icklebabe.com, it's in the blog

So this Friday night my best girlie mates invited me out. I am never good at going out. I always enjoy it when I get there, but before I go I am like a hermit with a bad case of social anxiety. But it was one of my very best pals, “Posh Sara”s leaving do..(she buys from Fortumns and regularly visits her family in new york, where she hires an entire hotel  suite….no caravans in the quantocks for this girl, let me tell you… I must add though, she is one of the kindest and most genuinely sweet people I have meet, and I do not merely say this in case she reads! ….but I  digress..sorry…)

Anyhow..its Sara’s leaving do, she is off to Australia in a matter of weeks so I can not miss this girly Soiree . I have new outfit  in the shape of  some rather flattering skinny cargo’s and all saints top from ASOS, and I have new red hair ….well its kind of red…and I have no spots…and minimal bags due to excessive *been in bed with the flu*-sleep, so now is as good as time as any, and Teen Ellie is pracically pushing me out the door so..HAY HO… off to party I go.

We started out on our favorite pub. With comfy sofas, wine and  great girlie giggles about gynecologist visits, eye exams and rampant rabbits (don’t ask, we must be at that *weird* age) and then onto a little restaurant for dinner. Before this dinner , I think I must have scrubbed up fairly well because my old (not in years) pal (honest, but hilariously funny) Karen, told me I looked about twelve, “but  in a good way”,  I will take that kind lady, where have you been all my life!

 Anyway,  then there was more wine, and lots of carbs… I had the most amazing monk fish risotto… and garlic bread…. yum!

It was at  this point the camera comes out, and my confidence starts to wilt. But this is Sara’s leaving do, and we want some pictures right? Only when I am handed the camera I am forced to secretly push delete … allot!  My arms are the size of Russian shot putters and I am sure I have, at the very least a double chin, it might even be a triple! so I spend the rest of the night feeling ever so slightly fatter and older …it doesn’t help that all my friends are gorgous and two of them could probably  get into a pair of size 8 skinnies..together. But I am not bitter, honest…. and it was a great night.

As it was all coming to an end we decided, a bit worse for wear, to go and get chips. Possibly a bad move because we were the only females in a very tiny  kebab shop with about 5 spotty teenage drunk boys. And just to finish the night out with a bang..one of them called me mummy!  I nearly died!

In hindsight it was  pretty funny and I love that I have such fab company to go out with, and  I kind of found my *going out* mojo again because of it. So I say, hooray for girls nights! And if any of my mates read this, sorry you probably only have about five good pics now.  But at least my arms look okay ;D x Oh..and please let me know if you have had any similar *girls night out moments* it will make me feel sooo much better! X

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The Recipe bit….

I can’t go without leaving you this amazing recipe  for fluey cold aches or post girls night out pains…or just cozy winter warm cozy-ness! (yes..I know thats not really a word..but it should be…) am LOVING soup when its cold outside, especially hearty ones like this. With some nice bread and a bit of pudding,  it sustains even the caveman of the house (BigJ) ! ;D

Jewish Mother’s penicillin with a touch of the Italian,

OR.. The BEST Chicken Noddle soup -

900ml of chicken stock 

 **cooks notes please, please use homemade chicken stock, its SO easy and tastes completely different. All you need do is get your Sunday roast chicken carcass (or any other day) . Bung in a pan with a whole carrot, a stick of celery (or a teaspoon of celery salt) , a onion cut into two, 5 pepper corns, 2 bay leaves and 2 cloves. cover the whole chicken with plenty of boiling water. And let Mr chicken simmer gently in his bath of loveliness for several hours. Yes, you do have to be in for this, but its pretty low maintenance, all you do is very occasionally check to see if there is enough water. Easy! also if you do make this soup with your chicken stock and a little left over brown chicken meat it means that one chicken will feed a family for two meals,  that’s frugal food made easy!  )**

1 -2 cups of left over chicken,

 1 onion,

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 heaped teaspoon of dried oregano

1 small teaspoon of dried thyme

1 pinch of chili flakes

50g of spaghetti

a good cupful  of frozen peas and sweetcorn

First get out the peas and sweetcorn, and place in a bowl near hob to start defrosting.

Then fry the onion and garlic in a little olive oil and butter for several mins adding the dried herbs and chili  too.  Pour on the chicken stock and simmer gently for 5 mins, add the chicken and the pasta (noodles) for about another 8-10 mins, or until the pasta is cooked. Stir in the peas and sweetcorn and simmer for another min, before serving with lots of bread and maybe a shaving of Parmesan cheese…. UN-beat-able!