Lunch Box Bakes...#2

Here we are the weekend already, and I need to think about what is going into lunch boxes for the week ahead...so...following on from the Gooey Brownie Traybake, the other favourite for the lunch box snack is home-made cookies.

Cheeky Tweaky Chicken Pie...

I went to bed last night thinking about dinner tonight...(yes sad I know!!) I had planned on doing a fish pie for us, but woke up not fancying fish at all today, so took a peek in the fridge and found chicken, leeks, bacon and mushrooms...so what else could I do? Fate was pointing me in the direction of chicken and bacon in some kind of sauce/pie...I also really fancied having a go at making some pastry...so pie was settled upon

Another new project...

 ...I have been busy today, but not in a 'making' sense of the word...Firat of all I took a trip to a well known Swedish Store to look for some fabrics to make a pillow mat that is in issue 18 of Making magazine...

I think this would be great for my son...he can fold it up to sit on, or unfold to lie on whilst reading or playing games...I also think it would be good for when friends come over to stay...Will take pics of progress once I start it, and if all goes well I may make a second one for my daughter too...we shall see!

Has Spring Finally Sprung...?

The back door is wide open, there's washing on the line (the first time since November!!) and I can hear birds in the garden singing away!! What a change from yesterday!


I am so excited

Midweek Veggie Night...

...Hubby and I like to have at least one night each week that is meat-free...and this week, tonight is the night!!

Squash, Aubergine & Potato Curry..(with a bean and pea or two thrown in!!)

It is another of my "whatever is in the cupboard/fridge goes in the pot" meals!! So there is no set recipe, just my usual method for this type of curry...which is the same as the one back here... Except in this case, you need to add only veggies to the mix...no chicken allowed on meat-free nights!
So tonight I diced an aubergine and about 1/4 of a squash plus about 200g potato also diced - always try to keep the diced veg the roughly the same size - it helps with cooking times!

Lunch Box Bakes...#1

...I always used to buy what we would call 'snacks' for the lunch boxes in my life...but these days I prefer to bake, and the smallish people prefer my baking!!! To the point where they now moan if I want a day off and offer to buy something instead!! I shouldn't complain, but hey I'm a Mum :-)


There are two definite favourites in our house, traybake brownies and cookies...Both of which come from a variety of sources and like so many of the things I make and bake become 'tweaked' and merged and take on a life of their own! 

I've changed my design...

I have a very good, very old (sorry!!) friend who is a graphic designer by training, [although he is currently  teaching lots of budding graphic designers] who has kindly designed a new heading banner, background a logo for me!!! (Jules you will be pleased to see it has lots of purples in it!!)...What do you think?? Obviously without the 'Do Not Copy' across it!!

I think they're all really great...as you can see from the fact that they are now firmly placed on my pages!!!


Well I'm off to do a bit of sewing...not the sewing machine cover...a little something extra...keep watching for updates xx

...followed by pancakes for dessert...

...more specifically Jubilee Pancakes!!


This has to be one of my all time favourite desserts, and it stems back to the days when as a child we would drive to my Nan's for the holidays, stopping on the way at a Little Chef...I believe they are still going strong today, and that the dessert menu is pretty similar to the one that I would have chosen from back in the late 70s early 80s!! 

It's basically a pancake topped with warm cherry pie filling and a dollop of vanilla ice-cream, and folded over...delicious!!

Pancakes for dinner...

...Retro Revival Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Crispy Pancakes...


When my sister and I were growing up, Mum cooked for us every day...no convenience foods, just good home-made meals. I remember looking at the frozen foods in the supermarket when we went shopping, and being told that things like the ready-made frozen crispy pancakes were full of additives etc and not good...but look what was in the March edition of Delicious Magazine...



...A Retro Revival section full of those 80s foods that your Mum always said were no good...that have been re-visited and made with fresh ingredients that are good for you!! Yay!! Well as it is Shrove Tuesday, I thought I'd give them a go...Mind you, there is already a 'tweak' in the making, I don't have any breadcrumbs, and the only loaf I have is a fresh one that I made yesterday, so I shall be coating mine in fine matzo meal instead.

The Bag, part 4...

...The Bag becomes cushions!!


After yesterday's sewing, it became quite clear to me that The Bag was to be a bag no more! In fact when she came in from school, my 10 year old decided she would quite like to have the cushions for her bedroom!


So what happened today?...

 This...First of all, I want to show you the wrong side of the two cushion fronts...As this is the first real thing I have made using my sewing machine, (I really am a complete novice!!) I am really chuffed with how neat it all looks...yes, I know you don't see it when made up, but it just gives me a little sense of pride!!

Happy Shrove Tuesday...

...it's breakfast time at our house...


Morning,
I wake up early, always have done since leaving student life behind many moons ago! This morning after making packed lunches and whilst drinking my coffee I saw Em's post on Daffodils and Snowdrops for her Perfect Breakfast Pancakes...so I just knew what had to be done for for two smallish people today!! I often make American Style Pancakes on weekends, but not very often in the week!!! However these looked too good to miss...






...so I mixed up a quick batch of batter...

Got the griddle pan out...

The Bag...Part 3...

...the 'tweaking' begins...


As half-term is over, and I have a bit of time to myself again, I picked up The Bag and got on with a bit more of it. The 'Patch' book instructions tell me to start sewing it all together, but I don't think it is big enough for me, so I have decided to 'tweak' it and add some extra side, top and bottom panels to it before I line it and finish it off.

Whilst away in Wales last week, I found a tiny little quilting and knitting shop in Mumbles, near Swansea...it was called Red House Quilting. It was from there that I bought some fabric to use as side panels on The Bag.