The course was very good. The speaker was charismatic, funny, interesting - all of which created a great atmosphere and a very receptive audience.
However, now I'm several steps back from it all I wonder quite what is different from the way we do things already most of the time. It will be interesting to hear the reflective comments from my colleagues tomorrow. And also what extra work we will have to undertake as an outcome.
I wonder . . .
Monday, 31 January 2011
Monday morning
. . . and it's a non-pupil day today. All of us, TAs, LSAs, teachers, are off to the Waterfront (a local conferencing centre) for a day's training and 'networking' with staff from other local schools. The subject is 'Behaviour for Learning': there's some stuff on the Internet about it and it looks as if it's going to be both interesting and useful.
It's going to be a funny old week, in fact. Tomorrow is PPA and then coordinator time, Wednesday is the last half hour of PPA ( plus Makaton training after school) and on Thursday I am out in the morning on another training thing. Friday is my SEN day. And that's the week gone again.
Also I have a very dear friend coming tomorrow to stay for a couple of nights. It's a shame I have to be at school, but it will be fantastic to see her in the evenings.
Well, I'd better get going. We're car sharing today and I have to be round at Tina's at half past eight!
It's going to be a funny old week, in fact. Tomorrow is PPA and then coordinator time, Wednesday is the last half hour of PPA ( plus Makaton training after school) and on Thursday I am out in the morning on another training thing. Friday is my SEN day. And that's the week gone again.
Also I have a very dear friend coming tomorrow to stay for a couple of nights. It's a shame I have to be at school, but it will be fantastic to see her in the evenings.
Well, I'd better get going. We're car sharing today and I have to be round at Tina's at half past eight!
Sunday, 30 January 2011
Sunday evening and a link to a great recipe
I made just about the most delicious loaf of soda bread I've ever made this afternoon. It is the recipe that was on Baking Made Easy a couple of weeks ago and it's scrummy. Here's the link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/soda_bread_41394
The only thing I did extra was this: I'm sure I remember that she had some water in the oven to keep the baking environment steamy, so I did the same - actually she tossed some ice cubes into a baking tray at the bottom, I think, but I just poured in some boiling water. It's not mentioned on the recipe.
It made a huge loaf - DD, DG and I had half of it for tea and the other half is in two quarters now and in the freezer. DD was supposed to take one chunk home with her but she left it behind.
Definitely I will be making this again, starting in a fortnight when the family again descends on Chelmsford for a family lunch. I might make it a bread, ham and cheese buffet this time! A sort of posh ploughman's. Soda bread, 'artisan' oaty bread, cheesy scones - mmmmmm, it does sound good and not too tricky either.
EDIT: I wuz rong! The ice cubes/steam thingy was for the Grant loaf (another wonderful bread to add to my list for the buffet) but it worked so very well I will continue to do it when I make soda bread.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/soda_bread_41394
The only thing I did extra was this: I'm sure I remember that she had some water in the oven to keep the baking environment steamy, so I did the same - actually she tossed some ice cubes into a baking tray at the bottom, I think, but I just poured in some boiling water. It's not mentioned on the recipe.
It made a huge loaf - DD, DG and I had half of it for tea and the other half is in two quarters now and in the freezer. DD was supposed to take one chunk home with her but she left it behind.
Definitely I will be making this again, starting in a fortnight when the family again descends on Chelmsford for a family lunch. I might make it a bread, ham and cheese buffet this time! A sort of posh ploughman's. Soda bread, 'artisan' oaty bread, cheesy scones - mmmmmm, it does sound good and not too tricky either.
EDIT: I wuz rong! The ice cubes/steam thingy was for the Grant loaf (another wonderful bread to add to my list for the buffet) but it worked so very well I will continue to do it when I make soda bread.
Sunday afternoon and a recipe
The lentil and cheese wedge is absolutely gorgeous so here is what I did.
Ingredients
8oz red lentils (must be red - OK, orange - as they need to cook to a mush)
375 plus mls stock (I bunged in a good spoonful of Marigold low sodium bouillon and then added water as needed, starting off with 375 mls. I found it required more . . .
One finely chopped onion, softened in a little oil or butter. I did this, but I reckon you could cook the chopped onions with the lentils in the stock and pass on the oil.
