Brrrr - it is jolly cold this morning. A definite dressing gown and slippers morning. From what I can see (which isn't much) it hasn't rained and the skies are clear so here's to another lovely sunny day today.
To my great shame I left the washing out overnight. The drying times are getting a lot shorter and the second load wasn't really done in time so I though 'why not'. My mum would be horrified! They should be ready to bring in by lunch time, I would imagine and then I can iron them ready for school tomorrow.
Yes, I have four days of work at school this coming week. It was actually five days but I can't do one of the days. I have planning to consider and am getting all the old 'too much to do and no time' feelings which isn't at all true. Of course I have plenty of time and the teacher has done all the work for me, bless her, but the reactions are ingrained, I guess.
As predicted, yesterday ended up fine, sunny and for a while it was reasonably warm too. J came over and did some weeding for me. He also said nice things about my home baking so I must try not to fob him off with shop biscuits in future! I sorted out the Normandy Chicken and have three substantial portions in the freezer. I made some bread which I froze at the start of the proving stage. This evening I will get one loaf 's worth out to thaw overnight and see how it ends up in the morning. I'm hoping it will have thawed and be at room temp so I can bung it straight in the oven when I get up which means it will be baked, cooled and ready to take to my customers. As it is an experiment, I am not relying on it and will bake the necessary four loaves in the afternoon/evening so they are within a day when I hand them over. This morning it is bread for Beth!
I managed to get my first load of washing in and ironed which was good. I shall be short of time this week so need to keep up with things somewhat.
I cooked the bullet steak and, you know, it was really delicious. In the end I rubber oil on the steak and cooked it for a short time on both sides so it was still a bit pink in the middle. While it was resting I made a sauce by deglazing the pan with a bit of dry white wine with a knob of butter, then adding two sliced chestnut mushrooms, a little garlic puree, some creme fraiche and some Dijon mustard with salt and pepper to season. Finally I sliced the steak thinly and popped it back in the pan with the sauce and any juices that has come out to heat to piping hot again. Eaten with chips, it was very tasty. The bullet steak was tender and have a great flavour so I will be buying more of that.
In Eat Well for Less, they also talked about 'pope's eye' or 'spider' steak which they descriptively also called 'cow's bum' (because of its position). I have emailed Chapmans, the best butcher in the region, to ask if they have it and how much for as I have never, ever seen it and in the programme they said it tends not to be on sale. I am looking forward to their response.
Diane - have you ever come across it?
Today is quite full. I have the aforementioned bread to make and bake, washing to iron, some photos to put into a facebook page (must do that straight after coffee) and Beth is coming round for lunch. I have potatoes to use up and also eggs so I think some sort of Spanish omelette thingy as I also have onion, peas and peppers. That, with a simple salad, should fill a few gaps very nicely.
Now I am off to start the first lot of dough. But first, coffee. Real coffee, I think, seeing as it is Sunday. I shall make a big pot and reheat mugfuls when wanted.
How do you mark your weekends?
Food:
Breakfast: scrambled eggs with bacon bits, yogurt
Lunch: Spanish omelette with lettuce, tomato and peppers. Might concoct a dressing too with mayo, vinegar, honey and mustard..
Dinner: The other bullet steak but this time I will have it plain, or maybe peppered, with chutney or my home made spicy ketchup and a side salad. Alternatively, I might get a roll out of the freezer and have a hot steak roll where the salad can be part of the filling. Mmmm - that sounds nice, doesn't it?
Sunday, 4 October 2015
Saturday, 3 October 2015
Saturday
Good morning, gentle readers. It is a cool, dull misty start to the day here in mid-Essex - the sort of day that might go either way so I'm hoping for sun, obviously, like yesterday.
Yesterday was another gloriously sunny day that was quite warm late morning and afternoon but chilly at the start and and of the day. Very autumnal, very colourful.
