Author: Scottish Mum

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Safer Internet Day 2015 #SID2015

If we’ve been on the internet for any length of time, we’ve all done it.  Either we’ve said something we did not really mean, or someone has been mean to us, or called us names, or been downright nasty.  We could have seen things we wished we’d never known existed and it can seriously put a damper on a day if something upsetting catches our eye.  And that’s for us as adults.  How much worse is it for children to be exposed to the same things, with their immature emotional state?

Today is safer internet day for 2015.

I know, I know, you’re all probably sighing and reaching for the big back button at the top of the screen, but being safer online is a responsibility of us all.

The Safer Internet Centre in the UK is co-ordinating help to promote the safe, responsible and positive use of technology for our children and young people.

The theme is: Let’s Create a Better Internet Together.

It’s celebrated by over a hundred countries, and supported by the European Commission, but what is it?

Raising Awareness

The day is mean to highlight positive uses of technology, to create a safer online community.  The responsibility falls on us as parents, carers, teachers, social workers, and everyone else, to make the internet a safer place for our children.

Youth Leading The Way

According to Safer Internet, around 30% of 11-16 year olds have experienced some forms of unpleasant behaviour online in the last year, and also explains what they love about going on the internet.

A new film #Up2Us, created by schoolchildren tells us about their own experiences online and inspires young people to do something kind today.

Social Internet Day TV Today

Visit the online channel today at 11am to see Molly and Harvey from CBBC’s Friday Download Show.  I’m hoping to get my kids to watch it on catchup after school.

Social Media

At 8am today, there was a mass tweet, using the hashtag #SID2015, with over 800 organisations agreeing to take part.  That’s an awesome target.  As a parent, I’ve watched my children talking to friends online who acted very unfriendly, even making fake accounts and using those to be nasty to classmates, anonymously of course.  The upset it causes to the people they target is unnecessary and distressing for the children involved.  It’s easy for us to say, ignore the haters and delete those accounts, but for children, that’s a very difficult thing to do.

I have to admit to being a little disappointed that none of my local schools seemed to take this on board.  I think these are great ways to interact with our kids and share important learning, but as parents, we can bridge that gap where we can.

The internet is a wonderful and scary place to be.  Let’s try and make it safer for our kids, by teaching them to be kind to each other online.

AT 8pm, Bars & Melody are taking over the Safer Internet Day Twitter Account for a question and answer session about why the safer internet day is important to them and what their views are on being kind and safe online.  Join in the chat by using the hashtag #SIDTV.

Here’s the Safer Internet Day Programme for today.

Safer Internet DAy

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How to make stock in a Soup Maker

We’re all put off making stock on occasion, by the sheer need to be around as the pot simmers those old bones and bits left over from any roast we’ve had for dinner, but there is another way.

Chicken Stock 2

Determined to use my Soup Maker to its full extent, I tried making stock as a test, to see if it was really possible to do.  Any soups always taste fabulous with fresh stock, so it’s a no brainer for me.  I put the carcass or bones into a pot as soon as it’s cooked, so that I can freeze any leftovers for another day.  I don’t let it cool, as I’ve always lived by the rule of only one reheat after meat is cooked.

It’s fairly simple.  I add nothing as I prefer to add my extra ingredients at the cooking stage, but you could add different options.

Ingredients:  Carcass, Bones or Leftover Meat

Optional:  

– Salt & Pepper

– Stock Pot

– Garlic

– Onions etc

Add any bones, or chopped up pieces of leftover meat to your soup maker.  You do need to ensure there is enough room to put on your lid if you use a kettle version.

Method:

Step 1

Add your ingredients to the soup maker, choose the chunky option and run through the cycle.

Step 2

Chicken Stock 1

If you like your stock to be stronger, run it through a second cycle.

Step 3

Sieve your liquid, to separate the bones & meat from the liquid stock, and now it’s ready for use.  You can freeze the stock if it’s freshly made, but if you’ve let the meat or the carcass cool, I’d use it straight away.

