Sharing fruity fun...

Fruit Fruit Wheel..gone in minutes...lol

Hello folks..just dropping by to wish you all a lovely holiday weekend. We have been having a lovely time so far. Here in England it is a national bank holiday weekend so we have spent some of our day reorganising my work room. Well, isn't it the tradition to get jobs around the house done? Ahem. Anyway it shaped up pretty well and I can smile again when in there. We also did some kitchen work which was good as we rarely get the opportunity to do that anymore. Then yesterday we had a fantastic family day with my sister and her little ones. The majority of the family have entered into a lifestyle change and are trying to eat better. I was happy to join in and after a lunch of jacket potato with lots of healthy toppings and salads we tucked into this fresh fruit wheel and some had fat-free vanilla yoghurt as a topping. The melon balls were hand carved by the little one Noo...the ripe mango was selected by Myles and the super juicy Navel orange was the littlest ones choice and with our additions we had a stuffed fruit wheel to be enjoyed. And believe me...we did indeed enjoy it After the fruit feast we were left with only a few stray pieces of fresh fig, grapes and mango. A healthy eating success I would say...and little Layla 'needed' me to share this with you as she was delighted with the wheel and thought it beautiful.

I wish you all a lovely holiday weekend and I hope you are all enjoying a great weekend..holiday or not. I'll be back tomorrow with a recipe posting....

~Red~

Filipino Chayote...(with a few moments from Aysgarth Falls)

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

Metallica ~ Enter Sandman
Portishead ~ Seven Months 
Prince ~ Get Off
The Beach Boys ~ Dance, Dance, Dance
Patti Smith ~ Not Fade Away
Richie Sambora ~ Rosie 
KT Tunstall ~ Paper Aeroplane
Soundgarden ~ Drawing Flies
Faith No More ~ Underwater Love
Pink Floyd ~ One Of These Days
Brandi Carlile ~ That Year
Mozart: Adagio in E for Violin & Orchestra
Garbage ~ Drive You Home
Heart ~ If Looks Could Kill

I am back after celebrating my birthday...dealing with hospitals..walking a waterfall and then dealing with more hospital stuff. To be honest the last couple of days I have trying to get my life back to normal...get back into my routine. ML went back to work yesterday and is also trying to get back into the swing of things. But we've had a lovely time over the last two weeks so there is no complaining here. On Sunday myself, ML, little Noo, Ann, Caz, Dev and Bev all travelled up to Aysgarth Falls and we took our time enjoying all the walk had to offer. The splendour of the falls, the beauty in the surrounding woods including all the many different spring flowers. I really just enjoyed being out in the fresh air, with people I love and despite the agony I was experiencing during the last part of the walk...(one too many fields! lol)..I wouldn't have changed a thing. Little Noo had a great time and enjoyed her scavenger hunt that we'd put together for her and to quote her little self...It was very tiring but an AWESOME day...just before she crashed out cold in the back of the car. Cute. At the end of recipe you'll find some memories from the day...all courtesy of our lovely pal..Ann. 

Let's get to the food...it staggers me when I find a recipe that is so very simple. It's easy to get lost in a stack of ingredients. This recipe has just four ingredients and has the most amazing flavours. I had picked up a couple of chayotes during a recent visit to the Indian and Continental Store over in the city. They are the most ugly things but have a very refreshing taste. I urge you to try them if you already haven't..you are missing out. The recipe was found posted by Anon...again. It is incredibly easy to make and I enjoyed mine with brown rice and chick peas although the suggested accompaniment was jasmine rice. It has a great mix of savoury and sweet to it and for me that was enjoyable. I will most definitely be making this again...

Filipino Chayote

 

Filipino Chayote

2 med/large chayotes, skinned and de-seeded, chopped into cubes
2 med onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 med tomatoes, de-stalked and finely chopped

In a med wok or skillet heat a little oil or water/broth and cook the onion and garlic until softened. Add in the tomatoes and cook until they have broken down. Add the chayote and a little warm water, cook, covered until the chayote is tender/crisp. Serve...it's that simple folks.

Enjoy! 

And now for the Falls....

Freshly trimmed and raring to go Archie at the beginning of the walk...lol

The four legged family was in attendance on this walk and both Archie and Dev & Bev's Ella had a great romp. 

Aysgarth Falls...so beautiful. We set up camp here for our picnic

The sound of the falls made my heart beat faster. We decided that this was the perfect place for the picnic and for the hour we sat there I was completely at peace. 

Aysgarth Falls...further up the walk

The falls for me were perfect...as they were wide it meant the walk was more achievable for me. If I'm honest I would've happily set up a tent and stayed there. 

A very happy Noo..

Noo looked just the part with her new (but broken in) walking boots, walking t-shirt, walking fleece and rain coat. She also carried her own back pack with all her food and drink. And I lent her one of my walking poles which she never let go of even when having her picnic. lol. She loved getting in amongst the creatures, flowers and loved listening to all the gang who were more than happy to spend time with her. Even when she was clearly tired by the end of the walk (and who blinking wasn't? lol) not one moan or whinge passed her lips. She carried on like the trooper she is. I was a very proud Auntie.

