Pastry, pies and potty training

Have had a fun few days (apart from my grumpiness yesterday!).  Isobel is really getting on with the whole potty training thing.  It's funny, friends who had older children all kept saying 'you'll know when she is ready' and we went through the 'mummy I don't want a nappy, I want Peppa Pig pants' phase and the accidents which followed and then almost a month a go, she decided 'no nappy' and that was it.  She's loving it - especially when she gets to sit and wait for us to make up yet another story about Peppa Pig (yesterday she went to the moon with Lucy locket to rescue the man and the rabbit in the moon and bring them back to play with a giant pink dinosaur!).  Anyway, yesterday I went into the local wilkinsons and purchased a couple of their own brand toilet training seats - bargain as they were only just over £1 and fit on the toilet really well.  Would love to put a link here but can't find one online.  So, Isobel is now even more excited.

Then, I had another go at making pastry. I've not made pastry for ages as the stuff from the shop seems so good.  But, with all the random vegetables we've been storing up I found a recipe for a pie which used some celeriac (anyone with good celeriac recipes - please do let me know!).  It's a Delia dish and it was very nice.  The pastry had parmesan in it and the whole thing seemed to have loads of nutmeg in it which is always great.  I must say I was really pleased with the result.

This was after it had been in the fridge overnight

So, if you have lots of random vegetables at this time of year, give it a go - loads left as well for weaning Arthur as I didn't add any salt.

Basically this is what you do:

• This pie needs cooking at 220 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes or until golden on top and bubbling.  Put a baking tray under the pie to catch the drips!
• For the pastry - rub 25g of cold butter and 25g lard (or vegetable fat) into 110g sifted plain flour and a little salt.  Then mix in 25g parmesan.  Slowly add cold water, by the teaspoon, and mix together until you have a smooth dough which leaves the bowl sides clean.  Wrap in clingfilm and put in fridge for at least 30 mins
• For the vegetables - I used 225g of steamed butternut sqash, celeriac and leek as well as 110g steamed carrot.  I steamed them for about 10 min with some nutmeg.  You could also use parsnips and swede and things if you have them.  Then add 225g sweet potato and steam for another 10 minutes.  Leave to cool.
• For the sauce - Melt 40g butter and then add one medium onion (finely chopped) and cook over a gentle heat for 15 - 20 minutes until the onion is soft.  Add 40g plain flour and then slowly mix in 1 pint of milk.  Keep stirring and heating until it thickens.  Then add some rosemary and thyme (I used pinch of dried stuff for both), some mustard (Delia says 1 tablespoon but perhaps up to you - we forgot to add it so just had some on the side), 25g parmesan and 50g grated cheese (I used Emmental) with some nutmeg and pepper.
• To put it together - mix the vegetables with the sauce and then put half of it into a pie dish.  Then scatter over about 60g of grated cheese.  Put the remaining veg mix in and put more cheese (60g or so) on the top.  Roll out your pastry.  Make a little rim by taking spare pastry and rolling into a sausage shape and then pressing along the side of the pie dish.  Put a bit of water on that to dampen it and put you pastry lid on top - bringing the lid together with the rim in small pinches.  Put some holes in the lid, brush with beaten egg and cook.

 It was really yummy and Arthur liked it too.

Close up of the pastry which I was really excited by (I need to get out more!)

Brancaster beach and blackberry crumble

Had a lovely day at Brancaster beach which is basically a long expanse of sand and dunes on the edge of some tidal marshes. Owned by the National Trust who are happy to warn you that the beach gets cut off at high tide when the road in floods. Very good. Quick check then needed with the car park man re. tides and we were good to go. Now then the challenge with long expanses of sand in Norfolk appears to be the wind.....it was like being in a sandstorm so not really conducive to a long walk with a toddler who was finding it difficult to hold onto her bucket and spade. Few runs needed by mummy down the beach to rescue it.

But nothing as dramatic as daddy who decided to have a go at flying his new stunt kites (for the kids he said.....despite the fact they were nowhere near it....). The kite twirled and twirled and then whoosh it was off, blowing down the beach with Peter sprinting after it. I laughed so much it almost made me cry.

Anyway, after the dramatic kite experience we headed off for a walk to Brancaster Staithe along theq coast path. The trusty maclaren made it yet again. It is truly a wonderful pram.

Did some foraging for blackberries on the way back which allowed some more baking now that the bake off is over! Blackberry, apple and pear crumble was made. Peter loves a nice thick crumble but each to their own when making it. Basically, the crumble needs about 3 apples (we had eating apples but they were quite big) and one pear (conference this time but Comice is also nice) which I sliced into thick slices then stewed slightly with a bit of water for about 10 mins. No sugar added as wanted to keep some of the fruit to wean Arty. Then add the blackberries and simmer for another few minutes, think we had about 600g so it was quite blackberry heavy. Crumble mixture made with 75 g or so of butter rubbed with about 200g flour and then a handful or two of porridge oats and one handful sugar. Baked in oven for about 35 minutes at 200 degrees. Yummy. Isobel loved it and so did arty though he was restricted to just the fruit.

