
1 chicken breast
big hunk of chorizo Sausage, or if you don’t like chorizo, double the chicken breast
12 oz arbarito/paella rice
1/2 cup white wine
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
10 baby plum tomatoes
Mixed seafood (note: in the UK you can buy packs of precooked mixed seafood with prawns, mussels and squid. If you can’t get those in the US then you can just add pre-cook prawns or you can cook the seafood yourself! It needs to go into the dish already cook, however. It just gets warmed up in the paella)

Method:

In a food processor, chop pepper, onion and garlic until medium dice. Add to frying pan with olive oil and cook until just soft. Add paprika and cook another minute or two.

Meanwhile cut the chicken and the chorizo, if using, into chunks. Once the paprika has been incorporated, add the meat to the pan and cook until brown.

Add the rice and the wine and stir, cooking until the wine is absorbed. After the rice has absorbed the wine add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Cook, covered, for about 15 minutes or until the rice is just al dente and all or most of the liquid has been absorbed.

Add the tomatoes, which have been cut in half or quarters, depending on size, and the seafood and cook a further 10 minutes or until heated through and the tomatoes are soft.

Serve immediately.

This Isn’t A Cooking Blog

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Any more than it is a Mummy Blog. It’s just a blog.

So I don’t really write about what I cook. And I do cook. Daily. And mostly from scratch.

What do I cook?

Well, tonight it is Macaroni and Cheese and salad. Not combined, you understand. The salad is on the side.

Last night it was left over stew that I made on Sunday. I like things that we can eat over two nights. Especially on Monday’s as Simon gets home late from work and Adam is at daycare all day.

Tomorrow I am not cooking as I am off at a video shoot so Simon is making himself and Adam some pasta. Simon only cooks a few things.

Thursday I am cheating and we are having frozen battered scampi and chips. I am cheating because I have to process the videos from Wednesday night’s shoot all morning and then have a training class in the afternoon so no time to do more than throw something in the oven.  We’ll have peas with it.

Friday I don’t know what I am cooking as Adam and I are off to St George’s Market to pick out some fish. And I think local peas are  coming into season soon. Yum.

I do menu plan, weekly, for shopping on Tuesday. I have no idea when it started to be Tuesdays. I think it might have been from back in our old flat where we had a very tiny fridge that only held about 3 days of food. So we’d get food in on Saturday to last through Monday and then get groceries delivered on Monday night.

Then we moved to this flat with a bigger fridge and I started ordering more food on Monday for the whole week. Then Tesco got stupid about delivery and I got more and more pregnant and then went on Maternity Leave with Adam, I started doing Tuesday through Friday shopping on Tuesday.

So now my rallying cry is ‘Grocery shopping. Must be Tuesday!’ (Pauses for laugh from Buffy fans.)

I don’t have a recipe rota or anything. Mostly I say to Simon (and Adam, but he doesn’t contribute much yet) ‘what haven’t we eaten lately?’ and I buy for that.

I do Shepherd’s Pie and Veggie Lasagne.

I do Paella (which Adam doesn’t like) and Fajitas.

I do Goulash and Turkish Lamb Stew.

And many many other things.

Anyone want any recipes?

Man, I’m A Crap Blogger These Days

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I would apologize, again, except I don’t feel like it. 🙂

Not much to blog about really. Just living our lives. Working, playing, sleeping, eating.

Simon turned a new age a week ago. I’d tell you how old but he doesn’t like to talk about it. However, I’m 42 and he’s 5 years younger. (Yes, I Tweeted that same thing. The old jokes are the best.)

Adam is growing and growing and all of his jeans are too short, so need to buy him some more.

This weekend is Mothers’ Day (Mother’s Day?) in the UK so Simon’s mum and dad are coming down to celebrate that *and* Simon’s birthday *and* Mother-in-Law’s birthday *and* In Laws’ wedding anniversary.

The weather has been decidedly spring like except yesterday when Adam and I had plans for the park. We went to the park in drizzle anyway. Adam was not impressed and didn’t do much. If he could talk he’d have said ‘Mum, it’s raining? What the *hell* are we doing at the park?!?’ I think he thinks he’d melt. In truth he looked adorable in his slicker with the hood up.

Speaking of Adam, 22 months is looming. Which means 2 years is looming. I am *not* ready for my baby to be 2. Can I just stop that from happening? No? Damn.

And in an unrelated issue: I only answer my mobile if it’s a number I don’t recognize when I am actually working. So if send your phone number to voice mail 3 days in a row? Leave me a freakin’ message! Otherwise I am assuming you are trying to sell me something and not answer your number even if I *am* working.

Let’s Talk About St Patrick’s Day

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And what happens here in Belfast.

Drunken debauchery, mostly.

Most people have the day off and so they start drinking early. Simon took Adam to daycare as usual today (so we could do things around the house without Adam underfoot, a rare occurrence!) and people were already queueing at Tesco with booze to buy.

Simon was a bit concerned about my going to pick Adam up for 5 due to people having been drinking all day. But it was really no big deal.

For one thing, there were cops everywhere on my main route. For another, all of the pubs and bars had very obvious security standing outside and, I’m sure, inside.

I did see people already drunk at 430. But I also saw a lot of people just having fun. Wearing big green hats. Wearing those headbands with shamrocks at the ends of springs. Laughing. Hanging out with their friends. Enjoying a gorgeous early spring evening and, yes, having a drink.

So how are Simon and I celebrating St Patrick’s Day?

Well, we cleaned the flat without a small boy underfoot.

Then we had some smoked salmon for lunch.

