...Had this on recent globe-trot to Scar-badous...
Just a small ciabatta sliced lengthways, lightly toasted, buttered, topped with mozzerella, brie, cheddar and black olives. back under grill. served with fresh basil (isnt everything?) and good tomatoes..
.. apart from that life goes on in a more or less orderly (some might say tediously repetitive) fash. Both smaller spawn have now grown longer legs and have crawled out of the Primary Pool and now catch the "school bus" into compulsory homogenisation. There they will no doubt learn to erase any trace of individuality and spark in order to fit into the required box.
Does this now free their time stifled and creatively dry mother to tentatively enter into the real world of thrusting cutting edgeiness and entrepreneurial scatterbombing? Should we ready ourselves for a late but amazing burst of autumnal colour full of ideas, plans, schemes and fiendishly clever yet simple proposals for reinventing her life as we know it?
Well, I believe we all know the answer to that one n'est pas?
Oh I have just seen a nice flat rock I think I could get under.....
Tuesday, 14 September 2010
Saturday, 11 September 2010
In Which She attends a Village Meeting.....
Well, I say "Meeting" - I think it was more of a beasting actually - however at one point in the fishwifemongery there was much made of possible Vandalism in the village should some proposed allotment of allotments go ahead... At this point I decided to add my pennethworth and say that I had lived for a number of years in The Village and did not think the kids were in any way vandals and that they respected others property etc.
Eldery Parish Councillor chose this moment to come in to the meeting to loudly ask why my children were on the roof of the school shooting each other with AK47 Water Blasters..... Sigh (I'll get my coat).
Eldery Parish Councillor chose this moment to come in to the meeting to loudly ask why my children were on the roof of the school shooting each other with AK47 Water Blasters..... Sigh (I'll get my coat).
Oh Pur-Lease - What Am I? Mrs. Beaton?????
I have produced nearly 100 (only very slight exaggeration if at all) pots of JAM - What am I like Ladies and Gents????
Neighbours gave me DAMSONS (in Distress) - local Kwikee Mart had bags of shug for only 65 pence! I made jam. Thusly:
Picked through the mountain of damsons and chucked out any suspect fruit.
washed and squashed the stones out of each fruit. (tedious but strangely soothing activity)
weighed the fruit (discovered it was nearly a stone!)
boiled up fruit in HUGE (you have to see it!) witches Cauldron. Stirring so it doesnt burn.
added the same amount of sugar as the weighed fruit (actually couldnt bring myself to add that much sugar so my first batch was more of a Plum Sauce... subsequent batches however got the full amount)
Kept stirring (well inbetween washing and sterilising jam jars - 6 at a time in the microwave for about 4 mins)
Remembered to keep the jam jars warm....
When the jam came to a "Rolling Boil" I put a spoonful on a saucer and stuck it in the freezer for a couple of mins. - Jam is ready when this test (I had to do several) kind of wrinkles when you gently press it forward with your little finger.
Remembered (was reminded by sister) that Great Nan used to put tiny bit of butter on the top of the jam in the pan which sent all the scummy froth over to the sides where you can easily skim it off. Decided Great Nan would have used a drop of olive oil for this if she had had any - so did. It worked - the jam cleared.
By now I suppose it had been boiling for about 10 or 15 mins. Decided it was done. Ladled it into my warm jam jars and sealed it. - Also remembered to wipe off the sticky drips while they were still warm.
And that, ladies and gents, was that. Now who wants some!
Neighbours gave me DAMSONS (in Distress) - local Kwikee Mart had bags of shug for only 65 pence! I made jam. Thusly:
Picked through the mountain of damsons and chucked out any suspect fruit.
washed and squashed the stones out of each fruit. (tedious but strangely soothing activity)
weighed the fruit (discovered it was nearly a stone!)
boiled up fruit in HUGE (you have to see it!) witches Cauldron. Stirring so it doesnt burn.
added the same amount of sugar as the weighed fruit (actually couldnt bring myself to add that much sugar so my first batch was more of a Plum Sauce... subsequent batches however got the full amount)
Kept stirring (well inbetween washing and sterilising jam jars - 6 at a time in the microwave for about 4 mins)
Remembered to keep the jam jars warm....
