Dining Out on the Past

Posted on June 5, 2012 by Tiggy Hayes

It was such a rare event.  In fact I cannot remember when the last time was.  With the latest news coming from the media; about children staying at home till they are 35, I am not sure there ever will be another.

Having deposited our children at various venues; Mini Son on cub camp, Middle Son to a birthday BBQ and No 1 Son out with friends, Sexy Sporty Dad and I were unusually left with no children on a Saturday night.  The week had been the usual cocktail of stress, emotion and effort and this new concept of chillaxing was completely alien to me.

We decided to dine out.   The thinking behind the suggestion definitely came from me in that flash moment of realisation that I didn’t have to cook for the children so why should I cook at all.   With only two of us, a pub meal would not be quite as financially draining as when we have three hungry boys baying for more.

We are really very lucky where we live as we are surrounded by great pubs, takeaways and restaurants; so where to go?  The decision to go out had not been rashly taken; I had realised this during the week, so had been pondering for a while.  Were we going up-market, or pub grub?  Did we want to go international with Indian, Italian or Chinese?  Would we need to organise a taxi home or go close enough to walk?

There is always my favourite restaurant the Fontmell where I know I would get a wonderful welcome and fabulous food.  We would need to drive there and those boys of mine might want to return home. Dreaming of the food I could see it all now; we would be just taking the first succulent taste of pan fried sole or the popular fontmell fish pie and the phone would go “can I have a lift”.  Torn between the parmesan crust or chauffeuring the children, I suspect I would do one but wish the other.

It needed to be closer to home.

We opted for not going Chinese or Indian as we have a regular family date at the end of term with two families where we celebrate surviving to the end.    I dug out my old list of all the pubs I wanted to visit.  Frighteningly the list of those still to visit is quite long, but here was the opportunity to knock one from it.

Individually we went through each one, ticking off their individual merits, there was always a but!  What happened to the spur of the moment, try and see attitude I had in my teens?

Finally we opted for the one at the end of the road where No 1 Son was visiting.  This ticked most boxes and had just been taken over so the new owners could wow us with their culinary capabilities.  It also meant that we could provide the lift home easily without interrupting our meal.

We arrived in baking sunshine and ordered our meals.  We took drinks down to the garden to enjoy the last beautiful rays of the sun setting over the town.  No 1 Son arrived very smartly not wanting a meal but a drink was quickly accepted.   The little beer garden tucked at the back of the car park was laid out with various tables, a group of people around a table to the side.  We sat quietly down in the opposite corner and relaxed with our drinks.

The sun was still hot and the evening breeze played with the wisps of out of place hair.  Cool refreshing ginger beer revitalised the sagging spirits as we recalled life before children when this was a more common occurrence.    No 1 Son texting and waving to the house behind where his friend Stuart was hanging out of the window.   The two dogs from the other group played and chased each other round the beer garden.

As we watched; the two dogs careered round and round the garden laughed at by their owners. One was the reincarnated “Bullseye” from the film “Oliver” and the other very similar but with different colourings and an added “hienz” variety giving him more speed. I was amazed at the speed they both had, after all “Bullseye” never gave the impression of any real agility.  They raced oblivious into one of the spare tables and carried on without even stopping.   They raced under our table and over my feet not even realising we were there; the owners still laughing did not stop them or apologise to us. One crashed over No 1 Son’s bag, from which luckily he had removed his camera and was trying to show us pictures he had taken that day.  The owners having topped their pints up laughed louder and said nothing.

We moved.

We found a seat in the small outside patio near the front door of the ivy clad Dolphin pub and let the staff know where to bring our meal.  Stuart arrived and joined us.   The two of them disappeared inside to buy themselves drinks, a sign that they were really growing up.  The food arrived; good old comfort food scampi and chips.

The sun was going down but still cast a warm blanket over the gardens.  There was little noise despite being next to the road and the food was delicious.  A huge portion which really I should not have finished but I found myself unable to leave a morsel.  I thought of all the old stories I used on the children: don’t waste it – I’ve paid good money for that; think of all the starving children in Africa who don’t get anything to eat;  you can only have one item on your plate you don’t like – so eat all the rest..

