A Nana overload

Another promise fulfilled ....photo over load of the grandsons .....and a few first of Holly and her feline friends. Robbie adores her ...he is so good with animals

 Ben now has to wear glasses and Jake is a little jealous ....I think he looks so intelligent in them.

  Like Father Like Son ...Steve .... still is a boy at heart

Ellie wanting to join in too

I could have bored you with more but I though I would be kind....It was a perfect Nana day....

....although Olly has given me a new name ...Baba B

Take Care xx

Cauliflower and Stilton Soup

As promised  on the previous post ...here is the recipe... perfect when you have a small or half a large head of cauliflower waiting to be used up ...and a few ounces of Stilton hanging about after Xmas.

Ingredients

1 medium sized Leek ...finely chopped ....I do not use the darker green part
(Shallot or onion can be used instead)
1oz butter
A small head of fresh cauliflower ....cut into small pieces
Up to a litre of stock ....I used only 2 stock cubes ....(1veg and 1chicken.)
3oz Stilton
150ml milk.
Black pepper and salt to taste

Method
Soften the leek in the butter with the black pepper and a pinch of salt ....do not brown.
Add the cauliflower and 3/4 of the stock.
Simmer gently, until the cauliflower is soft and then remove from the heat.
Stand for a minute.
Add the milk and then crumble in the cheese ...use a little more Stilton if you want to.
Either decant the mixture into a liquidizer to puree it all, or use a stick blender in the saucepan.
When it is a smooth creamy consistency add the extra stock if consistency is a little thick for you and check for seasoning, as you might need a little more salt.
Return to the heat and gently bring the soup back to just below boiling.
Enjoy with crusty fresh bread or a toasted bagel
If using it for a starter, garnish with tiny croutons and some crumbled Stilton.

Easy Croutons
Butter both sides of a couple of slices of bread and with a sharp knife, cut off the crusts.
Then cut each slice into tiny cubes and scatter onto a baking sheet.
Pop into a hot oven but watch them ...as soon as they are light golden in colour, shake them and return for a short while... until they are a true golden colour.
Remove from the oven ...toss onto kitchen towel ...and allow to cool.

Enjoy 
Take Care xx

Take 5 little boys .... and a laptop

I can not believe that it is already two weeks into the new year and I wish you all a belated ....

 HAPPY 2013 

... mine was a quiet one but then a few days later Emma and Steve and  the three boys came for a visit which was wonderful. (My next post will have more photos ...trust me.)
... but this is a shot of little Olly I really could not wait to post ...it seemed apt to use this (note his t-shirt)  as we had a little disaster.

 While clearing our large coffee table ... in order that the five grandsons could sit and eat their lunch together ... someone put the laptop on the floor with a mouse propping it open, as some charging or something, was going on.
Some how one of the five stood down on to it and smashed the screen. No-one could be blamed ...accidents happen but for Jay and I it was like loosing a limb ...we felt lost ... so  I decided to gather the pennies together and get a new one  ...after all it was old-ish in IT terms....and now a friend is looking into replacing the others screen ...cheaply, if we can wait ....of course we can ....it will mean no more fighting over computer time....I just need to get used to using this one.

At the moment we are eating our way through left over bits and pieces ...I always buy too much ...and I really thought I had cut back this time. Cheese is where I always get carried away ...I love the normal ones like Brie in all its variations and Camembert ...and Cheddar...plain and  with things added ...and Stilton ... and then the different ones too ....how about date and orange? ... and the European ones....well I managed to stop at 25 this year.
I love using the left overs ....the little bits grate up together  and make an amazing topping for Macaroni Cheese...tiny cubes of mixed cheeses, tossed into a green salad and cherry tomatoes, then dressed with balsamic makes a yummy lunch with a toasted bagel  and I shall post the recipe for my stilton and cauliflower soup later ....it only needs 3oz and is lighter than most.

I am having a crafting crisis at the moment ...do I really want to? ...and if so ... what? ....I so hope I resolve this and get my head in the right place ...I feel guilty for not doing anything as I have enough bits to play with, for at least the next ten years.

I will be back in a couple of days
Take Care xx