TARRAGON & THYME

I do not leave work until 5:30 pm and that is if I get out on time and by the time I have walked home It is usually 6:00 pm or later and by the time I get in and get sorted to start cooking tea it is often 6:30 pm before I start cooking.  I quite frequently use the slow cooker to make sure we have something nice and hot for tea but yesterday I bought some proper decent sausages (I prefer chipolatas you get about 12 to the 1lb) and so I had made my mind up that we were going to have a toad with a difference.  These days there are only the two of us but I always cook plenty as sometimes if it lives to tell the tale we have a repeat performance with a meal [that is if OH does not get his mits on things first]. Anyway this time I allowed two sausages per portion and spiralled them with the use of a cocktail stick round each other and then popped them into a small oiled pan trimmed the top with some fresh Rosemary and chopped an onion finely and popped this into the oven to st...

It has been a busy week this week.  Monday night was a special evening run by the Psychic and Spiitual Fellowship we had an evening with well known Medium Colin Fry and it was fantastic.  We hope to have him back again next year.  He brought with him one of his dogs and she was so lovely and well behaved. Tuesday night I was pottering around at home. Wednesday night I had a Reiki treatment with a  new client. Tonight I have been at home pottering again. I was late home as I had an urgent piece of work to complete  that took for absolute ever.  It will be a relief to be home tomorrow night however briefly and Saturday I am at mum's again.  However no peace for the weekend I will be engrossed in housework again tomorrow night. Did any of you catch the new River Cottage Fruit programme which started last night?  I started to watch it on catchup tv got distracted and then got locked out of the pin so I still have not seen it all the w...

I am always searching for new recipes especially using ingredients that I use on a regular basis.  Whilst I was searching for my pumpkin marmalade recipe I came across this recipe using pumpkin which I quite fancy having a go at and thought I would share.  This time  the recipe is for a Chutney.  The recipe is from Country Harvest by Linda Burgess and Rosamond Richardson. Ingredients: 1.4kg/3lb pumpkin or squash peeled seeded and cubed 7.5c m/3inch piece of fresh root ginger 12 peppercorns 225g/8oz/2 cups shallots or onions skinned and chopped 225g/8oz/1 cup demerara light brown sugar 1 green or red pepper seeded and sliced (optional) 225g/8oz/ cooking apples peeled cored and chopped 225g/8oz/ 1 1/3 cups sultanas golden raisins 900ml/1 1/2 pints/3 3/4 cups malt vinegar salt Method Put the pumpkin into an aluminium preserving pan, cover with salt and leave overnight. The next day drain off the liquid and rinse the pumpkin cubes i...

Its been a bit of a quite moochy sort of day and it is still raining and we have succumbed and put the heating on as everywhere and everything was just so cold and damp.  Fortunately I am starting to warm up but I am still going to have my hot water bottles to snuggle up to and keep me warm. It stops me being so stiff in a morning and having the discomfort of achey joints etc for the first hour of every day. Well I haven't got my fire but I did have my crumpets.  OH has worked today and so as I had not got tea on by then we had hot warm crumpets with mugs of tea just to keep the hunger pangs at bay until tea was cooked which was roast pork, apple sauce, peas, carrots. roast potatoes, roast parsnip, mash, broccoli and cabbage with lashings of gravy and it went down a treat. The animals are scattered through the house curled up fast asleep .  After Downtown I have some ironing to do and to get packups etc ready for tomorrow.   I also have some strawberry sauce/...

They are in the shops these two beauties I bought this morning and they are destined for some marmalade and for the freezer for roasting. I watched a very good programme this morning by Valentine Warner that roasted slices of pumpkin with red onion until nicely toasted and golden and then adding garlic and serving it up as a side order or as a supper in its own right I was salivating at the thought.  And this recipe for soup sounds delish as well one I am going to try very shortly and perhaps put some up in the freezer as well. http://www.valentinewarner.com/recipes/vegetables/dads-pumpkin-soup/ You might have gathered but Pumpkins and Squash feature regularly on the menu here but these ingredients are so much more. I first came across Pumpkin in Australia and had it roasted and I became hooked.  in fact as a family we all love Pumpkin and Squash. We are coming up to Halloween a festival where pumpkins feature heavily and are usually carved and the flesh dis...

We desperately need the rain but why does it all have to come at once!  It never stopped all last night and has rained on and off all day so far.  Its the damp that comes with it that I cannot bear and its afternoons like this where I desperately crave a log or coal fire to snuggle up next to to dry out.  Central heating although efficient just does not cut the mustard on an afternoon like today and memories  of day's like today and being at my grandpaents and of toasting crumpets on the fire come flashing back . I had hoped to start the Christmas cake today but I think because of a lack of time it will have to wait until next Sunday and I will try and do the Christmas Puddings at the same time so that they are all done and dusted.  Might make double whammy so that have some to give as pressies also. Anyway I am off to potter - just wish the rain would stop. Catch you all later. Pattypan x  

This week has predominantly been acquiring accessories more so than food stuff.  The other day I popped into Primark to have a look around and in their home wares department I came across some Scandinavian/Fair Isle style throws to use to keep warm - whilst sitting watching the TV over the Christmas period.  £10 each so I bought two.  They have a similar type throw in M & S slightly different pattern and more money.  I also purchased a small red fluffy owl printed throw for £5 - I intend to get another one as the colouring will blend in with the Scandinavian/Fair Isle style throws (so far have spent £25 - which is not bad). They also had some other throws for the bedrooms at quite reasonable prices also; now I have to save up as I would like at least a couple of each. This is a particularly cold house so I like to have plenty of blankets as well as quilts etc to snuggle up into.  Ideally I need a house with a proper coal or log fire as well as central heati...