Lazy Lasagne & Winkworth Arboretum.

I confess this is last year's wisteria as this spring it has been so dry that the show has been disappointing. At last after two rainless months we've had a deluge, thank goodness.

Above photos of Winkworth aboretum must be credited to the National Trust as, what with all the puppy's gear, I forgot to take my camera. We were just a bit too late for the bluebells and even the azaleas but it's a lovely place for a day out, lots of hilly walking, and you can take dogs on leads. Tea room not very exciting but we found a pub on the way home, one that welcomed dogs too. (How my life has changed) We should probably have splashed out for the Winkworth trees guide to more fully appreciate the rarity of some of the specimens.

Recipe for Lazy Lasagne.  Ingredients: fresh lasagne pasta (dried wd do), light crème fraîche, grated cheddar, tin chopped tomatoes, minced beef, red onion, garlic, fresh or dried herbs to taste, courgettes, grilled aubergines if desired, passata (sieved tomatoes).
Grease large gratin dish and add layers of chopped tomatoes & herbs (oregano or mixed), lasagne, fried mince & onions with garlic & herbs & passata, layer of finely sliced courgettes, plus grilled aubergine slices if desired, layer of lasagne on top, then layer of crème fraîche topped with thick layer of grated cheese. Bake in moderate oven for half an hour or until top is brown & pasta cooked. Keeps warm well. You could leave out the mince and add more tomatoes, courgettes & aubergines for vegetarians.  Saves all the faff of making a cheese sauce and seemed lighter.
If you want to know about the accents è is Alt +0232 and î is Alt + 0238. Can't remember how I know that but there must be a list somewhere on yr computer. Must be in Help somewhere. Listed here too.

RNA party, buns, books, cooking, and lawn shock

Up to London on Thursday for the RNA Summer party, all good fun as usual. Liz Fenwick and Janet Gover have blogged some good pictures - I was going to post a not too scary one of self from another member's site but it has gone amok this morning - the site not me, I mean. (top photo by Chloe Vereker, taken from the London Eye)

Currently have a convalescing house guest who was presented with this huge basket of buns from a smart bakery in Primrose Hill. Delicious or what, but v. bad for what's left of my waistline.

Recent reading. Much enjoyed Zoe Heller's The Believers. She's an original writer - this time her subject is a leftist US family, and a pretty dysfunctional family they are.

I also raced through one of the Shopaholic books which I found in a charity shop. Made me laugh aloud, even though I'm a reluctant shopper these days. The best kind of chick lit.

Cooking. Delicious lunch in John Lewis the other day - tagliatelli with rosemary oil, butternut squash, and fetta. Using fresh pasta plus some cooked chicken, I reproduced this dish at home and it went down a storm. My local Tesco's didn't run to rosemary oil so I just chopped up some fresh rosemary.

Last night I roasted a pork loin on a bed of roasted veg - red onions, butternut squash again and courgettes. Plus, towards the end of the cooking time, I quartered a couple of apples and stuck them into the roasting dish. All turned out pretty well. Glad I still have the odd domesticated moment.

Garden. Shock horror, the best back lawn has been attacked by animals (foxes?) who've dug about thirty small shallow holes. Not a pretty sight. Any ideas? The holes are too big to have been made by birds and don't look like rabbit scuffs - as for squirrels surely they only bury nuts in autumn.

Found the party pic(credit Nina Harrington). L to r, Liz Fenwick, self, Fiona Harper.

Spring, two lazy recipes and Mama Mia

Sorry to have neglected this blog but have been busy with family and guests recently. Writing too.

Domesticity

Just discovered another good easy fish recipe from Mary Berry - one cod loin portion per person, smear on a tablespoon of sundried tomato paste, a slice of goats cheese, some fresh breadcrumbs (she says, but I cheated and used Bart crispy crumbs) and then top with grated cheddar. Put on baking tray and cook at 200 deg for 12-15 minutes. With the crisped topping it was different and delicious.

Here is my own recipe for cheat's chicken casserole - 1 tin Eazy ready onions (an excellent ingredient), 1 tin chopped tomatoes, chicken thighs (according to no of guests), plenty of red wine, Swiss Bouillon, celery, courgettes, mushrooms, fennel or any other veg you fancy. Season to taste and bung 'em all in together, as Jamie would say, and cook in the oven until chicken is done. Add crushed garlic too if you want. I don't even pre-fry the chicken and it tastes fine. Serve with Basmati rice - OK, I am a rice snob, I admit.

Reading

Been re-reading Division of the Spoils by Paul Scott, about the last days of the Raj in India. Very long and heavy going in parts. It strikes me that the characters are good, but that they make speeches to each other. Despite the fact that most of the dramatic scenes are told in retrospect, it works pretty well. Interesting.

Family matters

Recent guests made me laugh - the seven-year-old was playing Club Penguin on my computer at 7am stark naked yesterday, meanwhile the five-year-old watching the DVD of Mama Mia for the tenth time.

'Did you know,' she said confidingly, 'that Donna has been in another film.' I confirmed that I had indeed seen Meryl Streep in one or two different roles over the years.