#oneweek Yellow submarine

A square peg in a round hole, just three inches too long. Sprawling across the greedily, relegating play into big sister's room and toys abandoned downstairs adding to the general chaos. Eccentricities are charming in people but unacceptable in furniture.

Frustrated I commandeered a pencil and paper during a play date to try and reconcile the difficulties of a small room bright fish swimming across the curtains.




The quick sketch was followed by painfully stalled progress. I googled and ebay-ed until my eyes went boggle finding the perfect accessories: fish for the seaweed, sheets for the bed, a dog toy for the porthole (honest, I had limited budget but creativity to spare).

Before the winter was over we created space - and a very cool yellow submarine too.





Inspired as ever, by the amazing @older-mum and her #oneweek look back at this winter.

#oneweek Miracle mirepoix

I love the seasons, I love the smell of winter, I love the first few weeks of chunky soups and warming stews. Then I remember that it is not called the hungry season for nothing. Each week I dive for the veg box and am left slightly uninspired. Celery, carrots and onions again!

Faced with that end of the week issue of nothing in the fridge to eat, but the veg box looks stuffed with rather sad looking produce, I got stubborn. I will not be beaten, I can eat seasonally!

I blitzed all the carrots, celery, leaks and onions into submission. Take that, I thought.





Serenaded by radio 6 music or charmed by radio 4 the next step was to switch off to the world for half an hour and slowly charm the sweetness from the blend with long slow cooking. Gently, gently, stirring, not rushing just waiting until the sharpness is gone and all that is left is a pan full of the sweetest base for the next weeks recipes.




Some to use and some to freeze. It is easy to slop into a pan and you are half there to sumptuous tomato sauce, a healthy soup or a decadent game pie. My dreary harvest has been turned into a miracle ingredient. Pasta in minutes, giving me more time to flop besides the fire and get creative.

I challenge you, batch up some mirepoix for the freezer, you will be grateful! The other recommendation is the other posts inspired by the amazing @older-mum's #oneweek linky.

World book day - hat creation

The Pickle loves Pippi Longstocking! They can guarantee hours of filthy giggles, so naturally she is the first choice of costume for World Book Day. The outfit is pretty easy, a demon pinafore has been found on eBay and a few red patches need to be sew on and we are half way there. She wears odd stockings so I am cutting off the leg from a pair of grey school tights (the one with the whole in the knee, so no loss there) and the single leg tights will go over a pair of red and white striped tights.







Rather than an itchy wig I have orange hair spray and a few pipe cleaners to hand to get that characteristic look, then all we have to do is make the shoes. Rather than lending her big shoes that she will fall over I can just make a point from some soft foam sheet and tape it to her school shoes.





So far so easy, so time to go flying over the top and the excuse for a rough and ready hat tutorial (suitable only for fancy dress). Yes, Mr Nilsson must look cool!











Start by finding something that is roughly the right shape for the desired hat in my case a shallow plastic bowl, then tape it onto a wooden base and over with cling film.

















I had some hessian left over from another project to I cut out a few large circles and soaked them in some pva glue thinned slightly with a little water. (This is why this is for fancy dress only - but it is quicker than steaming smd stretching the material into submission).













Drape both layers over the base shape that you have created. Pop a few pin in to make sure that it stays in position. They slide in with a little encouragement under between the lip of the bowl and the wooden board. Then allow to dry, I put mine in a warm oven as it cooled down from some baking.











Once dry you can paint. Spray paint works best but I was doing this project from anything I could find around the house and it still worked well. Just to finish it off nicely when the paint was dry I ironed it all flat and neat using a tea towel to protect both the iron and the hat.











I could just have trimmed off the extra material, but I wanted a better finish so using a large stab stitch I finished the brim with a little white bias binding. Finally I stitched a thin ribbon around the crown. I pulled the ribbon taut as I went along, just sewing the hat into a more permanent shape, and added a little elastic to keep the hat on the monkey. Doesn't he look fine?


I hope I have inspired you to give it a go, there is still plenty of time before Friday. Xx

Redish Redish

I stepped outside Stepford Valley and my pulse quickened. It was the allure of the fluorescent strip lights and lurid packaging that made me giddy, the promise of five pommegranates for a pound having tempted over the threshold. Restraint is not really my thing, but I escaped with just plantain, fine Turkish pastry, an impressively fresh looking naan bread, a psueudo Bombay mix (but with zero cholesterol, apparently) and the pomegranates.