The family of ducklings who joined us

Noo was delighted when a mother duck and her little ones joined us and she and Ann climbed down next to the waters edge to get a closer look. They were very adorable. 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your week is going well...

~Red~ 

NB: This recipe is not mine and therefore take no credit for it whatsoever. I do send out thanks to whoever did and would be happy to give credit where it's due. Also the photos from the Waterfall Walk are courtesy of Ann aka the doggie whisperer...thank you lovely for all your beautiful memories you caught for us all in your photos. ~R~

Cannellini Beans in Tomato Sauce

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

King and I OST ~ Shall We Dance?
Melissa Etheridge ~ Miss California 
Faith No More ~ We Care A Lot
Dead Sara ~ I Said You Were Lucky
Cult ~ Fire Woman
Foo Fighters ~ Walking After You
The Gossip ~ Coal To Diamonds
Beth Hart ~ There In Your Heart 
Pitbull ~ I Know You Want Me
Sting ~ Desert Rose
Weezer ~ Buddy Holly 
The Pretty Reckless ~ Light Me Up
Eddie Vedder ~ Once In Awhile 
Katy B ~ What Love Is Made Of 

Today I have the pleasure of the company of my littlest niece Layla so no doubt it will be a busy day lol. She recently turned 3 and already I have her practising her kitchen skills. lol. She can peel root veggies like a pro (on a bad day..ahem) and she loves to bring her stool into the kitchen and stand next to me as I cook at the stove. She enjoys stirring the pot (flipping half of the contents over the hob..lol) and her smile when we've finished making her soup for lunch is adorable..the little minx. I am awaiting her arrival so right now I am unsullied but give Layla an hour and I'll be covered in paints, drinks and food products. lol. I love it...and I'm learning Spanish watching Dora, don't ya know lol.

Last night I made a new pasta recipe and I have to say I gave it an 11/10 in my scoring system. It was delicious. I served mine with a little buckwheat fusilli which was a good combo and, as always, some steamed side veggies. I don't know about you guys but I always save my favourite part of my meal until last. I like to savour the last few mouthfuls which is almost always Brussels sprouts or broccoli...or chickpeas. However last night I hastily ate my side veggies and slowly ate every mouthful of the pasta and sauce, taking in every flavour as it hit my palate. 

This sauce recipe comes from Linda Majzlik's A Vegan Taste of Italy. I have the whole series of Majzilk's cookbooks and they were among the first I ever bought. I love them because they are interesting recipes, made with great ingredients and I haven't had a duff one yet. Maybe one that wasn't to my personal taste but you can't hold that against her..lol. I am always on the lookout for new pasta sauce recipes as pasta is one of my favourite foods. And now I have found a good version of GF shaped pasta, I decided to give this one a go. 

I adapted it by using dried herbs because I didn't have the fresh ones available but I don't think it lost anything for it. The hardest work when making this recipe is finely chopping the carrots but, really, is that hard work? lol. I can only use one brand of tinned tomato because they don't put citric acid in them and when I added them to the pan it was clear that it would need a little tomato paste (also without citric acid added) boost so I added 1 tbsp of that too. 

I really lucked out with my cannellini beans yesterday because they were tender and succulent and not hard as bullets as some canned varieties can be. The sauce they were cooking in was intensely herby and the onion, celery, garlic and carrots cooked down into it beautifully. To be honest I could've happily eaten the sauce without the pasta and may do just that with the leftovers. As the recipe serves four I separated it into four portions...one to eat last night..one as leftovers in the fridge for later in the week and two portions for the freezer. Marvellous..and I think this recipe would be great with pasta, rice, jacket potato, quinoa..oh well, with all the usual suspects...lol 

Cannellini Beans in Tomato Sauce...so good!

Cannellini Beans in Tomato Sauce     Serves 4
(Recipe from A Vegan Taste of Italy/Majzlik)

30oz/850g tinned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (I used 2 tins)
14oz/400g tin of chopped tomatoes 
8oz/225g carrot, peeled and finely chopped
2 celery sticks, trimmed and finely sliced
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped 
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp olive oil (I used 1 tsp) 
1 dsp finely chopped fresh sage (I used 1/2 tsp dried)
1 dsp finely chopped fresh basil (I used 1 tsp dried)
freshly ground black pepper 
1 tbsp tomato paste/puree (my adaption)
roughly chopped flat leaf parsley to garnish 

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and gently fry the onion, garlic and celery until softened. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the mixture thickens. Stir frequently to prevent sticking. Serve..

Enjoy!    

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Tuesday is as busy as mine but also as full of joy...

