Nothing to do with food, really --- but, as I was putting Clingfilm over the remains of our joint, prior to putting it in the fridge, I noticed that it was described on the box as "All Purpose". Now perhaps I'm missing a trick here, but I could easily think of 50 things that Clingfilm cannot be used for. Does the claim therefore infringe the Trades Description Act?
Our lunch today would not get your salivary glands working overtime,MMM.
I have spent the evening drooling over my new cookbook - Yotam Ottolenghi's "Simple", a Mothering Sunday gift from our other son, and planning meals for future pleasures.
I'd love to hear what recipes you try out, I've had mixed success with replicating (or interpreting) Ottolenghi and am also reading a newish copy of Simple.
Haven't yet seen that movie Loth, but Hill 60 has many resonant links for our town - the miners who formed the tunnelling corps, the engineers who designed the network, the geologist who discovered our coalfields and was the technical advisor at the front. Indeed our house sits in a part of town colloquially known as Hill 60 in recognition of those links.
At the moment I am just listing all the recipes that look 'do-able', along with a few from 'Plenty', and also some from Jamie's '5 Ingredients'.
Once the list is complete I will be deciding which dishes go together to make a meal, but I doubt I will be doing any practicing beforehand, so my guests will be guineapigs - which will serve them right as it is the son (and family) who gave me 'Simple'.
The trouble with Ottolenghi's recipes (other than the number of ingredients, which I don't have storage space for) is that the most delicious-looking ones use vegetables that are not at their best in this country for most of the year (like now!), nor in small, not very trendy, towns. In particular tomatoes in colours other than red, which won't be ripe in my garden until about August. Same goes for not-orange carrots and not-purple beetroot.
I will come back to report on the results after Easter.
O FIE upon you all for these sybaritic accounts of Food! It is LENT, and ITTWACW!
I do apologise. I'll get me Hair-Shirt.....and me tin of SARDINES....
ION, mild weather continues, albeit with an East wind from Mordor (reflecting the Dire and Dark state of Ukland 'politics').
Our Place's gardener, a local chap rejoicing in the trade name of Mr. Dig-It, has made a most lovely job of tidying-up the church grounds. He doesn't just mow/strim everything into oblivion, but leaves room for the bluebells, celandines, et al.... which are therefore flourishing,
I freely concede that he does a MUCH BETTER JOB than I did, until I had to give up gardening in 2017, and that the PCC, in paying him (I did it for free) is getting a bargain.....
My bank card has expired. The bank should have sent me a new one by now but they haven’t…
It’s annoying and we’re contacting the bank to investigate where it’s got to. However, I’ve noticed something. I have a bit of cash for emergencies, withdrawn using husband en rouge’s card, and all of a sudden, I am having to seriously ask myself “do I definitely need this?” for anything I want to buy. Because once the cash is gone it will be an effort and harassment to get hold of more. It’s not such a bad thing in one way.
I confess I do use cling-film - it's really the only practical thing for wrapping up my French sticks and keeping them fresh. I quite like the idea of those silicone wrapping lids for covering bowls and whatnot though.
Lunch chez Piglet today was D's cheese pie, which isn't really a pie - it's mashed potatoes mixed with grated cheese and onions that have been fried with a little chilli powder, then baked. It's very nice though, served with good sausages - a sort of up-itself bangers and mash.
ION, it's a cooler, rather blustery day here; there was a lot of rain and a dusting of sn*w last night (although that's gone now), but now we've got a Special Weather Statement offering us sn*w on Wednesday - bloody Trump sending us his weather again.
However, in better news, the grackles are back at the birdie bistro, so spring must be on the way.
We were meant to be having cold beef tonight but somehow, it all disappeared last night. So it had to be cheese salad - is that austere enough for your Lenten conscience, BF?!
Had toast for breakfast. Went into town and had a pineapple and berry smoothie. Pub lunch was a rather nasty burnt burger (complained and wasn’t charged). ‘Dinner’ was more toast and a banana and coconut water smoothie.
Haven't yet seen that movie Loth, but Hill 60 has many resonant links for our town - the miners who formed the tunnelling corps, the engineers who designed the network, the geologist who discovered our coalfields and was the technical advisor at the front. Indeed our house sits in a part of town colloquially known as Hill 60 in recognition of those links.
