Veggi cooking day

Welcome to my new follower Babs. Nice to have you on board.

With it being National Vegetarian Week I wanted to try something new for my lunch. I knew straight away what I wanted to make. I found my River Cottage Veg cook book and rummaged through the pages for a recipe I had earmarked to make, Chilli, cheese and rosemary polenta with tomato sauce.

The recipe only needed a few ingredients which I already had in. Olive oil, chilli, garlic, rosemary, polenta and cheese.

 Once everything was cooked I had to let the polenta cool so it would set. I did this on a baking tray lined with cling film. When cool enough I placed the tray in the fridge until I was ready to eat at lunch time.
 

I sliced the polenta into fingers and fried in a little oil until the outsides were crispy. When I cook some tomorrow I'm going to try them baked in the oven on a tray as I found the crispy edge stuck to the frying pan. They were really tasty with a simple tomato sauce that was recommended to accompany them.

I then decided to make a loaf I had seen on a blog I follow. I copied the recipe out but forgot to make a note of who's blog I found it on. I have been searching through some blogs to try and find it but have had no success yet. When I come across it I shall edit this post and add a link to the blog with the recipe if you want to try it.

Edited - Found it!  Here's the link for the cheese and lentil loaf

So this is what I made. A cheese and lentil loaf which looks a disaster in my photo. I made the mixture a bit too sloppy so when I came to take the loaf out of the loaf tin it collapsed! I scooped it all back into the tin and baked on a low heat until it had set completely.

I had too much mixture to fit all in the loaf tin so I did what the owner of the recipe does and put the remaining mixture into puff pastry to make lentil sausage rolls. They came out good.

Yesterday I had a portion of the lovely chilli I made Monday with couscous. I really enjoyed it so tonight I shall have a portion on some pasta seeing as I'm making the rest of the family bolognese on pasta. Going good so far is my vegetarian week. Any of you doing veggie food this week because of National Vegetarian Week?

Menu plan Monday 20/05/2013 & National Vegetarian Week

MONDAY - Fragrant pork & rice one pot and homemade bread

TUESDAY - Stuffed pork loin, mashed potato, steamed green beans, carrots and broccoli

WEDNESDAY - Bolognese sauce on pasta with homemade garlic bread

THURSDAY - Gammon & pineapple or egg, chips & peas

FRIDAY - Fish pie, carrots, peas and broccoli

SATURDAY - Lamb burgers, homemade coleslaw and chips

SUNDAY - freezer & fridge use up. Not sure what yet

Today is National Vegetarian Week and  being a pescetarian I eat mainly vegetarian meals but also eat fish. So this week I shall go all out veggie and have no fish this week. I am doing this by myself as I know the rest of the family will not be that bothered for having vegetarian meals all week. So tonight I shall be having the same as the rest of the family but mine will be made with vegetarian sausages. The recipe is on the link on Mondays menu. I'll post each might with what I end up eating.

Today I made a big pot of vegetarian chilli using Tescos own brand vegetarian mince and value kidney beans. I added 3 tins of Aldi tomatoes in the end because I thought it was a bit dry.

This has been cooking all day in the slow cooker and will be portioned up when cool for future meals. I costed the whole dish  and it worked out at £3.01 for a huge amount of chilli.

Tesco veg mince £1.50
3 x tins Aldi tomatoes  93p
1 x tin kidney beans  21p
big squirt tomato puree  5p
2 onions  20p
chillies 12p
Reckon I should get 5-6 portions of chilli so it's a nice cheap meal with some Tesco value rice (40p a kilo bag)

Menu plan Monday 13/05/2013

MONDAY - Lamb steaks, roast potatoes, carrots, broccoli, peas and yorkshire puddings

TUESDAY - Hairy dieters easy chicken, salad, homemade coleslaw & jacket potatoes

WEDNESDAY - Homemade pizza & chips

THURSDAY - Lamb meatballs in a tomato sauce on pasta, homemade garlic bread

FRIDAY - Casserolled beef & mushroom, Mashed potatoes, yorkshire puddings and veg

SATURDAY - Steaks and peppercorn sauce, chips, onion rings, roasted tomatoes and mushrooms

SUNDAY - Fragrant pork & rice one pot with homemade bread

 

I've had quite a busy weekend because I have a visitor staying. My visitor is called Archie and he's so cute. Here's Archie

 

Archie came Saturday morning and is staying until Wednesday evening whilst his owners have a short break abroad.