Grrrrrr...Polar Bear sugar cookies ala Layla & Auntie R...lol

...and it was a fantastic day. Yes I did end up covered in food but I really don't care. lol. Layla was very proud of her Polar Bear cookies and kept Grrring as she handed them out. She also made a new friend in Ann...happy day. xx

~Red~ 

NB: This is not my recipe so therefore I take no credit for it. It is the hard work and creative talent of Linda Majzlik and hers alone. I thank her for such a great cookbook series and the inspiration...~R~  

White Bean, Sage and Garlic Dip

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

Stevie Nicks ~ Stop Draggin' My Heart Around
Foo Fighters ~ Tired Of You
Joan Jett ~ A Secret Love
The Puppini Sisters ~ Sway 
The Bryan Ferry Orchestra ~ Slave To Love 
Bowie ~ Golden Years 
Emmylove Harris & Don Williams ~ If I Needed You
Abbacadabra ~ Mamma Mia
Bach: Orchestral Suite in #3 in D : Air 
Rod Stewart ~ Stay With Me
James Morrison ~ One Last Chance
Maxine Sullivan ~ It Ain't Necessarily So 
Jessie Ware ~ No To Love 
Dixie Chicks ~ Easy Silence

I've had the pleasure of the littlest niece's company for the day. My sister has started a part time job and that means that I get the chance to spend some extra time with the little one. We have been busy painting, cooking soup, playing games, dancing and shooting pirates. lol All great fun and having her thoughts and input on the events of the day has been interesting and at times quite funny. Sometimes it's hard to remember she is only 2..well until next week. She is far wiser and more mature than some 5 year olds. Seeing her slumped in the car seat on the way to her home was quite a satisfying feeling...I'd worn her out. lol. But no doubt that it was a temporary thing...

So to today's recipe...it was a recipe that I made on Friday for the weekend. I am experimenting with fresh sage right now having thought for years that I didn't like it. Now I know that I am not a big fan of the dried variety but the fresh option is really quite lovely. I found this recipe posted by that great cook Anon but as soon as I read through the ingredients I knew I had found a recipe I wanted to try..now! In minutes it was printed off and in a few more I was in my kitchen prepping. 

It is an easy dish to make if you don't drop the baking dish as you are lifting it out of the oven! Urgh! lol And once it's blitzed you have a fairly sizable pot of dip. I used mine as a dip for crudites, spread for oatcakes, in a sandwich and I think it would be great as a filling for a jacket potato although I have yet to try that one. Its flavours despite the amount of garlic used are subtle and wholesome. Oh and I had some on hot GF toast which was very good. 

White Bean, Sage & Garlic Dip with Rustic Oarcakes

White Bean, Sage & Garlic Dip  Servings...many lol.

2 1/2 tins of cannellini beans, rinsed well and drained 
5 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
10 fresh sage leaves 
2 bay leaves 
1 tbsp olive oil 
1 whole head of garlic, outermost papery husk removed
salt and black pepper 
juice of 1 lemon 

Preheat oven to 350'F/180'C/GM 4. Spray the head of garlic with olive oil cooking spray. Put it in a small baking dish with 1/3 cup water. Bake until soft and lightly caramelised, about 45 minutes. Allow to cool and then squeeze out the roasted garlic cloves. 

Put the drained beans in a saucepan along with the bay leaves, sage and garlic and just cover with water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and then simmer for 3o minutes. Remove from the heat and remove the bay leaves. Reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water, drain the bean mix. 

Blitz the bean mix with the roasted garlic, oil and enough of the cooking water to achieve a spreadable consistency. Season to taste with the salt, pepper and lemon. 

Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve. 

Enjoy! 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Tuesday has been as much fun as mine...

~Red~ 

NB: This recipe is not my creation and therefore I take no credit for it whatsoever. But thanks to whoever did. ~R~


 

Noo's Vegan Chilli

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

ZZ Ward ~ Till The Casket Drops Album 

I have this niece who is awesome..takes after her Auntie..lol No sorry...right, I have this niece who, whenever she is visiting and I am kitchen bound..grabs her apron from the hook and then bombards me with a thousand questions...What are we making? Is it dinner or pudding? Are we eating it for lunch? What veggies are in it? What are we having with it? and many, many others questions... Then I put my apron on and she is already waiting patiently at my kitchen counter to be my assitant chef. She is 4!! 

Now to many parents and other Aunties and Uncles..the idea of a 4 year old in the kitchen is probably a stressful thought...or maybe ok for a shot of cupcake baking. But with Noo it is very easy to forget she is only 4 because she is older than her years and smart as a whip. And I have grown to trust in her and her abilities. Naturally she is heavily supervised but her natural skills are getting better everytime she is in the kitchen with me. 

Today when she asked what she could do..instead of finding a task that would keep her busy I decided to give her some more responsibility...so I was ready for the What can I do Auntie R? First job up was the peeling of the fresh tomatoes...when I drained them and set them on the counter she peered into the bowl and asked what was going to happen to them. I told her that they all needed skinning ready to be chopped up. She looked up at me and said Can I do that? I answered...I don't know Noo, could you? She frowned and looked at the tomatoes and asked me to show her what I would do...which I did...then she moved the bowl infront of her and said to me...Yep I can do that...you get chopping! lol. And she peeled them perfectly. Then the rest of the process was the same...so then she went on to rinse and clean the veggies, peel carrots, grate them, cut courgettes in half moons (obviously supervised but she listened and kept her finger ends away from the knife..), measure out spices, stirred the cooking chilli as each ingredient went in, handpicked black eyed beans to go in it and then she placed grated cheeze and nachos into serving bowls for the dining table...all the while coming back to 'check on her chilli' lol. Myles did manage to grate some carrot but then lost interest when he got carried away and skinned a knuckle. lol And the littlest one LB who was desperate to help, helped wrap tortillas in foil to heat in the oven so she was very proud of her little job. Oh yes and Myles laid the table for me...must not forget that. So it was very much a joint effort but the day was really Noo's. I was so proud of her...and when we sat down to eat and I showed them how to fill and roll their wraps they got straight to it and devoured their lunches...success...lol When my sister and our mum came home Noo very proudly told them about her day...that kid rocks...

