My First Bread Attempt

Well it wasn't the best bread ever but it wasn't a bad attempt. When I take into account that I have never had a succesful bread baking effort ever - I was actually rather impressed with myself. I didn't let the yeast work for long enough so it is a little heavy but it tastes great. It was also a little big for the resmosk - next time I will do 2 smaller loaves from the same mix.

Bread Bread and more Bread

In our house bread isn't something that would usually capture my attention for very long but this week I seem to have had rather a lot left over. This is probably because everyone has to been too busy to eat it but I refuse to throw it out.

It occurred to me that if bread is a staple food all over the world there must be plenty of ways of using it up when it is left over so I tried a few home made concoctions.

Firstly I mixed eggs, milk, seasonings, spinach, olives and loads of left over challah lumps and tried that in the remoska - it was great. Even hubby like it - although it looked a little green.

Today I have done something similar but instead of the spinach, just crispy onions and caraway seeds a a little cheese - this is even better.

When the bread is all used up I am going to attempt the impossible - I will bake bread. Something I have never mastered. Will the Remoska change all that?

Nearly a week has gone by and alas I have not posted on the blog. I am worse at this that I thought I would be.

This week has thrown up some challenges but in between them I did manage to do a little cooking. I made a rather good mejedra, something I make well in a pan but it was even better in the remoska. As you can see I forgot to rotate the photo but I figure as its a round bowl - it will do!!

I am going to gry some sort of savoury bread pudding tonight as I have loads of left over bread to use and I have no idea how it will work out.

Educating the Husband - An Ongoing Challenge

Most of us parents at some point or other talk about the education of our children. Topics include how they are doing at school, their physical and emotional development and so on and so forth. I however after 6 years am finding this rather boring so I am moving on to the topic of educating husbands. Husbands I fear need far more guidance from us in even the simplest tasks that a 6 year old would not struggle with.

This weekends spousal educational task was to get him to use the Remoska. I had been explaining the use of said Remoska since it arrived (subliminal education) but alas husband dear had not gone near it. As I was dashing out to the hospital the other day he started murmering about shoving something in the oven for dinner and I took my chance,

"Use the Remoska" I said

"I don't know how" says he

"I have turned it on and here is the off button" I say

"Pop the food in and don't let me find out you used that oven." (I can check with obsessive 6 year old who never lies even when coerced).

"oh ok then" says he.

I wasn't in the house but as the pan wasn't washed when I returned and he didn't grumble about the state of the dinner I can conclude two things;

1) he used it
2) the food was edible

That is in my marriage as close to a victory as I usually get. I get the point (whether he agrees or not).

I have been very slack with photos this weekend but the Remoska has made a rather good lentil and carrot soup, , toad in the hole, pretty awful whitebean falafel (due to having the wrong ingredients rather than any fault of the machine itself (a poor tool always blames it workman), and fried onion and potatoes as comfort food for lunch.

Thanks to everyone who has been following and commenting so far - I hope I can find enough words to amuse for the future.

Lentil

My Blog Skips a Day

Well so much for the idea of posting on my blog every day - I have failed already. I'm afraid I got so tied up in dealing with everyone else's problems yeterday that I didn't have much time for inane chunter. I will try and make up for that today.

Harping back to the meal I made for which there was no photo. It was a sort of tofu casserole topped with breadcrumbs and all credit to the Remoska it actually tasted great. I did however forget to take a photo of it (I am a failure) and therefore it is already filed in the history of the recipes in my brain which I will no doubt now forget.

Anyway back to the disaster that was yesterday. I knew when I woke up that I was going to be dealing with lots of difficult issues during the day so I thought I would start with a hearty breakfast. I made a lovely toastie and it came out great. I only have the deep pan and was a little nervous that I would need a rack or a shallow pan but there was no need - it was scrumptios. Personally I much prefer a toastie made this way now than one that would have been rpeviously made in the sandwich toaster which is so difficult to clean that it rarely comes out of the cupboard.

I will say now that everything I made yesterday got burned because my phone was ringing constantly and I kept forgetting what I was doing - I have the world's worst short term memory.

I tried making a yorkshire pud in the afternoon. It tasted great but once again was burnt because the phone rang and then as I was so late and had to run out of the door I forgot the photo. I am clearly not getting into the swing of this yet!

Today's recipes have so far included toasties for the family (a great hit and less burnt) but of course I forgot the photos and then I tried a toad in the hole. I was really impressed with this but again forgot to take a photo. I dont think I had enough batter but it still tasted great.