When the jam came to a "Rolling Boil" I put a spoonful on a saucer and stuck it in the freezer for a couple of mins. - Jam is ready when this test (I had to do several) kind of wrinkles when you gently press it forward with your little finger.
Remembered (was reminded by sister) that Great Nan used to put tiny bit of butter on the top of the jam in the pan which sent all the scummy froth over to the sides where you can easily skim it off. Decided Great Nan would have used a drop of olive oil for this if she had had any - so did. It worked - the jam cleared.
By now I suppose it had been boiling for about 10 or 15 mins. Decided it was done. Ladled it into my warm jam jars and sealed it. - Also remembered to wipe off the sticky drips while they were still warm.
And that, ladies and gents, was that. Now who wants some!
The One Where She Makes MoooooSarka ka ka
Well, I actually did. Make Moussaka. And, furthermore I did it OUT OF MY HEAD - that is too say I didnt use a book not that I was, well.... you get the gist. Gather round, here's what I did....
I cooked up some chopped onions and garlic in olive oil - added some (loads) of soya veggie mince - half a tube of tommy paste and weigh (sic) too much mixed herbs (TOP TIP - Herr Sainsbury has value pot of mixed herbs retailing at just 17 new pence! - lack of care meant that I tipped half of the pot in this mince but hey its all good. The value herb mix is mostly oregano and thyme I think but it is perfect for this.)
Meanwhile...... (at the Bat Cave) I sliced up an aubergine, another red onion some mushrooms and a big potato (made the potato slices very thin cos I wasnt sure how long I was going to cook this for...)
I fried the aubergine and the onion and mushrooms a little bit and then made a white sauce (melted butter, stir in someflour, cook it a bit, gradually add some milk and keep stirring until you have something like a sauce - add salt and white pep. grated cheese.... - TOP TIP - stop the sauce getting a skin over the top by dribbling a bit of milk round the edge
I then layered up everything in a deep cassorole dish (mine was an oval enamel roaster with lid) I started with the mince, then layered the aubergines etc finishing with the thinly sliced potatoes - then poured over the cheese sauce (oh nearly forgot at the last minute I cracked an egg into the sauce and stirred it in - hoping to make it go more moussakerey - it did)
If I had have got any I would have sprinkled the top of the sauce with paprika - could only find chilli powder though.
Put the lid on and put into hot oven - took the dog out for about an hour - it was perfect when I came back -
we had it with tomato black olive and basil salad. Yum Yum Yum
I cooked up some chopped onions and garlic in olive oil - added some (loads) of soya veggie mince - half a tube of tommy paste and weigh (sic) too much mixed herbs (TOP TIP - Herr Sainsbury has value pot of mixed herbs retailing at just 17 new pence! - lack of care meant that I tipped half of the pot in this mince but hey its all good. The value herb mix is mostly oregano and thyme I think but it is perfect for this.)
Meanwhile...... (at the Bat Cave) I sliced up an aubergine, another red onion some mushrooms and a big potato (made the potato slices very thin cos I wasnt sure how long I was going to cook this for...)
I fried the aubergine and the onion and mushrooms a little bit and then made a white sauce (melted butter, stir in someflour, cook it a bit, gradually add some milk and keep stirring until you have something like a sauce - add salt and white pep. grated cheese.... - TOP TIP - stop the sauce getting a skin over the top by dribbling a bit of milk round the edge
I then layered up everything in a deep cassorole dish (mine was an oval enamel roaster with lid) I started with the mince, then layered the aubergines etc finishing with the thinly sliced potatoes - then poured over the cheese sauce (oh nearly forgot at the last minute I cracked an egg into the sauce and stirred it in - hoping to make it go more moussakerey - it did)
If I had have got any I would have sprinkled the top of the sauce with paprika - could only find chilli powder though.
Put the lid on and put into hot oven - took the dog out for about an hour - it was perfect when I came back -
we had it with tomato black olive and basil salad. Yum Yum Yum
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