I probably dont deserve a Rant but seeing as how I am here and I have written the "Rant" word I am going to jump straight in.
However, I cant jump straight in because my head is so FULL of RANTS that I am at a complete loss to where to begin... just as I think I need to rant about one thing another pops up and demands its cyber space. The fascist, sexist racist gits that seem to be ALL OVER facebook at the moment (for example) - there. I have jumped in (not waving now but drowning). What is it all about and why are they targeting the kids? Well, obviously we know why but pur-lease. Is it not obvious to everyone that some gitty UKIP or BNP twits have hi-jacked the airwaves and are attempting to make people foam at the mouth with Pavlovian Drooling "get em" responses? The Polish have demanded that "we" remove the English flag from our pubs/shops/houses/skips etc because it "offends" "Them"...... Oh really,? Which "Pole" actually "demanded this? Show him/or her to me. Let me speak a while with them. Are "they" the same "Poles" to whom everyone on Facebook is demanding they "take their 'turbans' off. Which turban-wearing Bhurka touting job-stealing- benefit scrounging Pole is it?
sc
Tuesday 25 May 2010
Who did I think I was kidding...
I dont know the first thing about blogging!!! It takes me ages just to get into my own blog spot. And now that I am here I have NOTHING TO SAY. I also didnt mean to shout that - I am just so rubbish at this that I never notice I keep hitting the CAPS button instead of the shift key. Now I do know why this is actually, but again, tis very boring and has to do witht he fact that in a former life I was actually trained as a shorthand typist on a real typewriter. These flat keyboards are pants if you are a trained typist because a) you get repetitive strain in your wrists being as how they are being forced to go at an unergonomic angle (!) (sorry did I make that word up?) and b) they were obviously designed by blokes who always type (however fast it may be) with two fingers. Oh and c) I type too fast for my keyboard to keep up with me so by the time the words come up on the screen I am racing paragraphs ahead and cant be bothered to go back and "tippex" things right.
Phew, I am glad I cleared al that up (dont get me started on phone texting rant .... I may never get out of here)
Another rubbish thing is that the cat keeps walking on the keyboard. Also the dog keeps rushing off and barking at anything that dares to go past our house.
The whole point is ..... I remember now what I was going to rant about! I thought at least I had a halfway decent title for my Blog! Until i went on Google and realised that every other blog is called The reluctant vegetarian" Bollocks to it. I am going to come up with a better or at least a less ubiquitious name. x
Phew, I am glad I cleared al that up (dont get me started on phone texting rant .... I may never get out of here)
Another rubbish thing is that the cat keeps walking on the keyboard. Also the dog keeps rushing off and barking at anything that dares to go past our house.
The whole point is ..... I remember now what I was going to rant about! I thought at least I had a halfway decent title for my Blog! Until i went on Google and realised that every other blog is called The reluctant vegetarian" Bollocks to it. I am going to come up with a better or at least a less ubiquitious name. x
Monday 17 May 2010
ho hum is that my tum
Why oh why am I always hungry at the wrong times? However, I do know the answer to that and it is obviously Eat Breakfast Silly Moo.
So, I have now fed the cats about 100 times each (approximate). I have not fed the Dog though since he doesnt Meow and therefore how am I to know when or if he wants that absolutely disgusting chub tripe stuff. I am not going to force it on him (heaven forbid someone would do that to me!) Not that the Dog seems to mind about all that stuff though - yesterday I saw him eating what was left of the Red Cat's Kill. There were only two small bunny ears left - looking even smaller without the bunny head.
Thats another thing about the Cat - how can he be so sniffy about the stuff I give him (he looks at it as though I have just put a turd in his bowl before staring at me in the most contemptuous way possible - and believe me, if I know cats like I know Cats that is a very wide spectrum of possible contemptuous faces) and then and THEN - go and eat some two week old CARCASS - probably not even one of his own kills - possibly something that just gave up and died of being too hideous to carry on. Bloody things.
What else is new? Him indoors decided - under the new I am now a Vegan regime that he would do the shopping this weekend AND prepare the tea. After several hours doing both tasks I was finally (weak with lack of nourishment) summoned from my sulking and cleaning the upstairs of Hotel Despairo to Come and Have the Tea.... I was summoned three times in under a minute; so urgent was the elaborately prepared Feast - was the Mushroom Souffle sinking as I took my arthritic time wringing my hands in dust mites and clambouring like the black lady from Tom and Jerry who you only ever see the legs of, down the ricketty staircase.....
