When you open the curtains on a Saturday and see the weather is as driech as it is today, baking (or cooking) with the kids is the only option. I’ve been slowly building Erin’s repertoire and confidence in the kitchen. Amongst other things we’ve made fairy cakes, baked bread and cooked homemade chicken nuggets (if you want kids to love cooking, make stuff they like!). Today we tackled something she really fancied eating, coconut parfait.

Ingredients

100g coconut
4 eggs
300ml whipping cream
90g caster sugar

1. Seperate 4 eggs, yolks in one bowl, whites in another.

2. Whip the cream until thick.

3. Add the sugar to the yolks and beat with a whisk until fluffy.

4. Beat the whites until stiff.

5. Fold the coconut and the cream into the egg yolk mix. Fold in half the whites first, and then the other half.

6. Pour the mix into a loaf tin and freeze.

I had my first round of injections this week to try and turn the tide of damage that crohns has inflicted on my insides. It’s stressful embarking on treatment that has some very serious side effects and one that comes with no guarantee of success. Over the years of dealing with stressful situations I’ve found ways to cope and manage the fear, even channeling the fear into positive energy.

1. Allow yourself to be scared

Acknowledge the fear and allow it a place in your process. Feel it fully and then let it pass.

2. But don’t let it become an indulgence

Don’t dwell on the fear and let it encompass you.

3. Blast your type of music and get in the zone

Play your kind of music. The music that uplifts you and makes you feel stronger. Music is a powerful thing, I don’t know how it works but it does.

This is what Tim Hodgkinson says about music in his book How To be Idle

Its power of transformation is nothing short of miraculous. Music can change our mood from misery to joy in a matter of seconds. It can send us into a trance for hours. It can help the body perform feats of physical dexterity unimagineable without it.

4. Put your game face on

Fix your eyes front and muster all the courage you can. There are depths of courage that you will find when called upon. Think of yourself as a soldier about to go into battle. It sounds silly but you need to find a way to get into your ‘going into battle’ zone.

5. Mind over matter

Don’t allow yourself to contemplate the fear. Now’s the time to shut your thoughts down and trust in your ability to cope.

6. Humour

Use humour to lighten your mood, laughter reduces the stress hormone cortisol and helps you relax

How do you cope with difficult situations?

I’ve been back at the Edinburgh New Town Cookery School, this time doing a class in bakery.

I’ve been dabbling a bit with bread making recently. I was given Paul Hollywood’s How to Bake book for Christmas and I’ve been inspired.

Our first recipe was a plaited loaf.

Ingredients (makes 1 loaf)

225g strong white flour (bread flour)
Half tsp salt
150ml lukewarm water
10g fresh yeast
1 tsp caster sugar
30g butter (melted and cooled)
extra flour for kneading
oil for greasing
1 egg (beaten)
Half tbsp poppy seeds

1. Sift flour and salt into large bowl and make a well in the centre

2. Place yeast in a small bowl with sugar. Mix until smooth with two tablespoons of water.

3. Pour mixture into well and add butter and half the water.

4. Bring the mixture together with a spoon to make a soft dough. Add water and additional flour if required.

5. Knead the dough for ten minutes or until it is smooth and elasticky.

6. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with clingfilm. Leave in a warm place to rise.

7. When the dough has doubled in size you can remove it from the bowl and knock the air out by kneading for 30 seconds. Divide the dough into three and roll out into sausage shapes of equal length. Plait them together and place on an oiled baking tray, cover loosely with clingfilm to rise for a further 30 minutes.

8. Heat the oven to 180 (gas mark 6)

9. Glaze the plait gently with beaten egg. Sprinkle with poppy seeds.

10. Place the loaf near the top of the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until loaf is golden and sounds hollow if tapped. Cool on a wire rack.

