Daughter to the Rescue ...

There's been a real turn around in my home over the past few weeks. Not only has my daughter helped me to recouperate, she has completely inspired me recently ...

After cramming all the basics into you, our children [no matter how old you are - we still see you as our children] and we [mothers] wonder if you'll survive out there ~ without us advising, suggesting, nattering. Of course you can and do. So when we see our offspring not only 'standing on their own two feet' but helping others ~ we know we've done our job.

I'm an outgoing person and try to feel and act as young as I dare. Watching my daughter develop her life has helped me stay that way. When I feel things are too rigid, fuddy-duddy, samey, repetitive, I check out what/where my daughter's up to [within reason of course] and try to move with the times, get with the programme, learn to speak the speak ...

This might be catching a game of scrabble on iphones when she's travelling. It could be keeping up with techno stuff ~ being shown how to download myfitnesspal app [might that have been a hint?] ~ having a borrow of her ipad ~

Now its cooking. I've always loved cooking and with all the cookery programmes on TV, we might feel guilty if we don't prepare meals right from scratch. I had hoped that I had taught my daughter to cook beyond the basics ~ not by perpetually following recipes ~ but almost by osmosis. When she was anywhere near the kitchen, grabbing a snack or doing some homework, I would call out my cooking processes as they occurred. 'Never stir a sauce quickly, it will break it down and make it thin' ... 'I'm just browning the meat before I put it in the oven' ... its best to flour a cake/flan tin before putting mixture in so it won't stick', and so on. She's a great cook ~ and now I get the opportunity to move with the times again, observing her healthy eating patterns and modern twist on basic and classic dishes.

Inspired once again, after her recent visits, I pulled out my Delicious recipe magazines which had been neatly stacked in a corner of the kitchen for 12 months, while I continued to make chilli, roast dinners and cheese flans ~ the same meals I'd been making for years.

So Mums, ask your 'children' what they like to eat / cook ~ you might be inspired. Get out a new cookery book ~ or go online ... click onto thousands of recipes.

Try Thai Chicken Burgers with Cucumber Relish ... Yummy ... Adapted Recipe on my blog 28th September ... Enjoy ...

Jill