Month: May 2012

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Funky Foodies June – Month 1

Funky Foodies

Funky Foodies is here on the Scottish Mum Blog:

  • It is a monthly linkie, which will be opened on the first day of the month and will close on the last day.
  • A medal will be awarded for the Star Recipe every month, and the fabulous trophy in the blog badge will be awarded at the end of a whole year of the Funky Foodies.   If you want to find out more about it, read here.
  • All you have to do is share a recipe from your own blog and link it up to qualify.
  • Try to pop around and share the comment love with other funky foodies.  We all like a little love and might come across some fabulous recipes.
If you want to host the linkie on your own blog as a blog hop, get the code here :     get the InLinkz code

Simply add the link to your recipe on your own blog, and share your latest recipe with everyone taking part.  If you don’t want to miss the linkie being opened, subscribe to RSS or by email in the blog header.  I’m looking forward to sending off the first medal.  The code is below if you want to add the badge to your post or your blog.  I’ll add recipes of mine to share, although I don’t count in the recipe challenge.

Funky Foodies

Feel free to copy the text in bold into a text widget or the html of your post if you’d like to add the small blog badge to your own blog / post.  It makes finding you easier for other funky foodies.

<img src=”  http://scottishmum.com/wp-content/uploads/100-funky-foodies.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”Funky Foodies” />


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Restaurant Review – Frankie & Bennys in Aberdeen

When the PR offered us a voucher to go and try out the new menu at Frankie and Benny’s, I just couldn’t turn that down.  It did take us a while to get to using our voucher, so ours is probably one of the last reviews in.

We visited on a week night when middler was on respite, so there were only four of us to sample the menu and no jumpy, moody and excited special needs tornado to work around.  Lots of bribery and behaviour points were cashed in and off we went down to Frankie & Bennys at the beach.

Initial Impressions

When we arrived, the place was quite empty.  Strangely, they tried to seat us right next to the serving / cooking area where it’s noisy and hot with servers walking past all the time.  It was in the middle of the tables so  had servers walking behind and up both sides constantly.

We said nothing, but got up and moved to the back of the restaurant where it was quieter and with more comfortable seats.  It seemed as if they were keeping the quieter booth type seats for later diners, and putting the kids where the noise was.

Excitedly, the kids ran up to the entry desk to get their crayons and paper, only to be told they had run out.   The restaurant is right next to a poundshop, so I’d have guessed it would be easy enough to go out and get some crayons and put them in some cups to share around the kids who are used to getting them.  Disappointing start, but not the end of the world.

Menu wise, there were loads of options to choose from.  I suspect everyone could find something to eat.

Ordering

Ordering was simple and easy enough, and I’d say that the menu for kids is reasonable and well priced on the whole.  I’d expected to see items marked as “new” on the menu, but it looked the same as it was the last time we were in, and that was a few years ago now.  The waitress was pleasant and helpful, but wasn’t sure of what was new either.

Serving Time

It took a while.   We got our food about 20 – 30 minutes after ordering, and people who arrived after us were served their meals first.   We weren’t in a hurry so it wasn’t a problem although the hungry kids were a bit peeved.

The Food

Mains

The kids had their favourites and the man had a burger.  I wanted a pizza and the rest of them wanted a bit too, so I ordered a 15″ for us all to share.  The chicken and sweetcorn on top was a little sparse on the pizza, but other than that, it was lovely.  The junior burger was as big as his dad’s.  He was very happy with that.

Dad Burger

Kids Junior Burger

Kids Junior Wraps

Sharing Pizza

Dessert

Dessert for the kids was a letdown.  The menu says brownie pieces with ice cream so when a teensy sundae glass arrived with one tiny bit of brownie and one scoop of ice-cream, their faces fell.  With the spectacular dishes for mains, they expected a spectacular sundae.

Brownie Pieces?  There was one.

The grown ups had ordered a sharing sundae so the kids ended up having most of that.

Room for Improvement

Most definitely in the seating and kids arenas.  Kids want to be impressed.  If the parents don’t feel kids have had what they have been promised, they are unlikely to go back and spend more money on it.  For us it was fine as the bill was almost all covered by our voucher, but if I was paying over £60 to have kids disappointed with dessert, I’d have been a tad unhappy about it.