4oz extra strong mature cheddar, grated
1 beaten egg
seasonings. I used vegetarian friendly Worcestershire sauce, a dollop of Dijon mustard, some tabasco and some black pepper. Check before adding any salt as I find even the low sodium powder is salty enough for me now that I've stopped cooking my vegetables in salt, etc. But you could add anything you fancied really. I think curry would be tasty, or herbs.
Method.
Preheat the oven to 180C
Wash and pick over the lentils, then place in a saucepan with the stock powder and 375mls water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer, stirring frequently, until the lentils are fairly soft and the water has been absorbed. Add more water if necessary.
At the same time, cook the chopped onion in a little oil or butter until softening. Or, as I said, cook them with the lentils and save the oil and a messy pan!
Stir the onions into the lentil mixture and allow to cook for a short time.
Then stir in the cheese and seasonings and taste, adjusting seasonings to taste.
Finally, add the beaten egg and mix very well.
Pour the lot into a lightly oiled quiche type dish (mine has a loose bottom) and bake for about 35 mins until firm.
The recipe says to serve six.
I've made it and had a slice (I cut it into eight so the slices are small) - well, I had to, didn't I? It's delicious!
It's vegetarian but not vegan. It could be jazzed up with some cooked meat - ham, bacon, chicken or whatever.
Ingredients
8oz red lentils (must be red - OK, orange - as they need to cook to a mush)
375 plus mls stock (I bunged in a good spoonful of Marigold low sodium bouillon and then added water as needed, starting off with 375 mls. I found it required more . . .
One finely chopped onion, softened in a little oil or butter. I did this, but I reckon you could cook the chopped onions with the lentils in the stock and pass on the oil.
4oz extra strong mature cheddar, grated
1 beaten egg
seasonings. I used vegetarian friendly Worcestershire sauce, a dollop of Dijon mustard, some tabasco and some black pepper. Check before adding any salt as I find even the low sodium powder is salty enough for me now that I've stopped cooking my vegetables in salt, etc. But you could add anything you fancied really. I think curry would be tasty, or herbs.
Method.
Preheat the oven to 180C
Wash and pick over the lentils, then place in a saucepan with the stock powder and 375mls water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer, stirring frequently, until the lentils are fairly soft and the water has been absorbed. Add more water if necessary.
At the same time, cook the chopped onion in a little oil or butter until softening. Or, as I said, cook them with the lentils and save the oil and a messy pan!
Stir the onions into the lentil mixture and allow to cook for a short time.
Then stir in the cheese and seasonings and taste, adjusting seasonings to taste.
Finally, add the beaten egg and mix very well.
Pour the lot into a lightly oiled quiche type dish (mine has a loose bottom) and bake for about 35 mins until firm.
The recipe says to serve six.
I've made it and had a slice (I cut it into eight so the slices are small) - well, I had to, didn't I? It's delicious!
It's vegetarian but not vegan. It could be jazzed up with some cooked meat - ham, bacon, chicken or whatever.
Sunday morning
Oh, my poor head! I did totally the wrong thing and went to bed without a few rehydrating glasses of water and a couple of paracetamols. Now I'm paying for it!! I'm on my third glass of water, my second coffee and the tablets are working their usual magic - and I only have me to blame!
It was a lovely evening despite me dropping and smashing a serving dish with one of the Chinese selections in it. You see, I had been very good and warmed up serving dishes in the oven and just as well too because the food came in those useful plastic containers and there's no way I could have put them on the table top warmers. Just a shame about the chicken whatever-it-was and my dish. As those dishes are so useful (I got a load on ebay and they are pretty fragile - and cheap!) and as I have a Nisbets catalogue, I may very well order a supply of similar and store them away for future use.
I do like to serve my food in dishes rather than bunging it straight on a plate. Maybe that sounds silly and certainly it makes more washing up, but it's all part of the meal 'experience'. Those little dishes are just the thing and I would be sorry not to have them.
I had a productive day yesterday. I made another load of five minute dough which is now sitting in the fridge. I think I will try freezing some of this in small portions and see how it behaves after thawing. It would be jolly useful, if it works.
I also made a chicken recipe I found on the wonderful 'Cottage Smallholder' site: chicken with apricots and garlic. So easy and quite delicious, although I think I would use less garlic next time. I made four portions and they will all go in the freezer with a mental note not to eat it before anything important!!