IMG_8817

 

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Wear It, Beat It. British Heart Foundation – Heart Month

Did you know our hearts beat around 100,000 times a day?  That’s a lot of work for one muscle to do.  It pumps around 23,000 litres of blood around our bodies in a day and just keeps on working away in the background.  We’re rarely even aware that it’s doing anything at all.

Red Heart

Today’s the day to raise awareness.  Wear as much red as you can and support the British Heart Foundation.  If anyone asks why you’re wearing red, tell them it’s to raise awareness of looking after your heart.

February is heart month.  It’s not surprising with Valentine’s Day in the wings, but how many of us take our hearts for granted?  I know I do.

This month, show your heart some love.   Sign up to the British Heat Foundation 10 Minute Challenge and celebrate by wearing something red, or discover how to keep your own heart happy and healthy.

There will be one simple challenge sent to your inbox each day for ten days.  Each challenge takes a maximum of ten minutes to complete.

Take The British Heart Foundation Ten Minute Challenge

or

Take The British Heart Foundation Wordplace Ten Minute Challenge

On the website, are booklets and guides to help you improve the health of your heart, covering topics like moving, eating, quitting smoking, lowering stress, lowering cholesterol and blood pressure, as well as managing diabetes.

What are you waiting for?

If you’d like to donate to the British Heart Foundation, you can Text ‘RED’ to 70060 to donate £3 to help fund research.

 

 

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I am not a journalist.

Following another marathon session of wading through dross e-mails that don’t get spammed, my annoyance level can get high.

At this point, it’s fair to say that I’m slightly perturbed by the level of contact from some of the more unscrupulous people trying to secure links and fake guest posts.  It’s like all those calls you get to your house from people doing market surveys and free trials, but are never trying to sell you anything!

Don’t get me wrong, I am more than grateful for the nice e-mails that have bothered to find out my name, or clearly state what they’re asking me.

What I’m not so keen on, are the multitudes of e-mails from chancers who want a freebie link and offer me their posts for free, with an every so kind link back to the website (or their author bio that happens to link to another business) that they’re paid to promote.  There is nothing, and I repeat nothing in it for the blogger.  Why would we post it, unless it’s something that is a must have for us, and one we would be happy to post anyway?

It usually goes something like this:

Dear Blogger
(Insert almost any name, or one that they cut and paste from somewhere else, often not even my blog.  The laziest have to be the simple: Dear Mum)

My name is xxx  xxxx.  I am an experienced writer, who is in constant demand by blogs around the world.  I would like to work with you to create genuine content for your website, and I won’t even charge you for it.
(Interpretation:  You tell me what you want me to write about and I’ll create masses of blog posts for you to promote for me, so I earn mega bucks in commission.)

Please find samples of my work below at the following links.

Post 1
(Interpretation:  Linked to a brand, but you’ll have to read the post to find out where I’m linking to.  Sucker, you clicked a link I get paid for you to click.)
Post 2
Post 3

Non committed sign off.
Friendly Writer with no business e-mail.
(Interpretation:  I won’t send you an e-mail from a business account when you ask for it, as if I send you my business e-mail, you’ll know I get paid to contact you and ask you to post a link to the business that pays me.  You will do it for free because you’re so stupid that you don’t know I’m trying to scam you.)

See where that difference lies?  They get paid….  We bloggers only get paid if we accept sponsored content, or goods in exchange for a review, which they then have to take a chance on whether we like or not.

Unlike a journalist, constantly on the hunt for new stories, who gets paid for submitting them, what’s being asked of us is completely different.  It’s one reason that I am constantly frustrated by the streams of businesses that add me to their press releases, filling up both my e-mail account and my time.  I very much doubt that I am alone in finding this frustrating.

I’m not talking about those lovely PR’s who ask if I would mind being added to their mailing lists.  If I say yes, then I really am happy to get them.  If I say yes, it’s because I like the brand, the PR, or the SEO who asked and I’d love to see your press releases to decide if I’d like to use them on my blog.

