Sunday, 26 February 2023

What's Cooking At The Madhouse ? menu plan week 9


Tomorrow I'm back to work and I really don't feel like I've had a fortnight off ! I did manage to finish pretty much everything I had planned though, which was mainly stripping the wallpaper and repainting the walls. Unfortunately, I haven't had time to tidy up and put everything back as it should be though, so this afternoon (hopefully !) will involve carting piles of books back to shelves, putting picture frames back on the walls and throwing the hoover around. We stuck to the menu plan for most of the week, but the girls have been pootling about doing stuff and staying at Sophie's flat so several of the meals ended up just for two, which means they lasted two days for me and Pierre. The recipes that I didn't make will go back on the plan for next week, as I have the ingredients already bought. We loved the Chicken Brunswick Stew, which was actually really simple to make. The Pork Jambalaya was pretty good too but Juliette wasn't keen on the spices. I can't believe we're into March next week. Next job - sort out the patio so we can enjoy the sun ! 

Monday

lunch- canteen for me, leftovers for the kids

dinner - pork casserole with pasta

Tuesday

lunch- canteen for me, leftovers for the kids

dinner-  chicken in a pot with lemon & thyme dumplings (Ainsley Harriott, p74) and rice

Wednesday

lunch- chicken and chorizo traybake (with new potatoes)

dinner- pasta carbonara

Thursday

lunch - lunch with friends, leftovers for the kids

dinner- corned beef & potato pie with beans

Friday

lunch- canteen for me, leftovers for the kids

dinner - chicken pie with carrot mash, peas & potatoes (Jamie's 30 minute meals, p90)

Saturday



Sunday 

lunch- sticky chicken with rice

dinner- steak sarnie & crispy new potatoes (Jamie's 30 minute meals, p200) with salad

***Click on my Menu Plans tag to see all my other weekly menu plan blogposts.***

Tuesday, 21 February 2023

Book review : Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six - Lisa Unger


The title of Lisa Unger's latest novel - Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six - sounds vaguely like an Airbnb advert. It's bland, benign, unworrying, appealing to anyone with a busy life who wants a much-needed chance to get away from it all for a while. It settles you into a (false) sense of security, imagining a nice break in the woods, surrounded by birdsong, clean air and the soothing scent of pine.

This was undoubtedly the thinking behind a weekend getaway, booked in a luxury cabin in the woods for a group of friends. High flier Mako has paid for it all and, alongside his wife Liza, they have invited his sister Hannah and her husband Bruce, alongside Hannah's best friend (and Mako's ex/bit on the side, just to add some extra tension), Cricket and her new boyfriend. What could possibly go wrong ?!

Well, quite a lot really, but not in the ways I was expecting ! Bruce and Hannah have a baby daughter and this is the first time that they are leaving her behind for some us-time. Hannah is unsurprisingly ill-at-ease about how her daughter will get on without her. Liza seems on-edge too, so nobody is sure if her sudden migraine is real or just a handy excuse to spend some time alone in her room. Then there's Cricket's boyfriend. Hannah is sure she knows him from somewhere, but where ?

With a severe storm rolling in and the mobile phone signal at best very glitchy, even the hot tub and the private chef aren't enough to have everyone feeling relaxed. What's with the spine-tingling stories of the cabin's past? And the slightly intrusive rental host who has the women feeling unsettled ? Then they have the off feeling that someone is watching them from the woods ...

It's a book that has you nervously nibbling your nails as you proceed, trying to work out who the bad guys are and who are just the hapless victims who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. All of the characters are described in the early chapters as having a character flaw or a personality that leads you to think that they could be a secret serial killer or stalker. The over-anxious mum, the insecure wife, the secretive husband, ... Ultimately, I thought I had it all sorted out in my mind but I was completely wrong !

This is Lisa Unger's twentieth novel so I think I may have to go looking for some more. I did review one other, In The Blood, on my blog and I was surprised to see that that was almost ten years ago - wow ! 

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £8.99

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Legend Press (28 Feb. 2023)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1915643988
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1915643988


Disclosure : I received a review copy of the book.