To be confronted with himself and both spawn sitting at the table tucking into The Feast. Now, I know that I sound ungrateful. Some people just dont know they are born (most of us actually, unless you have regression therapy). But.
It was a SALAD.
It wasn't even a salad with lots of interesting things in it - well it had rocket and peppers and tomatoes and cut up mushrooms. And, well that's about it really. Oh, and a slice of brown bread.
"Do you like it?" "What do you think?" Spawn: "This is the best meal I have had all year!" Second Spawn: "I think it is the best meal I have EVER had" "It's brilliant" "Can we have this all the time?" "Yum Yum"
It was a SALAD!!!!!
And, there was not very much of it either.
So., that was tea. I had to fill out a form in triplicate - one for each of the Alien beings that have stolen my family from me. I had to speak lyrically and at LENgTH about Just How Much I enjoyed It. (a salad)
I spent the rest of the evening starving and muttering to myself. I am going down the garden to eat worms.
P.S. A Salad!
So, I have now fed the cats about 100 times each (approximate). I have not fed the Dog though since he doesnt Meow and therefore how am I to know when or if he wants that absolutely disgusting chub tripe stuff. I am not going to force it on him (heaven forbid someone would do that to me!) Not that the Dog seems to mind about all that stuff though - yesterday I saw him eating what was left of the Red Cat's Kill. There were only two small bunny ears left - looking even smaller without the bunny head.
Thats another thing about the Cat - how can he be so sniffy about the stuff I give him (he looks at it as though I have just put a turd in his bowl before staring at me in the most contemptuous way possible - and believe me, if I know cats like I know Cats that is a very wide spectrum of possible contemptuous faces) and then and THEN - go and eat some two week old CARCASS - probably not even one of his own kills - possibly something that just gave up and died of being too hideous to carry on. Bloody things.
What else is new? Him indoors decided - under the new I am now a Vegan regime that he would do the shopping this weekend AND prepare the tea. After several hours doing both tasks I was finally (weak with lack of nourishment) summoned from my sulking and cleaning the upstairs of Hotel Despairo to Come and Have the Tea.... I was summoned three times in under a minute; so urgent was the elaborately prepared Feast - was the Mushroom Souffle sinking as I took my arthritic time wringing my hands in dust mites and clambouring like the black lady from Tom and Jerry who you only ever see the legs of, down the ricketty staircase.....
To be confronted with himself and both spawn sitting at the table tucking into The Feast. Now, I know that I sound ungrateful. Some people just dont know they are born (most of us actually, unless you have regression therapy). But.
It was a SALAD.
It wasn't even a salad with lots of interesting things in it - well it had rocket and peppers and tomatoes and cut up mushrooms. And, well that's about it really. Oh, and a slice of brown bread.
"Do you like it?" "What do you think?" Spawn: "This is the best meal I have had all year!" Second Spawn: "I think it is the best meal I have EVER had" "It's brilliant" "Can we have this all the time?" "Yum Yum"
It was a SALAD!!!!!
And, there was not very much of it either.
So., that was tea. I had to fill out a form in triplicate - one for each of the Alien beings that have stolen my family from me. I had to speak lyrically and at LENgTH about Just How Much I enjoyed It. (a salad)
I spent the rest of the evening starving and muttering to myself. I am going down the garden to eat worms.
P.S. A Salad!
Thursday 13 May 2010
Growing Children need Meat....
No. They dont.
It is perfectly possible to eat fantastic food, most of which is cheap and easy and simple to cook and have a completely healthy, well-balanced and compassionate diet - without eating animals. Carbohydrates, vegetables and a small amount of high protein, cooked or dressed in a small amount of "good" oil. No worries.
It is perfectly possible to eat fantastic food, most of which is cheap and easy and simple to cook and have a completely healthy, well-balanced and compassionate diet - without eating animals. Carbohydrates, vegetables and a small amount of high protein, cooked or dressed in a small amount of "good" oil. No worries.
It's Not Meat - Just a Bit of Bacon For Flavour!
I swear I have never actually said this. Lots of people have said it to me though. What can I say? Just dont! It is not only not necessary but who are you trying to get one over? A little bit of "meat juice" in the veggie gravy? No. Leave it alone. They wont die from lack of flavour! I suppose it does depend on who you are cooking for and possibly their personal reasons for adopting a meat free diet? I'm struggling a bit with this but I do actually know "vegetarians" who, for example, "dont count" fish and chicken....