I didn’t complain as we had a large part of the bill paid for us.  For the kids sundae glass, I’d have expected two scoops of ice cream with a couple of brownie pieces to fill the teensy glass and look impressive.

Overall

The waitress got a little stressed out when I handed over the voucher and she immediately whisked away the bill without letting me see the original, and I had to ask for it.  She came back for the remaining £10 or so to be paid and when I asked her a few questions about the menu, she scuttled off and left the card machine and salver on our table.  I had to go after her before we left and give it back to her.

We enjoyed our meal and it was a nice break from the usual school night routine, so yes, it was an enjoyable meal for us, but could have been better if the kids had been catered for more.

Would I pay that price for us as a family, given that we were one person short, and it would end up with a bill over £70 without any starters?  I don’t really know to be honest.  I thought the soft drinks prices were quite high, and the lack of kiddie friendliness spoiled it.

We were provided with a £50 voucher in exchange for an honest review as a family.

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Coconut and Lime Soup – New Scottish Mum Recipe

I know, I know, you probably all think I have gone absolutely bonkers to make soup and create a recipe with coconut and lime, but it was lovely.

So lovely that my kids loved it too.  I was completely prepared for them to say they hated it so it was a nice surprise.  The littlest one is my sticking point as he tends to only want the best of everything and new foods are a hit or a miss as to whether he will eat them or not.

I’m also adding this into Jacqueline’s No Croutons Required for August 2012 as this is an original recipe that I am very happy with.

Carrot and Lime Soup Recipe

  • 10 – 12 servings.
  • Preparation, 15 – 20 minutes + cooking time.
  • Nutritional, rich source of vegetables.

Ingredients

  • 1 litre stock.  fruit, vegetable, chicken or beef.  I used chicken to give the soup a good strong base, as I prefer the taste of soups with poultry stock.
  • 2 litres water.
  • 1 chicken stock cube.
  • 3 large carrots.
  • 5 medium to large potatoes.
  • 1 large onion, or 2 small ones.
  • 3 x limes, squeezed for juice, rind removed.   You could use lime juice for cooking.
  • 2 largish leeks.
  • 400g good quality coconut milk.
  • half litre of milk.
  • salt.
  • pepper.
  • ginger.
  • basil.

Method

  •  Simmer stock and add 2 litres of water.
  • Peel, scrape and chop all vegetables and add to pot.
  • Add 2 teaspoons of salt, pepper and ginger.  I used ground rainbow peppercorns and ground ginger.
  • Add lime juice and flesh of lime, with pith removed if you are using fresh.
  • Simmer for 15 minutes, then add half a litre of milk, 400g coconut milk and the stock cube.
  • Simmer until carrots and potatoes are cooked, then blend.
  • Add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Serve with basil on the top.
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Traditional Scottish Oakcakes

Oat cakes, normally known as oatcakes in Scotland, are a traditional Scottish food.  I’ve heard there is a version in England that is more like thick pancakes, and I’ll have to look for those to try in the future.   The Scottish oatcakes recipe is simple and quick.

Oatcakes are a great accompaniment to stovies, corned beef hash, or any slow cooked meal, stew or stroganoff.

A Scottish breakfast could also be found using the humble oatcake with butter, cheese, or jam added to the top.

Most Scottish food is relatively easy to make, and to smash the assumption that it is all deep fried mars bars up the Aberdeenshire neck of the woods, I suspect that adding more traditional Scottish recipes to my blog could be a good idea.  Sorry to disappoint the deep fried mars bar brigade, but I’ve yet to meet a Scot whose eaten one.

To make oatcakes, make sure you buy proper oatmeal, preferrably pinhead as more rough versions can be harder to work with.

Please don’t be tempted to try porridge oats, buy oatmeal – every time.

Oatcake Recipe

  • 8 – 10 large oatcakes.
  • Preparation, 15 minutes
  • Nutritional, oatmeal is a good source of dietary fibre.