My little Notty – rebuilt with baked bean cans and tights!

I, unlike the children couldn’t find anything not to like and was enjoying every mouthful.  I managed to leave my plate spotless just as Stuart’s Dad James joined us.  Another round of drinks ordered as we told the boys of Datsun Cherries, do you remember them and how many people would fit in them.  We laughed about exploding car exhausts which had made the two boys hit the decks thinking they were being shot at earlier in the day.  Don’t you remember when an exploding car exhaust was a common occurrence, now it seems more likely to be a gunshot?  Driving round with a baked bean can on the end of the exhaust because there was a hole in it.   Keeping a spare pair of tights in your handbag; not because you might lose the ones you were wearing but in case the fan belt went; which in the case of my first little car Notty, a fiat 850 was a regular event.  Life has moved on.

In answer the boys told us they had decided to go on a “protein only” diet and were looking for inspiration.   Their breakfast consisted of bacon in a butty; not sure about the protein in processed bread, and they were definitely not convinced that this should be an occasional treat rather than everyday ritual.  They were happy to be eating dry roasted peanuts to fill the need and could not be persuaded otherwise, baked beans were too healthy, lentils or any pulses not acceptable at all.  Sexy Sport Dad appeared from inside the pub with a raw egg in a glass to tell tales of bravery and nutrition.  The peanuts disappeared and the egg stayed firmly in the glass.  The glass moved round the table stopping periodically in front of each person before the thought more than the sight of it caused it to be moved on.

We arrived home not long after Middle Son; who had settled himself down with a hot chocolate to watch a late night film.  Mini Son returned the next day exhausted having had little sleep but lots of fun from his camping trip.  My family all safe and back home but I had cut another string of motherhood a little more by letting all three out of my sight without babysitter for the whole evening.

This week I have managed to find a little inspiration and have written my first draft of the evil story.  It is not easy to get inside someone else’s mind if you really cannot understand what makes them like that.   So a little more work required I think.  My magazine is now out in the public domain.  A few hiccoughs but hopefully none that cannot be sorted next time.

Tiggy

Check out my other blog on https://tiggy-tea.blogspot.co.uk/ and enjoy some tasty treats.

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BBQ Side Salads

Posted on May 28, 2012 by Tiggy Hayes



With this sudden onset of wonderfully sunny weather the planned roast was ditched in favour of a BBQ and I guess like me, many of you will have done the same.

I am not a great lover of BBQs because even though it seems a great idea at the time: the men of the house all stood round the barbie cooking up some grub.  In reality there is a lot of behind the scenes preparation that still has to go on.

Here I have just done some very basic side dishes that will be eaten by the children as well as the adults.   As it was just family we bought in some meat rather than marinade my own and kept it simple.

Pasta Salad – this is one my son loves and will make up for himself as just a snack.
Ingredients
Pasta Shapes – tricolour ones add colour to this dish or simple as I have done
Curry Powder
Mayonaise
Paprika – it is more for decoration than taste
Parsley

Cook the pasta according to packet, taking of the heat before it is fully cooked – then rinse it and leave it in cold water to cool (the water stops it from sticking together).
Meanwhile mix a good sprinkling of curry powder with a generous helping of mayonaise.  (I do this in my final serving dish so it is all coated as well and you don’t lose any)
Add the pasta and mix well.
Decorate with the paprika (just a sprinkling)  and parsley.



Potato Salad – another very popular dish among the children
Ingredients
Potatoes  –  I like to use new or salad ones but old can work just as well
Onions – again it is what you have, salad ones are great but red or normal work
Salad cream
Garnish with chopped mint / parsley / chives

Boil the potatoes until soft and then drain them and stand in cold water.
Chop the onions finely .
Cut the potatoes roughly and sprinkle over the onions in the serving dish.
Add a good dollop of salad cream and mix well with a knife to chop the potatoes a little more.
Sprinkle with your garnish


Tomato Salad  – there are many different versions of this available but here is mine
Ingredients
Tomatoes – again any variety  if you are entertaining the coloured mixed ones look great
Onions – red or normal
Oil / Vinegar Dressing – I used a simple french dressing I had made for a previous BBQ
Mint chopped to garnish

