CURLY AND CANDID

I blog. This much is obvious, but I also work on a freelance basis. I do some market research work, I ghost write for businesses and blogs, and do other paid writing work. Hooray, I’m getting there… but what the bloody hell will I do over summer?

We have lots of outings planned during the summer, to air shows, to visit friends and a short holiday away – but the rest of the time it’ll be playing at home / in the garden (weather permitting) and short day trips. School finishes today and I am yet to work out just how I’m going to get the work done and spend quality time with the boys. Up until now, Kieran has been at school every day and Taylor (possibly the most laid back baby ever) has been easy to work around. My (fabulous) Mum takes Taylor one day a week so I can have a proper “heads down” day and over the summer Kieran will go to a playscheme one day a week while Taylor is visiting with Grandma so that’s one day…. urm?!

Do you have any Summer-holiday working tips? I am looking forward to having them both at home and having fun but DO need to work (pesky bills and all that) so how can I get the balance right between the two without subjecting them to a summer of seeing the top of Mummy’s head over a laptop screen?

What do you do, how do you organise you time? Is it possible to have it all, the fun and the “proper” work-time?

First off – I am NOT a member of the Worldfoods Fusion Taste Team. Nor have they approached me and asked me to review for them. They did however offer me a bottle of Thai tumeric & lemongrass marinade (probably to keep me quiet after I repeatedly stalked their Facebook page in the hope someone would take pity on me and send me a new wok!).

I’ve mentioned before that Thai food is pretty new to me, as I dismissed it, being sure it was all coconut and very sweet. Months ago, after Roy (aka I don’t need a list I can remember everything) brought home a jar of green Thai sauce by accident, I thought I’d give it a go. And loved it. I am now on a full-on quest to explore all aspects of Thai cookery and ingredients.

My WorldFoods marinade arrived on a day when I had a pork stirfry planned so that was a good start!

I marinaded the pork, threw it in to cook off as you usually would, adding a bit more for extra sauce and served with with stirfry veggies and rice. Very quick, very easy and absolutely delicious! ( I use Tesco stirfry oil 91p – delicately flavoured but it really brings out the best in stirfry vegetables, without being overpowering).

The result was not the most artistically arranged dish I’ve ever prepared, but it went down an absolute storm!

I used half a bottle to make this dish so it’s pretty economical. I’ve used the remainder to give the recipe sent with the sauce a try (recipe below) and it was delicious (we got got carried away and ate before photographing – terrible I know!). This sauce is a favourite for me, and I fully intend to explore the rest of the range (assuming my local Tesco play ball and have them in lol!).

Recipe:

Thai Turmeric & Lemon Grass Satay (by May Foong)

Ingredients.

250g chicken, cut into strips (or alternative)
250g lamb, cut into strips (or alternative)
1 bottle of WorldFoods Thai Turmeric lemon Grass marinade

To make:

Marinate chicken and lamb (or alternatives) with the WorldFoods marinade for at least 3-4hrs. best if refrigerated overnight.
Thread Chicken & lamb (or alternatives) onto skewers.
Preheat grill.
Baste the skewers with cooking oil and marinade and cook over a hot grill for 5-8mins, turning occasionally until cooked.
Serve & Enjoy!

Thanks to WorldFoods (who can be found on Facebook) for sending me the sauce. I’m a keen cook but even professional chefs can use a little help sometimes and for a busy mum, a ready made marinade / sauce is a great start!

If you have blogged or know of any Thai recipes (family friendly) that you think I should try, please let me know!

Summer Working, Balance and Guilt

Tantalising Thai Food (Yeah ok, I cheated a bit!)