Menu plan 28/05/12

MONDAY - BBQ Roast chicken, salad, salad potatoes, homemade coleslaw & homemade bread

TUESDAY - Lamb/ spicy bean burgers, homemade chips & onion rings & homemade coleslaw

WEDNESDAY - Salmon and leek parcels, salad potatoes and salad

THURSDAY - Turkey/prawn chow mein

FRIDAY - Tuna pasta and homemade garlic bread

SATURDAY -Chicken/tofu fajitas

SUNDAY - Not sure yet, depends if we go out for the day

Wow a week since I last posted. Naughty blogger me. Time seems to fly at the moment. Still enjoying the glorious sunshine here in Yorkshire. Long may it reign. It's been lovely eating all our evening meals in the garden then lounging around chatting at the table afterwards. Same shall be happening this evening : )

Yorkshire Water have been in our street since yesterday. They are doing 'essential water improvement work' in our village and it is causing a lot of disruption. We received a letter telling us the work will last for 4 months!  They informed us traffic lights may be used on streets and they will try to keep disruption to a minimum, yeah! Thankfully our road its the fist being worked on. We are without water today and tomorrow and will need to boil all water to be consumed for 48 hours after work has finished. It's amazing how many times I have gone to turn the tap on today or gone to flush a toilet. It's taken for granted it's always there and I've noticed today how much we turn taps on or flush loos without thinking. We have buckets of water beside the toilets and kettles and bowels full of water to use until they turn it back on at 7.00pm. Must remember to boil lots of water for tomorrows use before I go to work tonight as the water goes back off at 8.45am tomorrow. I planted some seeds this afternoon and took the watering can to the garden tap to water them. Silly me, shall have to remember to water them this evening when the waters turned back on.

Lovely Tuesday

Menu Plan 21/05/12

MONDAY - Chicken and ham in a sauce on vegetable rice
This used us a piece of cooked gammon, chicken stock and some portions of  rice from freezer

TUESDAY - Sausage casserole and sauteed potatoes
Did not have this last week so having it today. Using peppers from last week & reduced sausages

WEDNESDAY - Cheesy broccoli  pasta bake and homemade garlic bread

THURSDAY - Fry-up 
Using 4 potato cakes in freezer


FRIDAY - Spaghetti bolognese and homemade garlic bread

SATURDAY - Me - Salmon & asparagus tart, roasted veg & chips
                        Hubby - Chicken curry, chips and naan bread
                        Daughter - Fish, chips and mushy peas
Using flan, naan, fish and mushy peas from freezer

SUNDAY - Pork steak, Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, veg and gravy

That's the meal plan for the week. As you can see I'm trying to use bits and pieces from the freezer to clear it out for the start of a new months shopping.

Today being Tuesday I thought I'd give you a Tuesday roll of pictures.                      

                                       T

Trees I saw on my walk today

                                       U

Uniform I'll be wearing to work tonight

                                      E

Eucalyptus  tree ready to plant

                                         S                                

Sunglasses I wore today

                                                                               D                                                                        

Dandelion I saw on my walk today

                                         A

Azalea in my garden

                                        Y

Yeast used in my bread today

Hope you all have had a glorious day like the one we're enjoying in Yorkshire today. It's beautiful!                                                                                                                    

Totally knackered!

We started the dreaded job of clearing the patch of land between us and our neighbour at 9.30 this morning and it looked like this

A bit of a jungle. We worked until 3.30 when our backs were aching too much to continue. Everything was taken out of this patch of land. Bulbs which I put to one side to replant. We saved a few plants to replant but basically everything was taken out. Hubby has done two trips to  the tip with bags and bags of weeds and branches. We could not believe how much foliage came out of this strip of soil. We ended up with a tidier bare area which will need to be finished off and reweeded again to make sure we get all those darn weeds. So this is how it looks at the moment

