Not Enough Time...
In a bit of a rush today due to Normal arriving later than usual. She has just left. As the sun is still shining, want to spend an hour soaking up the sun before the weather changes back to wet and windy (as forecast from this evening). Will this put a damper (no pun intended) on the weekends 'activities' planned for Morecambe?
Have been asked to make two dozen scones for Saturday, and two dozen for Sunday (each batch needs to be made on the day as they are best eaten as fresh as possible), plus a couple of cakes, leaving me to choose what kind (will probably be tray-bakes). The rest of the 'committee' are baking some cakes and making sandwiches, so that takes a load off my shoulders.
Today will be making up a bulk amount of spag.bol meat sauce, most will be frozen away in individual containers, with some left for B's supper tonight. Yesterday he cooked a chunk of 'fresh' salmon (bought recently and frozen) himself (to be eaten with new potatoes and peas (cooked by me), but - as ever - did not allow long enough and it was a bit 'rare' in the middle, not that it mattered, still fit to eat.
Day after tomorrow think it this is the longest day, and after that the night's start drawing in - and we haven't had summer yet! So far the only hot weather has been a week at the end of March, and a couple of days a week or so ago, and a couple of days this week. The rest of the time it has been more like winter, cold, damp, and windy.
Today received an email from a advertising company, promoting their special grape juice, with - wait for it - recipes to use this in 'mocktails' to serve at Halloween and Christmas. Couldn't they wait a month or two before reminding us that summer is on the way out? Probably the supermarkets will soon be displaying Christmas puddings, mincemeat, and crackers on their shelves. The local pub will shortly be writing a message on their chalk-board to remind us to book the Christmas meal "seats are limited". And yet our seaside 'summer season' has hardly begun.
Many congratulations Eileen on the birth of your eighth grandchild. No shame in taking a rest from cooking, enjoy the good weather while you can, return to cooking when the rain starts again.
That summer meal you mentioned Alison really got my mouth watering. Just proves how lovely food can be at this time of year, why anyone bothers to eat 'ready-meals' (other than home-made) beats me, there is so much fresh food at this time of year that needs hardly any preparation or cooking, and if able to eat 'al fresco', seems to taste even better.
Great idea to give a quick microwave blast for veggies that will be then 'stir-fried' Campfire. I always give a short 'blanch' to carrots when stir-frying for these can be very crunchy. When we have a Chinese takeaway, B always picks out the carrots as these seem barely cooked (although I manage to eat them). He's not too fond of 'crunch' these days, unless it is 'easy' like crisps.
What a lovely idea Lisa about donating hair to make wigs for cancer patients. A lot of 'wig hair' comes from China. Possibly their hair grows quite rapidly, mine certainly doesn't.
Interesting reading about the persimmon seeds 'forecasting' future weather. At one time it did seem that it was possible to foretell whether a winter would be cold or mild according to the berries on the bushes, animal and bird activity etc. Considering humans can never predict the weather with much accuracy from one week to the next, often wonder how a bush knows in spring it should produce more flowers so that it carries more berries come the autumn. Our pyracantha has LOADS of flowers so does this mean a hard winter? We will have to wait and see.
We were able to forecast whether it would rain by handing a bit of seaweed outside our window. If it stayed dry and brittle then the weather would stay fair, if it turned soft and dampish then rain would follow.
Loved hearing about your hens Sairy, and really wish B would allow me to keep just a few. Dare I order an Eglu and some hens and not tell him? Suppose I could. He arranges his holidays without telling me until everything is arranged and paid for, so why shouldn't I have what I wish for a change? Have to have another think about it.
Hope you do well with your craft stall, and make and sell loads of cakes. Reminds me, I also have to provide two pots of jam to go with the scones although one pot might be lemon curd (which I am making today).
No recipe today as am wanting to grab the best of the sun before it hides its face in shame again, and take the rest of the day making the spag.bol sauce, some lemon curd, and maybe even a cake (or two). Sometimes time drags, but at the moment it passes all too fast and there seems never enough time to do everything.
As you know I'm now having another go to lose the weight so recently gained. Am writing down everything I eat, and this really does help to reduce any 'snacking'. Although only began this on Monday, did actually gain a lb (because I ate too much that day - some of it was bread!!!), but was very good yesterday (no carbs at all) and this morning the scales show a 2lb loss. If I can keep this up, in a month should have lost all the weight gained since my weigh-in last March. Then must keep on trying as need to lose another stone before October.
