Hooray a picture and yummy chicken pie

I seem to have trouble posting my pictures from photobucket on to the blog using the iPad.  But I will persevere.

The above picture illustrates the basic and fundamental law of pie making.  That you put "yum yum" on it in pastry letters.

It started out years ago when V and J were quite small, to try and encourage the fussy devils to eat it. The first one said "beef pie yum yum".  As you see we have gone continental with this one, and got jam tarts with the left overs.

So, easy homemade cheats chicken pie

A block of frozen puff pastry
Left over chicken from the Sunday roast (or a couple of chicken breasts / thighs/ whichever you prefer cubed and fried in a little oil to seal, no need to fry if using already cooked leftover chicken)
1 onion chopped
one can condensed mushroom soup
A couple of handfuls of frozen peas and corn or some diced carrot - whatever you like really


Fry off the onion in a little oil (other veggies too if required)
Add the tin of soup - you might want to water it down a little, I tend to swill out the tin to get Any remaining soup
Add chicken and heat through

Roll out the defrosted pastry into a rectangle - or whatever you need to fit your dish

Put the chicken mix into a  greased pie tin (mine are from Lakeland, but you might use anything suitable.  I find the glass lids of casseroles good for a shallower pie)
Pop the pastry on the top and trim around the edge
Re roll the pastry and cut out yum yum with pastry cutters
Glaze pastry with milk or, if you go really mad, beaten egg
Add yum yum and glaze

Put into a preheated oven, gas 6 or electric equivalents until pastry is cooked and brown (about 15  - 20 mins)

Eat with potatoes and any other veg.

Hollow legged teenager

My DS, J, is nearly 15 and nearly 6' tall.  I cannot have enough food in the house to fill him up.

I thought the whole "teenager with his head in the fridge" thing was a cliche.

I was wrong.

In a typical day he might eat

A lump of Aldi chocolate brioche (cos he doesn't get up in time to have a proper breakfast)
A chicken salad wrap, sausage roll and lump of homemade cake as his packed lunch.  Yes, I know about putting fruit etc, in the kids lunchboxes, but there isn't any point cos he never eats it.  I figure he gets some "health " in the wrap, often some dried fruit in the cake and he will eat fruit and veg when he gets home.  The sole purpose of school food is that he can eat it as fast as possible so that he can go and play football.
Then, when he gets home at 3.30, the real fun starts!

He swipes a bag of crips from a cupboard under the stairs as soon as he enters the house

He will then raid the cake tin again

He might make a cheese and ham toastie

Maybe a pear or tangerine from the fruit bowl - often both

A handful of biscuits

Maybe a slice of toast

Then dinner - meat, potato, veg whatever
Then yogurt for pudding

Maybe a bowl of porridge or cereal before bed.

The real insult is that he is as skinny as they come.  <<sigh>>

Anyway tonight's tea seems to have done the trick

Slow cooked braising steak, creamy mash, mixed up ends of cabbage and some carrots.  Good solid winter food the sticks to your ribs.

Sorry for lack of pictures, having some issues.

Happy New Year

New year, new start

No resolutions, just do it.

This really shouldn't be called "Running Green Llama" as the running has come to a permanent end - but instead I shall be "Walking Green Llama" or "Cycling Green Llama" or "Yoga - ing Green Llama".  Anyway, you get the picture.

So, the lose 10lb challenge, 30 day Abs challenge, just get on and bloody do it challenge.  I am filling in the "My Fitness Pal" diet and exercise diary, though I am not sure whether it is helpful or not to see that the pear you've just eaten is over 100 calories.  Weightwatchers didn't count much fruit and veg, it was generally "free".  When a pear and a Satsuma is the same as a bag of crisps it gets a little disheartening.

Yesterday Peter got his new bike and so he and I went down the lane and back on our bikes.  8 miles round trip but it was the first we've done for a while and my backside is very aware of that.  What a lovely day it was though - bright blue sky and sunshine.  It gives me hope that spring is just round the corner - unfortunately in my heart of hearts I know that we still have a long way to go.

We then went to the cinema last night - £18 for the two of us!  But still a relatively cheap night out - we resisted all snacks, being quite capable of going 2 hours without eating.  Particularly as we had just partaken of a Gordon Ramsay recipe of Lamb kebabs with salad - delicious, though J described them as "like a chewy lemon"!.  I must take photos.

Anyhow here is the recipe

Lamb Kebabs with peppers and tomatoes (serves 4)

500g lean lamb leg steaks
1 large red pepper
1 large yellow pepper
8 chestnut mushrooms
8 cherry tomatoes (skinned if you like, but I didn't bother)

Marinade

finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves - chopped or crushed
1/2 tsp each of oregano, mint, thyme, tarragon
1/4 tsp ground (but I used dried, even though I've fresh in the garden) rosemary
1 tbsp. olive oil

mix marinade ingredients.  Cube lamb and toss in  marinade - leave as long as you like

Basically chop peppers and thread alternately onto metal skewers (if using bamboo, then soak them for a bit)
Cook on barbecue, griddle or grill for about 5 minutes on each side.

We served ours with a green salad and homemade coleslaw.  Delish.