Yumo Recipes!!!!!

Using the words of my children (thanks Nan!!!!!) these were Yum Yum Pigs Bum!!!!

Friday nights are takeaway night at our house - but homemade takeaways (our local chippie is INSANELY expensive, the Chinese store has no idea what we are talking about, and we can't be bothered driving the 15mins into town).  We usually rotate between pizza, burgers or fish and chips.

This is the pizza I made on Friday night and it was heavenly if I may say so myself

Apricot Chicken Pizza

Pizza base
1 Onion, chopped
2 slices cooked Bacon, chopped into small pieces
Broccoli florets (don't know how many, but enough to scatter on top)
Dried Apricots chopped (again as many as you like)
500gm Chicken breast
BBQ Gourmet Italiano Seasoning (optional)
Cheese
Smoked Hickory sauce
Oregano
Salt

Cut the chicken breast into small cubes.  If using it, toss and coat with seasoning and cook in fry pan.  Set aside.

Either chop or slice onion (I used red onion, but you can use either).  Cook bacon and chop into small pieces.  Chop the broccoli florets into smaller heads and cook for 4 mins.  Drain really well.  Chop apricots into pieces.

To assemble;

Scatter on onion, then chicken - spread out evenly.  Fill in holes with bacon and scatter around broccoli and apricots.  Cover with enough cheese so that when it melts it will hold the other ingredients together, and stick to the base.  I use a mixture of Colby cheese, Tasty and Parmesan (the latter two I have pre grated in the freezer).

Sprinkle over some dried Oregano and salt, then add a swirl of the sauce on top.  Cook in hot oven till golden.


Notes
I buy the pre sauced Romano bases for my pizzas now.  I am so far into the LOSER breadmaker category its not funny.  And lets face it who can be bothered when you can get them pre-sauced (and if you are like me, delivered to your front door).

Hickory Sauce

We have a pizza stone which is fabulous.  To use it I preheat my oven to 250c (with the stone in it), then my pizzas usually only take 8 mins to cook.  Highly recommend them.


Recipe #2

Roast Veges with a twist

Cube all veges quite chunky

1/2 Squash
3 Courgettes
2 Red Capsicums
1/2 Fennel Bulb
1 Red Onion, cut into wedges - leave the end on.
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper

Light roasting veges (e.g asparagus, mushrooms)

Dressing
1 can Chickpeas
1 tsp cumin
Juice of a lemon
3Tbsp Oil
Bunch of Coriander
Feta (optional)

Chop all veges into chunky pieces (you can use any veges for roasting - I had no courgettes so used carrots instead).

Put veges in a roasting dish and drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkle over a good portion of sea salt and pepper.  Cook for 20mins at 220c.  If using light veges toss them through and continue cooking for another 20 mins.

Drain chickpeas and add to boiling water (just to heat through).

Mix remaining dressing ingredients together and set aside.

When veges have finished, mix through drained chickpeas and dressing.  If you like it sprinkle with Feta cheese.

Yummiest veges EVER

Home @ 67

11.00am

The holiday that wasn't

Dear Crazy 2

This week has been hideous.  Thankfully as you are so young you probably won't remember it which is good.  But for me, I will remember it for a long time.

Monday morning you and I set off for the hospital to have your tonsil and adenoid surgery.  We were excited - you more than me.  We think in your mind you thought you were going on holiday.  You were REALLY excited.  I was excited as we had been waiting a year for it to come and it meant that you would no longer snore and struggle with sleep apnea.

We set off to the hospital at 6.45am - thankfully you hadn't yet thought about your usual 4 Weetbix for breakfast.  The whole way there you were amazed at all the lights and trying to work out why you were in the car in your jammies and it was dark outside.

At the hospital things changed - you changed from positive to negative.  It started when we had to take off your favourite dinosaur jammies and trade for the 'lovely' hospital gown.  After a big struggle I got it on.  But then came the name bracelet and numbing cream for your hands.  I felt terrible as there was nothing I could do to put your heart and mind at ease, other than try to talk to you through your tears.  You did stop though when I had to dress in my lovely yellow gown and hairnet.

Then we were off to theatre.  I could see the fear in your eyes as we left as you thought I was leaving you, but then the novelty of riding on a bed kicked in.  When we reached the outer room of theatre,  you still had a look of 'whats going on here'??  That was until they opened the doors to theatre and we saw all the equipment and the lights.  I said to you it was a space ship - but you just laughed at me.

We rolled you in and moved on to the operating table.  I was a nervous wreck, and you were excited to see lots of tv screens!!!  Mr Rorrison gave you the strawberry smelling gas mask and you started breathing into it like you were a spaceman.  The doctors were impressed by how well you were doing.  Then as the gas started to kick in, you got a bit twitchy and tried to take it off.  At the time I thought you were breathing in just oxygen but it was the sleeping gas.  I didn't realise that you were so close to being KO'd that it too be by surprise and I started to panic.  Your eyes were partly open but you were lifeless - I thought you were dead.  After a few tears and kisses I had to go, but knew you were having your first deep sleep of your life.

For an hour Nan and I waited and waited.  The nurses said if you woke in the recovery room o.k. they would get us on their way to the Childrens Ward, but if you were quite upset they would need me in the recovery room.  Needless to say when they came looking I started to worry.  You had woken up in a bad state.  You were upset, disoriented, and scared - it wasn't the holiday you had imagined.  Again I felt helpless as there was nothing I could do to help you.

What we didn't know at the time was you IV line for your pain relief had fallen out, so I am guessing you were in agony.  After some liquid Morphine, you settled enough to be able to lie on the bed quietly.  We were moved through to the Childrens Ward where you fell asleep listening to Nan tell you about a story of the farm.  This is when my tears returned - you were asleep but I couldn't hear you breathing.  The improvement was instant!!!  You weren't snoring and your chest wasting heaving in with each breath.  For the next hour and a half you drifted in and out of sleep.

The nurse said when you woke, we wouldn't recognise you.  She was right.  After some Pamol and a small tub of ice cream you were out of bed, climbing on the chair to see out the window and ready to play.  Nan and I watched you eat a sandwich - I think we did more grimacing than you!!!!  You were like a hoover sucking them down - you must have been starving!!!! Once you had some food in you, you picked up even more - so much so that Pop was questioning whether you had had the operation or not!

We were allowed to come home that night and you got stuck into your daily dose of Weetbix and then were ready for bed.  Dad and I had a few chuckles watching you sleep as we now couldn't hear a thing!!!!  We were amazed.

The next few days were pretty rough for you as you tried to cope with the pain while not being able to eat most of your favourite foods.  You also didn't like not being able to go outside and got a bit restless not being able to do too much. 

Things can only get better for you bud!!!

Dad and I are so proud of you!  You haven't once complained through the day that your throat was sore.  Even when you have obviously been in pain you have always shared a smile or cuddle with us.  We love you to bits and so thankful it is nearly all behind us - we certainly don't want to go through it again any time soon.

Love Mum