Referring back to the bean part of the process...little miss Noo 'hates' beans with a passion and therefore I rarely make a beany meal for them which has always distressed me. So today when I needed to select beans...I told Noo that the dish needed beans and at first she looked a little afraid and concerned. But I simply said..No sweetheart there has to be beans so I'm going to let you choose which ones we use...and gave her the choice of three tins and she studied them all carefully and then handed me the black eyed beans and I nodded and said Great choice, you'll love them. She smiled and said Really? I replied...You bet. And you know what...she loved them and can't wait to choose another bean to try out next time. Small steps...but steps non the less. 

So this chilli is packed with veggies, textures and flavour. It's great in a wrap, as a topping on jacket potatoes, with rice or just as a stand alone dish. There is a good amount of heat but not a burn through your mouth amount. And here is the little one's recipe....

Noo's  Vegan Chilli.

Noo's Vegan Chilli  Serves 2 big people and 3 little ones

1lb/350g fresh tomatoes, skinned and chopped
4 med carrots, peeled and grated
1 large courgette, sliced into half moons
1 tin of black eyed beans, rinsed and drained
1oz natural soy TVP 
1 red pepper, finely chopped
1 green pepper, finely chopped
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 celery sticks, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp fresh red chilli, minced
10 floz/ 300ml veggie stock
1 tsp dried coriander
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp paprika
2 bay leaves
fresh cracked black pepper

Heat the oil in a large skillet and add the onion, celery, garlic and fresh chilli and saute for approx 8-19 minutes until they have softened greatly. Add the chopped tomatoes and stir well and leave to cook over a medium heat until they have pulped down. Then add the remaining ingredients and stir very well and bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and allow to cook down until all veggies are cooked. Then serve....


Enjoy! from Noo..

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Saturday has been as great as ours....

~Red~

Beetroot, Carrot & Green Lentil Hotpot (Slowcooker)

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

Buckcherry ~ Sorry (Acoustic)
Evanescence ~ Never Go Back
Billy Joel ~ Honesty
Jem ~ How Would You Like It
Jackson Browne ~ Sky Blue & Black 
Tina Dico ~ Break of Day
Janiva Magness ~ End of the Road
The Union ~ Blame It On Tupelo 
The Cranberries ~ Dreams
Newton Faulkner ~ Face (Her)
Marilyn Manson ~ The Dope Show
Maroon 5 ~ How 
Missy Higgins ~ They Weren't There
Terra Naomi ~ Up Here 

Blimey, was I tired yesterday. ML was back from work travels and we barely had time to catch up before the four legged fella was back home with us accompanied by our friends A & C. They always look after the little guy when ML is away as I am not always well enough to meet his needs. But to be honest...I don't think he minds at all in fact he always looks a little sad to be home. Charming. lol. A & C were hot footing it off to a spa break for four days and they couldn't stop smiling and who could blame them eh? Saunas, pools of many kinds, massages and treatments galore and good wine awaited them at the end of their journey. They deserve it so good on 'em. After they set off on their journey to Nirvana...lol...we set off to our nephews birthday party..and it was everything a party should be..chaotic..filled with laughter of the birthday boy and his siblings and friends...awkward family situations *rolling eyes* and most importantly a fabulous birthday cake. Sadly for us we couldn't do this cake for him as ML is busy working on his parents upcoming wedding cake so it was down to my sister. And although the cake wasn't vegan...but they are not a vegan family...she knocked it out of the park. She had made a marble cake and then covered it in chocolate and pressed on sugar paper superheroes and figures. It was great and everyone enjoyed it....great job sis. But ML and I both left early as we were exhausted and then came home to crash...

...and then I remembered I still needed to make the bloody lovely Hotpot. So sat at my counter I sleepily peeled veggies and ML helped by making the stock and, to keep me focused, told me about the art gallery that had left an impression whilst in Copenhagen. It helped but by the end I was seeing black spots and almost sliding off of my stool. I think I over did it this weekend...but no regrets. 

I found the original recipe for this dish via Pinterest and for Teresa Cutters original recipe please visit her website TheHealthyChef .  I have adapted it somewhat to suit my personal tastes, what I had in my stocks and preferred cooking method. I had bought some beautiful examples of beetroot at the recent farm shop visit and also a fantastic red cabbage...or purple cabbage depending on where you live...lol. It wasn't due to my extreme tiredness that made me choose to slow cook this recipe...from the first moment I saw it and read it through, I wanted to cook mine this way. And I think it worked really well. 


