Wet And Wild

I am glad to say that all is well here in our little cottage.  Storm Callum hit with a vengeance yesterday and through the night.  There was a 60 - 80 mph damaging wind making for a noisy night as it rattled and pounded against the stone walls.  There was an Amber warning for localised flooding in Stornoway and 27 of the 28 routes of ferry cancelled.  We have woke to a dreary and overcast morning but we have been rewarded with such a beautiful sky.

The girls have settled in well and have been out exploring their new environment.  Mickey goes down with us but isn't bothered about them at all, so we are thrilled. 

I have had some raspberries soaking in  a mix of distilled vinegar and white wine vinegar for a taste of Summer through the Winter months. (About 4 days)

It was bottled yesterday, along with some chilli oil.

Red cabbage was shredded and divided between the colander and slow cooker.  The cabbage in the colander salted and left overnight all ready to be rinsed off and packed in jars ready for the pickling vinegar.  The slow cooker cabbage cooked with pears and port all ready for braised read cabbage for the freezer.

As it is Communion weekend here in our little corner of the world I have been busy baking for the wonderful occasion and fellowship throughout the weekend.  A shoulder joint of pork in the slow cooker for pulled pork.  Mixed grain bread in the breadmaker.  A large pan of broth bubbling away on the stove top.  Quiches, all ready to be cut.  Mince pies with a crumble, nutty top and banana bread.

I am now going to make a fruit tart and a trifle to take for desert when we go to our friends and neighbours for lunch tomorrow.  A wet and wild few days that doesn't compare to the devastation occurring around the World.  We have a lot to be thankful for 

A warm welcome to new followers, I hope you enjoy my little adventures through life.

See you soon.

A Wonderful Combination

Out of the oven this week was pork fillet  with apricot  and ginger stuffing wrapped in bacon.  The Hairy Bikers recipe was used and makes a very tasty change.

A cauliflower cheese was made, a firm favourite of our eldest daughter.  I love how little things trigger a memory and you think of loved ones.  Saturday was our middle daughters birthday so we chatted about her lots...she apparently had a wonderful day.

All ready to pop into the oven to brown off.

A lemon drizzle cake and a chocolate cake were made, the chocolate one needed to make a chocolate cherry trifle.  

Just needs the cream and some chocolate shavings adding.  This was sent to some friends who were unable to join us for lunch due to ill health.  Another flu virus is doing the rounds.

A tray of mincepies was also made, a great make for the cake tin they keep well.

Finally an apple crumble with a few chopped nuts added.

I cooked extra potato and vegetables yesterday so this will make some great bubble and squeak to go with the pork again.

  

I have been thinking Valentines day and needed to add to the decor so I had a sort through my stash to see what I could come up with.  I discovered this beautiful roll and was inspired by the gorgeous hearts.  Along with lace and ribbon I have made a wreath for the kitchen door.  The colour combination goes perfectly with the new paint.

Once I got started I was on a roll and embellished a couple of jam jars in the same vane.

I also found some pictures that I had picked up from the charity shop.  The bears were scraped off and some new craft paper added.

Some wooden lettering finished off the picture.  A great addition to the newly painted kitchen wall.

I just need to find some picture hooks...

Baking and crafting, a wonderful combination.  We fill our days so easily, we often wonder how we ever had time to go to work.  It is a beautiful day outside today with blue skies and not a lot of wind albeit a little cold.  We are going to enjoy this break while we can as tomorrow brings more snow, we are hoping that it will follow its usual pattern.  We are hoping that it will disappear as quickly as it came.  We are indeed blessed that we have a warm and beautiful fire in the stove.

Thank you for your encouraging comments and support.  Take care.

See you soon.

Five on Friday - Baking

Over the past couple of weeks I have been busy in the kitchen preparing food for visitors, a party and for the freezer.  Whilst I use a recipe for something new I am a little slap dash and stick to the familiar and trusted recipes that I know by heart.  However, I have been asked to relay some of my recipes so I will try my best.  Consequently my Five on Friday for this week will be five recipes.  I am of course joining Amy over at love made my home for the weekly get together,  hope you will pop over and join in the fun.

One

Honey and Mustard Glazed Gammon

I cook my gammon joint in a large saucepan covered in water for a couple of hours along with
2 onions
2 carrots
2 celery sticks
4 bay leaves

The fluid then makes a wonderful stock for the basis of a soup.

The rind of the gammon is then cut off leaving some fat which is then scored.  I rub 4 tbsp. honey mixed with 4tbsp English Mustard to form a glaze and pop it into the oven for about 20 mins or until the glaze browns.

I am not pedantic about the temperature just popping it in with whatever else is in there but generally 200C/400F/Gas 6.

