Another day

Good morning all, well I have sort of got my keyboard going again after dismantling it yesterday it still didn't work so I have ordered a new one and lo and behold the keyboard is now working if a bit erratically.  Oh well, I guess I will have a spare keyboard which I don't mind as this one is not easy to use.  Without wishing to speak too soon I think the rat problem is resolved there is no sign of activity in the cloakroom so I am hopeful. It is still quite chilly here but the garden is looking none too bad as lilac bushes are now in bloom along with the Choisya and the Korean fir looks as if it is covered in candles.  From this angle, it looks like 50 shades of green but you can just see the lilacs peeping through.  I love this time of the year as the shrubs gradually put on their summer display.  I have given up with bedding plants and hanging baskets as they are just too much work. I discovered a Japanese condiment which is called yuzu kosh...

Good morning all.  It looks pretty dull this morning and it is still cold.  When I read about the weather there seem to be reports of the polar opposite of what is actually happening.  Yesterday I read that we will be sweltering in a heat plume coming up from Spain well I can tell you it hasn't reached us yet. The forecast storms and torrential rain also missed us I think I had better stop reading the weather and just look at the local forecast which seems to be more accurate. Yesterday I made us a pie with very simple ingredients cheese potato and onion and it was much better than I expected, in fact, it was delicious.  I have one portion left which I am going to commandeer for my lunch with a nice mixed salad.  Some times the simplest of dishes are really the best. Please note it only has a pastry lid so it is not too heavy.  For supper tonight I have some ox cheeks which I will make into a stew and serve with dumplings and given the winter weathe...

Good morning all.  It is still very cold here and very dull but dry.  The garden could really do with a good downpour to soak into the ground which is very dry.  All we have had recently are a couple of showers which is no good at all. I had a very lazy day yesterday and just sat wrapped up warm and watched a load of stuff I had recorded but didn't have time to watch. No one fancied the confit duck legs so they have been moved on to lunch today.   I don't know if any of you have watched the program on BBC about surgeons working at the cutting edge of what is possible.  I can appreciate it is not everyone's cup of tea but for me with my working past it is fascinating and I am so impressed by the lovely tools they now have.  I watched a spinal repair which is something I am familiar with and was amazed at the new kit and just how far they are now able to go.  I then had to chuckle at a 25-year-old girl who gave birth to a baby in the bathro...

Good morning all, what a freezing cold day it was yesterday.  I went out to get some milk and ended up putting on my winter coat and was pleased that I had.  Aldi was the easiest place to go and while I was there I bought some white fitted single sheets for my bed.  Well at £3.99 who could resist even if they disintegrate after a few washes they are still cheap. For lunch I bought some gammon steaks which went well with the leeks in cream sauce. Denzil brought home a Belgian chocolate and salted caramel cheesecake which with a cup of tea did us fine for supper. Today we have some confit duck legs which I will do with peas carrots and mash which we will have for supper when Denzil gets home.  In the meantime we will snack from the fridge for lunch.  It is still perishingly cold again and feels like winter.  In the meantime I am going to wrap up warm and drink hot coffee. Have a nice peaceful day and stay warm!!

Good morning all it is bright and breezy this moring but still quite chilly.  It rained a bit yesterday but nowhere near enough for the garden. Because of my hair appointment at lunchtime we ended up having a very late lunch and I was feeling rather rough so I went to bed and had a rest.  My good friend Angela phoned me as her husband Henry the chef was having problems and they have now got a diagnosis which is not good.  They were revving up to go on holiday and now all of that has been cancelled.  However, their GP seems to be on the ball and treatment is being arranged with alacrity which is good and they are hoping to come and visit when I get back from Suffolk. I can only hope things go well for them.   My meat order arrived just as I was setting out to have my hair done so I quickly threw most of it in the freezer and of course I forgot to keep something out for today so I will have to make that my first port of call unless I can concoct some...