Ingredients

  •  200g pinhead oatmeal
  • 35g butter
  • half teaspoon of baking powder
  • half teaspoon of salt
  • 6 – 8 tablespoons of water

Method

  • Heat the butter and water in a saucepan or the microwave.  I blast mine in the microwave for 10 seconds at a time until the butter is melted. Mix the oatmeal, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
  • Add the melted butter and water to the oatmeal mix in your bowl.  Mix together until it forms a stiff dough.  You may need to add a little extra water to make the dough form.  If you need more water, add half a teaspoon at a time,  and don’t be afraid to get your fingers in the bowl to make the dough work.

  • Dust a clean surface with some oatmeal to roll out the dough.
  • Use a cutter to cut oatcakes into circles, or whatever shape you have available.  If you don’t have a cutter, just cut them into triangle or square shapes.  I used a sandwich cutter for larger sized oatcakes.
  • Grease a heavy bottomed frying pan or griddle.  I have a cast iron pan that I use for things like this.  The oatcakes should be cooked on a low heat for approximately 5-6 minutes each side until they begin to go brown.
Being new to the foodie community, I’m making my oatcakes my first entry into best of british – Scottish Challenge
Rules:
 The full rules are posted on The Face of New World Appliances. However, here is a summary of what you have to do to enter:
  • Post your recipe on your blog with a link back to The Face of New World Appliances AND to the hosting post.  Visit the host post to find out how to enter fully.
  • The round-up of entries will be posted on or before the 20th July.

 

 

 

 

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Gold Medallists Stamps to be issued for our London winners in 2012

How’s this for something unusual and possibly collectable to commemorate our Team GB Gold Medal wins during London 2012?

When big events come our way, it’s nice to have a little momento to remember them by.  I’m not one for collecting trinkets or ornaments, so the stamp initiative appeals to my sense of being appropriate, affordable and realistic.

Next day stamps are going to be issued, featuring our Gold Medallists from the Olympic Games, by the Royal Mail.  They will recognise the achievements of each win at the 2012 Olympic Games that will run from the 27th July to 12th August.

https://i0.wp.com/www.ebuzzingvideo2.com/uk/img_uk/brief/RoyalMail/royal%20mail%20logo.jpg?w=980

Sally Gunnell, OBE launched the official announcement and revealed the design.  As an Olympic gold medalist herself, who won the 1992 games in Barcelona’s 400m hurdles event, Sally is a good choice to champion the stamps.

The main image of the stamp will, wherever possible, be a photograph of the Team GB athlete or team in action from their gold medal winning final. Where this can’t be achieved, the image will be of the athlete’s gold medal winning journey taken from a heat or from their gold medal award moment on the podium

This is likely to be the only time in my life that the Olympics are going to grace these shores, so I am very likely to squirrel a copy of these stamps away with my Queens 25th Jubilee coin, and hopefully also one from the 50th.

Royal Mail’s team of picture editors and graphic designers will be on standby and ready to swing into action when Team GB strikes gold.

This will be the first time any host country has used action shots for Gold Medal stamps and issued them the next day, during the Games. This will also be a first for next day stamps from Royal Mail.  Be The First in line to get your own stamps, although I suspect I will be tempted to get the Official 2012 Compendium at £20 each so that my boys can have one each.

Royal Mail will also be the first postal service of a host country to issue stamps which will celebrate the start of the Paralympic Games on 29th August.

The stamps seem to be a nice touch and give the winners families an affordable and memorable reminder of great sportmanship.

Gold Medal stamps will be on sale at 500 selected UK Post Offices by lunchtime the next day, and on the Royal Mail website after each gold medal win by Team GB. They will then be distributed three times during the Games to a further 4,500 Post Offices nationwide.  As a first for Royal Mail, many of the 500 Post Offices will open on a Sunday for the first time during the games.

In 2008, at the Beijing games, Team GB won 19 gold medals, so it would be nice if we could have several stamps to remember our Olympic event.

Moya Greene, Royal Mail Chief Executive, said:

“Royal Mail is proud to be involved in this once in a lifetime event and to recognise the success of Team GB.

“Our Gold Medal stamps will be unique souvenirs of the Games, marking the great achievements of our talented athletes. They will be a special way for people across the country to celebrate Team GB’s gold medal wins and help mark their amazing achievement.

Royal Mail and the Olympics

Royal Mail has a proud history of commemorating the London Olympic Games.  For the 1948 Games, Royal Mail issued stamps bearing the five Olympic Rings.  Olympic stamps were not issued to mark the 1908 London Games as Royal Mail stamps could only carry images of the reigning monarch.

