Better late than never, here are the results (in my opinion) in ascending order.
18. Canada - Poutine
17. Australia - Kangaroo Stroganoff
16. China - Lumpia Shanghai
15. Belgium - Moules et Frites
14. Italy - Saltimbocca
13. Monaco - Bouillabaisse
12. France - Cassoulet
11. Turkey - Kebabs
10. Spain - Paella
9. Malaysia - Fish Curry
8. Hungary - Goulash
7. Brazil - Feijoda
6. Valencia - Calons a la Barcelonesa
5. Germany - Sauerbraten
4. Japan - Sushi
3. Bahrain - Falafel Pittas
2. Singapore - Bak Chor Mee
1. Britain - Concession Stands
Most of these were really nice & the top 10 was very close. Britain had to win really & for 1 reason only - sitting in a cold draughty grandstand with the rain pouring down, cuddled up to the man I love waiting for the qualifying to start, drinking hot chocolate & eating doughnuts...perfect!
Sunday 23 November 2008
Monday 10 November 2008
ALICE
We were talking about our Christmas turkey the other day, telling someone that we'd been to see it. Alice then said "I'm not going to have turkey at Christmas, I'll have a sausage." "Oh, why's that?" I asked. "Sausages don't have heads!"
Wednesday 5 November 2008
SLICE 'N' SPICE
Last night whilst chopping carrots & daydreaming (not the best idea) - I chopped the end of my finger off. Not just a nick but an actual disc of finger came off - I saved it to show Christian!
After swearing, hopping, feeling dizzy & sick I remembered that my mother-in-law said that turmeric was the thing for cuts. As the initial white end of my finger started turning red, followed by a river of blood, I emptied a pot of ground turmeric into an egg cup & stuck what was left of my finger in it.
It started really stinging straight away but low & behold in under a minute it had stopped bleeding! I packed more turmeric on it & bandaged it up in kitchen roll & plasters & it still hasn't bled anymore - amazing! I do have a very yellow finger this morning, it looks like I've been smoking again! Note to everyone: keep some ground turmeric in your cupboard.
After swearing, hopping, feeling dizzy & sick I remembered that my mother-in-law said that turmeric was the thing for cuts. As the initial white end of my finger started turning red, followed by a river of blood, I emptied a pot of ground turmeric into an egg cup & stuck what was left of my finger in it.
It started really stinging straight away but low & behold in under a minute it had stopped bleeding! I packed more turmeric on it & bandaged it up in kitchen roll & plasters & it still hasn't bled anymore - amazing! I do have a very yellow finger this morning, it looks like I've been smoking again! Note to everyone: keep some ground turmeric in your cupboard.
FORMULA FOOD - ROUND 18
BRAZIL = FEIJOADA
So here we are with the last round of 'formula food', I'm already thinking about next year - not formula 1 though I might do religious festivals - we'll see.
What a way to end though, we nearly choked on our feijoada (pronounced fezu-ada), what a fantastic race & a worthy champion. I'm so pleased Amelia was a girl - how cheesy would it look to have a baby called Lewis this year?! Anyway...food - this recipe has been Englished down a bit ie no feet & ears but all the same its great.
Conclusion: A stew of much porkiness! A bit fatty due to the amount of pork, but better the second day when the set fat could be lifted off.
Would I make it again? Yes, its real winter stick-to-your-bones food - yum yum!
Feijoada:
5tbsp olive oil, 2lb pork belly -trimmed of skin & most fat, 1lb pancetta, 1lb ham hocks, 3 chopped onions, 3 sliced carrots, 3 crushed cloves of garlic, 2 chopped green peppers, 2 bay leaves, 1 tin tomatoes, 400g roughly chopped chorizo, half tsp ground black pepper, 1tsp paprika, 2 400g tins of butter beans, bunch of coriander.
1. Pre heat oven to gm3/160c. Chop all meat into large chunks & brown in batches in 2tbsp of oil in a large casserole. Remove to a plate.
2. Heat remaining oil & gently fry onions, carrots, garlic, peppers & bay for 10 mins. Add the tomatoes, chorizo, browned meat & spices then cover with enough water to barely cover the meat. Bring to boil, cover & bake in oven for 2 hours.