 

Two

 

Chicken Ham and Leek Pie

 

for the filling

 

2 leeks trimmed and chopped

chicken

ham/gammon

sea salt flakes

black pepper

a knob of butter

cream

 

I don't tend to weigh out the meat elements just using whatever I have available of leftover meat which is already cooked.  Gently fry the leeks in butter until softened and add to meat, seasoning to taste.  Add cream, I usually use a small carton of single cream and mix thoroughly.

 

 

 

I generally top with a shortcrust pastry but again this is individual choice, a puff pastry could be used or a layer of mashed potato.  Each to their own.

 

 

Any trimmings I use to make a little embellishment in the centre of the pie.  Don't forget to make some air vents with a sharp knife.

 

Three

 

Cheese and Onion Quiche

 

Line a quiche tin with shortcrust pastry and cook blind for 15 mins on 200C/400F/Gas 6.  I generally use parchment paper and my ceramic baking beans which help to prevent blistering and shrinkage during baking.

 

For the filling

 

onions

4 eggs

cream or milk

150g mature cheddar cheese

 

Slice onions and place on the pastry.  Beat the eggs and cream/milk together.  Grate the cheese and place on top of the onions, pour the liquid over and place in the oven for 20-25 mins until set and golden.

 

 

Four

 

Rocky Road

 

These can be made into bars by using a tray and leaving to set or individually in tiny petit four cases, which is my preference.  They look quite elegant this way and are a beautiful as well as tasty addition to an afternoon tea.

 

Chocolate is the main ingredient, this can be as decedent or as cheap as you like, depending on the occasion.

 

 

 

I use the microwave to melt the chocolate and then add mini marshmallows, dried fruit such as cranberries or sultanas, digestive biscuits.  But  a wide range of ingredients could be used such as granola, desiccated coconut, cherries and nuts.  Once the chocolate is melted ensure all the dry ingredients are covered with chocolate and spoon into cases.  Finish with a sprinkling of coco powder, grated chocolate or a dusting of icing sugar. 

 

 

Five

 

Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup

 

3 sweet potatoes

3 carrots

1 celery stick

1 onion

small yellow pepper

vegetable oil

500ml veg stock

 

Peel and chop all vegetables.  Saute onion for 5 mins in vegetable oil and then add all remaining vegetables and saute for a further 3 mins turnings all the time so they do not brown.  Add stock and simmer for about 30 mins.  Using a hand blender blend until smooth. 

 

 

 

Serve with a handful of pomegranate seeds they look wonderful for a Autumn or Christmas treat, grated cheese or a spoonful of fromage frais.  It is tasty on its own too with some home made crusty bread.

 

 

This will make enough for 6 bowls so when I make it there is always enough left for the freezer.

 

 

I tend to batch cook/bake so that nothing is wasted.  The stock from the gammon formed the basis of the soup.  The leftover meat was used in a pie.  Pastry is made in large batches and used to make fruit pies and tarts.  Hope this is of some use for those of you who were kind enough to ask.

 

See you soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Weekend Pastime

The summer is passing us by at an alarming pace and already thoughts are beginning to turn to Autumn.  I have managed to buy some bags of kindling from a stall at the local car boot sale at the weekend so I need to order the logs so that we can start lighting the stove.  It is one of my favourite things in life sitting in front of the stove with some crochet or craft project and a cup of tea.  It warms your soul.  Of course where there is tea there is always cake, I made two this week for my little visitor.  A carrot cake with vanilla topping and a chocolate cake which doesn't last very long in our house.

 

I also made bread, a beautiful granary loaf.  I cheat and use the bread making machine but it is still good and far better than the shop bought variety.  The only problem with that because it is so good you eat more, we need to be a little more disciplined.

 

We have once again managed to get a surplus of cabbage in the garden so we swapped a couple of cabbage for some apples from our neighbour.

 

 

The apples along with the blackberries that we will pick from the hedgerow along the back of the garden with make some beautiful Autumnal puddings.

 

 

A blackberry and apple crumble springs to mind, perfect for those cooler days. 

 

As always we had a ball with Wilbur at the weekend visiting his favourite haunts, the park, the beach and the arcade.  He also spend a good couple of hours in the garden chasing the poor dog around.  He managed to wear himself out and dropped asleep with his mummy for a nap, recharging his batteries ready to give us all the run around once more.  He is such a character, always so full of beans.

 

 

The lazy hazy days of summer are beginning to fade and already the nights are beginning to draw in and the temperatures are dropping.  I feel that it was over before it began this year, not the best of summers with regard to the weather.  It has rained here all night and has been rain, rain and more rain all morning.  I feel guilty for moaning about it when people are praying for rain to put the fires out spreading all over several states of America.   I am hoping for a beautiful August bank holiday weather wise so that we can all have a pleasant weekend as a lasting memory of the summer.  What is the weather like where you are?

 

Thank you for all your lovely comments on my last post, they are always appreciated.

 

See you soon.