Saturday

Another weekend has arrived.  It only seems a few days since the last one.  As always, I have a great long list of Things To Do and won''t get half of them done, but never mind.

First on the list is more shortbread.  Cranberry and vanilla, I think.  I have a lovely big bag of dried cranberries which I will chop up small.  I'll make one batch and see what I think.  I want to make some lemon and almond ones too.
I will also cook tomorrow's dinner today so all I have to do is reheat.  I've been meaning to try roasting spuds one day and then reheating them the next to see which is nicest.  This is a good opportunity to try it out.

Yesterday was good.  It was my SEN day but the morning was all taken up with show things including the dress rehearsal, watched by the juniors.  I probably shouldn't tempt fate, but it was really very good indeed.  I hope they keep it at that standard next week.  Now I am racking my brains to think of anything I haven't already done/sorted/organised.  There's bound to be something, isn't there; there always is.

Now I'm off into the kitchen to make the first, experimental batch of cranberry and vanilla shortbread.  Wish me luck!

Monday

What a weather change.  It's gone from very cold, frosty and sunny to milder and wet.  Yes, it's raining again!  I suppose it may have started off as snow, I don't know, but it's just rain now.  We really didn't want snow so it's a great relief.

Yesterday was quite a culinary day one way and another, with some good food and a recipe rewrite!

Firstly, I was gently pottering around in the kitchen at around ten when I saw Beth and Alex making their way to my front door.  Very surprising - except that Beth texted me on Saturday about it!  I totally missed her message.  Never mind, not a problem, the house wasn't so bad - which was just as well because she then informed me that Anna would be arriving for Alex's science tutoring!  Anna is my son's partner and she is not only a lovely lady, she is also extremely intelligent and a good teacher.  Al really enjoys his sessions with her.
When they arrived I was right in the middle of shortbread so I just carried on and Beth came in to help while Anna taught.

I ended up rewriting some of the shortbread recipe after the first batch came out slightly too brown for perfection.  I was being very careful too, after the same thing happened last week.    It could be my oven, of course, but I don't think so . . . anyway, I reduced the temperature to 140 (from 190), used the lowest shelf, baked open for fifteen minutes and then covered the sheet with greaseproof for the last five minutes.  And that worked a real treat, so that's what I will do from now on.

Beth helped me make some more mini mince pies, some of which promptly got scoffed.  They are lovely!

Then it was time to sort out dinner.  The slow roast pork was indeed absolutely delicious, the cider, stock and meat juices made a delicious gravy and the potatoes were - mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
And, Annabeth, the crackling was very successful.  I the end I didn't use a high heat, I put it in with the potatoes and kept pouring off the fat as it rendered out.  So now I have some nice pork fat too.
Alex scoffed a whole lot of pork - he's making up for lost ground now and is constantly hungry - and he also took some home.  There's also enough for at least two more meals for me, probably more like three, so I will eat well over the next few days.

I'm not in class today as I'm involved in interviews.  A great shame because I wanted to start off the advent calendar with my class.  Maybe I will leave it until Tuesday.  It's also a shame because I have sent my class an email link to a Jacquie Lawson card each day next week.  They're interactive and great fun.

Better go and get ready for the day!  Hope we all have a good'un.

Sunday

It's another very cold, very frosty morning with vivid clear skies and central heating working its usual magic.  I do love these bitter, dry, clear mornings but more so from the other side of the glass, that's for sure.

I didn't get nearly as much done as I had expected yesterday but I did make 20 pots of apple and cranberry chutney which will do nicely as pressies once I have made the labels.  I find that I have now completely run out of jam jars so I guess it means a trip to the Jam Jar Shop to buy some more pretty quickly, as I will need some for lemon curd which always seems to go down well as a gift.

 I also cooked a slow roasted shoulder of pork which turned out beautifully - it was a real fight not to eat quite a lot of it yesterday, but as it's for lunch today, I resisted temptation.  I peeled and halved some small onions, topped and tailed some chantenay carrots, made up some stock and used some dry cider, all of which went into the bottom of a roasting dish with some pepper, a bouquet garni and a couple of bay leaves.  This was carefully covered and bunged in a slow oven for ages - about seven or eight hours altogether, I think.  As it cooled I took off the skin which I will attempt to crackle today in a very hot oven.  It it doesn't, it doesn't.
The resulting liquid will be reduced down and thickened, if necessary, to make a gravy and I will make some apple and cranberry sauce to go with it.  Some dauphinoise potatoes and some peas will finish it off nicely.
Next time I think I will try to make it a bit more eastern with perhaps a star anise or some five spice.

This morning it is the turn of the shortbread but before I tackle that I have to give the kitchen a good tidy up as it's a right mess at the moment.  I've already sorted out a whole pile of plastic takeaway containers, thrown miscellaneous ones away and  the remaining ones are going into school for storage.  The dishwasher needs emptying, things need putting away and then all it will need is a good wipe over before I mess it up again!!

Better get started then.  labels first, then into the kitchen.

Saturday

And so it is December.  First of the last, so to speak, and heralded in by a very heavy and beautiful frost.  Gratitude for central heating comes very high on my list at the moment.  As long as it just stays like this.  I love snowdays but not just before the Christmas Show. 

Yesterday was a good day with lots of stuff done, meetings held, decisions made and it was all generally very satisfying indeed.  Today I still feel the buzz so intend to make the most of it.  Morrisons had cranberries in so I bought some to make cranberry chutney for gifts.  I need to get some other things so will have to go shopping first, but that's OK.  The processor will be pressed into use as there's a lot of chopping and slicing involved!

Then there's the usual washing, drying and ironing to get sorted and the house to clean and tidy (or the other way round) and I must remember that with Christmas stuff looming, I need to do a proper job, not just the bits that show.  I also have a bit of carpet to clean using the new toy!

And then I want to start making shortbread thingies - shortbread freezes well enough so it's something I can do well in advance.

With all that on, I must make two lists - one for shopping and one for doing.  George comes a bit later today as he's taking his driving theory test today.  GOOD LUCK, GEORGE - but when did he get old enough to start learning to drive???

And finally I need to go into school.  Yesterday I went into the Jacquie Lawson card site and bought her latest Advent Calendar.  Last year's was a sheer delight, based on London, loved by my children and my colleagues alike.  This years is based around an alpine village.  It arrived in my mailbox seconds after I ordered it so today I go into school and install it on my laptop connected to the white board.  Can't wait.
Here's the link and I recommend it unreservedly.  Never was £2 better spent!
http://www.jacquielawson.com/advent/alpine

As it is Saturday, I'm going to spend more time trawling around my mailbox before I start the day's work - nice and relaxing.  Have a lovely day, gentle readers, and stay warm!