Good morning all a bit brighter this morning with patches of blue sky and fluffy clouds.  It is still a bit chilly at 9ºC so not quite warm enough to have my coffee outside.  I have been reading up on sleep and found that it is quite important for your eyes to get lots of natural light in the morning which actually helps you sleep better at night so I am going to start having my coffee in the garden as soon as it gets a bit warmer. Yesterday went according to plan and the roast chicken was a super lunch I must say that the halogen oven is still by far the best way to roast a chicken that I have ever found.  The cold leftovers got demolished for supper.  Today we are off to Russia for lunch as I am going to make beef stroganoff with rice and a side salad.  I put an order into the same company that I got the lovely skirt from and the meat is due to arrive today so depending on when it arrives will depend if we have beef for lunch or dinner. In the meantime, I...

Good morning all.  It is really dull and miserable looking this morning and we are forecast rain for the day so I have no plans to go out.  I tried to ring the surgery again yesterday and after 10 minutes of hanging on the line waiting I gave up.  Today they are closed so no point in even trying, it's a good job I am not ill or in need of seeing a doctor all I need is prescription for the medication I am already on but in a nebuliser format who would have thought it would be so difficult?  I got through to a pest control company and they wanted to charge me £300 to put down some poison so I told them what they could do and chose another firm who only wanted £100 so that is the route I took I now have some very strong poison both in a locked box in the loo and some down behind the washing machine in the shed so I am hopeful that this will deal with the problem.  I can then look at filling the hole in the wall that they have made.   In the kitchen, ...

Good morning all it is another dull day but still dry I think the rain is due tomorrow.  I shot out yesterday morning and stocked up with a nice leg of lamb at half price which I have tucked into the freezer for some other time.  I also bought three chickens but didn't have time to deal with them as when I rang for a nail appointment and they offered me an appointment then and there so I jumped back in the car and off I went.  I tried to ring the doctor yesterday morning but after 40 minutes on hold listening to a loop of Eine Kleine Nachtmusik I gave up.  I have managed to book a hair appointment for Friday lunchtime so I should be looking a bit better by the weekend.   I have been mulling over how to deal with the chickens and have finally decided to roast one whole and dismantle the other two but that then leaves me with even numbers so I thought I would mince one breast and one leg to make meatballs with and then that leaves three breast and t...

Good morning all and this morning the sun has not made an appearance it is dull but actually, we really could use some rain so I hope we might get some. I believe today is St Georges day which in typical English fashion we don't bother to celebrate.  By rights, we should all be roasting great lumps of beef and washing it down with copious beer or some such thing.  I am going to take a trip to Tesco as the legs of lamb are now half price so I will get one to put in the freezer for some other time.  If you are prepared to wait you can get some good bargains just like the turkeys at Christmas. My rat problem is not solved so I have contacted a pest control company and will get the experts in to deal with the problem.  I have no problems with rats in the sheds or garage but I draw the line when they think they can share my accommodation. On the menu today I am hoping to make a risotto with fresh asparagus and fresh peas and maybe a handful of prawns.  M...

Good morning all, what a beautiful day it was yesterday and today looks like it’s going to be the same. My columnar cherry tree is in full bloom so I had to dash out and get a photo but then the photo software started to play up and it has taken me rather longer than expected. Yesterday's lunch was very traditional but absolutely delicious.  I had just a small loin of lamb which took no time at all to roast and with the mash and veg it made a perfect meal for the three of us.  For supper, we had some fish cakes from the freezer and a massive salad.  However, by 10pm I was starving so James and I had some cheese on toast.   I had a pile of wild garlic which was on the blink and saw an idea on Pinterest to make ransom salt so that is what I did and I now have a jar of it ready to add to anything I fancy.  Just a sprinkle on your salad makes for an interesting change. On today's menu, I have the last of the chicken overload and the boys are ke...