It's always a risk making veggie casseroles in the slow cooker because quite often you can end up with a mushy pile of..stuff. And the dishes can be quite watery...but given the hardiness of the veggies and the lentil addition I felt positive that slow cooking would work well. If it's important to you to eat the Rainbow of foods then this dish is a must because red/purple goodness starts to take effect as you inhale the aromas..lol. And the textures held together great...the beetroot was tender but not about to collapse and the same for the carrots. The shallots were succulent as was the red cabbage. The lentils were cooked to perfection and although there was a little more sauce than planned..it wasn't by any means a soup. The flavours were heady and earthy with the beets and thyme kicking in the earthiness and the carrots adding that little bit of sweetness. Every mouthful was a pleasure and it wasn't stodgy or heavy on the stomach as most hot pots are. It was filling, beautifully textured with good wholesome flavours.

I don't often use alcohol in my cooking but it felt right for this recipe. And as soon as the slow cooker got going the smell of the wine heating and the cabbage reminded me of Christmas when I make a braised red cabbage in red wine side dish for the Pals Christmas Dinner and the memory made me very happy. If you've never tried this side dish...you are missing out. I still have plenty of the red cabbage left so I may make a batch and post it later in the week.  

Beetroot, Carrot and Green Lentil Hotpot

Beetroot, Carrot & Green Lentil Hotpot  Serves 4
(Adapted from original recipe by Teresa Cutter)

10 small shallots, peeled and halved
4 cloves garlic, micro grate or mince
4 med carrots, peeled and chopped
4 large beetroot, peeled and cut into large chunks
heaped 1/2 tsp dried thyme
4 cups of veggie stock 
1 cup of red wine
1 heaped tbsp tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste 
1 cup of dried green lentils, rinsed and drained (small green lentils not continental)
2 large leaves of red cabbage, stalk removed and shredded 
fresh flat leaf parsley to garnish

In a med-large slow cooker/crock pot layer the veggies as follows...shallots, carrots, garlic, beetroots and sprinkle over the dried thyme and black pepper. Give them a good stir to distribute the herb. Then layer on the green lentils. Mix the tomato paste into your stock and then pour the wine in followed by the wine. Layer the red cabbage on top and place the lid on. 

Cook for 4 hours on High or 8 on Low. I chose High this time because I wanted to finish the cooking before I went to bed. Serve with a grain or bread...or solo. 

Enjoy! 

Thanks go out to Teresa Cutter for creating such a tasty recipe and I hope my adaptions would be to your taste too. 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Monday is a fantastic one....I plan on spending mine writing and re-charging my batteries. lol. 

~Red~ 
 

Ms Dahl's Baked Pumpkin with lemon, sauteed greens and toasted cumin dressing

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List: 

Chris Cornell ~ Like A Stone 
Maroon 5 ~ How 
Stevie Ray Vaughan ~ Say What!
Bowie ~ Loving the Alien 
Xtina ~ Candy Man
Foo Fighters ~ Everlong
Louis Armstrong ~ What A Wonderful World
Metallica ~ Whisky In The Jar
Hutch ~ Just One Of Those Things
Prince ~ Sexy M.F
Manic Street Preachers ~ Your Love Alone Is Not Enough
Shakira ~ Good Stuff
The Union ~ You Can Share My Dreams
Sarah McLachlan ~ Ice

I am sat here writing this post watching the dark grey clouds looming outside and the rain that's been coming down for the last few days...listening to my iPod...smiling at the selections of my shuffle function. I'm reminded how beautiful the world is by Louis...(I'm a dark weather rain loving freak remember?! lol)..how, no matter how I am feeling physically, my mind and body can react to a great rock tune by Metallica..not to take life so seriously by Hutch...and that sharing your dreams with the one you love is a beautiful thing by The Union. Yep...I love music. 

I also love cooking and I was able to do some yesterday..well in a fashion. With the help of my trusty assistant Noo. My little niece is the coolest kid and when ML & I started to gather the ingredients together for this recipe, she was glued to my side asking if she could help and ...."Auntie Red can I do that bit? Can I? Can I? Show me how?.." To be honest its one of my greatest joys showing the little ones their way around my kitchen..(actually I was sat my dining table prepping with ML being my legs..lol Thanks ML)..I taught Noos Mum and our brothers kitchen skills when they were all little ones too. (Major age difference between me and my sibs)..and my brother stills remembers making Mushroom Risotto with me. Noo and I had a great time as we worked our way through the recipe and she listened carefully despite being a little over eager sometimes but for a four year old (nearly 5 Auntie Red! lol) she responded well to her first Knife Skills lesson and was confidently slicing veggies to her little hearts content. lol. Proud Auntie moment for sure. Anyway....lol 

This recipe is from the kitchen of Ms Sophie Dahl and from her cookbook From Season to Season. I originally found this book in my local library and booked it out and kept it out for a year! lol. Ms Dahl has a great mix of veggie (easily veganised) and naturally vegan recipes but also has meat & fish dishes. I believe Ms Dahl was once a vegan herself so she still incorporates those recipes in her work. I fell for this cookbook back then and reluctantly took it back to the library. And then recently I found a used copy for £2!!!! It was meant to be...