Still some old fencing to go to the tip and that bloody tree stump will not die! It was cut down over a year ago but refuses to die even though the top has been scored to let wet into the trunk to rot it. This will have to stay until it eventually rots as it's too big to dig up.  Anyone out there know how to kill it off? Can't believe the hours we spent on this patch today and it was bloody hard work. So after another weed we will be on to the nice part of planting it up. Want to have the garden a riot of colour this summer. Better make a move to make a meal now. My body doesn't want to get up from this sofa though : )
 

Menu plan 14/05/12

MONDAY - Spaghetti bolognese with homemade garlic bread

TUESDAY - Pork steaks, sage & onion stuffing, Yorkshire puddings, mash and vegetables

WEDNESDAY - Chicken/veg curry, rice & naan bread

THURSDAY - Homemade burgers, chips and homemade coleslaw

FRIDAY - Sausage casserole with jacket potatoes

SATURDAY - Homemade pizza and wedges

SUNDAY - Roast chicken & stuffing, roast potatoes, Yorkshire puddings and vegetables


Hello everyone.

Nothing much been happening here since my last post. I feel a bit in limbo at the moment. Can't get motivated to do anything. Is it only me feeling like this? I look at my front garden and it really needs tackling but I just can't be bothered. Don't know if it's the crap spring we're having or what but I need a kick up the arse. So, this afternoon I sent Hubby a text at work and asked if he'll take Friday off work so we can get in the front garden together and totally tackle it. We can't get anything really done over the weekend because we have the grandaughters again.

I've also this afternoon started a 'to do' file. I've been walking around the house with file in hand and writing down everything that needs finishing off and jobs I want to do like declutter drawers and all the bedding which is stored under our bed.

I now have two sides of A4 paper filled with jobs to do. Each room shall be given a side of A4 paper which I shall rewrite all the jobs onto each relevant room. I am going to pick a room and do all the jobs needed to be done and cross them off the list as we do them. I want to start getting motivated again and get on with jobs that need doing so hopefully this will keep me focused.

Roasted Tomato soup

Following on from my post yesterday about the cheap cherry tomatoes I bought, today was soup day for them. Here's how I made my soup

1kg cherry tomatoes
1 head garlic sliced horizontally
2 peppers, deseeded and cut into quarters
1tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 veg stock cubes
1/2tsp paprika
1/2tsp sugar
Salt & pepper

Put the tomatoes, garlic and peppers on a tray and drizzle with the olive oil.
Roast slowly in a medium oven for about 30-40 minutes.
In a large pan add the chopped onion, stock cubes and 1litre boiling water.
Add the roasted veg when ready, squeezing the garlic from the bulb.
Add the sugar, paprika and season to taste.
Cook for 20 minutes or until onion is soft.
Blend with a food blender until smooth. 

 I'm eating healthily and would have loved to have finished the soup off with some cream but shall give it a miss this time. I love creamy soups.

Whilst the veg roasted in the oven I cooked more pasties for the gang to take for lunch tomorrow. For Hubby I made a beef & onion pastie with a small leftover portion of last nights meal with a bit of leftover carrot and boiled potato in too. For the girls I made cheese, potato & onion pasties. One pastie in freezer for another day.

I so want to eat one of these but not allowed : (

Menu Plan 07/05/12

MONDAY - Braising steak & onions, vegetables, mashed potatoes & Yorkshire puddings

TUESDAY - Creamy beef & potato layer, peas & carrots

WEDNESDAY - Chicken fried rice

THURSDAY - Roast chicken, vegetables, roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings

FRIDAY - Creamy tomato sauce on pasta with homemade garlic bread

SATURDAY - Chicken/tofu fajitas

SUNDAY - Not decided yet

Had a visit to the local towns market this morning. I bought more threads and some ribbon at the craft stall. I bought bananas and cherry tomatoes at the market stall. The cherry tomatoes were £1.00 for a bag of them.

