Tag: Saving Dinner

Pamper Monday – I like coffee, I like tea…

DIANE IN DENMARK4 Comments

Monday is the day here on the blog where I concentrate on pampering. Taking pleasure in the little things that make me feel good and help to recharge my batteries 🙂

Twelve years ago we got a fancy schmancy coffee maker as a wedding present. Not something we used every day, mainly at weekends and when we had visitors. The coffee had to be ordered by phone and sent from Holland, so the last couple of years the machine has just been sitting around collecting dust. I discovered last year that there’s now a shop smack bang in the centre of Copenhagen selling the capsules. Just never got round to going there…until last Friday, that is! These pink ones were just too cute 😉

It’s now Monday afternoon, 4pm. DD8 is over at a friend and DS10 has two friends here to play. And me? I’ve just prepped tonight’s dinner (Chicken Parmesan from the first Saving Dinner book) and have some ‘me time’ to spare… So luxury coffee it is. But – shhhh – don’t tell the kids I’m having fancy schmancy chocolate waffle biscuits to go with it! 😉

Have a marvelous Monday! 🙂

PS: Need more pamper ideas? Search my blog or go to the Flylady’s pamper pages.

Menu plan Thursday – 6 May 2010

DIANE IN DENMARK3 Comments

Did you see last week’s menu plan “Letting the kids loose” when the kids planned and – gasp – cooked? We had some really good stuff and the Cheesey Corn Pancakes and Mexican Tortilla Triangles have already been marked as new family favourites. DD8 even stayed up late Friday night to make the triangles (wearing her pink pyjamas) for DH when he finally got home from the office 🙂

But DS10 declared yesterday “I’m tired of cooking everyday”. Ha, welcome to my world, buster! So it’s back to Mum’s own menu plan this week… 😉

THURSDAY

  • Doing a ‘hot’ salad tonight. Fried, hot potatoes, real chunky bacon, homemade croutons, pieces of boiled egg and fresh spinach leaves.

FRIDAY

  • Lasagne made in the crockpot. Krista introduced me to the idea of making it in the slow cooker and I wouldn’t make it any other way now. Here’s the link to her crockpot lasagne recipe.

SATURDAY

  • There’s a Running Dinner for the parents in DD8’s class tonight. I’ve got one of the groups coming here for the starter (6 adults), then we’re all at another house for main course, dessert and the par-tay! I’m making smoked salmon and prawns on warm potatoes with asparagus. Served with a dill sauce and my (ever popular…) cold-risen bread (which is a cinch to make, you just mix, stir and leave to rise).

SUNDAY

  • Leftover crockpot lasagne from Friday, served with salad. For dessert, homemade chocolate mousse. French style (none of that adding-cream-to-it nonsense). Going to teach the kids how to make it…a lesson for life! 😉

MONDAY

  • Chicken Parmesan with tagliatelle (noodles). Yum! Something I make often for family and guests. Recipe is from Leanne Ely’s Saving Dinner cookbook. Leanne is the Dinner Diva – and the Flylady‘s sidekick!

TUESDAY

  • Scout night for DD8 and DS10. We’ll be making Mexican Tortilla Triangles filled with ham, cheddar cheese and fresh tomato. Veggie sticks on the side. Danish koldskål (buttermilk) for dessert with kammerjunker (little biscuits).

WEDNESDAY

  • One of DH’s favourites…breaded pork chops with gratin dauphinois and baby peas. I can make it standing on my head – with eyes closed – but it is good!

Bon appétit or velbekomme as we say around these parts.

Have a lovely ‘Little Friday’! 🙂

Scaredy Cat Challenge – The Flylady is coming! :)

DIANE IN DENMARK3 Comments

Dearest Flylady

Fantastic news that you and the Flycrew are visiting Copenhagen as part of your ‘Moving in May‘ virtual tour. I can’t wait for you all to get here! Thanks to three years of Flylady routines and decluttering, my house is all ready for you and the crew. Though the basement is still a work in progress…not perfection! 😉

My Scaredy Cat Challenge for the next few weeks is going to be whipping our garden into shape. Because when you come over we’ll hopefully be sitting outside, enjoying the Danish spring, my very favourite season. Funnily enough, Missus Smarty Pants says that’s the seasonal colours I look best in… I know Leslie loves scarves and shoes, so a shopping day in Copenhagen is definitely on the cards while you’re here 🙂

Just like my house, I’m going to get our garden ready 15 minutes at a time. I started off the Scaredy Cat Challenge this morning by mowing the lawn – it’s the ‘shiny sink’ of my garden. It’s quite a tough job (takes three 15 minute sessions) but I make it into a NEWO workout (I even wear my heart rate monitor) so it doesn’t seem like so much of a chore.

Talking of NEWO exercise, I’m looking forward to taking Jonathan on an interval run down to the beach at the end of our street. Has he seen the North sea before? It’s so beautiful at 9am in the morning…

But back to my garden… I found some bags of potting earth at the back of the garage (during a declutter session), so I’m going to plant lots of pansies and bulbs, so there’ll be lots of colour when you get here.

See the French balcony doors at the top of the house? That’s the guestbedroom, where you’ll be staying…

Our guest bedroom is always ‘company ready’. There are towels in the cupboard – just help yourself. There’s also a hairdryer and straightening irons in there for the Dinner Diva, Leanne. I heard she had problems with those on her visit to Ireland… Normally when we have guests I make Parmesan Chicken (from her ‘Saving Dinner‘ book) but I’ll make some traditional Danish dishes for her to try 🙂

Anyway, my work on the garden has started and I’m doing it the Flylady way. So now it’s time for the most important thing you’ve taught me – maybe the hardest habit of all – 15 minutes of pamper time!

See you all next month! Can’t wait!

Love

Diane, Denmark

PS: Tell Nikki that I’m taking her to The Tivoli Gardens, Denmark’s famous attraction. We’ll do all the rides (she likes rollercoasters, right?) and finish the evening with a rock concert! 🙂