Another day

Good morning all well this is the last day of a year that has had its fair share of ups and downs.  Somehow we always manage to pull through the tough times and you have been a great source of comfort and inspiration.  Living, as I do, with two adult sons has both advantages and disadvantages but on balance, I think I am blessed.  When I look around at some of the people I know who have nobody I realise that even when I could choke the boys at least they are there and I feel secure that they will not let anything really bad happen to me.  I hope that they too feel that I am there for them when needed.  I found something useful in my researches into mindfulness which described bad times as clouds passing overhead and you need to remember that the sky is still blue and that the clouds will pass.  Sounds nice but it is not an easy philosophy to put into practice. My other favourite saying is that meditation is for the mind what exercise is for the body. ...

Good morning all, I slept reasonably well last night but as you can imagine I feel as if I have been run over by an emotional steamroller.  I hate confrontation unless it is absolutely necessary there are usually better ways to deal with conflict. I had a very lazy day yesterday Denzil brought home some lovely prawns in a zesty lime dressing which did us for lunch along with a big stirfry of vegetables.  And for supper, we had a red pepper and goat's cheese quiche.  I did make a short foray to Aldi for milk and looked at the poor mums pushing screaming kids around in trollies looking completely shattered and in total disbelief that they needed more food!!!!  My house is still stuffed with food.  I have a second red cabbage which I don't know what to do with as none of us really like it.  I thought I might make kimchi with it which I do like but it is a lot of mucking about.  James is a bit under the weather so he is not ea...

Good morning all.  A nice day yesterday and a nice surprise in the mail.  I had almost forgotten that the roof cheque was due.  Most acceptable as I think we all spend a bit more over the holidays.  The last of the turkey soup made a good lunch as it was loaded with vegetables including the few sprouts that were left. They reminded me of school sprouts which had been boiled for days. Joy is a bit under the weather following her flu jab.  The only slight consolation is it is better than a dose of the flu.  I think she has decided to have a day off and just look after herself.  Good idea. I got some venom via Facebook yesterday but that is easily deleted and eventually, it should stop if I don't reply.  I am not going to change all my settings on everything so if you see a nasty comment you will know who it is from and just ignore it.  I don't see why I should have my life turned upside down by one person I have already ...

Good morning friends .  Last night I slept very well with my tummy full of lovely turkey soup following an email-free day.  I hope I have put the genie back in the bottle and put the cork in tight.  As I am amongst friends who have known me for years and years you might like to know that you have been in contact with a nasty, jealous, lying, bullying, demented old bag.  [direct quote minus the expetives]  There is, however, a limit to the amount of abuse I am prepared to take.  I tried not to retaliate but in the end, I gave her both barrels straight between the eyes.  I now sincerely hope I can get on with my life unimpeded by this very sad woman.  So that said, what's on the menu today?  Well, there is still a bucket full of turkey soup so that will do for lunch and then for supper, I thought I might make some large salad may be with hard-boiled eggs.  We still have stolen, mince pies etc. to eat and the fridge is still full of al...

Sorry to be so late but I have been dealing with a barrage of insults from my sister which I hope I have now put an end to. Sadly I was not brave enough to just delete everything but from now on I hope not to receive any more nasty things from her.  I was an absolute slob yesterday and did very little except put the turkey carcass in the pot and boil it.  So today I have the lovely job of sorting all out.  The remaining turkey meat is going in the freezer for a pie later in the year or maybe even next year. Today I have some bacon steaks which will be nice with mashed swede and carrot and the fridge is still stuffed with food so supper will be a foraging exercise.  Denzil is back at work this evening so it will be just James and I. As it is so late I will keep this to a minimum and make a move into the kitchen though I feel like it like a hole in the head.  Nevermind onward and upward.

Good morning all well I survived I hope you did too.  Christmas lunch all worked out fine but if I had to comment then I wouldn’t bother with Gordon Ramsey’s stuffing it looked good but tasted pretty naff.  I make better stuffing myself, anyway, the dogs thought it was OK and they had the leftovers for supper last night and breakfast this morning. The brining of the turkey made all the difference as the legs were well cooked but the breast was still moist.  Today is my favourite time as I get to play with the carcas and hopefully, by tonight there will be turkey soup on the menu. I was poleaxed tired having been up since the unexpected visitor at 3am so I left the mess in the kitchen for the boys and the dishwasher and slept like the dead for several hours.  Dan and Tubby were crazy excited about their presents but didn’t understand crackers but ripping up paper hats was fun.  They had been given some squeaky toys but those were dealt with in under a minute...

