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 18 - Monday Blues

It's Monday and the start of a brand new week.  This only means one thing, a whole week of job finding... this does not inspire.  The day started as it normally does with a Wii Active session - only 5 more sessions to complete the 30 day challenge but I'm not sure what I will have achieved by the end of it as I'm not sure I feel fitter.  Hmm.

Food to be honest wasn't top of my priorities today but in an attempt to gee myself up I made plans to create a creamy bacon & pea risotto for dinner. However, when Gerry arrived home and asked if I wanted to go out. I'd said earlier in the month that I wanted to be more spontaneous and this seemed like a good place to start, even more so as it was her very welcome suggestion. We headed to Banana Tree, a small and very popular Thai restaurant near our house.  It was quick and flavoursome and being early birds we benefited from their Express Menu special deal. I opted for Thai fish cakes with a sweet chilli sauce followed by a chicken Pad Thai.  Being little dare devils we also had a Chang beer to wash it all down.

Then it was back home to feast on popcorn and watch The Girl Who Played with Fire. I loved the books and the film does it justice.  However, Gerry is not a particular fan of the actor, Michael Nyqvist, who plays one of the film's leads, Mikael Blomkvist. I actually think he is well cast, although when I read the books I envisaged him being a little better looking. We munched on one of Gerry's favourite corn snacks, popcorn and it's actually the only picture I have of food from the day so it is therefore shown below. It was lovely and buttery and I could feel it sticking to my hips immediately. A nice end to a day that didn't start nearly as promising and I was very much looking forward to our coastal adventure the next day.

Movie Snack held by tattoo adorned other half

Day 8 - A Pig Saves the Day

The title of this blog may seem a little abstract but today, Friday, when supplies are running very low, the mighty pig came to the rescue - twice. Today has been a mixed bag, a very good friend of mine K came over with her adorable little boy and we had a very enjoyable couple of hours lamenting the lack of work at the moment and the horrid weather.  It really does put a downer on everything.  We feasted on homemade banana bread made by Gerry and K brought over some Florentines which were delicious.  She's off swimming with the little one today and I don't envy her having to plunge into cold water right now.
Lunch was a meal that I should be creative with today because later I'm working so cannot create my normal culinary masterpiece (yes I know, can they *all* be deemed masterpieces, probably not).  However, as I said I'm running rapidly out of supplies and my stomach was getting a little frustrated so what better than a ham & cheese toastie on the ever-trusty George Foreman to save the day.  I delved in the back of my cupboard and also found a minestrone soup with croutons - bonus!  Lunch is served!

Ham & Cheese Toastie in all its Glory

The afternoon was a little more subdued because I often think when left to my own devices I become a little more anxious about the future, work etc. I mindlessly flicked through channels watching things I've seen before in the background and wondering why they repeat the same shows over and over again in such short spaces of time, while applying for a couple of jobs but generally felt a bit blurgh. Gerry came home and we watched 'My Neighbors, The Yamadas'. It cheered me up.
On to dinner,  it was a similarly quick affair to lunch. It involved the mighty sweet potato (wrapped in a napkin as I'm now all out of kitchen towel), 1oz avocado, 1oz onion, 1/2 tbsp light mayonnaise and of course 2 slices of the mighty pig.  The last rashers of maple-cured bacon are now on their way down to my stomach.  It was actually pretty delicious and I topped it decadently with some Ligonberry jam.  It was an impulse purchase from Ikea and I'm still not sure why.  Anyway, dinner as Gordon Ramsey would say is 'Done'.

It looks a little messy, minus marks for presentation but it was delicious!