The Olympic Collection can be bought from Royal Mail.  Register your interest now to be one of the first in line.

Sponsored Post

Viral video by ebuzzing

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Cauliflower & Cheese Soup

I often have pots of soup on the go, and this one was an experiment as the kids all love cauliflower cheese.  I wanted to make it into a meal in a bowl, so with some extra mature cheddar from Andrew Gordon, our local butcher and fine food store, we were ready to go.

I was pleasantly surprised by the Little Black Bomber Cheese from Snowdonia UK.  It was quite soft and crumbly and was perfect for making soup.  I even tried some on charcoal biscuits and it was quite a mild taste with a lovely creamy texture.  It’s a new find that will now be regularly on our shopping list as the kids really loved it.

Ingredients

  • 1 extra large cauliflower, or 2 small cauliflowers
  • 200g smooth and creamy extra mature cheddar, I used the little black bomber.
  • 2 small onions, or 1 large onion
  • 4 large potatoes
  • 1 fennel
  • 1 litre of stock.  I used chicken as it’s what I had in the fridge.  You could use beef or vegetable.
  • 2 litres of water & half litre of milk.
  • salt and pepper to taste.
  • ciabatta to serve.

 

Method

  1. Set your stock on to cook.  For this recipe, I used ready made stock from my fridge.
  2. Add stock to 2 litres of water and 0.5 litre of milk and bring to the boil.  Turn down to a simmer and add a few pinches of salt.
  3. Chop vegetables into reasonably small sized chunks and just add them all to the pan.  You’ll need enough liquid to cover your chopped vegetables to start off with, so just add a little more water if you need to.
  4. Simmer for 25 minutes, or until all vegetables are soft. You may have to add a little extra water depending on how long you simmer for.
  5. Liquidise, or blend in the pot.
  6. Take the soup off the heat and add the cheese cut into small pieces.
  7. Stir the soup until all the cheese is melted and blend again if needed.
  8. Add salt and pepper to taste, and you’re done.

 

 

 

 

 

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Cheesecake Flan (Cheats Cheesecake)

This is a complete and utter cop out for cheesecake but is fabulously easy, quick to make and the kids and visitors are always impressed.

Ingredients

    •  1 x Large sponge flan case.
    • 500g Tub of mascapone cheese.
    • 4 Tablespoons icing sugar.
    • 1 Teaspoon vanilla essence (optional).
    • Peaches and pears.

Method

      • Take cover off pre-bought flan case (hard work I know).
      • Mix mascapone cheese with the icing sugar.
      • Add vanilla essence if you want a slightly creamier taste.
      • Spread mix onto flan case.
      • Slice (or drain) peaches and pears.  I dry mine with kitchen roll, then just plop on the top.
      • Pop into fridge for half an hour if you’ve time.

Hey presto.

 

 

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My Top 5 iPhone Apps for Blogging. How to keep up blogging on the move.

There is only one thing that all bloggers like to do, and that is to write. How we write, how often, and how well is not always something that is planned. For spontaneous moments, our mobile pocket gadgetry and good iPhone apps are very handy indeed.

Having written about the top iPhone apps for cooking over on Yahoo, it’s easy for anyone to see that I am a huge iPhone fan, even though I only have the old style 3GS version. I haven’t felt the need to upgrade yet, although I suspect I might be tempted by the next version which will be due out in a few months.

When I do move over to a newer and better model, there are some fabulously good iPhone apps that I would be making sure I copied over to the new phone.

I love to write, and writing is becoming my passion. As a prolific blogger, the best iPhone apps are going to be ones that I can use day to day to record my life, and any anecdotes or fleeting inspirations which come my way.

WordPress

An all important app for me to organise my life on the go as a blogger, has to be the WordPress app. There are times when it has worked, and times when it hasn’t. As a rule, it is there to help me to write a quick blog post, or store one as a draft for writing up later on my laptop when I have time.

If I just want to upload a quick picture when I am out and about, it is just snap, click and it’s in my media library on my blog.

