Things I want to do next week.

Posted on February 26, 2014 by nicdempsey

I have today and tomorrow at work and I cannot wait to be done.

I’m finding this quite amusing because I like going on holiday but I haven’t been too excited for this one, probably ’cause it’s already been postponed once already.  Ok, so the weather forecast in DC isn’t fantastic but I’ve ready to be on holiday. Also I found out yesterday that John won’t actually be in the country when I am (this is the problem with doing a job like that, you never know when you’ll be called away and it’s not like it’s not important and you can say no.) However it’s a new city (and country for that matter) that I’ve never seen before and I get to spend some time with Matt which will be just as much fun.

So now I need to work out how I’m going to entertain myself during the day when Matt is working. I’m pretty open about that because I don’t know the city at all but come on it’s the capital city so I’ve started to make a list!

1) Mount Vernon.

Come on, it’s history and it’s fascinating. Also it has a bourbon still.

2) The Smithsonian.

19 museums and a zoo.

3) New Columbia Distillers

They make gin. Of course I want to go.

4) The National Mall

Not going would be like coming to London and not seeing Big Ben (yes I know Big Ben is the bell not the Tower).

5) Library of Congress

Because I can.

6) Sona Creamery

Wine bar that makes it’s own cheese or cheesemongers that also sells wine! I don’t know but I want to visit and I’m sure this is something that Matt and John will have no issue with!

7) Tudor Place

I like old buildings

I’m still toying with the idea of a day in New York or Philadelphia because it’s not that far away, it takes the same amount of time to go to Manchester from London, which I’ve done in a day!

And so far that’s all I’ve come up with, I know there’s a ton of stuff I’ve missed and  I’m hoping that Matt will fill me in on the other things to and see.

Anyone else got any suggestions?

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What I’m Eating This Week

Posted on February 25, 2014 by nicdempsey

Last week, posted about the stuff that I was eating during the week. I’ve talked about menu planning before and showed you how that worked in detail. I’ve also talked about some of the choices I make about my diet and the food I choose to eat and buy. The Day in Food posts are a whole day of what I ate. Long story short there is a lot of stuff about my eating and cooking on this blog. Menu planning has become a natural thing for me to do and I’ve noticed that it’s not as rigid as it used to be, I don’t tend to plan lunches any more because I just tend to eat leftovers and I’ve implemented a ‘leftover night’ in the menu plan just to deal with my ‘over generous’ cooking style and so nowadays I find that I make a couple of things every week and go from there. This is what I’m doing this week.

Breakfast Pots

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Freezer Soup

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Lentil Bolognese

This is becoming a staple in my cooking, this week, I’m eating it with pasta and stuffed into mushrooms. Seriously good, in fact so good that even my mother who does not enjoy cooking, has made this a couple of times!

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Sourdough

I baked a loaf this week, to go with the soup. As even I struggle to get through a loaf in a week, I suspect that the bulk of it will either go in the freezer or to mum’s on Wednesday night!

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I only have 4 days to feed myself for this week and I’m eating out on Wednesday night so with the addition of fruit and various vegetables, the soup and the bolognese will also make up my packed lunches too. On Thursday, I’ll probably make a frittata and any remaining vegetables left in the fridge will go into a soup because I can bung that in the freezer and eat when I get home.

What are you eating this week?

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Weekend Tasklist – What Got Done

Posted on February 24, 2014 by nicdempsey

So this weekend was a busy Saturday and a lazy Sunday and I still haven’t done my ironing!

Kitchen

  • General clean (sort out the recycling and rubbish, mopping the floor and general cleaning)

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Cooking

  • Food prep for next week.

Bathroom

  • General clean (mop floor, change towels, empty bin, clean bath, sink and toilet)

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Bedroom

  • General clean (sweep floor, change bed, dust, general tidy)  I didn’t change the bed for reasons, I’m not getting into here but I did have to swap the sheets out in the week and I’ll change it before I go on holiday.

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Living Room

  • General clean (sweep floor, dust, tidy sofa, put things away etc)  Not that you’d notice because my suitcase is hanging out in there at the minute!

