TARRAGON & THYME

Change of venue today.  Into the Dining room.  Good reason for this is that I have popped a load of stuff out of the kitchen into the Dining room which now needs sorting out and that which can be got back into the kitchen will be, but as I have other items to bring through yet, I need to sort the Dining room to get everything organised and into place.  It is playing shuttle systems, but gradually things are getting sorted. Last night for instance I re-established what herbs and spices I had in my stash.  They have all been sorted into some small boxes (two so far);  I still think that there are some more lurking but thus far have not found them.  However these are together and they are organised which is a big step forward in itself.  Next stage on these small boxes will be getting some of the cannisters on the side Welsh Dresser topped up, before organising jars for the items which have not as yet been bottled.  There are a lot of items that have...

Arm is kicking off a bit at the moment so am going with the flow.  Not done too much as I have not been able to lift up much or do much with the arm.  The exercises are going ahead, just not as well as they were progressing which is completely frustrating.  Tiz just the depth, there are worse things at mill as the saying goes. Have pottered about a bit doing some things that I need to get done as well as starting off tomorrow night's tea.  Also organising my herbs and spices altogether so that once the Pantry is completed, they can all be put away together in the right places. I have a lot of little terracotta herb and spice pots that I want to put into use.  Am still adding to them when I can find them. I have started off from scratch a homemade Beef Bourguignon the link is here: Beef Bourguignon Have started by macerating some Aberdeen Angus Beef Braising steak in a bottle of wine (recipe stated two bottles), three bay leaves, a good sprinkling of pepper, some...

Saturday Saturday was a busy day in the kitchen for me.  I was up earlier than usual as I was bright eyed and bushy tailed.  Mid-morning I started to go downhill a bit and felt a bit grotty.  Always happens when I have an earlier morning.  System does not like it.  Sat down and had a coffee and recharged a bit and then started off again. Dishwasher and the washer have been cleaned on programmes.  Outside will be finished on Sunday when I start again.  I really managed to get quite a bit done and feel as though at long last I am getting somewhere.  Goodness me though I am going to have to send some stuff to the Charity shop.  Not just yet though as there are a couple of things missing which go with items found in the kitchen and I know I have them. Want them to go off complete.   The shelf fell down under the sink with a thwump.  Did not know it was the shelf until I went to put something under the sink, and found it collapsed o...

I am slowly starting to figure out those items I want and need to keep in my fridge and Pantry as a priority and on a regular basis.  If needs be I am setting too and preparing these for myself more and more and starting to slowly relinquish so much reliance on the supermarkets and bought products.  Ingredients I will buy. Some of it is a learning curve, sometimes it is really hard work, but at least you know what is going into things and there are no nasties and I am enjoying doing it.  Only starting small with a view to building up a preparation day at the beginning of each month. You do have to plan ahead a little bit and sometimes make things for a certain dish/general use, but gradually, things are starting to work in this respect for me. Butter and derivatives We do not like artificial spreads and I tend to use Butter but I will not pay through the nose for it and where we can we try and source it when the price is really good and then store it in the fridge. When I...

 Thursday Still have not got on as well as I had hoped today.  However have done some more cleaning a little further along.  Just focusing on the positive in that I have got some more stuff done, rather than nothing at all and got some more stuff put away. I am just going through the motions this year in regard to Christmas, it will be what it will be at the end of the day.  It has been a very frustrating year one way or another and at this precise moment in time, my head is elsewhere.  As I say going through the motions and looking towards plans for next year on several fronts. Tonight have made homemade pizza again.  This time using a mixture of Mozzarella, Pepperoni, onion, Jalapeno chilli, pineapple, Anchovies, Ham.  It has gone down very nicely.  Sorry no photos.  Followed by a couple of sausage rolls each and a hot mug of tea. Friday It has been a bitterly cold day today one for hugging the house if you can - we had to go out to walk Mi...

