38 weeks tomorrow

The end is near but probably not really near enough.  I have been a bit of an emotional time bomb recently. I don't know what will push me over the edge. Friday the kids where unappreciative (how unsurprising) and they were fighting with each other non stop. This probably would have been fine except that all they wanted was their dad (again would have been fine) but now that they are sitting beside each other , it was really constant.  I picked up a frozen dinner since I wasn't in the good to cook and I didn't know when J would be done his golf thing.  Then I told the girls to go paint or play in their play room because mummy really needed a time out. 

The girls can be very good doing other things whole mummy decompresses for a bit watching highly inappropriate TV programming.  But Friday was not one of those days.  After gazillionth time kicking them out of my room I lost it, there were tears and I was done. 

Add to all this that I was guilt tripped by a 5 year old because ladybug is having a small party at a party place because I'm not up to having a big party and cleaning.  Her mom was especially helpful by telling her kid that she just won't invite L to her party in October.  Thanks, just what I needed.  I really wanted to do something for all her class mates but didn't have the energy to try organize something and L wanted a fairy party.  This was an easy solution, and yet so much more stressful then I imagined. 

Today's emotional rollercoaster is so stupid, my gas card has something wrong with it and now says that the driver number is unauthorized, OK after taking the card to my awesome MIL who deals with the company I head back and I pull out my credit card and now that isn't working at the pump and the attendant accused me of putting it in backwards.  I wouldn't put it passed me since that has happened but I followed their stupid diagram (my kids aren't supposed to say stupid but it is an inanimate object and what they don't know.) and I was thwarted.  I'm not big on being thwarted right now especially by a stupid gas pump. 

On a completely different note, the doctor is sending me for an ultrasound to check position of the baby since she is not completely sure whether baby is head down

Remembering summer in the UK

2 years ago we were in the UK for my cousins wedding.  There were a few things that were a revelation on the trip.

Firstly, food prices were actually really reasonable.  If purchasing food at the grocery store you could get some really awesome deals.  Even the ready-meals at the grocery store were reasonable.

Secondly, when traveling with kids rental apartments are the best way and value for your money and sanity.  After a few weeks sharing a room where we would have to escape to the bathroom to do stuff on the computer or read our books, I decided that while in Birmingham I had booked a 2 bedroom apartment right in the heart attack of Chinatown and it was sooooooooo nice. The girls shared a room and we had our own cooking facilities and best of all we had a  laundry machine all to ourselves. 

Thirdly, I love Tesco and all the lovelies helped within their walls. 

Fourthly, Crabbies is an delicious alcoholic ginger beer which I bugged my local liquor store to start carrying :)

Now, on one of our many trips to Tesco I picked up a cooking magazine because pictures on the front cover was this totally delicious looking almond fruit tart.  Since I had some lovely Okanagan peaches and some Italian prune plums so I decided to make that almond tart with some of those fruit.  Being lazy and terrible at making pastry, I used a pre-made pie crust which worked perfectly since the filling then filled 2 shells instead of just the one called for in the recipe.  This let me try it with both peaches and plums.  I think it would also be really tasty with pears or apples.

Almond Fruit Tart
Originally published in "Good Food" magazine, Sept 2010

500g Puff Pastry "or" 2 pre-made pie crusts
3-4 ripe Peaches, cut into 6 wedges "or" 12-14 Italian Prune Plums "or" both

Filling:
175g/6oz Ground Almonds
50g/2oz Toasted Almonds, plus a handful more to decorate
250g tub Mascarpone (or a 250g brick of cream cheese, if you cheap like me)
25g/1oz Butter, softened
200g/7oz Golden Caster sugar, plus 1 tbsp to decorate
2 Eggs
1/2 tsp Almond Extract.

-Preheat oven to 400.
-If using puff pastry, roll out pastry on a floured surface until big enough to line a 23cm tart tin with an overhang.  Line the tin with pastry, gently folding overhanging pastry down the outside of the tin, then prick all over with a fork, Line with greaseproof paper; sit a 20cm round tin on top (it should fit snugly). Fill with baking beans, then blind-bake for 20-25 minutes until the sides are set.  Remove the beans, tin and paper and cook for 10-15 minutes more until golden, risen and crisp. Cool a little, then trim the overhang and press down.
-If using pre-made crusts, I just baked it until it was golden.  Let cool.
-Lower the oven to 350.
-Beat together the filling ingredients, spoon into the tin and top with the peaches or plums. Scatter with 1 tbsp caster sugar and extra flaked almonds, then bake for 40 min until puffed up and golden, with a slight wobble in the center.  Cool to room temperature.

NB: if using pre-made crusts it will probably take less time to bake, so keep an eye on the state of the almond filling.  Remember: puffed up, golden and with a slight wobble in the center.

Enjoy