Savoury Morsels

It's done, I'm committed!

 

Savoury Morsels will be on sale from the end of next week!

In five delicious flavours,

 

 

I'm making a small batch of each first, I have all the bits and pieces I need, (and you might be surprised to see how many things are needed) so I hope that it's a success.

I've worked out how many I need to sell to break even, and with a bit of luck and marketing, I can acheive that over the next few months.

Just remember where you saw them first.

Relief

This is the post that I have been wanting to write for a long time now, I must admit that there was a time when I thought that I would never be able to say it but YVONNE HAS HAD HER OPERATION!!!!

The saga started last September, and features lost notes, consultants going on holiday and a whole list of other things.

In the event the hospital stay was brilliant, with a wonderful team of medical and non medical staff, good food and lots of laughter.

So now she is home, and subject to my brand of care, involving chocolate biscuits, good food and lots of pampering.

As if to celebrate the good news, the weather has improved, a bit,

And although it's cold in the morning, at least the rain has stopped.

Tonight's meal is a mini-roast, with Pork chops, done as follows.

Oil a tin and place the chops, I like to trim mine but that's just my OCD.

Spread some apple puree over them,

Then sprinkle over a packet of Sage and Onion stuffing.

Cover with foil and cook at 180 for about 40 minutes. I'm also doing Roast Potatoes and Parsnips, Carrots, Broccoli and Peas. Covered in Gravy, that should help with the healing process!! 

Tomorrow Is a slow cooked Beef and Mushroom one pot meal, probably with Horseradish Mash. I predict a swift recovery.

Comfort Food

Everyone has a favourite comfort food. It can be savoury or sweet, common or esoteric, from Custard or Buttered Toast to Chocolate or Egg and Chips.  For me (and this probably says a lot to a trained person) one of my favourites is potato mashed with grated cheese. For some reason it sticks in my mind as being associated with good times.

With Yvonne's immanent hospital stay, I made a batch, with my own twist for a simple snack to have on my return from visiting, wih some tuna or cold meat.

First fry some Red Onion, ading a little Balsamic vinegar,

while thats going on, peel and boil some potatoes and grate your cheese of choice, it's got to be a strong cheddar.

Mix the cheese and the cooked onion in a saucepan,

add the boiled potato and mash together. Put it in a greased dish.

Bake for 20 minutes in a hot oven, till it gets a crisp crust.

Perfect! That will keep in the fridge, it tastes just as good hot or cold.

Spring is Here

Here's a few images from the walk around Sharkham with the Dogs today, definite signs of spring.


This years blackberries starting to grow,

Daffodils out,

and a sheen on the hills, green everywhere.

The Sourdough has Landed

Because of Yvonne's impending hospital stay, and convelescense I've cut down on the baking for a week, so as to devote my time to peeling her grapes! 

I'm sure this will come in handy LOL!


It means that I had an excess of Sourdough Starter, so I made a couple of loaves overnight.

I mixed the dough,

 and left it in the fridge, this morning it looked bigger,

so I shaped it and left it to warm and rise for 4 hours.

 It had 45 minutes in a hot oven with steam,

 

This should keep us in Bread for a week or so.

Sourdough Muffins

In an effort to use all the Sourdough Starter that I am making, I tried some Muffins this morning, the recipe and results are on my bread blog, follow the link on the side of the page. Just to whet your appetite, here is a picture of the finished article.

Have a great day.

Dare we Hope?

Whisper it very quietly, but I think the weather is getting better.
I worked on Thursday, and Yvonne came up as well, staying with Naomi and Eamon for the day

Work was steady, four jobs but mostly in the dark,

just one picture, outward bound at Erith.

When we arrived home on Friday afternoon, it was warm and sunny, but as we stepped out of the car it rained, a short, sharp shower. Since then it has been clear and mild, warmer out of the breeze.
Anyway we got the dogs back from kennels this morning and took them to Broadsands for a walk and a swim.

As you can see it was ideal for a paddle, but Fliss the black lab doesn't like the noise of the waves and will only paddle. Tizer goes in for a proper swim though,

Now too food, last time we went to Totnes we stocked up on sausages, especially Pork and Marmite from Evergreen Farm.

As they contain hardly any liquid I cooked some on a bed of Onions,

firstly by frying the sliced Onions for about 10 minutes, until they started to soften. Then adding a sprinkle of Brown sugar and frying for 5 minutes more. Finally add the sausages and fry till cooked through, by which time the onions are sticky and well browned.

 This tastes good with mashed potatoes, to which a spoon of Mustard has been added.

Yvonne will be in Hospital next week for a major operation, so I'm learning how to peel grapes and work the hoover, to build up her strength I made a crumble, using the last jar of preserved apples,

and a tub of frozen berries from last years bumper crop. (Only 6lb left in the freezer now!)

It made a huge amount, I needed my big Pyrex to fit it all in.

I made the topping with the remains of my Einkorn flour, some Oats and a handful of mixed seeds,

I have to admit that I use Custard Powder, (life's too short to mess around with Eggs) and Brown sugar, cheating I know but very tasty!

Yvonne's operation means that I have taken leave from work and with my normal off duty periods I have 6 weeks off, so after next weds I go back on April 9th, plenty of time to look after her and do some other jobs, particularly in the garden if it has dried out.