happy anniversary!

Four years and counting, and what better way to celebrate than with fizzy wine, trampolining and a garden party? Or maybe some defrosted beef stew and the mentalist/psychoville? Can you guess who did what, can you, can you?

So it's bedtime for milo and slightly sinister telly for me, and the end of term party and hangovers for the anas. Still it's been an ace four years, although I'm slightly disappointed not to be invited to the school parents-teacher curry-themed party - surely that's the perfect venue to take any husbands you might have?

Food of the Milos
One of the reasons of defrosting the stew was to reintroduce the milos to something other than pasta or pizza. He used to really like it, but it's a vain attempt tonight. Still, more for me so sucks to him!

sources
beef stew with pumpkin - Delicious

lamb tagliata

To make up for last night's death by fish ana's get one of her favourite summery salady things, Jill Dupliex's lamb tagliata. Which is odd as lamb isn't one of her meats of choice. Women eh?

Interestingly tagliata means 'cut' in Italian, and Italians serve their steaks sliced and shared, turning a heavy meat dish into something more like a salad. No really, that's what it says.

sources
lamb tagliata - Delicious, October 2007, p138.

prawn fajitas with spicy tomato & avocado salsa

So that's summer over then? A minky day starts with drizzle, then tips it down, then breaks enough for me to get home, then starts again whilst we're talking to Des in the garden.

It's just as well because as I'm pre-heating the oven to roast the chicken a funny smell pervades the kitchen which directly leads to a new parenting rule: #257 Always check the oven for articles placed there by certain blond babies before turning the oven on.

Giving up on roasting chicken until I can get rid of the remains of the plastic measuring jug melted to the bottom of the oven, we try an experimental 'hob'-based dinner identified by the anas in this month's delicious: prawn fajitas with spicy tomato & avocado salsa.

It ticks many boxes: Quick, prawns are an unscary form of fish, and relatively healthy but the one downside is there's not nearly enough. Boo to health!

sources
prawn fajitas with spicy tomato & avocado salsa - delicious, August 2009, p107

chicken with tomatoes, peppers and cous cous

Nightmare day at work and by the time I get home I'm knackered and really can't be bothered to cook my original plan of a hearty roast chicken. However, chicken we will have because there's some breasts (Ooer) in the fridge, and a snap decision results in us having Jamie's classic chicken with tomatoes, peppers and cous cous. Although I forgot we didn't have any marinated peppers, so I make good with mushrooms.

It's pretty good but definitely peppers are better...

babs cabs birthday

A blistering saturday dawns and we head off to folkestone for mum's birthday. It's a great weekend; we spend the afternoon with friends in my mum's extensive grounds watching the monkey's splash about in the paddling pool.

Having knackered him out, we meet up with johnny and pam for a beer in saltwood, and a curry in hythe. We must be getting on because we only have a couple in each before sweet, sweet sleep beckons.

After spending sunday morning in the adventure playground on the front, eating ice creams we get home in time for the wimbledon final. Given how long it took, we survive on half of milos dinner and the residual fat from saturday's party food, whilst I knock together courgette and goats cheese soup for the week ahead.




Food of the Milos
et voila!

sources
courgette and goats cheese soup - Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, River Cottage Year, p159
pizza - Top 100 Finger Foods, Annabel Karmel

baked chicken, green beans and tomatoes

Kayosaurus and Mikeledocus are up for a weekend of Billy Elliot, and Wimbledon Men's Final Tickets - get them! Before they can Lord it over the rest of us though, I'm off to the press premiere of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - get me!

By the time I get home after an hour waiting to collect my phone from security hell (my phone barely phones anybody, let alone discretely film a summer blockbuster for DVD purposes), the ana's have knocked up the now-identified Jamie Oliver chicken dish.

Strangely though, I seem to miss out on strawberries and cream...

fast asian fush

Another beautiful day, slightly hungover from Geeky Tom's leaving do and with one day left on the salmon we opt for Fast Asian Fush, which combines a nice headache dampening spice kick and healthy fish. Mmmmmmmm - unless you're the ana's of course.

To be fair it has a bad memory from being pregnant when she completely went off fish (like we were ever 'on' it), but tonight we narrow her dislike down to the sweet chilli sauce marinade. If I'm a allowed a next time I'll attempt my own chilli marinade with soy sauce...

sources
fast asian fish - Delicious, One Month Healthy Eating Plan Booklet, February 2007 p10