Good morning all what a lovely spring day it is this morning warm but not hot sunny but not blinding just right as goldy locks would say.  This is very much my kind of weather.  I suffer in the heat and shiver in the cold but spring and autumn are the times of the year when the weather suits me best. Yesterday we ended up having a vegetable day, for lunch we had creamed mushrooms on toast with a side dish of chard with a few ransoms [wild garlic] thrown in and then dressed as a cold salad something I have never done before but it was really lovely.  Then James and I made use of the new kitchen gear and made some courgette pancakes which were very heavy on the cheese and we had them for supper followed by toasted hot cross buns liberally buttered. On the menu today I have a nice piece of loin of lamb which is small and will only take minutes to roast.  With it, I intend a large pot of mash potatoes and peas, carrots and gravy so very traditional.  I am h...

Good morning all I'm glad to say that the fishmonger was open and we had some lovely scallops for lunch and then for supper I did some marinated mackerel fillets which we had in some Vietnamese spring rolls which are made with sort of rice paper wrappers and an assortment of shredded vegetables. Today my mind is a complete blank when it comes to food I have no idea at all what we are going to have.  Hopefully, a patrol round the freezer will give me some inspiration.   I know I seem to be getting later and later but that is because I am awake a lot during the night and only fall asleep in the early morning so I am just going with the flow.  I must admit I don't like it but there is nothing much I can do to change things so there is no point in stressing about it. Today is a great day for laundry the weather is lovely and sunny and quite warm.  The dogs had great fun yesterday as they were taken swimming so they are happy just to snooze in the sun to...

Good morning all it is a lovely bright day and starting at 10ºC which is quite respectable. Yesterday we decided to graze from the fridge for lunch and for supper I did some more of my endless supply of chicken.  I used one of the packets of Japanese Kaarage batter and oh boy did we enjoy it but I think it could be dangerous as it is so moreish you just can't stop eating it.  Over my lifetime I have tried almost every kind of fried chicken but this is far and away the best.  I used leg and thigh meat which had been boned out and cut into bite size pieces then marinaded in soy sauce before dipping into the batter and deep frying.  I had done some creamed leeks to go with it as we are a bit fed up of endless salad which will, however, appear on today's menu.  I'm not sure if the fishmonger will be open today but I am hopeful as I fancy some fish for a change.  In fact, I was thinking of going to Mersea Island for a fish meal until James remind...

Good morning all yesterday was a nice day it gradually warmed up as the day progressed and according to the forecast we are due a heat wave but I will wait to see it before I get excited as we have been threatened with all sorts and not much has actually happened. I made the quiche yesterday and James was the sous chef so just like when he was little I gave him the pastry trimmings to play with and much to my surprise he made the most delicious cheese straws a far cry from the grey jam tarts I remember.  I think the cheese straws were about 50% cheese anyway they were rapidly demolished.  I also had some sliced potato left over which he decided he would fry up for supper rather than put them in the bin.  Oh dear,  looks like he has inherited my anti-waste gene which is no bad thing. I inherited mine from, my grandparents.   On today's menu, I have some chicken thighs which I think I will do in the Japanese batter which is so tasty.  Tubby was ...

Good morning all it is a lovely bright sunny one this morning and I have only just emerged from my bed after a rotten night.  However, I was greeted by a sight I thought I would never see James up to his elbows in the washing up which is how I usually start my day.   I had a bit of fun with my new toys yesterday and have grated and sliced some vegetables for a quiche for lunch today.  I am pleased to say that most parts of the machinery are dishwasher proof which is an added bonus.  I have learned that you cannot grate leeks you just end up with mush, string and a mess.  Why grate leeks you ask? well, I had to try just to see it was possible.  Fortunately, I do have the knife skills to thinly slice them.  I am going to be lazy and use some ready-made puff pastry.  I must say that I have made puff pastry in the past but the shop bought all butter variety is so much less effort and very nice.   The birds are wading their way ...