I’ve been on some great holidays with my family, but it’s difficult to beat a good road trip. We’ve taken road trips in Scotland, down to Wales and in England. There is no finer country than the UK for a good trip. Our road network is good, there are plenty of pit stops, and there’s lots of beautiful countryside to discover. If you get lucky and end up driving on a fine day, with the windows down, the music on, and your family with you – well that’s a recipe for bliss. I have so many happy memories from our road trips.

Of course there have been challenges too. There was the time when a six week old Erin struggled with constipation and screamed for an hour solid, the weather was torrential and Alex struggled to concentrate and find a safe (and dry) place for us to stop. That was a fraught hour. Then there was the time (on our last trip), again in terrible weather, our windscreen wiper flew clean off while we were driving at 70mph on the M6 at eleven ‘o’ clock at night.

Over the years we’ve gained experience and we do our best to prepare for what we might be faced with, it makes road tripping a lot more pleasant when you feel prepared.

1. Check your oil and water

Before you begin your trip, top up your oil and water to the recommended levels. Spare screenwash is always a handy thing to have.

2. Check Tyres

Ensure tyres are pumped up to the appropriate levels. Doing this will reduce wear and tear and increase fuel efficiency.

3. Insure Yourself

You should have car insurance anyway. Familiarise yourself with your policy and what it covers. Keep your details on you in case you’re involved in an accident.

4. Breakdown Cover

Breaking down can be costly. Get breakdown cover and you’ll have complete peace of mind. We’ve only ever used ours once, when our windscreen wiper flew off and we could not continue our journey safely the AA towed us to the nearest 24 hour garage who promptly fixed the wiper, total cost £9.28. We had Erin and our dog in the car, they made sure they were with us within 30 minutes. What could have been a nightmare is fondly remembered as an adventure. You’ll never be sorry you took out breakdown cover.

5. First Aid Kit

A first aid kit is useful both for the journey and to have while you’re away. Make your own or buy one in a carry case that you can pop in the boot and forget about – until you need it of course.

6. Breakdown Kit

If you want to be extra prepared you can pack a breakdown kit; warm blankets, a shovel, bottled water, dried longlife food, a high visibility vest or jacket, a torch and a pumped up spare wheel are all handy things to have with you in an emergency.

7. Snacks/Drinks

Snacks and drinks are an absolute must on a road trip, they can lift the moral of the trippers in a moment. Alex is chief driver on our trips and I’m in charge of everyone’s comfort. I pack bottled and cartons of water and juice. Crudites, savoury snacks and jelly sweets are all favourites of ours. We try and avoid chocolate which can be a bit sickly when you’re on the move. Consider the age of your party, make sure they can easily open and store food safely to avoid spillage.

8. Plan Journey & Breaks

Have a rough idea of the route you will take. Have a map or a phone app to assist with navigation when you get lost (it happens). Make sure there are lots of breaks, road trips should be fun and not all of your time should be spent in the car!

9. In Car Entertainment

We like a blend of entertainment on our trips. We play family games like ‘I spy’ and ‘spot the Stobart truck’. We switch between the radio and cd’s. Those than can handle reading in the car do so. Erin likes to play apps on her iPod. We have an in car policy that the driver gets the final decision on music and other passengers can use earphones if they want to listen to something else.

10. Drive Safely

Most important of all, drive safely. Never break the speed limit or endanger your passengers or other road users. If you’re running late, so what. Throw away the schedule. The driver should take responsibility for the driving and the oldest passenger should take responsibility for navigation and in-car comfort.

This post is in association with Tesco Bank

This is the perfect accompaniment for barbecued ribs, lamb or chicken. I served mine over some cous cous.

Ingredients

3 red onions
6 garlic cloves
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

1. Slice your onions into halves and place skin side down in a baking dish.

2. Pour a small amount of olive oil and balsamic vinegar over each onion. Top with a garlic clove (leave the skins on so they don’t burn) and season each onion.

