The town I moved to last year has so many community events going on all the time, it’s really a lovely place to live and I’m so glad I found it. Since having Darryl I have found time to meet new mommy friends and attend some of the midweek day time activities such as Baby Brasserie (booby club as we call it), Baby play groups and this Picnic in the Park.
What I haven’t had time for is typing up this blog post! I went to picnic in the park on 17th June and since then I have had a very active, restless baby intent on making sure that time sat at my laptop is non existent :) He is a very curious baby, he likes to see everything and be involved in everything and we enjoy lots of play time. This week I decided to try and concentrate on sleep time, as I think we could all do with that!
This picnic was the first time in ages I have got excited about creating something new in the kitchen. I have been cooking our evening meals once again but we have mainly been eating simple foods like pasta, stirfries and curries using a jar of sauce! For the picnic, Yus took Darryl for the evening and I spent a few hours in the kitchen with a basket of gorgeous ingredients and got lost in my cooking. It was bliss!
I wanted to make food that was easy to eat whilst sat outside on a picnic blanket but not your usual sandwiches and pies. I decided on mini feta and beetroot frittatas and a veggie packed cous cous salad. My new mommy friends bought tomato pasta salad, home made oat cookies and gluten free orange polenta cake. It was all delicious and we had a really nice day with our babies. The recipes for my dishes are at the bottom of this post :)
I was super impressed with how settled the babies were, especially on such a hot day, Darryl had his sun tent out and was quite happy lying in it watching everyone.
As well as the home made goodies we had houmous, bread, crisps, dips, fruit and cakes! Oh and of course some lemonade! Gone are the days of a boozey picnic…. gone but not forgotten :)
The Picnic in the Park event wasn’t just mums eating cake in the park, there were stalls advertising local businesses such as baby yoga, children’s clubs and clothing boutiques. There was also a splash and play area, which our babies were a bit young for, but it was still wonderful seeing all the kids playing. I look forward to sunny days when Darryl is a bit older and can play in places like this!
There was a funny robot puppet on a bike, secretly controlled by a guy who followed it around at a distance. He spoke through a microphone and it would sneak up on families and sing songs to them and tell jokes. It was totally freaky but also really funny!
One feature that has returned to the town this year is the beach! It is basically a huge sandpit but the kids loved it! What a great way to spend a day, in the park playing in the sand :)
There is also a skate park. I absolutely love finding skate parks, I spent most of my teenage years hanging with my friends at our local skatepark and I love the culture, the fashions, the art. I think it is a great area for every town to have!
Darryl in his sun tent :) He is growing so fast now!! He was 7 weeks old here (weighing 13lb 7!!) and is already fast approaching 10 weeks this thursday! I have been in such awe at how quickly babies become little people with personality. It has been a delight to watch!
Now for the recipes!
Feta and Beetroot Frittatas:
2 Potatoes (fairly large ones)
1 Onion
100g Feta Cheese
3 Cooked Beetroots
3 Large Eggs
Splash Milk
Dice the potatoes into 1cm cubes and fry in a drizzle of oil for 4-5 mins then add a finely diced onion and cook until the potato is golden and the onion is cooked through.
Spoon the potatoes and onions into greased muffin tin, dividing between 6 of the holes, filling each one to the top. Top with diced feta and beetroot and mix it up a little bit. You may use 8 muffin holes if your potatoes/ beetroots are large!
In a bowl beat the eggs and add a splash of milk and some seasoning. Pour the egg mixture over the veg in each tin section, you may find you need a little more egg if you’ve used 8 of the muffin holes.
Place in the oven at 180c for 15 minutes, check the egg is cooked in the middle, if not then pop them back in for a few minutes. Once cooked, leave to cool slightly then pop them out using a knife and wrap up in greaseproof paper ready for your picnic.
Vegetable Medley Cous Cous
1 Butternut Squash
2 Cups Cous Cous
Large Handful Raisins
Vegetable Stock
2 Courgettes
1 Large Onion
1 Garlic Clove
3 Peppers – Mixed Colours
2 tblspn Curry Powder
1/2 tblspn Cumin Seeds
2 Spring Onions
1 Can Chickpeas
Handful Prunes
Parsley
Peel your butternut squash and remove the seeds/ pulp inside, then dice it and place in a microwavable bowl with a splash of water and microwave for approx 8-10 minutes until cooked through and soft.
In a large bowl add your dry cous cous and your raisins and top with hot vegetable stock (use packet instructions for amounts), cover and allow the cous cous to cook.
Dice your courgettes, onions and peppers and crush the garlic. In a large frying pan cook the veg for a few minutes then add the curry powder and cumin seeds and continue to cook until the veg are all slightly browned and cook through.
Add the chopped spring onions, cous cous, chickpeas, diced prunes and chopped parsley and give it all a really good stir. Season to taste