3. Drain & rinse the butter beans, add them to the casserole, stir & bake for another 30mins.
4. Sprinkle with chopped coriander & serve in bowls with loads of crusty bread.
So here we are with the last round of 'formula food', I'm already thinking about next year - not formula 1 though I might do religious festivals - we'll see.
What a way to end though, we nearly choked on our feijoada (pronounced fezu-ada), what a fantastic race & a worthy champion. I'm so pleased Amelia was a girl - how cheesy would it look to have a baby called Lewis this year?! Anyway...food - this recipe has been Englished down a bit ie no feet & ears but all the same its great.
Conclusion: A stew of much porkiness! A bit fatty due to the amount of pork, but better the second day when the set fat could be lifted off.
Would I make it again? Yes, its real winter stick-to-your-bones food - yum yum!
Feijoada:
5tbsp olive oil, 2lb pork belly -trimmed of skin & most fat, 1lb pancetta, 1lb ham hocks, 3 chopped onions, 3 sliced carrots, 3 crushed cloves of garlic, 2 chopped green peppers, 2 bay leaves, 1 tin tomatoes, 400g roughly chopped chorizo, half tsp ground black pepper, 1tsp paprika, 2 400g tins of butter beans, bunch of coriander.
1. Pre heat oven to gm3/160c. Chop all meat into large chunks & brown in batches in 2tbsp of oil in a large casserole. Remove to a plate.
2. Heat remaining oil & gently fry onions, carrots, garlic, peppers & bay for 10 mins. Add the tomatoes, chorizo, browned meat & spices then cover with enough water to barely cover the meat. Bring to boil, cover & bake in oven for 2 hours.
3. Drain & rinse the butter beans, add them to the casserole, stir & bake for another 30mins.
4. Sprinkle with chopped coriander & serve in bowls with loads of crusty bread.
Monday 3 November 2008
ALICE'S 4TH BIRTHDAY - DAY 3
Sunday..... the train ride. I've been saying to Alice that we could have a go on this since we saw it on 'The Tweenies' & it seemed like a nice way to end the birthday weekend - hmmm. To start with, it had been raining all morning & everyone seemed a bit grumpy, then when we arrived at Rowsley station Alice was 'playing dead' in her car seat - that didn't amuse me in the slightest. Apart from the fact that it terrified me, I've seen enough of that from my Dad & sister... but for the real thing.
Eventually we started to enjoy ourselves. We got on the old steam train & it set off through the fields & along side a river, through Darley Dale & on to Matlock. It was really good, chuffing along the track. The engine changed ends at Matlock & after a few minutes we were heading back. The girls began to get a little restless (the trip lasted 50 mins - a bit of an ask for small children) & ended up banging heads together & crying for 5 mins or so!!! All in all it was a nice little outing & I would recommend it to any parents of train mad children.
Enough of that though - now it was time to go home for the Grand Prix & stress ourselves some more for another 2 hours - it paid off in the end ...well done Lewis!!
Eventually we started to enjoy ourselves. We got on the old steam train & it set off through the fields & along side a river, through Darley Dale & on to Matlock. It was really good, chuffing along the track. The engine changed ends at Matlock & after a few minutes we were heading back. The girls began to get a little restless (the trip lasted 50 mins - a bit of an ask for small children) & ended up banging heads together & crying for 5 mins or so!!! All in all it was a nice little outing & I would recommend it to any parents of train mad children.
Enough of that though - now it was time to go home for the Grand Prix & stress ourselves some more for another 2 hours - it paid off in the end ...well done Lewis!!
ALICE'S 4TH BIRTHDAY - DAY 2
Saturday was the actual birthday. After a rather long lie-in for such an excited birthday girl, Alice woke us all up at 7am, Christian & I went into her bedroom & began singing 'Happy Birthday', however half way through she asked us to stop! Ashamed of your parents by 4 years old - oh dear, she is going to have a long & painful childhood! We all came downstairs & Alice set about opening her massive pile of presents, this year she didn't need any help with the paper - how grown up! Amelia was quite happy to watch & eat paper, ahh :) We had a lovely leisurely morning, playing with new toys, eating chocolate crispies for breakfast & not getting dressed until 10.30!