Before my swim I had been quite busy with bread and marmalade - and clearing up stickiness! What happened was that as I picked up one of the filled jars to tighten the lid, it came off (the lid, I mean) and the jar dropped, caught on another jar and spilt some of its hot marmalade over the other jars and on my hand! Fortunately, it wasn't as burning hot as it could have been as I always leave marmalade in the pan to cool a bit so that the shreds of peel are evenly distributed, so it was just ouchingly and under- the-cold-tap hot but not blister creating. A little goes a long way and although it looked a right mess, in fact I only lost under half a jarful. As I put my jars into an oven roaster before heating and then filling them, the mess was mostly contained and I was able to pour it back in. It did take a while to clear up the stickiness though.
Once home I set to and made a chicken dish from a recipe that Diane mentioned and which I looked up. You can find it here, on someone's blog. http://www.jackiewrites.com/2010/02/chicken-thighs-normandy.html I adapted it a little bit, of course. I only had one leek, I added a chopped onion and some celery and I used cooking bacon bits rather than 'Canadian bacon'. I used some new potatoes I had in the fridge and cut them into four without peeling.
Also I cooked it a lot longer than the recipe demanded.
Well, what can I say? It was totally scrummy as recipes of this ilk usually are. The chicken thighs held their shape but became melt in the mouth-y and the potatoes had absorbed the flavours brilliantly.
It made enough for four substantial portions. I separated them out before reducing the sauce and adding the creme fraiche, finished off one portion and the other three are in individual pots for the freezer. They will do me next week when I am going to be somewhat busy.
In the afternoon I popped into school to see a colleague whose class I will be taking for four days next week. We had a good chat and I wandered around getting to know the children a bit. They know me more than I know them and I gather they were pleased that I was going to be their teacher. That was nice.
If you watch Eat Well for Less, you might remember that a few weeks ago they were talking about lesser known types of steaks which are, nonetheless, delicious. In Morrisons I noticed that they had (on the bottom shelf) some bullet steak, some flat iron steak and some Denver steak at very reasonable prices. I bought two nicely marbled bullet steaks at between three and four pounds which, for steak, is brilliant. When I got home I googled and yes, it is well spoken of and you cook from room temperature for a short time in a very hot pan. I shall try that this evening and I shall make a sauce to go with it as I have some creme fraiche. I will try the others too at some point. At £12 a kilo I'm not complaining.
Of course, if many people do what I'm doing you know what will happen to the price . . .
Come the evening I watched a lot of cookery TV plus an old favourite, Gardener's World while dipping into a book from the library. While I was at school earlier I had popped into the library and asked about their reading group, found when the next meeting was and was given the book they will be talking about (I'm enjoying it too). I also returned some books and stocked up with a new pile of books so I will have plenty to keep me occupied in the evenings.
Today will be making bread, freezing bread dough and giving the garden some TLC, I think.
Food:
Lunch: scrambled eggs on toast
Dinner: steak, chips and salad (more info to come on the steak.
Yesterday was another gloriously sunny day that was quite warm late morning and afternoon but chilly at the start and and of the day. Very autumnal, very colourful.
Before my swim I had been quite busy with bread and marmalade - and clearing up stickiness! What happened was that as I picked up one of the filled jars to tighten the lid, it came off (the lid, I mean) and the jar dropped, caught on another jar and spilt some of its hot marmalade over the other jars and on my hand! Fortunately, it wasn't as burning hot as it could have been as I always leave marmalade in the pan to cool a bit so that the shreds of peel are evenly distributed, so it was just ouchingly and under- the-cold-tap hot but not blister creating. A little goes a long way and although it looked a right mess, in fact I only lost under half a jarful. As I put my jars into an oven roaster before heating and then filling them, the mess was mostly contained and I was able to pour it back in. It did take a while to clear up the stickiness though.
Once home I set to and made a chicken dish from a recipe that Diane mentioned and which I looked up. You can find it here, on someone's blog. http://www.jackiewrites.com/2010/02/chicken-thighs-normandy.html I adapted it a little bit, of course. I only had one leek, I added a chopped onion and some celery and I used cooking bacon bits rather than 'Canadian bacon'. I used some new potatoes I had in the fridge and cut them into four without peeling.