Choosing the bread was no mean feat - I could have gone for fresh pitta, a bread that would have doubled as a table cloth or the naan. For some reason I don't find making naan as comforting and satisfying as pitta nor my result so spectacular so naan it was.

I have recently bought some dried shrimp so along with the plantain I was inspired by the delicious Ghanaian stew red red. Admittedly the dried shrimp is non essential but the red palm oil and black eyed beans are, neither of which I had, so any resemblance is purely fleeting.

Redish Redish recipe





1 can chickpeas
1 can kidney beans
1 can tomatoes / a spoon of concentrated tomato puree, some decent veg stock and a small carton of passata (that is what I had, but a can of tomatoes sounds less random and the effect will be very similar).
1 medium onion, finely sliced
1 desert spoon dried shrimp (optional)
1 teaspoon paprika
1 large pinch cayenne
1 teaspoon cinnamon (I love the sweet richness it brings)
1/2 inch of fresh ginger
1/2 a sweet pepper (red, orange or yellow)
1/2 lt veg stock

–-----

Start by sweating the onions in a pan, meanwhile blitz the spices, sweet pepper, dried shrimp and a little of the stock into a paste. When the onions are soft and almost translucent add the spice paste. turn up and cook for a minute of so, tasking care that is does not catch.

Next add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 10 mins. Slice and fry the plantain and serve with flat bread. Enjoy!

Silent Sunday

Location:Duvet bound

Whatever gets you through

When I gave up smoking my mantra was 'the only thing that a ciggie does is make you want the next one' and despite a few erm... forgetful occasions in thirteen years I have not started again.

This weekend i had a tricky day. I say 'tricky' and by that I mean one of the most emotionally raw and hurtful days since my dad died but you know what, fuck it, I survived with my dignity intact (despite that little incident where my bra proved a little insubstantial).


That morning I felt my dad's words echo through to me:

'it is not in the good times, but in the tough times when you prove your worth'.

True, he never said that to me, but the words seemed apt and by imagining his gravitas I clung onto the sentiment like a life raft.


I blimin hate homilies like 'what does not kill you makes you stronger'. Platitudes vomited by the likes of hallmark trip too easily from a vacant brain, but sometimes a well chosen mantra can be a great crutch.

As the snubs and shit flew I held my head high. The more vicious the more I smiled and outwardly rose above it. I can't imagine climbing Everest is a laugh a minute but reaching the summit remains an aspiration for generations, in the same way the day was shit but maintaining my dignity and my humanity was something that can define me forever as a decent human being.

I am not cross, I am sad that someone is so sad or confused as to lash out. I dearly hope that they find the help they need. I am moving on - licking my wounds and devising a way to avoid more shit flying my way.

The other saying that also came to mind was
'Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die.' Malachy McCourt.

New years' resolutions? Probably should be the same as last year's: loose weight, blog more often and stop haemorrhaging money. yeah, yeah! When the going gets tough, what gets you going?

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Pumpkin soup

Monday and I was already messing with my meal plan! Normally I love a chunky mixed veg stoup but analysing the remains if my veg box and all I could see was gourd! Butternut squash, an unite tidied refugee from the veg patch, a dense looking green pumpkin and an orange number fit for a fair tale carriage.

To avoid the bland I normally chop and sweat onions and root veg, but running short of time I had to simplify. A few quick chops later and they were all ready to have their flavour bolstered by a thorough roasting!





Into the oven with a few onions scattered on top at around 175' for around 45 mins and they come out packing a punch!





In a large pan I added some cumin seeds then plenty of freshly grated ginger and a little paprika (I could have added chili flakes but keeping mild is a.tad more child friendly). After a few mins I could scoop in the pumpkin flesh, add a can of coconut milk, some stock and salt and pepper and then it is ready to be blitzed with the stick blender.

I am never precise with measurements, but about a cm ginger and 1/4 teaspoon of cumin per cup of pumpkin gives you a good idea. I add as much stock as necessary to make the soup a nice creamy consistency (single cream not whipped cream that is).





Serve with little crime fraiche / goats cheese and chilli sauce and it is delicious!




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