#easyteam Peach Ploughman's Salad

Ice burg lettuce can be transformed from being a 'Water Mitty' (ie weak) of ingredients, you can transform this sometimes sodden member of the salad family into an exciting and salivating dish. It doesn't require any cooking its a cold dish , I have seen lettuce cooked but I'm not sure if that works ?

Having been in the good ole USA for the past two weeks I have had countless dining experiences, I have more steaks and seafood than you can shake a Cinnamon stick at. Its exciting and invigorating at first but then the American portions gets to you and the insistence that you have a dessert after each meal can leave you hankering for the simple life.

When I ordered a Chicken pesto salad in Florida I was expecting exactly than but alas no , it was a gorgeous pesto chicken but I think the salad was being held captive in the chefs kitchen.

So when I got back to the UK I was on a mission to get back to controlled eating but I wished to extend my taste buds.

So I bought some peaches peeled a peach.. or is it skinned. any way I took the flesh of the thing and then preceded to use a potato peeler to create strips of peach into a dish. I then sprinkled a small amount of Himalayan pink salt on the peach strips, I used two peaches for this.

I left the salted peaches in the fridge for around an hour or so . I shredded the lettuce, and then added the salted peach to it and lightly tossed it. I then added other sale items such as cucumber, snacking tomatoes and cheese, chicken ham and leek pie, and the obligatory dollop of pickle turning the salad into a Ploughman's lunch of sorts.

I am one of three lucky people to be selected as a brand amassador for Zanussi #Easyteam. I am looking forward to the opportunities it will bring and the experiences that I will learn.

I am on a constant drive to improve my cooking and trying new recipes. Cooking doesn't have to be a fearful experience.

Sheep Cat

Dear Rollie cat,

I don't remember owning a sheep, hours of solid grooming and I have enough fur to weave a jumper. And yes I've looked on Amazon and there's a book on weaving with cat fur. I won't be buying it despite there be a credit crunch about !

There's something wrong in life if I spend £20 on cat hair products... Never did I think I would spent more on your hair/fur than mine!

I am sorry I didn't buy the Paul Mitchell branded detangling spray. But I'm sure you'll be tickerty boo with the pretty kitty de tangling spray instead.

Yours lovingly 

Your owner 

PS The cuts have stop bleeding now.

PPS Are cats meant to bark ?

Silent Sunday 8

Starting School : Preparing Your Child For School

Starting School ,Preparing your child for school.

Whether its is because children start school to early , some have just turned 4 when they start school or whether parents or nursery are not preparing children for school. Many are coming to school nowadays without basic skills.

•   They can not dress themselves.

•   They can not cut up their own food.

•   They don't know when to ask for help by putting up their hand.

•   They have no manners.

You need to prepare your child for school in conjunction with your nursery  or any one else involved in your child's care.

•   Visit the nursery or school with your child to give them an opportunity to see what the class does.

•   Explain what will happen during the school day ,: play at school children will love being the teacher!.

•   Read books about starting school.

Reinforce the activities that your child interests and the things they will enjoy " there's be lots of duplo to play with- you love building" or "There's a teddy you can take on holiday!."

Talk about the fun activities you already do at home that will be replicated in school such as painting,drawing,craft activities story time etc.

Before there first day.... well before their first day that is. You might want to check a few things with the school.

•   What's the typical school day.

•   Toilet trained our child where possible- though not a problem if your child has learning delays etc as school will have an intimate care plan in place.

And these tips are the ones that will make your life, your child life much easier at school as it is often the little things that upset them such as not being able to put on their own coat.

•   Try and mimic the timings of the school day where possible "Oh Look it's 12 o' clock the children at school are having their lunch now."

•   Practice doing up buttons and fastening shoes.... Velcro is ideal but as they get older laces are ideal especially as by the time they get to senior school : Velcros trainers  really are not cool.

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•   Practise social skills, such as taking turns, following directions and making choices

•   Visit friends with children or invite other children to play

•   Teach simple  jobs that may be useful at school, such as packing away toys. The teacher doesn't want to break their neck on a stray sheep now do they?

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•   Help your child to recognise his name - most children can't read or write yet, but they may be able to recognise the first letter of their name or even the whole thing

Remember, all these activities should be fun - it's important not to pressurise your child. If you're making your child in the least bit anxious, stop talking about it quite so much.

Air travel The Gin Edition

Air travel is an ubiquitous affair , you want to travel places therefore you have to place yourself in a flying tin can. Air travel has come on leaps and bounds since I travelled as an Infant in a rickety old Dakota from the outer Hebrides to England. Travel promises the world , well of course it does otherwise it wouldn't be travel would it now.

What I see from air travel now is a world I want to immerse myself within , the only time I came close to first class travel was when an air stewardess threw a Gin and Tonic over me resulting in me wearing a pair of first class pyjamas. They were black pyjamas so the slimming effect was on my side there , only problem was they made me look like an escaped convict.

So on my latest jaunt which was to Orlando Florida I experienced a frightening experience it really properly, defiantly , undeniably was not the best idea to watch the film Flight again. If you haven't guessed it already I am a nervous flyer , but I didn't want to watch Bond and the hairy feet film The Hobbit so I plumped for the film that would add to my nerves. There's nothing like facing your fears full on is there now , travelling in a plane you get buffered around like a lightly tossed airline Caesar salad, turbulence is part of air travel . 

But when around 40 minutes of me watching the film flight the seat belt sign came on .. when I am flying I never undo my belt except for the obvious toilet break. We hit turbulence and dropped over 100ft it threw cabin crew off their feet , and it was a very scary moment , i know there will be people with worse.

The flight back what can I say ...

Apparently the beef stew had two pieces of beef in it , my butter milk chicken was chicken korma and the key line pie was verging on the ridiculous. Oh and I thought I 'd try and watch that film again until there was a fire somewhere in Manchester blocking our flight path , resulting in us circling twice think rollercoaster  and that's what it was like.

Do I need to watch the film ?? Flight