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Hall

  • Hoover

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General things

  • Shopping
  • Washing (clothes wash, white wash, towel wash)
  • Ironing
  • Wash make up brushes
  • Wash hair brushes
  • Water plants
  • Back up laptop
  • Charge kindle, ipad and camera batteries
  • Handwashing
  • Decide what I’m taking to the States with me
  • Locate passport, ESTA number, US money, print plane ticket etc
  • Buy cheese for Matt and John (they have a thing about proper cheese!)

So there is is. Done, do I feel ready for a holiday? Yep!

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The Weekend

Posted on February 24, 2014 by nicdempsey

The weekend started with theatre. Red Velvet at the Tricycle. I really wanted to like this but I didn’t. The acting was good, the play should have been more interesting than it was. Some of it was funny, some of it was sad and shocking but I just didn’t feel it.

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On Saturday, it was sunny. I wore my sunglasses for what feels like the first time in ages.

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I was busier on Saturday than I expected to be. I bought proper Cheddar to take to DC with me! Had coffee with Ryan, in his and Claire’s new flat and visited Kathy and Adam and got meet their new kids! They are adorable, but you’ll have to take my word for it! The way adoption works here means that you can’t share the children’s names or photos on social media so no photos but they are really cute and very funny and K & A make great parents and one day they’ll get to sleep again!

On Saturday night, there was pizza and rest, I was in bed at 10pm like the old lady I am!

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On Sunday, after a long conversation with my brother, which was nice. I did some stuff around the house and some food prep for the week. I got my suitcase out of the cupboard, found my passport and ESTA number, and make some lists. I really can’t emphasise how much I suck at packing and the weather forecast for DC is interesting and features snow, so I have no idea what to pack!

This week is all about getting through it so I can have a holiday. This holiday was due in September and I’m ready for a break!

 

 

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Sunday Music

Posted on February 23, 2014 by nicdempsey

Last week, this came on the radio and I called Ma because I knew it’s a song she likes even though I don’t really remember talking about it.

Ma apparently played it to death as a teenage, which also answers the question of why I play songs over and over and over. I come by it honestly!

Sandie Shaw – Always Something There to Remind Me.

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Weekend Tasklist

Posted on February 22, 2014 by nicdempsey

This weekend is all about preparing for my holiday! So the house has to be tidy and there’s gonna be lots of washing!

Kitchen

  • General clean (sort out the recycling and rubbish, mopping the floor and general cleaning)

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Cooking

  • Food prep for next week.

Bathroom

  • General clean (mop floor, change towels, empty bin, clean bath, sink and toilet)

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Bedroom

  • General clean (sweep floor, change bed, dust, general tidy)

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Living Room

  • General clean (sweep floor, dust, tidy sofa, put things away etc)

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Hall

  • Hoover

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General things

  • Shopping
  • Washing (clothes wash, white wash, towel wash)
  • Ironing
  • Wash make up brushes
  • Wash hair brushes
  • Water plants
  • Back up laptop
  • Charge kindle, ipad and camera batteries
  • Handwashing
  • Decide what I’m taking to the States with me
  • Locate passport, ESTA number, US money, print plane ticket etc
  • Buy cheese for Matt and John (they have a thing about proper cheese!)

What are you crossing of the list this weekend?

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Friday Links

Posted on February 21, 2014 by nicdempsey

Happy Friday! I’m so happy to see the end of this week! Here’s this week’s links.

1) A valentine to big govt. Ok this is about the US but I think it applies over here too!

2) Communicating science clearly. Alan Alda is my hero!

3) What soldiers eat.

4) Pictures of the flooding in Somerset.

5) Pound shops are an asset to the high street? Mmm. I can see his argument, the problem I have with it is that I shop in West Ealing and have done since before the 2011 riots. It’s looks pretty much the same as it did then. West Ealing has a three indian supermarkets, 4 or 5 charity shops (including a furniture shop, a pawnbrokers, an Iceland, a Wilkinsons, a Lidl, a Greggs and a Brighthouse. There’s a betting shop, a ‘Cashino’ which is one of those shops just filled with fruit machines and a Cash converters. It also has two banks, a Boots, a Costa, a BHS, a fishmongers, a Sainsburys and behind the main drag a massive Waitrose. Two types of shops, the ones you walk to and the ones that you drive to. Want to take a guess at which ones serve the well off? Pound shops haven’t really improved West Ealing and given that they pay minimum wage on zero hours contracts, they aren’t really helping with getting people out of poverty.

