Yawn Yawn Wakey Wakey 2024

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A very good morning one and all. It is Baltic outside so another indoor day looms for me. I hope it is a little better tomorrow as I am on Food Bank duties and I do not like driving if its icy on the roads.

 

Good morning all!!

Although we don't have your "big freeze" down here, the wind howled all night (Tramontane - a north wind) and it is rainy and dismal this morning. The birds are fluttering around in the wind currents!!! A blustery ride this morning with Fizz. I will pop in for a coffee at a friend's. I made a big pot of spicy lentil soup yesterday's will take her some.



I hope you are all warm and cosy inside and well wrapped up.

 

Good morning @Tui34. It was good to read you had a ride this morning so I'm guessing the tyre is sorted? Spicy lentil soup sounds just the kind of comfort food this wintry weather needs. I still have soup from the other day - I freeze the excess - and I've got some defrosting for today. I save the liquor from baking gammon in the slow cooker and use this in soup making. It adds a good punch of seasoning, often enough that no futher seasoning is needed.

 

Morning! @Ladybird4 Haven't been for a ride yet - it's a bit too cold - usually go around 10ish. And yes, the tyre is sorted - it was just flat from not being ridden for a while. That's a good idea about the gammon liquor as a base for soup.

Yesterday, I had a couple of marrow bones with mashed potato - for lunch. In the water afterwards, I cooked some pasta for Fizz - to add to her kibbled. Then she gets to enjoy what's left of the marrow bone.....after me of course! I should move - but the word "should" seems to have escaped from my vocabulary these days!!

PS. I only decided to make soup later in the afternoon. So Fizz got the best water!!

 

So sorry @Tui34, I misunderstood your earlier message. Lunch sounds yummy! Hmmmm, I think 'should' has disappeared from my vocabulary too whenever 'decluttering' is mentioned!

 

I always use the cooking liquor from when I cook a boiled ham as the base for a soup, I have even frozen it for future use when soup was not on the menu. I put onion studded with cloves, bay leaves, carrots and peppercorns in the water with the ham so lovely seasoning for any soup.

The vet called me last night with Rob's blood test results. His something or other cortisone level is still elevated so he has to take an extra 1/2 a capsule of his medication. The vet seems to think his eye problem was connected to the Cushings problem. She asked me so many questions about Rob's general condition now, my head was spinning. I have to take him back to see her in 2 weeks time so he is being monitored closely at the moment. I think she feels a bit guilty about not recognising the symptoms of Cushings in him. I am pretty sure she is newly qualified so what she is learning is going towards making her a more knowledgeable vet.

 

Good morning. Feeling less grim today. I’m hoping the sun comes out as I feel a bit like I’m living in the artic at the moment!

I’m going to stay in today and make a stew, so if the oven is on I may as well do cake as well

I hope everyone is ok.

 

Heloo everyone. Cold here, but not Arctic, and grey. Loads of rain and strong winds yesterday but calm today. Set to be horrid again tomorrow though with winds over 120kph and frosty bits so I shall have to go and rescue some babies form my nursery and put them in the polytunnel. Other than that, staying warm and cosy as I have a sore throat and don't want it to develop into something worse.

Glad you're feeling a bit better @AuntyRach. Hope your meal with friends went well @Busy-Lizzie and your friend enjoys her soup @Tui34. I've never seen a whole gammon piece for boiling here.

Enjoy your afternoon and stay safe and cosy.

 

Hello all.

My dinner party went well last night. The two couples already knew each other. Hard to get a word in edgeways! There is just a little bit of chocolate roulade left for us tonight.

I can't find gammon for boiling or in thick slices for frying where I am in France either @Obelix-Vendée.

Back from hairdresser and shopping for things like Marmite and Golden syrup to take back to France for my children and us.
Not snowing here. Cold.

Catching the ferry on the 28th.

 

Good that it went well @Busy-Lizzie and have fun with the marmite and GS hunt. I now have a recipe to make my own GS when my stock runs out but haven't tried it yet. The forecast here for the 28th; 29th and 30th is calm, mild and sunny so I hope it stays that way for your crossing and drive down France. This coming weekend looks horrendous.