Rant over.

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Soup Maker Recipe: Vegetable and Lentil Soup

Lesley Smith

Soup Maker Vegetable and Lentil Soup

4 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 21 minutes
Total Time 31 minutes
Servings: 4 -6
Course: Soup
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 500 g Mixed Vegetables I used Potatoes, Carrot and Turnip
  • 50 g Lentils
  • 1 clove Garlic
  • 1 teaspoon Cinnamon Spice
  • 1 Stock Pot
  • 1 pinch Salt
  • 1 pinch Pepper
  • 800 ml Vegetable Stock

Method
 

  1. As simple as can be. Just throw all your ingredients into the pot.

  2. Set your soup maker to the smooth setting. As this soup cools, it will thicken a fair bit. It depends if you'd rather make it and eat it fresh, or wait until it has thickened and then re-heat it.

  3. Season with other herbs or spices if you'd like a stronger taste.

 

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Soup Maker Club

Soups have begun to take over the blog.  I know a fair few of you visit, just for the soups.  I see many of you subscribing after reading soup posts, but if you’re just after soup recipes, you might not want to read lots of my other posts, articles and sometimes, even my rants over nothing much in particular, but things that bother me at that specific moment.  I’m very happy for you to stay subscribing to all posts here, but if you just want soups, smoothies and shakes, I’ve created a place for those to go.

I plan to keep soups I’ve made and photographed on the Scottish Mum blog, but for those of you who don’t want to read everything else, I’ve started a soup maker recipe specific blog.   All the recipes from here will be added, and there will be lots more recipes, particularly ones I’ve made, but have not got round to photographing.  For those, I might use a stock picture or just no picture at all, but rest assured, every one that makes on on this blog and on the Soup Maker Club and posted by me, will have been cooked up by my trusty Morphy Richards.

The new website won’t just be limited to a soup maker.  The plan is to enjoy soups of all kinds, from a pot, to bubbling in a tin over a camp fire, or even thrown into the microwave.  If you’ve got an unusual way of cooking soup, then I’d love to hear it from you and feature your own recipes over there.

Soupmaker club

All you have to do, is head over to soupmaker.club to find me over there.   Sign up to join the club, and instead of being sent each new recipe as it arrives, I’ll send you a digest of weekly or monthly news, including new recipes on the blog and posts, giving you the choice whether to check them out or not.

If you want to add your own recipes for the soupmaker club, just send them to me, or use the form on the website.  I can’t see my soupmaker being used any less than it is now, well not for the rest of my own life, so I’m hoping to build an impressive backlog of soups for us all to enjoy.

Thanks for listening and for the ongoing support of my readers, as without you, there would be no blog.

Lesley

x

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The House of Fraser Bloggers Recipe Book & My Cheese and Tomato Quiche Recipe

The House of Fraser have been doing some sterling work with bloggers recently.  We much appreciate the time and effort gone into what they do while they work with us.  I’m delighted to show you the results of my recipe in their fabulous book.

I chose one of my recipes that is easy to make and even easier to eat.  Quiche is one of the most undercooked dishes around, and that’s not because people don’t like it.  It’s more to do with it being a pastry dish, and just the thought of cooking pastry, hardens the heart of most home cooks who are trying to make a meal on a budget or within a time constraint.

For me, shortcrust pastry is the one I will make at home.  I know some cooks who will go all out and make their own puff pastry, but that’s one step too far for me.  I like to keep things simple.  For this recipe, I’ve let you off easy, with the option to buy your own, as I begin the process from rolling the dough.

House of Fraser Blogger Recipe Book 1

My recipe is on pages 40 – 45.  I’m delighted with the result and my book stands in pride of place on my bookshelf.  It’s not every day you see one of your recipes in print.

House of Fraser Blogger Recipe Book 2

 

House of Fraser Blogger Recipe Book 3

So here it is, my simple recipe for Cheese and Tomato Quiche.

