Sweetcorn Chicken Soup

Loved especially by my hubby and my children, I would like to share with you an all time classic, a sweetcorn chicken soup recipe. My version has a few add ons, using sesame oil, slivers of ginger and spring onion.

I hope you enjoy it!

For a family of 4 and suitable for babies 12 months +

1 425 gms can of creamed corn
2 tablespoons of sesame oil
1/2 cup of finely chopped boneless chicken
1 tablespoon of light soya sauce
1 white of an egg
4-5 slivers of ginger
1/2 finely chopped spring onion to garnish
salt and pepper

1. In a pan, add a tablespoon of sesame oil, the ginger and the chicken and fry for a minute.
2. Now add the creamed corn and the same amount of water to the pan.
3. Next add the soya sauce and season with salt and black pepper.
4. Now take a fork and lift small forkfuls of egg white and drop into the pan. Continue till all the egg white has been dropped. Now mix with a spoon, the egg white will cook and you will see white threads.
5. Simmer for another 10 mins on medium heat. When serving add a tablespoon of sesame oil and chopped spring onion.

My 2 year old will be having this for lunch :)

Big School

Last week my husband and I met the staff at my daughter's school which she will be starting this September. I was sitting in the school hall, clutching a handful of papers and feeling so small amongst the other 100 parents. How will my tiny, barely 4 year old daughter  feel when she enters her new school? I felt anxious and excited at the same time, for both her and I. I can still remember the day she was born and her cry when she took her first breath and now my kitten was about to start reception. The time had crept up on us.

The school was aware of our worries, and I, like all the parents there was keen on getting my baby settled in a positive way. Amongst learning how to dress herself for PE and getting to school on time, my little one has to learn how to eat in a cafeteria amongst her class mates. She will have a choice of school lunches which would mean holding a tray and deciding what meal she would like, along with a choice of salad and dessert. It all seems like too many choices for a 4 year old and perhaps a little complicated? What if you like both the broccoli and cheese and the chicken pie? But then change your mind after seeing the fish fingers on your friend's plate? Could you skip lunch and just have dessert? Too many choices!

Now what has slightly stressed me is the readiness of my daughter and if I dwell deeper the readiness of me to let go of her. Suddenly on a very conscious level there is a deadline looming in September to make her able and ready to tackle the business of school. And what I find most difficult is her eating her meal. She is very good at finishing her plate and has a good appetite but she can, if left to her own devices, take over an hour. How will she be able to eat her meal at lunch time? I can just imagine her socialising and then remaining hungry for the rest of the afternoon! I know it's typical of a mom to worry about this and I guess I will be worrying about other things she will have to cope with (without mommy there to give her a helping hand) but I guess that's the whole point of school? It's about her falling down and getting up, dusting herself off and giving it another go. We do have a few more months (thank god!) before she starts and much growing up for both mommy and her to do.

Mediterranean Vegetables and Pesto Tart

Today has been a super chaotic day. My cleaner cancelled on me last minute! Arrgh! I really didn't need this what with the dishes piled in the sink from last night, sheets needed changing and the usual hoovering, mopping and dusting that had to take place. I was really missing my 'the cleaner has come and sorted my inner and outer chaos and now I feel at peace for maybe 2 hours' feeling. It really feels like a session of therapy once she has left my house shiny and new. So on top of cleaning the house in shifts- shift one was before the morning activity, shift two after my son's nap, shift three after the afternoon activity and shift four is still due, after the kids have gone to sleep. Where was the time to cook dinner? The kids and I had gone for an afternoon activity where they made scones. It was so lovely to see them in their aprons and hats and flour all over their faces! My kids just love cooking! This is what it's all about, having fun and getting stuck in there! Having been inspired by that experience, I decided the kids and I would make dinner together. I came up with something healthy, quick and where the kids could get involved. So we made a roasted vegetable tart with a pesto base baked with parmesan cheese. Accompanying this was a bowlful of rocket salad, some olives and anchovies.

So for a family of 4 and there will be some left overs for lunch tomorrow!