A few months a go I joined a company to be a dog carer. Basically after filling in an application form, then having a telephone interview they then visit me at home to interview me and check my home and garden are safe for visiting dogs. References are checked and then if everything's ok, I become a dog carer. I get paid for each day or part of a day the dog is with me.  I have no expenses to fork out as the owners provided all their food and treats, brings their bed, toys and lead. Insurance is provided by the company I work for. I just give my time to care for my visitors.

So Archie is our first visitor. He settled in well and my dog Sherlock has accepted a new friend into his home really well. I did feel sorry for Archie at first because Sherlock would not leave him alone but they have both settled down now and are like old friends. It's a great way to earn a little more money and my daughters get to have a second dog ( they are always pestering me to get a second dog) without me having the expense of having another dog. I hope future visitors are as easy as Archie has been. Think I've been spoilt with my first easy visitor.

Menu Plan 06/05/2013

MONDAY - Pork steaks, apple sauce, mashed potatoes, yorkshire puddings and vegetables

TUESDAY - Creamy beef and potato layer, Carrots and peas

WEDNESDAY - Thai green curry with chicken & Thai green curry with tofu, rice

THURSDAY - Bolognese and pasta with homemade garlic bread

FRIDAY - Roast chicken, roast potatoes and vegetables

SATURDAY - Chicken/Tofu fajitas

SUNDAY - Homemade flan, salad, homemade coleslaw and jacket potatoes

Last year in my 40's eek!

Well, it's here, my last year in my 40's. To be honest it doesn't bother me I'll be 50 next year. I definitely don't feel it and I've been told I don't look it so I'm not going to worry about it. I woke at 7.30 this morning and could hear the dog moaning. I got dressed and went into the kitchen to get the dog lead and there in the middle of the kitchen floor were two huge piles of vomit!!! I complained to the dog and walked down the passage to let him out the back door where I was confronted by two smaller piles of vomit!!! Dog was pushed into the garden with a few savoury words and I went to hunt out some disposable gloves to tackle the nasty job of vomit cleaning.

Dog was walked and I returned and put the kettle on for a cuppa. Hubby walked into the kitchen and wished me happy birthday. I looked at him in surprise because I had honesty forgotten when I woke this morning that it was my birthday. What with Sherlock's lovely present he left me this morning it never entered my head. I waited for the girls to get up before I opened my cards and presents. I got lovely gifts of a cook book, wine, gold earrings, perfume, a photo in a lovely frame, candles and a candle holder and some money.

Hubby asked if I wanted a birthday cake. He said our youngest daughter said I wouldn't want one because I'm on a diet but he wanted to check. No I said. I want to be good this week so no cake please but thanks for thinking about me having one. I have been naughty and made chocolate fondant which are sat in the fridge ready for tea tonight. I have made only four. These are for daughters, daughters boyfriend and Hubby. I will just watch them eat lol. They were a request from Daughter No3 last week so I had the ingredients in so decided a bank holiday and my birthday was a good a time as any to make them.

I'll just show you my charity shop buy I got Thursday last week.

I did actually buy 6 of these dessert dishes but only pictured 3 of them. As soon as I saw them I thought they would be great for chocolate mousse desserts or any dessert really. They have a good sold base so should not get knocked over easily. I got them for £3.00.

Think it's time to celebrate my birthday with a glass or two of wine and catch the last of the evening sun.

Bye for now x

It's a beautiful day

What a beautiful day we have had here in Yorkshire today. The sun has shone and everyone has talked non stop about the lovely weather to me at my voluntary job in the charity shop this morning. It just goes to show, we Brits may talk about the weather more than any other nation in the world, but it DOES get us talking to one and other, AND the weather makes us HAPPY! The shop has been busier today because of the lovely weather and I have definitely noticed everyone is so much happier with a little sunshine in their life.

My family are more willing to come on evening dog walks with me now the weather is improving. Tonight I had the company of Hubby and Daughter No3. I know if daughter No2 had not been at college on a late night, she too would have accompanied us because she's walked with me a few nights this week when the weather's been nice.

Just feel so uplifted with this much needed Spring weather,  just had to do a short post before bed. I'll be back tomorrow with my bargains from the charity shop. Till then, night all x