 It has been a quiet week so far.  I have been plugging away at one or two projects although in reality have not been able to accomplish much.  I am keeping at it in any event. I am back on the kitchen project and gradually things are starting to get there.  Still a bit more to do, but slowly getting there.  I am hoping to break the back of it tomorrow.  Work has very much depended on whether the weather has been warmer or not on the day as to whether I can move freely or not.  I cannot work if I am cold or my joints are tight.  My arm has not been co-operating either. Today has also been bath day for Missy.  That did not go down well, but as she is an old lady she did need a bit of a wash and a brush up.  I put a clean towel on the radiator to warm up to dry her with and then gave her a good dry down. We then made sure she was kept warm and that her fur had dried properly. Needless to say I managed to get bathed in the process. I think ...

This post was initially written a month or so ago, when I started my Christmas preparations.  It is only now that I have been able to settle and finish off the article. A way of honouring the past and bringing it into the present. ..... that is all I have spirit wise at the moment is a bottle of good Whiskey for the Christmas preparations. A bottle of Jamesons. I personally have never used whiskey in the Christmas cake  before but it is the ingredient that my Nan always used for her Christmas cakes. I have nearly always used Brandy as my Mum used to do.  This year however it has had to be Whiskey. (Whisky or Whiskey which is the correct spelling? Both are correct.  "Whiskey" spelling tends to be Whiskey that is made in Ireland and "Whisky" tends to be Whisky that is made in Scotland). My grandparents were land rich but cash poor and the only way they could survive was to grow their own food as much as they could and seasonal bulk preserving as well as topping up at ...

I had a gammon that needed cooking for slicing and so popped that into the Ninja to cook it.  I have stock from it and that will be processed tomorrow after it has had a night in the fridge to set any residual fat.  This will then be skimmed off and the stock from it popped it into jars and then will be processed for the Pantry shelf.  I also had two chicken carcasses so they have been popped on too.  Today was therefore principally a day of stock making.  Yet again though, being processed off tomorrow so that I have a full pot and am getting the maximum out of the energy used.  The stock is extremely useful in cooking.  I do not use salt in it at all and it adds a lot more flavour.  Better all round than shop bought. G initially wanted the "ham" served with thick chunky chips and a fried egg tea tonight.  He has changed his mind since then and says he just fancies some sarnies.  Therefore that is what we have had.  I did put a...

 really.  Since the cold weather set in, despite having the heating on I have been terribly cold and have gone very stiff again. Combination of the medical conditions and missing the warmth of the Sun, no matter how little. My system has therefore decided it is throwing a wobbly as a result.  So much so, I have been having issues with my arm again. One of the issues when I first started the physio was that I could not put my arm much above waist level and to the side when I first started off.  I can now do this quite regularly and easily with no discomfort.  I had been doing well, but the cold has affected me quite badly and I am now having issues with forward movement of the arm, compared to being able to put my arm to the side and lifting it up as far as I can. So there has been a complete juxtaposition of how the arm is reacting! In any event at 8:00am this morning, I had an update appointment with my Physio.  I have instructions for a modification ...

 Am up to my ears as usual.  Will report on progress later in the week.  However will try to pop in the odd post here and there as I go along.  Must be focused - have had a recovery of energy.  It has been cold  and that always seizes me up, but not as cold today so am making the most of it.  I am also going to have to do some sewing in the next week for door curtains and things like that, as well as hopefully a pelmet for the kitchen.  Just have to locate the fabric for that though. I think I know where that is.  Nothing fancy just simple sewing.  So plenty going on and I am having to focus to make the best of the time when I am firing on all pistons! Yellow Marigolds, wash cloths, Dusters, Polish, Paint, sewing machine, needle and thread are all playing their part.  Tiz just the depth that varies. However wherever you are keep safe, loving and happy. Catch up soon. Pattypan x

 but nothing substantial accomplished although I have been sorting through the under-stairs cupboard.  I had to do this in to add in the Forest Fruit Mincemeat that has been made yesterday after getting it labelled up so that I know what it is.  I have added these in along with the other items recently made.  Still a load more stuff to make and I am finding other recipes that I would like to try as well.  The jars have been stored under the stairs for the time being more so that I do not end up breaking the jars more than anything else.  The under-stairs cupboard needs sorting and re-arranging but not yet.  We have the Pantry to sort out first although I have been sorting items to go in there in any event - they cannot go in the Pantry until everything is sorted. We had a fry up for breakfast this morning using up bits and bobs in the fridge and also a jar of the Mushrooms I preserved at the beginning of September in lard and then stored in the fr...

