Roasted Butternut and Coconut

So simple, and yummy!

 Ingredients:

1 Butternut
1 can of coconut milk
You can add what you like, half a red onion, half a pepper, it's a great way of using up any left over veg.
Black pepper and chilli powder.


Chop up the Butternut about the size of a 50p and put on a roasting tin with anything else you want to add. Sprinkle over 2-3 tablespoons of chilli powder. Roast till starting to brown. Add the coconut milk, mix lightly and return to the oven. Cook for 15-30mins until it's started to thicken.

Rustic Ale Pie

I've been working on my pies in time for Christmas. I used to make a beef and ale pie and wondered if I could reproduce it with mushrooms! It was yummy!!

Ingredients:

1x red onion

1x spring onion

half a stick of celery

half a bottle of new castle brown ale (I have double checked Newcastle Brown Ale and a tiny amount of fish is used in the process of making it. In just over a year I've not made many mistakes! More information here http://www.barnivore.com/beer/43/newcastle-brown-ale Lots of other ales to pick from)

Homemade Pastry 

Mushroom

Spring Onion

Half a red pepper

Fry the onions and celery.

Add the pepper and herbs to your taste. (I added rosemary and black pepper.)

Chop up mushroom, coat in a small amount of oil and then cover in flour.

Add mushrooms, to the onions.

Once they are starting to brown, add the Ale.

Bring to a rolling boil.

Reduce down, make the pastry or use pre-made puff pastry.

Add to muffin cases or large tin (click here for blog about puff pies for tips on how to make pies this way)

I used cookie cutters to make little crowns, the kids love this! Bear held up the crown on the top of his head and sung 'am the kind of the castle.)

Peak District

From toasting Jaffa Cakes on the campfire to heading up, what felt like a mountain to such a great view.

 This was such a wonderful camping trip away in Daisy. 

Am so lucky to have stayed in touch with about 40 gals from a birthing board, which started out on BabyCentre. When first finding out your pregnant, this is a great place to meet other women, who are all due around the same time as you. Being one of the first people out of my friendship group to have a baby, this was a huge support to me. The first facebook group I joined from this baby due month club, am still in, 5 or so years ago I joined! 

A few off us, who liked to babywear and co-sleep, created a small little group of around 30-40 of us. We all meet up for days out and camping trips. This was the second trip which I have managed to make, and wow, am so lucky. Its like meeting up with family, some I have only ever known through facebook but we all know each other so well, its lovely to meet in real life. All our children are the same age, and some of us have older or younger children around the same age as well. 

This time there was, 8 families in total and about 17 children (hope I have counted right!)

A huge field, (we had almost taken over the whole campsite) and children running free, with kites, footballs and having the best time with all their new friends. A huge family! 

It was really nice to get away with friends who have children the same age, as they understand that bedtime may take longer etc. It was great, someone would get the camping fire going while others played with the children, we shared out little jobs without having to think about it. We all worked as a team, picking out places to go or leading the way on a hike.

 This was only about our 5 time out with Daisy, and we are already all planning a trip to France next year! It was great to see the mix, of tents, campervans and caravans. 

The campsite: 

Mount Pleasant Glamping

Lovely area, really nice owners (let me use their WiFi) big field for the kids to run in. The electric hook up was really handy to run Daisys new fridge on. They also had a supply of logs if we ran out for our campfire. The washing up bit was well laid out, small but everything there and got to chat to people while I waited for the sink. 

I nice little campsite, with a small farm, pigs and horses, which the kids loved! It was very windy, this was a bit of a shock for me, having come up from the coast to a windy hill! 

The only downside to this lovely campsite was the showers. 50p per coin was fine, I didn't mind paying extra. My first shower ran out while I had shampoo in my hair, I was sure it wasn't 6mins. The second, I took all 3 children, I know, and used two coins - 12mins. 