I have cut a circle of re-usable oven lining stuff for the base of the resmoska pan now so I dont need to worry about scratching it if I put other bows or dishes inside (phew).

No idea what tomorroow brings so in the meantime I have brown lentils and some sort of while beans soaking. I keep things in tubs without labels so its a little like a lucky dip when it comes to cooking time. If I rememeber (doubtful) I will cook one of them overnight in the slow cooker (after boiling for 10 mins of course for safety) and then they will be ready for use tomorrow in a remoska dish. If I forget then I will just cook them in the slow cooker as part of a dish with something else and we can eat them in the evening.

I think perhaps its time for some real work.

Thoughts on dinner and blogs

Dinner Disaster I think!!

Potatoes, onions, tofu, tomatoes, spinach and broccoli, herbs and spices and a bit of luck - except it doesn't look so good. If it turns out ok I will take a photo but I think I may put this one down to experience. I have put some breadcrumbs on the top in an attempt to make it better.

All in all today was a pretty good Remoska day. Its easy to use and to clean and I like it.

If someone had told me 10 years ago that I would enjoy doing this I would have thought them crazy but I have to say- its fun. I think its fun because its frivelous. It doesn't matter if no one ever reads it and it definitely has no educational value but I am adding it to my list of ways to waste time when I am supposed to be doing something else. You never know - perhaps somewhere in here I will say something profound that people will use for years to come. Once again - stranger things have happenned.

Special Kids Pancake

Ok so I lied when I said I would use the Remoska for 3 meals today. I forgot that the boy child would not be eating with us so I have snuck in an extra meal.

He asked for sweetcorn pancakes so I hummed and hahhed and decided to have ago - adding veggie salami, and potatoes as well. It has turned out so beautifully and perfect for eating with hands rather than being sloppy and breaking every where as usual. Its a definate hit! Now I can't wait to do Yorkshire puds as I can see how great they are going to be.

I now realise that the photo I have taken actually makes it look like sick, but I assure you it was dinner.

Cashew and Red Pepper Risotto

Well despite not being hungry at all I knew I had to use the Remoska for lunch so I decided I would try a Risotto. I can honestly say I have never had a risotto that turned out so nicely in pan on the hob.

I will own up now - I don't do weights and measures, so if anyone wants a 'precise' recipe I am not the one to ask.

I cooked some onion, cashews and red pepper some spray oil for a few minutes then added Risotto rice, stock powder, garlic powder, black pepper and hot water. Half an hour later I had risotto. I added a tiny sprinkle of cheese and left it about 5 mins..

If I don't say so myself its rather nice.

I love my remoska all ready but I really need a name for it.

In between all this 'Earth Mother' cooking I really have been working.

Sausage Egg and Hashbrown

After toying with the various culinary experiments that I could have made as my first meal with the Remoska I opted for veggie sausages, crispy fried egg and hash browns straight from the freezer. I have to say it was one of the best breakkies I have had for a long time and I can see me and my Remoska getting very friendly.

I think I need some suggestions for naming her. I think Remoska is far too long and other people's names (Mossy, Remmy) and rather 'commonplace' nowadays.

The New Remoska Arrives

I consider today to be a very important day in our house. My new Remoska arrived.

For those of you that are now already lost, can i suggest a quick google search. I shall post some photographs later on when I use it.

I have been considering this purchase for a ridiculous amount of time and decided on Monday that I would bite the bullet and spend the money. I am hoping it will turn out to be a very prudent purchase.

My task for today is to see if I can make three edible meals in it. I realise that I have already had some toast this morning but I am choosing to conveniently forget this small and insignificant piece of information and start with breakfast.

Ingredients for my Blog

Today in a moment when I should have been doing something far more important, but didn't really fancy it, I created my blog. I couldn't think of anything clever to call it which is why it has such a ridiculous name.

So far I have managed to set up the blog, change some colours, add lots of tools I didn't like and then delete them and that's about it really. I have no experience of blogging so I expect this to be a learning curve.

I never knew what I wanted to do when I grew up and to be honest I still don't. However, I am now in some people's eyes grown up, that is I have qualifications, I have workplace experience, I am married and I am a mother and therefore I suppose I must be grown up. I still have no idea what I want to do when I grow up though so in the meantime I will be posting about things I enjoy and things that happen while I am living the life that I live, while waiting to decide what I will do when I grow up. I feel that I can't be alone in thinking perhaps this wasn't the life I ordered but as I am not sure what life I would have ordered instead, I plod on. After all, the life I have is pretty wonderful - its just not the life I thought I would have.

I have no idea if anyone other than me will read my blog but stranger things have happenned.