Hmmm. I will have to leave that train (or should it be 'strain') of thought for a moment.
Hmmm. I will have to leave that train (or should it be 'strain') of thought for a moment.
On Not Eating Animals....
I feel I may have to say a few words on this subject - but where to start? I have always veered towards the not eating things with a face - however I have cleverly and hypocritically ignored my inner voice for years. Having found myself eating less and less meat because my partner and gradually all three children decided against it - I suppose it was self preservation, I got fed up with making separate meals for everyone.
Then there was The Book - "Eating Animals by Jonathon Safran Foer and suddenly there is no way back for me. I am not going to get evangelical about it but - read the book if you want and make your own way. Let's just say for me, personally, I don't want any part of it. Anymore. (at the moment.!)
However, Joy! I have found that becoming Vegetarian has had bonus and knock on effects that I am really pleased with. Not least the fact that my digestive system seems to be working properly for the first time in years! (Enough of that!)
I have to be honest here and say once I fully embraced the fact that I was not going to eat animals I really did have to do something about the meals that we (now I) were eating as a family. It's not that I miss Meat per se, but I find that a lot of veggie dishes lack flavour and texture. This was probably because I was only doing the easy recipes and repeating them all the time. I would never put myself forward as a great cook - not even as a mediocre one if truth be told.
I do however, love food and love eating. So, it's a journey then.... are you sitting comfortably? Lets begin.
Then there was The Book - "Eating Animals by Jonathon Safran Foer and suddenly there is no way back for me. I am not going to get evangelical about it but - read the book if you want and make your own way. Let's just say for me, personally, I don't want any part of it. Anymore. (at the moment.!)
However, Joy! I have found that becoming Vegetarian has had bonus and knock on effects that I am really pleased with. Not least the fact that my digestive system seems to be working properly for the first time in years! (Enough of that!)
I have to be honest here and say once I fully embraced the fact that I was not going to eat animals I really did have to do something about the meals that we (now I) were eating as a family. It's not that I miss Meat per se, but I find that a lot of veggie dishes lack flavour and texture. This was probably because I was only doing the easy recipes and repeating them all the time. I would never put myself forward as a great cook - not even as a mediocre one if truth be told.
I do however, love food and love eating. So, it's a journey then.... are you sitting comfortably? Lets begin.
Wednesday 12 May 2010
Tagine
We were given this fantastic (and well easy) dish recently at a PTA fund raiser - Yay! Something I can copy and that everyone likes.
Basically, just cut up (MAKE THE BITS BIG!!) Peppers, (all colours - makes it like jewellery) Onions, Mushrooms, Sweet potatoes and or carrots, smashed up garlic , couple of tablespoons ( I guessed all this but I liked it) of cumin and some coriander powder, tin of tomatoes (or any real ones you want to use up) and some tomato paste mix eeverything with some oil (I used olive and rice bran) and stuck the whole thing in a big lasagne dish in the Rayburn (which, amazingly was actually showing "bake" at some time before 3am!) - It was ready in about 40 mins and we had it with a jacket potato. Yum bloody yum.
Basically, just cut up (MAKE THE BITS BIG!!) Peppers, (all colours - makes it like jewellery) Onions, Mushrooms, Sweet potatoes and or carrots, smashed up garlic , couple of tablespoons ( I guessed all this but I liked it) of cumin and some coriander powder, tin of tomatoes (or any real ones you want to use up) and some tomato paste mix eeverything with some oil (I used olive and rice bran) and stuck the whole thing in a big lasagne dish in the Rayburn (which, amazingly was actually showing "bake" at some time before 3am!) - It was ready in about 40 mins and we had it with a jacket potato. Yum bloody yum.
Lentil Roast
Olive Oil
350g split red lentils
25g margarine
4 tbs lemon juice
4 tbs tamari
4 tbs cumin powder.