They were large cherry tomatoes and I weighed them when I returned home. They weighed 1.2kg
Really pleased with my tomato buy. I plan to make a roasted tomato soup with most of them and whatever's left shall be used roasted with a meal or with a sandwich for lunches.

I called into Morrisons as we were walking round the market to buy some braising steak for dinner tonight ( usually buy meat from family butcher but forgot they would be closed today with it being Bank Holiday) Just as I walked in they had a table set out with breadcakes. 6 large breadcakes for 40p. I grabbed 2 packs of these and made my way to the meat section bought my meat then left before I got tempted with anymore offers.

Walked around a boot sale which was held because it was a Bank Holiday weekend but did not find anything of interest then went to the Abbey where a local craft fair was being held. I did buy a small gift of a handmade cracker filled with chocolate in it's own box with a gift tag for my Dad for Fathers Day.

It was only £3.50 which I thought was very reasonable for a very one off gift. I got some good ideas for things I can sew for gifts for the family. My daughter whispered whilst stood at a stall that I should make things to sell because mine were better than what the stall holder was selling. I must admit, when I went to a Christmas fair last year i had in the back of my mind building up a stock and applying to have a stall this year but to be honest I really need to invest in a sewing machine if I were to contemplate doing something like selling my work. I do all the seems on the cushions I have made by hand which takes a while. If I had a sewing machine this would make the process a whole lot quicker so I may invest later in the year in a sewing machine and try my hand at selling but maybe next year so I can build up a large amount of stock. We shall see : )   

Happy Birthday

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME

Had a lovely birthday weekend. Hubby took me out for a meal last night to this restaurant. We had to go Saturday because the restaurant does not open on Sunday evenings. We had a lovely meal then walked to a nearby pub for a drink afterwards. We then rang my father-in-law who picked us up and took us back home.

Today I received lots of cards along with a years subscription to my favourite food magazine. I also received The Hairy Bikers perfect Pies cookbook, a necklace, a piping bag, some money, 3 bottles of wine, a plant and a large bunch of flowers. Two cards had written in them 'present to follow' so I've still two presents to receive. The cake above is what my daughters baked for me this afternoon and very nice it was too. Going to sit with a glass of wine and enjoy a film now.

Welcome to my new followers, Ruthdigs, Cheap Chick and Susan Kim.

Bargain time & frustrating time

Got a couple of bargains in the charity shop yesterday. Firstly I got this lovely cute new bone china jug.

I went on the designers webpage and it's in her range for sale at £10.00. I got this for £1.50. I also bought this handmade purse.

Again, brand new with the label on. I bought it for £1.50. I Checked out the wedsite for this family business in Yorkshire and it costs.......£18.00!  Flamin lot for a purse. So I am pleased with my bargains this week.

Now the frustrating time I have been having today. This morning I thought I'd do some cooking. Started with some leek & potato soup,then had a pan of carrots for the dog cooking. Half way through making a chickpea & roasted veg tagine I heard a pop. Thought nothing of it until I noticed nothing was bubbling in the pans. My hob seems to have decided it's had enough and died on me. Rang Hubby to let him know and he looked on his computer at work and found details of when we bought it and we have 2 days left on the warranty! So hopefully all should be sorted eventually with a new one or a repair. Being without a hob I have had to dig out the camping stove again. No gas in canister so a trip to the gas suppliers and a new bottle of gas bought. Back to cooking on my camping stove.

Then after flushing the toilet this afternoon I went into my bedroom and after a good 5 minutes I could still hear the cistern making a hissing noise. I went to investigate and tried to flush the loo but there is no water in the cistern. Luckily we have 2 loos so can use the other whilst this gets sorted.

Then we had an overflow of water in the garage from the machine that pumps water from the utility room to the drains! This will require Hubby to strip the machine down to clean the tubes in it as they must be blocked. Well I hope that's our 3 disaster for the day. Don't think I can cope with anymore.

Hope you've had a better day than me : )