Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween everybody! I decided that this year I was going to give out healthy treats to all of the trick or treaters.

So far my healthy treats are getting a good response. One little girl didn't know what a mandarin was. I had to explain it to her!!! Smaller children are delighted with them. We also spent time carving pumpkins. Brian had never done it before so it was very exciting for him.

I also decorated the garden with lanterns but my photos didn't turn out well.

The bad photo makes it look even spookier.

Hello weird gourd

I received this little fellow in my Organic Supermarket delivery and it has been knocking around my kitchen for a while now. It looks cool but does it taste cool?

It took me a while to figure out what to do with it. Tonight I decided to put it into a chicken tagine. Unfortunately, I will be making it with turkey. I badly need to go to the supermarket! I cut it open. Surprise! It's white inside. I don't know why I was expecting it to be orange!

This is an amazing tagine to have in your repertoire.

It has a huge amount of ginger in it which makes it refreshing and lemony. It is fantastic for clearing your head if you have a cold. I'll make it properly next week and post the recipe. Tonight's tagine has been amended a good bit as the baby will be eating it. I have left out the salt and sugar. I never leave out pepper when I'm cooking for the baby. I want to develop his palette and for him to enjoy spice. He has to eat what we eat after all!

Koselig

I have long adopted the concept of koselig into my life. This is a Norweigan phrase and concept that cannot be accurately translated into English. "Anything can (and should) be koselig: a house, a conversation, a dinner, a person. It defines something/someone /an atmosphere that makes you feel a sense of warmth very deep inside in a way that all things should be: simple and comforting," (www.afroginthefjord.com). After all I am a fruitbear so it is in my nature to hibernate for winter. Late September and early October are a great time to start. The air is crisp and there is a bite in the air. Autumn is my absolute favourite time of the year. I love that crisp chill in the air. I also love getting my home as cosy as possible. There is nothing I enjoy more than coming home when I feel cold. I open the front door and am immediately comforted as my home wraps me into its cosy embrace. Steaming cups of tea, cosy blankets

my wood burning stove, hot chocolate

hot water bottles, fluffy socks, snuggly wool jumpers, tea lights beside a rain splattered window, my fluffy goose down duvet and mattress topper. I just love it. Autumn and winter are my favourite seasons and I can't get enough of them.

Flower tip

I like to cut the long stems off bunches of flowers and arrange them in glasses of different heights. It's easier to arrange them around the house. They don't obstruct vision when they are small but still have a great visual impact. Some flowers actually have quite ugly stems so this is much more appealing.

Top tips for cooking mussels

Mussels should be closed before you cook them. If they are open then they are dead. This is bad. Tap on the shell with your fingernail. If the mussel is alive it will close up. To clean the mussels put them in a bowl with cold water and some flour. This helps them to expel any sand and grit that's inside them. After cooking discard any mussels that have not opened up. It is always best to buy a few more mussels than what you need as you, inevitably, end up discarding a few.

Paella

This is my easy paella recipe. I created it after years of eating both good and bad paella. I know what I like in one and I know what I dislike in one. It's a process so I will be including lots of pictures. Don't forget to season the paella adequately as it should be salty. If you don't season it the paella tastes really bland and drab. The most important thing is to have all of your ingredients ready to go before you start. This is particularly important if you haven't made this before.

Ingredients: olive oil, 4 chicken legs, mussels, prawns, squid, clams (optional), 4 - 5 tomatoes, a carrot, an onion, one clove of garlic, a pinch of saffron, two bay leaves, turmeric, salt, rice (half a cup per person), boiling water (double the amount of rice you are using). I use a paellera which is a special dish but there is no need for one really. Any large frying pan is good. Fry the squid first in olive oil.

When it is cooked remove it and set it aside. While you are frying the squid cut the meat from the bones of the chicken legs. Cut into small pieces.

Fry both the meat and the bones. The bones give great flavour. You can remove the bones at the end if you like. Add the bay leaves and saffron.

Finely chop the onion and add. Add salt. Finely chop the garlic and add. Grate the carrot and add to the pan. This gives a lovely sweetness to the paella. Slice the tomatoes finely and add to the pan.

I like to fry everything until the tomatoes have cooked down a bit. At this point I would clean the mussels and boil them in a separate pot until they open, remove them from the water, discard any unopened mussels and set aside with the squid. Then add the rice to your paella. I like to stir it in so that it absorbs the juices.

Then add the water. This is another good time to season your paella. I add a teaspoon of turmeric at this point. This is a bit controversial but it really deepens the flavour and adds to the colour of the rice. Stir it all together and allow it to simmer until a good deal of the liquid has been absorbed.

When the water has almost all soaked in add the squid and mussels. Stir in and add the prawns. I lay them on top in a pattern.

Cover the paella with the lid of a pot and cook for a further ten mins. Don't worry if it gets stuck to the bottom of the pan. In Spain that burnt bit is considered the best part. Garnish with lemon wedges and check for seasoning - salt only! Never use pepper in a paella. It's just wrong.

Ta da! Delicious paella just for you!!!