Close up to show the depth of crumble to keep Peter happy!

And today it's mainly potato....

So, the weaning continues.  Despite the never ending poo (maybe he's allergic to baby rice?) which makes me think I should have got shares in Persil and Biotex, we have branched out today and shovelled in some potato - seemed to go down well and at least it's not orange!  Thinking of shares, Peter has some in Eddie Stobart and has managed to get Isobel to shout 'Eddie Stobart' whenever she sees a lorry! Quite entertaining really - and better than when we try 'I spy' with colours rather than letters and she says 'No mummy, not red, yellow'.

Have now recovered from the trip to London.  Peter sent me an interesting article from the high quality Metro about depression in career women - same thing lots of people have said - lots of depression in women who have had careers and then had babies, just the shock of the change. 

I found myself thinking of the time before kids when a friend and I went to Uzbekistan on holiday (as you do, known for its good human rights record.....oh and somewhere I read that it was rumoured that opposition politicians were boiled alive...?!).  We arrived the day that the government put down a demonstration in the east of the country by shooting a number of people so everyone cancelled flights etc thinking the whole place was about to collapse.  We had a great time - it was only when we got home we got all the messages on our phones asking to know we were safe!  I wonder if Uzbekistan would be classified as a family friendly holiday destination......mmmh, maybe I should look for that family tent on ebay instead.

Went to Hobbycraft yesterday (and bumped into Mrs Wonky Pocket) to find some supplies and try to avoid buying yet more kids crayons and chalk!  Hobbycraft had been a victim of the recent looting - someone drove a 4W drive through the front door....then clearly decided they weren't into baking or crochet so just drove off! 

Having got both kids to bed last night at a reasonable hour (and having watched far too much Peppa Pig than can surely be healthy), I sat down for some high quality 'Great British Bake Off'.  Even though I could never weigh things out to make all the biscuits the same size (let along worry too much about the 'crumb'), I find it quite inspirational as it's all those people baking all these great things which makes me want to challenge myself a bit more.  I wonder who I could give all the baked products too if I start doing more? Isobel would love to eat them no doubt, but it's probably not the best start in terms of tackling childhood obesity!

Whilst watching them make macaroons (I'm going to try them - apparently they sell for about £3.50 for one macaroon!), I also had a go at making a purse.  Having spent ages trying to work out how to get the lining to go inside the bag when there is a zip involved, I decided it was too much and resorted to the lovely google instead!  I found a useful tutorial on this site  Quite pleased with the finished item (Amy Butler fabric):

Happy pills - reflections on post natal depression

First trip to London with both kids in tow - was much easier than I thought it would be. Isobel kept asking 'where we going mummy?' with a slight welsh accent which was a tad strange.....but she loved the train - maybe it was my attempt at talking about Ivor the Engine which got her welsh accent going?

Anyway, had some time last night to reflect on the past few months - I was diagnosed with PND about 2 months ago when the insomnia I had after Isobel was born returned with a vengeance. I feel that PND is still something which isn't really talked about - it's only now that I've been quite open about it that others have come out and said they had it too. I found the lack of people to talk to about it made me feel that I was going mad so it's a great relief to talk to others and I suppose one reason why I'm writing this as I hope that others might gain from my sharing of how it's impacted on me. The doctor eventually prescribed some happy pills (Peter says he wants some as he can't believe the difference!) after a really bad week whe. I just cried randomly for no reason in the cafe down the road (and was looked after by two lovely women) and then had a wobble in the car going home. I never thought it would happen to me. I thought insomnia was just a normal part of being a mum but my health visitor (who is great, unlike the one where we used to live who said I was starving Isobel cos I couldn't express much milk!) did the PND test and said I had it. The pills and just talking about it have really helped. That and the advice to garden or do things to give that sense of accomplishment (like bake.....and maybe some exercise to burn off the calories!)! I can't believe how awful I felt just 2 months ago and am thinking about how things like garde ing, sewing etc might help more people with depression. Some good PND resources can be found below:

• http://www.netmums.com/pnd/About_postnatal_depression.298/
• http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinfoforall/problems/postnatalmentalhealth/postnataldepression.aspx
• http://www.pni.org.uk/index.htm

Anyway, on a lighter note, had coffee with my friend at Canteen on the southbank and a yummy chocolate and beetroot cake (which is odd as I hate beetroot, but this was very yummy - all sorts of recipes I've now found - here is one found on a blog) which led to the first major toddler tantrum of the day as she wanted to basically eat every cake in the place and was most put out when I said no! Arty ate his baby rice with typical gusto and exciment (that stuff reminds me of wallpaper paste - bring on the organe mush of carrot, squash, sweet tatty and so on.....clothes will remain white no longer) and we had a lovely walk back to London Bridge. I thought Isobel might sleep in her pushchair - but no, it was obviously all too exciting and after I pointed out the cows on the roof at Borough Market, everyone on the train was treated to old McDonald sung by Isobel and on a loop for the journey home!

Meeting my friend from the Messy Cake Company on Thursday. Looking forward to it - wonder if I cam change te weaning process to involve a red velvet cupcake or something? Weaning, Great fun.