What's for Lunch? - 'Wild' Weeds!

Lavender and Lovage Blog - Herbs on Saturday

(Follow the link to find out how you can enter a Competition for May with 'Herbs on Saturday') 

Over at Allotment 2 Kitchen Shaheen has made a delicious looking 'Wild Weed and Potato Tortilla'.   I mentioned Wild Garlic in a post a couple of weeks ago and leaving it in situ, but I couldn't resist.  So while I was out on my 11385 steps, 4.71 miles, 5 Activity Points (walk), I had a little 'forage' along the way.  I like the word 'forage' it rhymes with porridge.  There is something incredibly primitive about foraging, the dog thought it was great fun.  I gathered some Wild Garlic, leaves and buds.

I gathered a bunch of nice young Dandelion leaves:

 A bunch of Young Nettle tips.

Youch!  Just when I was feeling smug at not stinging myself, I got about three stings on one thumb!  Gah 'Pride comes before a fall'.  I have read about the health benefits of Nettles and Dandelions, both are iron rich, blood tonics and Dandelion is a great diuretic.  It eases water retention.  My Mom used to tell me not to pick Dandelions when I was little,  as a 'folk' name for them is 'Wet the beds'!  I sure hope I don't!
            I came home with my 'rich' pickings and popped them straight in the sink for a good wash.  Now as you know I am back on a 'Healthy Regime'.  I am in week 4 of Weight Watchers, so far I have lost 9.5 lbs.  You will also know you don't get at all hungry on these diets healthy eating plans, nope, no siree, not one bit hungry!  Who is anyone trying to kid?  I was so starving I could have gnawed my own legs!  Wild weeds rinsed, then a looksey in the fridge!  Ham needed to be used, why did I buy a largish packet of ham?  Remind me not to buy ham for a while please.  I found some nice little cherry tomatoes, 30% reduced fat Cheese, which to my surprise and delight tasted great.  Usually 30% reduced anything means you have lost 30% of its niceness.  Straight to the frying pan.  2tsp of Olive oil, it's ok healthy oil is allowed.  In went the chopped ham and halved cherry tomatoes.  I shredded the Wild Garlic and Dandelion and put that in the pan, I put the nettles in as they were.  Do you seriously think I am going to try and shred nettles?   They would shred me first!

I have made Nettle Soup before and know it cooks and tastes very much like Spinach, maybe even better than spinach.  I beat three eggs from my bestest chicken buddies and added them to the pan.  I like a nice ometlette but I don't like them too eggy!  The French have soft almost runny omelettes that you fold in half and let the heat finish off cooking the egg, I don't.  Under the Grill goes my omelette, I like it cooked all the way through.  The verdict:

The Wild Garlic gave a lovely mild hint of Garlic and the buds added a nice texture too.
The Nettles were delicious.  I have made a mental not to myself to use more nettles.  I don't like nettle tea but I love the taste and texture of the leaves.  They cook very quickly too.  They were definitely worth the stings.  My sons's are both desperate to try eating nettles so I may be 'Hunter Gathering' again soon.
Dandelion, seriously who would have thought Dandelion and Cheese would be a flavour match made in heaven?  Move over Cheese and Onion, here comes Cheese and Dandelion.
Wild Weed, Ham, Cheese and Tomato Omelette:  Delicious.  If I owned a Cafe, this would be my current lunchtime 'Special'.  I would serve it with Some delicious warm, crusty bread, French Fries and Mayonnaise a Crisp Green Salad!
My plant identification skills are somewhat lacking, so my foraging skills are limited, I definitely would not forage for mushrooms or fungi, knowing my luck I would not live to tell the tale.  As a child I used to love to pick Blackberries until I discovered grubs.  We used to have family outings to gather Chestnuts, delicious toasted when you get back home.  My favourite used to be gathering Hazel Nuts I used to gather them on the way to school from about the age of five.  I would crack them with my teeth and munch them on the way.  My little eyes got well trained and I could find more nuts than anyone I knew!  Let me tell you my Mom looks ladylike, but nobody can shake a Hazel branch with the same gusto as my Mother, in the Autumn when the nuts are just ready, they rain down if the branches are shook vigorously.  I have always been a bit nutty!  I have also gathered Damsons in the past to make wine, I nearly came to a nasty end on a wet fence!  That is another story.  One year I gathered enough young Oak Leaves to make 'Oak leaf Wine'.  The recipe I have has a warning about the strength of the wine, never underestimate 'The Power of the Mighty Oak'.  My brother can add testimony to that!  Not a traditional 'Country Wine' to give the Vicar when he popped in!  I bet many a great party has been had, drinking 'Oak Leaf' wine, followed by many a stinking hangover!   I am wondering if any of you forage, if you do what do find and what do you do with it?  

May the Fourth Be With you

You can get the Pattern for your very own Yoda Beanie Here:

Or maybe you prefer a Mini Princess Leia? The pattern is available here.

