Growing Apart, or Simply Independent?

I have recently "allowed" my husband to go on a holiday without me. It was a dream opportunity for him, so although he went through the motions of asking me if it was OK, it would have been unnecessarily cruel of me to forbid this journey. In short, I felt I had no choice. Now one might ask, is this the beginning of the cracks in our relationship, or is our ability to have separate holidays a sign of our profound love and trust of one another? Although we are undoubtedly accountable to each other and our children, I find the notion of interpreting marriage as meaning being joined at the hip completely unacceptable. I married a man who has some interests I don't share, and if I were to take our marriage as a license to stamp out those things in his life, then the things that make us different from one another and interesting to each other would be gone. I don't want to melt into a pot with him and lead identical lives.

Anyway the good news for me is I now have a trade holiday ahead to look forward to, and no, he doesn't want to come along...

I am so deep in BBQ mode I simply have to give you another couple of interesting salad recipes:

Crunchy Creamy Broccoli Salad

Roast a packet of sunflower seeds in the oven (190 C) for about 7 mins or until they turn a touch brown. Watch out, as they burn very easily. Chop a good sized head of broccoli into bite size pieces, including the stalk, and steam it all for 3-4 minutes, so not too cooked. It should be slightly firm and bright green. Once the broccoli has cooled, add the sunflower seeds and a large handful of grated cheddar cheese. Add enough mayonnaise to coat it all, plus a generous splash of white wine vinegar, salt and fresh pepper.

Borlotti Bean Health Salad

All salads are healthy, no? Drain a tin of borlotti beans and chop up half a jar of sun dried tomatoes. Grate 3-4 good sized carrots and chop up a large bunch of watercress or rocket. Mix all of these together with a good glug of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.

Don't Make the Bed Today

A while back, I read a review of a book about how it's OK to be lazy. There were top tips to being lazy and the one that really stuck with me was "don't make your bed every day". So I don't! I don't think that makes me a slob, and although I like crisp, smooth clean sheets at night, there is equal pleasure crawling into a mass of rumpled duvet and pillows, pre-shaped and ready made into the way you want it during sleep. Me, I don't run a hotel...

Ooooozy Prawn Pasta Salad

This is a great summer supper, or side dish at a BBQ and I usually make it for any vegetarian (pescatarian actually) guests since a BBQ can be quite a carnivorous occasion. The essential ingredient is something called orzo, which is small, rice shaped pasta. It has the most wonderful texture once cooked, and I get it from my local Italian Deli. I usually cook 1/2 a pack for about 8 people. Once cooked, put it in a salad bowl and leave it to cool with some olive oil stirred into it to prevent it from sticking. Add 2 tubs of creme fraiche, a large bunch of fresh dill, finely chopped, 2 big tbsps of grainy mustard, all the juice of a lemon and two packs of cooked prawns. Make sure the dressing is enough so the dish is quite oozy and not stiff. If stiff, add more lemon juice and creme fraiche. If you like a little crunch, add a chopped red pepper.

Glass of wine = Mum's best friend

You are not alone. It seems to me that there are MANY mothers out there who, upon getting their children to bed, go straight to the kitchen to pour themselves a glass of wine. This is no lecture about creeping alcoholism but a friendly (whispered) "pssssst...we all do it" moment. We love our children but they do, from time to time, drive us completely mad. And after a long frazzled evening (or day) together, only Chateau-take-moi-away will do! I know many a nutritionist who positively swears that a glass of red wine every evening does more good than harm, so it's the second and third that we should talk about...another time. Pass the bottle.


Not so Boring Potato Salad

This one is not reinventing the wheel, I know! But my cooking is all about the basics, with a lovely cheating twist to make people think you are a culinary genius. But it is with humbleness that I offer this very simple recipe. Obviously you boil some peeled potatoes which I always cut up before cooking as it cuts down on the cooking time. Drain and allow them to cool (never rinse them under cold water! It's far better to serve warm potato salad than the mulch this would produce). Add enough half fat creme fraiche (healthier than mayonnaise so please forgive my creme fraiche fetish) to coat the potatoes generously, 2 tbsps of curry powder, and some apricot chutney. I know "some" is not a measurement, but if it is about 1/4 chutney to creme fraiche, that should be about right. If the chutney you are using has chunks of apricot, either chop them up or leave them out. Mrs Balls Chutney has the perfect consistency for this, but any chutney will work. Add lots of salt and pepper as potatoes are so bland. Lastly, add some chopped fresh mint or parsley, for a cheffy flourish, if you can be bothered.

Are You Sleep Deprived?

I think sleep is way overrated. The way parents obsess about their sleep or go to bed at 9pm is just plain boring. Sure we all like a good night's sleep, but if you just accept that us parents don't get to sleep as much as before children, you will enter a whole new world. But you have to truly accept and be at peace with lack of sleep, and never get angry about it again. There's a lot of interesting research out there about sleep and the only bit I believe is that kids need sleep as it's when they grow. The next time you see a runt of a kid, ask the parents if that kid sleeps badly, or never takes a nap and 9 times out of 10 they'll say yes.

Today's recipe won't put you to sleep, but it's one of my all time favourites. It epitomises everything that I feel my cooking represents: It's a bit unusual, it's tasty, easy to make and FAST. Happy working mothers don't slave for hours at a stove!

Warm Cannelini Bean Salad

Heat a large espresso cup's quantity of olive oil in a saucepan. Add about two tsps of (ideally) fresh rosemary pulled off the stalk, or the same quantity of dried. We're not looking to deep fry it, so just heat it gently until you can smell rosemary in the air above the pan. Stick your nose in there! Then add a tin of drained cannelini beans with a generous pinch of sea salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. The beans shouldn't be swimming in oil, nor should the mixture be too dry, so add more oil if you need to. Heat through and then switch off as you can just leave it on the stove top with a lid until you need it. Don't overcook them as the beans will go hard. Serve it warm with some lamb chops and a green salad. It's a nice alternative to potatoes and healthier. I often make this in larger quantities for BBQ's too.