Tag Archives: Love

All you need is LOVE challenge – day 4

10 Feb

Today’s question over at the Valentine’s Swap and Challenge is

For Valentine’s Day I {LOVE} to bake/cook… {share a recipe!}

Regular readers will know my opinions on Valentine’s Day, so we don’t normally cook anything special. But I thought I would share one my all-time favourite recipes for special occasions/ entertaining.
It looks and tastes amazing but is VERY simple a quick to prepare.

Salmon Parcels with Watercress Sauce (serves 4 – easily halved)

I think this was originally off a Sainsbury’s recipe Card, but I have been making it since my early teens so I can’t remember! The chill of the watercress sauce is just lovely with the warm flakiness of the salmon. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it!

  • 1 Tbsp of butter, melted
  • 2 onions, sliced
  • sprigs of fresh dill (I never use this as I never have dill around!!!)
  • 4 salmon steaks
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 lemon
  • 40g butter
  • 175g fromage frais
  • 75g pack of fresh watercress, finely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, 350°;F, Gas Mark 4.

2. Brush 4 sheets of foil with melted butter.

3. Divide the onion between each piece of foil, and place a sprig of dill on the onion.

4. Place one salmon steak on top of the onion and dill and squeeze over the lemon juice.

5. Add seasoning to taste and a knob of butter.

6. Wrap the foil around the fish to form a parcel and place on a baking tray in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.

7. Meanwhile, pour the fromage frais in a bowl and stir in the chopped watercress with seasoning to taste.

8. Remove the salmon from the foil and serve with the sauce and new potatoes.

Head on over to Neely’s; Sam’s or Courtney’s blog to link up and browse some other recipes!

Learning the language of love

26 Jan

I was chatting the other day with a friend who is doing the marriage preparation course about what difference knowing your partner makes. I joked that although Josh and I did the marriage course, all the stuff they said went in one ear and out the other. It was only several months after we were married that we were able to look back on what they had said and realise that it actually made sense.  Even though we thought we knew each other there were lots of things still left to learn!

Rebekah, over at Life with the Edwards has been posting recently about a test which you can do to work out your love languages. I’ve heard of this before from the book the 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman; it’s not just for couples, it simply shows you a little of how your mind works and sheds light on why you will react to different situations in different ways.

So, for example:
My top love language is Acts of Service. I feel loved best when people do things for me to help me out. That’s why I feel most loved and appreciated when Josh does things around the house to make me happy even though he’s not that bothered if we live in squalor a bit of a mess.

My second top was words of affirmation. That’s why I get so wound up/upset if people speak harshly to me, or don’t listen to my point of view.

Apparently we’re most likely to try and show love to others in the ways that we like to receive love [i.e service and words of affirmation], and I suppose that’s where lots of problems in relationships come. Josh’s love language is touch, but if I just did the washing up for him all the time he might not feel like I’m showing love to him, even though I think that I am. [Does that even make sense?!].

The tests aren’t just for couples, there are ones for singles, children and families too. Why not fill out these 30 quick questions to find out what your language is…and be sure to let us know in the comments!

Happy (Welsh) Valentine’s Day

25 Jan

Before you think that I’ve got my dates mixed up, today in Wales we celebrate Dydd Santes Dwynwen [St Dwynwen’s Day]. St Dwynwen is the Welsh patron saint of love, which makes her the Welsh equivalent of St Valentine.  

There are several versions of her story, which you can find here.

I’ve already been brought flowers in work today. Happy days 🙂

Lunch

22 May

Josh knew I was upset so made me a healthy, nutritious lunch to cheer me up.

Yummy lunch

Haha, what a cutie.