Cajun Spiced Wings & Soured Cream Dip

February 7th, 2010

I’ve made this a couple times now adjusting the recipe until I got this. Make sure when you cook the chicken that you wait until the skin has crisped up, nothing worse than flabby chicken skin.

Marinade the chicken for a couple of hours in the following, I used a pack of 12 large wings;

Cayenne or chilli powder – half teaspoon
Garlic – 3 or 4 cloves crushed
Coriander – Chop a handful
Cumin – half teaspoon
Chilli – quarter teaspoon (but add to taste)
Brown sugar – two teaspoons
Onion – chopped fine
Dried herbs – half teaspoon
Nutmeg – half teaspoon
Cajun seasoning – two teaspoons
Oil – A couple of slugs

Cook in the oven at 200 for 25-30 mins or until skin is crispy and chicken cooked.

Serve with lemon wedges and this soured cream dip;

Sour cream – small pot
Sea salt
Squeeze of lemon juice
Spring onion finely chopped
Coriander finely chopped

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There’s Been a Murder (scottish accent)

February 4th, 2010

“I’m sorry Buzz Lightyear, you’re too late, he’s been killed….”

As I lay in my bedroom I wonder, how? when? and why is my four year old daughter involved?

Who’s been killed, Woody?

Who would want to kill Woody?

I know him and Buzz had a difficult start but I thought they were friends..

He wouldn’t would he?

It’d need to have been an elaborate plot..

Maybe it’s Jesse, she’s always seemed a bit..a bit…I don’t know… I’m not sure she really loves Woody the way she says she does. Could she have been having an affair with Buzz and now wants Woody out the way? Course she wouldn’t dirty her own hands…

Who could she have hired, Mr Potato Head?

Has he decided to go for the surgery he’s been wittering on about…

Or has Mrs Potato Head’s demands for more facial accessories finally bankrupted him…money as a motive would make sense.

I decide to go and question Erin…

Me: Erin, who was killed?

Erin: Nobody (shifty look)

Me: I heard you saying somebody was killed.

Erin: Well, actually it’s Buzz

Me: Who killed him?

Erin: It wasn’t me

After further investigation I have established that it was just a game and no-one has been killed, no need to call the police. Give taggart a phone though, I reckon our plotline is a winner.

Photo by flickr user Nereski

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Posted in Parenting | 6 Comments »

Have I Been Violated?

February 3rd, 2010

I received a massage voucher for my christmas for a nice health and beauty place in Edinburgh.

I’ve had one massage before this one. It was nice.

The room was dimly lit and the girl seemed pleasant enough, I chose some oils then undressed and got onto the bed as instructed. The girl returned and put some aromatherapy oil on my top lip (to help me relax) and then got to work. Firstly on my front around my neck and shoulders, very good.

The girl told me to turn over whilst shielding my modesty with the towel. She tucked the towel into my knickers and pulled them down what seemed like a couple of inches too far. I nervously clenched and she started pummelling my buttocks, I tried to relax but when someone is massaging your bum it’s not easy. She massaged my whole back but kept returning to the bum area, each time I clenched up and then tried to relax, I was worried that the more ‘tension’ she felt the more she would massage!

At the end she clinked the maracca thing and asked me if I’d been able to fully relax. I nodded profusely and thanked her, trying to hide my embarrassment.

So in a Joey from Friends like fashion (remember ‘cupping-gate’) I’m asking you, is it normal for a massage to include bottom rubbing? Or have I been violated?

Photo of bum not mine (unfortunately)

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Posted in trying new things | 30 Comments »

Who is Littlemummy? – My Childhood

February 1st, 2010

This post first published in 2007, before I had any readers :)

I was born in Swansea, South Wales on 18th February 1983 to my parents Lisa and David. My childhood may be described as ‘unsettled’ by ‘the experts’ but as a child you know no different and it all seemed like one big adventure to me.

My mother and father experienced marital difficulties from what seemed like the outset, the pressure of married life and children was too much for their young relationship, they divorced soon after my brother was born, my mother becoming the sole carer for us both. My father moved to Spain and contact was extremely sporadic until I was eighteen.

