Tiring Tuesday...but fun!

It never ceases to amaze me how entirely productive a day can be outside of the classroom, and how you can bond with students in a very real way. Even the obnoxious adolescent ones! Outside of the classroom those rebellious, self focused children become completely different people. I love that my job offers the opportunity for that kind of bonding...where all the kids hear from their teachers is words of praise and encouragement. All. Day. Long.

Our Year 7 & 8's had an interschool volleyball day, today. A successful, team-spirited day filled with fun, laughs, joy and no pens or pencils. And marvel of marvels, the Year 7 girls won. We rarely win a thing on these types of days, so we were all pretty stoked.

Can I go to bed early tonight? I'm really tired LOL.

Monday's Menu Plan Rolls Around Again

I always feel bolstered by the realisation that I am not alone in my floppy I've-had-enough-today mode that comes after lunch on warm days. Or even not so warm days. And certainly it comes by the end of a school day if I've managed to get through afternoon classes without feeling so. Mr Busy's teacher had his eyes shut during our staff meeting after school. Were I a braver soul I might've kept him company from my position on the other side of the room!

The day is not yet done, but fun awaits me when I head off to a new fortnightly evening sewing group at the quilt shop. It seemed the perfect compromise to my lack of ability to attend on my preferred Thursday morning. The ladies in the new group are lovely and I enjoyed getting to know them....not to mention the fact that I actually picked up my stitching for the first time since mid December!

Dinner is on its way, with chicken in the oven. A few vegies to go with it and we'll be ready to eat. Do you know, I finally found savoy cabbage in my local Safeway. I was so excited...I'm sure the fruit & veg department man thought me quite silly when I exclaimed over my discovery. Savoy is my preferred variety, especially for coleslaws. Tonight, however, it'll be sauted with bacon and spring onion.

On my table this week, I must confess, lies more Nigella-inspired adventure.

Monday: Honey Sesame Chicken, potatoes, vegies
Tuesday: Peanut Chicken Curry, rice
Wednesday: Chicken Parmigana, potatoes, vegies
Thursday: Sweetcorn chowder, toasted cheese tortillas
Friday: Ricotta Gnocchi & tomato pesto
Saturday: Sloppy Joe's
Sunday: Homemade Pizza

Things to do....

Perfect Day for a Picnic

It's meant to be Valentine's Day. Did you know that? In the flurry of last minute picnic preparations and getting us all out the door at 8.15am so that I could get to music practice I completely forgot about it. After all...we had more important things to be concerned about. Like getting to church in time for me to pick music for communion!

For us, today was Family Picnic Day at Our School. We gathered on the school oval at 1pm, picnic rugs and food in hand, and enjoyed a sunny afternoon of relaxing together. And I know I said I try to find a new topic of posting....but our picnic included two more recipes from 'Nigella Express'. There, I won't say another word!!!!

My acknowledgement of Valentine's Day? Chocolate Brownies freshly made this morning and still beautifully gooey when we ate them at lunch time.

A Feast of Nigella Proportions

I know, I've been harping a bit this week....I promise I'll try and find a new topic to post about by tomorrow. However, for now I'll continue to espouse the wonderful treasures to be found in my 'Nigella Express' cookbook.

Mr Busy bounced in as I entered the kitchen last night pleading to help with dinner. Now there's a good way to get the dishwasher emptied and refilled with the dirty stack sitting on the bench above it. I told him that if he did those two jobs he could help me. Meanwhile I emptied the dish rack that was piled high and then we were ready to dive in.

Together we chopped and whisked and sliced our way through three recipes from 'Nigella Express'.

I had already chosen the Brandied-Bacony Chicken from page 36. Well, it was meant for Sunday, but yesterday was the perfect day weather-wise. This recipe was incredibly simple and tasted divine. The next recipe on page 39 was designed to accompany the chicken. Who am I to argue with such common sense?! So Potato and Mushroom Gratin joined the chicken on the plate.

