Me Made May '13

So I've been absent from this blog for far too long, but I've finally got the kick up the backside that I needed - Me Made May'13.

'I, Katrina of Rollingeyeballs, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '13. I endeavour to wear at least one handmade item each day for the duration of May 2013.  I also pledge that my lovely husband Fluffrick will wear as many handmade items as possible during May'

As I've now been making things for Fluffrick for over ten years now, he should have enough things to make a good showing.  

Being part of this challenge always reveals holes in my handmade wardrobe.  I really need some hard wearing casual trousers, something I can just throw on to talk Hagrid, but as yet I have been unable to find any suitable fabric.  Hopefully sometime during the month I will find what I am looking for and new trousers will be mine.

What we're eating this week

So even though I haven't been posting we have been eating.  I made a really yummy birthday cake for Fluffrick's birthday, much nicer than the one I made for my birthday.  

This is what we are eating this week:

FRIDAY

Risotto - well it was supposed to be until I realised we had hardly any risotto rice, so we had Risini instead, with Leeks, Courgettes and Peas

SATURDAY

Carrot Humus, Baba Ganoush, Pitta Chips and Tabbouleh

SUNDAY

Roast Chicken, Stuffing, Carrots, Broccoli, New Potatoes and Gravy

MONDAY

Chicken Byriani - sort of 

TUESDAY

Pasta with Squash and Sage

WEDNESDAY

Cauliflower and Broccoli Patties, Chips and Peas

THURSDAY

Mushroom and Cavelo Nero Lasagne

And as we got yet another squash in the veg box this week, here is how I make Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

For Base: 

20 Ginger Nuts (or however many there are left in the packet if I didn't tell Fluffrick they were for something specific)

50g of Melted Butter

Blend the biscuits in the food processor and them add the melted butter and blend again.  Press into a 25cm flan tin and chill

For Filling

500g Cooked Pumpkin/Squash

410g Can of Evaporated Milk

2 Free Range Eggs

125g Sugar

Half a teaspoon of Salt

3 teaspoons of Spice (Nutmeg, Ginger, Cinnamon, Mixed Spice)

Blend the cooked pumpkin in the food processor, add the evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, salt and spice and blend until smooth.

Pour over the chilled biscuit base and cook in a preheated oven at Gas Mark 6 for 15 minutes and then a further 45 minutes at Gas Mark 3.  Allow to cool before serving.

Where has my blogging mojo gone?

So it's been well over a month since I last posted.  Where has my blogging mojo gone? 

 I wonder if it's that most of the blogs that I read seem to have become Christmas centric and that is just not going to happen her at "Rolling Eyeballs".  This is a Christmas free zone.

But do you ever ask yourself, why am I celebrating Christmas?

Updated: I feel I turned into an utter Grinch with this post.  If you had told the child me in the 1970's that one day I wouldn't celebrate Christmas I would not have believed you, because to most children all Christmas means is PRESENTS.  I think for adults Christmas can bring out the extremes in our personalities, everything is taken up a notch and not always in a good way.  Christmas has the power to bring out the control freak in me, the delusion that I am the only one that can do everything.  Add to that a desire to make rather than buy everything and also a desire not to leave anybody out and it is a recipe for mega stress.

I am looking forward to a nice quiet December, a lovely meal on the 25th with lovely family and sitting down to enjoy Dr Who's The Snowmen. Stress free. 

Lovely Sunday Lunch

So this is what we had for lunch yesterday.  This has to be one of my favourite meals (it's even one I can get my very non-veggie friend to eat).  On my menu plan I said I was going to make Dhal as well, but I forgot about it until almost everything else was ready, so I didn't bother, but this was more than enough for the three of us.  It is probably more of a spiced mushroom stew, than an authentic Mushroom Dopiaza, anyway authentic or not here is how I make this yummy dish.

Mushroom Dopiaza

Ingredients:
3 Medium Onions, sliced
350g Mushrooms, cut into quarters
1tsp Cumin seeds
1tsp Coriander seeds
1tsp Garam Masala
1 tin chopped tomatoes, liquid only (I used the tomato flesh on the Saturday night Pizza)
1tbs Sunflower Oil

Heat the oil in a large lidded pan, add the sliced onions and fry gently for a few minutes.  Then turn the heat down to it's lowest, put the lid on the pan and cook very gently for between 30 minutes to an hour.  Long, gentle cooking of the onions gives this dish a wonderful sweetness.
Once the onions have cooked, turn the heat up to medium and add the spices and fry for a minute or two.  Add the chopped mushrooms and fry for a few minutes, then add the tomato liquid and simmer for a further 15 minutes.  The liquid should reduce by about half and the flavours intensify.  Serve and enjoy.

What to Eat This Week

To I haven't posted up my menu plan for a few weeks.  In my defence I've been busy (now don't faint) working.  I am back among the employed, albeit working part time, from home, with very variable hours, but it's work and I'm being paid and in a few months time I will have the joy of completing a self assessment tax return.

So what are we going to eat this week.

THURSDAY
Tartiflette (with totally inauthentic smoked salmon) followed by Chocolate Cake

FRIDAY
Sweetcorn Chowder

SATURDAY
Pizza

SUNDAY
Mushroom Dopiaza, Dhal, Naan Bread (approved foods) and Spiced Courgette Fritters

MONDAY
Moussaka 

TUESDAY
Veggie Sausages, Home made Baked Beans (white beans from approved foods) and Roast Potatoes (Fluffrick loves a Roastie)

WEDNESDAY
Scallops, Couscous salad and Fennel

This chocolate cake was a much better success that the one I made for my birthday, that cake was rather dry, but the post about it has proved very popular.  I let everybody eat the cake and tell me they enjoyed it before I told them the secret ingredient.  Drum roll please...courgette.  Here is the recipe for the Chocolate Courgette Cake, it doesn't say in the recipe how finely to grate the courgette, but I did it on the fine side of the grater and apart from the moisture it adds to the cake you can't tell it's in there.  For the icing I just made a simple ganache with plain chocolate and a little warm milk (rather than cream). Yum, yum, yum.

Approved Foods

So I've been reading Frugal Queen's blog for a while now and every now and then she refers to things she has acquired from Approved Foods.  So I thought I'd google them and fine out what it was all about.

So this is what I bought in my first order (I took advantage of the free delivery on your first order over £30).  Apparently I have saved almost £60 compared to the RRP, of course it won't be a saving at all it I don't actually use this stuff.  I'll have to try an remember to comment if I'm using approved foods when I post my meal plan.

The Amy Pond Scarf

In honour of the departure of the lovely Amy and Rory from Dr Who, I have knitted myself and Amy Scarf.  I'm going to miss those two crazy kids.  I'm sure the new companion will be great, it's just going to be an adjustment.

So as we bid farewell to Amy and Rory I can remember them via the medium of knitwear.  It isn't an authentic Amy scarf, it's more a homage to both Amy and the Tom Baker Dr Who.  It is also just about the easiest scarf to knit. 19 stitches, garter stitch and 5mm needles and continue to knit until your hand drops off.

I maybe went a little over the top with the length (it's about 3 meters long), but as I wanted the two ends the same colour, I had to wait until that colour appeared in the ball of yarn again.  I can't remember where or when I bought the yarn and I seem to have lost the band so I don't even know what composition the yarn is (wool I think as it is a little itchy).  I think I must have bought the yarn to knit some socks (I have a stupid amount to sock yarn waiting to be used), but I think it works much better as a scarf, now I just have to try not to trip over it.

You've got to keep an eye out for those damn cats