I loved being a ‘big sister’ and was very protective towards my brother, acting almost like his mother. I wanted to feed him, change him, play with him and would rarely let anyone get a look in, including his real mother, so I’m told. I enjoyed reading and quiet pursuits like drawing and practising spelling. I was a fan of school and liked playing teachers in my spare time. I think this love of learning and teaching is very much still with me today!

In my earlier years living in Wales I danced, tap, ballet, jazz and modern starring in a few shows including the Wizard of Oz at the Grand Theatre in Swansea.

At around six or seven we moved to Cardiff, and for a short while I lived in a bungalow with my own room with a sink (this was a big deal) and a secret garden. I remember having a hamburger and hot dog karaoke birthday party and my mother running her own childcare business. Of course, I was on hand to help out with childcare with all the extra children around.

At around aged 9/10 we moved to Glasgow in Scotland. We moved several times within the same 20 mile radius, eventually settling in a village called Bridge of Weir. This village was a kids paradise, places to explore, a huge park, a fantastic sweet shop and it felt so safe. My brother and I would play out all day. I have fond memories of hot summer days, bike riding, fishing with those £1 nets, and in winter, sledging.

During my first few high school years I lived with my grandparents, my mum and stepfather were moving around a lot and it was decided that it would be more settled for me to live with my nan and grandad for a while. I loved my time there. I joined an acrobatic troupe and spent nearly all my spare time practising.

My teenage years back home weren’t easy. It was strange moving back home (Edinburgh) and events during that period didn’t really help much. I did a lot of babysitting at this time, probably a few nights a week on average. I also spent time volunteering at after school clubs with my mum (she ran several) and for my Duke of Edinburgh Award.

At fourteen I joined the army cadet force and met my now husband Alex… At that time I had dreams of being an Army Officer in the Education Branch. I felt that combining my love of teaching with my aspirations of passing out at Sandhurst the ultimate career. Of course all that changed when it dawned on me that I’d met my soul mate, and the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with… to be continued

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Blogging for Daisy

January 29th, 2010

Over the past few months I’ve been making a few pennies online and it’s a nice addition to our usually fairly tight budget. For the most part we live on one income so we don’t often splurge, but with my minor successes recently we’ve purchased an iPod Touch and an iPhone, both are very cool, although being connected constantly can have it’s downsides.

This month we’ve also enjoyed our first break away alone since Erin was born. We went to Peebles Hydro for two nights and really relaxed.

February will see our most exciting purchase though, after months of deliberation we decided to buy a puppy. We settled on a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel (I think that’s right!) and I set about looking for litters in Scotland. Well last week I found a litter just outside Glasgow that were five and a half weeks old. We drove through to see them and of course they were all adorable but Erin had her heart set on one that didn’t seem to want to leave her alone, we’ll be picking up Daisy on the 9th Feb when she’ll be eight weeks old and ready to leave her mum.

She’s already costing us a small fortune though, I’ve spent nearly £500 so far! I guess I better get back to blogging and earning some more money :)

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If you’d like to start your own blog you can still join the mum blogger e-course free. I’ve got a few plans for 2010 and it may mean that this course will either close for a period of time, possibly forever so if you want in sign up now and pass the message on.

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Posted in life | 10 Comments »

Interview with Erin, Age 3 (nearly four)

January 27th, 2010

Idea stolen from Are We Nearly There Yet Mummy, questions stolen from Sticky Fingers

How old do you have to be to drive a car?

This big (arms stretched out wide)

When Nana babysits, where do you think Mummy and Daddy are?

At home

What do you think the Queen looks like?

A crown, a dress….and they curtsy

Where do babies come from?

Out of people’s tummies

How do the babies get inside tummies?

This one’s really hard….don’t know.

How much pocket money do you think you should get per week?

This much (arms stretched out wide)

Who is the cleverest … Mummy or Daddy?

You mum, because you make me good drinks and tea.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

A nurse at the hospital

If you could be anyone else who would you be?

I would be an astronaut, because I like astronauts

Who do you think is in charge of the country.

Daddy?

If you had children what would their names be?

Daisy, I would only have one children like you do.

Who’s your best friend in the whole world?

Elspie

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Erin Interviews Me

How do you put lipstick on?

Make sure it’s inside your lips? (I actually have no idea, have never worn the stuff)

How do you drink juice?

From a cup

How do you make breakfast?