Cut the tomatoes, chop onions finely (I don’t use a whole onion here but may use two small salad onions).
Mix
As you take to table add the dressing.
Add the garnish 


Garlic Mushrooms –  my son had added mushrooms into the shopping basket in the hopes of a barbie.
Ingredients

Mushrooms
Butter
Garlic – powder/ granules  works best with this recipe
Mayonaise
Garnish

Melt the butter in a pan, add a spinkling of Garlic
Add the mushrooms and cook until soggy.
Take off heat and drain (water comes out of them when cooked )
Leave to cool
Just before serving mix mayonaise with garlic, add the mushrooms and mix well.
Add the garnish.

There are so many variations on these dishes.  I change the curry powder for garlic.  You could add tomatoes, peas, sweetcorn to the pasta.   See what this inspires you to try and let me know. Please add your comments and let me know what works for you.

Take a look at my other blog –  Tiggy Hayes

Happy eating –  enjoy this sunny weather

Tiggy 









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Pay Back

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Tiggy Hayes

Gosh! I have never really thought of myself as mixing in the low life world of gangs and criminals. In fact I am very naïve in many ways, probably not a good place to come from as a writer.   I may well have been wrong.  Part of the reason for writing the blog this week is an insurance policy in case my home is torched, or my car brakes slashed.  I actually do feel a very genuine threat to myself and my family from completely out of the blue.

As you all know I have spent time, money and effort setting up my new business for which things are appearing to go well and I have not only gained a lot of business, I also appear to have made a lot of friends who are supporting me in this venture.  I am learning about networking and mixing with wide and varied groups of business people all keen to get their company into the spotlight.

My remit and ethos is very much to the local community and to try and help the people around me survive; particularly during the present financial instability.  I have always been drawn to helping in and around the local community and this role defines my character well.  There is also an element of getting my writing name out there and I am hoping that Tiggy will be allowed to start writing in the magazine soon.

So it came as a bolt out of the blue when my neighbour turned up at his house last evening with his car plastered in cheap, tacky paper flyers advertising a website with my business name on it.

The history to this, as far as I am aware is when I brought my car back having had the name of the business emblazoned over it.  Our neighbour collared Sexy Sporty Dad and asked him what I was doing.   With pride ringing in his voice and pleasure glowing from each word he explained in detail my new business and how it would help the businesses of our town.  A perfectly friendly exchange between two adults: or so we thought.

Sexy Sporty Dad asked him last night what he was doing; as I sobbed uncontrollably in the kitchen wondering what was going on.

The neighbour informed him that he had bought all the websites so that I could not register my company and this was ‘Pay Back’.

Pay back for what asked Sexy Sporty Dad, “there will be consequences”.

That was that!

All night long I have been lying in bed contemplating what I did to him that was so bad I caused him to act so vengefully.    Knowing snippets of his claimed history I also kept getting up to check that he had not left the house to torch us as we slept in our beds.

Today has revealed new insights into the irrational behaviour of this deranged neighbour.   Apparently he registered the websites on the day after he saw my car long before he spoke to Sexy Sporty Dad.  He has spent the last two days going into all the businesses in town telling them he is launching this website and they need not pay for advertising.  He has even got hold of one of my own flyers and tried to reword my slogan.

Having calmed down from the initial shock I can see that it could work in my favour, as it will get my message out to the locality.  You pay a fortune for that kind of publicity! I also feel I have established a good and honest reputation amongst the local people. But I do hope I have done enough.

My writing has been very scarce at the moment, struggling to find inspiration particularly as this month’s homework is to write about an evil person.  I cannot get into the brain or feel that kind of venom to be able to write on this topic.   However having been introduced to the depth of depravity some people will go to hurt someone else, I may now have found the answer.  Tonight when I am lying awake trying to fathom out why someone would want to destroy me so vehemently, I need to write down my thoughts and emotions during those dark and depressing night hours.

To reassure you all; that having taken advice we have informed the police we are scared for the safety of ourselves and particularly our children. However this blog may act as an additional insurance if the unspeakable happens.

