A nothing day...

...today. Well, not entirely nothing. First there was swimming (yes I know I'm not supposed to take pictures, what can I say? I'm a rule breaker - recognise anyone? No, didn't think so). The girls both successfully completed their levels and were happy.

I sat under a tree and read while they swam (that's the tree not me).

As we left we stopped at the kiosk to buy a celebratory ice cream. I noticed that they had Monaco Bars, something Cathy has been blogging about here, here and also here. So I thought 'ok, I'm going to get one of those and see what all the fuss is about'.

Now I can see why people mounted a petition to bring back the Monaco Bar...and kudos to Nestle who listened to their customers and brought it back. All I can say is that it's a good job I didn't discover the kiosk had them on day 1 of swimming lessons.

Oh and it's very hot today.

The end.

Are you still full?

.....or did you have Christmas pudding for breakfast this morning?

Today...

..nothing interesting ('is there ever?' I hear you ask). Only cleaning, tidying, organising and sorting. I love organising and sorting and today it was my office that got the special treatment. Not finished yet, but it feels different, and better, already.

I also did some cooking, which, you may recall, I don't enjoy doing at all (don't follow that second link Dave, it's the needle-in-eyes post that upset your sore point).

Tom is now mowing the lawns and trying to finish before nightfall so he can call it done and not have to get the mower out again tomorrow.

The girls put on a combination puppet show/play for us this afternoon, about 15 minutes in they admitted they hadn't planned the story, it was all ad lib and they had no idea where the plot was going. After some gentle encouragement to keep going but for the love of God not too long (I didn't really say that - not to their faces anyway) there was another 15 minutes of aimlessness and it all ended happily ever after. Thank goodness.

Now we're going to settle in for evening, watch something entertaining (I hope) and eat that soup I made. Assuming it's edible. There's no guarantee and seeing as I burnt the first batch it's touch and go really.

Productive

Today I went grocery shopping. With two children. Half way through I stopped and stuck needles in my eyes to ease the pain of shopping with children. I said 'no you can't have it' about 3,624 times and returned approximately 94 items to the shelves - things like sugary cereals, biscuits, Coca Cola, various toys and some Shrek stickers that hopeful little hands had optimistically placed in the trolley. Then I stood in line awaiting the privilege of having a surly checkout assistant put my shopping through. Then I handed over a sum close to the gross domestic product of a small country and struggled to the car with my trolley load and came home - only to have to unpack it all. That was my morning.

This afternoon I had a bit of a cook-a-thon. I loathe cooking, it digusts me, I hate handling food and am quite repulsed by it being on my hands as I prepare it. The actual work of cooking bores me, it's tedious and repetitive and I'm not keen on sharp knives. In my single days I lived quite happily on omelettes or peanut butter on toast and and a glass of white wine. Nowadays, as a mother, I feel I should at least attempt to prepare meals for my offspring. So I cook. Ironically Tom loves to cook....adores it, is delighted to spend an afternoon puttering in the kitchen, unfortunately he never has time to do that so it's left to me. The one who hates doing it. Have I mentioned how I loathe it?

To make my life easier I try to get a lot done at once, sort of getting it over with. I cook in bulk and freeze things. So apart from those meals that can only be cooked straight before eating, like steak or fish etc, I have some evenings where all I have to do is prepare the accompaniments. I don't always work this way - I'm not that organised, but it is my preferred mode of food preparation and I try to do it when I can. Today I could, so I did. I made a curry, chilli and a pasta sauce - I did double batches of everything. Tomorrow I'm going to make soup.

It was horrible, but it's done.

To cheer myself I cleaned up the computer. I backed everything up, saved stuff to discs and USBs, deleted a bunch of stuff I don't need any more. Burned some recently purchased music and got to work. I did a disc clean and a defrag and sorted out my autostarts. It feels all fresh and nice. I enjoyed that.

So today I was productive. At times resentful, but always productive.

Some nonsense about food

So here we have a 'little' quiz about stuff we've eaten. Feel free to join in if you'd like to, here's what you do......

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.

2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.

3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating. (I can't be bothered with all the HTML in crossing out so I'll just put a little * if I'd never eat it).

4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at http://www.verygoodtaste.co.uk/ linking to your results.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred (remember I'm not a meat eater any more but many of these things I've eaten in the past):

1. Venison - No. For reasons entirely my own deer are sacred to me and I would never eat venison.

2. Nettle tea - Yep.

3. Huevos rancheros - I'm not a huge fan of Mexican food, so no.

4. Steak tartare - yes.

5. Crocodile - I have indeed.

6. Black pudding - OMG, yes! YUM!!! I miss it so.

7. Cheese fondue - Yes, I don't see what all the fuss is about. I find it a bit soggy and icky.

8. Carp - Yeah. Meh.

9. Borscht - Yes, I love it.

10. Baba ghanoush - I loathe aubergine.

11. Calamari - Delicious if it's cooked properly.

12. Pho* - No, it's a bit fatty for my taste

13. PB&J sandwich - Of course!

14. Aloo gobi - Indian food is one of my favourites and we are fortunate to live within walking distance of a great Indian restaurant and a short drive from the most fantastic Indian restaurant outside India. So yes, I've eaten aloo gobi

15. Hot dog from a street cart - Not from a street cart, no. I have had hot dogs though and liked them despite the fact I know they're made from arses and eyeballs.