Then we napped.

Then I got Adam from daycare and Simon cooked spaghetti.

And now a small boy is fast asleep (at 730, whoohoo!) and Simon and I are sharing some Stella and having an Easter Egg.

So Happy St Patrick’s Day.

And enjoy the craic!

A Love Story.

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Today while waiting for Simon at the front of Eason with Adam in the pram, I saw that Cadbury Cream Eggs were 2 for £0.85. I thought ‘ooh, I should grab two and take them up to him’ but then decided it would be too hard to manoeuvre the pram to the queue, which is why Adam and I wait for him at the front of the shop.

But what did he hand me after he got through the queue?

A Cadbury Cream Egg.

Yet more proof that Simon and I are perfect for each other.

Maybe I’ll even marry him.

Oh. Wait…

Letter To My Son – Adam – 19, er um, 20..No That’s Not Right Either…21 Months Old

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Dear Adam

Um. Yeah. Mama fell behind. Nothing to say except I’m sorry and I’ll try to do better in the future.

You have done so many things in the last 3 months that I couldn’t possibly list them all. You walk. You babble constantly, maybe not in English, but Daddy and I are beginning to be able to understand you anyway.

You have also hit the ‘terrible twos’ a few months early. Your tantrums are legendary and include hitting and throwing things. Both of these things get you put right into your playpen, which you hate now. Sometimes you have to be in there so you’re out of Mama’s way and you cry the whole time. Too confining!

You’ve also been ill again.  You had a very bad D&V bug that took us to A&E and then more lung issues. Mama is 99.9% sure they are going to diagnose you with asthma soon. You’ve been nebulized twice, which you hate, and have your daily inhalers. It’s so hard for Mama and Dada when you cough so much you can’t breath and then throw up. Doesn’t seem to phase you though. You just go about your day, coughing away.

Unfortunately, your sleep has gone by the wayside. Mama is actually writing this at 0242 on a Friday night because you woke up at 0058 and haven’t been able to get back to sleep. You keep coughing as you wander around the front room, not even wanting to sit on Mama’s lap and doze. I get to wake Dada in about 3 hours and then I can get some sleep!

Last week we went to W5 at the Odyssey for the first time. You’re a bit young for it, but you liked playing with the water and a beach ball they have.  And just running around.  Dada and Mama liked it to and we’ll go back for sure.
W5

It’s a few days later now and the actual day that you are 21 months. I’ll try to get this posted before the day is over, but I have pictures in various places I want to add and I have to find time to gather them!

You’re sleeping has gotten better over the last few nights. Mama and Dada finally broke down and bought a humidifier and it is making a world of difference in your sleep. You’ve slept through 5 of the last 6 nights. We’ve had some very early wake ups (0530 yesterday, yawn) and some trouble getting to sleep, but you’ve stayed asleep for at least 8 hours every night except one. I’ve actually had to wake you so we could get going at least twice.

Next step is to get you out of Mama and Dada’s bed and into your own where there is now a regular single bed. I’ve been planning to try to get you to nap there, but you’ve either not napped or fallen asleep in your pram ever since the bed was set up, so far no go! I am hoping to have you in your own room, in your own bed, by the time you are two!

Our other challenge is teeth! You have 4 more front ones making an appearance and then your first molars should be coming soon. The four front ones don’t seem to be hurting, but you are drooling enough to start an ocean!

Mama was beginning to worry about your lack of actual words but then she realized that while you may not speak English, you sure as heck understand it! And apparently that’s the important thing at this point of your life. You can follow simple directions, such as ‘please bring me your bottle’ and the like.  You are also beginning to be able to dress yourself, with some help. Stepping in and out of trousers is getting easier every day. Not some much taking off and putting on shirts!

And then today, for the very first time, in response to Mama saying ‘no, we’re not going up the stairs again, we need to get to the shopping’ you turned around and walked up the City Hall steps all by yourself:

And so you’re off. All by yourself.

Love

Mama

Once Again At The GP

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This time both Adam and I are ill. Cough, stuffy/painful ears, runny noses.

I guess I should be grateful that this is the first one he’s passed on to me.

We each officially have an infected ear. He also has wheezy lungs and I have a swollen tonsil.

So we’ve spent the last few days coughing and snuggling on the couch.  And he’s been very cranky. As have I.

He’s also not sleeping well. So neither am I.

It’s been a long month. And it’s only the 1st of March…

So My Last Post Was About Pain

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which I talk about a lot on here.  But I almost never mention the most frustrating part of fibro, which is the fog.

The fog is a condition where your brain is, simply, foggy.  This leads to aphasia or partial and total language impairment.  Well, technically, partial is dysphasia, but it is rarely used that way these days.

Anyway, it is incredibly frustrating.  It means you cannot, for the life of you, think of words.  Sunday it took me at least 30 seconds to come up with the word screwdriver.  Today it was about 20 minutes until I could tell Simon I thought Adam should have rice cakes for snack. Rice cake was the impossible word. I wound up pointing at them instead.

I don’t know if anyone who has never had this can understand how it feels and how frustrating it is. You know the word, really you do, but it just won’t come out of your mouth.  It feels, sort of, like a block on  your brain.

For someone like me, who revels in words, in writing, in speaking, it’s my worst fear realized.  It’s what I imagine dementia must feel like in some ways.  Knowing you know something but it just won’t come to the front of your head.

In any case, this has been a particularly bad week for it for some reason.  I haven’t been getting enough rest, but I never do, so I don’t know why it’s so much worse this week. But it is.

I’d tell you more…but I’ve forgotten the words! 🙂