A Domestic Goddess!

Well it's been a year now since I became a full time 'housewife' the very name of which is unglamorous, dated and synonymous with domestic drudgery. Perhaps I should call myself a 'domestic goddess' I certainly take pleasure in domestic chores as, unlike a 1950s housewife, I have all the mod cons at my disposal, I'm not exactly putting my washing through a mangle or humping sacks of coal from the bunker!

I come from the generation of 'new woman' unlike my mother I wanted it all and domesticity didn't come into it. However, the 'superwomen' role models have fallen from grace and there has been a fundamental shift in young Women's attitudes towards life and work. Having watched their own mother's trying and often failing to 'have it all' they don't want to work crazy hours while their children are in nurseries. Young women value happiness before a big salary or high powered career, apparently the age of 'superwoman': worlds best mother, wife, martyr and boss, is dead!

I can't say I blame them, given the choice between my life being on permanent fast forward: work, shopping (and ending up with cupboards full of random impulse buys,) throwing meals together, housework, work..........or my current life, it's a no brainer! Interestingly one in five women born in 1970 has suffered with depression, twice the rate of those born in 1940! One social statistic that has remained unchanged between 1954 and today is the proportion of men who claim to do housework, 12 per cent. I quess in the words of the song: 'you can thank your lucky stars that we're not as smart as we'd like to think we are.'

Without doubt, shopping for and cooking raw ingredients is time consuming, hence why my mother spent so much time in her kitchen, however, it is also very cost effective which is essential for me as I no longer work. Today I made some rissoles with some of the leftover lamb: see post Sunday roast, they were utterly delicious and a very good recipe for using lovely leftovers. As I've said before, some dishes photograph better than others and the photos I have taken unfortunately don't do the rissoles justice, please don't be put off, give these a try and maybe send me your photos to my facebook page: Donna's pink kitchen.

Lamb rissoles

Recipe
225g cooked lamb
1 onion
40g fresh breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 egg, beaten
For coating and frying
Seasoned flour
Oil for shallow frying

Chop lamb and onion in a food processor, place in a bowl and add rest of ingredients
Mix until everything is thoroughly combined
Divide into 6 portions, shape each into a round cake shape, coat each rissole with flour

Chill in fridge until ready to cook
Heat oil in a frying pan, enough to cover base of pan
Fry rissoles for 5 minutes on each side

The ingredients for rissoles are by no means invariable, for something spicy add a teaspoon of chilli powder, for a middle eastern flavour add cumin and coriander. For an Indian influence add curry powder, ginger and turmeric.

You can serve rissoles with salad or seasonal vegetables and some buttery potatoes

'They shared the chores of living as some couples do--she did most of the work and he appreciated it'
-Paula Gosling

Love from the domestic goddess xxxxxxx