16. Epoisses* - Boozy cheese, what a joy - but sadly, too stinky.

17. Black truffle - Oh yes I have and I want to try the Tasmanian ones.

18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes - Yes, with varying enjoyment.

19. Steamed pork buns* - Not a fan of pig meat of any kind really.

20. Pistachio ice cream - Yes.

21. Heirloom tomatoes - God yes, the best tomatoes EVER!

22. Fresh wild berries - Hasn't everyone?

23. Foie gras - Look, I have tried it (I spent a lot of time in France a few years back) but I'm not proud of the fact, I kind of object. I'll never eat it again.

24. Rice and beans - Not this kind no, but I'm willing.

25. Brawn or head cheese - Well yes, I'm Scottish, we eat stuff like this. What can I say?

26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper* - Despite loving Indian food I don't like too much heat and I really don't eat chilli.

27. Dulce de leche - No, but it's sweet so I'd like it.

28. Oysters - Yes, I like oysters.

29. Baklava - Yes - sweet again.

30. Bagna cauda - Not yet.

31. Wasabi peas - Here's a thing....I don't like (spicy) hot food but I do love horseradish, I haven't had wasabi peas but I do eat wasabi and I would eat these.

32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl - Sadly no, but I'd like to (except for the whole being a vegetarian thing).

33. Salted lassi - I love lassi, but don't think I've had salted.

34. Sauerkraut - yes, very nice.

35. Root beer float - Not root beer, no.

36. Cognac with a fat cigar - I've had cognac with a slim cigar - does that count?

37. Clotted cream tea - OH YES!!! But not for a long time - sob - homesick again.

38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O - I really must make this.

39. Gumbo - Probably not the genuine one, but a variation.

40. Oxtail - Soup only, but yes.

41. Curried goat - Yes, goat is very good - I prefer it to lamb, at least I would if I ate meat.

42. Whole insects* - You know, greedy as I am even I draw the line here.

43. Phaal* - Too hot for me.

44. Goat’s milk - Yes.

45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more - Absolutely.

46. Fugu* - No, this frightens me.

47. Chicken tikka masala - YUM!

48. Eel* - I just can't.

49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut - Yes (thanks Shaun).

50. Sea urchin* - No. Can't.

51. Prickly pear* - Never had the opportunity and not sure I care.

52. Umeboshi - These are the strangest little things, I've had them a couple of times and also tried them during pregnancy because someone told me they were good for morning sickness. A Japanese student of mine used to snack on them all the time. Salty and weird but not revolting. Oh and they did nothing for my morning sickness.

53. Abalone - Yes, Tom went snorkelling one morning when we were at the beach house and he brought me one back (probably illegally). He cooked it up that night in butter and garlic. It was ok. Not unpleasant but once again I don't really see what all the fuss is about.

54. Paneer - Yes, I like this.

55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal - Oh the shame. Yes, yes I have. Crap food, crap company.

56. Spaetzle - No, I haven't had spaetzle yet.

57. Dirty gin martini - Martini yes, dirty gin martini - I don't think so. Is it better?

58. Beer above 8% ABV - I do believe I have, I recall Tom bringing home a beer and making a great noise over the percentage - it meant nothing to me but the fact I can't remember it may be telling.

59. Poutine - No, I certainly did the chips and gravy in my younger days - usually in the high street at about 3am - but I'm not sure this is appealing to me.

60. Carob chips - Carob - pshaw!!

61. S’mores - No, I hear they're good though.

62. Sweetbreads* - Funny....I don't really fancy these.

63. Kaolin - No, but as a child I used to chew the pink stuff off the heads of matches. I knew I wasn't supposed to because I would hide and do it. I don't think it was related to any strange eating disorder like pica or geophagy I just liked the taste. I don't do it anymore.

64. Currywurst* - Pork again, no.

65. Durian - Nope, never tried it.

66. Frogs’ legs - Yes, many times. Very good they are too.

67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake - Beignets, in France, yes I have.

68. Haggis - Well duh.

69. Fried plantain - No, but I will.

70. Chitterlings, or andouillette* - One word. Pig.

71. Gazpacho - Love it.

72. Caviar and blini - Yes.

73. Louche absinthe - Unfortunately not. And as the modern versions have reduced hallucinogenic qualities I won't bother. But if they ever bring back the thujone.......