Cheese & Tomato Quiche Recipe

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Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 700 g Shortcrust Pastry
  • 250 g Cherry Tomatoes Cut Into Thirds
  • 500 g Mild Cheddar Cheese Grated
  • 12 Eggs
  • 200 ml Milk

Method
 

  1. Taking the dough out of the fridge, flour a surface so that you can roll out the dough to the shape you need. For 8 small dishes, I break my dough into two equal sections, break each of those into two again and then once again half each piece until I have 8 equal sized portions. Set your oven to 160-170C.
  2. I use my rolling pin to roll the dough to a slightly larger size than I need for my flan dishes. I used to butter the dish before putting my pastry in, but now I have more professional baking tins, the ones I use for my flans (which came from tesco) don’t need greased before cooking, but I often still spray on some one cal spray or oven release spray.
  3. I plop my rolled out piece of dough in the flan dish, press around the bottom and the top, which takes the excess dough off the tin. I'm never precise with this and sometimes have to take some bits that overlap off the top and fill in any gaps. You won't notice it when your flan is cooked.
  4. Fill the flan dishes equally with the cheese and half the chopped tomatoes.
  5. Break your eggs into a jug and add the milk. Beat the egg and milk together until it is fully mixed.
  6. Fill each flan dish to about half an inch from the top with the egg/milk mix, and push the rest of the tomatoes into the top.
  7. Bake in the oven for 20 - 30 minutes, or until the flans don't wobble if you shake the tray. The tops should be a lovely golden colour. When you take them out of the oven, the flans will have risen in the middle, approximately an inch or two high. They will flatten down after a few minutes out of the oven, and look more like shop bought quiche looks.
  8. Serve hot, or put them in the fridge when they are cool, to eat cold on another day.

 

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Soup Maker Recipe: Cream of Aubergine and Butter Bean Soup

Keeping Aubergine Soup simple isn’t as easy as it looks.  The sponge like texture ensures you need to work fast, or it may discolour more quickly than you expect.  Leave peeling your Aubergines till last (or Egg Plants for those across the water).

For this version, I wanted to make it without much preparation, so I went for a can of butter beans that was in my cupboard and fast approaching its sell by date.  It’s as good an excuse to make up a soup as any.  Finished with pink peppercorns on the top, this looked lovely on the table.

Lesley Smith

Soup Maker: Cream of Aubergine and Butter Bean Soup (Egg Plant)

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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 21 minutes
Total Time 31 minutes
Servings: 4 -6
Course: Soup
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 500 g Aubergine Egg Plant (Cut into smallish cubes)
  • 200 g Butter Beans
  • 1 Vegetable Stock Pot
  • 1 Herb Flavour Pot
  • 150 ml Fresh Cream (Single or Double)
  • 700 ml Boiling Water Approximately ((or up to your maximum fill level - it could be less than this due to springiness of the Aubergine))

Method
 

  1. As simple as it can be. Just add all the ingredients to the pot, choose your setting and put your feet up for around 20 - 30 minutes..
  2. Be careful with liquid here. You can only fill your maker to its maximum fill lever, which could be less than the ingredients in my recipe needed. Check your appliance. Aubergine soaks up liquid like a sponge, so you need to be extra careful.
  3. For this version, I first selected the chunky option, to ensure there was no explosion if the Aubergine swelled up when boiled. Thankfully, it all worked out fine and I could blend it afterwards. You know your own soupmaker, so choose the option that suits you.

 

 

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Soup Maker Recipe: Curried Parsnip and Spring Onion Soup

I find parsnips to be a bit blah on their own.  Ok, so they’re not so bad when they’re roasted, but if I’m making soup, I don’t have time for that, so the addition of herbs or spices is needed here, for it to be palatable.

This version of curried parsnip soup relies on sauteed spring onions to bring out a great taste that compliments the parsnips themselves.  Remember, you can also make these in a pot, but might need some extra liquid due to boil off that doesn’t happen in a soup maker.  Also remember to stir well.  If you’d rather not have a green tinge to your soup, leave out the spring onion stems and add more bulbs or onions.

