Meal Planer Friday 2nd August -Thursday 8th August 2013

This weeks food update... James made a beautiful pavlova it was simply delicious!


Friday- Crab fish cakes and haddock goujoins, salad and new potatoes.

Saturday- Meal deal and pizza
A treat!!

Sunday- Gammon, mash potato, carrots and onion sauce.
Apple crumble and cream.

Monday- Shepard's pie and vegetables. I will see whats available at the fruit and veg shop.

Tuesday- Spicey sausage pasta and garlic bread slices - check the blog for recipe.

Wednesday- Pie and chips.

Thursday- Pasta - Arrabiatta sauce for the boys and cheese sauce for the girls and garlic bread.

Battenberg Cake

As the children are of on there holidays I like to encourage them to bake. Emma has chosen a Battenberg  cake, but James also helped to cook it.

You will need

100g (4oz) softened butter
100g (4oz) caster sugar
2 large eggs
50g ground rice
100g (4oz) self raising flour
1/2 level teaspoon of baking powder
A few drops of almond extract
Red food colouring

To finish-
3-4 tablespoons of apricot jam
225g (8oz) of marzipan or almond paste.


1- Pre-heat the oven 160C / Gas 3. Grease an 18cm (7") shallow square tin and line with baking parchment as shown below. Emma spotted this in the Great British Bake Off.

2- Measure the butter, sugar, eggs, ground rice, flour, baking powder and almond extract into a large bowl and beat for 2 minutes or until smooth.

3- spoon half the mixture into one side of the prepared tin case. Add a few drops of red food colouring to the mixture left in the bowl and stir in. Add this to the other half of the tin and smooth the top.

4- Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until the cake is well risen, springy to the touch and has shrunk slightly from the tins edge.
Leave to cool for a few minutes then turn out peel of parchment and cool on a wire rack.

 5- trim the edges of the cake and then cut them into four equal parts. You need 2 pink and 2 plain strips.
Gently warm the apricot jam in a small pan. Use the warmed jam to stick the four strips together to make a chequer board effect. Brush the top of the assembled cake with jam.

6- Roll out the marzipan or almond paste into a oblong the length of the cake. Add the jammed side cake to the marzipan or almond paste and brush the remaining sides with jam. Press the marzipan  or almond paste neatly around the cake arranging a join line in one if the edges. Score the top of the cake with a criss- cross pattern and crimp the edges with your fingers to finish.

Emma and James had great fun making this and also taking all the photos and they went!
The Batternberg........ it was delicious. 

Meal Planner 26th July - 1st August 2013

This weeks food update-- Last weeks extra food items included eggy bread made with local eggs and a Battenberg cake..post to follow



Friday- Fish cakes and potato wedges. Home made bread rolls.

Saturday- BBQ- burgers, sausages and salad.

Sunday- Roast chicken with lemon and herbs roast potatoes, stuffing  and vegetable's.

Monday- Sausages, mash and baked beans or sweet corn.

Tuesday- Chicken and vegetables on skewers on the BBQ and cous cous.

Wednesday- Curry, rice and naan bread.

Thursday- Pesto and pasta and garlic bread (our cheap night)

Eco Club By Emma

When I first started year 7 at my new secondary school I decided to join a club that looked after the garden that had newly been built in the 6 week holidays that we had before September.

 At first there was only me and one of my new friends that did it until about a month and a half ago when we gained a few new members.
 We have grown: onions, garlic, beans, potato, courgette, beetroot, strawberries, peas, a pear tree, lettuce, fennel, radish, spinach, carrots, parsley, tomatoes, pumpkin, squash and sweet corn!

I think that this club is a good idea because by teaching children how to grow their own food it saves money and its a skill that you can use in later life.

This club is especially good for my future because I want to be a chef or cake baker because I can use these skills for growing local produce to work with. Lately we have harvested most things but somethings we need to wait for until after the 6 weeks to harvest so they can grow to there full size and tastiness!

Pippa's Pizza

Some of you know me as @TISJOU on twitter. I've become a bit addicted to it over the years! It all started after my operation as company whilst recovering.

Last week one of the company's I follow posted a tweet to win a 12" pizza, but no ordinary pizza a chocolate pizza.

 We had to message Pippa on twitter with why we wanted to win! At that point I just knew! What a better way than to say well done to Emma and James on their last years achievements. Operations, league winners at football and tournaments and no other than pure hard work at school doing both Simon and I very proud.