Good morning all, reasonable day yesterday got all the washing out of the way.  Then I saw these and just had to have a go and see if they worked. Yes, I should have piped the cream cheese but I couldn’t be bothered for just a dessertspoonful of cheese.  I think they look quite effective but more care with the presentation is needed but you get the general idea.   Now it is time to get all the stuff out of the freezer to defrost for tomorrow. It is a bit cooler today and nice and dry so a good day to potter to and fro the freezer.  I have made the brine so tonight the turkey will get its bath and I still have to make the pigs in blankets.  I am such a tightwad I make my own rather than pay someone else to wrap bacon around sausages.  The family tradition is for fish today so I have some smoked salmon and some enormous prawns which I will serve with a salad so I hope everyone will be hungry tomorrow.   Good luck with your final prep...

Good morning all, well I think I am ready I did the last little bit of shopping yesterday and I was surprised that Aldi was not too busy.  In the end, I did a chicken for lunch so we have soup and I have a small loaf which has gone stale so I think it will be a bread and butter pudding for today.  The birds don't do very well out of me as I can always find a use for stale bread.  If all else fails it gets dried and made into breadcrumbs for coating.  The brine for soaking the bird is ready and the bird is in the fridge defrosting.  Yes, I bought a frozen small bird as none of us really like turkey but the trimmings should be spectacular.  My box arrived full of all the vegetables necessary and it is sitting out in the garage for the time being.  It really isn't cold enough to be a fridge but it is colder than the house.  I have a good supply of ingredients to make some Japanese/Korean dishes which are nice and light and will, I hop...

Good morning all well that is the longest night of the year over or is it tonight I am never sure anyway I don't notice milliseconds of light and dark.  Gone are the days when that is how we measured the seasons.  It is another mild day here and for a change, it is dry as well.  Yesterday I made some savoury pancakes and came to the conclusion that it is necessary to have two dogs when you make pancakes as the both the first and the last tend to be lace handkerchiefs, which is one each for the dogs I suppose small children would also do.  I also made some lentil and ham soup with the hok bone and skin left over from lunch.  My supplies of ready chopped onions carrots and celery are really useful as it cuts down quite a lot of preparation time and the pressure cooker cuts down on cooking time. Part two Sorry, but I was commandeered to go and do the final bits and pieces of shopping now that is done I quit.  What we haven't got we will...

Good morning all sorry for the late start. I started to write this at 6am but was overcome by nausea 🤢 and had to resort to the anti emetics.  What a pain, anyway I am gradually getting better.  I managed to get most of my chores done yesterday and went with the mince pie option rather than the tart.  I used Mary Berries sweet short crust recipe which has grated orange zest run through it.  The kombucha is bottled and will be ready to drink for Christmas so everything is on track.  I have not refreshed the kombucha so as to clear the maximum space in the kitchen.  Like sourdough you can send it into hibernation buy refrigeration. James has just volunteered to do a bit of shopping for lunch today and as I have lovely greens I am looking for some ham to go with them and perhaps a jacket potato.  For supper I will make a frittata with an assortment of vegetables.  I do find catering before Christmas difficult as my mind is elsewhere. Tonight is ...

Good morning all a bit damp here this morning but well above zero so no complaints.  I had a really busy day in the kitchen yesterday and got the stuffing and bread sauce done.  I did the remaining sausages for lunch with giant couscous and a spinach side dish.  I also made some ponzu which is a sort of citrus light soy sauce which is ideal as a dipping sauce with fish.  I also made the sweet shortcrust pastry for the mince pies which I will be making today.  I can't make up my mind whether to make mince pies or a mincemeat tart which is just as nice but less pastry.  I suppose mince pies are more versatile than a tart so that will probably be the route I chose.   Today I have a bit of catching up to do as my kombucha was due to be wracked off yesterday but I had too much else on the go so it can be done today.  I have some frozen mixed fruits which I will add for the second fermentation and I will need to keep an eye on it if ...

Good morning all, yesterday went pear-shaped.  I was clobbered with ear ache, nausea and dizziness. I made it to and from the shop but by the return journey, I knew my day was over.  Took the meds and crashed in bed lying very still.  By 8pm I was finally feeling semi-human.  What a pain! so today I have stuffing and bread sauce to make.  Hey ho, these things are sent to try us.  Fortunately, the meds do their job so I took one as soon as I opened my eyes this morning I don't want another day off my feet.  The problem is you have to try not taking the pill to see if you are better. It's really miserable here this morning not too cold but pouring with rain.  I thought I would try Gordon Ramsey's stuffing which includes merguez sausages which I have never seen or tried before but when I saw them in the shop I thought I would give them a try.  I will only need 2 for the stuffing so the rest will be for lunch today. ...