I think the movie is about ten years old, Barnabas. I saw it when first released, gory in spots but mostly mud. Film was shot out of Townsville. The history you relate is interesting.
I make cheese pie as D does, Piglet.
We had bacon and omelette in chappati for tea as I was in a hurry because I had an online tutorial to do (on health inequalities). Now it is over and I’m relaxing with some white wine and a plate of cheese and crackers which includes one of my favourites, Morbier ash.
We often cook crushed garlic slowly in cast iron pan before stirring it gently through (sweet) potato mash, with a good bit of fresh pepper. As for chilli,it would be a rare dinner which did not have chilli somewhere in it.
Our dinner was penne with garlicky creme fraiche/yoghurt, a whole head of broccoli, chopped small and stirred through it, with a pack if smoked salmon trimmings. Black pepper and grated parmesan sprinkled on top.
Have just made fried rice out of Sunday's leftovers (Chinese-ish chicken wings, warm salad of onions, grated parsnip and Chinese pickled veg, cold salad of grated courgette, pear and grape, and plain rice). Chuffing lovely if I do say so myself. One of the main pleasures of cooking is making unique dishes from random ingredients.
A vegetable curry is cooking as I type...it's our vegetarian day today. Fishy Monday, veggie Tuesday, Chicken Wednesday...we seem to be quite strict about these things!!!
We were meant to be having cold beef tonight but somehow, it all disappeared last night. So it had to be cheese salad - is that austere enough for your Lenten conscience, BF?!
That cheese pie is such a family comfort food for us that we call it illness dinner. Usually served with peas and ketchup though I like it with pickle.
D. has ketchup with it; I only ever eat ketchup with chips (and even then I'd really rather have mayonnaise).
I made some bacon, lentil and tomato SOUP last night, and we've just had it with bread for lunch.
It's a beautiful, sunny day and 8°. You can tell it's been winter for too long when being able to take the kitchen bin-bag out to the dustbin without putting boots on makes you inordinately happy.
Other things to make me smile: mourning doves courting on the rail of the deck and Tufty the red squirrel having his lunch at the birdie bistro.
A rather dull homemade broccoli and potato soup here, with my husband’s rather good sour dough bread (I bought him a sourdough starter and a proving basket as part of his birthday present a few months back).
I’ve had a day of marking so am relaxing with some white wine.
I like the idea of a different food each day, we tend to have meat free Monday but I failed on that yesterday.
Decidedly chilly today. A nice bright and sunny spell about 4pm, then while I was cooking dinner it absolutely poured down. Hailed as well at some point.
Tomorrow's lunch was supposed to be a salad, but I have nipped out to the garage between showers and grabbed a bottle of soup from the freezer (I freeze my home-made soup in 2pt milk bottles from the supermarket).
It would appear that tomorrow's lunch will now be cauliflower and walnut soup.
I am generally happy to eschew the luxury of Salad, BF! I find little to say in its favour except that it is Good For You. Still, I seem to end up having it for lunch most weekdays.
Cheese with cheese seems a far better option, Lent or not (a rather nice Colston Basset on Monday).
Hm, I quite fancy cheese with cheese for lunch. Two of my favourite things.
A day of marking today but then it eases off for a week or so. Off for my walk shortly.
Oh, and my husband and eldest son are off to Bletchley Park today to collect Zadok’s award for winning the under 18s National Cipher Challenge 2018, a cryptography competition sponsored by GCHQ. He beat over 7000 other sixth form entrants.
Since the death of my other half the chaps and I have spent Mothering Sunday doing something as a trio. This year we couldnt decide what so it felt bad it was just going to be lunch: what a wise choice, the wind was horrible and so we sat around post meal playing cribbage. Lovely.
Cheese and biscuits for me, though I rather fancy parsnip chips.
Taking a quick break from marking, the essays are on co-production, the concept of service users working together with professionals to produce health and social care, whether at individual level or in commissioning.
Never cared for 'em, until I went to lunch a while back with a former colleague at her home. She produced ROASTED PARSNIPS (amongst other things, of course) which were to DIE for! Are parsnip chips something similar?