I had a small Harvest Squash sat in my kitchen which I had purchased for stuffing but when my copy of Ms Dahls cookbook arrived I knew exactly what it was going to be used for. So once it had been scrubbed and dried I set about slicing it with Noo carefully removing all the seeds to take home and dry out and plant...she's quite the keen gardener, don't ya know. Plus she believes that pumpkins are magic...and shes going to grow them for me so I can eat them and get better. Gotta love the little ones, eh? 

Now I adapted the recipe somewhat...in as much as I used a regular white onion instead of red for no other reason than its what I had to hand. I used a rubbed sprinkling of a little dried sage as I didn't have any fresh sage. I also changed the dressing slightly from using either ground cumin or cumin seeds to using a little of both and leaving out the creme fresh/sour cream. I also used a beautiful savoy cabbage as the green instead of swiss chard and kale...once again..because its what I had. And I left out the oil in the greens as I felt there was enough oil in the dish already in the baking of the pumpkin and dressing. But I shall write the recipe up as Ms Dahl intended. 

It's a beautiful dish with many layers of flavour and very filling. And as with all the other recipes of Ms Dahls I've tried...it will be a regular meal in this kitchen.

Ms Dahl's Baked Pumpkin with lemon, sauteed greens and toasted cumin dressing

Baked Pumpkin with lemon, sauteed greens and toasted cumin dressing 
(Recipe from From Season to Season/Dahl)

2lb pumpkin, deseeded and chopped or sliced
1 large red onion, peeled and chopped
a few fresh sage leaves, roughly torn
salt and pepper 
2 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds or ground cumin
juice of half a lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp of creme fraiche or sour cream (obviously vegan options, eh?)

2 tbsp olive oil 
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 handful of swiss chard
1 handful of curly kale 

Preheat the oven to 220'C/200'cfan/GasMark7. Put the pumpkin into a roasting tray with the onion and sage, season, and pour over the olive oil. Cook for around 30 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender. 

While the pumpkin is cooking, make your dressing. In a small pan on a medium heat toast the cumin seeds. This should only take a minute, and you will know its ready when the dusk of the cumin is roaming around your kitchen. Cool for a minute, then squeeze the lemon juice into the pan, followed by the olive oil. Put this into a jug or something and leave to the side, stirring the creme fraiche in just before serving. 

Now, the greens. In a big frying pan heat the olive oil and garlic. Throw in the greens and cook until tender, about 5-10 minutes. 

Take the pumpkin out of the oven, put the greens on a plate with the pumpkin on top and cover with the dressing. 

Gratuitous foodie shot...lol

Enjoy! 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Sunday has been a great one....

~Red~ & Noo 

  
 
 
 

Little Ones Tales: Trip to the Seaside

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

Natalie Merchant ~ I May Know The Word
Anna Nalick ~ Broken Doll
Dean Martin ~ All Of Me
Thunder ~ A Lover, Not A Friend
Joan Jett ~ You Got A Problem
Janiva Magness ~ Don't Let Your Memories
Sting ft Annie Lennox ~ We'll Be Together
Sheryl Crow ~ My Favourite Mistake
Guns N' Roses ~ Word Up
Evanescence ~ Call Me When You Are Sober
Edie Brickell ~ Good Times
Muse ~ Feeling Good
Joan Jett ~ Bad Time
Melissa Etheridge ~ This Moment

Last week England finally started having a summer..lol So instead of a family day spent at home we loaded up the cars and headed off for a day by the sea. The skies were blue...the weather balmy hot and everyone was in great moods. The drive up the coastal route was one filled with laughter and games...we had little ones M and N with us. After a tiny bit of essential shopping we finally arrived at our destination of Hornsea.

We decided against a picnic on the beach and everyone except me tucked into the traditional seaside fayre of Fish and Chips. Yuck! I opted for Tomato Panini and after we had enjoyed our lunches we left the shade of the café and headed across to the sea. Now I was expecting it to be heaving with people but we found parking easily and the beach wasn't even half filled. Marvellous! Whilst the little ones finished their dessert ice creams we stood taking in the view until they had finished.  

L was a little taken aback..."Wow Auntie R..that is a BIG pool!"
All ready with her brand new bucket and spade. lol.

The Hornsea beach isn't that sandy...it has plenty of pebbles and shells so the little ones had great fun building beach art on the sand.



N building large pebble sculptures...and M in the
striped shorts digging a hole..laid back styley. lol

ML, my sister, her fiancé and the little ones all had fun down at the water...and L had a great time jumping over the waves with ML. lol Whilst everyone played on the beach I took the time to relax and watch them...but mainly taking in the healing vibes I get from being near the water.

I think the little ones have definitely been bitten by the beach bug...and was happily planning the next trip there. lol.

My view from our base camp..

Look at that blue sky...for those of you lucky enough to see blue skies every day this won't be half as amazing as it was for us. lol.