Also I cooked it a lot longer than the recipe demanded.
Well, what can I say? It was totally scrummy as recipes of this ilk usually are. The chicken thighs held their shape but became melt in the mouth-y and the potatoes had absorbed the flavours brilliantly.
It made enough for four substantial portions. I separated them out before reducing the sauce and adding the creme fraiche, finished off one portion and the other three are in individual pots for the freezer. They will do me next week when I am going to be somewhat busy.
In the afternoon I popped into school to see a colleague whose class I will be taking for four days next week. We had a good chat and I wandered around getting to know the children a bit. They know me more than I know them and I gather they were pleased that I was going to be their teacher. That was nice.
If you watch Eat Well for Less, you might remember that a few weeks ago they were talking about lesser known types of steaks which are, nonetheless, delicious. In Morrisons I noticed that they had (on the bottom shelf) some bullet steak, some flat iron steak and some Denver steak at very reasonable prices. I bought two nicely marbled bullet steaks at between three and four pounds which, for steak, is brilliant. When I got home I googled and yes, it is well spoken of and you cook from room temperature for a short time in a very hot pan. I shall try that this evening and I shall make a sauce to go with it as I have some creme fraiche. I will try the others too at some point. At £12 a kilo I'm not complaining.
Of course, if many people do what I'm doing you know what will happen to the price . . .
Come the evening I watched a lot of cookery TV plus an old favourite, Gardener's World while dipping into a book from the library. While I was at school earlier I had popped into the library and asked about their reading group, found when the next meeting was and was given the book they will be talking about (I'm enjoying it too). I also returned some books and stocked up with a new pile of books so I will have plenty to keep me occupied in the evenings.
Today will be making bread, freezing bread dough and giving the garden some TLC, I think.
Food:
Lunch: scrambled eggs on toast
Dinner: steak, chips and salad (more info to come on the steak.
Friday, 2 October 2015
Friday (a bit later, sorry)
Ooops. I left myself too much to do this morning and then slept late (late for me, that is). So sorry.
I'm not long back from swimming and have had a delicious breakfast of toast from bread that was baked about three and a half hours ago and marmalade that was made at around the same time. Nothing could be nicer but I want more!
The bread was part of the investigation into retarding dough but neither of the ways I have tried have fitted into the desired timescale although they have very definitely made delicious bread. I'm going to try one more thing and that is to follow the process through to the 'in the tin' bit, then freeze the dough in the tin so that it is the right shape. Then I intend to take the frozen dough out of the freezer tomorrow evening, put it back in the tin and let it thaw and prove overnight before baking early morning. We will see . . .
I have plenty to be getting on with. I have a casserole to start, hair to 'iron' (it sticks out all over the place after swimming), some washing to do and I need to go into school to find out about next week. I suspect that also I will fall asleep at some point!
I'd better get started then.
I'm not long back from swimming and have had a delicious breakfast of toast from bread that was baked about three and a half hours ago and marmalade that was made at around the same time. Nothing could be nicer but I want more!
The bread was part of the investigation into retarding dough but neither of the ways I have tried have fitted into the desired timescale although they have very definitely made delicious bread. I'm going to try one more thing and that is to follow the process through to the 'in the tin' bit, then freeze the dough in the tin so that it is the right shape. Then I intend to take the frozen dough out of the freezer tomorrow evening, put it back in the tin and let it thaw and prove overnight before baking early morning. We will see . . .
I have plenty to be getting on with. I have a casserole to start, hair to 'iron' (it sticks out all over the place after swimming), some washing to do and I need to go into school to find out about next week. I suspect that also I will fall asleep at some point!
I'd better get started then.
Thursday, 1 October 2015
Thursday
Pinch and punch - there, that's got the tradition over and done with. Welcome to October.
