Category Archives: midorigreen

Exhibit A: At a recent flea market I was selling a belly dance costume. It’s too big for me and as it’s covered in hand sewn sequins not a good candidate for alteration. However it is a fabulous piece and I’d love to see someone putting it to use and feeling fabulous. As it turned out it got plenty of attention. Lots of women looked at it as they passed my stall. They all commented on how lovely it was and then without fail, laughed and stated that they couldn’t wear it because they were too fat or had too much belly.

This made me sad. It’s called belly dancing. It involves having a belly. Having a body that is not toned to within an inch of its life doesn’t make you less of a woman or less beautiful.

Exhibit B: I started a new burlesque course. As a matter of fact, it’s a routine that will involve some clothing removal (I know that you’re all dying to ask about the nudity bit but please note that burlesque doesn’t automatically mean stripping to g string ). The class took some time to talk about our fears about the activity. And the issue of bellies once again came up. Followed by giggles and worries about what other people might think.

The other women made jokes about themselves and their bodies. And about what other people might say, or have said. And like an undercurrent ran the feat of being laughed at for being different.

Now this might be the point where I go on about body image, or media portrayal of women, or Victorian morals or…

But the point I really want to draw attention to is another point that came up in the discussion –fear. When people feel nervous, when they think they might not fit in they get the giggles or they get aggressive. Or they combine the two by making people laugh at them first.

And it was that people act out of fear all the time that kept coming back to me all weekend. When someone commented on my use of soap and shampoo bars (instead of more liquid versions) it was because of fear. A fear of being different to the rest of the Western world who prefer shower gel to soap.

When someone pushed past me to get onto a train it was fear – of being left behind, of missing out.

When I got grumpy the other day, it was fear that I was letting people down. When I complained about the cost of something it was fear that there would be less for me. When I didn’t want to be seen reading something trashy in public it was because I was scared people would think less of me.

I’m beginning to think the late Susan Jeffers really did have a point….

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I’ve often gone on about my love of leftovers and my enjoyment in using up odds and ends of ingredients. There’s just something really satisfying about seeing what’s in the pantry, fridge and freezer and then creating.

Clockwise from top left:

Roasted chickpeas and new potatoes in oil and vinegar dressing – I’d prepared these as separate dishes but they go so well together. The number of potatoes was a bit limited so the addition of the chickpeas made the most of them. The oil was the dregs of a bottle of basil infused olive oil.

Broccoli tarts – whenever I puree broccoli for a sauce I always have leftovers which is just perfect for topping some pastry to create these soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside tarts. I’ve topped them with some slices of radish.

The novel in the viola by Natasha Solomons– I’m devouring this. I’d expected it to be predictable but it isn’t all. You can sense something terrible building up but my guesses as to what have so far been dashed. It makes me wish I was still in a reading group so I could discuss it.

Dates, Pistachios, dark chocolate, and salted almonds – while I wait for the strawberries to ripen this is my favourite source of something sweet.

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Alas the shocking truth is that I am a two bag lady. Or two bag woman? Or two bag female? Or two bag person? Anyway I digress. I’ve always liked the thought of carrying as little as possible. Carrying only the absolute necessities with me which prob… Continue reading →

This kind of lunch is surely what inspired manufacturers to produce those packages with crackers and circles of meat and cheese. Personally I prefer my version. Clockwise from top left: Radishes and green pepper Home grown rocket Pistachios … Continue reading →

Don’t wear high heels for playing bass Not even if they are the loveliest shoes ever, and the green matches your outfit perfectly. By the middle of the set your feet will hurt in a most distracting manner, even if you do sound fantastic. People like… Continue reading →

    Here are the first 8 photos I’ve taken for the June photo challenge on the theme of green. You can see my dail updates on Instagram @midorigreenuk or on my photoblog on midorigreen.co.uk I tend to only put photographs of green things on… Continue reading →

I really do love leftovers. They induce in me a state of creativity. So I present here my first attempt at risotto balls. I used leftover Vegan with a vegance mushroom and sundried tomato risotto. I filled them with pieces of Field Roast chorizo st… Continue reading →

Warm weather – rediscovering my summer clothes – lots of lovely new blogs to read – water with lemons and mint – taking the bus so I can read and enjoy the scenery – lunch in the park – Adding handfuls of home grown rocket and spinach to my meals – Getting grips with G+ and enjoying some interesting discussions on honey – ridiculous new green shoes (see photo) – eBay (perfect place for purchasing shoes) – completing job list items – tending my allotment – playing bass and getting excited about how good my band sounds

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I knew that I would be pushed for time in this week. The band I am in is playing our first gig on Saturday night. As a result we feel the need to practice every evening. It’s usually a bit of rush trying to eat before practice two nights a week. I usually try to prepare double amounts on other nights to ensure that I’m not playing on a dinner of toast.

Bearing this in mind I decided that it was time to try this batch cooking thing I’d read about. My only attempt at this kind of thing previously has been freezing cooked beans and pulses, or tucking large amounts of leftovers away for another day.

This time round still wasn’t quite on the grand scale that some people manage (preparing a month of food in one go) but seemed to be a starting point.

So on Sunday afternoon I spent 90 minutes preparing the following:

· Mushroom and sun dried tomato risotto (from Vegan with a vengeance)

· Potato and asparagus soup (from Vegan with a vengeance)

· Chilli (made it up as I went along)

It was certainly less work, preparation and washing up to prepare everything at the same time. I chopped the onions, leeks and garlic for all recipes in one go. I could see how much of everything I had and assign it accordingly (rather than having to find time to go out and buy extra onions mid- week). The endless stirring that risotto requires took place in-between working on the other dishes.

I’ve found it rather nice this week not to have to think about dinner. I simply arrive home and heat up a bowl of whichever one I fancy. All three lend themselves well to ‘pimping’ so I’ve been adding toppings in the form of rocket, spinach, sun dried tomatoes, and fresh herbs.

There is risotto in there somewhere

However I think it has made me realise how much I enjoy cooking and appreciate the opportunity to get creative on a daily basis. I fell asleep last night wondering how the risotto would shape up as risotto balls. Very well I’m sure (although I’ll have to wait until Thursday night to give this a go). But it does miss the point of saving me time. Yes, it’s quicker than cooking risotto from scratch. However it’s not as speedy as toast and Marmite.

So while I’ve can appreciate batch cooking as something in the freezer to draw on I think most nights will still see me slaving over a hot stove, or toaster.

 

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