Monday In the Kitchen

We had our half hour walk again this morning, that's three days in a row!  It's good because Phill pushes me, well not literally, but he encourages me to walk further than I normally would, I'd have piked about two blocks less this morning but I'm glad we did the extra. 
I had gotten up early to make a salmon quiche for Josh for his school lunch.  He doesn't like to buy food from the school canteen, especially now he's being really conscious of what he's eating.  He loves this quiche and I made it in a square dish to make it easier to cut and pack for him to take with him. 
When we got back from our walk I showered and we went down and got supplies, came back and had lunch (salmon quiche and salad) then I got busy making a chicken, leek, white wine and tarragon filling for the pies I wanted to bake and freeze for easy meals both at home and for Phill to take to work.  So I made six chicken and two beef with the leftover meat from the other night.  The chicken filling was delicious, and without any salt or stock.  Then I made some oatmeal and raisin cookies, a healthy version I found online that used apple sauce instead of fat.  I absent mindedly used self raising flour instead of plain but they turned out okay, soft and cakey but I like them like that.

Then I made a tomato sauce for our seafood pasta, sauteed onions and garlic in a little organic butter and olive oil, then tomato paste, white wine and two tins of tomatoes, a few anchovies, some chilli flakes and lots of black pepper.  I let it simmer for a while, longer than usual because everyone decided to get in the pool, even Phill, and they stayed in having fun till well after 6.30.  Then we added the seafood mix and simmered till it was just cooked and had it over fettucine.

I was so tired and now I'm in bed, early night for me tonight, we have to have Josh at school to catch the bus to Canberra at 7.30 in the morning.

Emily once again stated that she wants to return to school next year.  I asked her how she will cope if the same things happen again and she said she knew they probably would but she can handle it now, and I think she can.  I am concerned that she won't see it through but if the school is happy to have her back it's worth a try.  So we need to go and talk to the principal and organise that.  I know he will be very pleased she is coming back, it's what he wanted all along and why he dragged the chain with the distance ed stuff.  For her to return to school is the very best option.  She has a wonderful mind, is sharp and intelligent and to not finish her education would be such a shame.

We have loads of birds around here, all the trees are greening up (we moved in here in late Autumn so they were mostly sticks till now).  I got some wild bird seed and put it in a dish on top of the pool filter housing shed thingy.  No takers, and it was no good there as I couldn't see it from the house.  So I moved it to the fence post at the side of the house.  Still nothing.  I put it on the side verandah.  Nope, those ungrateful barstards wouldn't go near it.  In desperation I plonked it on the side lawn.  This morning I saw the father rosella (the mother is nesting in the tree on the footpath) sitting on the fence eyeing off the seed.  Then he jumped down and had a closer look, then to my delight he jumped up onto the dish and started eating the seed!  I was stupidly happy.  I got a very bad shot of him through the slat blinds in the lounge room, I didn't want to walk outside and scare him off.

They are beautiful birds, the female is looking a bit worse for wear from sitting on the nest through rain and shine, poor thing.

 

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