Trying to work out what is going on; I have lurched from childish prank, to complete insanity, stopping at most places in between.  I cannot understand why he is so against my business, it will not affect him in any way.  Producing a flyer and waving it in my face as a joke, although not funny I could perhaps understand.  He has gone to trouble to actually produce these flyers and deliver them to the shops and businesses of the town.  Some of whom have contacted me to ask if he was connected to me.

If I could find a reason it might help. I have, I admit, continually asked him not to spray his toxic paints when the children or I am around, a request he refuses to comply with. (See July 2011 blog – Neighbourly unease).   I would not have thought this would warrant such aggressive behaviour.

We have in the past offered him friendship, meals, help and up until this week all very amicably or so we believed.   Sexy Sporty Dad and the police believe the hatred and threat is directed at me but I worry for those around me because I do not know the scope of his savagery to bring me down.

I hope to be here next week full of news and snippets of my life.

One of the questions bothering me about my novel “Memories” was how a perfectly respectable family can suddenly find themselves immersed in something so out of their control.  Now I know real life can happen like that through no-one’s fault.  “Memories” is about an everyday family like you or me and their tale is even more believable than my neighbour losing the plot.

Happy times!

Tiggy

Check out my other blog on https://tiggy-tea.blogspot.co.uk/ and enjoy some therapeutic chopping and stirring.

 

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Parental Responsibility

Posted on May 12, 2012 by Tiggy Hayes

What can you do?   Tomorrow you have a packed day full of appointments and you already know time is too precious.   Then you spend the night up with a poorly child, coughing, hot and generally not well.  You already know what the dilemma is going to be.

Working mothers struggle so much when their child is not well, commitment to employers, guilt to the child and wisdom to find the right answers.

How ill does your child have to be before you cannot chance sending them to school?  How far should you travel away from home, in case the call comes to collect?    If they are that ill can they not go shopping, in the car, to work?

Some people have the luxury of a grandparent or family member already at home with young children who depending on the illness will look after your child.   Let’s face it though where does he really want to be:  at home with mum.

These days that scenario of having family help is all too often not available.   Many grandparents are either still working themselves or too far away to be useful at times like this. Other family members fall into the same category.

My mother was nearly called upon the other morning.   The reality, however, was to get Mini Son to her for the day; I would have had to get him up, dressed and out of the house by 7 am.  We would have had an hour’s drive to her house.  I would drop and run to be back in time to take Middle Son to school and me to my appointment all for 9am.

Had any of this really been plausible, the shock to my mother of me ringing her, at what she would have considered the middle of the night may well have finished her off.  I suspect arriving on her doorstep at 8am in the morning unannounced would also have been shock enough.  Not to mention, she has tai chi or church carers lunch or was it the square coffee morning she would be going to.   There had to be a plan B.

Plan B, involved Sexy, Sporty Dad.   He could stay home and look after his offspring, nurse him through the day and tend to his various needs.   It all made perfect sense for him to take on the parental responsibility.  Sexy Sporty Dad informed me he had very important meetings all day.  I knew the kind where you drink coffee and make very important decisions.  He was obviously not going to be Plan B.

Why couldn’t I just forgo my day?  What do I do that is so important anyway?

Well the hairdresser for a start.  Not a good defence to begin with I agree.   Had I just been popping in for a trim I could have cancelled and booked again anytime; but I wasn’t.  I was down for my half yearly colour and cut, a whole three hour appointment which had been booked since the last one six months ago.     It was not something I could just move to another slot in my diary or theirs.

I had a new lead that afternoon someone I really needed to come on board with my magazine.  I had actually made the appointment to fit in with his hectic schedule.  This meeting was important not just for the immediate business it may or may not bring, but in order to avoid commercial suicide I had to turn up and be professional.

I could of course just send the poor boy to school and hope for the best.  A sudden flash rushed into my brain;  the colourant half baked with me wrapped in foils and unable to move – that was when the inevitable call would come from the school asking me to pick him up.  That left me with no illusions about him attending that morning.

There was nothing else for it, he had to stay with me.   In a perverse sort of way I was happier; while he was feeling so bunged up and miserable I could monitor his asthma and not rely on relinquishing the responsibility to others.

