Farewell old friends.

When I was very young I used to have terrible problems going to sleep. I used to think that as soon as I got into bed a vampire would crawl out from under the bed, or would come in through my window, or would be lying in wait in my wardrobe. Initially, my dad let me start off sleeping in his bed (no idea why his bed was not plagued by vampires, but that was the way it worked) When I was asleep he would carry me through to my bed. As I got older and bigger, the carrying a sleeping, dead weight became a problem for my dad, so I had to start the night in my own bed, and those vampires were still lurking about in my head!
How did I overcome this fear? How did I ever get any sleep? Paddington Bear books. I read and re-read my collection of Paddington Bear books and there was something so calming about that little bear from Peru and his marmalade sandwiches , that kept Nosferatu and all his blood sucking chums at bay.

Every stage of my life has a special book or style of book related to it:- Milly Molly Mandy ( gingham dresses and a paper twist of sherbet), What Katie Did Next ( I realised I was not the naughtiest Katie in the world!) The Famous Five ( lashings of ginger beer). Moving on...Animal Farm ( scarey, even before the teacher explained the underlying meaning) Wuthering Heights (I still crave Heathcliffe style romance and passion). More from school- Jane Austin, Dickens, George Orwell. To my bookshelf now- Patricia Corwell, Jodie Picoult, Larsson, Nicci French ....oh and so many more.
I have always been a bit of a book worm (sometimes I get frustrated that work, children ...life in general, keeps me from losing myself in the pages of my latest choice of novel ) and I hoped my children would have the same passion for books that I have.
Computers, mobiles, T.v etc lure our children away from the printed page, but at least at school they would spend time with books- text books, works of literature, poetry etc. But, alas this is now coming to an end. Now in Spain books are being replaced by laptops! My children´s school bags, which used to be back breakingly heavy with books, are now light as a feather as they only contain a notebook style computer.
My girls are delighted and I am devestated. Don´t they spend enough time as it is ruining their eyes and brains with modern technology? What will this new step "forward" in education mean in the future?
beware because in a decade or two all will be wearing super thick glasses, all will be hunchbacked, all will have one enlarged index finger and none will know how to write ( handwriting is pretty dire anyway!).

I know I am old fashioned, and fairly anti- technology (bring back the carrier pigeon!) and at this precise moment I am being a complete hypocrite- typing away on my laptop- but I just don´t understand the need to do away with books? Curling up in bed with a good book replaced by sitting bolt upright with a laptop? Not for me!   )
What better to have with you and your favourite book.....hot chocolate!

Presidents Hot Chocolate.
Hot chocolate that's good enough for the White House, with both milk and light cream. No fuss with melted chocolate, since it's made with cocoa powder. Give it a whisk for a foamy touch.


Ingredients:

•6 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder

•6 tbs sugar

•2 1/2 cups milk

•2 1/2 cups light cream

•1/2 tsp vanilla

•Cinnamon, whipped cream and orange zest

Preparation:

Add sugar and cocoa to milk and heat in a saucepan until dissolved. Add the cream, cinnamon and vanilla. Heat until almost boiling. Mix well and serve, topped with whipped cream and a bit of orange zest

Ladies of the Day.

Where I live in Northern Spain, Summer not only means sun, beach, tourists etc. Summer here also sees the arrival of "The Ladies of The Day." That is what my girls and I call the unfortunate females whose only way to survive financially ( or at least feed their drug habit  or whatever) is to offer "services" to men as they drive along the roads here. When I say "services" I certainly don´t mean providing cool drinks or washing windscreens!
When you drive in Europe throughout the day you will pass many "Ladies of the Day" , perhaps you tut at them; perhaps you are disgusted by them; perhaps you feel sorry for them.

But, just think a moment- are you completely guilt free? I don´t mean you stand on the side of the road touting your "wares" to all and sundry- but how many of us have granted "favours" / offered our "services" to our partner for personal gain? How many of us have sex just to appease our partner; put them, or keep them in a good mood; make them feel better or even so they will be more generous in handing out funds for the next days shopping trip? Is this not also a kind of prostitution?
Next, think, as you judge and criticise these women. The people who should be judged and criticised (and in my opinion pitied) are men.It is their caveman style need for having sex (as opposed to making love) that has created this line of work. My ex husband once told me "all cats are grey in the dark"- how true for them!
 Many of us women should be judged, criticised and pitied for "selling" ourselves for personal gain or personal fear (that if we do not "perform" our partner will seek sex elsewhere.) Who is more honest? "The Ladies of The Day" or us wives and girlfriends? They are! Listen up ladies- don´t just lie back and think of England,; don´t do anything you don´t want to do or feel like doing. you are degrading yourselves. As for you men.....keep your eyes on the road and your trousers zipped and butttoned!

