Now I am Five

Half a decade.  Half as long as I've been married and half as long as three of the Childerbeasts have been on this earth.  That's how long I've been writing on Babaduck.  The soundtrack to this piece is running through my head and it's Never Forget by Take That.  Because I never forget where I've come from.  Babaduck began as something to keep me busy during the dark days of recession when the company I loved working for, folded like a pack of cards, and went into receivership.  I spent a very long and lonely 10 months out of work, desperately afraid that I wouldn't find another job and frantically worrying about how we would manage to pay the mortgage on just one, ever decreasing salary.  My confidence plummeted to an all time low because I couldn't get a first interview for the vast majority of the 200+ jobs that I applied for, never mind the luxury of a second one.  I buried my fear because I didn't want to worry The Hubs who was the only one earning.  I cried when we didn't qualify for any assistance apart from jobseekers benefit, despite hitting all the criteria on paper.  I lost a lot of my hair because of the stress, a fact that my amazing little sister hid from me, in case it never returned.  Thankfully it did, and she only told me about a year later when I was working again and was able to deal with it.

Win £50 voucher from Brainbox Candy

Are you broke and full of January gloom?  Do you need something bright, cheerful and irreverent to bring a smile to your miserable face?  Fantastic, I've something to bring a chink of light into somebody's day, and it could be you.  The sarky sods at Brainbox Candy have given me a £50 voucher for one of you to have a little shopping spree in their online store and you can be as politically correct or filthily rude as you like in your selection.

Raspberry Frangipane Tart

Over the holidays, I saw sheets of all-butter pastry appear in the supermarket aisles.  I love these as they taste so much better than standard ready rolled versions and you could easily pass them off as home made, just saying...  I was going to my friend's house for a Ladies Night In which involves takeaway, one or two sociable glasses of wine and some dessert so I volunteered to bring the dessert. Naturally, I had a roll of the sweet shortcrust pastry in the fridge for such an eventuality so it had to be a tart.  Actually, this tart was made from store cupboard and freezer ingredients so it's something you can make in an hour without leaving the house to buy ingredients.

Still Saving for a Rainy Day

Last January, I wrote about a really easy savings plan that I'd heard a lot about in the internet and in the papers.  The idea was  to start saving with just a euro, and add a euro every week.  I'm fairly disciplined about saving but The Hubs isn't, so I figured out it would be a great routine for him to get into, and sure I'd do the same.  So we started the plan on Saturday 2nd January 2014 and we stuck to it.  Religiously.  I know, I'm a little bit surprised at that too considering that the theme tune to my life is "She wasn't good (but she had good intentions)". 

Kitchen Nightmares

It started off as just a normal Sunday in winter.  The Hubs went to work and I was dragged out for a walk by the little fluffy dog, who sniffed every plant, gatepost and blade of grass along the way.  By the time we got home, I was absolutely freezing cold and in need of a bit of warmth.  I thought that making a batch of soup would do the job so I chopped, diced and sliced until my giant soup pot was full, added a dash of olive oil and left it all to simmer away.

Happy New Year!

From all of us to all of you.  Thanks so much for reading, commenting, cooking and enjoying.  I appreciate it more than you'll ever know.  Have a wonderful 2015!

Ax

Christmas Dinner Potato Cakes

If your house is anything like mine, you've a fridge full of leftovers from Christmas Dinner and they gaze balefully at you every time you open the fridge door.  And you don't know what to do with them apart from make sandwiches or curry.  I have a suggestion : Christmas Dinner Potato Cakes.  I know it sounds a little bit strange but nearly all of your leftovers can be used here to create a delicious meal.  Just add a crisp green salad or reheated red cabbage and you've created something simple but incredibly tasty with a crisp buttery crust.  Don't forget a healthy dollop of cranberry sauce on the side...

On Christmas Eve

It's almost time for Santa and presents and good food.  Today I've spent most of the day cooking, washing up and cleaning while The Hubs was working. Sometimes I'd love to swap roles with him and let him plan what we're going to eat for our big Christmas dinner tomorrow.  But then I sit down for a minute with a cup of coffee and glance over at our tree, filled with memories, and realise that there's nowhere else I'd rather be on Christmas Eve.

Christmas Gifts : Lovely Things

I'm one of those horribly organised people you all love to hate.  I start thinking about gifts in September, once my birthday is over, and I start squirrelling away stuff as I see.  I know that not everybody is as ridiculously disciplined about buying presents and for most people, half of the fun is going shopping, whether it's in the shops or online from the comfort of your desk at lunchtime or on the sofa in the evening.  I've compiled (if I was a hipster sort, I'd say "curated") a list of lovely things that you or somebody you love might really really like...

Christmas Gifts : Books for Cooks

With two weeks to go until the big day, there's still time to get presents for your loved ones.  If they're like me and fond of a cookbook or two, might I make some recommendations?  Here's five of my favourites and I think they're perfect books for cooks.