Sunday, 19 February 2023

What's Cooking At The Madhouse ? menu plan week 8


This week was a busy week but at least I managed to cross a couple of things off my to-do list. The bathroom got completely dejunked and tidied so it looks much better now. I also managed to redecorate the landing, which involved taking all the big heavy books off the book shelf. This meant that I could finally get rid off the totally trashed mat that the dog had half shredded (that was stuck under the heavy bookcase) so that looked instantly better. After stripping the wallpaper and painting the walls (a tougher job than I had imagined!), we sorted through the books and put aside half of them to get rid off. I still have another week's holiday to do the top landing which involves another (but luckily smaller) bookshelf. It looks so much better now that it's done, so I can't wait to finish the rest. Despite everything that got done around the house, we still stayed on plan for most of the week's meals which was pretty amazing ! This week, I've been digging through some of the recipe books that I uncovered on my bookshelf. I may end up falling back on 5 minute pasta and a jar of sauce if I'm knackered after doing the decorating though !

Monday

lunch- Super-fast beef hash with jacket potatoes (Jamie's 30 minute meals, p210)

dinner - cashew-stuffed pork chops (p68, Best of America) with pasta

Tuesday

lunch- Jimmy's chicken chompers (Ainsley Harriott, p22) with mash & beans (or leftover pasta)

dinner- chicken Brunswick stew (Best of America, p26) with rice

Wednesday

lunch- chicken pie with carrot mash, peas & potatoes (Jamie's 30 minute meals, p90)

dinner- pork jambalaya (p67, Best of America)

Thursday

lunch - sounds like a leftovers day to me :)

dinner- hamburgers for the kids, crispy salmon for me (Jamie's 30 minute meals, p191) with coleslaw & potato croquettes

Friday

lunch- pasta carbonara

dinner - chicken in a pot with lemon & thyme dumplings (Ainsley Harriott, p74) and boiled potatoes

Saturday

lunch- I can see us heading into town and grabbing something there

dinner- steak sarnie & crispy new potatoes (Jamies 30 minute meals, p200)

Sunday 

lunch- roast chicken, roast potatoes, veg & gravy

dinner- toast or leftovers (or maybe even homemade soup if we had a whole chicken)

***Click on my Menu Plans tag to see all my other weekly menu plan blogposts.***

Sunday, 12 February 2023

What's Cooking At The Madhouse ? menu plan week 7


I didn't make a menu plan last week. On Monday, I got home from work, went to check what I was supposed to be cooking for tea and went "oops, I never did my menu plan this week" ! Oh well, we survived with going rogue for a week ! This week, we're on holiday - yippee ! It's not going to be restful though as I have loads to do around the house (dejunking, tidying and decorating). We did get our roof fixed - at last ! They replaced the big metal strip across the top of the roof but didn't replace the five tiles that were blown off. Apparently it's all perfectly sealed though. Now I'm getting back on to the insurance for the final bits and I finally had the bill to put in for the repayment - phew ! I've put in for Sophie's ceiling too as the water came through but we can repaint that ourselves. This week's menu plan may be totally abandoned as I'll be busy doing stuff around the house and also, because it's Juliette's birthday - 18 years old. Blimey ! She's gone off to Sophie's and they're going to Brussels for the day to visit the Van Gogh Experience and the Lego museum. I'm pretty sure there's a night out planned too ! I always like to have something planned though as it makes it easier when I go shopping. Here's this week's plan ...

Monday

lunch- Cajun chicken with rice (and onions/red peppers/cherry tomatoes)

dinner - beef & noodles

Tuesday

lunch- maybe leftovers, if not beefburger & couscous with mushroom gravy

dinner- pork filet mignon with cream & mushrooms and pasta

Wednesday

lunch- I think there will be leftovers to use up

dinner- chicken casserole (mushrooms, onions, carrots) and mash

Thursday

lunch - chicken burgers in buns with homemade coleslaw (and homemade chips if the kids are extra hungry)

dinner- paprika pork with rice

Friday

lunch- meatball subs (in the leftover burger buns) 


Saturday

lunch- the fridge should be full of leftovers again

dinner- roast chicken leg in yellow bean sauce (using up things from past Degustaboxes so we'll see what it tastes like !) with rice

Sunday 

lunch- roast chicken, roast potatoes, veg & gravy (or it may end up being a meal out for Juliette's birthday)

dinner- bacon sandwiches

***Click on my Menu Plans tag to see all my other weekly menu plan blogposts.***

Wednesday, 1 February 2023

Degustabox January 2023 review : Breakfast & Brunch


January is the season of New Year's resolutions, which, for many people, involve watching what they eat and drink, cutting down on calories, sugar and alcohol. The January Degustabox often has a healthy eating theme but this year, it's all changed. This month's box has a Breakfast & Brunch theme. Sounds very tasty. Let's go and investigate what's in the box !