Lesley Smith

Soup Maker Recipe: Curried Parsnip and Spring Onion Soup

5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 21 minutes
Total Time 31 minutes
Servings: 4 -6
Course: Soup
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 100 g Spring Onions Chopped. I also use the green stems.
  • 100 g White Onions Chopped
  • 500 g Parsnips Peeled and Chopped
  • 1 Vegetable Stock Pot
  • 1 Curry Stock Pot (or use 2 teaspoons of curry powder)
  • 900 ml Water Or up to the 1.6 Litre fill level.
  • 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
  • Salt and Pepper To Taste.
  • Crushed Chillies To Serve. If you dare..

Method
 

  1. Saute your spring onions and white onions in the olive oil, vegetable stock pot and curry stock pot until the onions are soft.
  2. Add the onions, parsnips and water to your soup maker.
  3. Select the smooth setting for a rich soup. Optionally, you can add some cream after cooking for a more luxurious soup.

Curried Parsnip and Spring Onion 2

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Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

Chicken enchiladas are a great way of getting some protein into children, by the chicken and cheese, but for me, I wanted to add a little more veg, so the passata was added as a base, and to spoon over the dish.

Instead of finger food, it does take a knife and fork to eat while it’s hot, unless you’re happy to have tomatoey fingers spreading the red stuff everywhere, though as a cold snack, it’s fabulous finger food.

Chicken Enchiladas

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Servings: 12
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 500 g Passata
  • 1 Medium - Large Chicken Pre-cooked and cut up or Shredded.
  • 500 g Cheddar Cheese Grated
  • pinch Parsley
  • Coriander
  • Pepper
  • 200 g Sour Cream or Sour Cream and Onion Dip
  • 100 g Onions Chopped

Method
 

  1. Pre Heat the oven to around 350 degrees F or 175 degrees C.
  2. Pre-Cook your chicken in a pan until cooked through. Add onions, sour cream, half the cheese, some parsley, coriander, pepper and chilli powder to the pan. Cook until the cheese melts into the mixture.
  3. Use a large baking dish, layering the bottom with tomato passata. Lay you tortilla's out, so that you get two with each tortilla wrap. Fill each one with mixture, then arrange in your baking dish, on top of the passata. Use a spatula or teaspoon to spoon some passata over the top.
  4. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top of the enchiladas and bake for 20 minutes.

 

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Soup Maker Recipe: Budget Chicken Noodle Soup

Have you ever gone to your cupboard when you can’t be bothered shopping, or you’re in a hurry and no time to get anything, but have some hungry mouths to feed.  This recipe is more or less down to the kids loving noodles, but not having any fresh in the house.

Feel free to change the potatoes with any other veg you happen to have handy in your cupboard.  Granted, this isn’t the prettiest soup on the planet, but it is like having a full meal in a bowl.

Lesley Smith

Soup Maker Recipe: Budget Chicken Noodle Soup 1.6 Litres

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 28 minutes
Total Time 38 minutes
Servings: 4 -6
Course: Soup
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 packet Chicken Noodles Approximately 85g
  • 1 Chicken Stock Cube
  • 250 g Cubed Potatoes
  • 200 g Pre-Cooked Chicken Shredded
  • 1 Dessert spoon Flour
  • 1 l Boiling Water

Method
 

  1. Open your pack of instant noodles and break them up as you put them into your soupmaker.
  2. Add the cubed potatoes, stock cubes and the pack of flavouring from your noodles. Put the chicken in, then stir in the litre of boiling water. Make sure you do not overfill your own machine if it is different from mine.
  3. Choose a chunky setting for a bowlful that looks like a casserole, or blend it for a smooth version.

 

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Car That Fits A Wheelchair in the Boot. How Hard Can It Be?