Good morning all commiserations to the French what a tragedy about Notre Dame, I remember when Windsor castle went up in flames.  These old buildings have a large amount of wood and are very vulnerable to fire. I have an easy day today as I made a curry yesterday so lunch is just a case of boiling a bit of rice.  My new toys have arrived so I might have a bit of fun playing with them. I foresee a lot of grated cheese dishes and burgers made out of all sorts of meats!!!!  As I already have the pasta attachment perhaps ravioli stuffed with minced meat and grated cheese!!!!!  I think it will come into its own when there is a glut of courgettes which won't be long now.  No more grated knuckles for me. It is still cold but apparently, we are due for a heatwave over easter, we seem to be going form the sublime to the ridiculous as far as the weather is concerned but I think that is quite normal for the UK. As for the shelf disaster, we decided that ...

Good morning all it is another very cold morning but at least the sun has made an appearance so it might warm up soon. Had a bit of a disaster in the kitchen yesterday a shelf fell down so it is a case of a trip to B&Q for some right angle brackets and screws.  Fortunately, nothing got smashed in the process just a bit of mess to clear up.  I find myself left with one portion of soup and one of venison stew so I will freeze both and James can have them while Denzil and I are away.  We have been having some problems with some dog biscuits which the dogs only eat under protest so rather than just binning them I have put them out for the birds.  They are not so fussy and I was visited by a huge jet black crow who was trying to get several biscuits in his beak at once and failing miserably.  I know that people don't like crows and magpies but I happen to like both.  I once watched a sparrow throw an entire nest of baby blue tits out o...

Good morning all.  It is a miserable 3 degrees and raining this morning so not very nice at all.  Thank heavens for hot coffee and central heating.  The pasties I made yesterday were huge and kept us satisfied for the whole day.   This time I made them with suet crust pastry which was lovely and crispy and flaky.  Even the dogs and birds were impressed as there was some to spare!!!  Great for a day down the mine but not so good for the figure.  I was reading up on pasties and apparently, there is a dispute as to who actually invented them the Welsh claim a recipe back to 1100 and there they are called oggies and made with lamb.  The Cornish can only get back to 1600 for their first recipe, in the end, who cares, I must say I haven't made them with lamb but I may well have to try that, I think neck fillet would be ideal.  I made some cauliflower soup but that will do James and I for lunch today.  Denzil will be home around 6pm...

Good morning all sorry to be so late but I slept in this morning after a good night until 4am then back to sleep at 6am.  I seem to be sleeping in dribs and drabs but I am not complaining as it really doesn't matter to me.  The ears seem to have righted themselves and provided I don't move my head quickly I am fine. I had great fun in the kitchen yesterday following a Japanese chef making fried chicken wings.  Being Japanese it was no small matter and the wings were first cut in between the bones to allow them to soak up the marinade and allow for easy removal of the bones.  Anyway here is a picture of them as I took them out of the hot oil and let them drain on kitchen roll. They were served with a reduced sauce made with ginger, leek and soy sauce and a massive bowl of mixed salad.  Now the question is were they worth all the messing about and I have to say they were but I was out of gas and the Cornish pasties got shunted on to lunc...

Good morning all a much better day yesterday so I am trying today off the antiemetics and hope the blocked ears have passed.  Following my rant about the Vegans, this appeared on Facebook so I just had to pass it on. There is a lot of rubbish on facebook but sometimes there are little gems and this is one of them and really appealed to my sense of humour. I made the chicken patties yesterday and they were very nice but a bit on the rubbery side and really needed the accompanying sauce.  If I make them again I think they would benefit from a little fresh coriander in them but it is a very economical way to make one chicken breast feed three people.  The spell check doesn't like what I have just written and wants to replace it with breastfeed!!!  this is an interesting process I write it checks then I check it.  Today we are having the other half of the chicken wings for lunch and I am going to do yet another Japanese recipe I really must stop watchin...