 

Dorset Cereals Simply Delicious Muesli (RRP £3.39) offers a tasty way to start the day and it's relatively healthy as it also contains no added sugar, is high in fibre and vegan-friendly. This muesli contains juicy dates, seeds and crunchy brazils, which add some nice texture and flavour. Lovely for breakfast, topped with milk or yogurt.

Hip Oat Milk Chocolate (RRP £1.50) is a plant-based, plastic-free chocolate brand that I'd never heard of before. According to the information on the card, Hip chocolate was born out of a desire to to eat high-quality, tasty, creamy vegan chocolate, produced in an ethical and planet friendly way without compromising on taste. This Salted Caramel bar was a big hit with the whole family, especially when you add in the eco-friendly feel-good factor.


Fitbakes Millionaire Cake (RRP £1.50) is a fluffy vanilla sponge, covered with a layer of sugar-free caramel (is that even a thing ?!) and milk chocolate. As well as being low in sugar (90% less than regular snacks), it is high in protein so I passed this over to Pierre, who is trying to build up his muscles through sport and eating more protein. He declared it delicious and I have to say, as a snack under 100 calories, I was impressed. It's also a vegetarian-friendly option.

 

Hellmann's Vegan Mayo (RRP £2.60) is the vegan-friendly version of the popular mayonnaise. I have a jar in the fridge, bought by Sophie, alongside the regular mayo that I usually buy and I always grab it by accident and forget that it's the vegan version. The taste and texture taste identical to me so it's an easy swap if you want to switch to a plant-based option.

Leon Mango'ed Ketchup (RRP £2.65) is this month's Product of the Month. Created using cumin, mango and sun-dried tomatoes, this is the renamed version of the old Tomango Ketchup. Sadly our bottle smashed in transit so we couldn't try it. Well, I admit, I did dip a finger in it and was impressed !


Human Nature Hot Jalapeño & Lime Flavour Lentil Sticks (RRP £2) are a vegan-friendly,  protein-rich snack (each pack contains 13g of protein) that promises to help the planet as for each pack sold, a tree is planted. Made with red lentils, onions, lemon, spices and real jalapeños, they are very hot - too hot for me ! I passed them on to Pierre as they have a lot of protein in them and he enjoys dipping them in cream cheese to cool them down ! Also available are Smoky BBQ Flavour Pea Rings and Caramelised Onion Flavour Pea Rings.


Knorr Chicken Stock Pots (RRP £1.65) are great for tossing into the slow cooker or a casserole to add a boost of flavour. They are gluten-free and made using sustainably sourced ingredients. They are so quick and simple to use, they're perfect for midweek meals when you're short on time and the rich flavour is delicious.

 

Swizzels Scrumptious Sweets (RRP £1.90) are a great variety pack full of family favourites - Love Hearts, Parma Violets, Refreshers, Fizzers, Lollies and newly reformulated Drumstick Lollies, which mean that Scrumptious Sweets can now join the brand's already extensive vegan range. All our favourites - yum !

Moma Oat Barista (RRP £1.90) is a carefully crafted oat drink that pairs perfectly with coffee. It is made in the UK with British oats and is fortified with vitamins D3, B2 and B12. Fully foamable and non splitting, it is not made from concentrate.


Another product from the same brand, Moma Jumbo Oat Porridge (RRP £1.15) is a gluten-free, vegan-friendly breakfast or snack option. Just add hot water, stir, wait for 3-5 minutes then it's ready to enjoy. The almond butter and salted caramel flavour is delicious and it's such a quick and simple tummy filler, perfect for the cold weather.


