Mud Cakes and Wine

As of Monday 2nd March Mr MC&W will be starting a new job in London Town, for some reason I always want to sing the "Windy City" song from Calamity Jane when I think of the new job, now you can all sing it in your head or google what I am talking about. We have been lucky for the last 3 years he has only worked five miles away from our home. But Mr MC&W was head hunted, after a lot and I mean a lot of talking (and a few bottls of wine) about short term losses and long term goals we decided to go for it. With two young children one who is Autistic and a Type 1 Diabetic there was a lot to consider. With this all in mind I know that I am going to have to reconsider how I cook. We need food that can either sit in the oven for an hour while I put the boys to bed and if the trains are running late will not ruin or that I can put in the slow cooker in the morning or something that can be made in twenty mins that I can pre prepare veggies for etc. Step one is to researc...

Wow it's Monday again and as always my meal plan is late, it been done for days on a scrap of paper in pencil that I can hardly read..... Monday - Omelettes and Chips for everyone Tuesday - Caribbean Peanut Chicken in the slow cooker. The boys will have Carbonara Wednesday - Bacon, Mushroom and Potato Gratin. The boys will have a simple Potato Bake with carrots and peas on the side. Thursday - Mushroom and Courgette Lasagna. The boys will have cheesy pasta Friday - A Chinese in a box for the parents the boys will have Fish, Chips and Peas  Saturday - Spag Bol for everyone  Sunday - Roast Gammon with all the veggies.

Its half term this week, this means the front is near impossible to do as the boys get bored in the front garden and drive area, so I have moved over to the the back garden to do a spot of tidying up. This is our well, it's 50ft deep and when we brought the house it had a fake wishing well surrounding it and a few old wooden planks. As you can imagine that rather filled us with horror, luckily at that point our eldest was only 8 months old and we had a little time. We got a wonderful company out who made this cast iron topper and fitted it for us. I must admit the other half would like a feature made of the well however I hate things like that, if it was to be it would have to be brick and not cute. I would rather do it with a toughened glass top and some lighting so it's modern. But these dreams I can come back to another day, today was about digging. I have already done a lot of work on this area last summer and I was thrilled that my hard work had started t...

I very rarely post about special needs and type 1, I found that I needed the garden and food writing to concentrate the mind away from day to day life. Today though was a big day in our household and something I felt I needed to write a short blog about it as it may help someone else come to terms with hearing the diagnosis. We were officially told our eldest OB was on the Autistic Spectrum, most parents of children who are autistic know deep down this is the case, however when a doctor sits you down after doing all the tests and tells you it's different. You know whatbthey are going to say, it's not changed anything, he is still the same child, but inside your fighting back the tears of something you knew deep down was coming. I am sat here with a large glass of wine trying to get my head around everything and how we feel. It is a combination of relief, we have the diagnosis, I was not going mad imagining that something was just different about his development. But also he...

Can not believe its half term already, we have some simple but as ever tasty meals this week and for once the boys are having similar meals to us. Monday we have yet another paediatrician apt so there is no way i am going to want to think about food Monday - Freezer Meal and I mean Freezer will be Crispy Chicken with Mash and a salad we will all have the same Tuesday - Pea and Tuna Fishcakes I am using the Madhouse Cookbook for this one from the fab Jo Pratt Wednesday - Homemade Veggie Pastry's - a made up meal but should be tasty if this works will write it up Thursday - Broccoli, Mushroom and Parmesan Gnocchi again from Madhouse cookbook by Joao pratt Friday - Posh Sausages and Onions in baguettes the boys will have fish and chips with peas Saturday - Tacos the boys will have this but no too spicy Sunday - Roast Chicken

I have been pottering in the garden for a week or so now, today was the first day I did not run back into the house with numb fingers and toes. In fact it was just lovely outside, the sun was shinning and there was some warmth on my back. I have achieved quite lot bearing in mind I have very limited time, as you can see a lot of ivy has been sorted out and taken down, the bin area has been swept and tidied up. I have come to a conclusion I am not going to be planting the tiny border and I will put down a mulch or gravel to tidy up then get some pots so that we can keep the interest year round. If we just had a tiny little border with ivy roots I think it would be mess.    The mess of a tiny border now sorted out ready to put down gravel or mulch I have uncovered two on the wall planters, there is a third but I am trying to decide if just to keep the ivy there and have the two but then these things look much better in odd numbers. So I have a feeling there wil...

It's a busy week in the Mud Cakes and Wine household and the meals may have to be moved about a bit as Mr MCW is out but not sure when and shock horror I am out with my girls as we call ourselves the "Autism Massive" as all our boys are on the spectrum Monday - Baked Mushroom Risotto the boys will be having a Tomato Risotto Tuesday - We will be having Prawn Laska style dish the boys will be having cheesy pasta Wednesday - Mango chicken from BBC Good food http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/230612/mango-chicken-with-spiced-pilau the boys will have homemade breaded chicken, mash and peas Thursday - All the boys will be having Jacket Potatoes and I am out having pizza Friday - Chili with All the sides you would ever want I am going to try the boys on this as well Saturday - A meal for everyone from the wonderful people at cook  Sunday - It's the FIL birthday, everyone is round to us MIL providing buffet food and lots of drinks  Love this two ni...

I used to do quite a lot of baking, mainly cakes. Then came along baby number one followed 17 short months later baby number two, baking as you can imagine got rather neglected. I know some amazing mummy's manage to cook and look after two young children, I was not one of them.  My sister is the most amazing cake, biscuit and rocky road maker even with two young children. Then just under a year ago type 1 diabetes entered our life and I was so scared of sending OB levels high with the amount of cake mixture he eats I cut back on baking even more. I have made a few cakes over the last few months, but let me tell you about a couple of typical disasters I have had. Our oven in the new house is not flat so all my cakes turn out higher one side than the other, to be honest if they rise at all. I have had Victoria Sponge cakes that look like thin plates and do not get me started on where I go wrong with scones, no matter what I try they still do not rise. So to amuse you all even m...

Some very easy meals yes I am talking straight from the freezer to the oven and some new ones to try out. Monday - Sausages, Potatoes, red onions all roasted with a lovely honey and Wholegrain mustard dressing served with spinach. The boys will be having hidden veg tomato sauce with pasta Tuesday - Thai Chickpea and Mushroom Curry from Women's Weekly The Complete Book of Slow Cooking One Pot and Soups. The boys will be having Chicken Nuggets, Mash and Broccoli Wednesday - Caribbean Style Chicken from Women's Weekly The Complete Book of Slow Cooking One Pot and Soups. I will be doing this with quorn. The boys will be having Carbonara with peas Thursday - Jackets with Tuna Mayo for Mr MCW and they boys and I will be having Beans and Cheese Friday - We are trying out Birdseye Piri-Piri chicken I will serve this with rice and large salad. The boys will have Fish Fingers, Chips and Peas Saturday - I forgot last week Mr MCW was going out so we are going to have our homema...