Mini Son did not let me down, he was so good having taken his sketch book, DS, reading book, lunch and drink.   He entertained himself drawing a bird, which then needed a background, a few other birds and ducks appeared over the pond and in the field.  He challenged himself on the DS reaching a best ever score; for him at least.  My phone disappeared from my bag and I learnt about a lot of the game apps that have mysteriously appeared on it.  Bite by small bite the lunch and juice disappeared over the morning while his reading book lay quietly unopened in his bag.

It was certainly an alien environment to him as he wandered over to show me his latest success.  Glancing around a salon full of noisy women; all at differing stages of their individual cuts, blowdrys or colours he watched fascinated.

“Mummy why have you got tin cans on your head?”

Probably not the image I really want for my readers or my potential customers, so let’s just say I came out of the salon looking a million dollars,  it nearly cost me as much.

As we left and let’s face it I did feel a million dollars so now was the time to work my charm I realised we would pass the post office as we drove home.  Well it would save getting him out again later.  I dashed in and then popped into a couple of potential clients, one wants to come on board later and one gave me his card to design an advert.   We then returned to the car, guilt now replacing the self confidence.

A builders van was parked behind me and a young man stood gathering bits from the passenger seat.  One last wave of opportunism hit me.

“Are you Clifford?”  I asked.

“No I am Tom his son”

“No problem I am….” And it was done,  another media pack and business card given out; he even looked interested and asked the right questions.

We got in the car.

“Mummy you always say ‘don’t talk to strangers’ and you didn’t even know that man.”

Van Man Danger Stranger

Touché.  To be fair, the stranger did have his name, or rather father’s name plastered all over his transit and I was in the main street very visible.  My nine year old son is right though – you should not talk to strangers.

Mini Son then had to accompany me to my afternoon meeting which after an hour I had managed to persuade the client to come on board, not this month but as a tester next month.  What a coup!

“Why did it take so long, you said it would be only 10 minutes”

He was right, most of my meetings don’t take an hour and more to the point I usually do the talking and attempt the selling.  Not this one; my client did most of the talking and finally talked himself into coming on board. Some coup!   Take note I must learn some tips from him.

Mini Son’s learning may well have been increased that day although I am not sure how many curriculum subjects we could claim to have covered.  When he is the next Lord Sugar, Vidal or has a string of Virgin companies, my guilt at dragging him round may be assuaged.

So is Mini Son going to be fit enough tomorrow?  Let me get my diary out!  I feel a duvet day coming on……. Oh lush…

Have you had the dilemma?   What did you do and how did it work out for you?  Let me know.

 

Tiggy

 

Check out my tea time treat this week and serve your guests a delicious pear and ginger crumble https://tiggy-tea.blogspot.co.uk/

 

 

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Pear and Ginger Crumble

Posted on May 12, 2012 by Tiggy Hayes

This weekend why not try this wonderful pear and ginger crumble for the family or if you have friends coming round.  It is easy and any crumble goes down really well.

I rarely cook puddings as none of us in the family really eat them, but I do try on a Sunday or if I am entertaining to do something.   I was given a set of terracotta stone dishes that are perfect for single portion puds or starters and so I have made these as individuals but they would work just as well in one dish.

Ingredients
Small piece of ginger – chopped into very small cubes
Brown sugar
Boiling water
Couple of eating apples – peeled and cored
3 large desert pears
Butter  – not straight from the fridge
Plain flour
Sugar
Porridge oats


The amount of butter /flour and sugar will depend on how many you are cooking for and how much they like crumble.  In my family (2 adults, 2 teenage boys and a hungry 9 year old) they most definitely prefer crumble to the fruit so I have used 3oz of butter / sugar and 6oz flour with a large mummy sized handful of oats for crunch.

I make the ginger juice first by putting the boiling water over the ginger and brown sugar and keep boiling.   I think you are supposed to throw away the ginger and just use the juice but I add plenty of water then boil for a long while to soften the ginger.  




When most of the juice has evaporated I then add the apple first and as it softens add the pear followed by a sprinkling more of brown sugar.

Once the fruit has softened but still kept some shape take it from the heat and lay in a layer  in dishes.   Allow it to cool.