Ryvita Currant Seed & Oat Fruit Crunch (RRP £1.99) is a lovely option for snack-time or a light lunch. Just top with chocolate spread, yogurt, honey, jam or fruit then tuck in ! Despite its sweet flavour, the Madhouse kids have even been known to top it with chicken ham and declare it delicious ! We all love the crunchy texture.

 A subscription to Degustabox costs £12.99 per month including delivery, with each box having a value of much more than that, but the great news is, I have a discount coupon code for you which means you'll get the first box for just £9.99 - enter code PKUFE at the checkout. 

for more information :

Also now on Instagram @DegustaboxUK

Disclosure : We received the box in order to write an honest review. As a Degustabox blogger, I receive all of the products that go into the monthly boxes, but subscribers may not get exactly the same selection.

Sunday, 29 January 2023

What's Cooking At The Madhouse ? menu plan week 5


I walked down the street earlier today and said to Sophie, "woohoo, my foot isn't hurting any more and I can breathe properly" ! It might not seem like much but for me, that makes a big difference to day-to-day life ! Little health niggles that have been going on for a while - so long in fact that I've just got used to them. Well, on to a new lease of life ! I have big plans to get things organised in the house on my upcoming two weeks of holidays. I need to finish redecorating the hallway - we hit a block with the bits of wallpaper halfway up the stairs that we can't reach. Well, I'll come up with a solution and finish that off then finish the repainting. The roof is FINALLY supposed to be getting repaired next week- woohoo ! I can then sort out Sophie's room (some water came in through the roof so the ceiling needs repainting ... this water then came down the electric cables to the light in Pierre's room underneath last week, which was slightly scary !) Loads of reorganising and dejunking is planned too - let's call this some much needed early spring cleaning ! But I'm getting ahead of myself as I still have two weeks of work to get through. Here's the meal plan for this week anyway ...

Monday

lunch- canteen for me, fridge diving for those at home 

dinner - pork chops with mash & beans

Tuesday

lunch- canteen for me, fridge diving for those at home

dinner- Creamy Tuscan chicken with pasta

Wednesday

lunch- fishfingers and chips

dinner- smoked sausages/onions/mushrooms/peppers with pasta

Thursday

lunch - out for lunch with friends

dinner- chicken fricassée with couscous

Friday

lunch- canteen for me, fridge diving for those at home


Saturday

lunch- eating in town (kids' choice) or freezer diving

dinner- sweet & sour chicken & pineapple with rice

Sunday 

lunch- steak, potato wedges & carrots

dinner-  spaghetti bolognese (or fridge raiding/toast  if nobody is really hungry)

***Click on my Menu Plans tag to see all my other weekly menu plan blogposts.***

Sunday, 22 January 2023

What's Cooking At The Madhouse ? menu plan week 4


Well, as I always say, the menu plan is there as just a rough idea, so that I know what I can cook with what's in the cupboards and fridge. Last week, I did the plan BEFORE going shopping, then I gave Sophie my bank card and sent her off to do the shopping while I was at work. She came up with various things to cook that weren't on the plan (and cooked them, so no arguments from me !), then at the end of the week, Juliette headed off (after school on Friday until Sunday morning) to stay with Sophie in Lille to visit the further education day. With just me and Pierre to cook for, we ended up going completely off plan too ! I could therefore just re-use last week's plan, as 75% of it didn't get made, but I've already been shopping this week so I'll be working with what's in the fridge. Phew, I need to get back on plan !

Monday

lunch- canteen for me, fridge diving for those at home 

dinner - meatballs in tomato sauce with pasta

Tuesday

lunch- canteen for me, fridge diving for those at home

dinner- filet mignon (pork) in cream with rice & peas

Wednesday

lunch- leftovers 

dinner- chilli con carne and rice

Thursday

lunch - another national strike day (against the government's decision to raise pension ages) and I don't think there will be buses this week so I'll probably walk home after work. Leftovers or a sandwich.

dinner- Cuban chicken (recipe as inspiration as I don't have an Instant Pot) with leftover rice/pasta

Friday

lunch- canteen for me, fridge diving for those at home

dinner - Brunswick stew

Saturday

lunch- chicken (or minced beef) fajitas with guacamole

dinner- chicken soup

Sunday 

lunch- roast dinner

dinner-  Homemade Crunch Wrap Supreme  (to use up the leftover wraps)


***Click on my Menu Plans tag to see all my other weekly menu plan blogposts.***

Sunday, 15 January 2023

What's Cooking At The Madhouse ? menu plan week 3


Sophie is home for a few days so she'll probably be asking for random dishes and/or cooking. Sounds good to me ! I didn't go shopping on Saturday so I'll fill up the fridge tomorrow after work. This week's plan will therefore depend on what is in store but it'll work with a rough plan using stuff from the freezer, if the worst comes to the worst.