We had asked Alice what she would like to do for her birthday & for the 2nd year running she had chosen a trip to Chatsworth farmyard, followed by a meal in her favourite restaurant...... the one with the train....... yes at 4 years old Uncle Sam's Chuck Wagon is a very refined restaurant!!
So at midday we set off for Chatsworth, yes it was a bit late but we know Alice very well & we knew that after being there for all of 1 hour she would have had enough. After a look round all the animals, a bit of a play in the adventure playground & a trip to the farm shop (supplies for Sunday's formula food) we were sat in Uncle Sam's before 3pm - a record I think! Christian & I had cheeseburgers, Alice had a hot dog, raspberry milkshake & strawberry ice cream with chocolate sauce & mini marshmallows & Amelia had her first chip! Then it was back home for more toys & sugar.
Now Alice is a big girl I have taken the drop down cot side off her bed & as her Granny bought her a string of fairy shaped fairy lights - which I have put around her bed, she doesn't need the bedroom light on anymore - well done Alice!! xx
We had asked Alice what she would like to do for her birthday & for the 2nd year running she had chosen a trip to Chatsworth farmyard, followed by a meal in her favourite restaurant...... the one with the train....... yes at 4 years old Uncle Sam's Chuck Wagon is a very refined restaurant!!
So at midday we set off for Chatsworth, yes it was a bit late but we know Alice very well & we knew that after being there for all of 1 hour she would have had enough. After a look round all the animals, a bit of a play in the adventure playground & a trip to the farm shop (supplies for Sunday's formula food) we were sat in Uncle Sam's before 3pm - a record I think! Christian & I had cheeseburgers, Alice had a hot dog, raspberry milkshake & strawberry ice cream with chocolate sauce & mini marshmallows & Amelia had her first chip! Then it was back home for more toys & sugar.
Now Alice is a big girl I have taken the drop down cot side off her bed & as her Granny bought her a string of fairy shaped fairy lights - which I have put around her bed, she doesn't need the bedroom light on anymore - well done Alice!! xx
Sunday 2 November 2008
ALICE'S 4TH BIRTHDAY - DAY 1
Friday was Alice's 4th birthday party. Her actually birthday was Saturday but we (the mum's & children we see every Friday) always have a party on the nearest Friday - so that's what happened.
We had a great time with plenty of the usually party food, sandwiches, sausages, chocolate crispies & jelly & ice cream mmmm! & a bit extra for the mum's! I also made a Numberjacks 4 cake by special request from Alice.
After far too much sugar, it was time to play some party games the 1st being good old pass the parcel. As they are still little, no one actually wins, there was a bag of Maltesers under every wrapper, yet Alice was astonished on her turn to open the parcel to find ..... Maltesers! We then played musical statues & pin the tail on the donkey. We believe that Charlotte could see through the blind fold, I've never seen a child put the tail near the cross then move it to be exactly on the cross! Then it was time for a free-style disco in the dining room so that the mum's could natter & drink tea...& eat jelly beans!
After the party was over, there was just time for a quick tidy up (don't you just love paper plates) & it was time to change into Halloween costumes (the girls, not me), light our pumpkin & wait for trick or treaters - we're still a bit little to go out so we scare people who come to the door instead!
We had a great time with plenty of the usually party food, sandwiches, sausages, chocolate crispies & jelly & ice cream mmmm! & a bit extra for the mum's! I also made a Numberjacks 4 cake by special request from Alice.
After far too much sugar, it was time to play some party games the 1st being good old pass the parcel. As they are still little, no one actually wins, there was a bag of Maltesers under every wrapper, yet Alice was astonished on her turn to open the parcel to find ..... Maltesers! We then played musical statues & pin the tail on the donkey. We believe that Charlotte could see through the blind fold, I've never seen a child put the tail near the cross then move it to be exactly on the cross! Then it was time for a free-style disco in the dining room so that the mum's could natter & drink tea...& eat jelly beans!
After the party was over, there was just time for a quick tidy up (don't you just love paper plates) & it was time to change into Halloween costumes (the girls, not me), light our pumpkin & wait for trick or treaters - we're still a bit little to go out so we scare people who come to the door instead!
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