#BFF becomes #BFW

#BFF is sadly no more. Amazing son number 1 is now out every Friday evening at a "yoof group". So #BFF has had to move to a Wednesday. Making it #BFW obviously.

Today we had pulled pork with spicy carrot salad, and BBQ sauce which was a combination of 2 different recipes (this one and this one) because I couldn't decide which one I preferred. Oh, and homemade hummus which I made up as I went along. Basically, chick peas, tahini, olive oil, yoghurt, garlic, salt and pepper. And I also made tortilla wraps to eat everything in. Because I felt like it and was obviously avoiding the housework or ironing. And we had cake - my version of St Clement's cupcakes as I have decided I really don't like buttercream icing. Definitely housework avoidance issues.

Everything was guzzled before I had time to remember to take a photograph. But it was tasty and the boys are all happy. Good job because we will be eating leftovers tomorrow.

I've also just finished putting together the outfit amazing son number 2 will be wearing to school tomorrow as part of Book Week. We compromised agreed on him going as Wally from the Where's Wally books as I thought it would be fairly straight forward to do. Who would have thought that finding a red and white striped top or hat would prove so problematic. Admittedly I only started looking today, and he is meant to be wearing it tomorrow. Will I ever learn? So the top is red and grey, and the hat definitely not red and white. I think I am better at cakes than costumes.

Crunchy Carrot Salad

This is a new favourite in our family. Instead of coleslaw I make this and it is so much nicer. Plus it has chillies in it which is ALWAYS a good thing. It never lasts very long so I always make a huge bowl. Although I think that just encourages us to eat more instead of having lots left over. Here's how to make it.

What You Need:

• lots of grated carrots
• some spring onions finely sliced
• sunflower seeds
• pumpkin seeds
• raisins or sultanas or whatever dried fruit you fancy
• fresh coriander finely chopped
• several chillies finely sliced
• lime juice
• olive oil
• honey

What You Do:

1. Mix the carrots, spring onions, seeds, dried fruit, coriander and chillies in a large bowl. I leave the chilli seeds in, makes mealtimes a little more exciting - you never know who will be the first to bite a chilli seed.

2. In another container whisk together the lime juice, olive oil and honey according to taste. We like lots of lime juice, nice and zingy.

3. Pour over the dressing and mix well. Taste (just one spoonful mind) and add more of whichever ingredient you fancy.

4. Try not to eat all in one sitting - this will keep well for a few days in the fridge. I think it tastes better on day 2. I can't tell you if it is even better still on day 3, we've never had any left by then.

One of Your Five Drizzle Cake

Sorry to say, there will be no photographs of the peanut butter 'Fudged Fudge'. It simply didn't last long enough because it was too scrumptiously tempting - chocolatey, creamy, fudgey, nutty perfection. Ahem. Even if I do say so myself.


I've not been feeling so well over the last week - but you could tell I started to feel better this afternoon as I actually did some cooking after 9 days of living off the freezer and the generosity of the lovely friend (the same friend who brought me my Raffles Earl Grey tea back from Singapore - she is really, really lovely!). Ok, so dinner for everyone was from the freezer stockpile (that is looking a little low now) but I have baked a cake!


Due to a glut of overripe bananas, some old carrots and some slightly wrinkly courgettes (due to the no-cooking-for-9-days thing) I have made a cake by mashing and grating these, with some sunflower and pumpkin seeds thrown in too. I also haven't been to the shops for a while, so the rest of the ingredients were cobbled together so we will have to see if it works........


1/3 cup melted butter
4 mashed up overripe bananas
1 grated courgette
2 grated carrots
1 cup of golden caster sugar
1 cup of soft brown sugar
2 cups semolina flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp ground ginger
1/3 cup sunflower oil
3 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup sunflower seeds

1. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees centigrade

2. Melt the butter and then mix in a large bowl with the mashed bananas, grated carrots and courgette

3. Stir in the sugars well, followed by the flours, the baking powder and the ground ginger

4. Stir in the oil and the beaten eggs, followed by the pumpkin and sunflower seeds

5. Pour into a large square baking tray - my preferred one is silicone as there is no need to grease or line it

6. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 50-60 minutes, or until you are sure it is cooked through when a skewer comes out clean

7. Once you remove from the oven poke holes with the skewer all over the cake......you'll see why as you read on......


I also decided to do a crunchy lemon drizzle topping - but only had 1 very old lemon which barely yielded any juice. So I added the juice of 3 pretty ropey oranges, grated some fresh ginger (which wasn't all that fresh!) and heated this to dissolve the last 1/4 of a jar of lemon curd before letting it cool. Once cool I added in about 150g golden caster sugar and poured it over the skewered cake. 

Now all that is needed is some patience while the cake cools and the topping (hopefully!) goes crunchy (as it should!!) and an open mind when tasting it! We'll see what the husband and sons think, and I'll try to post a photograph or two. If nothing else, we will all have had one of our five portions of fruit or vegetables for the day after eating a slice of this cake!