Monday

lunch- canteen for me, fridge diving for those at home (I can see Sophie and Juliette meeting up and eating in town)

dinner - chicken/brie burgers with hash browns (a dish that Sophie saw in a restaurant and wants to try recreating)

Tuesday

lunch- canteen for me, fridge diving for those at home

dinner- filet mignon (pork) in cream with rice & carrots

Wednesday

lunch- pork chops with pasta

dinner- chilli con carne and rice

Thursday

lunch - catching up with friends for lunch for me, fridge diving for whoever is at home

dinner- Cuban chicken (recipe as inspiration as I don't have an Instant Pot) with leftover rice/pasta

Friday

lunch- canteen for me, fridge diving for those at home

dinner - Brunswick stew

Saturday

lunch- I'm thinking there will be leftovers to use up


Sunday 

lunch- spicy chicken/bacon/tomato/onion risotto (this will be a recipe made up from whatever is left in the fridge that needs using up !)

dinner-  baked potatoes with cheese/beans/bacon


***Click on my Menu Plans tag to see all my other weekly menu plan blogposts.***

Sunday, 8 January 2023

What's Cooking At The Madhouse ? menu plan week 2


We've all slotted back into our school/work routine with no problems but last week's menu plan was a bit hit and miss as the meat shelves at Lidl seemed half empty when I went shopping. I bought enough for what we needed but it was more a case of what they had than what I wanted. Oh well ! Pierre has set out on a health kick, trying to boost his muscles, through a combination of sport and eating lots more protein and shakes made with milk/fruit/porridge/peanut butter (is that even a thing ?!) so I'm trying to play along at the moment and fill the fridge with ham, chicken and oodles of fruit. We'll see how long it lasts ! This week was a great week for getting things done - finally managed to get hold of the electricity people so they can come and mend the protections on the cables on the front of our house so that we can (finally) get our roof fixed. Just have to wait for the roofers to get back in touch now - sigh !

Monday

lunch- canteen for me, fridge diving for those at home

dinner - beef meatballs with pasta and tomato/peppers/onion sauce

Tuesday

lunch- canteen for me, fridge diving for those at home

dinner- veal in mushroom/cream sauce with rice

Wednesday

lunch- steak, mash and veggies

dinner- pork filet mignon with rice and veg

Thursday

lunch - catching up with friends for lunch for me, fridge diving for whoever is at home

dinner- leftovers

Friday

lunch- canteen for me, fridge diving for those at home

dinner - baked potatoes (with cheese/bacon/onions)

Saturday

lunch- pasta carbonara

dinner- Deliveroo

Sunday 

lunch- gammon with gratin dauphinois (creamy potato bake) & veg

dinner- leftovers or toast

***Click on my Menu Plans tag to see all my other weekly menu plan blogposts.***

Monday, 2 January 2023

December 2022 Degustabox review : New Year & Enjoyable Moments


Ahhh Christmas is done and dusted for another year. Despite eating half of our body weight in snacks and sweets (and turkey and Christmas pudding and cake and ... well, I'm sure you get the idea !), we still excitedly investigated the latest Degustabox to arrive, with the perfect theme of New Year and Enjoyable Moments. Here's what was in the box.

 

First up, a bag of KitKat Bites (RRP £1.59) which are perfect for sharing with the family in front of a festive film. Each bite-sized piece offers a smooth chocolatey centre and crispy wafer pieces to provide the traditional crunch and chocolate indulgence of KitKat bars. The bag is resealable so you don't even have to eat them all at once (which doesn't usually end up being a problem for us, funnily enough !). Yum ! Available from most major supermarket chains.

