Birthday weekend

So my birthday was kept secret from me until our arrival at the hotel. I was very confused as you can imagine especially when I was asked what I wanted off a set menu and asked to find a costume!! We we're trying to figure it out at school for a good week before the day. So I packed for multiple options and off we went in the car...to who knows! We end up in Cheltenham at a very fancy hotel. Ooooo, we walked in to afternoon tea where a couple were having a domestic in full volume of everyone there! Turns out they were acting and we were at a murder mystery weekend! Now I'm not normally a fan of murder mystery weekend when you have to be a character and act but this was different as we we're just there as guests trying to solve the murder/s whilst actual actors acted around us. It was fab! People found dead in the stairwell, someone stabbed in the kitchen! Needless to say we got it wrong but we didn't get the award for worst guess so that was good! Cheltenham is a nice place. We had a poke around before leaving and it seems very posh! Great shops too. Will have to revisit. So my birthday weekend was a great surprise. Going to have to think of something as good for Daniel's 30th!

Henry Wellington

I was trying to think of something else to cook with mince other than the usual spag bowl, lasagne, chilli, pie or pot roast so i thought i'd do a take on Beef Wellington - enter Henry Wellington! As it is made with mince and not a piece of beef and it has no mushrooms as we both don't like them we felt that it couldn't be called Beef Wellington so we renamed it!

The inside is a mix of mince, onion, potato, carrot and peas then wrapped in puff pastry in the normal way. It was yummy!! Meet Henry...




So if you are looking for something new to try with mince, have a go at Beef Henry!!

Birthday Surprise

Daniel has planned something for my birthday this weekend. He is keeping it very secret but every now and again lets out some teasers to get me thinking. So far I am aware that I need to wear an evening dress, though that then turned to a super hero costume, thankfully we don't have to wear one so evening wear it is. Also I was asked what I would want to eat from a theoretical menu! I have plumped for the hand dived scallops, duck breast with fondant potatoes in some kind of sauce and I said surprise me for dessert as I would eat both, autumn fruit pudding and clotted cream or creme brulee.

I want to know what is going on!!!! Two days...

The Very Wet Lake District

Yesterday was a very long day, to the Lake District and back in one day! I'm not doing that again it was killer! Don't get me wrong the kids were fine - though very inappropriately dressed considering they were walking 6 miles in the Lakes and had no shelter for the day - and the day was good but you end up so tired it throws you out for the rest of the week. The features we saw support the glaciation topic well - though at times i think the student teacher thought i was confused, i said it was my permanent look!

It also chucked it down constantly for several hours. Sitting outside eating your soggy packed lunch in the peeing rain was not fun!

There was little hanging around which we were thankful of as i think the kids were which meanrt we were back an hour and half early - so home, tea and bed for me it was!

Spicy soup

Here is the recipe for an awesome spicy lentil and carrot soup - warming as it gets colder!

Get together these ingredients:
2tsp cumin seeds
pinch chilli flakes
2tbsp olive oil
600g carrots , washed and coarsely grated
140g split red lentils
1 litre hot vegetable stock
125ml milk

Dry fry the cumin seeds and chilli flakes until they jump around and release their aroma. Add all the rest of the ingredients to the pan, boil and simmer for 15 minutes until the lentils are cooked. Blend, season and serve! Easy as that! Delicious served with some toasted cumin seeds on top and and crusty bread, mmmmm.

Dave Gorman's Powerpoint

As long as the week has been I had enough energy left for Friday night at City Hall in Sheffield to see Dave Gorman's PowerPoint Presentation. It was brilliant. Before that began we enjoyed a delicious Wagamamas, I love that place, the raw salad is yum - I wish I knew what was in the dressing. We also took a bit of a risk leaving the car as we had no change for the meter so fingers were crossed we didn't get clamped, well that was until I shut my finger in the toilet door and could no longer use it! The pain was unbelievable - damn you City Hall and your spring loaded toilet doors!

Once Dave came out I thankfully could forget my finger a little as he was hilarious. It would be pointless trying to repeat some of the jokes now as it wouldn't't be as funny but trust me, it was good, as was his supporting PowerPoint - some would say a little too much animation in places, though that would most likely be irate ICT teachers - haha. It will be interesting to watch it back on DVD when it comes out, but he never fails to please.

The Great British Bakeoff 2

How exciting, I'm getting the Great British Bake Off book for my birthday!! Yay!! Many more baking delights coming your way, consider me a young Mary Berry!

The Great British Bakeoff

In the spirit of the bake off i made some chocolate coffee cupcakes. The cake bake part is fine but for some reason i have issues with my buttercream! Surely that should be the easy bit! Upon discussion at school with some other keen bakers it could be the kitchen is too warm when i make them and so the butter cream splits. Sound plausible. Will have to try again, but even so they still look and taste yummy!