About yesterday...

Yesterday was a bit of a shock seeing all those entries for Barbara's A Taste of Yellow. I'm sorry for the outpouring of emotion. I'm fast learning that the food blogging community consists of some very lovely people. It swept me off my feet for a while last night as I began reading all the entries.

I did say I'd think of a joke for today... So a child friendly one that also happens to be yellow....
What's yellow and dangerous? Shark infested custard... I know, I know. It came out of a cracker last Christmas.
Another... "Knock, Knock." "Who's there?" "Boo!" "Boo who?" "Don't cry, it's only a joke."

Anyway today is another day. Boys are still unwell. We'll have roast chicken and vitamin packed, health boosting veggies and by tomorrow they will be well. We're also going to bake. I've wanted to make Freya' s bagels all week but the boys have been too unwell. Don't get me wrong I love to cook by myself or with others. It's just I don't want to make bread by myself as I'm a bit afraid of anything bread like, I normally fail miserably. Unless of course it's flat bread and I'm an expert at that, whether it was meant to be flat bread or not. I leave the bread making to H, who likes making it with the boys at the weekend. I'll show him Freya's post, I'm sure we'll have freshly baked bagels before the week is out.

A picture of one of the marzipan muffins we did for A Taste of Yellow as it reminds me of a beautiful day, and it's yellow, and yellow is beautiful. Marzipan Muffins - eat them, get fat, feel happy! I'll post pics of the baking we do today later on... (and there they are bottom right.)

Please check Barbara's blog for the final round up of A Taste of Yellow by clicking WinosandFoodies

We made homemade lemonade with brown sugar. I threw the used lemons, along with lots of garlic in with the chicken to roast and we've eaten well, including the spider if he indulged in the chives.. Click on the picture to see him properly.

A Taste of Yellow and for the people I love dearly

For those who are not interested in sentimentality or any wish to be brought down, please check out now. For those who know me. I don't have the filter bit in my brain that thinks about whether you should or shouldn't say something. If I think it I say it... It's just how I am...

I just clicked on my daily visit to Barbara's blog at Winos and Foodies and realised that she'd done her roundup for A Taste of Yellow from food bloggers around the globe. Check there for nearly 150 amazing posts on beautiful yellow food.

The tears started to trickle as I read Barbara's story, not least because there is a family connection to the place where she was when she found out she had cancer. By the time I got to the very last entry to see beautiful Susana and Lisa (I've mentioned her before and I'll mention her again) the tears were streaming. What's even more poignant is that their mom and papi want to go to that very same place, for personal reasons of their own. I've also visited there with my husband and my oldest boy when he was just a tiny tot.. (he's still a tiny tot really!)

For Lisa, beautiful, gentle Lisa. You are sorely missed. Free like a butterfly. Hugs to family and especially to Jenny, Lisa's daughter who is now a beautiful grown up girl!

For Susana (lovely, lovely Susana (who runs marathons to raise money for cancer research), because we mustn't forget the living. Be kind to yourself. Lisa would have wanted that. Be happy Sweetheart, you deserve it.

For my best friend who not that long ago was diagnosed with skin cancer - You always say that I cry at everything. Well that as maybe, but I LOVE YOU and thankfully you're okay. As a single mother of three young children, I promise that I will be there to check you! From your scalp to between your toes (actually if you could do the toes thing I'd appreciate it - you know how I am about feet ;) You are an amazing friend, a great mother, and doing it all on your own is so much harder. Always know that I am in awe of just how great you are! By the way did I tell you - I LOVE YOU!

The weird thing.. All of the people mentioned were/are really good at two of the most basic things that we all need - food and love. Simple ingredients really.

Children are precious. People are precious. Life is precious! We sometimes forget that and we need to give each other some slack sometimes because life is hard enough. Celebrate life because time knows no rules. I send big love and positive thoughts to everyone I know today, even to those I don't. Especially to those whose lives have been touched by cancer. To the lady up the road, to my good friend's mum, to Barbara, the list is almost non exhaustive, to everyone, but being a mummy, most of all I just want to say that for my boys - I love you, everything I do is for you, even the embarassing stuff (and Daddy too ofcourse). Always say the things that you want to say because someday it might be too late.

Sorry for all the sentimentality! Laughter is a great healer. I must think of a joke for tomorrow. Back to normal tomorrow eh?!

Edit: I almost forgot my manners. I'm sure along with many other people I would like to say a big Thank you once again to Barbara at WinosandFoodies for her huge effort and work in putting the A Taste of Yellow event together.

A Taste of Yellow - Best Laid Plans....

and all that. There are those days when things don't go according to plan. Today was one of them... We'd agreed, only with ourselves, to make a certain menu for A Taste of Yellow, unable to get to the shops today we adapted the menu to suit what we had in the house. Thankfully we are well stocked for such days. On top of this, husband was going to be late home and Small fell asleep on the sofa. So Little and I cooked and then ate together in the sunshine. Not as planned, but beautiful all the same. The others just had theirs and enjoyed it just as much as we did.