I spent most of that trying to get the temp down from boiling! I, who likes hot showers, felt burnt and the kids where screaming. It was not fun and the shower was still powering away while we all got dressed. Am sure the second one lasted way over 12mins. This did really put me off but I would still go again, the area was lovely and the campsite was a nice size. The owners where welcoming, friendly and nice!

Day trip to Chatsworth Farmyard 

I've not been to Chatsworth before, and thought the £22 was ok price for a family day out (parking on top.) I always have really mixed feelings about farms, even before changing our diet I found them hard. I once walked out of a lambing barn, our friend had arranged the trip and it was horrible. Being a new mum, with my baby in a sling feeding, seeing a mother shaking with shock and fear, being podded by children/adults (very busy loud barn, full of people) was hard. I asked the farmer, if she was ok, I said that animal is in shock. He replied with 'its normal' no its not normal to be in a pen, being shuted and puded by people, then to have your baby taken off you, where you don't know where your baby is. Anyway, a farm was picked as our outing so off we went. 

It wasn't to bad, for a mini farm. I liked that the chickens where just roaming about the place, I did stay well away from the petting barn..... 

It has a nice little barn to eat lunch in if raining. I loved the mini trackers, with so many children waiting for a turn, more would be good. It was packed, the climbing frames where amazing! So many different things to try. 

When we first got there, all the children ran in different directions, and it was really hard work. It was so busy and easy to lose sight of them. So after lunch I said, lets take them all on a big walk. 

You can get your hand stamped and head out to the forest (this is free, so after parking up you can head to the woods for no extra cost.) It was such a beautiful woods, the waterfalls where breath taking. 

It was a real hike getting to the top, I wouldn't do it after rain as the steps where scary (there are other paths to the top) but wow, it was worth it for the view! 

We got separated from the main group, and we found these arrows-fab and fun, way of finding each other! 

It really was a beautiful wood! 

Am not great with heights, and this rock pool, with huge drop to a waterfall. Was beautiful and a little scary. 

It was just what all the mini people needed, a good run, walk and explore.

 When we returned to the play park, they all stuck together and played in one area. So much calmer! If am ever that way again, I would return. 

It was worth the entry fee for the amazing play park, I've not seen such a packed one before. There was so much for them to try, from pulling water out of the river, to the huge climbing frames!

We drove through this, wow! I love bunting but this town had gone all out! Wonderful!!

I know some people hear 'camping' and think some how it's not as fun or nice as a hotel. I would pick camping over a hotel, three loud busy mini people. Having their own space, which I don't have to worry about them playing in, the a huge world of space outside is the perfect balance!

It was such a wonderful trip, I feel so lucky to have Daisy. Yes I know we could do all these trips with a tent, but there is something really extra wonderful about pulling our little home somewhere new. 

When we return back to the campsite after a day out, all the kids shout - theres Daisy!! Hello Daisy! Our friends had lovely huge tents, which some cost the same amount Daisy did! But we went off to get petrol, and food for our next stay, they where still getting them down and the car packed. It look me no time at all, around the three mini people, to pack things away to travel, dry out towels and chairs and then hook up Daisy when we where ready. Yes ok, we couldn't go out for the day and take Daisy with us, maybe some places, and others could pack up and head out for the day. Where we went out and returned for Daisy. Still its lots of fun going slow towing her - Who would have ever thought 'car mad' me would like traveling about, under 50! I get to see the places where are driving through, its a big change but its really nice. 

We all want to return to the Dales, it's beautiful! Expiring in the Uk makes me think about truly beautiful the land we live in is. So many people save all year to jump on a plane heading off somewhere hot. But as longs as you have your raincoat and wellies, there are some amazing places on your doorstep! Yes we all need a week on a hot beach everly  now and again, but our life with our little family is much more suited to an expore through a woodland! 

Wanna see how we did up Daisy? Click here! 

Click here for all her adventures.

Homemade Christmas

Tips and tricks for a thrifty Christmas!

Christmas can be the most expense time of the year, with a little planning it can be a beautiful homemade budget occasion.

