AUG 08 - Toddzilla vs Mum-ra!

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Once more with feeling

I have just asked DH if he loves me - he replied 'yes why?' so nice to know that romance is not dead in my house! He said perhaps he should say it more often and I agreed so we'll see how we get on with that. He used to be so romantic and even wrote me poems, but nearly 16 years have mostly put paid to all that...

Just mooching round my recipe books for inspiration for our weekly Friday treat pudding. Have been making chocolate mousse but fancy a change. Needs to be easyish, preparable in advance and not excessively fattening. Any ideas?

Wotcha HP I have the very thing for you. Well not sure about the fattening bit as it involves pastry but here you are.

Apple tart.
This is what I did today...
Rolled out packet puff pastry. Just did it in an oblong.
Prick with fork and put in a preheated oven - around 180 but can be a bit lower, for about 10 mins. You don't want it to be cooked completely, it will puff up so press it down with a wooden spoon.
In a pan cook off chopped apple with a bit of water, spice and sugar - lid on takes about five mins.
When pastry and puree are cooled spread the apple on the pastry, cover with more sliced apple - I bunged on some saltanas between all the apple too - sprnkle with sugar and back n the oven for about 10 mins.

Delish - there isn't much left here

I did the puree at lunchtime and washed but not peeled the apples for slicing. It didn't take long at all.

you lost me at the not excessively fattening

what about an iced lemon cake, easy peasy and delicious?

I used a third of a packet of pasty - would do about four big portions

Apple pie (tarte?) sounds delish steaky but we had something similar last week. Will file away for future ref though

Dizz lemon just doesn't do it for me I'm afraid - just not naughty enough

Am toying with the idea of chocolate or treacle sponge pudding but that is a bit boring

Advice needed ladies!

The CM that was going to have DD 2 days a week from March has another lady who needs her LO minding 3 days a week. I said I could be flexible but not Tuesdays as mum has DD then and not sure she can change that.
CM has just let me know that other lady wants Mon, Weds, Thurs (is working) so my days would be Tues and Fri.

I haven't spoken to mum to see if she can change days but I suspect it will be difficult for her to do so because of her commitments.

I would really like 3 child free days, but DD does know the CM and the other children (it is the lady that runs our babygroup) and the CM has just had an outstanding from ofstead.
No contracts signed or anything so I am now thinking of looking for another CM or maybe a nursery for the two days and keep mum on Tuesdays.
OTherwise is it could turn out to be just 2 days of care a week.

Does that make sense?
So 2 days with CM DD knows or
3 days, 1 with granny and 2 at new CM or nursery?

Pineapple upside down cake - you can put cherries in the middle of the pineapple rings and they would look like this

I don't know how organised you are steaky but I think I would find it tricky to settle down to work on Tuesday and then not again umtil Friday. I find it takes me half a day to get back into the working mode so really need to do mine all in one go if you know what I mean. Obviously that is a shitey office job not an amazing creative one, and it does take a bit of time to catch up on all the gossip...

Sorry I imagine that was not very helpful

Hots, honestly it causes barnies in this house

maderia cake sliced up to cover bottom of springform cake tin

smashed up meringue foleded into whipped double cream and dolloped onto of mageria cake/ lemon curd dolloped inbetween dollops of cream/meringue/ bang cake tin on work top to flatten/ tin foil over top and freeze till you want to eat it all

delicious and job done

steaky - a good childminder is worth their weight in gold, speak to your mum just incase first then consider your options from there its never easy is it

LOL at upside down cake

OMG Dizzy you are right that sounds spectacular. Too much involved for this week's pud but that one is definitely coming to a kitchen near me very soon. Do you eat it frozen like arctic roll or defrost it first?

Hi LAdies

DD wondering around naked, DH getting ready for breakfast so I thought I would pop on and say Hi.

Lovely and warm here once we arrived. Flight delayed in HEathrow, missed connestion in DUbai so spent the night (3hours) in a hotel then flew out 14 hours later. DD was an angel on the flight and didn't complain once. She managed only 1 wake up last night for 45mins but the napping only since MOnday helped exhaust her for a full night last night.

HAven't caught up will try later when they and you are all sleeping.

Hope everyone good.

how on earth is that too much work!?!?!? buy meringue nests and break them up, whip double cream, buy a jar of lemon curd (dutchy's if you're wanting to splash out) and a bought maderia cake - job DONE!!!!!

we take it out a wee while before we're ready to eat it - it never goes back in

Wotcha Oops glad you made it safely if a little late

Dizz I am that the FBG would admit to shop bought madeira cake and meringue

well only on here, don't you DARE tell anyone else as I like them to think that I've toiled over it for hours

obv you CAN do the proper versions but you asked for a quick/easy treat and short of sending you DH thats the next best thing!!

oops how wonderful of DD, hope you're not too tired after your trip darling

bed for me

Thanks Dizz yes, going to check with mum first. Cake sounds delish.

Wotcha Oops glad you all arrived safely, hope you have a lovely time. Am very of the heat.

Bed for me too. Nighty night.

He he, just realised that Grandpa Steak is down under for 3 months at the moment - oops if you bump into a bald, bespectacled, bearded, short, mountain climbing, bicycle riding, 70 year old loon, that's my dad.

Oh cripes, you are in Oz aren't you? Not in SA - very bad thread memory here.

If you look at my post of 21.24 you will see that I did specify not too fattening

Still can't dsecide so offd to bed to dream fat-free dreams of gooey chocolate, cream, pastry, etc etc

Night ladies

Very quiet on here today although I suppose it is still quite early. DD playing silly buggers again last night so feeling a bit sleepy today but need to keep awake for an interesting meeting on risk management later...

Dizzy I just keep thinking about that lemony pudding. That noise you can hear way up in Scotland is my tummy rumbling

Morning
Now I want that lemon pudding.

Not too bad a night here. Ds slept through again. DD woke once.
Up at 6.30 am though as DS nappy leaked again.

Off to playgroup for first time since before xmas.

oops that is great to here dd coped just fine.

morning all, crack of dawn here again too, this cycle had better break soon - grateful for any ideas/solutions

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

morning all
sorry for absence, wedding plans taking over my life
will try to do better!

dizz your tale of finding out if the various items of clothing fitted your girls made me laugh!

I really fancy some decent fancy shmancy coffee today, working on my mum to take us out this morning.

Hots Spedy storecupboard microwave low-fat chocolate pudding:

Microwaveable bowl/jug at least 1L capacity
Melt 55g marge, add 4tbsp mil, one beaten egg, 1tbsp (yes!) vanilla flavouring and mix well.
Mix in 115g SR flour, 115g caster sugar, pinch salt, 30g cocoa.
Sprinkle 25g cocoa and 115g brown sugar over the top.
Pour 1/2 pint boiling water on top and microwave 100% for 4m-4m30s.
Looks like it will never work but it does when you start scooping into it, cakey pudding and choc sauce. Serve with cream, custard, ice cream.

Kurt still not into eating but drinking milk and squash happily. Strange nappy stains rather than actual poos so I might buy a few little cartons of formula since he's getting no fibre. He's still his busy little chirpy trilling self though so am not worried.

echoing the zzzzzz this am.. dd1 played bed hopping most of last night.. dd2 woke up half a million times tho think her last tooth has finally broken thru woo hoo.. dh up at 3.45 to catch his plane..

so officially on my lonesome til sun afternoon