@Goldenlily26 meant to say earlier that I've never cooked or eaten marrow bone or broth but always had a few chunks of marrow bone in the freezer for the dogs. If we had to go out for a few hours without them we'd leave them with a bone or two each to chew and suck. Kept them happy for ages and they'd greet our return with silly grins and bones in their mouths. I still have some so I need to find a dog who'll like them, or a good recipe.

 

Been out for lunch with friends to an Italian 'small plates' restaurant on the Wirral. I had a mixed antipasti platter and a doggy bag for the uneaten bits (tonight's supper).Driving home, we could see how white the hills were. We had to scrape the snow off the car this morning.

I bought a new oven yesterday; our current one has been awful. Looks the biz, but when you open the door to baste meat, add veg etc, the b thing switches itself off, so you have to go through switching it on and reprogramming it. I have had enough. The new oven will be installed on the 30 Nov. Could have been earlier, but we are busy.

Glad Rob is receiving such good treatment now @Goldenlily26

 

Love an anti pasta platter @Penny_Forthem Our favourite restaurant by the beach in Tuscany had a great buffet of them. We always tried to go on the Sundays of our hols as that's when 4 or 5 generation Italian families would descend and have a great time together and nobody being brattish.

The oven in the kitchen, new soon after we moved here, thinks nobody wants to cook anything longer than 1hr 50 and spends the first 20 minutes warming up. Impressed I am not, tho it does cook evenly. However, I have to keep an eye on it when doing slow roasts or casseroles and batch baking.

We have just been moving the citrus pots to the polytunnel and sorting out some other pots and goodies into shelter ahead of tomorrow's red alert storm.

 

Afternoon all, although it feels like evening already, I've just been round and drawn all the curtains against the cold. We had a very hard frost this morning and it's been cold all day, apart from refilling the bird feeders, haven't done anything else. I hibernate when it's cold weather.

We're expecting DIL again and just having fish and chips as a quick meal when she gets in. She's driving down from the Cotswolds so hope the roads will be gritted as they can be treacherous when its icy.

Glad Rob is picking up @Goldenlily26.

Hope your forecasted storm won't be too bad @Obelix-Vendée, sounds horrible.

I like our oven although not the separate grill, it's hopeless so I rarely use it. It was from the same maker as the previous one but updated, I wish they'd not bothered. The previous one, (new when we moved in) only lasted 8 years despite being the top of the range from a well known maker so I was furious. The motherboard went and couldn't be mended apparently. Keeping my fingers crossed this one lasts a little longer that.

 

I haven’t used my oven for months. For just the two of us, I can do most things in the airfryer, which has been a godsend. Only thing I can’t do is pizza, as it won’t fit in!
I saw a comment in a paper today from someone wondering why anyone would have an induction hob, rather than a good old gas hob. I wonder if they had a housekeeper to keep the gas hob clean? Or never fried anything on it? I just love my induction hob! A quick wipe and it’s as good as new, as are my frying pans. Anything to reduce housework, or at least the consequences of my tendency to ignore it until it becomes a health hazard!
It’s been really cold here again, but at least the sun has been out. Tomorrow we have been promised at least non stop rain, with the probability that it will turn to snow.
Lovely hearing about all the winter warmer foods. I bought a big piece of skirt ( or baguette steak if you are being posh) on the way home yesterday, and chucked it in the slow cooker with a decent glug of red wine and half a stock cube. Luckily I remembered about it just before bedtime! Cooked to perfection, had some for dinner tonight and put two packs in the freezer for future meals. Delicious. And I have the rest of the wine to finish up at my leisure!
Keep warm and safe.

 

Evening everyone. My stew was delicious and there’s just about enough left for tomorrow. I didn’t do a cake in the end, as I used the small side oven thinking it would be more economical, but the amount of ingredients for my stew needed a taller pot than I planned - so only room for that! Oh well - next time.

Keep cosy folks.