Gratuitous beach shot...still quite spacious at this point..
by the time we left there wasn't much space left.

The little ones are still on the hunt for magic stones and pebbles that will help make me well..love them. N is the main magic finder and was very excited when she found this stone that had "...incredible magic Auntie R because it has your Red in it!..." I loved it...and loved her...and she was very proud of herself.

Its a shame that you can't see just beautiful the vivid red running through
this stone.

N stood watching me as I looked at it...and then impatiently asked..."..well do you feel the magic???.."  The look of hope on her face made me gulp and so I nodded and she walked back to her beach art looking very happy with herself. Little ones, eh? Get ya everytime. lol.



I loved the pattern in this stone and thought it looked like some 
Blood Splatter Art I had seen recently.

So after a few hours on the beach...four very tired grown ups led three very excited and beach buzzing little ones back to the cars and we all set off on the journey back home. This time we just had M in the back and we played a counting game...and he managed to get to 50 before he crashed out..ain't sea air a great thing. lol

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Friday has been a great one...

~Red~

An Almost Perfect Saturday...

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

Orianthi ~ Missing You
Missy Higgins ~ Forgive Me
Soundgarden ~ New Damage
Nickelback ~ Everything I Wanna Do
Garbage ~ It's All Over But The Crying
VAST ~ She Visits Me
Anna Nalick ~ Satellite
Beth Hart ~ Stay
Orianthi ~ Courage
The Eagles ~ Love Will Keep Us Alive
The Rolling Stones ~ Let's Spend The Night Together
Kenny Wayne Shepherd ~ Cryin' Shame
Katherine Crowe ~ Weakness In Me
Janiva Magness ~ Don't Do It

Yesterday I was a very lucky woman...I had one of those  almost perfect days. You know, the rare ones where nothing is really planned but you set off out into the world and somehow everything almost falls into place. Despite ill health being a real bitch pain I dragged myself through the whole day and enjoyed every second of it.

We started the day by putting together a picnic for myself, ML, my sister and her little ones. Then we all set out for the Country Park across the Bridge. The advertising had promised family activities and lots of fun. We enjoyed a great road trip there with N and M in the back of our car and myself and N torturing M with our Wooooo's as we turned corners..lol. However there was a little flaw in the plan...two huge car parks of the country park with one tiny Scooter park set up...and a couple of tennis nets set up next to it. And that was it...bummer. The kids were a little disappointed as were we. So we walked around and my sister was very happy to find a Ice Cream van selling Fat Free, Dairy Free and Gluten Free ices. And very soon we were walking up to the Scooter course..licking our way through our Ices. M and I chose Pineapple..whilst my sister and the girls had Strawberry. Delish!

 

M holding our Ices...N looking cheeky with hers and L looking
super cute with her ice almost as big as her! lol

When we made it to the Scooter course the ices were somewhat ditched and left melting in my sisters and my hands...lucky us. ML took N over to get togged up in the helmet and pads and she was very happy to find a purple scooter to take off on. Now our niece N is one heck of a Warrior Princess...and was straight in and onto the course but slightly older children intimidated her on the high ramps...but she did it and completed the course. M & L tried to walk the course and we gently discouraged to not do that. lol. Ooops.

Our brave niece Noo..shame shes
actually blinking..lol Ah well.

We had a quick stroll over to the Country Park to try and locate a play area for the little ones to let off some disappointed steam. M found an awesome 6 ft branch and was happy dragging it around with us. lol. We finally found some information and found a Phoenix Sculpture Trail which an acquaintance of ours had contributed to the sculptures. And the most beautiful Owl sculpture was sat next to this stone. (Sorry forgot to snap the Owl..)

One day...

Sadly I had to accept my limitations and to get to the lake and the play area...it was gonna take a trek I wasn't capable of doing at the moment. But I made a promise to myself that one day I will. So we decided to decamp to the Foreshore and its little beach and play area.

Tinkerbell Sunglasses..don't ya know, Auntie R? lol

The temperatures were climbing all morning so by the time we got back to our cars we were all fading a little. N asked for her sunglasses once buckled into her seat. And I 'had' to take a quick photo of them..."..because they are Tinkerbell sunglasses don't ya know..Auntie R?" lol. Well I do now.

View from the parked cars...always happy when this side of the bridge.
The town we live in is the other side.
 

The little ones call the Foreshore Stoney Beach and love walking along the pebbles and the girls collected a few magical stones for my collection. lol. M chose to adventure alone and actually took some time to make a mini mural for me...but sadly the photos didn't show it up well enough..but safe to say this Auntie suddenly found she had some 'grit in her eye' Ahem. Cute kid that one. Once we had ventured far enough down, we reached the wooded play area and the little ones ran off with happy smiles. I made my way to the one picnic table and collapsed onto it sat down at it and staked our claim lol. I enjoyed the constant calls of "Watch me Auntie R..." from all around and laughed as my poor sister was standing with her heart beating out of her chest as the littles took on all the climbing options...lol Evil sister aren't I? And ML was kept constantly busy with holding hands and helping.

Cheeky little monkey M at the top of the very large roped climbing frame.