Good morning all, yesterday was a bit of a non-day we just got on with the background chores of floors and dusting, clean the bathroom etc.  My bathroom has some nice embossed tiles but they are dirt magnets and pigs to clean and just to make thing worse they run behind the heated towel rail so they are difficult to get at. For lunch, I did some pork chops with lots of buttered cabbage and for supper, we had tuna burgers made to the Greg Wallace recipe which always amazes me as the mixture is so wet I expect them to fall apart but they don't.  To go with the tuna burgers I did some tomato salad and a Japanese cucumber salad.   I watched a very interesting program about Tudor England and the 12 days of feasting for Christmas.  So many of our traditions go back that far and even further to our pagan days. It is, of course, the mid-winter solstice.  After that, the days get longer and the nights get shorter and very soon it will be...

Good morning all here we go into the final week of the crazy season.  I had a lovely meal at Elaine's and she had made lasagne for 18 plus all the bits and pieces and two desserts and of course birthday cake.  Us old farts did our duty in embarrassing the 14-year-old and had a laugh as we creaked and winced getting in and out of chairs.  Their dog did rather well as he was given lots to wash up; its a rotten job but someone has to do it. Getting the plate of canapes to her house was quite a feet as they really don't like being bounced in a car however only two had taken a nose dive so I was pleased.  The tomato Santas are incredibly fiddly especially when the tomatoes are so small and it must be years since I did any real piping. By the time I got home I was very tired I'm not used to all this jollity and I am accustomed to an afternoon nap.  I was desperate to get some sleep but of course, my brain was racing and had no intention of letting me get a n...

Good morning all after a very miserable wet day yesterday it is bright and sunny this morning but still pretty chilly which is OK by me.  So guess who has been watching YouTube again? I just couldn't resist making these Christmas trees and Santa's out of tomatoes, cucumber and some cheese.  My piping skills are not all they should be but what the hell I thought I would give it a go.   Today I am out to lunch I have been invited to Elaine's.  It is her youngest 14th birthday tomorrow so they are having a bit of a get-together.  Isn't it amazing how fast time goes I remember being on call in case she needed a cesarian section as there was no one with a strong enough stomach to go with her so I had promised to be there if needed?  As things turned out no intervention was needed and he was born without problems.  I can't believe that was fourteen years ago where has the time gone. So no lunch for me to cook today...

Good morning all isn't it cold? Yesterday was a good day I managed to get through it without any stupid mistakes.  As I have just purchased new light bulbs, and so can see rather better than before, I noticed that the lampshades, which are plastic but look like chandeliers, were absolutely filthy so down they came for a wash and now they are back up looking spectacular.  More shiny things looking shiny so the house looks clean it isn't but the illusion is convincing.  I have one set of lovely bedding for my bed which is heavy duty snow white Egyptian cotton and I have ironed it to within an inch of its life as I intend to collapse into a fabulous bed once all the Christmas meal is done.  As I have no doubt mention on many occasions I have a passion for snow white crisp linen on a bed.  So that is my treat for me.  It was not an easy task as the sheets were dry from the airing cupboard so the creases were of the semi-perm...

Good morning all, the last of the shiny things are shiny. I was all for leaving it in boxes but Denny was having none of it.  It took three people 3 hours to achieve this please tell me it was worth the effort. Personally, I think it is a colossal waste of time as nobody ever goes into the sitting room for some reason we all congregate in the dining room which is adjacent to the kitchen and so the heart of the home. Yesterday I decided I should be certified; first I cleaned the kitchen floor and then decided to clean the ovens. How stupid is that! Now the floor is a mess again. Denzil took me shopping so I now have the lemons if the ginger beer ever gets going but there was no ginger so off I go to Tesco this morning and try again.  However, all is not lost I have clean ovens and I have done the gravy base and made the cranberry sauce.  Then I thought I would take a bottle of kombucha to my bedroom as I like to have a glass by my bed for the night. ...

Good morning all.  Nice day yesterday I finally decided what to do with the chicken breast.  I think the word is fusion but in my case it more like confusion.  I flattened out the breasts to paper thin then egg and crumbed them so far Japanese but then I added some grated mousetrap cheese and some thyme to the crumbs. Now we are American Italian and I served them with flat green beans and carrots cut as finely as I could manage and dressed with a dribble if sesame oil and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. It was odd but it worked.  The stock got heavily reduced at the same time the steam cleaned the extractor fan which dripped all over the cooker. However, it yielded enough meat for several meals for the dogs.  The pressure cooker, now empty, got the beef ribs and put on slow cook.  By the time all that was accomplished I was knackered and the kitchen looked like something had exploded in it.  I really will have to clean it today, sadly the dogs do their be...