Statistics are also important to any blogger, no matter what bloggers say. We all like to have our work recognised, even if we pretend that we don’t. The WordPress app had a pretty nifty section where I can check how many people have read my blog, which words were used in search engines to find my blog, and what posts they read.

The app seems to allow us to add up to 8 WordPress blogs, and they can either be the free WordPress.com blogs, or the self hosted WordPress.org variety.

Photo

The photo app that comes with my iPhone is invaluable. If I want snaps to add to my blog posts, then the built in camera does a fabulous job to make sure I have a regular visual material to add to my writing, and ensures that the image is topical, recent and relevant.

Notes

The second of the built in apps that I couldn’t be without for blogging, is the simple notes feature. Quickly opening it up and adding a note means that I never forget anything that might pop into my head when I am taking the kids to school, or waiting for them to finish an activity.

Time that would previously have spent idly people watching, now turns into planning, plotting and organising.

PayPal

If I am doing any updates, or Internet shopping, then my PayPal account is needed. I use it to pay for my blog hosting, stock photos for projects that need them, and for any extras that I decide to buy. I also need it for any payments that I take in for advertising and sponsored posts.

I have found that is far easier, and much quicker for me to use the PayPal app to check my balance or pay blogging bills on the go.

E-Wallet

This is my last, but I’d also say the top of the top apps for iPhone for me on my mobile. It is where all my blogging usernames and passwords are. Inside the deceptively simple e-wallet, I can separate private, work, and blogging, into separate categories with their own passwords.

Inside each category, I can choose to assign and give any item a name. I can split into credit card, website, id, username, phone and address details, passwords and much more.

I can also customise the fields to say what I want them to say, and I never lose my passwords. They are updated on my iTunes account so they’ll be on whatever device I want them to be, and the app is no use to anyone else.

I feel a bit safer about the prospect of my personal information being secure, just in case I lose my phone.

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Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen. Best of British Show in aid of The ARCHIE Foundation – 25th May 2012

I’m happy to host this guest post from the fashion management students at my old Uni, The Robert Gordon University, who are raising money for The ARCHIE Foundation for children.

———

Since it began in 2008 the annual charity fashion show at Robert Gordon University has raised tens of thousands of pounds for deserving charity foundations.

Now into its fifth year third-year fashion management students are hoping they can raise more money than ever before.

On the night of May 25th the Aberdeen Business School will be transformed on to accommodate 400 guests for what is hoped to be a marvelous and memorable evening of fashion, shopping and entertainment, with The ARCHIE Foundation being the sole beneficiary of the show.

This year’s show takes on the theme ‘Best of British’; rather fitting in the year of 2012 which sees both the Royal Jubilee and the London Olympic Games and plenty of patriotic celebrations along with them!

Catwalk themes including the British seaside, countryside, music, sport, people, designers, royals and the traditional tea party will showcase the very best of British style, and what’s more guests will be invited to enjoy a whole host of other entertainment on the night too.

Alongside the fashion catwalk there will be some fantastic on-stage performances and the opportunity to indulge in some of Britain’s finest foods and not to mention lashings of cocktails too!

Guests will have the chance to browse and buy within a unique shopping area dedicated to hosting a variety of local retailers; from fine wine to fashion there is something for everyone.  To add to the mix there will be a both a silent auction and a prize raffle on the night too.

With everything from cocktail mixology sessions to designer handbags, restaurant vouchers to fitness memberships, there are some fabulous prizes up for grabs and plenty of chances to win. With all proceeds going to The ARCHIE Foundation the students are determined to raise enough money to make a considerable contribution to the charity and its work.

As the official charity of the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital, the Children’s Wards in Inverness and Elgin and Community based Child Health throughout Grampian, Highland, Orkney and Shetland, the ARCHIE Foundation is dedicated to making a difference to the lives of sick children through providing state of the art medical equipment, specialist staff, funding into research and of course lots of toys too!

The ARCHIE Foundation is so incredibly deserving of financial donations.  Its work really is invaluable to sick children and their families.

With the aim of surpassing last year’s total of £11,000 the third-year Fashion Management students have been up to all sorts in order to raise money in the lead up to the show. We’ve had our measuring scales and mixers out to host bake sales on campus, and we’ve put our creativity to the test too with kids’ crafts and face painting at the Bon Accord.