Another beautifully sunny day punctuated the end of September yesterday. At times it felt rather chilly. I had a front window open and the back door, creating a through draft and it was definitely feeling cool but in the sun it was wonderful. Two loads of washing dried and the ironing basket is empty again. I'm loving that.
Lunch with my friends was very pleasant. There was a lot to talk about so we did and I now have more things to consider. For a start, the local library has a small book group so I shall follow that up. Also I will be sorting out some yarn for one of my friends who has started a little beginners' knitting group based at another library. They are making smoothie hats for those Innocent bottles. Dead easy and very quick - I made four last night and now have to think about how to decorate them!
It didn't take long to sort out the house which was more superficially untidy than anything else. The spare room is ready for next week's visitors now which is something crossed off the list. I have a bit more sorting out in the kitchen and there's my bedroom - always my bedroom! I doubt I will ever get that completely straight as it is the dumping ground!
Normally I go into school this afternoon to read with Y2s but they are out on a school trip so I have a day off. I'm hoping Beth will be round but she's not 100% so maybe not. I have plenty to be getting on with anyway, including a walk to the library to return some books, borrow some more and have a word with Jenny about the book club, if she's there. I also need to get on with some sewing and I have a garden that needs some attention too.
Or I might just be lazy!!!
I am wondering if bread dough freezes. And if it does, how quickly does it warm up and get back to rising condition? Google - here I come! I think a few investigations are needed here but if any of my gentle readers know, please would you advise? Thanks.
Food:
Breakfast: porridge with yogurt and fruit
Lunch: smoked salmon omelet
Dinner: Spag bol.
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Lunch with my friends was very pleasant. There was a lot to talk about so we did and I now have more things to consider. For a start, the local library has a small book group so I shall follow that up. Also I will be sorting out some yarn for one of my friends who has started a little beginners' knitting group based at another library. They are making smoothie hats for those Innocent bottles. Dead easy and very quick - I made four last night and now have to think about how to decorate them!
It didn't take long to sort out the house which was more superficially untidy than anything else. The spare room is ready for next week's visitors now which is something crossed off the list. I have a bit more sorting out in the kitchen and there's my bedroom - always my bedroom! I doubt I will ever get that completely straight as it is the dumping ground!
Normally I go into school this afternoon to read with Y2s but they are out on a school trip so I have a day off. I'm hoping Beth will be round but she's not 100% so maybe not. I have plenty to be getting on with anyway, including a walk to the library to return some books, borrow some more and have a word with Jenny about the book club, if she's there. I also need to get on with some sewing and I have a garden that needs some attention too.
Or I might just be lazy!!!
I am wondering if bread dough freezes. And if it does, how quickly does it warm up and get back to rising condition? Google - here I come! I think a few investigations are needed here but if any of my gentle readers know, please would you advise? Thanks.
Food:
Breakfast: porridge with yogurt and fruit
Lunch: smoked salmon omelet
Dinner: Spag bol.
Wednesday, 30 September 2015
Wednesday
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But October is Autumn, pure and simple. Evenings and morning get ever chillier and darker with that huge time shift towards the end of the month, leaves become radiant in their final beauty before death. I love it . . .
It also contains the Autumn half term, of course, not that this has as much impact on me this year but habits die hard and I feel a throb of joy to think that as I am on contract I will be paid for that one day when I should work but won't. Common sense tells me that because of this I get paid less on the days I do wok, but even so . . .
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Today is a home day. I have a couple of friends coming for a late lunch so I will use some morning time to tidy and clean the living room which could certainly do with a bit of attention. It will be a simple lunch. Basically bread, pate and cheese with biscuits and apples for dessert. The bread will be one of my home made baguettes, there will be home made chutney on the side and the biscuits will also be home made. I must search for a nice recipe. I am wondering about biscotti but I don't have any nuts and they are so nice in biscotti. Muffins are easy and I have plenty of eggs, but I really fancy biscuits! Decisions, decisions!