Please remember- I am generalising here- not all men think all cats are grey in the dark....do they?

So endeth the sermon for today!  Now a delicious recipe:-

Pasta Putanesca. (whores spaghetti)

Quick and easy. Looks like plain old spaghetti in tomato sauce until the flavours of the anchovies, capers and chilli kick in!

Ingredients.

Spaghetti

2 small (14 - 16 oz) or 1 large (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes

4 cloves of garlic, halved

4 or 5 anchovy filets, chopped

3 Tablespoon olive oil

10 - 12 black olives, stoned and coarsley chopped

2 Tablespoons capers, soaked and drained

2 Tablespoons  parsley, chopped

1/2 to 1 small red chili, chopped

salt

Pasta pot, saucepan or skillet (I use a large non-stick wok) large enough to fit all ingredients.

Method:-
Set the pasta water to boil. Set aside some of the olives, parsley and capers as a garnish.
In a deep pan lightly brown the garlic in hot oil. Add anchovies, crush to a paste with a fork. Add the tomatoes, olives, capers and the chili, cook over medium high heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add parsley and cook for a couple minutes more.

Cook the pasta following the instructions on the packet Drain well.

In the pan, or in a warm serving bowl, put the cooked and drained pasta, add the sauce, and mix thoroughly. Some like to add a sprinkling of fresh chopped parsley at this point.

You know you want to!

Recipes For Life is ready to be unleashed on the public! Just have a look at the chapter titles.....you know you want to read more!!!!!!

What’s on the menu?

Chocolate and raspberry ripple pavlova

Chapter 1:- Meat and Two Veg. (Sarah)

Yorkshire pudding filled with mincemeat gravy

Easy All Day Breakfast

Big breakfast tortilla

Chapter 2:- Angel Cake (Lidia)

Pesto stuffed chicken wrapped in Parma ham

Pasta Putanesca

Toffee angel cake roll

Chapter 3:- Haute Cuisine (Diane)

Baked camembert with calvados and walnuts

Chocolate chilli fondue

Chapter 4:- First Dinner or Last Supper (Sonia)

Chicken liver and brandy pate

Orange roast chicken

Fruit topped cheesecake

Chapter 5:- T.V Dinners (Becky)

Mexican feast-enchiladas, guacamole, salsa, black bean guacamole

Soy glazed tuna steaks

Ice cream crunch

Chapter 6:- Big White Meringues and Dinner Parties (Helen and Helena)

Indian feast:-vegetable pakoras, prawns cooked red, beef randang, lamb and tomato curry

Strawberry granita

Pink grapefruit and muscatel granite

Lamb steaks with rosemary sweet potatoes

Chapter 7:- Dessert Please (Emma and Holly)

Broccoli and mint soup

Tuna and fennel lasagna

Nutty banana tart

Chapter 8:- The Crowded Table (Louise)

Tuna fishcakes and

Sweet chilli dipping sauce

Chapter 9:-Chocolate teapots and strong, black coffee (Cassie)

Espresso and hazelnut cake

Chapter 10:-Sucking on Lemons (Cassie and Tina)

Fabulous fruit cake

Chapter 11:-Supermum (Celia)

European tour: meatballs and spaghetti, tuna quesadillas, sticky pork ribs, stir-fry noodles.

Chapter 12:-The Perfect Dry Martini (Crystal)

Rum painkiller

Lemon vodka

Elderflower champagne

Cranberry and orange surprise

Chapter 13:- Second Sittings (Naomi)

Empty the fridge stir fry rice

Chapter 14:- After Dinner Toasts.

Crispy Parma ham and mozzarella salad

Barbecued balsamic beef

Barbecued vegetable pouches

What? Where? When? How?

I don´t belieeeve it! Summer over already! It just can´t be. It feels like a week ago I was girding my loins for my daughters´ 3 month summer break, and now they have already been back at school two weeks. Ever feel like on the remote control of life the fast forward button has become jammed? I find it so scarey . I wake up and think "oh bugger, Monday" then it seems no time at all I am saying "Yeah- Friday!" Is this a new thing? Has the hole in the ozone layer caused time to speed up? Is the earth spinning faster on its axis? Are there still 24 hours in a day, 60 minutes in an hour and 60 seconds in a minute?