Eisberg Alcohol Free Mulled Wine (RRP £3.25) is a great alternative to alcohol for anyone who is pregnant or just wants to avoid alcohol. As well as being alcohol free, it is lower in calories and vegan friendly. The Mulled Wine variety offers a lovely festive twist, perfect with a mince pie or a slice of Christmas cake.


Knorr Organic Chicken Stock Pots (RRP £2) are made with quality organic ingredients, slowly simmered with authentic flavours, perfect for dishes ranging from risottos and soups to more. I love throwing one into the slow cooker along with chicken and vegetables to melt down without adding excess liquid to the pot. They are also great for using up the leftover turkey, vegetables and potatoes in a stew or pie. They are free from artificial preservatives and colours. Great for adding a lovely depth of flavour in minutes.


Lee Kum Kee Cooking Sauce Collection (RRP £4.99) offers a lovely selection of sachets of sauces and oils to add an Oriental theme to your dishes. They are absolutely perfect for using up the leftover turkey but are also great with chicken, pork, beef, prawns or vegetables.


Inside the box are full-sized sachets of Hoisin Sauce, Yellow Bean Sauce and Chilli Garlic Sauce, plus two small sachets each of Chilli Oil and Sweet Soy Sauce. There is also a booklet filed with different ways to use the sauces to help inspire your imagination. Perfect for trying out some new flavours in the New Year.


Heinz Made For Veggiez Balsamic & Rosemary Sauce (RRP £2.50) is one of a range of sauces (we got to try Chilli & Miso in the last Degustabox) inspired by world cuisine. Inspired by the flavours of the Med, it can be used for dipping, grilling, marinading and roasting. I added some to some quickly fried tomatoes, courgettes, onions and red peppers before serving them up on rice (toast or pasta would work too), for a tasty and simple lunch, which came out really well. Great for perking up simple dishes. Available at Morrisons and Ocado.

Dorset Cereals Dark Choc & Hazelnut Muesli Crunch (RRP unknown as this was the mystery brand in this month's box) is a tasty breakfast option that appealed to the whole family, in a bowl with milk, straight from the box as a snack or even added into cookies for some extra texture. I've just been to investigate and we had a box in a previous Degustabox, back in October. With dark chocolate curls and caramelised hazelnuts, it's a delicious way to start the day.


Munchies Gooey Caramel & Biscuit Sharing Bar (RRP £1) was passed on to my mum as she used to buy the original Munchies sweets about 45 years ago ! As the name suggests, it's made of runny caramel and crunchy biscuit pieces, encased in milk chocolate, and is very tasty, apparently. Available at B&M, Booker, Spar, Iceland, Aldi, Poundland, Home Bargains and NISA.


Odysea Spicy Ajvar (RRP £2.75) is a spicy dip with roasted red peppers and smooth smoky aubergine. It can be smeared on bread, used to dip crisps or carrot sticks in or even stirred through leftover pasta for a quick pasta salad lunch. It has a slightly sweet, spicy flavour that is great for perking up random leftovers from the fridge. Available at Sainsbury's and on the Odysea.com website.


Plantastic Flapjacks Sweet Apricot & Ginger with Almonds (RRP £2.75) are tasty oaty fingers, packed with sweet apricot chunks, crunchy almond nibs and a little kick of ginger to wake up your taste buds. As they say on the box, they're "so tasty, you'd never guess they're plant based". Very nice and with five in a pack, they're perfect for a week's worth of packed lunch desserts or cheeky TV snacks ! Available at Tesco's and on amazon.


Vahdam Turmeric Sampler (RRP £5) is a healthy sampler pack containing four best selling turmeric teas, infused with superfoods and packed into pyramid shaped tea bags. Caffeine free and packed in India, if you like herbal teas, they look perfect. I'll be passing these on to Sophie to try out. Available at Holland & Barrett.

 A subscription to Degustabox costs £12.99 per month including delivery, with each box having a value of much more than that, but the great news is, I have a discount coupon code for you which means you'll get the first box for just £9.99 - enter code PKUFE at the checkout. 

for more information :

Also now on Instagram @DegustaboxUK

Disclosure : We received the box in order to write an honest review. As a Degustabox blogger, I receive all of the products that go into the monthly boxes, but subscribers may not get exactly the same selection.
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