Saturday Roundup

OOhps, sorry this should have been posted last night but I fell asleep!

It has been an exceptionally busy week and as a result I have taken a couple of days off just to chill as a result.  It has not stopped me cooking at all and we have enjoyed a plethora of different things to eat.

Thursday OH had a fry for breakfast I had toast and marmalade.  For dinner we had a full lamb roast with all the trimmings and the meat was really tasty.  Still have some in the fridge to use up.

Friday breakfast I had a very naughty pancake with cherry pie filling (bought) and double cream dribbled on it.  These are a standard frying pan size and a thicker pancake and as a result one is more than enough.  You can also add other pie fillings or fruits and also serve with ice cream.  

This year I am hoping to make my own cherry pie filling for lots of lovely uses such as pies, gateaux or serving with duck.  Our evening meal consisted of a chicken curry with Pilau rice and Naan bread.

Saturday night Rib Eye steak with home made chips, fried onions and mushrooms.  Trifle to finish off.

I also played catch up with my cousin on the phone on Friday night as a result of a senior family member being diagnosed with a serious blood condition and other matters.  This particular cousin is more like the sister I never had.  Our mothers' were sisters only nine months between them with my mum being the older sister.  We are extremely close which I am grateful for she accepts me for what and who I am even when I go off grid for a while.  It does not matter what I do or do not do.  She is my safety net.  We have been bought up in two separate Cities with her coming to spend a week with us each summer and yet when we go into each other's homes, we have both bought the same things independently and are both made of similar stuff and have many similar hobbies.

We were supposed to go to the fish man this morning but that did not happen as we overslept.  We are off to the Butcher tomorrow though to stock up for the week again.

I will then have to get stuck back in again on the house but have been that tired had to take sometime out and rest up which has been a blessing.

OH has built up the new tap and sink and also built up the base.  That should get fitted in the next few days. The rest of the kitchen cupboards need sorting and re-organising but I am slowly finding homes for many things.

I have also found another of my preserving books, Thane Princes Jams and Chutneys. This book is excellent both for beginners and more practised preservers alike with plenty of variety on recipes.

The Front Cover

The contents page

A sampling of some of the recipes.  These are only a sampling there are far far more.   

Red Plum and Cinnamon Jam

Chinese Plum Sauce.

A Proper Ploughman's Pickle ideal for use all year round and particularly useful to make now if you have any older dried fruit that needs using up.

There is also a Store Cupboard Chutney as well.  Both ideal for using up older fruit, not wasting the pennies, and making sure that there is a regular stock of chutney in the pantry even for the summer months.

Red Pepper Jelly especially good with cream cheeses, and also cheese and crackers and meats.

A very useful book for Preserves for both beginner and experienced preserver.  The wide range and diversity of recipes is extremely useful.  There is a very useful chunky apple sauce recipe here which I have used.  However the only thing I have done differently is to hot water bathe the jars with the sauce to extend the shelf life of the product which keeps for three months without water bathing, but keeps for a year if you water bathe it.  I would rather go to the extra trouble to hot water process to give a lengthier shelf life especially when going to all the trouble to preserve the preserve in the first place.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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