Birthday Shenannigans

7 days in Blogging really does fly by.

I do alot of online surveys as I find for a few minutes of my time do add up to rewards every couple of months. I have the time so why not? This week my age category has changed from the "25-30" to the "31-35" category. Eek!!!

I did have an amazing birthday. My birthday was on Friday and on Thursday hubby went out to do a few jobs. He came back armed with my birthday present. We have a shop in the nearby town that specialises in spices and he got them to put together a huge gift box.

I have been interested in Indian cookery for a long long time and whilst many women may not greet a cooking present with much excitement, it was THE BEST present I could have asked for.

I admit it, I am a foodie person, I love cooking, I love learning about cooking and I would love foodie gifts like flavoured oils, jars of anti-pasti, chutneys, relishes etc because I know they are not cheap and I would never buy them for myself. As much as I want them I could never find reasoning in paying more than £2 on anything foodie for myself as it would come out of the family budget. I would rather have the kids happy and get the gifts.

So my special present consisted of 17 packets of "essential" Indian cooking ingredients from chilli powder to cumin seeds, to ground coriander to star anise, cinanmon sticks to fenugreek. So many times have I looked online for curry recipes and the ingredients list seemed endless. I now pretty much own every single one. I also have 3 pastes and on our shopping trip this week got some creamed coconut to keep in stock. I also have 2 Indian cookbooks to start off.

On Saturday I gave my special box a go (it's hard to see but more than half these packets have been used) to make a prawn madras. It truly was the best curry I have ever had! It was on par with the Indian restaurants and takeaways but having made it myself and controlling the oil I used in it, it was an INCREDIBLY healthy low fat meal! I am so pleased with it! I really wish I had taken photos of my meal.

My actual birthday itself was a quiet little affair. Matthew was at school so we had a quiet day in then went shopping afterwards. We left the kids with my mum and hubby and I went out for a romantic meal in a very good greek/steak restaurant. (We actually sat on the table to the left of the foreground)

I Rarely have steak when out for a meal but I opted for the sirloin and it really is the best meat I have ever had. The whole meal was beautiful, the two glasses of wine I had were the nicest wine I have had in a restaurant for some time and the atmostphere was lovely. Soft lighting and candles set in champagne bottles on every table really made it a memorable birthday meal. I was very impressed.

Hubby had wanted to go here for his birthday the previous weekend and we couldn't get in. In a way I was incredibly pleased as it was a beautiful setting for a nice quiet meal for 2.

I did have a small emotional moment on my birthday. I opened my card from my nan and it's the first time I have had a card from just my nan - not nana and grandad. I did have a few silent tears as it really hit home. Liam and hubby had already had birthday cards from "nana" alone but it really did hit me harder when it was in my card. I'm just a big soppy thing really.

The rest of the weekend we spent doing bits and pieces and seeing family as well as visiting Colchesters new art exhibition. It opened on Sunday so we were one of the first to see it. It's a beautiful building inside and out. The architecture was wonderful but it's not somewhere I will be visiting again. The artwork really did not make me feel inspired.

Hubbys birthday was also a lovely weekend.  We met up with some of his friends and went for an Indian meal. We later met up with some other friends. Drinks were flowing and we had a wonderful evening with some fun company. We spent the night in a local hotel.

The Rose And Crown is a very popular place for weddings in recent years and with the condition and historic look of the hotel I entirely see why.

 

It was a little walk out of the town but I certainly preferred it here to the hotel where we spent our wedding night. It just had a really good feel about the place and would certainly be somewhere I would recommend to others.

I know I am getting older when I am beginning to appreciate historic sites and English Heritage. Being impressed at staying in a hotel dating back to the 14th Century shows just that.

I've also been keeping busy baking cakes and biscuits for the kids and I am in the process of making a binder full of my favourite recipes. Every time I give something new a go, I am putting it into a folder for fast reference when working in the kitchen. Each hand written recipe is safe in a plastic sleeve to prevent splashes and spills.

In other news, the nail growing is going really well. I am very impressed with my efforts and despite 3 birthdays and endless treats so it feels, I have managed to lose a further 4lb in the past 2 weeks. So I am now down 10lb on starting weight. I must say I am pretty pleased with myself. Just because I am on a diet doesn't mean I'm missing out. I am baking for the family, I just keep it sensible and stick to 1 or 2 biscuits or cookies or a small piece of cake then leaving it at that. I have stopped eating anything fried, chocolate and really cut back on complex carbs once again. This always seems to be the key to my weightloss. Starch leaves me sluggish so I eat less bread and I am not eating pasta since it causes stomach problems and bloating. Since I have given up pasta I feel much better internally.

Sorry for such a long post but that's you all back up to date.