I make most chips by cutting the vegetables into rough chip shapes, tossing in a little bit of vegetable oil then roasting in a single layer on a baking tray in the oven at Gas Mark 7 for 20-40 minutes, depending on the size of the wedges, turning part way through. It works well with potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips, swede, beetroot, turnip, celeriac and carrot, either on their own or in mixtures. As the burgers I make are made in batches and frozen, they get put in the oven at the same time to defrost and cook (in a sort of muffin tin that keeps the veggie and meat burgers separate). Serve with salad and/or with crispy kale - that's also gone into the oven on a baking tray and a little bit of oil.
Was it really a wise choice to eat lentil pottage, seeing that it gave you such flatulence? [Devil]
I saw what you did there....and also read cribbage as cabbage......
Veggie and Austere Lunch again today - bread, CHEESE, red onions, and radishes.
I shall now go and lie down for a Nap, as the Sky has begun to Leak.
Bread and cheese, with or without onions and radishes can be an excellent and far from austere lunch. A few weeks ago we found a motorway service area that sells excellent cheese, it's a little out of the way, but when we travel to Lincolnshire it's worth a detour.
... but when we travel to Lincolnshire it's worth a detour.
Isn't going to Lincolnshire a bit of a detour in itself? It sort of doesn't lead anywhere else.
* * * * *
The sky here's been leaking sn*w since about 9 this morning, and we've got about 6 inches of the bloody stuff.
I feel sorry for the grackles and mourning doves - they'll be regretting coming back north! D. put out some seed for them, just sprinkling it on the snow where they could get at it, but within a few minutes it was buried. We're now into our sixth month of sn*w - nobody needs that.
The only answer is comfort food, so we had D's shepherd's PIE for lunch, followed by crème brûlées that D. bought in Costco as a treat. They come in a pack with each in its own little glass ramekin, and you flash them under the grill for about a minute; at $10 (£5.70) for 8 you couldn't be bad to it.
And they make such useful tealight holders afterwards...
We were threatened with snow this morning - of course, it didn't happen. Didn't stop the wimps panicking though. The cold was a bit of a shock though, after being able to sit outside in February.
Never cared for 'em, until I went to lunch a while back with a former colleague at her home. She produced ROASTED PARSNIPS (amongst other things, of course) which were to DIE for! Are parsnip chips something similar?
I was unaware there was any way of eating parsnips other than roasted. I guess you could put them in a soup but I never do. I'm a great fan of roasted vegetables generally and since discovering low calorie oil spray we have them several times a week.
In other news, I'm very tired but sleeping very badly.
Comments
😇😇
I'd love to hear what recipes you try out, I've had mixed success with replicating (or interpreting) Ottolenghi and am also reading a newish copy of Simple.
Once the list is complete I will be deciding which dishes go together to make a meal, but I doubt I will be doing any practicing beforehand, so my guests will be guineapigs - which will serve them right as it is the son (and family) who gave me 'Simple'.
The trouble with Ottolenghi's recipes (other than the number of ingredients, which I don't have storage space for) is that the most delicious-looking ones use vegetables that are not at their best in this country for most of the year (like now!), nor in small, not very trendy, towns. In particular tomatoes in colours other than red, which won't be ripe in my garden until about August. Same goes for not-orange carrots and not-purple beetroot.
I will come back to report on the results after Easter.
I do apologise. I'll get me Hair-Shirt.....and me tin of SARDINES....
ION, mild weather continues, albeit with an East wind from Mordor (reflecting the Dire and Dark state of Ukland 'politics').
Our Place's gardener, a local chap rejoicing in the trade name of Mr. Dig-It, has made a most lovely job of tidying-up the church grounds. He doesn't just mow/strim everything into oblivion, but leaves room for the bluebells, celandines, et al.... which are therefore flourishing,
I freely concede that he does a MUCH BETTER JOB than I did, until I had to give up gardening in 2017, and that the PCC, in paying him (I did it for free) is getting a bargain.....
It’s annoying and we’re contacting the bank to investigate where it’s got to. However, I’ve noticed something. I have a bit of cash for emergencies, withdrawn using husband en rouge’s card, and all of a sudden, I am having to seriously ask myself “do I definitely need this?” for anything I want to buy. Because once the cash is gone it will be an effort and harassment to get hold of more. It’s not such a bad thing in one way.
I tend to use my card for most transactions, but having (perhaps just sufficient) cash in one's pocket is not, as you suggest, a Bad Discipline.
I've been, in recent years at least, in the happy (?) position of not having to worry too much about £££.
I do understand that, for many others, this is an unaccustomed Luxury.