The best gifts are homemade gifts, spending time and making something with love is worth more than all the money is the world, right!? I love making things for people, it's extra joy when they love something you have made. Back in October I started making things for Christmas. The more of a head start you get, the more things you can fit in. My food baskets went down so well last Christmas, I've already had empty baskets back asking me to re-fil for this Christmas! Last year I made jams, jellies and chutneys. I made about 31 jars in total. Not only for gifts but for us to use though the year too! 

I love these homemade sacks, one for each of our three children. They look fab under the tree! We also use them when we are going to see family over Christmas, they work so well to put all the gifts in and bring home things too.  

Make your own plate for Santa, you may have seen lots of drawn plates to leave our for Father Christmas. If your going to make your own, make sure you use oil based Sharpies (this way it should stay on when washing.) I just used a plain plate, with home made reindeer food. So easy to make, (use edible glitter, if your going to be sprinkling it on your lawn) and porridge oats.

Our mini people have fairy doors in their rooms, so keep an eye out for how to make them and all the fun things we will be doing in December! 

I will be adding to this blog so keep an eye out! How to make the perfect Christmas Eve box, and lots of home made gift ideas!

Pan Fried Dumplings

I warn you now, they are not mega healthy, they are fried in oil. They are yummy, and a little fat is fine, right!?! They go prefect with my Tomato and Olives! (I make them two different ways, one with butter and one way without. This is the non butter way - I will blog the butter way soon.)

Ingredients:

2 cups self raising flour

1 cup soya milk
2 teaspoons of sugar
1 teaspoon of baking powder

Oil to cook with

Mix all the dry ingredients in together.

Then add in the milk slowly. 

Work like bread, into a dough.

Roll it out on a floured surface. 

Then separate equally sized balls, and flatten a little in your hand (so not perfect round.) They should double in side so allow space in the pan!

Heat up the oil (you need it hot be careful, not smoking but sizzling) 

Drop in the balls. (Carefully) 

They will start to brown, check them before flipping over to cook the other side. 

Flip very carefully. 

They sometimes need to be put on their side of very thick, to make sure they are cooked through.

Wipe off excess oil and serve! Amazing!!

Yum!

5 Bean Chilli

I love a chilli, it's easy, it can feed lots of people for a dinner party or round a campfire! You can have it with jacket potatos or rice, salad or everlything. It also freezes really well, so perfect as a mid-week meal! 

There are lots of ways to cook it, from on the hob, oven or in the slow cooker. No matter which way you are cooking it, fry up the celery, pepper and onion first then slow cook from then on. Be that in the oven or slow cooker. (Depending on how much time you have.)

Ingredients:

1 tin of the following-

Hariot Beans

Butter Beans

Black Eyed Beans

Cannelloni Beans

Chickpeas 

2x tins of tomatoes (and one refilled tin of cold water.)

1x red onion

1x celery stick

1/2 a green pepper

Chilli powder and black pepper. 

This is a very simple dish, you can add herbs and spices too. I often use a glass of red wine when frying the onion but I've run out ! ;)

Fry up the pepper, onion and celery. Add depending on taste, 2-4 teaspoons of chilli powder. (With a little oil.)

Fry!

Make sure you keep stiring it so it doesn't stick and that its all coated in the chilli. 

Rince all the beans in cold water and add to the pot-once the onions have started to brown. 

Add the tomoato and refill one can once with cold water and add. 

I heated this up on hob in an ovenproof cooking pot. 

 

Cook in the oven till reduced, I cooked at 180-200 for about 30-45mins. Yum! 

Stacker Sandwich

Here's my current favourite sandwich/roll.

So easy to make your own rolls, check out my 'lovely buns.' I made them double the size and then sliced into it twice.

Base layer had, cherry tomatos, avocado slices, green pesto and vegan cheese.

Top layer was avocado slices and a dribble of sweet chilli sauce!

It was amazing!!