Tuesday 16 January 2018

Snow

I must admit I have got up this morning feeling tired.  The winds howling around the cottage had me awake most of the night.  Thankfully the winds now seem to be slowing down, so some normality can be resumed.  I drew back the curtains and it was snowing, a light covering so not enough to cause any real problems just yet.  Although according to the weather forecast the temperatures are going to drop so problems could occur when it all freezes.  I am so glad I don't have to go out in it, I will take Mickey for a romp in the garden.



It has continued to snow on and off all morning, carpeting the ground with a white blanket.  I have seen it now in all its glory and the beauty it exhumes so now I will be quite happy for it all to disappear.




The slight covering that we have is of course nothing like some parts of the World so I shouldn't complain.  It would be interesting to see how other parts of the Island have fared Harris is quite mountainous so I would imagine it would be a lot deeper there.  Parts of Mainland Scotland seem to have been hit hard too according to the news.

I have been asked to give you my recipe for my chicken and creamy leek pie from my previous post, so here it is.  I should point out that I use leftovers for the meat element so have enough meat for the amount of people you are serving.  You could use ham/gammon or a little bacon to bulk out the chicken if you wanted.

Chop one leek finely and cook in a little butter and oil add one teaspoon of flour and stir thoroughly adding enough chicken stock to cover the leeks.  Add the chicken and then pour on milk and cream to cover the contents of the pan, this should thicken a little.  Transfer to a ovenproof dish and then either add a pastry crust or a mashed potato topping.  I use butter and milk to make the potato creamy and add a teaspoon of wholegrain mustard to give it a little zing.  Put it into the oven to warm through and brown the topping(about 20 mins).


I served this with green beans, cauliflower and carrots.  Hope that helps.  I have made this so may times that I don't need to measure or weigh things out so you might be wiser using google to get a recipe.

I started to roast vegetables  when I was cooking meat in a bid to fill the oven and save using the hob but very soon discovered that when used in soups the flavour was intensified immensely.  Since then it has become a win, win situation as the soup has more flavour and I am saving money too.

What is the weather like where you are?

See you soon.





41 comments:

  1. We don't have snow but the weather was rather cold for the past few days. Today it is still cool compared to our usual warm weather.

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  2. Its nice seeing the snow when your indoors, I am not keen going out in it. I shall make your pie sometime sounds delicious.

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  3. The pie sounds delicious. I'm definitely going to try this. X

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  4. Looks delicious! I always love reading your posts. It is a cold one here in southwest Missouri at -2degrees F. We got 4” of snow yesterday and it is beautiful!

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  5. Thanks for the recipe, I've copied it and hope to make it soon.

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  6. No snow here....it's predicted but I am not holding out much hope. The blue skies from this morning have disappeared and we now have grey skies and rain.

    Your pie looks amazing. I usually do pastry but I really like the thought of creamy mustard mash on top of the chicken and leek.

    Stay safe.
    Hugs-x-

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  7. Wind in the night can be very wearying. There's no snow here and not much chance of it. We've had a lot of rain, but are in a bit of a drier spell now that's most welcome.
    Your chicken pie looks delicious! The mustard addition to the mashed potatoes sounds very tasty.

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  8. It isn't snowing here and I have to say that I hope it stays like that! I hope that it clears up for you soon and is less snowy even if it is still cold - although I hope it gets warmer too!

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  9. Chicken and leeks are a marriage made in heaven, add in some crisp pastry or creamy mash and some green veg and there is a perfect dinner. I love the snow for all of 5 minutes and then it needs to melt.

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  10. The pie sounds yummy, we are having pie tonight too. Mine is having a ready to roll puff pastry lid covering the chicken, mushrooms, chopped spring onions and a cup of soup which will have all the seasoning in it already. Hoping we don't have snow in Lincolnshire. Cx

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  11. It looks delicious! I don't think I have ever cooked with leeks before, but I just may give this a try as it sounds wonderful.
    We actually have above freezing temperatures here and rain which is washing some of the piles of snow away.
    Mandy just called though and school has been cancelled today because of -40F wind chills in Nebraska. We enjoyed our visit, but are glad to be out of that extreme weather.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  12. It has been snowing off and on all day, but there isn't too much on the ground. I miss the cooker we had to leave behind when we moved last year - it had a double oven, so it was economical to use the small oven if you were only heating a pie etc.

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  13. Looks like a great recipe, hearty and warming for this winter weather.It was very cold and sunny this morning but late this afternoon we had a flurry or two of snow:)

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  14. Snow is pretty and fun.. for a while.. then it's nice to have it melt so you can get out on the roads. But I can imagine how cozy and warm your darling cottage is. Enjoy your forced homeliness! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  15. We had a lovely sunny morning so i pegged out the washing keeping a eye on it as it was very windy but an hour later it was snowing lol , I think there is something so cosy about having to stay in because of the weather for a couple of days but anything after that i would be pulling my hair out , Pie looks delicious xxx

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  16. I love your blog! I'm here in the US (New Jersey) and we are expecting about 3" of snow. The pie looks and sounds wonderful and I'm going to google for details but your dish will be my inspiration!

