The Dictatorship (Only kidding Mum), New cars and House moves... And Cauliflower cheese reloaded.

I went to my Parent's house on Friday night in order to be there and ready to help them pack and do anything that needs doing before they have to move out entirely next Monday.

My Mum has just had her hip replaced- So she can't stand up for very long and she can't bend down either- incase her new hip dislocates.
She is supposed to be taking it easy- but she's fighting that all the way! I can tell she's really bored because she wants to help direct you do to everything.

I got there on Friday and helped my Dad (who's culinary experience extends-and is limited to- Frozen pies which go in the oven with chips) To make a version of shepherds pie which has cauliflower cheese on top- I know it sounds weird- They assure me it's really nice (But I can't stand Meat and potato together in dishes).

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 450g/1lb beef mince
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 200ml/7fl oz stock (veal, game or beef)
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

For the topping

• 450g/1lb floury potatoes
• 75g/2½oz butter
• 750g/1lb 10oz cauliflower florets
• 150g/5oz crème fraîche
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 free-range egg
• 150g/5oz strong mature cheddar

To serve

• green vegetables

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
2. Heat half of the oil in a large heavy-based frying pan over a high heat. Add the mince and fry until browned all over. Remove with a slotted spoon.
3. Add the remaining oil to the pan and gently fry the onion, carrot and garlic for eight minutes, or until the vegetables have softened.
4. Return the mince to the pan with the tomato purée and cook for a further 6-8 minutes.
5. Add the stock, bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 40 minutes. Stir in the parsley, remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
6. Meanwhile for the topping, boil the potatoes until soft. Drain and mash in a saucepan with the butter.
7. Blanch the cauliflower florets for one minute. Drain, refresh in iced water and pat dry.
8. Beat together the crème frâiche, mustard, egg and cheese in a bowl. Fold in the cauliflower.
9. Spoon the mince into the baking dish and top with the mashed potato, then spoon over the cauliflower mixture and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
10. Preheat the grill to high, then grill pie until the top is golden-brown and bubbling around the edges.
    
    

I helped my Dad to make it- and Then I just had a massive plate of Cauliflower cheese for dinner- with creme fraiche and cheese and dijon mustard and eggs added to thicken the sauce whilst it's in the oven rather than the usual white sauce. It's really nice.
I've had a craving for macaroni cheese all week- and that has pretty much done the trick with eliminating it.

After dinner Kirstie came over which was lush as we got to catch up- I always feel bad when I go to my Parents but am too busy too see my friends- which as been an awful lot lately with hospitals and house moves.
Ray Turned up just before Kirstie with her new car- She's bought a massive new volvo! She insists it's no bigger than her old car. It's like a bus.

On Saturday we all got up early as Mum was crashing about from 8am. So we were all dressed fed and ready to go by 9- which was rather impressive.
I went out with Ray to do the last of the paperwork for her car in Oxford- and on the way back I persuaded her to stop in a Milletts Farm.

They already have a christmas section.

It's not as big as nottcutts but they have more pretend geese suspended for then ceiling so I'm under the illusion that their christmas display is more impressive.
They also have masks.

We did manage to be productive even with all our christmas excitement- We bought lunch for everyone from Milletts Shop and we persuaded the shop staff to give us loads of boxes.
After gotten home and we'd served everyone lunch we started to pack the boxes- Ray had been off all week and has managed to pack lots of books and ornaments so now the front room and bedrooms are empty of bits and bobs leaving just empty shelves and cupboards. We also packed all the good china from the dining room which took forever.
We emptied the airing cupboard and some of the drawers in the kitchen.
Which doesn't sound like much- but was enough to fill two cars entirely (and no, one of them wasn't my 'box on wheels' I mean real sized cars- like my sisters Volvo bus).

On the way to Chippenham she pulled into services for fuel- she pulled up by the pump and started laughing followed by "I asked the man at the garage how the bonnet opened- I forgot I'd need to open the fuel cap!"
We consulted the handbook.
The first instruction in big red letters was not to put fuel in your eyes.

After that it told us how to remove the petrol cap.

The new house is starting to look like a home now finally- Ray took my mum out last week to buy lamp shades which her boyfriend and my dad have fitted- Dad's got his man shed now too- and a kettle and mugs to make tea.
I unpacked the airing cupboard into the new airing cupboard and the plates into the cupboard my mother selected as the most appropriate in the kitchen for crockery.
It is slowly getting there.

I still can't believe that my childhood home will soon belong to someone else! It's so strange! I've given my parents my house keys- the green ones- that used to be chained to the inside of my school bag at DGS.
Next week they will be someone else's keys for my old house. I know this has happened a million times before with keys for houses in Cardiff. But somehow this is different.

In exchange They have given me a new key for their door in Chippenham, So I can get in! But it's just one key! I feel shortchanged as I handed back 5.