74. Gjetost, or brunost - No I haven't tried this.

75. Roadkill* - I'd have to be pretty hungry.

76. Baijiu - No. It sounds.....interesting.

77. Hostess Fruit Pie - Fruit pies....many, Hostess? No.

78. Snail - Yes. Not keen, can't get the snailiness out of my head.

79. Lapsang souchong - Yes. Not a favourite though.

80. Bellini - Now you're talking.

81. Tom yum - Yep.

82. Eggs Benedict - Love these.

83. Pocky - You know I have had these....Japanese student again.

84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant. - Not a degustation no.

85. Kobe beef - No.

86. Hare - No. In Celtic mythology hares represent the Goddess. Eating them just seems wrong.

87. Goulash - Sure.

88. Flowers - Yes.

89. Horse - No.

90. Criollo chocolate - So much chocolate, so little time.

91. Spam - It's been a long time but yes. Again with the arses and eyeballs.

92. Soft shell crab - Not soft shell no.

93. Rose harissa* - No. Hot. Yikes!

94. Catfish* - No. Too whiskery.

95. Mole poblano - Guacamole but no others.

96. Bagel and lox - Yup! Yum!

97. Lobster Thermidor - Yes.

98. Polenta - Yes, we have this occasionally. I'm indifferent to polenta.

99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee - Oooooh yes. I love coffee nearly as much as chocolate especially this one.

100. Snake - I haven't. But for some reason given the choice between snake and eel I'd rather eat snake. I don't know why.

Well now you know some more stuff about me. Fascinating and enigmatic aren't I?

Sometimes....

....pale pink cupcakes are the only thing that will get you through a rainy afternoon.

Because unfortunately Vodka is pretty much out of the question when you have children in your charge.

Eclectic Sundays

Today Hannah I watched the Transformers movie. It was my choice. Because when it comes to sci-fi, vampires, zombies and robots I have the mentality of a 14 year old boy. I have no idea how this happened and no, it doesn't clash at all with my equal love of Shakespeare, Jane Austen and anything to do with The Crusades. It's just all part of the rich tapestry that is ME.

So we watched Transformers and I spent the rest of the morning striding around saying 'I AM OPTIMUS PRIME' in my best deep, robotic voice.

Once I was over that we completely changed pace and made potato scones. Kathyann sent me a parcel with, among other things, a couple of books of Scottish recipes (because I was complaining of homesickness). Today I introduced my children to more 'food of their heritage'.

Their Scottish blood flows so strongly that they loved them and wolfed down several in one sitting. Of course the other half of their heritage is equally strong and there was nothing I could do to stop this...

Now in case anyone is wondering if I am gradually turning this into a food blog, don't worry, it will never happen. I will from time to time display examples of things I make. This is due more to the fact that I hate to cook, so when I do cook I want it recorded for posterity. I have no desire to pretend I'm Delia Smith nor any delusions about the results of my efforts. I really loathe cooking, I do it because I have to feed my children and occasionally I want to eat.

Tom finds this completely bewildering because I watch TV cooking shows like there's no tomorrow. Hannah and I settle down a couple of times a week to watch the likes of Nigella, Rick Stein and Maggie and Simon . Everyone must be quiet and I must not be disturbed while I watch. Last night Tom was talking about this strange phenomenon. He insisted that I must like something about cooking because I love those shows so much. Then I realised what it was, it isn't about food or cooking or even eating. It's about watching someone create something. I also like to watch Star Portraits and I'm willing to tolerate Rolf Harris because I love to see the paintings being created, I like watching Grand Designs to see some amazing houses being designed and built. I have many different outlets for my own creativity but it doesn't mean I don't enjoy seeing what other people do, and really I'd much rather it was them than me slaving over a hot stove, painting some stroppy celebrity or stressing over the budget and time constraints of a new build.

Harrods tea, better than sex (almost)

I love tea. I could probably leave this post at that really, but perhaps not.

My in-laws recently went off travelling and among the many, many things they brought us back was a tin of Harrods morning blend tea. It's fantastic, we've been rationing it to make it last but alas, it's nearly finished. I checked Harrods online and it's not available to order that way (except as part of a hamper) so I guess I'll have to wait until I'm next in London - although by then we'll all be wearing one piece space suits and tea will come in pill form.

So, inspired by this post over on my sister Moyra's blog I decided to honour the diminishing tea by using a nice cup. This cup belonged to my mum, I don't know that she used it very often either but Moyra's right, nice things should be used.

And the tea definitely tasted better from this cup.

**Oh and God knows what kind of traffic I'll get because this post has 'sex' in the title - tsk**

Poor neglected blog

It's been 8 days! EIGHT! Unbelievable. Why so slack I hear you ask? I don't know I reply.