A Taste of Yellow Menu from the Little Foodies Household

Toasty Stars and Roasty Sunshine Peppers
Serves 4-6 people
2 yellow peppers
4 cloves of garlic
a tablespoon of oil
4 slices of bread.

Turn oven to 200C.
Wash the yellow peppers. Cut one into quarters and chop the other into small pieces.
Rub oil over the 4 quarters of yellow pepper and the garlic
Arrange on a baking tray. Cook for approx 25 minutes at 200C, 400F, Gas Mark 6.
In the meantime, Toast some sliced bread - whatever you have. When it's toasted use a star shaped cutter and press out shapes from the toast.
When the pepper and garlic have cooked and cooled a little, squeeze the garlic out of the skin into a blender and add the roasted yellow pepper and the raw yellow pepper. Blitz to the consistency that you like. Then spoon a little onto each star toast. These got a very big thumbs up! I think the mixture of the raw pepper with the roasted pepper worked really well.





Yellow Pagetti Cream (Spaghetti with creamy saffron sauce & shredded roasted chicken)
Serves 4-6 people
500g pack of long spaghetti
Equivalent of 2 roasted chicken breasts, shredded (We used meat from chicken roasted yesterday)
2 cloves garlic crushed
Large pinch of saffron
50ml boiling hot water
1 pot of double cream
Tablespoon of oil
salt and pepper




Cook the spaghetti
In a small pot add the pinch of saffron and cover with boiling water
In a separate pan add the oil and fry the garlic and chicken for a couple of minutes
Add the cream and saffron with the water that it's in and cook on high for approx 5 minutes
Drain the spaghetti and add the creamy chicken sauce. Add salt and pepper if required. I thought it needed it. It was delicate and light - perfect for eating in the late afternoon sun.

Marzipan Muffins (makes 12 large muffins)
We adapted a plain muffin recipe from an old Aga recipe sheet that I had. (I must add we don't have an Aga, it would be lovely if we did, but we don't).

450g (16oz/1lb) plain flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
115g (4oz) caster sugar (we only had cinammon sugar which we made at Christmas)
300ml (1/2 pint) milk
2 large eggs (beaten)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
55g (2oz) melted butter
225g (8oz) marzipan (We used Mediterranean almond marzipan as it has a better flavour)


Turn the oven to 170C, 325F or Gas Mark 3.
Sift the flour, baking powder and sugar into a bowl and mix together.
Cut the marzipan into 12 equal pieces then roll each one into a ball.
Measure the milk, add the eggs, vanilla and melted butter, mix it all up with a fork.
Add the wet mix to the dry mix and stir it quite lightly. It will be gooey and lumpy. Avoid over mixing or it can give the muffin a tough texture when eating.
Spoon into muffin cases then pop a ball of marzipan on the top and push into the middle with your finger then gently push the muffin mix over to cover the hole where it's gone in.
Bake in the oven for 20-25mins. Leave to cool a little before trying!
These are not too sweet and the almond marzipan tastes lovely when you get to it. I think maybe next time I would chop the marzipan up and mix it in so that you have a chance of getting a piece with each mouthful.

Why all this yellow food? Barbara at Winos and Foodies (inspired name!) has thought of a great way for raising awareness for cancer and cancer survivors. It is being recognised as an official event in support of LiveStrong Day on 16th May. Check out Barbara's blog on the 16th May for a final round up from food bloggers around the world who took part.

A Taste of Yellow - Little Foodies Menu

This could have been tricky but ended up being really great fun to discuss with the children. I said that we had to come up with a menu full of sunshine yellow food to celebrate life. I didn't see the point in going into the big C word with my children. At nearly 3 and nearly 6 years old I think I can spare them that. Life really is for living and while we can we should savour every moment.

We've done some tastebud testing and have come up with a full 3 course meal for A Taste of Yellow. Tomorrow we will cook....

Starter: Roasted Yellow Pepper Bruschetta
Main Course: Spaghetti with Saffron Cream Sauce and Scallops
Dessert: Marzipan Muffins

So a complete carb fest, but one we shall enjoy making and eating. We'll post pics and full recipe details tomorrow after we've cooked and tasted it.

A Taste of Yellow - Life is for Living!

This could be quite a sombre one so if you want the short version...

Please support - A Taste of Yellow being organised by Barbara at Winos and Foodies.

I e-mailed Susana last week. I've mentioned her before. You can check out her site by clicking on the link Running for Lisa in the side bar on the right. She's a big foodie. She runs marathons to raise money for cancer research. She's GREAT! I knew she'd want to do something for this and I was right she does.

All too many of us have a link with cancer in one way or another, often in more ways than one and for the sole reason that until a cure is found there isn't one - we should continue to raise awareness and raise money if we can.

Life is for living - hopefully with a little sunshine along the way.

Nice title Barbara - A Taste of Yellow. My sons favourite colour

For our recipe we'll probably make spaghetti with a saffron cream sauce and something else yellow with it. We'll post the recipe another day when we've made it and have a picture.