Kitchen – The Gallery

The theme over in the Gallery this week is the Kitchen

It can be food, or your corner of the kitchen, or something you particularly love in there, your apron, your favourite recipe book. Or even something to show how little you know your kitchen (I have a friend who owns neither a fridge or a cooker. I mean come on! She cooks everything in a microwave).

My favourite thing is a recipe book my mum bought me many years ago. Probably to encourage me to stop eating out so much. The cover looks so dated and old and that’s because it really is.

It’s an Indian recipe book actually written and compiled in South Africa. It was compiled by “proper” housewives, not chefs, so the recipes are really authentic and have a very home made feel to them. Some of the language has to be translated a bit. Like, when i rung my mum up asking what the hell maize was and where i could find it. Oh, right, cornflour. Duh!!

The best thing about it is that it has an amazing dessert and biscuit section. Amazing! (I make a good Swiss roll pudding from here!).

The book was first published in the 60’s and it’s now out of print. It’s like gold dust to those in the know. Owners of this book are very protective about it and don’t lend it out. (No-one I know really expects me to own one so i don’t think anyone is planning on robbing me of mine. Yet.). So if you do happen to see it gathering dust in the murky corner of some old bookshop then you must dive for it and buy it immediately. Then you must run home and make the Swiss roll pudding!

So anyway, it looks like this!

You can check out other entries to The Gallery by clicking on the icon below.

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This Time Last Year

As the shorter days approach I have come to realise that it’s been a year since I went on maternity leave. For the last few days I have been starting to (finally) plan for Baby Boys multiple parties whilst at the same time have been reminiscing about this time last year when I was starting to wind down from work and about to go off on maternity leave.

This time last year I was finally ready to let go of work, almost. I was entering those tiring few weeks and couldn’t wait to finish work so I could just sleep all day. I was also entering – mad nesting phase and had already polished all the skirting boards and sterilised the entire kitchen. The baby was in the right position and all was going to schedule. I was completely ready for the baby to arrive.

I spent the next 3 weeks sleeping quiet a lot and working my way through every lamb chop I could find in the North West of England. This had been my craving through my pregnancy and I could not get enough. I’m pretty sure there were butchers out there scratching their heads wondering why lamb was selling out all over the place.

I also had a massive consistent craving for ice pops. I’d watch my hubby ask permission to have one from my massive supply and I’d still watch him like a hawk to make sure he suddenly didn’t kidnap them all.

During those 3 weeks I made the most of waddling down to the local chippy with my loyalty card (Yes, they have a loyalty card. It is truly amazing. You get a whole pound off a chippy meal. Bliss). They could see me coming a mile off and the sea of people would part as I placed my money and my loyalty card, reported on the progress of my pregnancy and waddled back out happily with my fish, chips and mushy peas.

I didn’t go out that much during my pre baby time because it had been snowing on and off and I really didn’t want to hurt myself so close to baby’s arrival. Although I had probably acquired enough fat to bounce along quite safely.

I think this maybe why, a year on, I’m still in the process of losing my pregnancy weight.

Listography – Cartoon Characters from my Youth

I love Memes that have you reliving a part of your childhood so when I saw Kate latest Listography, my eyes lit up (What? It’s Monday. I’m knackered from the weekend and this gives me joy).

So my Top 5 Cartoon Characters from my Youth…

1. Thundercats
HHHHHHHHHOOOOOO!!! My brothers and I used to love this. We’d watch it all the time, wave our imaginary swords around, occasionally whack each other and pretend to run really fast.

2. Pink Panther
My mum tells me I used to do the dance and everything. She’s lying.

3. Poddington Peas
Down at the bottom of the garden, amongst the birds and the bees. There’s a lot of little people, they’re called the Poddington Peas (I remember the whole song!)

4. Tom and Jerry
Enough said! Classics even now. My favourite was actually Jerry’s little nephew. Or was he his cousin?

5. Batfink
My wings are like a shield of steel!!!

Can you guess I was an 80s child?

This is part of Kate Take 5’s Listography. You can see the other entries by clicking the icon below

Silent Sunday – 27/11/11

Inspired by Mocha Beanie Mummy

I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!

I have been tagged in a I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here inspired meme by the lovely Jenny Paulin from Mummy Mishaps in a post originally started by Kate On Thin Ice.

I used to watch this programme religiously, especially when Katie P and Peter Andre got together (remember that one?). I’ve not followed it so much this year but I did enjoy Sinitta screaming every second, for about one task. Then my ears just hurt!

So here goes….

1. What one thing about being parent makes you scream “get me out of here” ?
When baby decides he doesn’t want to nap at all. Those days I pretty much stand by the door waiting for 6.15pm so that I can hand the baby over as soon as hubby steps in the door. Then I run like hell!

2. What skills, if any, do you have that would be useful in the jungle?
I think I’m a pretty decent cook and no matter what I make there are always a lot leftover (I just tend to make too much!). So no-one would go hungry. Ever! I can also yap for Britain so you wouldn’t get bored.

3. How are you likely to annoy people if you were stuck with them for 3 weeks
I would probably show pictures of my baby every chance I got! I’d probably do a lot of Sinitta style screaming as well and end up getting voted for a LOT of tasks!

4. Whats the worst thing you had ever eaten?
I once had a “soup” at a “dinner party” and it tasted really sticky and was a bit hard to swallow. I asked what it was and it turned out it was Lamb legs boiled till the bones released the marrow, which is then used to make this “delicious soup”. I wanted to throw up but managed to swallow it. I didn’t have any more *shudder*.

5. What luxury item would you take into the jungle with you?
My phone and maybe a a very powerful wifi hub!

6. What is the most daring thing you have ever done?

At the age of 13 my friends and I once spent the night in a haunted house. (My friends!). Nothing happened but we didn’t sleep all night and went home utterly freaked out.

7. Who would you miss most if you went into the jungle with a bunch of strangers?
My baby boy and husband.

8. What celebrity alive or dead would you like to have with you in the jungle?
Someone like Jamie Oliver who could make nice meals for everyone or Philip Schofield, just for his company!

9. What would scare you about being in the jungle?
Woodlice and Maggots. I don’t mind spiders but those two things would have me squirming a lot!

10. After leaving the jungle, you go to a luxury hotel. What would be the first thing you did on reaching your hotel?
Sit in the tub and scrub myself convinced I had nits and tics attached to me

11th mission should you choose to accept it is to tell us why the person who tagged you is a star

Jenny is the mum of a very active toddler and a baby boy that sometimes wakes in the night. She manages to entertain them all day AND cook some very nice things including chutneys. I have no idea where she gets all her energy from but after this I’m off to read her Slow Roast beef recipe. Check it out here.

So now my next task is to pass this on and the rules are as follows:
1) Answer the 10 questions and consider the mission – DONE

2) Tag a blogger or two or more to do the same – I will tag
@AlysonsBlog
@Mum2BabyInsomniac
@SomethingBlue
@AlliMarshall
@TheBoyAndMe

3) Come back to me and tell me you have done the questions and answers so