On WLR I found a recipe for 'cheese and lentil wedge' and I want to make that today: I did think about making it yesterday but didn't really have the time. It's an old Slimming World recipe, apparently; if it's OK I will try to pin it down or post my version of it in here (and if it's not, I won't!). One of my LSAs gave me a recipe for flapjacks and I'd like to make them today too. Dead easy and delicious. All for the freezer!
There's very little to clear up this morning. The dishes will all fit in the dishwasher, the tablecloths will go in the machine, downstairs is tidy anyway and, unusually, I have an early morning with nothing to do. The original plan was to go swimming but it would be highly illegal for me to drive just now, I must still be over the limit (or close to it), so I will go later, perhaps over lunch time when there's not so many there. It's pot roast for dinner today so that will just keep warm and be ready when I get back.
Well, better go and get another glass of water and make another coffee after which I will see if I can get some more shut-eye. I'm decidedly bleary eyed and seem to be going down with the first cold of the year. Sneezes, snuffles and a sore throat.
See you later!
It was a lovely evening despite me dropping and smashing a serving dish with one of the Chinese selections in it. You see, I had been very good and warmed up serving dishes in the oven and just as well too because the food came in those useful plastic containers and there's no way I could have put them on the table top warmers. Just a shame about the chicken whatever-it-was and my dish. As those dishes are so useful (I got a load on ebay and they are pretty fragile - and cheap!) and as I have a Nisbets catalogue, I may very well order a supply of similar and store them away for future use.
I do like to serve my food in dishes rather than bunging it straight on a plate. Maybe that sounds silly and certainly it makes more washing up, but it's all part of the meal 'experience'. Those little dishes are just the thing and I would be sorry not to have them.
I had a productive day yesterday. I made another load of five minute dough which is now sitting in the fridge. I think I will try freezing some of this in small portions and see how it behaves after thawing. It would be jolly useful, if it works.
I also made a chicken recipe I found on the wonderful 'Cottage Smallholder' site: chicken with apricots and garlic. So easy and quite delicious, although I think I would use less garlic next time. I made four portions and they will all go in the freezer with a mental note not to eat it before anything important!!
On WLR I found a recipe for 'cheese and lentil wedge' and I want to make that today: I did think about making it yesterday but didn't really have the time. It's an old Slimming World recipe, apparently; if it's OK I will try to pin it down or post my version of it in here (and if it's not, I won't!). One of my LSAs gave me a recipe for flapjacks and I'd like to make them today too. Dead easy and delicious. All for the freezer!
There's very little to clear up this morning. The dishes will all fit in the dishwasher, the tablecloths will go in the machine, downstairs is tidy anyway and, unusually, I have an early morning with nothing to do. The original plan was to go swimming but it would be highly illegal for me to drive just now, I must still be over the limit (or close to it), so I will go later, perhaps over lunch time when there's not so many there. It's pot roast for dinner today so that will just keep warm and be ready when I get back.
Well, better go and get another glass of water and make another coffee after which I will see if I can get some more shut-eye. I'm decidedly bleary eyed and seem to be going down with the first cold of the year. Sneezes, snuffles and a sore throat.
See you later!
Saturday evening, very late, probably Sunday morning, in reality
. . . and the Witches of Pickwick have had a wonderful evening together. I'm typing very carefully and editing very specifically because I am tanked up with delicious Chinese and white wine.
We have agreed that the next one will be next month and will be a 'bring a low calorie thingy' event. Sounds good to me!
I am so glad that my social life seems to be picking up.
We have agreed that the next one will be next month and will be a 'bring a low calorie thingy' event. Sounds good to me!
I am so glad that my social life seems to be picking up.
Saturday, 29 January 2011
Saturday evening
In the local poaper this week there was some exciting news. Exciting, that is, to those of us who like shopping. We're getting a John Lewis in Chelmsford. Yippeee. Not only that. but Waitrose are looking for a site too. They must be kicking themselves: we used to have a Waitrose, but they pulled out and Wilkinsons took over the site. Now they want to get back in again.
I do love John Lewis. I always get my deep fitted sheets from them, mail order. I will be able to get them direct from the shop! Excellent!
I do love John Lewis. I always get my deep fitted sheets from them, mail order. I will be able to get them direct from the shop! Excellent!
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