Cook toast or put cereal in a bowl

How do you eat?

With a knife and fork

How does glass smash?

If you hit it with something. (I actually got this one wrong several times according to Erin)

Posted in Parenting | 12 Comments »

I’ve Been Away!

January 26th, 2010

I booked a couple of nights away at Peebles Hydro for myself and the husband. No special event other than we haven’t been away together (alone) for over four years. There are some nice dinner, bed and breakfast deals to be had at this time of year so we took advantage :)

We had a lovely time chilling out and using the leisure club facilities that included a steam room, sauna, jacuzzi and pool. They also had a gym but obviously we didn’t do any ‘working out’ that would be way to strenuous for our couple of days relaxation and recuperation.

We did eat a lot, usually I would take some nice foodie shots for Englishmum, however my husband wouldn’t let me take my iPhone to dinner so you’ll need to make do with my descriptions.

On the first night I had;

Pea, Leek and Gruyere Tart

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Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup

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Loin of Lamb (locally sourced) with ratatouille and thyme jus

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Chocolate Pot and Hazelnut Wafers

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Coffee & Fudge

Overall a very nice meal, the tart was nice if a little unusual. The soup was how you’d expect, the lamb however was the best I’ve ever tasted. The chocolate pot was so good I nearly dived in face first and it was absolutely massive too, in fact I couldn’t even finish it!

Another full day of spa-type activities followed, as well as a few hours reading magazines and eating freshly made scones and jam. We did have one hairy moment when we decided to take the archaeic ‘passenger lift’. We moved a few inches before we were suddenly plunged into darkness, the lights started flicking on and off, the lift stopped and started taking us to the basement and then up again until we finally escaped back where we started. It was like the tower of terror all over again.

Dinner on the second evening;

Watermelon, Feta and Black Olive Salad

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Cream of Celery Soup

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Roast Pork Medallions with apple chutney and calvados cream

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Creme Brullee

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Coffee & Tablet

I’ve seen the watermelon and feta combo on tv and in magazines before and often wondered what it tastes like so I was glad to try it. Well, it wasn’t really for me, I didn’t like the texture combination of crumbly and wet crunchy together.

The soup, which I nearly didn’t have was a bit of a revelation. I was expecting something quite watery and with a strong taste of celery, it was actually really tasty with a good potato and stock base.

The pork was nice although I had to order more cream otherwise it would have been a bit dry and the fake roast potato was abandoned at the side of the plate.

Desert was delicious though, I like my creme brullee quite loose and this one was perfect.

We had a lovely time and will probably go back again sometime in the future.

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Posted in life | 11 Comments »

Monday Memory Meme

January 25th, 2010

I’ve been tagged by Alpha Mummy to share a memory.

For a number of years I’ve been having sort of flashback memories of a childrens television programme that was set in a greenhouse and the character was a green monster thing that would plant a seed, a story would take place and the plant that grew from the seed would flower the exact item required to help in the story.

Well today I decided to do some internet digging and try and find out what that programme was. I searched under google for ‘green fingers’ as I thought that’s what the monster thing was called.

Well it turns out that the monster was actually a giant caterpillar and the programme was called Greenclaws it was aired on CBBC in 1988, I was 5!

Erin and I just watched the first episode on Youtube, she loved it :) I checked if they sell dvd’s but unfortunately not, so we’ll need to watch them all on Youtube.

Do you remember Greenclaws?

and here’s Part 2

Now I tag @YummyNo1 and @pippad and @notsuchayummum to share a memory.

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Posted in life | 9 Comments »

Blogging in 2010: Should We Start Over?

January 23rd, 2010

We were going to achieve so much, we were going to have such fun, we were going to make new friends…

So far it’s been a disappointing year. I haven’t yet commented on the goings on anonymously or otherwise. These are my thoughts on what I believe to be the issues.

New Bloggers

It’s hard to be a new blogger, we get it. Join BMB, there are hundreds of bloggers waiting to connect with you there. Join my e-course, weekly lessons will gently introduce you to this crazy blogging thing. Ask other bloggers, most will be more than happy to help. Don’t expect everyone to fall over themselves to be your best friend though, life isn’t like that and relationships take time to build, but you know that, right.

