Emptying the freezer

Well I am nearly at the end of emptying my upright freezer part of which is only working  - we think it might be tired but until I can get the freezer well and truly empty  get it unplugged and defrosted we are not too sure (I think it might be terminal OH not convinced).

Last night we had  grilled, gammon steaks, mixed roast veg i e potato, parsnip, sweet potato and onion gently roasted in the oven, mixed veg, carrots, sweetcorn and peas and new potatoes and very tasty it was too. I soaked the gammon slices in some water before cooking as the last lot we had was a little too salty but this was just right.  It made a very filling meal.  We had a few strawberries and cream for pudding and it all went down very well.

I had some salad leaves in the fridge that needed using up and when I was rootling in the freezer last night I came across some Crevettes with the shell and everything on.  I am rather partial to prawns and sea food generally so I fished out  a couple of bags (excuse the pun) and we have had those each this evening with a big bowl of salad, coleslaw and home made marie rose sauce (prawn cocktail sauce sauce which in this household is either home made mayonnaise or salad cream with tomato ketchup and a dash of home made tarragon sauce) with a couple of slices of bread and butter OH white me wholemeal; and very nice it was too we both seem to have polished things off.

Fish is good for you and if you can buy it fresh then all the better, but that is not always possible in this day and age but there is always tinned.  I always keep tinned sardines, sild, pilchards in tomato sauce in, tuna, tinned salmon and tinned white crab meat which is lovely in a wrap with some lettuce and some chilli sauce.  I have home made salmon fish cakes  quite regularly too - I make a couple of batches using tinned salmon and then freeze in twos. That way I am making the most of what I have without wasting anything .  OH does not like tinned salmon and he goes a bundle on Tuna both fresh and tinned and anchovies which are useful for home made pizza. I usually keep things like, smoked haddock, moules marinere, king prawns, ordinary prawns etc. in the freezer as well as cod/haddock (depending on price).  I am supposed to eat quite a bit of fish to help with the arthritis.

I have moules mariniere in the freezer so I think they could be on the cards for tomorrow night and I will probably do a pudding to go with so it will be a light tea. I have some puff pastry in the freezer so I may well do a tarte tatin - restaurant style food at a minimum of the cost.  I like going out for a meal but I love cooking at home, so I think I will be popping to the greengrocers tomorrow to see what fruit they have.

Right am off to potter.

Catch up soon.

Pattypan

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