Happy New Year!

I wish for all my dear Peeps a peaceful, blessed 2016. I wish the same for the world, but to be honest I'm not that hopeful! I just pray that God knows what's going on, because I don't think anyone else does!

Here in Dormouse Towers we are almost back to normal...There's a pannetone to eat and rather too many chocolates, but otherwise it's business as usual. No New Year's Day parties for us, just an opportunity to breathe, pause and do whatever we fancy. I've caught up on a few episodes of "Coronation Street" (only about 15 more to go!), I'm blogging, and sorting some recipes and maybe doing some crafting later on. Work starts again next week, so I will just enjoy the pause.

Foodwise, we had a nice meal last night before going to bed at about 11.00 as usual. We had mini vol-au-vents, full of garlic butter and snails, followed by a duckling stuffed with morille & armagnac stuffing (courtesy of Lidl) . We had this with roast potatoes, honey-&-mustard glazed parsnips & carrots and buttered cabbage. Little ice-cream verrines completed the meal. Very nice.

So, Mr FD wants to re-start 5:2ing, as he wants to lose some weight before the Cycle Club "training camp" in March. I'm not sure I'll go the full fasting but will try to eat less generally and even less on the fasting days for Mr FD. We will limit ourselves to one chocolate each an evening - it will make them last and won't add too many calories to the day's totals. 

 
I got a huge box of these yummy chocolates from one of my students at the end of the course. Very unexpected and very generous. Thank you, Olivier!

So menus this week are as follows:

TODAY: Duck-and-potato hash. Using all the leftovers from last night I'll make a kind of hash thingy which we may have with beans.

SATURDAY: Mushroom crepes - a creamy leek-and-mushroom filling in crepes. Chicory salad with this.

SUNDAY: Hairy Dieters Cajun Chicken, with wedges and coleslaw. Yes, I'm back with the Hairy Dieters again!!

MONDAY: Creamy Pasta Bake (from an old Slimming World magazine) - basically roast a chopped courgette, onion and red pepper. Combine with cooked pasta and low fat fromage frais. Top with some grated cheese & bake for a bit. I'm adding some mushrooms and chorizo & probably using creme fraiche instead.

TUESDAY: Hairy Dieters Salmon with chilli and ginger

I'm going to serve this with carrots, leeks and rice.


WEDNESDAY: Hairy Dieters Lamb Dhansak (scroll down for the recipe) which I'll pop into the slow cooker before going to work...Or Mr FD can cook it for when I get back from dancing and working.

THURSDAY: Squash with red bean sauce This one will definitely go in the slow cooker so it will be nice and hot when we get back from shopping (and teaching) in the evening. We go to Lidl together and then, while I'm teaching Adal, Mr FD goes to Carrefour to get the other things that Lidl don't sell.

As always, thank you for your comments. I appreciate them very much, & while I don't generally make (or keep!) NY resolutions I am going to try to comment on blogs that I read more often. Honest!

Thank you to those who sent me Christmas and New Year greetings - Pen, Sandra (at Thistle Cove Farm), Amanda, Fishcake Random, Jan, Kezzie, John Grey and PomPom. 

Thank you too for other comments about our Paris trip and my lovely Twelve Days...presents. I have two more to show you, but I'll save those for another post, or for over at The Teapot.

So there you have it! Christmas is done and dusted; New Year is celebrated. Now we are back to the normality...

...of showing what the Incarnation is all about.