Tagging

Whether you’re tagged in a meme or not is not a measure of your popularity. Some people tag the same people, that’s because they don’t read many blogs. There’s no rules when it comes to tagging, don’t lose sleep over it, as if you would…

Cliques

What may seem like a ‘clique’ is probably merely a close friendship, one that has been built up over time from literally thousands of interactions, online and off. People have friends, you can’t be everyone’s friend. You can’t be in everyone’s group. You won’t be privvy to every ‘in joke’. I won’t make excuses for having friends, but always feel free to butt in on my conversations on here or on twitter.

Controversial Posts

Some people write funny posts, some people write sarcastic posts, and some people like write controversial posts. Posts that stir up debate. If you don’t like that style you can always unsubscribe…

Which brings me onto my final point, don’t waste your time criticising other people’s tweets and posts, quite frankly they don’t care. If you don’t like it you can unsubscribe, block or unfollow.

The Pond

I think it was Dan who said that there were no big fish and no little fish, there were just fish. Anyone who seriously thinks otherwise is deluded. Some of us have been ‘lucky’ I’ll grant you that, but that is all. So never feel like you can’t approach someone because they’re a ‘big fish’.

If you find yourself ’sizing up’ bloggers based on their Top 100 position, then stop it. The person who creates the list admits this table is just a bit of fun, any change in the metrics used would throw the whole lot up in the air and they wouldn’t land in the same place so take it with a pinch of salt. Yes, some people get more traffic than others, but it’s quality not quantity that counts (unless you want to make money!)

So with all that being said, may we now move on and perhaps start over?

Start by unfollowing or unsubscribing from those people that don’t resonate with you, there are plenty of other fish in the sea. Gravitate towards the blogs and tweets that make you smile and ignore the rest.

Anyone who likes a bit of banter is willing to join my ‘clique’ anytime ;)

* None of my points relate to anyone specifically, they are my general opinions collated from reading many posts on many blogs.

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Posted in Blogging | 29 Comments »

Managing Stress

January 18th, 2010

In 2001 I fell ill unexpectedly, I was being sick all the time had chronic diarroea and cramps. I lost my appetite and I lost a lot of weight as a result. Over a period of five months I went through many tests, which I won’t go into detail about but which were very unpleasant. Eventually after going from a size 12 to a size 6/8 I was finally diagnosed with crohns disease. Crohns is a chronic bowel disorder, the doctor explained it to me like this;

Your body thinks your bowel is a foreign object and your immune system is attacking it

For me this means bouts of the above symptoms. Over time I have come to notice how much stress brings on these bouts and so now my motto is “Keep Calm and Carry On”. You may have seen the posters, I have one hanging on my wall as a reminder that no amount of stress or worry will rectify a situation and for me it can (and often does) result in a serious bout of illness.

I can admit that I used to be a terrible worrier and didn’t deal with stress at all well, over the eight years of managing the crohns I have become much better at managing stress. Here are some of the things I do;

Tips for managing and eradicating stress

1. There are very few things that are worth making yourself ill over (stress can make anyone ill) so just let it go.

2. Put the problem into perspective, is it life altering? If not it’s probably not something you need to stress about.

3. Improve your communication with your partner, the more they understand what stresses you the more you can work together to eradicate the stress (this works both ways).

4. Get your finances in order, one of the biggest things in life to stress about is money. Save more, spend less, earn more, automate everything, just do whatever you need to do to eradicate the thing that causes stress.

5. Don’t endlessly worry what other people are thinking about you, I once read somewhere that they’re probably to busy living their life to be to spend time worrying about you.

6. Deal with your past. Have counseling, make amends, whatever it is let it go.

7. Have a cry, it’s a great stress reliever. I’m not ashamed to admit that I cry quite a bit!

8. Be thankful for what you have. Don’t spend your life stressing about how you’ll purchase the next gadget, car, house or whatever.

9. Change your work situation if its causing you stress. I’ve had to do this several times since getting crohns, it’s not easy but it’s better to do it than suffer.

10. If all else fails eat chocolate, and for god sake never worry about being fat (unless your health is at risk). I’ve been a bag of bones and it makes you no happier than being a bit more curvy. And that’s a fact!

Add your own tips…2010 could be our least stressed out year yet :)

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Posted in life | 10 Comments »

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