Mud Cakes and Wine

The children are back at school but I have not managed to catch up at all. Can not believe we are about to hit May where has this year gone to?  Friday - Fish, Chips and Peas via the freezer Saturday - Quorn chicken burgers and salad Sunday- Sausage Casserole with jackets Monday - Prawn Paella this is a very simple and quick paella not your traditional version Tuesday - Lee, Mushroom and Goats cheese strudel (I do tend to make this as a tart) the boys will have tuna tarts Leek mushroom and goats cheese strudels Wednesday - Child Friendly Thai Noodles we have this with lots more veg and Thai curry paste Child-friendly thai chicken noodles Thursday - it is our eldest birthday and he would like pizza so pizza for us all

We have a lot of work to do and I am excited and scared about how to move the garden forward. My main problem is I get nervous that it will fail and then I do not do anything and the garden remains looking unfinished. So I need a plan and I need to put it into action. 1. GYO we have sewn some seeds straight into the planters some Beetroot, Onions and Carrots. No sign of anything coming up yet and I am a little worried I have planted them too deep. Though looking today we have some beetroot have appeared which is great to see. 2. For mothers day I was given the chance to buy plants when I see ones I like. I have finally got a compact Buddleja Buzz in magenta and I can not wait for it to flower. 3. Flower seeds lots have germinated and the mini growhouse is already filling up with sweet peas, Echinacea Pallida from the Sarah Raven collection and Rudbeckia Gloriosa Daisies from Mr Fothergills . I have also stared some chillis and sweetcorn. 4. Viol...

Not sure where the last week went, it flew by and the sun has finally come out. We have spent so much time in the garden potting on seedlings and planting some of our own GYO veggies. Friday - Scampi and Chips for Mr MC&W and myself. Fish and Chips for the boys each served with peas. Saturday - Fajitas for Mr MC&W and myself the boys are having pizza and salad Sunday - Roast Lamb but I am not cooking Monday - Chicken with Peppers and Feta the boys will have this more as a roast. I do this with chicken breast and cook it for a shorter time. Roast chicken with peppers and feta Tuesday - Puttanesca baked Gnocchi for us all, I will be playing around with this as anchovies are not every ones first choice Puttanesca baked gnocchi Wednesday - Salmon with beetroot and lentils. The boys will have tomato soup as its back to school and haircuts Mustardy salmon-beetroot-lentils   Thursday - Neapolitan Rice salad I am going to try a version of this with the boys and ...

We have survived the first week of the Easter holidays, a huge amount of snacks have been consumed but they so needed the rest.  Friday - Ham Egg and Chips as we had a Dominoes on Wednesday Saturday - Piri Piri Chicken with salad, warm baguettes and coleslaw Sunday - Sausages, Mushrooms and Olives. The boys will have sausages both meals served with mash and green veg Sausages with oregano mushrooms and olives Monday - Taco Monday Tuesday - Chinese Style Lemon Marmalade Chicken Chinese style lemon marmalade chicken Wednesday - Super Smokey Bacon and tomato Spaghetti Super smoky bacon-tomato-spaghetti Thursday - Spinach and mint Frittata from Ginos Healthy Eating Cookbook. The boys will have one with ham, cheese and peas.

I love twitter and instagram, watching all the amazing and knowledgeable gardeners planting seeds and pictures of how well they are doing.  I am still very new to growing flowers and vegetables from seed and I have a lot to learn. But decided it is time we start some seed planing here at Mud, Cakes and Wine My mum came down and we planted some sweet peas, not sure it is the correct time to plant them but we decided to go for it anyway, they have all germinated and doing really well. I have transferred them from the propagator to the new grow house. I will have also planted some Echinacea Pallida from the Sarah Raven collection and Rudbeckia Gloriosa Daisies from Mr Fothergills now that the Sweepeas have been moved, I really need another propagator. As I have lots more I want to start. Building and lining trough style planters  - Link to the post We built our trough planters last year and I have learnt a lot, this year I will be planting more in succession,...

We are back, last week was just a little crazy and I had no time to write up the meal plan. But things are more back to normal now Friday - Warm Smoked Mackerel Salad this is with beetroot, roasted new potatoes and is s real comfort meal. Boys will have pasta Saturday - Chili in the slow cooker Sunday - Chicken Marengo with jacket potatoes and spinach Chicken marengo Monday  - Tortellini with pesto and broccoli Tortellini with pesto and broccoli Tuesday - Tuna Melt Potato Wedges. Boys will have tomato soup. Tuna melt potato wedges Wednesday - Gammon, Egg and Chips Thursday - Chicken, Mozzarella and pesto parcels. Boys will have tuna tarts. Chicken, mozzarella, pesto filo-parcels