I seem to spend my days rushing; from the minute I charge out of bed in the morning, until the minute I throw myself back into it at night. I have quizzed my friends about this and they too seem to be suffering from this Fast Forward Phenomenon. So without further ado ( no time for further adoing these days) STOP.
When was the last time you curled up on the sofa and read a book or a magazine? When was the last time you sat and stared aimlessly out of the window? When was the last time you put a face mask on ? When was the last time you painted your toe nails, just because you wanted to, not because you had a function to attend? When was the last time you stopped to stroke your cat, dog or vietnamese potbellied pig?
Life is full of busy and ,if we have any free time, we fill it with busy.Perhaps if we slow down, life will slow down too. What is the point of racing through life- because at the end is the  finishing post, one I am in no hurry to reach first!

This is one of my favourite slooooooow recipes. I am sure I have pinched it from someone (sorry). It is wonderfully easy to prepare, delightfully low maintenance to cook and a dream to enjoy as a relaxed supper with friends.

SLOW COOKED LAMB (serves 6)

Ingredients:-

1 large leg of lamb
salt and pepper
olive oil
3 red onions peeled and quartered
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
2 handfuls of mixed fresh herbs (thyme , rosemary and bay) If you can´t get fresh use 2 bouquet garnis
4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 celeriac, peeled and cut into chunks
6 large carrots, scrubbed and halved

3 parsnips, scrubbed and halved

1 bottle of white wine.

Preheat your oven to 170 degrees C. In the largest casserole pot you can find, fry your well seasoned lamb in olive oil until it is browned all over. Add the onions and garlic and continue to fry for a few more minutes. Add all the veg, herbs, wine and add the same amount of water as wine. Tightly cover top with kitchen foil and bake in the oven for 5 hours.

To serve- place the whole pot on the table and you and your friends dig in, using crusty bread to mop up all the delicious juices.

Just a taste!

Just a taste of my book "Recipes for Life"- will be out as soon as I find a publisher! Any offers?

What’s on the Menu?

There are two things that won’t let you down; good food and good friends-in that order.

Which spawn of Satan took the last aspirin? My head feels like it is going to explode; it hurts to blink! Those blasted wine fairies have snuck up on me again and swopped my brain for a throbbing ball of cotton wool! Will I get through the pre school breakfast fiasco without throwing up? Not sure I should drive the girls to school; I might still be over the limit. Before you start tut-tutting and have me labeled as an alcoholic, let me clarify.

Last night was the monthly meet of “The Girls”. We meet at each other’s houses (restaurants refuse to have us anymore!) Each month the number of us meeting fluctuates. Our group is a “pick n’ mix” of characters- some of us have known each other since school; high flyer Sonia; The Mother Theresa of our group, Becky; and of course “the Twins” Helena The Adorable and Helen The Ruthless. Some are new arrivals (desperation leading them to join our merry troop) like Lidia, forever on the search for her Prince Charming. Some we can’t even remember why or when they joined us- I have no idea where Diane appeared from- actually one could ever say Diane “appeared”- Diane” makes an entrance”, red carpet and all. Diane, the one we love to hate. So glad she graced us with her presence and added some glamour and raunchiness to our little coven.

Some have been and gone, moving on to bigger and better things (wonder which yacht and with which celebrity Elise is with now- would love to tell you about her but I would be sued.) There are the regulars; Holly, desperate for children; the forever pregnant Louise and of course MOI! Sometimes, even us regulars are prevented from attending; stuff like children, husbands, ex-husbands, work, and boyfriends- life in general, get in the way. The main point is that we still meet up every month; we keep the tradition alive. Every time we meet we start the evening as mature, respectable women, but by the end of the evening we resemble a gaggle of giggling, tipsy teenagers. Throughout the evening; emotions, problems and dilemmas are argued over, criticized, sympathized with and finally solved (however, the solutions dreamt up by a rabble of blathering drunks can be a tad dubious at times!) In our own peculiar way we put each others worlds to right. Between us we have the answer to everything. Between us, we have experienced almost every aspect of life. Between us we could make the agony aunts redundant!

Fat feet and high heels!

I do not believe it- I have developed fat feet! On Friday I have to go to a Sex in The City Cocktail Party. No , I do not mean I will be mingling with the stars! The event is being held in a bar 5 minutes from my home, with my friend Natalie (a.k.a The Liquid Muse) creating cocktails for us. Anyway- the dress code is "glam and heels". So, this morning I dusted off my sparkly mini dress and rummaged around in the back of the wardrobe for my one and only pair of high heeled shoes (bought for someones wedding). They are divine- tiny little kitten heels, delicate, jewelled little slip ons. I was horrified when I tried to put them on. NO WAY! It was like Shrek trying to squish his podgy trotter into Cinderellas glass slipper!

