A busy but pleasant day

Today has varied between very busy and has left me little time, so much so we ended up having a very late tea.  More on that below..

I ended up going into town as I had run low on jar lids again.  So I legged it in, and managed to get six packs of 12 jar lids which hopefully will keep me going for the foreseeable.  I have though decided that from the beginning of the New Year that I am going to buy a few each month and stockpile them so that I have them ready for doing what I need to throughout the year.  I have to be realistic on this score as I have not done as much preserving as I would normally do.  I have not been able to locate any Kilner or Ball seals both extra large and standard for sometime.  I am hoping to be able to get my hands on some more soon otherwise that is going to put a stop to any canning or bottling not that I can do a lot because of a lack of jars having lost so many in the fire and not being able to readily replace them as I am just not seeing them.

This morning I was looking at some cookery books trying to sort some recipes out when I came across a little book that had belonged to my mother. I had not realised that she had actually made the Christmas pudding recipe from this booklet, but on closer inspection I noted that she had marked quantities in her handwriting I assume probably to fit the bowl that she had.  I am going to make this pudding as a one off I think to see if we actually like it despite having already started my usual Christmas pudding recipe which is Delia's recipe from her book of Christmas (the original version).

It is a nice little booklet in any event and has a lovely recipe for Christmas ham with a ginger glaze and cloves studded into the fat. I have had this before and it is so delicious.  Adds a very different element to the meat.  Not everyone likes cloves but with ham.  I think it is delicious.  OH does not like, but  yet again this is something that Mum did at home.  My Mum was a really good cook particularly with roast dinners and pastry and baking. We always loved her Sunday dinners they were something special.

On my return trip from going to buy the lids for my jars, I came back via Waitrose.  I have bought more Cranberries, for another preserve and Pears for more Pear Butter, which will be started off in the slow cooker tomorrow.  There is still a lot of preserving to do.  I have however managed to do another round of labelling today.  I have also managed to find a couple of nets of Tangerines and will probably get more tomorrow as there are a couple of projects I want to do with these all edible of course.  I intend to check the veg shop reductions tomorrow as well.  I do where I can source most things from the reductions rather than pay full price.  I also need to get another couple of kilo of the purple plums as I want to bottle some of these whole.  I have a recipe for proper Victorian Sugar-Plums,  but you do require bottled whole plums to start with.  The link is here:

Victorian Sugar-Plums

When I got back from town I ended up sorting out the chip pan, as it had not been used for a while, giving it a good clean and then re-filling with sunflower oil.  I prefer groundnut oil for frying but I cannot always get hold of it.  OH had been to the Butcher's earlier in the day and had come home with several things, including a couple of Rib Eye steaks and I therefore promised him he could have homemade chips.  Both of us are not keen on the chips that get supplied with various meals or takeaways as we do prefer proper home made chips.    I served with green peppercorn sauce.  They were lovely. What I tend to do when making home made chips, is to blanch the cut chips in hot water, drain and dry them and then add them to the frying pan.  Once they are cooked I then line an enamel dish I have, layer it with kitchen roll and then tip so many of the chips in, salt and vinegar them, then add the rest and do the same again.  They are then kept warm in a low oven whilst the rest of the meal is cooked today i.e. cooking the steaks on my Mum's griddle.

In any event it was very tasty and we both enjoyed it although I can never eat as much as OH.

I did not get to anything in the kitchen today, apart from some labelling up on some of my preserves.  I have a lot more to do tomorrow and then hopefully, will be shopping again on Friday whilst OH goes back into the kitchen.  I need more soap powder, stain remover and some other bits and bobs in any event.  I will try and go to the veg shop tomorrow to see what they have available.

In any event, I have added a few more bits and bobs to the stocking up in readiness for Christmas items, and will do another post on that separately probably towards the end of the week.

So lots of things being juggled as usual, including ideas and the logistics of setting things up so that they can happen, i.e. getting in the relevant ingredients or making them etc. as in the case of the Sugar Plums.

Right had better get a wriggle on.  Have so much to do.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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