TARRAGON & THYME

For the past couple of years I have been buying an onion and garlic relish from Waitrose. I don't normally buy that many sauces/chutneys as I love making this type of thing myself. However, I had tried several onion/garlic combination and could never find a recipe that was flavoursome and packed a punch. That is until now. Its lovely with any sort of cheese or as the basis to a gravy where you want a garlicky impact. It doesn't make a great deal but what I tend to do is make several small batches at once, and if I have a partially filled jar from one batch I fill it up with the second batch and so on. I use Le Parfait style jars and seals and after fastening the clasp, I put the jars into a pan of water, heating up to boiling point and processing for 30 minutes to take any air air out of the jars, to make the preserve keep for longer. Its a very simple very tasty recipe. It makes approximately 2 small jars Ingredients 2 large white onions finely chopped 50ml olive oil 50...

It was a miserable damp morning here in Peterborough first thing, and then brightened up with the sun coming out this afternoon. I decided in my infinite wisdom that we were going to have a simple tea tonight,i.e. egg and home made chips, comfort food of the highest order. However, before I could achieve this I needed some more groundnut oil, which I hadn't purchased since last year (when I buy I tend to buy in bulk) so I decided that we needed the groundnut oil (the deep fat fryer I have only uses groundnut oil with the machine - when we had tried ordinary oil it had bubbled up all over and was a little dangerous to say the least. However one quick visit to Sainsbugs later and a little more shopping than planned and I came back with a selection of goodies, as well as some oil but they did not have the groundnut oil I was after, so am trying another one to see what happens with the pan. I also bought some fresh bread buns and OH was hungry so I prepared egg and bacon butties - ...

The other weekend the OH came home with a surprise for me. He had, had his eye on a couple of young trees on his way backwards from fishing and when he checked them out they came up trumps and he came back with these for me. Not many but I absolutely adore roasted chestnuts

Whilst I have been out of circulation I have been playing quite a bit in the kitchen. I have always had a problem with peaches skinning them successfully, it has always terrified me, because sometimes the skins come off and sometimes they don't. Last weekend I skinned about 40 peaches and made two very large jars of whole peaches in spiced vinegars; both flavourings slightly different and the sauce at least with both of them is extremely scrummy. Skinning Peaches Now back to the skinning. I have found the most successful way for me is to have a pan of boiling water on the stove and dunking each peach individually in the bubbling hot water ( I seem to have a thing about hubble bubbling at the moment! I then immediatly plunge the hot peach into a big bowl of cold iced water and start straight away with removing the skin. If it does not budge bung it back into the hot water again and repeat process. Sometimes I have to assist with a small sharp knife, but this isn't very often. ...

I have taken the plunge again and have a different kind of hubble bubble on the go. Well it is Hubble bubble season. I am dabbling with the wine making again and although I enjoy an occasional drink I actually like having a glass of good home made wine with my Sunday lunch. This stems from the fact that my grandmother was a prolific wine maker - we were as children (over 11 years of age) allowed a glass of Nan's home made wine with our Sunday lunch. We became accustomed to it and grew up to respect drink as a result. My Mum also used to be a very good wine maker - so it is something I kind of grew up with and I used to help my Nan and my Mum in the processes involved. I personally cannot always afford to buy wine at the moment, so to me the next best thing was get the old bubbling gear out and get cracking. One of the problems of not having many pennies is not being able to buy the ingredients for wine making i.e. the sugar or being able to make good use of seasonal ingredie...

Hello Friends, Well I think I am back. Fingers crossed, toes plaited. I have managed to borrow a lap top whilst I am still waiting for my own to be repaired and returned. I am afraid I have been going a tad spare not being able to blog and link up with like minded folk. Mind you I have been busy with the old preserving and I still have loads to do as yet. More to follow when I am back in full swing. One of the problems with the loaned lap top is that it is very slow compared to the one that is having surgery carried out, but beggers cannot be choosers so the saying goes. I have been ironing earlier on but am now sat down for a few minutes as my back is playing up. I have company. Tyson is in and has decided to join me. Rather begrudgingly at first, but he is here keeping me company. All I need is the log fire, and I am sure he would be curled up in front of it - he hates the cold. He has laid claim to the top of the ironing board and is sprawled full length and is teasingly loo...

Just a quickie to keep everyone appraised of current situation with regard to my computer. Am having major problems at the moment as the stand alone is refusing to function with the dongle and the lap top which I normally use is currently in the repair shop being re-built - a plug internally is refusing to work properly; I had told OH that there were problems, but he passed it off as being a mere woman problem and that I was making things up! Needless to say my normal calm polite self got a little heated at this point! We only really established after buying a new power lead at £80 that there really was a problem - and I am doubly frustrated as lots has been happening that I have been doing and I wanted to post things. Well will have to do things latterly as the saying goes. But I am missing my regular ports of call and the process of blogging - bit sad but needless to say I am missing you all. OH away this weekend so hopefully when he returns will be able to have another discuss...