I was in shock! The rest of me is more or less the same shape and size as 10 years ago ( ever vigilant of what I eat and lots of running) but my feet-like Hobbits feet! What has happened? I put it down to too many years of wearing comfortable shoes to enable me to run , skip, hop and jump with my children. My feet have experienced middle aged spread!

Not sure I will find a remedy for my "plates of meat". I have never heard of a diet aimed at producing slim feet! Wonder if the instructor at the gym has a special work out for Fat Feet? I think I will have to accept my extremeties as they are and think positively ( at least I will have good balance!)

So Friday, I will be wearing my sparkly mini dress, but I am off now to find some sparkly flip flops or tainers to wear with it!

If you have been wearing killer heels all day, you are going to need to kick them off; chill out on the sofa with the following cocktail-ENJOY

Rum Painkiller.


1 part orange juice

1 part sweetened coconut milk

3 parts pineapple juice

2-4 parts (depending on how horrendous the date has been) dark rum

Squeeze of lime juice

Dash (a heavy handed one) of cointreau

Shake all the above together and pour over crushed ice. Make a jug full, you will want more (suffer the consequences tomorrow!)

This can be made non-alcoholic, just remove the pain numbing alcohol!

A woman in decline?

Behind Every Line There’s a Story- a woman in decline.

I am constantly on the look out for that miracle lotion or potion; that cream or mask that will get rid of the lines and crevices that plague my face and body. I have tried hundreds; ones with plant extracts; ones with animal extracts; ones with unpronounceable extracts; ones you apply at night; ones you apply in the morning; ones in tubes; ones in pots; ones in fancy capsules (never sure if I am meant to swallow them, spread them or stick them up my bum?) and ones that come with their own special spatula. All in vain, the lines stay firmly etched in place. My behaviour must be normal, otherwise why would there be such a huge array of these, unfortunately, useless products? All the models that promote these creams in the glossy magazines, look stunning-but I reckon I could too if I was 25 years younger and had my own personal make up artist.

But the other day, something someone said stopped me in my tracks; made me see my lines in a whole new light. There I was whining on, yet again, about my wrinkles and she said “Behind every line there’s a story”

That night I did something I never ever do-I got out of the shower and instead of skidding, swiftly past that spawn of Satan-the mirror- I stopped and had a good look at myself; I even put on the over mirror light to have a better inspection . I usually avoid mirrors and bright light like the plague, but this time I took a good look at all the lines, wrinkles, stretch marks and scars and realized that my body is like a book; my autobiography. Where to start; because despite all those creams, there is still so much choice!

Chapter One. Childhood Scars- cautionary tales. The one on my hand from playing with a penknife I shouldn’t have played with. The chickenpox scar on my neck, where my brother, not satisfied with his own crusts, sneakily picked one of mine off whilst I slept. The half moon shaped one next to my eye; the result of my one and only attempt at fly fishing with my Dad. That one on my forehead from when my brother got over excited playing chase and smashed a vase on my head! Finally from knees, down- all those bumps and scrapes and dents: a wonderful childhood filled with; climbing trees; slipping on rocks at the beach; jumping on, and falling off, beds and general, day dreaming clumsiness.

Chapter Two. Laughter lines-fairy tales. Fun with friends; riding a bike without stabilizers; squinting at the sun whilst sun bathing; first loves; Christmas; Birthdays; roller coasters; seeing the blue line on the pregnancy test stick, getting my first job and so many more. All these wonderful events recorded in the jigsaw puzzle round my eyes.

Chapter Three. Frown lines-tales from the dark side. The small line on the bridge of my nose that appears when I am puzzled or do not understand something (this line appears a lot!) The feint lines on my forehead born from worry- exams, fights with friends, fights with family, a difficult pregnancy and the numerous other obstacles that have been put in my path to try me. The deep furrow in the middle of my brow- an ever present reminder of a marriage that went wrong.

Chapter Four. Baggy eyes and dark circles-bedtime tales. I have eyes like a panda most of the time; a combination of babies stealing all my sleep hours and sleep disturbed by guilt and emotions through separation and divorce. Not much improvement, despite gels and fridge, cold creams, but this is because now life is FUN- the dating game is on again.

Chapter Five. Stretch marks-happy ending tale. How I fought to keep these at bay-cocoa butter, mashed avocado (what a waste of my favourite food!), baby oil, nut oil, cooking oil! How silly- after all the problems I had to conceive and I try to erase the permanent reminder that I have two amazing daughters!

Cracks and crevices; lines and wrinkles. Signs of a woman in decline? No.