TARRAGON & THYME

We were fortunate to have for dinner yesterday a Roast chicken, with roast potatoes, roast parsnip and roast onion.  Served with carrots, broccoli, peas and cauliflower. Lots of gravy and it went down very nicely.  I cooked it in the Ninja on roast function for 1 hour, and then took the chicken out to rest.  Then continued with the finishing off of the roasties.  We thoroughly enjoyed it and decided to repeat the process today, especially with it being cold.  So off G went and got another chicken.  There is a bit of strategy in the madness of this which I will explain below.  I have stripped the chicken and have half a bowl of shredded chicken for my efforts.  This will be used as the basis for the chicken stew.  With the chicken left over from tonight's chicken, together with the remains of the vegetables yesterday, I intend to turn this into a chicken pot pie.  I will make pastry tomorrow for this, a top and a bottom and then in a pan ...

Last night was the best night's sleep I have had for a while and it was a morning where I would have been quite happy to stay in the warmth and not have to get up. I set three alarms just in case I did not hear them and left the phone so I had to get out of bed. It was very chilly when got up and still chilly when left for the hospital.  Had to go out wrapped up to the nines to keep warm. Eventually got to the Hospital to see my Physio for an update.  Back again at the end of December.  Have been given some new and different exercises to incorporate.  A lot of the discomfort I am getting in the top of the shoulder apparently is directly linked to the fact that one of the Tendons has completely ruptured and there is damage to the other three (which I was not aware of). Do not do things by halves me! The initial difficulties I had with the arm going out to the side and being raised are not the issue at the moment. Movement is completely smooth as it should be. Thi...

 today, still clearing and starting to get things ready for Christmas.  Slow old job but slowly coming together and I am finding lots of things I had in there.  Hey-Ho that is how it goes.  Doing a proper job though of sorting everything out.  The cat had knocked my box of seeds over and so have popped them all back into their storage boxes and have the sort out to put them back into order again. My wine rack and basket ware have also been cleaned down and polished up and I have several other pieces that will need out for over the Christmas period.  A couple of flat boards which are ideal for Charcuterie and cheeses also located.  Just in time as this is something that we like to do on a regular basis especially with some homemade Chutney.  Have already opened my Christmas chutney and this one is going to be made every year.  It is delicious with a gorgeous bit of cheddar or indeed No 1 Cropwell Bishop Blue cheese which is like their take on ...

Not a Pantry Preserve today, but still indirectly to do with food. One of the things I like to do at this time of year is to start to search out those items that I need for entertaining ready and easily accessible from the beginning of November.  If you have not managed to achieve this, then now is the time to start assembling those items you want to use. One of the ways of getting ahead and getting things done when you have a few minutes here and there even if it is only a few tasks a day.   If you are having a house-full over the Christmas period you want to be prepared right?  No last minute trying to find this and that, now is the time to get those items together and easily accessible, and washed if necessary instead of putting yourself under unnecessary stress at the last moment.  We have enough stress in any event then, so why overload the Camel's back, get what you can done in the quieter moments before the Mayhem starts. Primarily for this post I am talk...

Welcome to December 2023. It is the first day of December and quite quickly before the blink of an eyelid it will be Christmas.  A time to be with family and friends and also traditionally where a lot of cooking, baking and eating takes place. As a way of trying to get a few more things sorted in the rundown to Christmas I thought  that I would try and do one or two simple things a day to ease things along a bit. Initially this runs around kitchen and Pantry items but will cover other items too.  Whatever takes my interest on any one particular day. Most of what I will be doing for the Pantry will be of use through the rest of the year too. Although a lot of spices are used in the month of December, to liven things, up, make items beautifully scented and to my mind make things taste gorgeous.  Please also remember that you can make yourself little treats throughout this month to celebrate the season, using what you have made, such as mugs of hot mulled wine, creamy c...

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...