A Humdrum Mum

In my head, I have this ideal image of us all sitting down together every night for dinner, at a table not adorned by Lego Movie sets in the middle of being built, but with napkins and everything. I bring to the table a scrumptious lamb ragout/paprika chicken/lasagne that I've slaved over that afternoon. Of course this never happens. Increasing one's hours at work happens. Football clubs and other after-school activities happen. Other Half working late happens. This ideal is ... well an ideal. I've just about admitted that it ain't every gonna happen, so what am I going to do about it? Simplify the week's menu, so that a couple of times, after we've eaten, I can prep a meal (like one above) to serve the day after. My mum does this. In fact she does most of her cooking the day before! And it works. You know how cottage pies and soups always taste better after they've "settled" for a day? So while experimenting on these simple "nursery...

I'm no stranger to quiche. I have made filo ones aux Hairy Bikers (very nice, bit more fiddly to make) and my mum always brings up a quiche from The Pasty Shop opposite Glynn's mum and dad's house in Saltash (why make them when they taste so nice and are basically home made?). For Christmas, my in laws bought me the Higgidy Cookbook, you know they make the yummy little pies we buy from Waitrose? I chose to use my in laws as guinea pigs for my first recipe - a mixture between their Quiche Lorraine and Smoked Chicken and Parsley Pesto Quiche. I had to bake blind, which I hadn't done for years, so I had to buy some baking beans. I didn't put enough beans in the, nor prick my pastry, so I had a few balloons. Also as the sheets of pastry (no I didn't make my own, who do you think I am? My mother?) were too small, instead of rolling out (which I will do next time) I tried to join two pieces together. Not successful but as my mother in law kindly said, it makes i...