We’ll be proving our knowledge with a special Best Of British pub quiz, be doing supermarket bag packing and we’ve been out and about in the pubs and bars of Aberdeen promoting the show and collecting donations too all whilst planning what is sure to be the biggest night in Aberdeen’s fashion calendar.

The Best of British Fashion Show will be held on May 25th 2012 in Aberdeen Business School, Robert Gordon University, and Garthdee Road, Aberdeen.

Tickets for the show are priced at £15 each, or for VIP ticket priced at £25 guests will receive special goody bag, front row seats and access to the exclusive VIP room, and are available by contacting:

fashionshowrgu@gmail.com

We announce all of our exciting news and fundraising updates on Facebook and Twitter too:

Facebook

Twitter

We also have a Just Giving page where online donations to The ARCHIE Foundation can be made:

Donate to The ARCHIE Foundation

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Review: Niermann-Standby Beetle Table Light, sold by Wayfair UK

We were happily sent the Niermann- Standby Beetle Table Light from Wayfair’s range of lamps for children to review.

A delighted middler opened the box with glee.  I was slightly surprised that the lamp had come from Germany, but it did arrive very quickly, so I wouldn’t say that it was a problem at all.

Having a near teen who has special needs is often overlooked by many people.  He wants to be seen to keep up with his brothers and be “cool” and like the same things as them, but I know deep down that he really likes to watch “Big Cook Little Cook,” eat Smilie Potatoes and have toys for much younger children when other people aren’t around.

His bedroom is his private space so the things he really appreciates can live there.  The light in his eyes at opening this box was incredible.  I knew he was likely to be keen on it, but I was surprised to see the jumping up and down that came after the realisation of what he had been sent.

Lets get to the nitty gritty.

Price

At over £57 the lamp isn’t cheap and nor is it big, with dimensions of 10cm H x 20cm W x 20cm D and only 1.5kg in weight.

Brightness

For such a small bulb, this lamp packs a mighty punch.

Quality

I am impressed, I have to say.  The lamp is good quality and solid.   The cord has a slide switch on it to allow little fingers to switch the light on and off for themselves without having to go to a wall socket.  For what seems like a light lamp on paper, it certainly feels solid enough with it’s wood base.

Room for Improvement

With the build quality I have no suggestions as it really is a lovely lamp that any child would be delighted with, but I do have a couple of suggestions for the future.

1 – After realising it was sent from Germany, I was surprised to see there was only external packaging with the lamp.  The box was misshapen and had been battered a bit on the way to Scotland, but the lamp stood up to the rough treatment very well as there was no sign of damage.  To go such a distance, it might be better to have a box within a box for a little added protection.

2 – There is a large transformer attached to the lamp, which is to help overcome the problem of the difference in electrical systems.  It works fine and is a petty point, but I do feel it would have been a nicer touch to have had a UK plug fitted to go to a UK customer.

Overall Opinion

We love it.  Yes, it’s expensive, but when you see it, it looks and feels expensive. It is prized possession of a little boy who delights going to his bed every night with his Beetle for company.  Here is his lamp, in pride of place on the bedside cabinet, and it is not allowed to share it’s space with anything else.

Disclaimer
Wayfair.co.uk sent us the Niermann Standby Beetle Table Light and allowed us to choose whether to review.

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We’re jinxed…. Just send us the bill….

Image: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

You could be forgiven for thinking I’ve thrown in the towel and decided to be Miss Misery Guts this week.

Looking back on it, it’s not going to be all plain sailing to fix, but hey, we’re all alive, and I can afford to put food on the table for my kids.  So – why on earth have I been finding myself almost biting my nails and nervously chewing my hair with appliance breakdowns?

Answer me this, just who invented the full moon phase?   Whoever that was must have been a wizard of epic proportions to be able to smite us down with such a wave of an electric wand.

I’m not in the slightest bit paranoid for thinking that the lunar phase of the mood is responsible for the breaking down of electrical currents, and the shortening of the lives of our favoured and prized household machinery gadgets.

Starting slowly, the trouble brewed gently.  A fridge that doesn’t keep food cold is no use in a home where you need a week worth of school dinner ingredients on those hallowed cool shelves.  Buying fruit on Friday and having it go rotten by Monday really hits home about how we depend on our American Style Fridge Freezer.