And then, thanks to some Store Cupboard inspiration and a trip to Aldi I had a jar of morello cherries languishing on a shelf in my pantry. They've been calling to me since I bought them, so Clafouti from Page 377 was my next inclusion. Nigella was right. The sourness of the cherries works beautifully to contrast the sweet batter. And Dh was thrilled to find dessert on the menu....with no visitors in sight!

There you have it ~ three recipes in one meal. They looked exactly as they ought and tasted precisely as I imagined.

Vietnamese Prawn and Glass Noodle Salad

I found a fabulously simple recipe while tootling about Nigella Lawson's website the other day. Vietnamese Prawn and Glass Noodle Salad. Mmmmmm. I must confess to using tinned prawns, because the recipe called for small shrimp. I couldn't imagine any smaller than the tinned variety, not to mention the price fitted my grocery budget more ably than the fresh counterpart would have. So, this was my lunch today, with a nice amount left for lunch another day (or two!).

I'm not sold on the sugar snap peas in this recipe. Don't get me wrong, I love sugar snap peas when a little more cooked. I think they were a tad too raw for my taste, and I might be inclined to leave them out next time I make it. Then again, those of you who love raw sugar snaps and snow peas would probably love it.

Look at that ~ I actually got a photo out of my kitchen before the food was devoured! That's what happens when I'm home without the kids! I'm off to cook up more Nigella-inspired magic for a picnic lunch on Sunday at school....buttermilk roast chicken drumsticks. I even managed to plan my grocery budget to fit in the splurge of real maple syrup for the occasion.

Unpracticed at Illness

You know how some families always seem to be sick....or they just take turns and go round and round with some bug or another? And then there are families where children complain that they never get a day off school because they're always well?

We're the latter. Very healthy people...constitution of an ox, so to speak. So when a certain 9yo decides he's going to get a bit head-achy and a bit tummy-achy we scratch our heads and wonder what we should do with him. We also roll our eyes at the m-o-a-n-i-n-g and g-r-o-a-n-i-n-g sounds effects that emanate from him who does not know what it feels like to be unwell. And then we're left with the dilemma....what to do when we're both working for the first half of the day?!

A couple of doses of pandol over a day did wonders. I'm sure the little night-time excitement Dh dealt with helped immeasurably as well. Although, Dh had it easy. Mr Busy made it to the bathroom and all was very easily handled. I'm completely certain that a day at work with Daddy may be just what the doctor ordered and that Mr Busy will be back at his normal break-neck speed tomorrow. The only reason the office staff phoned me yesterday was that he was sitting still!!!!

A little 'Get Up and Go' Wisdom

"The thing is, whenever people - perhaps showing a slightly patronising amusement at how often I cook (and maybe it's this that irks) - claim that they never have the time to cook, it makes me feel uncharacteristically aggressive. What I want to point out is that they are hardly using the time they save by not cooking to write 'War and Peace'. I don't suggest that finding time to cook makes you a better person, but nor do I think that being "too busy" too cook means that your life automatically has a higher purpose. And I say that as one who often professes to be beyond busy but somehow finds time to slump in front of the TV watching CSI repeats for hours on end."

~ Nigella Lawson: 'Nigella Express'

I read this last night, at the beginning of Nigella's 'Get Up and Go' chapter and I wanted to cheer. I'm really enjoying watching 'Nigella Express' on ABC1 on Saturday's (6pm) for the inspiration I gain about balancing a busy family life with eating food that is tasty but not burdensome to have prepared. I try and record each episode so that I can rewatch them as often as I please, with the recipe book on my knee as I do. As I rediscovered yesterday, a hearty home-cooked meal (or snack) is as far away as a little bit of planning and a well stocked pantry.

I have a feeling a full set of Nigella's DVD's may be on any gift list I might be inclined to scribble down, not to mention more of her books!!!