Where do I obtain these wax wraps, or whatever, that appear to be suitable substitutes?
These are really useful for covering tins, dishes etc.
Lunch chez Piglet today was D's cheese pie, which isn't really a pie - it's mashed potatoes mixed with grated cheese and onions that have been fried with a little chilli powder, then baked. It's very nice though, served with good sausages - a sort of up-itself bangers and mash.
ION, it's a cooler, rather blustery day here; there was a lot of rain and a dusting of sn*w last night (although that's gone now), but now we've got a Special Weather Statement offering us sn*w on Wednesday - bloody Trump sending us his weather again.
However, in better news, the grackles are back at the birdie bistro, so spring must be on the way.
MMM
I think the movie is about ten years old, Barnabas. I saw it when first released, gory in spots but mostly mud. Film was shot out of Townsville. The history you relate is interesting.
We had bacon and omelette in chappati for tea as I was in a hurry because I had an online tutorial to do (on health inequalities). Now it is over and I’m relaxing with some white wine and a plate of cheese and crackers which includes one of my favourites, Morbier ash.
No. You must eschew the luxury of Salad.
I shall have to drink more ALE, I think, in order to cope with this Unusual and Traumatic Experience. CHEESE might help, too, I guess.
I made some bacon, lentil and tomato SOUP last night, and we've just had it with bread for lunch.
It's a beautiful, sunny day and 8°. You can tell it's been winter for too long when being able to take the kitchen bin-bag out to the dustbin without putting boots on makes you inordinately happy.
Other things to make me smile: mourning doves courting on the rail of the deck and Tufty the red squirrel having his lunch at the birdie bistro.
I’ve had a day of marking so am relaxing with some white wine.
I like the idea of a different food each day, we tend to have meat free Monday but I failed on that yesterday.
Tomorrow's lunch was supposed to be a salad, but I have nipped out to the garage between showers and grabbed a bottle of soup from the freezer (I freeze my home-made soup in 2pt milk bottles from the supermarket).
It would appear that tomorrow's lunch will now be cauliflower and walnut soup.
Cheese with cheese seems a far better option, Lent or not (a rather nice Colston Basset on Monday).
MMM
A day of marking today but then it eases off for a week or so. Off for my walk shortly.
MMM
Yes, he has his own music
Yesterday was veggie for me - veggie bean burger (daughter got beef) with parsnip chips and crispy kale for lunch, cavolo nero soup for supper.
I saw what you did there....and also read cribbage as cabbage......
Veggie and Austere Lunch again today - bread, CHEESE, red onions, and radishes.
I shall now go and lie down for a Nap, as the Sky has begun to Leak.
Taking a quick break from marking, the essays are on co-production, the concept of service users working together with professionals to produce health and social care, whether at individual level or in commissioning.
Never cared for 'em, until I went to lunch a while back with a former colleague at her home. She produced ROASTED PARSNIPS (amongst other things, of course) which were to DIE for! Are parsnip chips something similar?
Bread and cheese, with or without onions and radishes can be an excellent and far from austere lunch. A few weeks ago we found a motorway service area that sells excellent cheese, it's a little out of the way, but when we travel to Lincolnshire it's worth a detour.
Isn't going to Lincolnshire a bit of a detour in itself? It sort of doesn't lead anywhere else.
* * * * *
The sky here's been leaking sn*w since about 9 this morning, and we've got about 6 inches of the bloody stuff.
I feel sorry for the grackles and mourning doves - they'll be regretting coming back north! D. put out some seed for them, just sprinkling it on the snow where they could get at it, but within a few minutes it was buried. We're now into our sixth month of sn*w - nobody needs that.
The only answer is comfort food, so we had D's shepherd's PIE for lunch, followed by crème brûlées that D. bought in Costco as a treat. They come in a pack with each in its own little glass ramekin, and you flash them under the grill for about a minute; at $10 (£5.70) for 8 you couldn't be bad to it.
We were threatened with snow this morning - of course, it didn't happen. Didn't stop the wimps panicking though. The cold was a bit of a shock though, after being able to sit outside in February.
I was unaware there was any way of eating parsnips other than roasted. I guess you could put them in a soup but I never do. I'm a great fan of roasted vegetables generally and since discovering low calorie oil spray we have them several times a week.
In other news, I'm very tired but sleeping very badly.