In the meantime make the crumble by mixing the butter and flour by hand.   When it resembles breadcrumbs add the sugar and stir gently by hand.   Add the handful of oats and stir again.

Top the fruit and cook in a medium oven till browned on top. 

Serve with cream, ice cream or custard then sit back and listen to their ooohs and aahhhs of  pleasure as they tuck in.






Have a go and spoil them this weekend.  Tell me how you get on 

Tiggy

read my trials and tribulation on my other blog at Tiggy Hayes.
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Waste Not : Want Not

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Tiggy Hayes

I am sorry to admit that my writing; which I would list as my number one passion has had to take a very definite back seat at the moment.   I promise this is not an on-going state of affairs but there are only so many productive hours in each day.

There is an old adage that if you want something done – give it to a busy person.  I find there is a lot of truth in that comment.  A busy person will just fit it in to their busy schedule and complete it with no fuss and no fanfare.

I believe I would come under that category of a busy person but sometimes I would like to concentrate on one thing.  I suppose that is what NANOWRIMO gives me; one month to write the bare bones of the next book.   I have to admit to; a certain selfishness during November when my only thoughts are the story, uploading and getting my succeed certificate.  In my mind I live the story, the characters, the plots and the development.  I am sure if Freud analysed my writing he could tell where I went on which day to produce the different chapters of the book.

Currently my overworked mind is taking up with my latest project.   For several years I have been heavily involved with No 1 Son’s rugby team who will finish youth rugby this weekend, those still committed to the game and with the talent will continue into Colts. A very different set up and not reliant on ley volunteers who organise rather than coach.  I will be giving up my role as Youth Chair and my role as Mini Administrator and letting others take the tasks forward.

Naturally this will leave a huge gap in my life or so I thought.   I could, now knuckle down and work on my books.   It would be a great time to take “Memories” onwards and try seriously to get it published.    I would like to do something with “Scrum Down”, after all it is a story about an U16s season with a group of rugby players.  By the time I get round to publishing it No 1 Son will be playing for the VETs.

Life never goes as planned.   I am about to launch a community magazine.  Not just about to; it is well on its way and I have spent weeks trying to find advertisers willing to give me a chance.  I am not a salesperson, I may be good at many things, not that I can think of any off hand, but selling and cold calling is not one of the attributes I list on my CV.   I am however passionate about the community need for the magazine, supported by the very favourable reception that I have had locally.

So the magazine I am launching has plenty of articles and editorials and a few confirmed advertisers.   I really believe in the power of local enterprise.   There are lots of small businesses in every community who struggle against the giants in their trade but need an avenue to tell people they exist.   I hope that I will provide the conduit they need to increase their business and in return they will support my business.

There is always a slightly selfish angle to all new ventures and I am no different to anyone else.  My altruistic motives may be intrinsically good but until I am a well-known multi best-selling author I have to be realistic.   Once I am established I hope to be able to publish a story or a diary each month in the magazine to get my name and my writing out into the public domain.  Maybe then with the publication of my books or even the next NANO book I may already have a local following keen to read some of my work.

I remain steadfast in my commitment to my writing but do not always enjoy the luxury of dedicating enough time to it.  As most of you know I am a member of a fantastic writing group.   This group is supportive, encouraging and critical, in a developmental way.   Each month, we meet, we write and we are set homework, although not always easy I do try to have a go.  We try different genres, different styles, and different tones. It stretches my writing in ways I would never otherwise have had the confidence to try.   I no longer have long periods of writers of block as there is always homework to start, finish or edit.   I tend never to go for the conventional story but try to have a twist in my tales.  These develop as the story turns rather than I go out and look for a surprise.  I wonder what Freud would make of some of my twists and turns.

I now have multitudinous fragments of writing that one day I hope to come back to.  A piece of writing is never wasted.   Memories developed from a short story.  The remit for a competition was a children’s short story about a little girl afraid of the dark.  It had to be inspiring to other children and help them overcome their fears.  I believed I could be a great children’s writer, after all I had children, I worked with children and I appear to be in tune with children.  I didn’t get anywhere with the competition but it was one of my very early attempts at writing short stories.  The story and theme played on my mind and I wondered; what if there was an underlying reason for this irrational fear?  What if they took her seriously and investigated the fear and find out some darkened past?

