Monthly Munch: March

Well, you know what it's like: you wait ages for a blog post and then two come along at once!  Time for the regular news slot again.

Graham took this great photo at Rolleston-on-Dove

First, some family portraits:

Toby

Face painting from a birthday party.  He insisted on the blue butterfly.

 - can pick out words which rhyme, and words which start with the same letter.

- likes sticking stickers on everyone.

- loves playing hide and seek, although his idea of hiding is to tuck his head under something and forget that the rest of him is still visible!

- has got very wet helping to wash Dad's car, Mum's car and Mum's bike.

Quotes:
"If I flash my eyes it looks like thunder." (translation:  If I blink my eyes it looks like lightning.)

Describing an encounter with a neighbour's dog: "And she jumped up and she licked me in the face and I got all covered in dog juice!"

Theo

 - still has bright blue eyes - will he keep them?  Unexpected but not impossible.

- is looking at us and smiling, especially at Toby.  He loves his big brother.

- has started swiping at interesting objects within his reach.

 - is still eating as much milk as anyone will give him!

Thankful for:

- a bike ride with Graham in the beautiful spring weather.  (Thanks to Graham's parents for babysitting!)

And a beer stop, of course!

- friends; this has been a very sociable month.

- the clock change, which meant Toby went from waking up at 6am on the Saturday to almost 8am on the Monday.  Yessss!!!

Recipe of the month: Root Vegetable Rösti

This is the kind of thing that's much easier when you have a food processor that will grate for you.  I made lots and cooked some to freeze.  Quantities are fairly approximate.

100g / 4 oz carrots, grated
100g / 4 oz parsnips, grated
150g / 6 oz floury potatoes (eg Maris Piper), grated
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 egg
2 tbsp flour
salt and pepper
2 tbsp olive oil

Squeeze out the moisture from the grated vegetables in a clean tea towel.  Tip into a bowl and stir in the onion, egg, flour and seasoning.  (If you can think of some more adventurous seasonings, feel free to add them.)

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan. Add the rösti mix and press down very well to form one large patty.  Fry gently for about 10 minutes, then find a plate that fits on top.  Place over the rosti and turn the pan upside down so the vegetable cake is on the plate.  Slide back into the pan and cook the other side.

Poach four eggs.  Cut the rösti into quarters and top each with an egg.  Baked beans are an obligatory accompaniment for this kind of thing in our house, but you may have other ideas.  Serves 2.

Not the best photo, but it tastes better than it looks.