Fruits

Oranges, pears and plums. Tasty treats. I might get some set Greek style yoghurt and have a sliced orange with my cereal in the morning.

Fruit is healthier than fruit juice because instead of giving your body a quick hit of sugar (fructose), it takes longer to absorb if you have the fibres of the fruit to digest to release the sweetness. I learnt to my cost when I was younger. I was drinking a lot of fruit smoothies every day. Very nice, but it affected my health after a couple of years of drinking them. It really is a case of everything in moderation.

We are lucky to have fresh fruit here, but not everyone can afford it. It’s cheaper to buy sweets or food with too much sugar added. A poor diet really is bad for you, but if you are poor it’s not easy to be healthy.

Sawadee Thai taste

What is your favorite restaurant?

This is an friendly restaurant. The food is tasty and plentiful. I still find it exotic even after going there for a few years. The owner/chef is very gregarious and cheerful.

Examples of the food we enjoy include papya and seafood salad, different types of red green and yellow curries, sticky rice, and obviously speciality Thai meals that I like but at this time of night I can’t remember the names!

When we go there we eat the food and then I wonder why I haven’t taken a photo! I’m not really of the generation that does that. OK I take photos of food I make but that’s because it’s either a recipe or I’m surprised I managed to make it.

Sawadee Thai taste is a small restaurant. It can accommodate around twenty people and will help organise parties. It’s in Stoke in Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire. The atmosphere is friendly and informal. It is not expensive.

Toad in the hole from scratch

I followed BBC Good housekeeping magazines recipe for this. Vegetarians and vegans forgive me, you could use vegetarian sausages, but the batter needed eggs….

I used seven frozen sausages

2 eggs

1 small onion, sliced

Accompanying vegetables, potato, carrot and broccoli.

140 grams of self raising flour (I didn’t check which sort I needed)

Milk to add to the batter mix.

I oiled a dish and baked the sausages with some sliced onion for twenty minutes. In the meantime I put the flour in a bowl, made a dent in it and added the eggs stirring with a fork till it was all mixed together. Then I slowly poured in and mixed milk into the batter so it was like thick double cream.

I poured the batter over the part cooked sausages, and returned them to the oven on gas mark 8 because my cooker does not get very hot. I checked them over the next twenty minutes but I still managed to burn the batter a bit. I also think I should have added more milk so that it would have been moister. I chopped the vegetables up small so I boiled them on the hob for twenty minutes. Finally I added gravy granules to some of the vegetable water to pour over the meal.

I’ve never made this before, but it was something my mother made for our evening meals. I’m glad I tried. I will try and remember to make this again.

Happy Easter

Eggcellent Easter wishes!

My sister bought me a mini egg Easter egg. It’s been years since I’ve had one. I opened the foil wrapping and made a small hole in the chocolate eggs side. I tipped a few of these pretty patterned chocs out, took a picture and slowly ate them (very sweet!) then rewrapped the treat in its covering, there was still a gap so I’ve turned it so the front looks untouched. I have fastened the box up. Put it back on top of the fridge. Hope hubby doesn’t notice or he might snaffle the rest if it!

Pets….

What animals make the best/worst pets?

First of all, best or worst is a hard question. Basically it will depend on the owner and their capabilities.

Live in a big house with a big garden? The best pet might be a dog or a cat, or even a horse if you have fields for it to roam in. Live in a small flat or a single room apartment? Then your best pet might be a fish or a small snake.

Then it depends on whether you can afford to pay for their food, vets bills or vet insurance. Can you get a pet sitter if you go away on holiday? Someone who is able to come in and check everything is OK? You might have to pay for kennels.

Then you need to think about the pets needs, can it cope with being isolated if its on its own? Does it bark or make loud noises, are you able to exercise it or clean up after it? Will it shed pet hairs, does it eat live food? Are you allergic to it? What is its lifespan? Some small mammals only live a few years, others, like parrots or tortoises might out live you!

The number of pluses and minuses you need to weigh up are important. Don’t get something you won’t want to care for if it gets too big, complicated, old or ill.

Think before you buy (or adopt) it’s your responsibility at the end of the day!

Lemon tree

The fruit hanging at the bottom of this little tree is a lemon. Hubby bought the plant at the weekend because our lemon tree died a few years ago. This is sitting on top of our cat tree by the radiator so it can get full sun and warmth. Ii would have put it on the window ledge but I think it would be too hot directly above the radiator. I hope that this lemon and another one which is higher up the tree will ripen. If it does we will have it sliced with ice in a cool drink this summer. X

Would you like Marmite on that?

What is one question you hate to be asked? Explain.

I hate marmite. I ate it once when I was a child and I never ate it again. Its a minor hate, it wouldn’t hurt me to eat it, but that’s  how I feel about it. So if you asked me if I’d like Marmite on something I would not thank you.

This is why I took so long to answer this prompt. I don’t think I have a real question that I would hate to be asked? I guess there will be something but I haven’t come across it yet. I must lead a sheltered life.

Thinking of a question I would hate to be asked made me realise how lucky I am not to be in a situation where I would need to answer it. I think I will leave this here as I’m starting to waffle!