1 shortcrust pastry pack
1/2 a jar of green pesto sauce
thinly sliced vegetables:
aubergine
courgette
yellow peppers
cherry tomatoes
mushrooms
grated parmesan cheese
oregano
olive oil
salt and pepper

1. Roll out your pastry and then trans

fer to a greased/floured baking tray
2. Turn the oven to 200c
3. Spread the pesto all over the pastry sheet
4. Now add the sliced vegetables
5. Top with parmesan, oregano and salt and pepper
6. Sprinkle with olive oil and bake in the oven for 12 minutes or until crispy and golden

Enjoy!

A Week of Appreciation

This week was a week of new beginnings for me. It started off with glorious sunshine which seriously improves my state of mind! Lots of fresh air, trips to the parks and eating ice cream was welcomed by both the children and I.

Spices for my Sweets started June workshops and it was special as all the moms and babies were brand new. Some moms had their wee ones, barely 6 months old and were keen to learn about purees and including spices in their meals. Another mom was pregnant with her second baby and due in a few months. She was interested in learning new recipes. Then there was another mom who wanted to move her little one from puree foods to chunkier textures. Everyone who came had something unique that they wanted to gain from the workshops and I hope that in the next 5 weeks they will not be disappointed.

I demonstrated red masoor lentils with steamed courgette and a pinch of turmeric for the 6 month old babies and a butternut squash with sage risotto for the 9 month olds.

On Friday night, after dropping my children off to my mother's, my hubby and I attended the Kensington Mums Exhibition in Chelsea. It was a fantastic evening lead by Dina tributing to mothers. There were photos of mothers holding small chalkboards with words on it to sum up what we felt about motherhood. We had to complete the sentence " I am a mother and a ..." I chose the word 'fulfilled' and I truly mean it! Though there are days where I want to pull my hair out, overall life doesn't have as much meaning or depth till you have children.

Then we watched a video of all the one minute clips of 40 mothers put together. Each mom spoke of the joys, sorrows and transformation motherhood has had on them.

I met so many wonderful moms- moms who are now artists, bloggers, working and studying but all as a result of having their little ones. I left the evening with a goody bag and a cupcake, which I saved for the kids.

The week rounded off with feeling immensely appreciated by my moms in the class, from my hubby and from my children.

Spain

The family and I got back from our holiday in Spain, and if I'm honest it was a mixed bag for me. When one thinks of Spain, images of the sun, sand and sangria come to mind. However, the reality was that my 2 year old got off the plane with a tummy bug and fever and that just equalled disaster from the word go.

My 4 year old on the other hand was fine with her routine being stretched, i.e late bed times, eating at obscure times and not napping was part of the holiday excitement. I can honestly say that it gets easier the older they get. But my son, found his system very affected. He was tired most of the time, even though he would catch up with naps through the day and didn't take to the local food either which made for a very cranky child! He had lost his appetite due to the tummy bug and all he could keep down was milk and strawberry yoghurt. Luckily by the end of the trip his appetite increased but his moodiness didn't.

It made me reassess whether next time we should stick to our usual plan of renting a serviced apartment that way I could cook and the children eat better and at their times. The last time we went to Miami, my son was still nursing and my daughter was over 2, and having a kitchen really helped. Eating restaurant food for a week just didn't work. By the end of the holiday I have to admit we were all craving home cooking. The minute we plonked our suitcases in the living room, I ran to the kitchen and cooked us dinner. My son breathed a sigh of relief as he scoffed down simple yet familiar yellow lentils with rice!

On a positive note, Spain had many wonderful foods on offer and the wedding was truely a gastronomical affair. I was able to capture some beautiful photos below that I'd like to share...

Quail Eggs

Cheese, Cheese and More Cheese...

Fried Egg and Asparagus on a Bed of Crispy Chips

Salami and Olives

'Gula' or Sautéed Eels on Quail Eggs

Food for the Soul

Last week was a culinary adventure for me. I was contacted by Nadine, a Jewish mommy to teach an Indian cooking class for strictly Kosher moms at her home. The aim was to teach some easy recipes and raise awareness and funds for a cause close to her heart - The Duchenne Foundation, also known as muscular dystrophy. This was a an exciting opportunity for me, and for the first time I was teaching and cooking outside my kitchen for 10 ladies and for a charity event and to top it off, in a strictly Kosher home!