Well, we’ve been at it for nearly a year now, this manipulating an unsteady person anywhere she needs to go.  It’s been a full year since my mother had the first of two nasty infections, from which she’s never fully recovered.

What did change, was her brain.  Damaged, and with significant vascular changes.  Her physical strength and arthritis has deteriorated to such an extent, that she finds it difficult and painful to walk more than a very short distance.  Over the last year, her short term memory had diminished significantly and her confidence to go out is totally shot.

From someone who ‘had’ to go out at least once a day, I’m lucky if I can get her out of the house once a month.  It’s not good for her, and it’s not good for me being trapped in the house so much, only being able to leave her for spells that rivalled elderly dog ownership, as her insulin levels have to be checked regularly.  She’s not safe with medication or her insulin on her own, and if she takes a  hypo, there would be no-one to help her.  She cannot manage her testing kit for herself.

Where I thought I’d have an easy time, was finding a wheelchair friendly car, that would also double as our family car.  Both our cars are on the way out.  The Discovery has given up the ghost and she can’t get up and into it now. anyway, so it would have to go, even if it was still behaving itself.  It’s beside the point that it’s leaking water and the electrics are dodgy.

The man could fix it, but he’s never got the time and he won’t pay for someone else to do what he can do, so it’s at stalemate.  I do love the Discovery, but if it were garage maintained, we’d need a whole new mortgage to keep it up.

Wheelchair

We also have an old Vauxhall family car that has a fault somewhere that keeps draining the battery.  The fix would likely cost far more than the car is worth.  I do need a car that doesn’t need jumpstarted every second day, and I’d like to find the information I’m looking for online, but it’s harder than it looks.  I did consider a Vauxhall Insignia, but they’re too low for her to get in and out of.

All I want is a car that will take a bog standard manual wheelchair, one that’s not too low so that I don’t break my back getting her in and out, and not too high, so that I have to lift her in either.  Oh yes, I also need to fit 5 people in the car, and I don’t want to pay a fortune in road tax every year, nor pay a whack on customising a family car.

I also can’t face the Citreon Berlingo, nor the boxy cars.  It’s my car.  I know we all have different ideas of what is nice and what’s not, but I don’t want to saddle myself with what I see as a horrible looking car, just because I need one that fits a wheelchair in the boot.  Selfish, maybe, but it’s my money, and I should be able to spend it on something that suits our family, not something we’re stuck with because there’s nothing else.

Can I find the information I need online?  Perhaps I’m looking in the wrong places.

There’s a large proportion of the population who need wheelchairs, so I can’t believe how difficult it is to find out if a car boot can take one.  You’d think with the money spent on advertising and lovely glossy brochures, that there would be something in them.  A line somewhere that gave an indication of suitability for wheelchairs.  Yes, I can see boot dimensions, but given the angle of some boots, they can look big enough in theory, but if it narrows in the wrong place, a wheelchair won’t fit in, and I’d like to carry some shopping at times too.

Before I go to look at a car, I want to know it will fit the wheelchair, otherwise I’m stuck to lugging the thing around with me and taking it out at every car dealership, which is a pretty daft way of going shopping.  Why do they mention cup holders, bluetooth connection, seat warmers, and neglect to add a pretty basic feature?  Perhaps wheelchairs just aren’t sexy enough, or, as I said before, I’m looking in the wrong places, but if I am, then shouldn’t it be easier to find the right places?

I will say though, that I do like the look of the hybrids.  I’m tempted to look for a Toyota Prius, or the smaller ones along those lines.  I did consider the Nissan Leaf, but the driving range would drive me round the bend, though guess what…I don’t know if they’re worth looking at, as I don’t know if a wheelchair will fit in the boot……..and I can’t be bothered going to find out.

I may just pick up a banger from the car mart to tide me over,  because I can’t decide, and don’t have time to visit dozens of showrooms to find out.

Have a good day all, and hope you all stay safe in the windy weather.

If you like this article, check out the post on helping to empower senior drivers.