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  17. It looks so cold out your way. I hope the wind doesn't keep you from sleeping too often. I imagine it can really blow!!

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  18. Your snow looks pretty. I had to laugh when you said it could leave now! We are expecting a little snow-1-2 inches this evening. I didn't realize you lived so close to the ocean. I hope the gales don't keep you from sleeping this evening. ♥

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  19. I'm envious of your snow. We can't seem to get any that sticks. Will be trying your recipe. It looks like a great winter meal.

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  20. The snow is always so pretty when it comes, I do so love the snow! And your leek pie looks so good! I often forget about leeks, and mostly use onions. It looks delicious! I'm happy to meet you, and have added you to my blog roll. Stay safe and warm in this year of crazy weather :)

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  21. I can just imagine hearing that wind howling around the cottage. It would have kept me awake too. Gosh, it must have been pretty to see the snow falling there, with the amazing view you have anyway. Take care.

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  22. Yikes, keep warm! I don't miss living in a cold climate but sometimes miss having a snow day or two!

    Beauty & Colour | Vegan Lifestyle Blog

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  23. It looks like there's a bit more snow on the way but the weeks are zooming past and Spring will be here before we know it.

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  24. We didn't have any snow yet ! But it's very windy and therefore feeling cool. Not a weather to go outside really ! Snow is nice when you don't have to drive and during holidays !!

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  25. I love snow. Recipe is good. i will try it.
    https://clickbystyle.blogspot.in/

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  26. We had a dusting of snow last night and ordinarily it would be nothing to write home about but we get snow so rarely now that it's always a cause of excitement. I am smiling at the thought of you romping in the garden with Mickey! x

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  27. We get a lot of snow here in Michigan as we're pretty close to the lakeshore. At this point in the winter I've had enough of it. It's beautiful to look at the iced over lake. It's amazing how the ice builds up as the water and wind crashes on the shore.

    Your dish looks really comforting and yummy, something needed at this time of year!

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  28. lovely snow pictures! I do not recall you getting snow last year, but then my memory isn't that great. We got six inches over the night and it's lovely :)

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  29. We’re stuck here in the Central Belt- M74 has had serious problems. Lovelroasting veg for soup or just to eat with dinner. Catriona

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  30. I can imagine your part of the world can be pretty windswept and cold. Perfect for making that pie. That looks like true comfort food. In fact, I just now pulled out the fixings for making a shepherd's pie, based on what I have in the house. Thanks for helping me with dinner plans! It has been so cold here, 5F this morning, but will be warming up this week. xo Deborah

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  31. The pie looks and sounds delicious! I like the tip about dry mustard added to the potatoes. So cold and snow ❄️ have found you. It sure has been cold in my corner. Stay cozy!

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  32. OH, that looks so good to eat in cold weather! We are expecting ice tonight but no snow this time around. We will stay home until it melts.

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  33. Snow looks nice and glad you're fine though. A friend of Megan's is visiting his mom in Scotland and he said there's snow!Stay warm and dry. It's been raining and cold late afternoon here today.

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  34. Thank you for the recipe, will try. Howling winds, I bet it was bitter cold. It's going to get to almost 60 I heard for this week end, will have to see if that's true. I guess it will be the calm before another cold snap. I am sure the snow is not over here yet. I liked seeing the pictures of your snow dusting.
    betsy

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  35. Wow, your pie looks good! We're having a terribly windy day as well and, by our standards, quite cold. No snow, of course :-)
    Amalia
    xo

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  36. Good morning! We are slammed with snow here. Well, for us anyway. :) We have somewhere around 12 or so inches. It is beautiful, but I am like you -- I've seen it and now it can go away! Your dish looks so good! I need to try that! I can imagine those Scotland winds howling. xoxo Lynn

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  37. Thank you for the recipe mama, another winter warmer to add to my book. We had fierce winds last night, I slept ok but it did wake me earlier than I would have liked. It died down but it's been a cold day.

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  38. We've had similar weather here, the wind has damaged a couple of fence panels and we keep getting a covering of snow, though nothing too deep and it disappears quickly too. We're forecast snow again today. Your chicken and creamy leek pie looks delicious, just the kind of hearty food you want in this kind of weather.

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  39. I've not made a good chicken pie with a mash potato topping for ages. My mouth is watering . and you fork the top exactly like my mum used to so I'm feeling a little bit nostalgic too - thank you :-)

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  40. I love leeks, your pie sounds so yummy. Snow is so beautiful, howling winds that keep you up at night, not so much. Hope you got some nice rest.

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