Well ok, I have been busy with work, developing some business, working on the you-know-what and generally getting back into work mode after several months off. Here's some evidence in case you don't believe me...

Hmmm, not there yet but getting close. In some ways I'm quite proud of the fact that I managed to work this long without procrastinating by blogging instead. But I feel a bit bad that I ignored my blog.

I've also been busy receiving parcels from blog friends...well one parcel from one blog friend, Kathyann at Meg's Mum's Muffins read my homesick post and sent me all this....

So first on the agenda is potato scones this weekend while torturing entertaining the family with the Scottish accordion music. Actually the girls love it, Tom's suffers in silence, he knows the risks involved in marrying a Scottish woman - it's not all bagpipes and haggis. Thanks again Kathyann, oh.. and Aislin and I have reached an 'understanding' over the lavendar bag.

We are also enjoying our abundant crop of tomatoes. We have three varieties and they are all fantastic. We're getting a good dose of Vitamin C and Lycopene just now. There are so many we're going to have to start bottling sauce and making chutney soon. In the meantime lunch today was wholegrain toast with sliced 'just picked' tomato (still warm from the sun) with a sprinkling of Malden. Yum. It really is the simple things isn't it?

Let them eat cake

We had four children this weekend. I've previously mentioned the deal we have with Tom's brother and his wife where one month we have their boys for a weekend and the next month they take the girls. It's a win-win, every two months each couple has a whole weekend to themselves and the kids get to spend a weekend every month with their cousins. It's no hardship having the boys, the kids all play happily and pretty much entertain themselves (we keep the sugar to minimum* otherwise it starts to look a bit like Lord of the Flies). Then there's the added advantage that at the end of it we get to be grateful once more that we decided to stop at two.

This time we decided to have a lunch when the boys' parents (let's call them A & S to maintain their privacy) came to pick them up on Sunday. It's Tom's birthday this week so an early party seemed in order.

It was a hot day so we dusted off the Weber, set a table under the Willows and T cooked roast beef for the carnivores, we had Greek salad (using our own tomatoes and basil), a fabulous vegetable bake provided by A & S, some crusty bread and nice wine. I made Nigella's Quadruple Chocolate Loaf Cake for the birthday boy (on Hannah's request) and we all have a sugar high that it will take a week to come down from. Happy day.

Here's the evidence (deliberately obscured to protect privacy) just enjoy that dappled sunlight.

Here's the cake....looks pretty deadly on the outside doesn't it?

Check out the inside - yes it's meant to be as moist and gooey as that - the 'quadruple chocolate' is cocoa, dark chocolate chips, chocolate syrup poured over the cake so that it soaks in and dark chocolate pieces sprinkled over. Sugar overdose. Delicious sugar overdose.

I'd love to provide the recipe but it would be breach of copyright however I may or may not be able to provide it by to any one who emails me. For the law-abiding among you it's in this book.

Alternatively it might be a safer option for your blood sugar levels and your BMI to just bask in it's chocolatey glory vicariously through these pictures.....nah, make the cake (it's very, very easy).

* While we try to keep sugar to minimum over the weekend we are quite happy to sugar them up before sending them home. We're evil that way.

Sausage and scones

Sometimes I get homesick. For Scotland. Or for Britain really, all of it. And Ireland. Because really if you're living in Scotland the rest of the UK and Ireland is still your 'hood. And I love it all. It doesn't matter how much I like this country or how long I've been here or that (almost) everyone I love most in the world lives here too (except my sister Moyra - she's in America and that is a whole other painful post) I still find it hard to really think of this country as home. On one level of course I have a home here and I live in it happily with my Australian husband and children. But from the perspective of being in my 'own country' - I never feel as though I am. That is really difficult for some people to understand, but that's just how it is.

So....sometimes I get homesick. And now is one of those times. It's not pleasant, it's overwhelmingly, hopelessly miserable. I mope around for days humming 'Flower of Scotland' and torturing myself reading UK blogs and magazines and watching anything I can from the BBC on TV. Even if it's crap. Which it always most of the time quite often is. I make snow scenes from Ballachulish my wallpaper on the laptop. Then I start to crave foods. Yesterday it was sliced sausage and black pudding (both very vegan delicacies - ahem, a heart attack on a plate). Notice it even has it's own Wikipedia page - of course it has. The day before that I would have given my first born for a Tunnocks Tea cake - or better still a 6 pack of them (apparently they are a 'favourite of popstars Supergrass' - whoever the hell they are). Today it was soda scones. At least that one I could satisfy. Aislin and I got to work this afternoon and made some.

And of course there had to be tea - from Harrods because the right now the Coles stuff isn't cutting it.

They turned out ok.

But I'm still homesick.