One thing you never seem to hear the perfect women on TV do (and yes, I'm sorry, I mean Nigella) is hear them abdicate their responsibilities. Certainly not the chefs among them anyway!
Well - in my humble of humblest opinions (which, by writing that is very not humble), I am all for it. I work full-time, my partner works from home. So lately I have been discovering the simple pleasure of asking him to sort something out for tea. No, it's not what I would do. No, it's not always made with the least amount of mess. But it's delicious, stress-free and comes with a lovely feeling of not having had to cook it when exhausted and shattered after a 1.5 hr commute.
So my challenge to you all out there, if you're reading this, is to ask for help. Get your man to make something (and if he doesn't know how, point him at the millions of recipe books littering your shelves and tell him its like a Haynes or pc manual for the kitchen) and just sit back and enjoy being looked after.
We spend a lot of time looking after other people. I am taking liberties there and assuming you, like me, put other people first. We are bombarded by products and adverts telling us we need to look after ourselves more (on top of everything else you're not doing perfectly, you're also neglecting yourself - what's up with that?!). So start with something easy. Give up those control reins for the kitchen. Let him cook for you once or twice a week. I guarantee you'll freak out for a week (I refuse to budge from my book in the lounge while he cooks, and make sure I have a large glass of something to help keep me calm), milk it for all its worth the week after, and then you might suddenly get an urge to cook something. And you'll love it. You won't begrudge it, hate it, or just "chuck something together". You'll actually love coming in, changing, putting on your apron and delighting in making something. And then you'll want him to cook again the next day :o)
Its okay to abdicate the throne and let someone else share the load. You haven't failed. You've started to accept you're human, imperfect and marvellous for it.
Wednesday 7 September 2011
Tuesday 6 September 2011
Chocolate and Wine for Tea
Right well so on proving that its okay to be normal and not perfect - I made toad in the hole tonight for tea. Very basic: cumberland sausage, 3 oz plain flour, 3 fl oz milk, 2 fl oz water, 1 egg. Cooked sausages in the oven with some frozen peppers, mixed up the other stuff into a batter and then dumped it into the sausage tray. Brilliant - all whacked in the oven to cook by itself. Only to then discover no beans. Or bread. So one small portion of toad in the hole later and I am eating chocolates for tea and my partner is having reheated noodles. I am not perfect and proud of it!
I have been snappy today since I got home, I've had a go at my fella for interrupting me and I'm just generally growly at the world. So a tea of wine and chocolates sounds perfect. Forget Nigella, this is just sheer indulgence and acceptance of my mood.
And now I feel much better. Let's hear it for happy chocolate hormones!
I have been snappy today since I got home, I've had a go at my fella for interrupting me and I'm just generally growly at the world. So a tea of wine and chocolates sounds perfect. Forget Nigella, this is just sheer indulgence and acceptance of my mood.
And now I feel much better. Let's hear it for happy chocolate hormones!
Monday 5 September 2011
I Am Not A Super Woman....
...and neither is anyone else out there! I've rather cheekily started this blog in response to what I feel is the tremendous pressure from society on women to be a brilliant leader at work, a fabulous house wife, a support mother all the while baking, knitting and filling our sparklingly clean homes with amazing things we have made.
Well - enough. I've thrown in the towel. I am not a superwoman. I have a 1.5 hour commute to work and back again each day. I put in 7 hours (minimum) a day working as a Project Manager. My bathroom hasn't been cleaned in 2 weeks, the last thing I baked came out soggy but I ate it anyway, my knitting has gone by the wayside (I have half a teapot cosy done and another one to get round too), I throw tantrums when I have to do the washing up and I have (once!) forgotten to feed my cats (although most nights they get fed at various times). I have a gym membership but don't manage to fit it in to make it really worthwhile (but I love the pool when I go so I keep paying), I am hopeless at managing my budget and have to be forcibly sat down (whilst sulking) to do my book keeping and I have a wonderful impulse buying habit which I adore.
