Eating al fresco

So its finally here?! The sun has finally arrived in London. And believe me this year we have had a cruel winter, its been a long and tiresome 5 months and we are long over due some sunshine! So its 6 am wake up times (since even the black out blinds are really not doing their job properly), wearing a t-shirt (but with a jacket close by in case of cloud cover) and lots of trips to the park. The days are definitely longer but my kids and I couldn't be happier. Its amazing how the weather can make a distinct difference to one's disposition.

Sunshine = play time but it also means eating all those fun things outdoors such as ice cream and fruit lollies. My daughter's purpose, besides the sand and swing in the park, is to have a picnic in the park. It doesn't matter if we are sharing a punnet of strawberries. She just loves to remove her shoes, sit on the picnic blanket and munch in the sunshine. And who doesn't? Often I like to carry small snacks to the park such as vegetable sticks with humous, or small sandwiches, chopped up mango and pineapple and so on.

On a number of occasions I have taken a picnic lunch but my kids are so distracted that they tend to graze rather than eat anything substantial but then i just forget about it and take them home for dinner where I will know they will eat properly after a day out in the park.

So last week, the kids and I made borek, which is a savoury Turkish pastry. We rolled out shortcrust pastry, cut squares and stuffed each one and sealed with egg wash. I popped them in the oven for 10-12 mins and they turned out crispy and flakey. My kitchen was a mess at the end, what with the kids covered in flour, bits of feta cheese and egg, but it was a fun activity to do and the best part was sitting on the table together munching on our boreks! We made two kinds, one  stuffed with spinach and feta and the other with garlic mushroom and cheddar. This is definitely another item to add to the picnic basket! The best part was that it was the perfect snack and my hubby and I had it later on for dinner with a large salad.

Enjoy the sunshine!

Pressure Cooker vs the Slow Cooker?

It seems like everyone is talking about how fantastic slow cookers are.  I kid you not, but every day a mother has told me how it's time saving, all you have to do is to just throw in leftover vegetables and meat and produces the most amazing flavours.

So of course, I have been tempted, what with my cousin all the way in California posting pictures of delicious blackberry porridge that she wakes up to at 630 am all deliciously warm and cooked for her. I decided I just had to look into it! I spent much of yesterday evening researching the pros and cons of a slow cooker.

It seems pretty straight forward to me, do some light frying of onions then transfer into the cooker, bung all the vegetables and meat in there and leave it to slowly cook for 8 hours or less. This seems like the perfect answer to all working parents out there right? Nothing like sticking in all the ingredients at 6 am and then leaving it on low setting and arriving back at home with a hot meal ready. No more chopping at the end of a long day when all you want to do is eat and put your feet up. And this is perhaps a godsend once you have kids? A comfort meal of lamb stew all ready at 6 pm with some crusty bread? Hell, you even have time to open that bottle of wine and enjoy a glass?!

So now I'm working from home and am toying with the idea whether this gadget suits my lifestyle. I am not away for 8-9 hours, would this suit me? We also tend to eat chicken and seafood at home rather than lamb or beef, so again would I use the slow cooker? I do love the idea of the rich flavours that are produced after many hours of slow cooking. I mean for soups or chillis this would be perfect right?

Now I am a die hard pressure cooker fan. I use it for lentils, chicken, meat, soups and even pasta. You cannot beat a pressure cooker when it comes to time efficiency. Chicken curry is made from beginning to end in less than 30 minutes. In fact this morning I made a chicken curry with channa dal (lentils) and butternut squash and want to share the recipe with you. I will be serving it for dinner this evening so the spices will be soaking in the gravy and I really can't wait to try it! Now if any one out there wants to try it in their slow cooker and tell me how the results were then please do share!

So for a family of 4:

8 pieces of chicken leg and thigh ( I find breast too dry)
1 small butternut squash, peeled and diced
1/2 cup channa dal washed and soaked
1 large white onion
1.5 tspn grated ginger

2 garlic pods grated
2 tspn cumin seeds

1 tspn coriander powder
1 tspn garam masala
1 tspn turmeric powder
chopped coriander to garnish
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 green chilli chopped

1. In the pressure cooker, add 3 tblspns of oil and fry the cumin seeds, green chilli, onion, garlic and ginger.
2. Keep stirring till the onions are browned. Now add the chana dal (removing the excess water)
3. Add the chicken, salt and pepper.
4. Add the coriander powder, garam masala and turmeric powder and stir for a few minutes.
5. Now add water till it fills half your pressure cooker.
6. Turn the flame to medium heat and allow 2 whistles, then switch off the heat. Once the air has completely come out, open the cooker and add the chopped coriander leaves.

Serve with steamed rice.

Feeding the Indian Mama

This week has been a roller coaster of highs and lows. It started off fantastic with having an 8 page recipe feature in Mother and Baby India magazine (April 2013). Copies are only available in India and I am getting my hands on a copy asap to share it with all of you! That has kept me on a high!

Followed by a wonderful weaning workshop on Wednesday, Spices for my Sweets. It was a new set of classes where we cooked lentils with steamed courgette and an aromatic beef stew using root vegetables.  It really felt special as there were many new moms, new babies and and lots of cooking!

Sadly it went down hill from there as I picked up a nasty viral flu and the doctor recommended plenty of rest and no anti biotics. Rest? Like other moms I was thinking how on earth would I rest with two toddlers? No chance of that happening right? But luckily, the grandparents had them for two days so I could just rest and catch up on sleep. I have been battling a blocked nose prior to the viral flu for two weeks, and that was part of the problem as to why it was lingering on. I know how important rest is but it's easier said than done. I think making that time for yourself is very hard and I need to learn to put some time aside for myself. Today they children are both by my side and I feel so relaxed, rested and so so happy that they are with me. A few days ago I was left feeling frustrated and physically drained and now I am as good as new.

So its not just about feeding the little ones, but feeding yourself--the carer as you have the most important job in the world. And by feeding I mean, putting good stuff into your body by resting, taking time out and of course eating good wholesome food. Staying positive, fresh and well is a priority so that the kids can benefit from that energy. Have a super weekend!