Day 25 - Junk Food

Monday, Monday. The start of a new week.  Gerry had the day off today which is always good news.  I worked out, fixed breakfast and then settled down to yet more interview prep.  We also took a little trip down to the local Poundland.  It really can be a little gem for the odd thing that you need and they do some very reasonable food staples such as sauces and baking goods.  We also succumbed to McDonalds on the way home.  'No!' I hear you cry but Gerry had been looking forward to it since we set off and who was I to deny her? I opted for the simple cheeseburger and it does still astound me that a simple bun, thin pattie, cheese slice and relish weighs in at a whopping 295 calories.  Thank the lord that I resisted the chips at 330 calories.  It was nice at the time but it really didn't fill me up at all, so a mini salad was prepared when I came home, which was delicious.

To make the most of the day, we decided to try out a new pub where we live. Well, new to me at least because I've never ventured through the doors in the last five years that I've lived here. The pub is called The Railway and to be honest this will probably be our first and last visit.  While it was clean and we were served promptly (it was pretty empty though), I wouldn't say it was a welcoming pub and it has about the same more charm as any other chain-style drinking establishment.  Needless to say we drank our drinks and left.  We ventured further up the road to a friendlier pub The Lion. I know some might say it's not really a pub more a less glorified bar but it's just a little more cosy with an open fire and the wine is very reasonable.  We also opted for one of their food platters to share.  I've not eaten anything else at this pub and I was very much looking forward to their House Starter Board.  It was, however, a little disappointing. It boasted 'handmade hoisin and duck spring rolls, salt and pepper quid and Mexican corn fingers', all with their respective dips.  The reality wasn't really anything special, although it was nicely presented.  The spring rolls were a good size but the duck was overpowered by the hoisin sauce it seemed to have been soaked in.  The squid rings were tiny and battered to oblivion and had I not been told I might not have known what they were.  The Mexican corn fingers were better because at least you could spot a kernel or two of sweetcorn amongst the ingredients.  All in all not something I would pick again, which was a shame as I do like the sound of the rest of the platters.  However, would it be a case of the old Chinese proverb -  'Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me...?'

We left a little underwhelmed and with my interview tomorrow it was not the day to be tearing up the town with further drinking.  For dinner I'd done a switch from the originally planned and delicately spiced Chicken Korma to something quite trashy.  Perhaps it's the NHL games that Gerry is watching at the moment or the upcoming Superbowl on Sunday and the fact that I'd read all about these new snacks to try for the day over at Closet Cooking.  Whatever it was I had a massive craving for hot dogs.  Yes, that's right small frankfurter sausages wrapped indelicately in finger rolls smothered with onions, relish and sauce.

To start I preheated the oven to around 150C, planning to pop in 4 rolls to warm through for the last 10mins of cooking.  Meanwhile, I sliced an onion and simmered them in a small pan of boiling water for around 15mins.  This made them nice and soft and after draining I caramelized them in a pan with oil, butter, brown sugar and a dash of Worcestershire sauce.  I cooked over a low heat for another 10mins or wo until they took on some colour.  Finally I heated 4 frankfurter sausages through in a saucepan.  This was not to be culinary masterpiece otherwise I would have used a much better calibre of sausage.  All that was left to do was assemble everything.  I split the rolls, lay the dogs down, spooned over the onions and added mustard and relish.  Bloody awesome! If I'd be hungrier I totally would have made some fries to go with it and I'm very much looking forward to trying this method by Oggi at I can do that!

Hot Dogs

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... :)