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Food:
Breakfast: tomatoes on toast
Lunch: Baguette with cheese, pate and chutney, mini tomatoes, biscuits, apples
Dinner: I will likely have some baguette left so I think I will make a sort of French Bread pizza with whatever I have in the fridge. I can make some tomato sauce when I fry my breakfast tomatoes!
A lot of bread today - ah well, at least I know what's gone into it!
Tuesday, 29 September 2015
Tuesday
Yesterday was another gloriously sunny day here and, I hope, where you are too. I'm loving this Indian summer, even though it means I have to remember to water the tomatoes. Fingers crossed for today too.
Tuesday is school day and I am looking at the planning and remembering two years ago when I delivered more or less the same lessons in Y1. Phonics and maths, then off to Foundation Stage. Woohoo.
We had another lovely swim yesterday although I felt extremely tired afterwards. I'm trying to push myself a little bit more so spent some time doing front and back crawl which left me breathless after a short distance. I can't even do a proper length yet so there's room for much improvement there. It can be a very splashy stroke and I hate getting water up my nose. Yuck.
Once home I took in the washing and then pootled round to school to get the planning and leave a note. It's takes a long time but I have realised that the reason I didn't get the call for supply last week is because they contacted me via my mobile which is often flat and lifeless! It was last week anyway. I've handed over my landline number and email addy now so hopefully that won't happen again. And I will try to keep the mobile charged up too.
In the afternoon I set to and got all the ironing done. Happiness is definitely an empty ironing basket! While I was doing that I watched the Strictly Come Dancing that I missed on Friday evening so now I am up to date.
Evening telly has improved with the addition of Strictly: It Takes Two. However, yesterday, the highlight was at the start of University Challenge when the first student was someone I remember very well. A very bright and quirky lad, I taught him to read and write in Foundation Stage. It took him about four weeks to go from not reading to reading anything in the book boxes - it was so quick I assumed that he started school as a reader but his parents assured me that no, he couldn't read when he started school. I can even remember the day phonics clicked for him: it was like turning on a light, saudden and illuminating.
I can't take much credit though - he was quite obviously going to succeed in his own individual way right from the word go.
A shame his team lost though!
Sadly, I'm not sure there's anyone on staff at the moment who was there when he was with us although some of my maternity leave colleagues will remember him well. Time flies, doesn't it?
I was going to have a couple of friends staying overnight but, sadly, one of them is unwell so they couldn't come. We exchanged texts though and have decided to have an early Christmas dinner together sometime in the next three months. That will be fun indeed and I shall start looking around for, or making, little bits and bobs to make it a good-un..
Well, the day is getting lighter and everything has a pink tinge to it. Red sky in the morning, etc, - hoping the old saying is wrong today.
Food:
Breakfast: Autumn stew and pasta
Lunch: Ditto (it has to be used up)
Dinner: Savoury mince with runner beans (last of the beans, sad) and fried tomatoes.
Also: apples. yogurts
Tuesday is school day and I am looking at the planning and remembering two years ago when I delivered more or less the same lessons in Y1. Phonics and maths, then off to Foundation Stage. Woohoo.
We had another lovely swim yesterday although I felt extremely tired afterwards. I'm trying to push myself a little bit more so spent some time doing front and back crawl which left me breathless after a short distance. I can't even do a proper length yet so there's room for much improvement there. It can be a very splashy stroke and I hate getting water up my nose. Yuck.
Once home I took in the washing and then pootled round to school to get the planning and leave a note. It's takes a long time but I have realised that the reason I didn't get the call for supply last week is because they contacted me via my mobile which is often flat and lifeless! It was last week anyway. I've handed over my landline number and email addy now so hopefully that won't happen again. And I will try to keep the mobile charged up too.
In the afternoon I set to and got all the ironing done. Happiness is definitely an empty ironing basket! While I was doing that I watched the Strictly Come Dancing that I missed on Friday evening so now I am up to date.