Good morning all.  What a day I had yesterday, I gave Dennie her Christmas present and she burst into tears but soon got over it then Elly came for a coffee and we all sat round the table drinking coffee and polishing all the shiny bits that belonged in the lounge and have been packed in boxes since we had the floors done so now it is finally back to how it should be. The ginger beer plant got fed and the plants got watered but the floors were left for me to do today. My Riverford box contained not only veg but I also ordered some chicken carcasses which will make the base for the gravy on the big day.  I ordered some chipolatas which were intended for pigs in blankets but ended up as supper. Today I have loads to do as the house is still in need of a clean there is only so much a cleaner can do in the allotted time.  Anyway, it all feels a little pointless as the floors get cleaned and in 5 minutes you would never know as they are covered in paw prints again....

Good morning all.  I had a really successful day yesterday the ginger beer is underway. (Note to self buy more ginger and lemons).  The mutton stew was lovely as I used the dregs of the French onion soup as stock and some shiitake mushrooms which were looking very sad. I then made pomme purée, yes, I put the spuds through a drum sieve.  Was it worth the effort? YES, they were lovely, I think the butter and cream might have helped a bit:) While I was slaving in the kitchen Denzil did all the laundry and also shot up the road and bought some new light bulbs.  I had the low energy type which were also low light. Now with the newer ones the house is like Blackpool Illuminations. I might not hear too well but I sure can see fine! By way of a rest, I paid a visit to my Japanese friend and got some good advice on Japanese cuisine. It has always fascinated me the way the Japanese put so much effort into presentation and she explained that it is out of respect ...

Good morning all.  I had a busy day yesterday getting my kombucha done and then I had a small mental breakdown and decided to make biscuits for the dogs for their Christmas presents.  This year we have decided that only children and dogs get presents us adults will do without.  I was unsure what to do for Denny so I have just doubled her wages and I hope she spends the extra on something for herself rather than just adding it to the family finance but the choice is hers. I put this photo on one of the Spinone facebook dog groups and promptly got asked for the recipe.  There was no recipe they are made of wholemeal flour, oat bran, eggs, cheese and some chicken stock so all nice stuff but all done by eye and experience.  If you have been cooking for 50+ years you don't need a recipe.  I cooked the offcuts and gave them to my dogs to try and that was a mistake as they would now like the rest of them and as they have noses there is no hiding...

Good morning all, its wet and windy out there today but still quite mild.  I was pleased with yesterdays efforts in the kitchen and it feels good to have a couple of bits put aside ready for the celebrations.  Denzil came home with a large bag of ready diced onions so I have just put them in a pan on a low flame with the intention of making French onion soup and as the onions take forever to cook I thought I would get them underway immediately.  The things he finds in the shop are always close to their sell by date and not worth putting back on the shelf so they sell them off very cheaply.  However, I find all sorts of strange things turn up and it is my mission to make something out of them.  It's a good job I am fond of cooking and as Marjorie said I can usually make something from them.  As you know it's against my religion to throw food away. When she mentioned her time in Africa I was reminded of the day our cook served us mushroom omelettes and ...

Good morning all, talk about the sublime to the ridiculous this morning I have been awake since 3am.  I guess I got enough sleep yesterday.  Anyway I did the shopping yesterday so I am now ready to start making the red cabbage as I have all the ingredients.  In the end we didn’t have the kidneys so they have been shunted on to today’s menu. Denzil is off to work so I can go and play in the kitchen.  I stay out of his way first thing so he can get off to work unhindered.   My shopping list from my app worked well but I am not sure if it is worth the effort of keeping it updated. It is still easier with pen and paper then leaving it on the kitchen table.  A slow walk down the supermarket isles works reasonably well. I keep reading about bad weather but it is still mild and wet here.  Now I am in need of coffee then it will be on with some cooking and I had better not forget lunch. It’s all very well getting ahead for Christmas but we still have ...

Good morning all very late this morning I was up early and thought I would just have an extra 5 minutes and ended up having an extra three hours.  I can only assume I must have needed it.  Anyway, I am now way behind schedule.  I spent quite a lot of time yesterday working on a computer program which stores my recipes but since the latest update, it now allows me to put in meal plans and makes shopping lists as well as keeps track of items I am in need of.  Needless to say, it does need you to input lots of information which is pretty time-consuming.  Well, it is done and I hope I will just be able to print off a shopping list or take the list on my phone!!!  Just by way of a comment, I used to have quite reasonable handwriting but since I now type more than write my handwriting has gone to the dogs and looks like some drunk spider has walked across the page.  I guess it is like other handy crafts if you don't practice you gradually los...

