Mum's away....

At the moment the big topic of conversation around our supper table is what the men in the house are going to eat next week when I'm away...My two sons (18 and 13) had a trial run last week when I went out for the evening and my hubby was away on a business trip. I'd left them all that they needed to make tuna fish and pasta but the 18 year old decided that spaghetti wasn't quite what they needed, so sent his younger brother off to the local shop for...(I'm not sure I can admit to this having come into my house and then been eaten with relish, as only teenagers and students can) okay...they had Pot Noodles. Nothing wrong with Pot Noodles, they have their place but that isn't ordinarily in my kitchen! The thing that really made me laugh was when my eldest son said 'but we didn't have any proper pasta', 'There's spaghetti in the cupboard'. His reply ....' alright it might be proper pasta but it's annoying to cook!' He said it with such conviction that I think I actually laughed my socks off! I love teenagers - no really I do, they can be hilarious and brutally honest but they are also really good fun.
So next week is going to be an interesting challenge for them all, the only thing my husband cooks is pancakes (which he does very well), the eldest son did 3 years of food tech - which apparently means he can cook anything and know it's nutritional value, and the youngest would happily exist on a diet of honey on toast and pot noodles (given a chance). This is where wots4supper comes in to its own - I know that I can't give them anything that needs any last minute preparation or complicated cooking, so I shall put together a special 'mums away' week of meals for them and just keep my fingers crossed the local shop's run out of Pot Noodles!
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Happy cooking!

It is such a long time since we last posted on our blog, but so much has happened to keep us busy and away from blogging.

I just heard on the radio that a survey concluded that mums get stuck in a rut of nine meals, and off the top of my head I'll try to remember them...spag bol, cottage/shepherds pie, pizza, curry, roast dinner, another pasta dish, meat and two veg ( I assume a variation on the roast and two veg..,casserole or stew, sausage and chips/mash.. Don't think there's anything new there then! That's just why we're here to provide people with recipes easily, and to show them it's not hard to cook different meals from scratch. I did notice there wasn't any fish in there.... not that I've become the fish police or anything. Also, and here's just a little thought to mull over...it doesn't take much thought and not a huge array of extra ingredients to turn that casserole or stew in to a delicious tagine, with lamb and apricots, gently spiced with a Moroccan influence. (We've got such a dish in the menu this week!)

I love this time of year, not least because it brings everybody back home, and I find it a great delight sitting round the table with my family, having a meal and discussing what's happening. Topics range from the ridiculous, to the political, we also do the odd bit of teenage myth de-bunking ( the last was how long it takes alcohol to leave the body and when it's safe to drive after you had a beer or two - we decided never, especially when you're 17 and only just passed your test, his friends - not him). The best thing about eating together is that you keep up a connection with your kids and they with one another, and you laugh a lot!

We've come across some wonderful new dressings and essences, the range of flavours are brilliant and they are amazingly versatile - you can use them on salads, to marinade meat or as a topping for ice-cream! If you want to take a look, the web address is www.suzannesvinegars.co.uk.

I promise to blog sooner next time, Christmas is coming and the preparations will soon be in full swing, but just for the time being I'm still avoiding the seasonal aisle!