Stuffing:
2 big onions
at least 4 cloves of garlic
100g mushrooms
100g wholewheat breadcrumbs (either put some oldish bread in the blender or grate it on a cheese grater)
1 tsp dried sage
small bunch fresh parsley (chopped up fine)
1. Turn on oven (Gas 6) (200 c) Make rayburn hot hot hot
2. Wash the lentils and get all that scum off that makes you fart
3. Bring lentils to the boil in 1/2 pint of water (can add stock cube if you want)
4. Simmer gently until the lentils are soft.
3. Mix up cumin, margarine lemon juice and tamari into the lentils and season with black pepper and salt.
4. Chop up and fry the onions, garlic and mushrooms in a bit of olive oil (or if you believe that frying in Olive Oil gives you cancer - use a different oil, if in Lincolnshire use rape seed oil and keep it local)
5. Fry until the onions are soft and turn off heat. Add the breadcrumbs, sage and parsley, season with salt and pepper.
6. Grease a loaf tin (1 or 2 lb) and put lentils, then stuffing and then more lentils into the tin.
7. Dot the top with margarine and bake in the oven for about an hour until golden brown.
We have this with roast potatoes, apple sauce and gravy and lots of green veg (esp. purple spouting broccalli which is green!)
(This recipe was originally adapted from Liz Cook).
P.S In my opinion the apple sauce absolutely is a must to serve with this, and it is a great Christmas Dinner Roast.
350g split red lentils
25g margarine
4 tbs lemon juice
4 tbs tamari
4 tbs cumin powder.
Stuffing:
2 big onions
at least 4 cloves of garlic
100g mushrooms
100g wholewheat breadcrumbs (either put some oldish bread in the blender or grate it on a cheese grater)
1 tsp dried sage
small bunch fresh parsley (chopped up fine)
1. Turn on oven (Gas 6) (200 c) Make rayburn hot hot hot
2. Wash the lentils and get all that scum off that makes you fart
3. Bring lentils to the boil in 1/2 pint of water (can add stock cube if you want)
4. Simmer gently until the lentils are soft.
3. Mix up cumin, margarine lemon juice and tamari into the lentils and season with black pepper and salt.
4. Chop up and fry the onions, garlic and mushrooms in a bit of olive oil (or if you believe that frying in Olive Oil gives you cancer - use a different oil, if in Lincolnshire use rape seed oil and keep it local)
5. Fry until the onions are soft and turn off heat. Add the breadcrumbs, sage and parsley, season with salt and pepper.
6. Grease a loaf tin (1 or 2 lb) and put lentils, then stuffing and then more lentils into the tin.
7. Dot the top with margarine and bake in the oven for about an hour until golden brown.
We have this with roast potatoes, apple sauce and gravy and lots of green veg (esp. purple spouting broccalli which is green!)
(This recipe was originally adapted from Liz Cook).
P.S In my opinion the apple sauce absolutely is a must to serve with this, and it is a great Christmas Dinner Roast.
Tuesday 11 May 2010
Mexican Hot Potato Soup
Okay, this is one vaguely remembered from my sister showing me her vaguely remembered version - it should be called Chinese Whispers Soup ...
Cut up and fry some onions in vegetable oil
Add some smashed up garlic
Add some cut up peeled potatoes - smallish (not tiny though)
add a veggie stock cube some dried chilli flakes and a little bit of water (say, enough to cover the potatoes and a bit)
boil all this gently till the potatoes are cooked.
Add some sweet corn ( I used a couple of cups of frozen but I suppose there's nothing wrong with using canned.)
Keep back some of the soup separately (say half)
Blitz the remainder, add some salt and black pepper.
Add a can of drained and washed Red Kidney Beans and the soup that you saved and didnt blitz.
Cut up as much coriander leaves as you like and sprinkle on top.
We had this warm and filling soup with crusty bread. Yum.
Cut up and fry some onions in vegetable oil
Add some smashed up garlic
Add some cut up peeled potatoes - smallish (not tiny though)
add a veggie stock cube some dried chilli flakes and a little bit of water (say, enough to cover the potatoes and a bit)
boil all this gently till the potatoes are cooked.
Add some sweet corn ( I used a couple of cups of frozen but I suppose there's nothing wrong with using canned.)
Keep back some of the soup separately (say half)
Blitz the remainder, add some salt and black pepper.
Add a can of drained and washed Red Kidney Beans and the soup that you saved and didnt blitz.
Cut up as much coriander leaves as you like and sprinkle on top.
We had this warm and filling soup with crusty bread. Yum.
Monday 10 May 2010
Welcome
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This is my very first attempt at a Blog - I have yet to find out how to do this and also how to post pictures but hopefully I will be able to figure it out.
This is my very first attempt at a Blog - I have yet to find out how to do this and also how to post pictures but hopefully I will be able to figure it out.
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