3. Pop the onions in the over for about 20 minutes on 180.

4. Serve your onions hot or cold, stir through a salad or cous cous or serve on their own with grilled barbecue meat.

If you’re looking for a good barbecue dip to break up all the rich meaty flavours then I can recommend this sharp and fresh cashew, lemon and parsley dip. I made a chunky version and served it with toasted pitta breads.

I love a good food market and Stockbridge Market is a good food market.

What makes a good food market? In my opinion there has to be a good variety of produce, sellers need to be friendly and knowldegable, there needs to be street food you can eat there and then, and finally the produce must not be available in your local Tesco’s.

Here are some of my pictures from our last visit.

Marshmallows from The Marshmallow Lady. Erin bought some cherry cola ones which were lovely but I’m close to desperate to taste the maple syrup and bacon ones (with REAL bacon pieces).

The jam and fruit stand. Do sample a jar of this gentleman’s lemon curd, you will not be disappointed.

Handmade Scottish chocolate from The Chocolate Tree. We sampled some unusual white chocolate with pink peppercorn.

Fresh fish, eggs and handmade pies.

Freshly brewed coffee from a campervan (love campervans!)

The Stockbridge Market is open from 10am to 5pm on Sundays. The market will also be opening 12pm – 7.30pm on Thursdays during the Summer months. For more details see Stockbridge Market

Fed up paying £20 a week for your Saturday night chinese? Me too. This is a good alternative which still gives you the saturday night feeling. Leftover satay sauce can be used as a dip for bread sticks and crudites.

Cashew Nut Satay

Half a small onion
1 garlic clove
Olive oil
3tbsp cashew nut butter
Half tsp dried chilli flake
200ml coconut milk
3tsp brown sugar
2 chicken breasts

1. Cover your chicken breasts with cling film and flatten them out using a rolling pin. Pan fry the chicken breasts to get a good colour and finish off in the oven.

2. Finely dice and saute the onion in a small amount of oil. Crush the garlic and saute with onions.

3. Add the cashew nut butter, sugar, chilli flakes and coconut milk. Stir until smooth and warmed through.

4. Slice your chicken into strips and thread onto skewers. Serve your sauce in a bowl or dip pot.

Egg Fried Rice

2 cups of rice
2 eggs
3 spring onions
1 litre chicken stock
1tbsp dark soy
Vegetable oil

1. Cook your rice in the stock.

2. Whisk up the eggs and add to a hot pan with a bit of oil. Stir the eggs until they scramble.

3. Add the cooked and cooled rice and keep it moving so it doesn’t stick and burn.

4. Add the soy and some finely sliced spring onions and serve.

This is a lovely dish to enjoy outside. Treat yourself to a quality bit of beef and prepare it properly (tips below) to get the maximum flavour.

Ingredients (serves 2)

2 sirloin steaks
1tsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

For the salsa verde;

2 anchovies
2tsp capers
1 small garlic clove
2tbsp fresh lemon juice
1tsp Dijon mustard
2tbsp chopped parsley
1tbsp chopped mint
Half tbsp chopped coriander
Half tbsp chopped tarragon
3tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

1. Take the steak out of the fridge, it’s really important to cook steaks from room temperature so they cook evenly.

2. Prepare your salsa verde by chopping all your ingredients finely and mixing them in a bowl. Season to taste and add more oil and lemon juice if you need to loosen up your sauce.

3. Rub your steak with olive oil and season on both sides. Heat your pan until very hot. Fry your steaks once on each side.

Slice your steak to serve.

To learn hot make recipes like this see Edinburgh New Town Cookery School

My peer group work hard to create a reasonable lifestyle for themselves and their children. I’m proud of the fact that I’ve managed to work as a team with Alex to create the lifestyle we enjoy. It’s modest but it’s full of happiness and little treats. We are coming to a point where financially things should start to ease and we move from striving mode to one which should allow us to save and possibly invest a bit more for the future and the future of Erin, our only child.