So - for all of you who feel the pressure to be this incredibly amazing superwoman, just give it a rest! You don't fall apart simply because the bathroom needs a clean. The world doesn't stop turning because you fed your kids at 9pm rather than when you're 'supposed to'. Lots of chefs have written books about how to cook everyday, meals which you can make in 30 minutes or less. But, as my partner pointed out, they can do all that because their job is telling the rest of us how to do it.
I'm going to tell you how I do it. Its not pretty, its not perfect. But its honest. So to kick us off - we have today. The first day (be aware, this might not be a daily blog - I am not superwoman after all). I've been at work since 8:30am - and I swore at a number of drivers on the way in who were bullying me. Tea tonight is going to be leftover Chinese takeaway recreated as follows:
Leftover shredded duck
Onion
Garlic
Frozen pre-chopped peppers
Creme Fraiche
Rice (or noodles if they're less spicy than last night when they blew my head off)
I plan to grate the onion (as its easier and quicker to cook than chopped), mash the garlic, throw in as many peppers as makes me feel not guilty about my five a day and bung it in a pan with oil and leave it to soften. Meanwhile I'll either cook the rice or have a glass of wine (depending on which option I'm going for). Once they're softened I then chuck in the meat, creme fraiche (or greek yoghurt or double cream) and the sauce is done. That gets put over rice (or whatever) or simply served with some reheated soggy soda bread from the weekend. Job done. And all while drinking a glass of wine and watching the telly.
I do not plan to do any crafts tonight or go to the gym - I didn't sleep well and I'm exhausted. So there.
Well - enough. I've thrown in the towel. I am not a superwoman. I have a 1.5 hour commute to work and back again each day. I put in 7 hours (minimum) a day working as a Project Manager. My bathroom hasn't been cleaned in 2 weeks, the last thing I baked came out soggy but I ate it anyway, my knitting has gone by the wayside (I have half a teapot cosy done and another one to get round too), I throw tantrums when I have to do the washing up and I have (once!) forgotten to feed my cats (although most nights they get fed at various times). I have a gym membership but don't manage to fit it in to make it really worthwhile (but I love the pool when I go so I keep paying), I am hopeless at managing my budget and have to be forcibly sat down (whilst sulking) to do my book keeping and I have a wonderful impulse buying habit which I adore.
So - for all of you who feel the pressure to be this incredibly amazing superwoman, just give it a rest! You don't fall apart simply because the bathroom needs a clean. The world doesn't stop turning because you fed your kids at 9pm rather than when you're 'supposed to'. Lots of chefs have written books about how to cook everyday, meals which you can make in 30 minutes or less. But, as my partner pointed out, they can do all that because their job is telling the rest of us how to do it.
I'm going to tell you how I do it. Its not pretty, its not perfect. But its honest. So to kick us off - we have today. The first day (be aware, this might not be a daily blog - I am not superwoman after all). I've been at work since 8:30am - and I swore at a number of drivers on the way in who were bullying me. Tea tonight is going to be leftover Chinese takeaway recreated as follows:
Leftover shredded duck
Onion
Garlic
Frozen pre-chopped peppers
Creme Fraiche
Rice (or noodles if they're less spicy than last night when they blew my head off)
I plan to grate the onion (as its easier and quicker to cook than chopped), mash the garlic, throw in as many peppers as makes me feel not guilty about my five a day and bung it in a pan with oil and leave it to soften. Meanwhile I'll either cook the rice or have a glass of wine (depending on which option I'm going for). Once they're softened I then chuck in the meat, creme fraiche (or greek yoghurt or double cream) and the sauce is done. That gets put over rice (or whatever) or simply served with some reheated soggy soda bread from the weekend. Job done. And all while drinking a glass of wine and watching the telly.
I do not plan to do any crafts tonight or go to the gym - I didn't sleep well and I'm exhausted. So there.
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