Day 12 - The Joy of Motherhood & Childlessness

The weather has turned! Hurrah, it's cold but sunny and this always makes the outlook a little more cheery. Gerry had a day off today and we were off to see our friend Crummy Mummy and her new tiny adorable daughter with our other friend K and her son. Prior to all this, Gerry went off for a run and I got to the half way point on the Wii Active 30 Day Challenge. 10 workouts down, 10 to go!  Think I might start going out running soon, just by myself to begin with, before I join her. She is a pretty accomplished runner so need to up my game before stepping out with her.

Showered and beautified and K ready and waiting we jetted off up the motorway to see Crummy Mummy. We got there in good time and she had a most excellent lunch almost ready and waiting - an exemplary Coronation Chicken that was munched down with Pitta Bread and cous cous.  It made me want to make one of all time favourite recipes soon, Celebration Chicken. My mother has been making it for decades and I simply love it.  Since I've been dieting I've had to adapt it slightly for a healthier version but it is still delicious so stayed tuned for the full ingredients soon.

Today was a proper baby affair with both Crummy Mummy and K's new additions taking centre stage.  I got to bottle feed the wee girl who is only 6 weeks old and she really is something you could just eat!  Despite this being a food blog, I did choose not to however! K's small boy, only 4 months old, is one of the most well-behaved smiley babies I've ever come across (obviously, based on a totally unbiased opinion, my nephew is the best). They were so adorable and although I really do want my own at some point I  know that now is not the time. They are utterly exhausting and that is just from playing with them, let alone constant nappy changing, feeding, burping etc.  All in all it was a very enjoyable day, we caught up on each others lives, gossiped about other's lives and generally laughed uproariously.  Laughter is good medicine for the soul.  We left, I think, happier in heart and vowed to do it all again soon. I really hope we do, perhaps this time with a cheeky glass of vino. Said of course by the non-mother of the group.

By the time we got home Gerry and I were pretty hungry again and what better than a made-in-minutes prawn noodle stir fry. We headed to the shops for supplies.
Back at home I heated groundnut oil in a wok.  This type of oil is good for stir fries as it has no real marked flavour and can be heated to high temperatures without burning.  I threw in some garlic, sliced carrots, half a yellow pepper, tender-stem broccoli, sugar snap peas, baby corn, sliced spring onions and a whole red chilli. This was stir-fried for around 3 minutes or so to soften it all up. I added a tsp of fish sauce, 2 tsp of green thai curry paste (just because I had it in the fridge) and then added some raw tiger prawns for another 2 minutes to cook through. For the final 2 minutes I added some wok ready noodles and 2 tsps of soy sauce to bring it all together.  A meal for 2 ready in less than 10 minutes - perfect. One note to self though, whole red chilli's are very hot and should not in future be bitten in half and eaten with seeds still intact....

Prawn Noodle Stir Fry

After dinner and an hour of aimless channel changing I decided to be spontaneous and suggested a jaunt to the local pub. Gerry looked slightly shocked because we are meant to be saving money at the moment but after a beat agreed.  It was after all only 9.15pm and as a young, vibrant, childless couple with no work tomorrow, it is exactly the sort of thing we should be doing. A quick change into something resembling cool and we headed to The Lion.  It's by no means the best drinking establishment closest to home but it is very reasonable.  A bottle of Germany's finest Riesling cost a mere £8.70.  Two bottles later and a rousing game of 'I have Never..' we tottered out onto the street for home. It was a great  unexpected evening and something I want to do a little more often.  Maybe next time I'll suggest dancing in town... :)