My favourite recipe for Mincemeat, introduced by my friend Jennie, is a really old recipe from the Farmer's Weekly book and known as Country Mincemeat.  I have popped up a post here about it in the past together with the recipe such as it is.  It is a traditional fermented method of making Mincemeat that you add to a little at a time and a good way of using up a few leftover ingredients as you go along.  It is very different to modern Mincemeat making, but it is one of my preferred recipes. Country Mincemeat Whilst browsing the other day, I found another recipe whilst doing some research to try some new to me items for the Pantry shelf.  It is an old recipe with a twist. I must say that I am quite taken by this recipe and so I decided to try it. I was initially attracted by the colour more than anything else.  Posted by a 1940's Experiment The link for the recipe is here: Blackberry Mincemeat Recipe no 157 As I have said I was most attracted by the colour but th...

 ....in the background that is, but I have equally been doing other stuff as well.  I have a lovely stew on in the Ninja at the moment which I am very much looking forward to.  There should be plenty there for a good couple of meals if his Highness does not go back for seconds although he can if he wants!  I did contemplate making a pudding, but decided against it for tonight as I have one or two other projects in hand as well which I want to get on with. I might have to give in to the pudding thing sometime during the week though as I am craving a Treacle Pudding with custard!  Managed to get organised early today for tea which I am pleased about; started at about 3pm with the prep and then popped the stew on the pressure cooker setting for an hour.  Serving the stew with mashed potato in any event.  Will have to get more potatoes and eggs at the weekend though as I am running low.  Get a bit twitchy without eggs and potatoes. Tomorrow I have chi...

It has been a long and slow hard slog trying to lick the kitchen into shape.  This is the first room that is being sorted out for Christmas and it has been an absolutely painful and tedious task.  Not helped by me not being 100% but it is what it is and I am at long last getting there. Everything has been scrubbed within an inch of its life. Thus far have managed to get all the lower cupboards washed out and the contents sorted out and organised a little better than they were.  Lower Cupboard doors have also been washed down and polished up. I have used some of my Lemon vinegar cleaner and the room smells quite pleasant as well as being an excellent degreaser. The shelves with the Electric small cooker and the Microwave have been scrubbed down and the two appliances cleaned as well.  I keep my washing soda crystals and Borax substitute underneath these shelves in a couple of small boxes. I bought a bulk supply a while back and have been wading my way through it....

Things are progressing with the kitchen but still a way to go.  More of an update tomorrow. I have a new preserving recipe I am trying out tomorrow, more on that during the week as well. Otherwise it has been a quiet couple of days.  Weather not been good and I seize up and my hands go blue when my body considers it is cold which they have been doing for the past few days even with the heating on.  Mornings are always the worst and the middle of the afternoon when the temperature starts to drop.  A bit like the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz, apart from the fact I click rather than squeak! I had to go and top up on some green veg broccoli, cauliflower, petit-pois earlier on. I also came away with two largish pumpkins which had been reduced to 25p each. Ghost pumpkins. Will see how we get on with them. They will get processed this week into chunks and/or soup for the Pantry shelf along with some other veg I have.  Better on the Pantry shelf than going to waste....

The other day I bought some small oranges not sure of the variety but boy are they lovely.  Sweet to taste, they smell absolutely beautiful and me, being me, I have decided to save the peel and dry it for use in the kitchen, in firelighters, Pot- Pourri, in wine, beef stew etc.  Some of the peel will be left in pieces other bits will be blitzed into a powder and used in baking, probably some in my mincemeat as well.  It is just sacrilege to waste it. When prepping the skin for drying, all I do is work with how the orange has peeled and sometimes break into pieces and then take as much as I can of the pith off with a paring knife. The pith is the bitter part of the skin and you do not need it, it is bitter and the texture is a bit yuk! I have been doing this for years rather than waste any of the peel at all. However little oranges also mean something else for me; the scent, the aroma.  As a child I was quite poorly with my tonsils and adenoids. We were in the fortuna...