The story still rolled around my mind for barren months with no avenue to develop.

I sat down on 1 November 2010, yet another brainwave from the writing group, with no idea what to write a novel about. My mind turning somersaults with different words, phrases and scenarios. Fear of the dark, triggers, irrational reactions, and emerging past all vying to be written.  Suddenly Memories tumbled into a story.  All those what-ifs developed plausible answers and other new what-ifs found their way on to the pages.  That was the easy bit, now we are at a far more difficult stage waiting to be sent to a publisher.

It is a lesson to remember; whatever we do or learn it is never wasted.

Here’s to my next chapter that it will bring new readers into my world of writing.  Maybe this November will bring a fictional thriller about the secret life of a magazine owner.

Tiggy

 

Check out some ideas for tea with https://tiggy-tea.blogspot.co.uk/

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Potato Pie

Posted on April 29, 2012 by Tiggy Hayes




This came about after I had spent a couple of weeks in and out of hospital so had loads of potatoes left over that the rest of the family didn’t need having lived off pasta and takeaways.

Ingredients
Potatoes mashed with butter and milk
Bacon lardons  optional
Onion finely chopped
Mixed herbs
Marmite
Cheese – cheddar
Spinach


I boiled up the potatoes until they were very soft then mashed them really well with loads of butter and quite a lot of milk.  


In the meantime I had fried the bacon lardons and onions in a touch of butter then added the mixed herbs.


I then added a good teaspoon of marmite to the potato mix.  It needs to colour it but not overpower the potato.  Nobody should be able to realise what was added especially marmite haters such as my husband.  Mix in really well, this just adds a wonderful depth to the taste. 

I added the bacon mix at this point and mixed it all well.


Then add plenty of grated cheese –  I always use cheddar as I have plenty but you could use red Leicester which would give great colour, or a vegetarian alternative.


Then arrange in a baking dish.

A good layer of spinach makes this a meal in itself.  Add the potato mix as a complete layer.  If you have a small deep dish you could do spinach, potato, spinach, potato.  Then top it with another good covering of grated cheese.



This is now ready to pop into a hot oven 30 minutes before you are ready to serve.

A great filling warming dish, you could serve another vegetable or a salad with it.  I served with a bowl of baked beans that I had added a teaspoon of curry powder to.  I made enough for five but one child didn’t eat with us that night.  It all disappeared.

Enjoy and let me know how you try yours.

Tiggy

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Overcome the Obstacles

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Tiggy Hayes

I met and got talking to a really inspiring woman yesterday.

I liked Mary-Anne as soon as I met her, we appeared quite similar.  She had children slightly older than mine but not much.  As often happens we started a conversation about our children, their struggles and comparisons.  The conversation easily moved on and we had a lot of laughs.  There were five of us in the conversation and we each had something to comment on.

It was as we congratulated ourselves on surviving to the end of the day, we joked that we needed the proverbial large glass of wine, giggled about the size of our glass and how often on facebook we added the comment about putting our feet up with glass in hand.

Mary-Anne said suddenly “you shouldn’t really say that to a dry alcoholic”

Well talk about a show stopping line.

Drying Out

She had to explain then.  You can’t interrupt the discussion with a statement like that and expect to get away with it.   She explained; a dry alcoholic because she had not touched a drink for 16years, she even remembered the date in July alcohol last passed her lips.   Then the story came pouring out.

Her mother had been an alcoholic, so by 14 she was buying and drinking herself with no real obstacles in her way.     She continued needing alcohol through her teens and into her twenties when she got married and remarkably had three children.   She had managed through will power to ease up on the juice during her pregnancies.  One of her children born with a tumour needed life-saving surgery at only two weeks old.  She relied on alcohol to get her through this time despite incorrectly blaming the tumour on her drinking.

After her third child was born, her husband became abusive and violent and she continued drinking to survive.  It was her mother who made her realise the severity of her drinking and the fact she was about to lose her children.  That proved to be her catalyst; she has not touched a drop since.

As I sat and listened to her tale of trials and tribulations in admiration I began to realise that although I think I have it hard sometimes; my achievements and well deserved they may be came from a great starting point in comparison.

