Sunday - A Day of Rest

Sunday really should be a day of rest, but having been quite ill over the past week I decided I need to catch up on all those jobs. My voice is just about back, but I don't need my voice to do these jobs.
Firsty I made a pair of chef pants and a bag to go with them. I teach Home Economics and wear chef pants - the students love to see my collection and I find it so much easier to wear these around the classroom. These ones a bit snazzy and quite different from my other pairs. My Year 11 students have their practical exams over the next few weeks, so I will be wearing these to brighten up the place.
Once they were completed and hung up I decided to make some bread as part of my one small change for 2010. I found fabric bread bags
here! and made a couple. I may give one to my sister who loves to make bread.
My lovely hubby has been trying to outwit the squirrel who comes a calling everyday to help himself to the seeds from the feeder. Here he is trying another tactic. The birds just love this feeder.
The sky was so blue today and after all the snow we certainly deserved some sunshine and so after all the jobs were finished we had a walk.
I made a very hot chilli con carne for supper and we ate it with the home-made bread.
So much for a rest day.
Hope you have all had a good weekend.

I didn't intend on being away for so long.

Last Friday was my birthday. The end of the first week back at school, snow still making life difficult in the UK and I felt a bit rough. So I spent Saturday in bed nursing a bad head, sore throat and aching limbs. Sunday I actually felt OK and so on Monday went into work. Still feel a bit rough and today have had no voice at all.
Teaching is very interesting when you have no voice. As I teach a practicl subject I had to be very aware of the safety of the children and so used a whistle. I could whisper instructions and so the class were very quiet and one of them passed on the louder more meaninful tones.So today my Year 7's made Shortbread Biscuits and my Year 10 group made Pork Stoganoff and Tropical Crumble. It made us all feel nice and warm inside and the smell was amazing. No talking yet and I just hope it comes back in the next couple of days, as I really have to celebrate my birthday yet.

Coffee Cup Holders

I just had to make these after supper this evening. I came across the tutorial on
house on hill road"

I am going to send them to my son and his girlfriend in Savannah. I am sure they will just love them and so unique.
Thanks to houseonhillroad.

Back to school tomorrow

Ah! well back to school tomorrow. Two weeks off and now I am ready for the spring term. Lesson plans completed, apron ironed and my chef trousers pressed. I am definitely ready for the term ahead. This term with my Year 7 group I am doing a topic called 'Bringing Baking Back to Life', where I teach them to make a variety of biscuits: Shortbread, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Meltiong Moments and Ginger Biscuits. My Year 8 group are learning about Cakes and Cake Making: Raspberry Buns, Cupcakes, Sticky Ginger Top Cake and my Year 9 groups will be learning to make a variety of different pastries: Ruff Puff - Sausage Rolls, Shortcrust - Cheese Pasties, Filo - Spring Rolls. My Year 10 and 11 groups will be going on with their GCSE courses and good luck to my Year 11's as they carry out their practical investigations and complete their coursework. I have lots planned for my afterschool clubs and the Jamie Oliver PASS IT ON continues to grow by the day. Last term some parents assked me if I would teach them some cookery as well , so I have planned out three sessions for them.
Tomorrow is a training day and the students come back on Tuesday - all ready for the challenge ahead and I hope all as entusiastic as I am.

Vegetable and Lentil Curry

Even with a layer of snow on the ground I went digging in the garden. I just had to have some parsnips. They taste so good when the frost has been on them, never mind the snow. So I just dug up 4 very large ones to keep me going over the next week. Now what to make with the parsnip. Yes you guessed.

Vegetable and Lentil Curry
Ingredients
1 onion - diced
1 carrot - diced
1 potato - diced
1 clove garlic - peeled and crushed
1 parsnip - peeled and diced
1 tabsp. Madras Curry paste
500ml vegetable stock
50g lentils
handful of corriander

Method
1. Heat 2 tabsp olive oil in a large pan.
2. Fry the onion and garlic for a couple of mins
3. Add the potato, pasnip and carrot and cook on a low heat for 5-8 mins - stirring
from time to time to prevent over browning.
4. Add the curry paste and mix well to coat all the vegetables
5. Add the lentils and stock
6. Cover and simmer 15 - 20 mins until vegetables are soft
7. Stir in a handful of corriander leaves just before serving.

I served this with mini Naan Breads and you could always top with a spoonful of natural yoghurt.
Really warming on these snowy days.
Enjoy

One Small Change

Just dropped by this
What a great blog to read and some great ideas.
I intend to make my home-made bread more often. I usually make bread once a week, but I really have no excuse not to make it every other day.

Little Visitors

My sister came for a visit to-day bringing her two grandchildren Archie and Poppy. They are just little treaures. We had a walk and then home for lunch. I made Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup, Cheese Pasties, Home-made Bread, Carrot Cake and Chocolate Chip Cookies. After a long walk everyone must have been very hungry as there was little food left.

Cheese Pasties
Ingredients
300g plain flour
150g margarine
cold water to mix
Filling
1 carrot - grated
1 potato - grated
1 small onion - finely choped
75g cheese - grated
pinch mixed herbs
black pepper

Method
1. Pre-heat oven to Gas 6/200C
2. Make Shortcrust Pastry by sieving flour into a large mixing bowl, rubbing the
margarine into the flour until like fine breadcrumbs
3. Add enough water to mix to a stiff dough
4. Cut out rounds with a large cutter - approx 24
5. In a large bowl add all the filling ingredients and mix well.
6. Place a spoonful of mixture into each round.
7. Fold in half and seal well with a fork
8. Cut out shapes - I used holly leaf cutter
9. Brush with milk and bake for 15 - 20 mins.

I served these warm after the soup with my Boxing Day Chutney and Spiced Plum Chutney
The children loved these little pasties.