A week later I found out it was us that had won. The kids were ecstatic as I hadn't even told them I'd entered! So after a few e-mails the choice had to be made.
  Which 3 toppings the children wanted. There are a few to choose from...

The children decided on Ferrero  Roche, white chocolate buttons and Crunchie.. I e-mailed Pippa straight away... To which she replied an offer the kids couldn't refuse to have half of the pizza to be Belgian chocolate and half white pizza!! They both agreed!
The kids waited patiently for it to be delivered on the Monday...

It arrived and boy where they excited! It arrived in a classic pizza box,

with gold paper .. The kids couldn't wait to look inside.

Well we couldn't believe what we saw.. James said what a great choice we made with our toppings... They couldn't wait to tuck in..
James decided he would like to try the white half first all the bases come mixed with marshmallow and a biscuit base.

 I cut it with a knife and he couldn't wait to tuck in.....James said it was very chocolaty

Emma decided to try the chocolate base....

Emma said it was yummy but she couldn't eat the whole thing, well not in one go anyway!!

Simon and I did sneak some later in the evening! It was very yummy and very chocolaty! What a pleasure to have won it. Great for parties, Fathers day and even a  thank you for the whole family. They come in three sizes 7" 9" and 12" and can be ordered from
http://www.pippaschocolatepizzas.com/menu.html or follow on twitter @PippasPizza

Meal Planner 19th -25th July 2013

So with the kids finally breaking up on Tuesday 23rd. Well Emma anyway, as James broke up on Friday and taking my years of meal planning. I thought I'd start to post my plans. In a hope I may have some better ideas, find more budget ways of eating and  more planning ahead. For me that's the easy bit...

I'm hoping there will be lots of cake baking included in the holidays to which I will try and add and also blog. My breakfast Sundays time when we all sit down together have disappeared but that's due to my Pilates class at 9am.

So here is what's happening this week going back to last Friday as I have my shopping delivered on a Thursday ...

Friday - chili , rice and tortilla chips

Saturday- BBQ~ beef burgers, sausages, chicken legs in a BBQ sauce and wedges. / trifle for pudding.

Sunday- Toad in the hole roast potatoes , carrots and for a change cauliflower and broccoli cheese (just broccoli cheese for James he's not keen o cauliflower ) / left over trifle for pudding.

Monday-  lasagna, peas and garlic bread.

Tuesday- chicken breast, new potatoes (boiled and half fried one side idea pinched from a chef at The Hampshire food fare.)

Wednesday - pizza

Thursday- pesto pasta and garlic bread ( our cheap easy night!) 

coffee.....

After looking at all the photo's I have on my phone one thing other than cake and food kept popping up!!
coffee...

This one is from Shorefield Country Park Milford-On-Sea

It was lovely at hot!

I love meeting with my friends for coffee.. They will tell you I'm obsessed with it! It has to be just right....hubby gets it the most grief it's it WRONG!!

.

I had this one at Bournemouth Helicopters

Not the best made but I did enjoy it!

Up until I had the kids I never really drank many hot drinks! I'm not really a tea lover so coffee it is for me! Sometimes I do wonder, I'm so attached to being given the perfect coffee maybe I should have been a barrister!

This is a Costa coffee with Christmas chocolate!

My coffee obsession drives My hubby up the wall! He buys me a coffee I get out my phone and take a photo!! Some people collect plane or train numbers for me its coffee pictures.

This time one from The Angel and Blue Pig Lyminton.

A Illy coffee one of my favorites.

Next I listen to the popping of the milk on my cappuccino! Always been a fan! Can't do latte, or even bother with a skinny! As its mainly water and I refuse to pay for water! It also doesn't fill you up like a full fat one! 

Next I take my spoon after checking its clean of course!! And pull back the froth! Boy there better not be too much froth on the top! I'm not paying for a cup of froth either. 

Another Costa...

Yes yes I like the chocolate twist!

This is the bit hubs holds his breath at if its cold I'm NOT a happy camper at all. He knows its going back. So off he goes I know you can't have it too hot or it burns the coffee, but warmer than tepid would be nice! That's why they have coffee thermometers. Then if that's ALL great!! I can drink my coffee and enjoy!

Another Costa but this has to be given the one for the nicest presentation.

From Boscastle Farm Shop.

This has to be my favorite ever!! Just perfect and served with a wonderful view over the North Cornish Coast.