Good morning all I hit the buffers a bit yesterday with my ears playing up feeling dizzy and nauseated.  And before you mention it it was not a coffee overdose I only had two cups all day.  By the evening it was so bad that I couldn't hold down a boiled egg the boys had made for my supper so I have started today with Stematil {antiemetic} for breakfast.  This is so annoying I have been fine for ages then suddenly out of the blue I get hit for no apparent reason. I sincerely hope it doesn't last long and disappears as quickly as it came. On the menu today is Tsukune a sort of Japanese minced chicken patties which are easy to make and should be tasty as they have a sort of teriyaki sauce to go with them.  I will serve them with a large salad and then for supper, I am intending to make buffalo wings with sriracha hot sauce.  However much of this will depend on how rocky I feel once the medication has kicked in. James took the dogs for a swim yesterday afte...

http://youtu.be/usfiAsWR4qU suitable music Good morning all, I am sitting drinking lovely coffee.  I had the engineer in the kitchen for the whole morning and we both laughed that it would probably be quicker to build the machine from scratch.  Anyway, I had planned not to need the kitchen and we had sandwiches from the bakery for lunch and a takeaway Fish and chips for supper.  As Dennie comes early she had already whistled through the kitchen so she was not inconvenienced and she devoted lots of time to giving the bathroom a birthday. Dan is all gorgeous following his hairdo apparently the groomers describe him as a dancer.  Trying to keep him still is very difficult as I know.  My meat order arrived as did the veg so I have plenty to play with.  So hopefully it should just be a few odds and ends to shop for.  One thing I do need is RAT POISON for the trap.  If it doesn't get eaten I will know the problem is over. I was watching a YouTu...

Good morning all, seafood pancakes a roaring success. We had them hot for lunch and cold for supper.  James actually made them with my assistance and some chopping skills.  The fact that the seafood is chopped gives it some texture but chopping squid is like nailing jelly to a wall and your fingers are at serious risk.  That said we will be having these again. Now for a bit of good news for non-vegans not only will you not be B12 deficient but the latest research shows that dairy is protective against colorectal cancers.  So keep eating your yoghurt. Vegetarians are one thing but vegans are extremists in my opinion and all extremes are dangerous. I am bracing myself for a busy day so a quick coffee and off to the shower.  Have a good one!

Good morning all, only one more day to go and with any luck the coffe machine saga will be over.  The Welsh cakes brought back happy memories of my grandma who had welsh roots.  Sadly the dogs were furious as they contain dried fruit they are poisonous to dogs.  They really believe that my cooking exploits are for them.  In fact Dan likes to stand between me and the work surface just in case I clumsily drop something delicious.  I have dropped steak but if I tell him no he does leave whatever has fallen.  I read a story about one lady who’s Spinone wouldn’t eat his food unless she put it in the microwave for a second which magically converted it into human food.  They really have no idea that they are dogs either that or they think we are defective dogs. It is rather damp today so a good day to play making seafood pancakes.  I will let you know how they turn out. https://youtu.be/Z8JLfr2s3DQ This is the link should you fancy the idea. Well...

Good morning all it is a horrid misty damp and cold morning here and just as I sat down to write the phone rang and it was a very chatty friend who lives alone so our phone conversations are usually quite long. Yesterday went according to plan and I can recommend the Mary Berry cauliflower cheese soup it was lovely.  For supper, I made another of her recipes which was "creamy paprika chicken" with rice and purple "shouting" broccoli.  Another success and very well received.  Today it is just James and myself for lunch so I think a little fridge foraging is in order then for supper I fancy a corned beef hash and fried eggs.  All nice and easy and not much work so with that in mind there are two things I fancy trying one is a seafood Korean pancake the other is a sweet, Welsh cakes.  I can remember my grandmother making Welsh cakes on a Sunday for tea so I might just do that.  Maybe leave the seafood stuff until tomorrow but get the st...

Good morning all it is a dull cold one this morning and looks like it might also be wet.  However, it is lovely to see the world go from the back and white of winter to the fresh green with blossom everywhere. I solved my problem of the spring greens yesterday by sending the boys to the kebab shop for a couple of skewers of lamb from their charcoal grill while I did greens and mash to with them. [the kebab shop is about 100 yards from the house] A very effective compromise I think.  Today I have a cauliflower to deal with and as luck would have it Mary Berry did a rather nice cauliflower soup with some cheese in it so kind of like cauliflower cheese soup and boy do I have some stunning stock to use. Yesterday was a lovely bright day and we managed to get a huge counterpane through the machine and dry and back on the bed by nightfall.  It did get a final finish off in the tumble dryer just to make sure it was totally dry as it is quite difficult to tell if an i...