Now let me explain what a strictly Kosher home entails. First of all, all food had to be ordered and brought into the home. Though I have cupboards full of spices which I was happy to bring to the class, none of them could be used. All the Indian spices were had to be new and opened in her  home. I couldn't bring any of my spices, not even the dry red Kashmiri chillies which I had to source at the last minute as she couldn't find it in her local grocery store. Naturally all the chicken and lamb were bought from a Kosher butcher adhering to their strict guidelines. Meat and diary are not mixed either, so marinading meat in yoghurt which is typically done or having a cucumber raita on the side was a definite no-no.

After all that was bought, I was introduced to her large kitchen which had two sinks, one for meat and one vegetables. Then the utensils, pots and food were to be kept in another area and not mixed. It was a true education for me! Not to mention slightly stressful!

In the end, I cooked a simple chicken curry, spicy minced lamb with peas, french beans stir fried with mustard seeds, curry leaves and garlic and cumin rice.


The ladies enjoyed themselves and were pleased to learn something different, I hope to run more classes like this in the future!

Then on Friday, I took part in the Kensington Mums motherhood exhibition, where moms met to discuss their views on what motherhood means. 45 moms were involved in this project, and it will be showcased at Beaufort House in Chelsea in June. We had to write on a blackboard a word to complete the sentence ' I am a mother and...' I was torn with what word would encompass exactly how I felt. Motherhood has effected me more profoundly than I ever thought it would. In the end I decided to complete my sentence with 'fulfilled'. We were videod for a minute about this and I really got in touch with how crucial it is to find that balance. Since I was a little girl, I have desired to be a mother. But motherhood isn't just about bringing up children, which I only learnt after having my two. I had this fixed view that you finish university and use your degree to find a job. However, then you have children and this isn't always possible. How do you bring up children and do something productive and find that sense of self again? Is it even possible? It is through my kids that Spices for my Sweets began, it is these little people who have given me that sense of equilibrium and have restored me again and I am grateful for this.

After a wonderful morning with the other moms, I strolled down to Books for Cooks which is a cosy bookshop in Portobello solely selling cookbooks and at the back they have an experimental kitchen. I had the most wonderful lunch by myself and I relished every single minute. On the way back, I went into Jamie Oliver's Recipease which is a kitchen concept where chefs were demonstrating to students. It was a feast for the eyes! I finished the day picking up delicious pastries for my kids
and husband as a big thanks, as really, I owe it to them. I got on the tube back to my children and was looking forward to seeing them again, what a day it had been! My heart was full of joy!

BBQ babies

With the weather being this gorgeous, the kids and I have stopped many of our usual afternoon activities such as soft play, indoor swimming and even doing play dates at friends homes. Whats the point I say? We hardly get the sun in London, so why not go outside and play? And this weekend, we had our first BBQ of the year and it was fantastic. The paddle pool was spent with the children submerged in it all day and taking their breaks of corn on the cob and ice cream while drying off on the grass. For me, it was the perfect day! (of course the tidying up afterwards was a definite downer, but then when is tidying up ever fun?)

Food wise, I came up with some different ideas for the children and this was super fun for them to eat. Now I know with all the fun in the garden, it is hard for any toddler to sit still and eat. So the trick is to make several things for them to munch through the day. We had mini hamburgers with beef, garlic and rosemary, potato salad using full fat greek yoghurt, corn on the cob boiled and then roasted for that charred flavour and fruit kebabs with melon, strawberry and grapes. The grazing went on all afternoon and by dinner time they were famished! 5 hours of the sun and paddle pool really worked up an appetite.

Today the weather has promised us another sun filled day and I will be yet again in the garden with my kids. I wait all year for days like this, and life just couldn't get better! Have a wonderful day!