After three weeks of looking for a side by side American style fridge I could afford, I admitted defeat and signed on the dotted line for an early delivery on Thursday this week of a regular American style fridge freezer.

The dishwasher chronicles have gone on for a while, so it was no stranger that it decided to give up the ghost and join the old fridge freezer in the graveyard for electrical appliances.

That would be enough for most people, wouldn’t it?

Not for us apparently.

With a rare blast of sunshine on Thursday, kidlets went out into the garden to play a little footie, as you do when you’re an adolescent boy wanting to show off your newly found testosterone injected strength.

Good neighbours are hard to find and we’ve got two.  Thankfully neighbour across the fence next door understands the problems with middler, even if we rarely ever see or speak to them.  Middler had decided to start bullying them, which ended in two broken windows in their newly (expensively) built extension,as he decided to use their window as target practice for the chuckies around our patio.

Profuse apologies and embarrassed conversations led to taking measurements to get the toughened glass window units replaced.  Thankfully we have contacts who have given us the units at cost, and we can also fit them for zero labour charge.

If we’d had to pay labour, we’d likely have been into the thousand bracket instead of the hundreds to fix.  Middler is now grounded for the rest of his natural born existence.

Friday morning came and went in a flurry of activity and under breath muttering as I blamed the man, completely unfairly, of switching off the boiler before he departed for money making activities.

Getting the kids ready for school with chattering teeth and cold showers really made the start to my day complete.  With massive foresight, I refused to go for a combi boiler when we installed our last one and insisted on the dual, so we still have the gas fire in the lounge and electric for hot water.

The engineer has been and he’s not sure if the fan has gone, or if it is just the transformer so another 3 day wait for a teeny transformer.  If that doesn’t work, there’s no point in getting the fan as it costs about half the price of a new boiler.  What’s worse is that the boiler is only about 7 years old, and I’m gutted at the cost implications, especially as the one I grew up with chugged along for over 20 years.

Tuesday came and I decided to vacuüm the lounge.  This proved to be an exercise that needed much wrestling with tube, hose and uncoupled couplings care of Dyson jigsaw puzzle hoovers.

Determined not to get to appliance 4, and disaster 5 of the week, a pair of sugar tongs managed to shift the contents of the last hoover user, a 12 year old whose top drawer is likely to have been vacuumed, as it is the hiding place he stuffs empty sweetie wrappers he has illicitly procured from the kitchen.

What more can possibly go wrong?

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Spaghetti Bolognese Scotty Brand Carrots

My two favourite produce providers are the reason for the fabulously speedy wolfing down of Spaghetti Bolognese for our evening meal.  It’s amazing how much difference the taste of good meat and vegetables makes to the enjoyment of what we eat.

The same Scotty Brand carrots used to make the Carrot and Orange Soup, added a lovely sweetness.  Combined with the gorgeously tasting steak mince from Andrew Gordon Butchery and Fine Foods in Aberdeen, the two ingredients made for a fantastic meal.

Feel free to use half portions.  I had three adults and four children to feed with these proportions.

Ingredients

  • 1kg Steak Mince
  • 1 Large Onion
  • 5 Large Carrots
  • Teaspoon Turmeric
  • Teaspoon Cinnamon or Nutmeg
  • 500g Carton of Passata
  • Salt & Pepper
  • Rapeseed Oil
  • 500g Spaghetti
  • 50g Butter (Optional)

Method

  1. Brown mince in a thick bottomed pan, or a good frying pan on a low heat.  I added a couple of tablespoons of Rapeseed Oil to help it along.
  2. Chop onions finely and add to the browning mince.
  3. Slice carrots and add to the  pan.
  4. Boil the kettle and add a pint of water to the mix.  Leave to simmer for 25 minutes, and top up the water if necessary.
  5. Salt and Pepper to taste.
  6. Put the pasta on to cook.
  7. Once the mince has simmered, add the tub of passata, turmeric and either cinnamon or nutmeg.
  8. Simmer the passata and mince mix for 5 minutes.
  9. Drain the pasta and use boiled water to rinse the spaghetti until it runs clear.
  10. Add the butter to the pasta if you like the taste, and mix it through.
  11. Serve immediately.