I do often need a change of pace and I can quite easily hammer out a post for 15 - 20 minutes while at work.
At home, it's much more difficult because I'm practising in the evening before supper, straight after supper while D does reading with kids upstairs, and then I collapse.
Anyway, let's chat.
1. So today is Halloween.
My feelings are well documented on the subject here. But I'm thrilled our school doesn't do anything for Halloween!
Maybe it's all the unsubscribing I've been doing but there are only about 3 people I read/ follow that are into the Halloween so yay!
A friend has an issue with all the pumpkin wastage :) Must say I didn't think of it like that but it's true.
2. 11 days to exam time
And I think I will make it.... but I had a dream night before last, so vivid I still remember every detail.
How, of the 10 exercises, I was only able to do TWO and then the examiner said, "right, that's it - we've run out of time"
So I'll be practising DAILY til the exam. At the lifts, at the pause area, in the boardroom later once they all disappear.....
3. Cooking
With all our realignment at work, all people who do the same job as I do are now sitting together. The bad part is the department only ever has at most 3 - 4 of us here at any one time (out of 14). Remember I'm an extrovert and I love the buzz.
The good part is there is someone who I'm very friendly with, and she cooks. I've gotten such a lot of good ideas from her so far.
E.g. you can cook chicken, potatoes, carrots with salt and pepper on low for about an hour and it is delicious. I've made this for my crew twice in October and they LOVE it.
Another tip - she always makes pastas two at a time. Then freezes the second one in the glass pyrex dishes ready for during the week. I used to do that with sauces anyway. But I did it this weekend with the pasta itself and it gives me such pleasure knowing there's a meal ready for us :) :)
4 - 10 - can be found here if you feel like reading about my October highlights and lowlights
What are you guys cooking in this heat?
I also do the pasta thing - mostly pasta bakes. And the chicken one is an old trick - we had it yesterday. I drizzle a bit of lemon over it too and some braai spice. Also you can sub the carrots with pumpkin or butternut. I also add some onions cut in wedges for extra flavour.
ReplyDeleteI am sure you will be just perfect fro your exam my friend
you see, these are tricks I didn't know! I'm not messing with the recipe :) for now since all 4 are fans.... but when I get bored I might spice it up!
DeleteSo this chicken dish? Do you use skinless chicken breasts? Do you just put everything in a pot? Olive oil what liquid? Does it all mush up together?
ReplyDeleteWe do a lot of stir frys and salads when it's hot.
xxx
She told me to do it with chicken pieces but I only buy skinless, boneless breasts and it worked like that too.
DeleteI put in about a tablespoon of oil and started the chicken first for a few minutes on 5 or 6. Then I add diced potatoes (about 2 cm) and some carrots. Just throw it all in add some salt and pepper (you’ll taste when it’s ready) and stir a bit, leave on low (1 0r 2) for about 45 mins - hour (depending how much chicken you used). I was cooking other stuff in the kitchen too because I’m not a slow cooker person. By the way, it doesn’t work as well in the slow cooker – I’ve tried this too!
The food is ready when your potatoes and carrots are soft enough. I served it with crusty bread rolls
Bianca and I make turns. Cooking became such a chore and the food so bland that we now plan our meals at the beginning of each week. That way we know where to start when we get home.
ReplyDeleteOn Halloween... I hate that people are not thinking where this is concerned and I get super annoyed when a Christian dress up to become something out of a horror movie. We had to send a group away today that were dressed up and wanted to go to our crèche to hand out sweeties. Our children at the Mission are already traumatised and will totally freak out if they had to see them.
I am going to definitely try that recipe. I am always battling to come up with new easy ideas for supper. I remember your views on Halloween from past years. This year we received a memo that our neighborhood would be arranging a Halloween walk about for the kids. For me personally I just liked that it was an opportunity for the kids to have fun and mingle with each other. And it ended up being just that and it was so nice to meet people from the neighborhood. There was such a sense of community that has always been lacking. There was something nostalgic about it too. I kept remembering years ago there would be float processions going around for Christmas and Diwali(one of our religious days). These days there is such a lack of community festivities. We are not Christian but we celebrate the fun aspects of Christmas and Easter. It is one of things I love about living in a multi-cultural society. In fact I don't know any one who gets more excited about Christmas than me. I also appreciate the religious aspect of it and respect it. I think Halloween is going to become a tradition just like Valentines Day. As long as our main source of cinema/television/movies is American, we will continue to be influenced by their traditions. It's like even though Christmas is in summer for us, the shops still do winter set-ups Christmas cards have wintery pics.
ReplyDeleteWhat is old school blogging? I should get into the make and freeze thing. Right now it's make and fill lunchboxes for J and I. You will get all kinds of aces with the dance.
ReplyDeleteOld school blogging is where you just open the blog, write and publish. You didn't need pics back in the day and everything wasn't perfect. We wrote for the pure joy of getting our thoughts out and sharing with others :)
DeleteMmm...well...on Friday night Steve made nachos, Sunday we made a roast with veg, Monday night was hot dogs and last night I made mince with rice and veg.
ReplyDeleteMmm...well...on Friday night Steve made nachos, Sunday we made a roast with veg, Monday night was hot dogs and last night I made mince with rice and veg.
ReplyDeleteThis week was a great meal planning trying new salads week, some were good others were ehhhh...I would love to try that chicken potato and veg thingy, tomorrow I am trying my hand at my own twist on chicken spaghetti alfredoish dish...I love experimenting with foodz and flavours, hubby loved my spinach salad the other day so we have a winner in the books of salads. Also loving how Im coming up with ideas of what we have in the fridge. A workfriend alzo tried the spinach salad and now they've had it for the past 3 days, LOL
ReplyDeleteWe eat the same all year round mostly! Beans, rice and beans, pasta, stir fry. I made a potatoe pie which was a hit with the child, the husband not so much because he doesn't like mince meat :)
ReplyDeleteHalloween I'm indifferent. If I lived in a community that partakes I would join just for the fun of it and interaction. Like Terisha mentioned we don't do things as a community like we used got as kids. I feel Halloween is in the same category as Valentine's Day so I don't take it serious but each to their own