M was very proud of himself as he could only get half way up this climbing frame the last time we were here. One happy kid..

Ummm climbing frame Frizbe...not sure that was
a good idea. lol

ML even got in the Climbing frame action but commented later..."Roped climbing things and me are not meant to be..." lol. Shame because I would've been at the top with M if I could.

Then we stopped for the picnic...and obviously the family all enjoyed their non vegan picnic...so this is what I had. Olive Pate and Baby Rocket and Leaves Wraps.

Step One: Schmear the pate over the wrap

Step Two: Liberally toss on some leaves

Step Three: Fold them up and stick em in a tub.

They were delicious and washed down with ice cold water. Once the picnic had been devoured and it was..lol. It was just so good to be sat in fresh air with a gentle breeze on us all and feeling the sun. Lovely. There was some more play time for the little ones and another stroll along the Foreshore. We sat admiring the view and enjoying the water as the little ones played and then we decided that it was getting way too hot and took a short ride to a Play Pub so we could all enjoy ice cold drinks and maybe some dessert. And what do you know I found somewhere that sells refillable espressos....dangerous!!! lol. The little ones enjoyed the indoor and outdoor play areas whilst we recovered inside. Buoyed up by my double espresso and copious amount of iced water...we once again gathered the rather hot and tired little ones and headed back out to the cars. Poor little loves dragged their tired little feet back to my sisters car and we hugged and set off for the next part of our day. But what a great start...but then spending time with my sister is never hard...I love it.

So part two of our Saturday. One of the parks in the city was hosting an Arts In The Park event. Now I have to go to these events...I love Art so I am always happy to wander around looking at the pieces on display. And there was Live music to be had...poetry to listen to..lots for families attending. And we were going with our good pal C..so we hotfooted across the city to meet her. We were also lucky to be joined later by our good pal and Guest Host Dev who was freshly back from the adventures in Norway.

Now the park was busy but not overcrowded and it was easy to enjoy the stroll around the Art Marquee and I found two pieces that needed to be hung on the walls of my next office. lol. I resisted temptation and we made our way around the stalls and activities and even bumped into a friend from the town who has started her own Yarn business and Spinning Classes. I enjoyed a catch up with her and was happy to hear her Degree was a 1st and that the business was slowly building up. Lovely woman. We also bumped into another friend who was there with her pottery..(how I never buy her entire stock is a shock to me being the Pottery junkie I am..lol) and then we finally decided to just set up a little area and enjoy the music on offer.

View from where we crashed..lol

There were two music stages which was to be honest was a little confusing as they were very close to each other..that would be my only criticism of the event...they had plenty of room to spread them further out. But we coped...all of us being Live music fans.

The small stage...on stage Jodie Mackenna..a very talented up and
coming local dude done good. His set was great and so captivating
you forgot these was another stage.

Jodie is the son of C's friend and her and A have seen him Live many times and I was very happy to have seen and heard him and hope to do so again...soon.

Our view of the main stage...which sounded great...and we enjoyed.
Ooh sneaky C got in this shot...lady with white polo shirt walking
towards us on the right. Take a bow lovely! lol

Dev had taken her lovely dog Ella back home by this point as she was getting very excited and wanted to play with all the other dogs. So after a fantastic time, relaxing and listening to the music..and I also checked out the poetry....we packed up and made our way back through the park to the Art Marquee and look what snuck its way into my hands to be packed up on Tuesday....ooops...lol

Woman with Guitar by Phil Watson 2013

I love this piece...the photo doesn't show the depth of colours and the beautiful detailing. I cannot wait to get it framed and hung..although I'll have to be patient (HA!) to see this happen. Ah well.

Once back at C's and enjoying some cold drinks...we sat and discussed our favourite subject..music. lol. And then it was time to eat and shortly after Dev joined us and we enjoyed a meal together...and Dev and I enjoyed the Edamame Bean Burgers she made for us both! Beautiful..they looked great and tasted even better.

Now if I said the rest of the evening was stress free I would be a liar. As I'm not...I'll confess I had pushed my body a little too far and was quite ill the rest of the night. But I didn't let that stop me in any way. Oh no!

A rough example of Devs adventures...

I mentioned earlier in the post that Dev was back from a great adventure...so how happy was I that she was brimming over with the happenings on this trip she had taken with the lovely B and Devs Mum. So the evening was very chilled with tales of Norway and the music supplied by C. The evening was one of those last minute but awesome nights with nothing to rush home for and every opportunity to just enjoy it. And we even got super cute gifts...check these out...

Troll bookmarks and a Polar Bear Cookie Cutter.
Thank you D & B. xxx

The evening drew to a natural close around 11 and although I was utterly exhausted, it was worth it. A day surrounded by the people who make my life happier by simply being in it. How could I regret it? ML got to relax and enjoy a snooze in the sun. Even if a little one kept bouncing his ball near us. lol. It's the key...isn't it? The connections..

So a huge thank you to all who participated and those who weren't with us this day...we'll catch ya on the next almost perfect day.

Thanks for stopping by and I truly hope your weekend has been full of almost perfect moments....

~Red~