6) Patrick Steward is being awesome again!

7) Ma sent this to me last night. Immigration and London. I find Frank Field difficult, I accept that his heart is in the right place but that his attitudes are about 40 years out. The working class has changed and honestly the idea of young working class people being able to live at home and work their way up as I’m sure used to happen isn’t actually all that possible in the days of bedroom tax and student loans and zero hours contracts. I used to have this argument at the job centre, even if I could get a job earning £20k a year, my rent is £16k and I don’t qualify for council housing or any other form of state assistance so it doesn’t make economic sense to take a job on that salary. Sometimes the problem is lack of jobs, sometimes wages and cost of living. He’s right about one thing though, immigration always hits the working class negatively because it puts pressure on the services they need to get by. I know that’s not PC but we do need to start having a conversation about it.

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On my mind

Posted on February 20, 2014 by nicdempsey

1) 6 more days at work then I’m on holiday!

2) I need a list of things that I want to pack, I suck at packing.

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3) Also it may think it’s the greatest nation in the world but what kind of a capital city doesn’t have a train line to it’s airports? Dulles Airport, I’m looking at you. Poor planning America!

4) On the other hand, it makes me appreciate the Piccadilly line and all many ways I can get to both Heathrow and Gatwick and Luton and even Stansted!

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5) I’m back to being stupidly tired again, I’m like a zombie but instead of brains, I’m craving another 8 hours in bed!

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6) What’s the snow situation in Washington DC right now?

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Things I’m Eating This Week

Posted on February 19, 2014 by nicdempsey

This week I’ve been mostly eating…

This chicken and chorizo bake

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This gingerbread

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These eggcups (Although with ham and without cheese this week!)

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This aubergine stew alas no pictures but it’s really good!

Chickpeas and spinach

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What are you eating this week?

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Pizza Sauce

Posted on February 18, 2014 by nicdempsey

Last week Angie asked me what sauce I used for my pizza and if I had a recipe. I don’t, I’m more a pizza bianca person than a pizza with sauce person so if I want to put ‘sauce’ on, I use sun dried tomato paste and call it good.

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The truth is that I don’t really have recipes for toppings. I have a pizza dough recipe that I use and I mostly make that with a mixture of bread, plain and wholemeal flour, recently I’ve started adding some sourdough starter to it too.

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Friday Night Pizza is an opportunity to clear the fridge of leftovers and I just saute whatever vegetables are left in the fridge by Friday night. In my house, that’s usually onion, leeks, peppers and mushrooms, sometimes spinach and if there’s pancetta or chicken, then I might bung that in too. However, I’ve also dumped leftover roasted vegetables onto a pizza as well. I’ve caramelised red onions right down to a paste and used that instead of pizza sauce resulting in the ‘purple pizza’ and I’ve used BBQ sauce and chicken. If there was a rule it would be ‘anything in the fridge is fair game’. I’m the same with cheese, I mostly use mozzarella but anything that looks like it might not survive the weekend or is just in the cheese tray and looks interesting can and will be used.

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Anyway back to the pizza sauce, I told Angie to take the passata she was using and “add a generous splash of balsamic vinegar and/or some red wine, salt and pepper and some of herbs (the Italian seasoning you buy in the dried herbs section would be my pick) and simmer it until it’s reduced by half. That should give you thick sauce that should work on pizza.”

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As I has some leftover passata in the fridge (from this recipe from Amuse Your Bouche, which is completely amazing!), so I’d thought I’d give it a go. I measured the amounts and everything! This is what I did, it’ll keep in a jar in the fridge for a week or so or you can freeze it.

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What

300ml passata

30ml balsamic vinegar

30ml red wine

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Salt and pepper

How

Put in all in a saucepan and simmer until sauce is thick and about half the volume it was when you started.

Wipe down the hob, which is now covered in splashes of tomato sauce!

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