Must now 'get on' and see just how much can be made in a short period of time (after eating my 'brunch' outside in the sun). Should be able to spend more time 'chatting' tomorrow, with hopefully something worth reading about. See you then.
Have been asked to make two dozen scones for Saturday, and two dozen for Sunday (each batch needs to be made on the day as they are best eaten as fresh as possible), plus a couple of cakes, leaving me to choose what kind (will probably be tray-bakes). The rest of the 'committee' are baking some cakes and making sandwiches, so that takes a load off my shoulders.
Today will be making up a bulk amount of spag.bol meat sauce, most will be frozen away in individual containers, with some left for B's supper tonight. Yesterday he cooked a chunk of 'fresh' salmon (bought recently and frozen) himself (to be eaten with new potatoes and peas (cooked by me), but - as ever - did not allow long enough and it was a bit 'rare' in the middle, not that it mattered, still fit to eat.
Day after tomorrow think it this is the longest day, and after that the night's start drawing in - and we haven't had summer yet! So far the only hot weather has been a week at the end of March, and a couple of days a week or so ago, and a couple of days this week. The rest of the time it has been more like winter, cold, damp, and windy.
Today received an email from a advertising company, promoting their special grape juice, with - wait for it - recipes to use this in 'mocktails' to serve at Halloween and Christmas. Couldn't they wait a month or two before reminding us that summer is on the way out? Probably the supermarkets will soon be displaying Christmas puddings, mincemeat, and crackers on their shelves. The local pub will shortly be writing a message on their chalk-board to remind us to book the Christmas meal "seats are limited". And yet our seaside 'summer season' has hardly begun.
Many congratulations Eileen on the birth of your eighth grandchild. No shame in taking a rest from cooking, enjoy the good weather while you can, return to cooking when the rain starts again.
That summer meal you mentioned Alison really got my mouth watering. Just proves how lovely food can be at this time of year, why anyone bothers to eat 'ready-meals' (other than home-made) beats me, there is so much fresh food at this time of year that needs hardly any preparation or cooking, and if able to eat 'al fresco', seems to taste even better.
Great idea to give a quick microwave blast for veggies that will be then 'stir-fried' Campfire. I always give a short 'blanch' to carrots when stir-frying for these can be very crunchy. When we have a Chinese takeaway, B always picks out the carrots as these seem barely cooked (although I manage to eat them). He's not too fond of 'crunch' these days, unless it is 'easy' like crisps.
What a lovely idea Lisa about donating hair to make wigs for cancer patients. A lot of 'wig hair' comes from China. Possibly their hair grows quite rapidly, mine certainly doesn't.
Interesting reading about the persimmon seeds 'forecasting' future weather. At one time it did seem that it was possible to foretell whether a winter would be cold or mild according to the berries on the bushes, animal and bird activity etc. Considering humans can never predict the weather with much accuracy from one week to the next, often wonder how a bush knows in spring it should produce more flowers so that it carries more berries come the autumn. Our pyracantha has LOADS of flowers so does this mean a hard winter? We will have to wait and see.
We were able to forecast whether it would rain by handing a bit of seaweed outside our window. If it stayed dry and brittle then the weather would stay fair, if it turned soft and dampish then rain would follow.
Loved hearing about your hens Sairy, and really wish B would allow me to keep just a few. Dare I order an Eglu and some hens and not tell him? Suppose I could. He arranges his holidays without telling me until everything is arranged and paid for, so why shouldn't I have what I wish for a change? Have to have another think about it.
Hope you do well with your craft stall, and make and sell loads of cakes. Reminds me, I also have to provide two pots of jam to go with the scones although one pot might be lemon curd (which I am making today).
No recipe today as am wanting to grab the best of the sun before it hides its face in shame again, and take the rest of the day making the spag.bol sauce, some lemon curd, and maybe even a cake (or two). Sometimes time drags, but at the moment it passes all too fast and there seems never enough time to do everything.
As you know I'm now having another go to lose the weight so recently gained. Am writing down everything I eat, and this really does help to reduce any 'snacking'. Although only began this on Monday, did actually gain a lb (because I ate too much that day - some of it was bread!!!), but was very good yesterday (no carbs at all) and this morning the scales show a 2lb loss. If I can keep this up, in a month should have lost all the weight gained since my weigh-in last March. Then must keep on trying as need to lose another stone before October.
Must now 'get on' and see just how much can be made in a short period of time (after eating my 'brunch' outside in the sun). Should be able to spend more time 'chatting' tomorrow, with hopefully something worth reading about. See you then.
posted by Shirley at 9:46 am
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