Evening telly has improved with the addition of Strictly: It Takes Two. However, yesterday, the highlight was at the start of University Challenge when the first student was someone I remember very well. A very bright and quirky lad, I taught him to read and write in Foundation Stage. It took him about four weeks to go from not reading to reading anything in the book boxes - it was so quick I assumed that he started school as a reader but his parents assured me that no, he couldn't read when he started school. I can even remember the day phonics clicked for him: it was like turning on a light, saudden and illuminating.
I can't take much credit though - he was quite obviously going to succeed in his own individual way right from the word go.
A shame his team lost though!
Sadly, I'm not sure there's anyone on staff at the moment who was there when he was with us although some of my maternity leave colleagues will remember him well. Time flies, doesn't it?
I was going to have a couple of friends staying overnight but, sadly, one of them is unwell so they couldn't come. We exchanged texts though and have decided to have an early Christmas dinner together sometime in the next three months. That will be fun indeed and I shall start looking around for, or making, little bits and bobs to make it a good-un..
Well, the day is getting lighter and everything has a pink tinge to it. Red sky in the morning, etc, - hoping the old saying is wrong today.
Food:
Breakfast: Autumn stew and pasta
Lunch: Ditto (it has to be used up)
Dinner: Savoury mince with runner beans (last of the beans, sad) and fried tomatoes.
Also: apples. yogurts
Monday, 28 September 2015
Monday
So here we are at the start of another week. It was a chilly and very lovely night: yes, I managed to watch the lunar eclipse - sort of. I set the alarm, opened the curtains, turned around in bed so that I could watch, put on my glasses and then dozed on and off. It was hard to keep my eyes open but I did manage to see the last bit of cover and it really was lovely in a cold and majestic sort of way. It is awesome to consider what is happening to produce that effect - such huge celestial bodies and - a shadow! Just a very big shadow.
As a result I was awake a little later today - half past six! We're going swimming, Beth and I, so I need to get a move on!
Back to yesterday. It was a very busy afternoon. Beth and I sewed, finished off, took photographs, edited photographs and generally didn't stop for quite a long time but we now have quite a lot of things for our little 'shop' and for the couple of craft fairs we hope to sell at. I also made two batches of bread and lunch for me and Beth so you can see that it was a busy day.
Today, after swimming, we're parting company. I have quite a lot to do at home, including making up beds for friends and some ironing. I also need to do more sewing as I am behind with my own projects. And I MUST tackle to mess in my own room!
The vegetable stew (now called Autumn stew because it sounds nicer) was delicious, but I wasn't so impressed with the suet free/fat free/made with egg dumplings. I suppose any recipe that asks for two cups of flour (mug size) is going to be somewhat problematic. I might try again sometime. Diane - you often talk of 'potsticker dumplings' - what are they and do you have a recipe, please?
So - better get going. The sun is shining and I have washing to get out onto the line. Have a super day.
Food:
Breakfast: toast and jam
Lunch: omelette and salad
Dinner: Autumn stew with pasta and grated cheese
As a result I was awake a little later today - half past six! We're going swimming, Beth and I, so I need to get a move on!
Back to yesterday. It was a very busy afternoon. Beth and I sewed, finished off, took photographs, edited photographs and generally didn't stop for quite a long time but we now have quite a lot of things for our little 'shop' and for the couple of craft fairs we hope to sell at. I also made two batches of bread and lunch for me and Beth so you can see that it was a busy day.
Today, after swimming, we're parting company. I have quite a lot to do at home, including making up beds for friends and some ironing. I also need to do more sewing as I am behind with my own projects. And I MUST tackle to mess in my own room!
The vegetable stew (now called Autumn stew because it sounds nicer) was delicious, but I wasn't so impressed with the suet free/fat free/made with egg dumplings. I suppose any recipe that asks for two cups of flour (mug size) is going to be somewhat problematic. I might try again sometime. Diane - you often talk of 'potsticker dumplings' - what are they and do you have a recipe, please?
So - better get going. The sun is shining and I have washing to get out onto the line. Have a super day.
Food:
Breakfast: toast and jam
Lunch: omelette and salad
Dinner: Autumn stew with pasta and grated cheese
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