Today I ran into an old friend I hadn’t seen in ages.  Her son had been moved to a private school in the area and he has now got into the prestigious Winchester College.  She was telling me how well he was doing and at just 11; already loving classical music and art.  He is a little boy who will go far and has had a fantastic start in life.

Not everyone has that opportunity and for those that do, they owe it to themselves to make the most of the opportunities life throws at them.  The rest of us should not feel cast by the way side. Yes we have to work at it but a tough start in life should not limit our achievements.  In fact the harder we have to rise the sweeter the taste of the successes when they come.

I have been a proud observer on the rugby sidelines as I have watched No 1 Son’s team develop and put their potentially high spirited jinks to a much better use, they’ve found an outlet for aggression and emotion that could so easily be directed elsewhere.  Not that every rugby player is a potential thug.  On the contrary every rugby player is a fantastically brave sportsman who comits wholeheartedly to their physicality and passion.  Sport has been the saving of many people who may well have fallen off the accepted pathways to adulthood.

I have seen children from difficult homes rise above their emotions and overcome their concerns to achieve great sporting triumphs on the track and in team games.   I have seen youngsters ostracised and pushed out of their peer groups go on and cultivate creativity and incredible inventiveness.

I am confident now that I can achieve anything in this world; I will get my books published if that is what I want.  I just need to build up my confidence to accept the rejections so that when that acceptance comes through, I will be ready for it.

I know that my children will also achieve whatever they want if they only put their minds to it.  I know what they have yet to realise, that it will take a lot of hard effort and determination on their part but Mary-Anne filled me with hope for my own children and that of many others.  The world is there for us to make the best of it and the opportunities will present themselves, when they do it is for us to seize them and make the best.

My new friend has three fantastic children and her own business.  She looks great, so confident and positive, how could anyone guess her problematic start in life.  I hope that I too can inspire people in some small way with what I accomplish; that in itself will be an achievement.

Tiggy

Check out some of Tiggy’s recipes at https://tiggy-tea.blogspot.com

 

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Tip of the Week – Nigella Seeds

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Tiggy Hayes


Nigella Seeds are a common ingredient particularly in indian cuisine.  


 They are not always easy to find if you  call them Nigella Seeds.
The seeds themselves come from an old cottage garden plant the Nigella Damascena  also known as love-in-the-mist or devil-in-the-bush.  Harvested and then dried they are sold as Kalonji or Black Onion Seeds.


They taste like a combination of onion, pepper and oregano.  They also have a slightly bitter mustard after taste but added to curries and pulses they are said to be good for many digestive ailments.




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Cupboard Turkey

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Tiggy Hayes

This came about by accident, one day being organised I had got out some thin turkey fillets to defrost and then slice up into a sauce.   As it was the middle of the holidays and we spent most of the day out we ended up eating out and the forgotten defrosted fillets sat forlornly in the sink waiting for cooking. 
I cooked them in the tomatoes that night.  The following day I added the rest of the ingredients and we ate them.  If I was planning the meal I would do it all in the one day.

Ingredients
Turkey fillets
Tinned tomatoes with herbs (you can add a few extra mixed herbs)
Peppers sliced and pre-roasted
Cream
Buttery mashed potato


Cook the fillets in the tinned tomatoes.  


Add the peppers or anything else in the fridge you want to use up, broccoli, spinach, chopped carrots.  You could even add sweetcorn or peas at this point.

I had some old double cream that needed using up so covered the dish with this.


Some mashed potato made with loads of butter and really mashed up well spread over the top and scored with a fork.



Into the hot oven for a good 20 minutes to half an hour until the potato is deep golden and the filling is bubbling. 

I had added a dash of water to the fillets as the tomatoes had dried out a little overnight.  This meant they were still incredibly moist. You wouldn’t need this if you were doing it all in one day.


This dish went down surprisingly well for a grab what’s in the cupboard meal.  Some meals are obviously hits as this one was but not all mine are so popular.


Give it a try and see what you think, be sure to let me know how you get on, what else could we add to develop it?   Do you have any store cupboard meals?

Enjoy



Tiggy

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