Food glorious food

If you want to spoil your kids, have a pizza making evening.  The boys were absolutely thrilled when I suggested we make our own pizza.  They had so much fun choosing their toppings and creating their own pizza.  It was a great success and we will definitely do it more often!

Kids either love or hate jelly.  My boys fall into the first category.  Danny enjoys making it too and every now and then wants to be creative about it.  I always remember getting jelly when I was sick as a kid.  So when the boys are not well I, like my mom, make jelly.  Especially when they have tonsilitis and bike accidents!

I've already blogged a bit about the special feasts we had to celebrate Chinese New Year.  I also wanted to do something different at home for the boys.  We usually have a stir fry, with different ingrediants every week.  So I had to think some something unusual.  I  decided to do Peking Duck Pancakes (with a twist of colour)!

Pancakes are another special treat for my children.  We usually have a little party for Shrove Tuesday but it didn't work out this year despite my good intentions.  That didn't stop us from having more than one pancake feast.  Thick banana pancakes in star and heart shapes were on the menu for breakfast.  For supper we had pancakes filled with pancetta ham and gruyere cheese.  You can really do all sorts with pancakes!

Even though I don't buy into the commercial hype of Valentine's day I do quite enjoy the excuse to do something a little different in the kitchen to celebrate.  Heart shaped fried eggs on toast were a great idea to love-up something usual.  Dad made home baked croissants for breakfast on the weekend.  And Danny and I tried out a healthy beetroot muffin recipe for tea time.  All to be repeated for sure!

Beetroot Muffin Recipe

500g grated fresh beetroot
210g saltanas (I left this out)
300g self raising flour
100g fine brown sugar
1t baking powder
1t cinnamon
180ml sunflower oil
3 medium eggs

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
2. Line muffin tray with muffin cases
3. Mix beetroot, saltanas, flour, sugar, baking poweder and cinnamon
4. Beat eggs and oil
5. Pour into dry ingredients and mix together well
6. Fill muffin cases almost to the top
7. Bake for 25 minutes

Enjoy 

What's on the menu?

If it was up to Daniel it would be toast and eggs. When I ask him what he wants to eat I know what the answer is going to be. He loves eggs whether they're boiled, fried, poached, scrambled or omeletted. I think this came from spending so much time with Gogo when she was here. Imagine how excited he is going to be when he sees Noa's chickens and their eggs!


Nicholas quite likes the food at school now. In the beginning he used to come home ravenous. The one day he asked if I would make him a sarmie when we got home so I asked him what he wanted on it. His answer was bovril, jam, cheese, salami, tomato, salmon and cream cheese and don't forget the capers. So in actual fact he wanted 4 sarmies. That happens seldom these days so I think he is trying the different food and getting used to it. It helps that we discuss the menu beforehand. He loves the fact that they get pudding EVERY day. I enjoy hearing his descriptions like pudding bread with jam on it (bread pudding), brown jelly (chocolate mousse) and spiral cake (swiss roll) and finally he has realised that custard is delicious (after 4 years of trying on my part). The other day he was playing 'resto-resto' and produced this menu all on his own!

(pumpkin pie, toast, oranges, fish, strawberries and ice-cream)

Oysters

Today we went to see Crash Bang Wallop at Cadogen Hall. It included a great selection of music and had a lot of audience participation so we really enjoyed it. Afterwards we stopped for an oyster feast while listening to a jazz band at the Sloane Square farmers' market. The boys almost demolished the first dozen all on their own so we had to get another half dozen for ourselves but they climbed into them as well. I love the fact that they love oysters, but so do we!

They passed out instantaneously in the car on the way home. Not surprising because they were up at 6am to play on the ipad and then we went to Fulham's football for kids which Nicholas is crazy about at the moment. All that before the concert!

Who doesn't like Pizza?!

Al Forno is definitely one of our favourite restaurants. It's just down the road, they take child friendly to a new level, the atmosphere is relaxed yet lively and not only do they make an excellent pizza but they also serve other delicious Italian food. These photos are from Saturday when Nicholas got to help the Chef make a pizza for himself. Between him and Danny they ate it all up!