Silent Sunday-01/12/2013
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Romanian Apple Pie
Pregnant women and cravings? Definitely, in my case!
I had some weird cravings recently: on Saturday I was seized by an indomitable desire for…hotdogs. I had to have them and I had to have them FAST! So fast that Alex had to do a detour (fortunately, we were out) and drive me to our local Tesco’s to get baps and hotdogs which were devoured as soon as we got home. The whole pack!!
Today I was in the mood for Romanian food. I had cottage cheese and polenta then for dessert chocolate milk with chunks of fresh bread in it (don’t ask why but we used to drink the stuff by the bucket when we were kids). But since my mum had been telling me about an apple pie she had made last week, I decided to make my own version tonight!
Ingredients:
filo pastry
12 small apples
fruit and nut mix
brown sugar
cinnamon and/or allspice
orange juice (for soaking the dried fruit)
olive or coconut oil (for the filo pastry)
butter (for the baking tray)
Method:
First, soak your fruit and nuts in about 100 ml of pure orange juice. The more it seeps in it, the better the flavour.
Second, grate your apples. I needed around 3 apples per pastry roll but you can add less or more, according to your preference.
Spread out a clean kitchen towel and set a sheet of filo on top. Pour some olive oil (about a tablespoon) or rub some coconut oil over it. Repeat the process twice then add your grated apple, some of the soaked fruit and nuts, a sprinkle of cinnamon and about two tablespoons of brown sugar spread evenly to cover the apple mix. Roll tightly and set onto buttered baking sheet in baking tray.
Repeat four times. Place rolls into preheated oven. Bake at 200 degrees for about 45-60 minutes until filo pastry is brownish.
Allow to cool then serve with ice-cream, a sprinkling of sugar, ground nuts or as it is. It will be equally delicious. Guaranteed by the pregnant lady :-)!
Before You Were Born Meme
I was tagged by My Mills Baby with the lovely idea of a “life before the children” meme.
I will try and answer the questions proposed as accurately as I can 🙂
1. What was your favourite holiday destination and why?
We went on two cruises before we had Emma. Actually, I was three months pregnant on the second so technically, one and a half cruises :-). I really enjoyed our first cruise. The intimacy of the small cabin, the playfulness and naughtiness induced by the late-night free drinks. The sense of adventure given by the arrival in a new port/country every morning. The carefree feeling of pampered, laid back holidays with your loved one. The late breakfasts, sumptuous dinners and walks in sun-bathed locations. The relaxation!
2. What is your funniest memory pre-children?
Oh, dear, hubby will be embarrassed by this one. ..We got married in Romania a few days before Christmas and decided to celebrate our holidays/honeymoon there. The Christmas Eve we were invited to my mum’s village, to visit relatives. We were offered home-made drinks and cold meats which hubby was too polite to refuse..Long story short, we spend the early hours of our first Christmas day together in the A&E, with a very unsympathetic doctor. I still remember her telling Alex he would have been better off if he was “the puking type”…Took him two days to recover. A great start to our marriage, right ;-)?
3. What was your favourite thing to do in the evening?
Oh, dear, watch TV!! I used to watch all these documentaries and series, I haven’t watched anything systematically in the last 4 years. Oh, I lie, I did watch “Call the Midwife” on catch-up TV but I have lost the “right” to access any of my favourite programs while little girl is awake.
4. What hobbies do you have that you can no longer do?
Well, I still love reading and I haven’t lost the habit. Actually, I remember the utter shock I had in the first weeks after having Emma of not being able to read at the speed I used to( I think it took me around a whole week to read through a Tesco magazine!) but I have learned to read at night and I still go through around 100 books per year on average.
5. What do you think you took for granted before having children?
My freedom! Doing what you feel like it, when you feel like it! Now, it all has to be carefully planned, prioritised, risk of meltdown-assessed and then carefully fulfilled. And I am taking here about simple things like a girls’ night out, a grocery trip and sometimes even a trip to the loo 🙂
So who am I going to tag next?
Sara, @Mumturnedmom
Kim, @Northumberlandmam
Emily, @AMummyToo
Otilia, @RomanianMum
Vicki, @HonestMum
Silent Sunday: 23/11/2013
Book Review: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
A few weeks back (or more) I was visiting the local library with Emma when I noticed this book featured on a prominent entrance shelf. I was drawn to and intrigued by the idea as the book came with a special, The ONE Book bookmark where the back is left blank for people to fill in and return to the library with their impressions. The bookmark had also a couple of links and details for YourHealthInMind website which made me even more intrigued and curious for a nosey.
Boy, am I glad I picked it! I have read over 100 books this year but this made the most optimistic and invigorating read I had in absolute ages!
An absolute gem of a book centered around the “ordinary” story of a retiree which turns extraordinary by one simple choice: his decision to visit an old friend dying of cancer…Layer upon layer of significance, pain and then redemption and healing are brought upon by Stephen Fry’s spontaneous decision to take a walk across the country to see his friend for the last time. Lives are changed, behavioural patterns are challenged and finally modified. Human character is revealed simply and beautifully, in all its beauty, ridiculousness, tenacity, vulnerability and humour. All in one brilliantly well written, easy to read and deceptively simplistic story line.
I rarely talk about my reads with hubby. But The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry provoked some of the deepest, most meaningful conversations we had post-children :-). And if I was to pick one single thing I found most encouraging in the book is the possibility of redemption, reconciliation and hope even after a tragedy that shatters a family into shards.
YourHealthInMind has a wealth of information for people struggling and being affected (directly or indirectly) by mental illness. It also has a page that features, among other useful links and resources, mood-boosting book links. If like me, you have been affected by depression but find relief in reading, here is a good place to start, books that give you hope and joy and lift your spirits!
Mama's Haven 