Good morning all it is really chilly this morning but nice and bright.  My gardeners are coming on a Thursday which is not very useful as the garden bin goes out on Wednesday so I prefer them to come on a Tuesday.  However, having said that they did a lovely job of my Cupressus arch which is now so tall it requires ladders and long arm hedge trimmers. Before After At last, I have managed to get the pictures on but it has taken me ages as the computer is not playing the game this morning and keeps freezing.    I think it has a headache but there is no slot to put the paracetamol!!! Having spent days doing chicken and chicken stock the one thing I don't want for lunch is chicken and as I have some lovely spring greens I fancy either some lamb or some beef to go with them.  Denzil is off today so I might send him to get some as he has to go out anyway. Now I have a real conundrum I have a couple of very good friends one...

Good morning all it is a lovely bright but freezing cold morning.  You will be pleased to hear that I received my customer care package from Meile yesterday which included four bags of coffee beans so worth it.  Now all I need is a functioning machine which I will have on Tuesday I hope. I'm sorry to be so late but I didn't get to sleep until the wee small hours and then slept like the dead until now.  I got all my stocks made and reduced down to small amounts so they will fit in the freezer and the dogs thought they had died and gone to heaven when they had a supper of just loads of chicken, carrots, leeks and ransoms.  It doesn't sound like much but picking over 6 carcasses takes quite a while but it is a shame to throw them away as it does make a great meal for the dogs.  While my oven was hot from roasting bones I put some spare ribs in with a barbeque sauce so that is lunch for today and Denzil brought home some coleslaw and potato salad so t...

Good morning all.  Yesterday was a busy day and I did rather shoot myself in the foot, not literally, but after delivering Denzil's car to the garage we went to Tesco as I needed more coffee and I fell for the 3 large chickens for £10 again completely forgetting that I had ordered some chicken carcases to make into stock.  So by the time I had dismantled the three hens I bought I had 6 carcases to deal with.  The instapot is large but not that large and  I got rid of my huge pot so I am doing it in two sessions.  The only bone left were the wings which will be made into sticky wings at some point and the tips went into the dog's dinner.  I now have a freezer full of boneless chicken to play with at my leisure.  The first batch of stock is made and has drained overnight so the second lot will go on this morning and once that is done I will amalgamate the two and reduce it right down so it takes up little freezer space and can always be let down with wa...

Good morning all, good news and good news my very good friend Angela who had had trouble with a Meile product and had been through the mill had some relevant names and numbers so she lit the blue touch paper under them on my behalf and now they are in grovelling mode so I have asked for a new warranty on the machine once it is functioning and they have agreed to do all the repairs for free and want to send me a care package for the machine which is worth a few bob.  So I am hopeful that the 9th will see an end to this dismal saga.   Today I am off with Denzil to get his car MOT and a service so I will be the taxi service and as we have to be there by 8am I had better get my skates on.  So a quick slosh of coffee and then get dressed but I couldn't leave without giving you the good news. Let's hope we have a nice day as my washing is still on the line as it was too damp to bring in last night so I have left it out and hope we get a bit of sun this mornin...

Good morning all, there is good news and bad the good news is that the stew was worth the effort and I made some lovely fluffy dumplings to go with it.  Now for the bad, I HATE MEILE , they have postponed until April 9th apparently they are having issues getting parts from Germany.  This will be nothing in comparison to the issues I foresee getting money from the bank. I think I may well try ringing them and find out who their customer services manager is so I can write him a nice informative letter.  Given that the machine has been out of action since 21st January this is a disgrace. Well enough of that, I could write an essay on the subject.  It is a beautiful morning sunny but cold.  James has already walked the dogs as he has had yet another sleepless night so I have sent him to bed and will wake him at lunchtime to try and get him back into some sort of normal sleeping pattern.  The changing of the clocks has made me a bit muddled too.  Hop...