Good morning all, just a quick one this morning.  I haven’t got myself going yet and can’t decide what to do today.  I did get the floor washed yesterday which was a bonus.  I am due to go shopping with Denzil tomorrow and as I am short of a few ingredients I think I will leave the cooking until then.  I have a pot of lentil soup which will do for lunch and I’m sure I will find something for supper.  I have some ironing to keep me out of mischief.  It’s still relatively warm and wet no snow or frost yet.  Have a good day.

Good morning all well as you can see I am sleeping much better these days and getting up at a sensible hour.  The absence of an earache and sickness makes a big difference.  Yesterday's fish pie turned out to be rather a large quantity so I made one big one and one smaller one to go in the freezer for some other occasion.  Sadly my veg box didn't arrive until quite late by which time I was past being interested in making the puree, however, the one good thing about root vegetables is their lasting capacity.  The celeriac will happily wait until I am ready to cook it.  I also have a red cabbage which will eventually get cooked and put in the freezer, I usually do it with apples and onions and some brown sugar.  It makes a good accompaniment to ham and cold meats.   On the menu today I am going to do some bassa fillets with curly kale for lunch largely because I forgot to take anything out of the freezer last night and most of th...

Good morning all.  Bit of a rough day yesterday but at least the petrol smell has gone.  This morning I feel so much better having slept really well. Great success with the sweet potatoes with sage and onion they were really nice.  On the menu today I fancy a fish pie.  The fishmonger supplies a read made mix of cod, smoked haddock and salmon.  I sometimes add a handful of prawns and hard boiled eggs. I have a romanesco cauliflower to go with it.  So that should take care of lunch as for supper I think it might be a search through the fridge. In my vegetable box I have a celeriac which I intend to purée and freeze as it will be part of Christmas lunch and making the purée now will cut down on later work.  If I am up to it I may make a batch of mince pies to freeze.  They are like croutons or roast potatoes you can never have too many. Similarly can you make too many pigs in blankets?  I will also be making the base of the gravy and freeze t...

Good morning all, not much to write about as I have been somewhat off colour and spent most of my time improving my education!!!  Yesterday I learned something I really should have known for a very long time as it is so obvious I am almost embarrassed to tell you.   I watched a Japanese chef explain how to cut straight slices by turning his body so that it is at 45º to the chopping board which means the knife is at 90º.  All my life I have tried to cut straight slices with my body at 90º to the board thus making the knife at 45º and cutting across my body.  I can't wait to put this to the test so I think we may well be having everything sliced for a while as I practice this new technique. So simple and so obvious why has it taken this long for me to find this out?  No more loaves getting cut into wedges!!!! That said I did very little else but I have stopped taking the meds as they keep me awake so I can enjoy my earache all ni...

Good morning all, late again but I have been up most of the night.  Sadly one of the miriade of side effects if Stematil is insomnia. Great just what I need.  I lived on my pottage yesterday and the boys did their own thing.  On the plus side the all pervasive smell of petrol has gone which is a huge relief.  It sounds silly but it drives you crazy.  I have reed diffusers and all sorts of smelly things to try to override the petrol smell but they are ineffective as my brain must be making up the smell. I have been continuing my education and yesterday I did the plague/Black Death.  The figures are mind boggling as much as 60% of the European population died.  However it provoked huge social change.  Interestingly if we get hit by another catastrophe we don’t have the means to deal with it, when you are talking thousands per week there is no way we could cope.  I didn’t know but apparently there are still cases in USA but it is easily treate...

Good morning all I am still feeling pretty rough the medication helps but doesn't cure the problem the only thing I can do is sit very still.  This, as you can imagine, is very dull and depressing.  However, there is always something good to find in what is mostly bad.  My TV is linked to the web and I can play Youtube videos on it so I spent yesterday getting a history lesson on food from Roman times up to the present day along with a large helping of general history.  I have also found that they are rerunning the series of Brother Cadfael stories by Ellis Peters.  I read all the books and then watch the series but it is so long ago that I have largely forgotten the plots and Derek Jacobi is such a good actor I can lose myself in the story. On the food front, I had made some bone broth and then added a lump of brisket and tons of vegetables to it so it was either a thick soup or a wet stew. In the freezer were packets of vegetables with only a few spo...