If we are lucky enough to see out our plans we’ll own a house outright and possibly have a bit of cash and a few investments at the end. If we need significant nursing care it will be a bit less. The question is how best to use that money when we complete our lives and it’s time to pass this on?

I have strong opinions on inheritance. I think it’s unfair for people to be born rich and inherit massive amounts of money, property and land. Everyone needs to be given space to find themselves. Money can stifle that as much as it can support. It’s a fine line.

One of the biggest levellers in this country would be to cap inheritance and put the rest into a training and development fund for young people. Our government talks a good talk on social mobility, if they really wanted to create a level playing field and encourage social mobility they would stop the ludicrous situation where wealth is allowed to pass from generation to generation without any work or ingenuity from the recipient. I think parents should be allowed to pass on something, that something should be capped.

Which brings me back to my own situation. I often think it would be better to have a culture of passing money onto grandchildren rather than children. By the time I’m 70, Erin will be 48. I fully expect her to be self sufficient with a home and assets of her own. In contrast, her children, my grandchildren will likely be in their very early twenties. I remember how hard it was at that age. You have all the responsibilities and are early on in your career and therefore still earning a relatively small amount to support yourself. An inheritance at that age would have been a real help. We were lucky that circumstances meant we had a foot up to get on the property ladder and I have gone onto use that step up to pave the way to the home we live in now. Our long-term, if not forever home. I would love to be able to offer that kind of foot up that gives people more choice, and doesn’t mean they pick the thing that will earn them the most money in the short term.

I think I’ll wait to see how the situation is when we get there, but I fully expect, with Erin’s blessing to pass on a decent chunk of money to help my grandchildren.

How do you plan to divvy up your inheritance? And do you think inheritance should be capped to level the playing field?

Spring may be just around the corner, but the looming promise of bikini season means the traditional New Year push to embrace a healthier lifestyle is still going strong. As a result, diet books are enjoying a surge in popularity, and many slimming schemes and crazes are in full swing.

The diet and weight loss industry in the UK is estimated to be worth a figure in excess of £10bn, with at least one in three overweight people striving to shed the excess pounds. The number of fad-diets, detoxes and superfood recommendations seems to be on the rise, with over 50,000 different diet books available through Amazon alone. Whether it’s cutting carbs or substituting meals for juices, cereals or health shakes, there’s a wealth of advice and health food advocates touting guaranteed, minimal effort weight loss tactics. In spite of this, a recent study conducted by UCLA researchers suggests that a whopping 95% of diets fail.

“We found that the majority of people regained all the weight, plus more,” explains head researcher Traci Mann. “Sustained weight loss was found only in a small minority of participants, while complete weight regain was found in the majority. Diets do not lead to sustained weight loss or health benefits for the majority of people.”

Of course, this doesn’t mean that those striving to lose weight should ditch the idea altogether. The NHS advises that individuals concerned about their weight should “choose diet and physical activity changes that you can make a part of your daily routine, and stick to for life,” which sounds simple enough, but there’s so much conflicting information about which foods are truly healthy that it can be difficult to know where to start.

“All the reduced-fat foods in the world will not help you lose weight if you’re making poor food choices or eating too many calories in general,” explains Melinda Hershey, a SparkPeople contributor. With so many reduced fat cakes, low-cal crisps and sugar free fizzy drinks touted as “diet options”, even consciously healthy shoppers may not be eating as well as they think. How can individuals make informed choices if the diet industry is creeping into our supermarket aisles?
It seems that in order to stay healthy, we have to become immune to the health industry’s advertising. A low-fat diet of healthy, fresh foods in addition to a regular exercise routine is usually suggested as the most straightforward antidote to fad diets and gimmicky supplements. That means a trolley stacked with whole grains such as brown rice, quinoa or couscous, breads and pastas that are made from unrefined ingredients, plenty of seeds, nuts, pulses and fresh fruit and vegetables, with limited space in your Beko fridge for red meat, dairy and alcohol.

This post is in association with Littlewoods