Update on Day One - Things Achieved

Monday 16 October 2023

By its very nature, the kitchen is the main project for this week and I will therefore update on how I manage that project next Sunday evening.  However the daily things to achieve I will post up on a day behind as it were.  They are just as important as the kitchen in that we have to have food available, something for the tins, yogurts, puddings that sort of thing; the things that lift your soul in the cooler months.  I thought I would try doing a few things each day in order that there is always something on hand to nibble or snack on, to have as a pudding or something warming to be had for midday lunch.  Trying to make the most of what I have to hand.

Breakfast was had.  Thick slices of Sourdough bread spread with butter and homemade Strawberry and Rhubarb jam again for me and cheese spread for G, with a hot mug of tea each.  Went down very nicely.  Now the weather is colder it is important that we have something for breakfast each day to help fire up the internal central heating system to get us warm and get us going of a morning.  Monday morning was very chilly here in Peterborough the first really cold morning, probably the first of many to come for this Winter.

I checked the first batch of yogurt and it has set well.  It has now been decanted into the fridge to chill and that will be available to have later if wished.  Yogurt is really good for you and can be used in puddings, cakes, meat dishes, for breakfast and to drink (useful to know and to use up if a batch does not thicken enough). The second batch has been made, and that will be checked and finished off tomorrow morning.

One of the many things I like to keep in the fridge is margarine, butter, lard for baking and cooking.  I may not always have as much as I would like, but I do try and keep this central stock particularly as buying cakes in apart from a small treat now and then is a no-no here these days.  If a bit of cake is needed I make from my stores.  My plan is to get into a routine with either making one or two items a day and if we still have plenty to go at resident cake, then to have a day where I miss up that day until used.  Then just make something a little special for a Sunday afternoon tea.  I plan to recommence Sunday tea when we turn the clocks back and cosy things up a bit.  That is the plan anyway, and Sunday dinner will be had midday again which has not happened for a long while.  If I plan things correctly, a lot of the prep can be done on the Saturday.

Today from my stores I ticked another couple of items off my list, some Flapjacks and some Scones.  Simple fare but it does go down nicely.  I have made a batch of fruited scones today but another day will make a plain batch and serve with some Strawberries and cream or just some butter or cream and jam.  After all I have all those jams to hand, and baking is one of the reasons I made them in the first place. 

A bread loaf was put on.  We are nearly out of the Sourdough bread bought reduced the other day; it is always useful to have to hand and any remnants can be dehydrated for breadcrumbs for homemade stuffing or bread sauce.  Equally pudding or cake can be made too.  Very versatile traditional foods.

The Stilton and Broccoli soup was made and has come up very nicely.  It has now cooled down and I have stored it in a jar in the fridge to use up either as part of a meal i.e. a starter or as something to eat midday.  Soups are an integral part of my plan of attack for winter eating and something warming and substantive can be made from next to nothing even leftovers and scraps and can be very tasty and nourishing especially when it is cold.

Chicken stock bones were roasted and then added to the stock pot to simmer for a while.  When done will be strained through a sieve and then put in the fridge to let the fat layer set so that it can be taken off.  The stock can then be processed sometime on Day Three.

Washing got done and dried.  Just a large ironing pile to tackle now. Intend to do that a little each day.  Sort of taking the view if I can tackle a little bit each day it will not be as overwhelming and will soon be reduced.

Well I thought the washing was done, however it appears that I have ran out of clean tea towels and have ended up having to do another boil wash.  When finished they will go in the drier so that I can get on.  These things are sent to try us.

Work on kitchen has commenced. Slow but it has commenced. Update at the end of the week on that (Sunday).

We have had a duplicate tea to what we had last night.  I just had to cook fresh carrots, broccoli and cauliflower up, warm through the meat and the gravy (in a tray in the oven) the gravy soaks into the meat this way and makes it moister and nicer to eat plus warms the meat up gently.

I did have a slight departure on the plan and ended up doing some extra things.  I found chillies ready in the greenhouse, and I also harvested the last of the Black Peppermint out of the Herb border for my Mint tea as it was starting to get a bit straggly.  This is now hanging off the Dresser along with the chillies.  I have plans for preserves for those chillies.  I was a bit confused though as I had harvested some chillies the other day and left them in a bowl to hang off the Dresser.  Only trouble is they had gone missing.  It was only as I was hanging the mint for drying that I saw more chillies on the cord drying that I had the thought that perhaps G had hung them.  I had been looking everywhere for them.  It was only when I mentioned it to him later on that he confirmed that he had!  I thought I was going around the twist!

I have some Bay leaves to dry later in the week as well; when I cook I tend to use them a lot and they have been going down rapidly so a few more to be dried will do no harm.  So as I have said a slight deviation on what was planned for the day.  Sometimes this might be necessary though, as long as it gets done overall then that is all that matters.

I am hoping that dealing with things on a daily basis like this will also help me be more in the moment, and dealing with things on a day to day basis rather than letting them explode  or than off dreaming with the fairies and not wanting to come back!  Yes I admit it I am a terrible dreamer!  However without dreams you have nothing to reach or hope for.  Our dreams belong to us alone, but it is wonderful to share them with like minded people!

Overall not a bad first day, still a long way to go though.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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