Cheese and Chutney Picnic Loaf

We are in the process of trying to pack to move house and we have a whole shelf of homemade chutney. It seems crazy to pack a whole box just with chutney so we need to eat more! This came to me as an idea to use some up....

I made our regular 50/50 white/wholemeal loaf but decided after it's first proof to flatten into a rectangle and spread with nearly a whole jar of homemade chutney and sprinkle with some grated cheddar. Roll it up into a swiss roll type thing and then made into a ring. I left this to rise again before baking as usual.

It was lovely with a hearty stew for lunch. And it was even more delicious cold in packed lunches the next day!

There are all sorts of possibilities for this. I am thinking goats cheese with the caramelised onion chutney, blue cheese and chutney, the possibilities are endless.

Birthday year books

Not exactly an original idea to post about but the most recent ones arrived the other day and I was excited to see them.

So, I may come to regret this rod I have made for my back, but for each child, each year I am writing a photobook (on photobox in case you are interested which of the sites I use). I don't think I will regret it as, although they take time to make, it is lovely time spent and I think even if they don't value them, I will (my long-term memory is shocking)

Scarily, these books started out for Ollie's first 2 years as proper photo albums (he is that old!). And they have evolved each year. 

This year I included things other than just photos and captions. 

I scanned in some of my favourite drawings (I do this anyway to try and limit the amount of pictures I keep. I hate throwing them away). I used the notelets out of the 'Boys world view' jar of funny quotes from the year. I also wrote up the interviews we gave them on New Year's Eve. 

I always put start the book with a picture of their birthday cake, and this year I added pictures we took of their cards being read out on Cbeebies on the t.v!

The really great thing about the printed books is the boys can leaf through them as much as they like and they don't get too ruined, and if they do, I know it's safely stored at photobox and I can order another copy.

A boy's eye view a.k.a. funny thing they say

I made a jar which I keep next to some notelets and a pen so that I remember all the funny and cute little things the boys say. When they say them I write who said what and when on a notelet and fold it up and pop it in the jar. I will read them all at the end of the year and put them into their yearbook photobooks that I do on photobox in a quotes page. A good way to remember them and their development.

Apples, apples everywhere!

This wasn't my car but I feel like it should have been!
Our neighbour offered us some cooking apples from his friends garden and we happily accepted, excited at the idea of the lovely treats we could make.
But, I have since become afraid to leave the house, as every time I do, there are 2 more huge bags full! I think we have had 12 bags so far.
Over yesterday and today I have made;
6 litres of unsweetened puréed apple which I have frozen for future apple pies and crumbles
an ice cube trays worth of the naturally sweetest ones for Charlie to eat
2 more litres of sweetened and spiced cooked apples for apple pies this weekend
4 pints of apple, lime and ginger juice to which I plan to add some stock syrup and churn in the ice cream maker to make some sorbet
6 jars of indian spiced apple chutney
6 jars of apple, tomato, smoked paprika and chipotle chutney
plus we have send in 2 bags to Tom's friends and had baked apples for pudding today!

Our dream home has an orchard in our mind's eye, but please can we not have too many apple trees!