just another morning here

What a manic day – or week in fact – at school we’ve had a week of things going wrong or being cancelled. First our trip on Tuesday had to be cancelled as the back door of the minibus wouldn’t lock so we couldn’t take children out in it. That was fairly bad for some of the kids who were pretty disappointed and spent that day and the next throwing tantrums about it.

Today seemed better – we normally go swimming on a Thursday but the pool was too cold for some of the kids – eventually we decided to take those that could go anyway, as they’d had enough cancellations for one week. So trekked down to the pool, got them all changed etc., got them all in – and then the fire alarm went off. Not someone burning toast, for once, it was a real alarm and the fire brigade came out. Turned out to be dust and fumes from the builders’ brick cutting but it had been going into one of the classrooms so a valid alarm. But by the time we knew all that we’d dragged the kids out of the pool, and got them all changed in a freezing corridor! Thankfully the drama of the moment overshadowed any tantrums that might otherwise have occurred on being asked to leave the swimming pool.

Anyway. Home with a headache and ferried kids around as usual, then helped them with Children in Need costumes for tomorrow – well, Josiah is being a Tudor as he has a school trip to go on (his outfit looks remarkably like his Victorian one but don’t say anything. Photos tomorrow if we’re lucky). Abbie had to dress up as something beginning with her initial, so after thinking of Avril Lavigne (hm, maybe not), then an Arctic fox or hare or something (no white trousers though), we discovered that Anna has a non-uniform day as well, so hurrah, Abbie can go dressed as Anna! My school is having a Pyjama Day – I must admit that this is one step too far for me, I would far rather give a humungous donation to CiN than go anywhere further than my bedroom in my pyjamas.

Cooking Beetroot Risotto for tea. This is still the search phrase from which the blog gets the most hits, which always amuses me. These days I just cook it plain (no goat’s cheese) and sprinkle grated cheddar over the top. Seems to go down equally well

Recipe from Em, just copied here so I can find it again. Any guesses what we got in our Riverford box today?

Beetroot Chocolate Loaf

Ingredients

Ingredients
8oz SR flour,
1oz cocoa powder,
1 tsp baking powder,
4oz caster sugar,
Pinch of salt,
3oz dark chocolate melted,
3oz butter melted,
4oz raw grated beetroot peeled weight,
2 eggs beaten

Method
1. Heat the oven to GM4/180’C/350’F. Grease and line a 2lb-loaf tin.
2. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder.
3. Stir in the sugar, beetroot, melted chocolate and butter and the eggs.
4. Turn into the tin and bake for 50-60 minutes until firm on top and an inserted skewer comes out clean.

nb: I HATE these things usually, but I’m giving in as (a) it was Jo who tagged me and I like her , and (b) I haven’t blogged much over Christmas!

Name three things:

that you had hanging on your tree:
• baubles – red, gold and silver only!
• hama decorations made by the kids & I a couple of years ago
• salt dough decorations that Abbie made at school this year

that you’ve eaten / drunk lots of:
• Bristol Cream sherry! But which bottle bank do you put blue bottles into?
• chocolate
• um … cranberry sauce? No-one else liked my home-made one! Haven’t really been too excessive with anything this year!

that you didn’t do this year but hope to do next year:
• break with tradition somehow
• have a real Christmas tree – or at least a new fake one!
• something thoughtful for Steve

favourite presents this year:
• New Madeleine Peyroux CD
• New Covent Garden Soup Recipe Books – 2 different ones from 2 different people – do I talk about soup too much or something?! Made the first one the other day – Beetroot and Rhubarb – it was yummy
• Apple Chilli Jelly from Joe
• this list is obviously excluding anything already blogged about, or anything that was a joint present with anyone else – our Wii has been a pretty cool family pressy even though I haven’t really had a look-in!

that you’re glad you didn’t get for Christmas:
• books I’d already read
• books I didn’t want to read
• too much stuff generally

Name 3 people to tag:
• Alison – because she hasn’t blogged about Christmas either and I know she hates these things too …
• Neil – because I’m tired of his other lists
• Miriam – because it’s been too long since her last post!

While I’m here I’ll post a few of my favourite photos from Christmas this year, and then I must go, as we have a New Year’s Eve / Anna & Abbie’s joint birthday party going on tonight (whose daft idea was that?!) and I need to get back to organising the chaos!

Found on Flickr, thanks to NellieP!

Not only is it pink, it is also fantastically delicious! Recipe from the Style section of The Sunday Times, Sunday 23 October 2005.

Serves 2 (or 3, we thought)

Ingredients
1 1/4 litres chicken or vegetable stock
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
200g carnaroli or arborio rice
1/2 small wine glass of dry white vermouth (or dry white wine)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
250g cooked beetroot, coarsely grated (not the vinegary sort: use the vacuum-packed ready-cooked beetroot from the supermarket and keep the juice)
A small handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 tbsp butter
150g soft white goat’s cheese
A small handful of chives, chopped, to serve

Method
In a heavy pan, heat the oil and sweat the onion and garlic over a gentle heat until soft, but not coloured: this should take about 6 minutes.
Add the rice, turn up the heat a little, and stir until well coated in the oil. Keep stirring. You want the rice to be hot, but not brown.
When the rice starts to crackle slightly, throw in the vermouth and stir until the liquid has been absorbed.
Now add a ladle of hot stock and continue to cook over a medium heat, stirring often, until the liquid is absorbed. Then add a second ladle of stock and again stir until absorbed. Season well with salt and pepper, then add a third quantity of stock and stir in.
Next, add the beetroot and any juice, plus another ladle of stock. Stir as before. At this point, one more ladle of stock might well be all you need.
Try a bit of the rice. You want it to be soft and creamy, but with a hint of bite (though not quite chalkiness) in the centre. If it’s still not quite there, keep adding stock, half a ladle at a time, until it reaches the right texture, but don’t let it turn into rice pudding.
Once the rice is cooked, stir in the chopped parsley, butter and half the goat’s cheese. Cover the pan and leave for 3 minutes. Taste and season again if you think it needs it.
To serve, spoon the risotto into bowls, blob some more goat’s cheese on top and scatter with chopped chives.