Tonight it is cold and

Tuesday

Did not go to plan.  G went fishing the dog played up.  I felt really off colour and so preserving took place.  I only disappeared for half an hour to go and get tea ready and during that time she decided that she was going to mark her disproval and when I came back there was a right mess to clear up.  Tea therefore did not happen last night - G got a takeaway instead whilst I tried to sort out the Bedlam Missy had left behind her.  Worse than a child throwing a tantrum when things do not go as she wants!  Needless to say I do not normally give in.  What was planned for tea today - well that will happen tomorrow now.

Wednesday

I have suffered another bad Raynauds episode even though I am wrapped in plenty of layers and I am wearing gloves to go out.  When this happens, I cannot feel my fingers and it feels as if I have lumps of lead for hands as I go so cold on the inside.  Cannot quite explain it, and then my fingers hurt as the circulation slowly comes back to me.  This can happen at anytime of the year even in the middle of Summer.

Time to drag something out of the Pantry stash which was made some two years ago and which I have had a small nip of here and there when I am particularly cold.  I am talking about Wild Bramble Whisky, where I picked the berries from the Hedgerow, and then macerated them in a bottle of Jameson's whisky with a tiny amount of sugar as I did not want this terribly sweet. The purists will hold their hands up in horror.  I am not a whisky drinker although I will use it in a Hot Toddy, and in cooking and to feed fruit cakes with.  Jameson's is the only one so far that I have really liked and been able to tolerate in a tumbler with lots of Lemonade although my cousin has assured me that the Bushmills Whisky is rather nice.  As I have said I am not a whisky drinker but I do think it has its benefits and it certainly warms me and my digits up when I have had an episode as I have done today.  That is why I need a proper fire to keep me warm as I really do go cold at impossible times and where everyone else is stripping off.

I have two precious jars of this Wild Bramble Whisky and next year I shall certainly be making more as I really do like this.  I think it would be brilliant if used as part of a Hot Toddy as well.

I would just like to express that from being stone cold, my hands and my feet are now glowing all in the space of an hour.

I now have tea on the go.  We are having Cottage Pie for tea this evening which I am looking forward to.  It will be a later tea as I have had to deal with some other issues before getting to put this on, but I was determined we were having this tonight.

I have also put on a soup for tomorrow which basically is a version of the Leftovers soup that my Nan used to cook on a Monday night after a joint on Sunday.  I had veg left over from the Toad in the Hole the other night, and gravy and I have added a little more to this including onion, swede, carrot, onion.  The leftover cooked veg was cauliflower and broccoli and some carrot together with the remnants of the gravy.  Too small amounts to do anything else with. That is why it always pays to keep your leftovers as it gives you a starting point for another meal or keeps the tummy from grumbling unnecessarily.  I have also kept the bits from the leftover fresh veg and these will go into a vegetable stock for tomorrow to make soups moving forward.

We will therefore have Leftover soup (basically a mixed veggie soup in this case) for tomorrow.

I am going to continue doing this during the winter months so that I do not waste the pennies by discarding the bits and bobs and will either make a soup or make stock.  I can always water bath the stock if I end up being overwhelmed and store it on the Pantry shelf which can then be used as a basis for a meal in its own right.

I also intend to make a loaf of bread so that we can have nice crusty bread to dunk in the soup.  I intend to get back to making bread as well.  You do not necessarily have to make a loaf every day but it does make a difference having really nice bread to serve with a good home cooked meal.

We can therefore with a little care and attention make some lovely things for our family to share. I am going to get back into the groove with the Winter cooking and still putting things up for the Pantry shelf. Yes initially a lot of these items will be stored on the Pantry shelf (or whatever other storage you have) to be bought out and enjoyed during the colder months.  However for me, this is a way of showing another element of care to my family in providing items moving ahead and providing different things to enjoy as a family compared to someone else.

Today for instance I have been and done a little food shopping not for general eating but the preserving moving forward.  I have bought Red Italian Sweet Peppers and ordinary Red Peppers and a quantity of Red Chillies for making Chilli Jam, Sweet Chilli sauce, Chilli Oil and Sweet Chilli jelly.

I have also bought in two nets of onions.  The onions look good and they will be pressed into service both in everyday cooking and the preserving moving forward.  We use a lot of onions here.  I know it is not to everyone's taste but I feel that they add so much flavour to a meal. I plan on using the onions in French Onion Soup, Onion and Ale Chutney, Onion Marmalade, and a few more preserves.  I also have a few red onions which are going to be used to make a Red Onion Relish.  

There are lots of plans now to get stuck in and make them a reality.  There are of course lots of other items on the list as well.

Well I am just about to go and get my tea.  I currently have a Jack Russell sat on my foot refusing to let me go anywhere.  Once I have peeled her off I should be able to get my tea.

Have a lovely evening everyone.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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