Or how about the Pattern for these, for the Star Wars Geek in your life...designed by the talented Lucy Ravenscar?

Very Cool Knitted Sand people Hat from Beebeekins on Etsy

R2D2 Beanie - A Free link to this pattern can be found here.

Cloudberry created this fantastic photograph on her blog, which just about sums up today, for me.

April 2012 Photograph Collage

If I keep on running I might meet myself coming back!  May already!  Who would have thought it?
xxx

Fancy Something Spicy?

I have a recipe to share with you today. . .not a cake . . .not a bake. . .and certainly not a pie!  I have lost 6 1/2 lbs so far at Weight Watchers and as you know I have been busy busy busy.  The novelty has not worn off yet for the dog, the Boot Camp Trainer or myself.  We are walking and swimming like crazy things.  Yesterday's swimming was a great success, we all had great fun.  Henry broke his swimming trunks in the changing room!  You honestly couldn't make that kid up!  As soon as he could crawl he has always been 'The master of Peculiar Accidents'.   He has always been the same.  I am used to him!  He pulled the chord out of his trunks and to try and sort them out he tied the chord around the outside of the trunks!  I didn't want to scare the 'Good Looking Girls' away at the sight of his bum,  so we had to quickly get dressed again and go and buy him some new trunks!  The things Mom's have to do.  It tuns out I was the only 'Good Looking Chick' there last night anyway!
                 I do not have any photographs of our swimming adventures as you are not permitted to take photographs in swimming pools, schools etc.  We cannot even photograph 'Sports Day' at school.  Sad really.  Euan managed to swim his first four or five metres!  He just needs to get it on top of the water now rather than underwater!  Bless him.  Henry cracked me up, he said my costume looked lovely!  It showed of my curves well, all of them very well!  He really makes me laugh, cheeky lad.  I hope we can all go again soon, I like it when both my boys spend time together, with their eight year age gap it can be challenging.  They enjoyed 'Take Away' food after swimming, I came home to soup.

Spicy Red Pepper, Chorizo and Tomato Soup


Ingredients:
250 g of Cherry Tomatoes
200g of Roasted Red Pepper
30g of Chorizo Sausage
1 chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 Vegetable Stock Cube
1 Pint of water
1tsp of Smoked Paprika

Method
1)  Fry the onion with the chorizo until the onion is tender.
2)  Add the garlic, pepper, paprika and tomatoes, fry gently until the tomatoes are soft.
3)  Add the water and stock cube.  Simmer for ten minutes.
4)  Blend until smooth.
Serve with a big chunk of French Bread, (Well its ok I have been swimming and walking)!

Hope you are all having a relaxing weekend.  :) xxx

Water Water Everywhere!

It is official, I heard yesterday, here in the UK we are having the wettest drought on record!  Hmmm that takes a bit of thinking about doesn't it!  Nice weather for ducks and chickens.  My chickens are water babies and prefer to have their freedom and get wet and bedraggled than head for their coop.  They are so busy re-landscaping the garden they can't take a break from it.  They continue to extend and widen borders and are excavating a rather impressive hole, I would be impressed if a Bull Mastiff had dug it, but the fact that three chickens have done it, makes it all the more remarkable for me!  I don't think my other half has noticed it yet,  I hope he doesn't go up the garden in the dark because he might fall victim to a large muddy hole!  Well I am not going to tell him am I?  What a wet and watery week.  I went to 'Ladies Night' at the pool, then the flood at work, then this morning I get a call to fetch Euan ASAP from school as the school was closing due to a flood!  Jeesh it really never rains but it pours.  Euan and I squelched our way around this afternoon for a dog walk, walk a bit slip a bit, walk a bit, slip a lot.  Mud glorious mud!  The dog had a blast and came home filthy!  She nearly caught a Wabbit for tea, but it looks like we will have to have pasta or something.  Tonight is a rarity...the teenager has agreed to come out with me and Euan.  Yep three of us, altogether.  How are we going to escape this torrential rain and wateryness?  Wave machines and water slides, that's how!  I already heard Henry ask Euan if there were any 'Good Lookin girls' at the swimming baths...Euan replied he thought there were a few!  I think he really wants his brother to come with us so has fibbed a bit!
Yippeee!  It's Friday :) xxx

Another Watery Post

I am just whizzing off a post because it is too ironic not too.  I am not aching too bad after last nights swimming.  It is a very cold wet day here today.  I went to work and all the windows were steamed up, which I thought was very strange, then noticed a flood!  My shoes are soaking so I have come home for wellies and a quick caffeine boost.  No children in today but somehow we are expected to be on site and sort a flooded building.  With a broken mop and two broken water sucker hoover type thingies!  It never rains but it pours.  It feels filthy in there.  Somehow the hot tap was left on over night!  What a watery mess.  Water water every where and not a drop to drink!  Every room is soaking wet, apart from two, one of which is mine.  Ahhh there is a God!  Mopping must be a great activity!  I better swig this coffee and go....  xxx