Month: November 2014

Lemon and green olive chicken and lentil tagine by Dunja

Posted on by Oreke Mosheshe

With my favorite season setting in, I’ve been experimenting in the kitchen more than ever. So little time but so many delicious stews, casseroles and tagines to cook! Felt inspired to pass on a little recipe for a lemon and green olive chicken and lentil tagine. My twist on a classic, quick and easy, and no need for an actual tagine!

1 onion

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 cloves of garlic

1 teaspoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground cumin

300g chicken thighs

500ml chicken stock

a strand of saffron

2 x 240g tins of lentils

60g preserved lemon rinds

50g pitted green olives

a small handful of fresh coriander

2 tablespoons crème fraiche

sea salt and pepper

Peal and slice the onion and sauté in the oil in a large saucepan. Add chopped garlic cloves, ginger and cumin. Sauté for a few more minutes

Add the chicken thighs, stock, saffron and lentils simmer gently for 20 minutes

Add the olives and chopped lemon rind to the mix and simmer for another 10 minutes

Add the crème fraiche and coriander and turn up the heat up slightly for another 10 minutes to reduce the sauce.

Serve with giant or regular couscous!

It’s spicy enough, but not too spicy for kids. My two year old could literally live on this!

Nappy valley

Posted on by Oreke Mosheshe

Having finally decided that south east London was the right move for us in the new year, I decided to spend a bit of time in the area and get better acquainted with all things toddler related! At the time we were planning a family, the outskirts of London in Epping Forest sounded like the ideal place to raise a child. However, nearly every day Ari is out of nursery I find my self tracking into town with her. Yes walking in the forest and taking horse-riding classes sounded, initially, like a fairytale environment for Ari to be brought up in, but for me nothing can make up for the immense amount of culture that London has to offer. And unbeknownst to me at the time, it also offers up an abundance of parks and woods as well as those all-important horse-riding lessons!

I also thought that we would need to live in the pricey north part of London to provide her with the best opportunities, but have since been pleasantly surprised with how much south east has to offer! The area we finally decided on is the little triangle of Peckham rye, Dulwich and Forest hill, with hopes of finding a place in the Dulwich corner.

Forest hill’s biggest offering is the incredible Horniman museum. What with its natural history museum, aquarium, animal enclosure, playground, Saturday farmers market and botanical gardens as well as an amazing adventure playground just across the road from the museum, it’s not a bad way to spend the day! And for lunch there is a little gem of a place just down the road on Darthmouth rd. called The Montage, an antique shop/café/gallery/indoor play area.

On the Peckham corner of the triangle, Peckham Rye common exceeded all my expectations, with its community gardens, adventure play area, the Sexby and Japanese garden, the school nature garden, skate park, bowling green and outdoor gym.

And finally Dulwich and East Dulwich, aka Nappy Valley, where as one mum said, the pavements need pushchair lanes! Nestled between tones of green spaces including the Brockwell lido and park with its very own miniature railway, and the boating lake in Dulwich park, Dulwich also has an abundance of excellent primary and secondary schools.

Of course, I’m not going to pretend I’m making a completely selfless move here either. Dulwich is also packed with rustic pubs and delicious restaurants, and it’s right next to Brixton, my personal favorite for late babysitter nights!

Lead up to christmas by Oreke xx

Posted on by Oreke Mosheshe

The up lead up to Christmas is a very exciting time at our home, to be honest we take every holiday very seriously but Christmas is the ultimate. A few things we look forward to:

The Christmas family movie- this year the one we are most looking forward to seeing is Paddington, it is produced by the producers of harry Potter so it in bond to be magical and it is based on the famous children’s books by Michael Bond.

Seeing Santa – The best way to get the boys to eat their vegetables at this time of the year is to remind them that santa is writing his list and if they want to be on his good list they need to eat all their green (always works, a mum has got to do what a mum has got to do)

Food glorious food – I think it is best to dedicate an entire entry on this as you all know my love of food is beyond.

Winter wonderland hydepark – this really is one of London’s best festive destination for the whole famly and it gets better each year.

 

Hot flushes and occasional temper tantrums and bouts of anxiety by Dunja

Posted on by Oreke Mosheshe

My poor precious little girl! She has had a continuous ear and throat infection for a full three months now and has only just started recovering from it. And of course the poor thing couldn’t tell me what was wrong so I was non the wiser. I’d just assumed that my generally emotionally stable angel had turned into a bipolar ticking bomb. I thought ‘that’s it, the honeymoon period is well and truly over’. To cut to the chase, after months of misdiagnosis, last monday the doctor diagnosed her in seconds, prescribed antibiotics, and I have my cheeky little angel back! But every time she gets sick I just cant help but remember what a little miracle she is. Especially this week.  Three years ago, after trying to conceive for a year with no results, I decided to get some tests done. I didn’t expect to be told that in a few months I would enter perimenopause. It’s ok though, the gynaecologist said, it takes about 4 or 5 years to reach full menopause. And I thought, well that’s not really going to comfort a girl in her late 20s who’s struggling to have a baby! So I said thank you, and walked straight out of the office and off to a casting. Needless to say, I didn’t get that job, must have looked like a deer in headlights!

So fast forward a few years of hot flushes and occasional temper tantrums and bouts of anxiety, this week I have officially reached the last stages of perimenopause and will in no time be fully menopausal.  My hormones are apparently pretty much identical to those of a 14-year-old boy! Oh yes, I’m loving the pimples, moustache and occasional fits of turrets.  Ironically, after years of keeping away from oral contraceptives, the doctors are now putting me on the pill as part of my hormone replacement therapy (HRT).  But as always, I’m looking on the bright side of things, might actually get me some much needed curves! Watch this space, will keep you all updated with how the treatment is working, and if any of you are going through early menopause too, may I recommend the Daisy Network Premature Menopause Support Group, a registered charity for women who have experienced a premature menopause.