Not again

Yes, it's not the kitchen window again. This side is changing more often as it's a working area. Working on a couple of things here - more pasta and the Christmas cake.

The pasta is an 'again' as the first lot was easy and it's getting easier. I just did one egg and 4oz flour to make my dough and put it through the machine to make noodles. My veggie stir fry has lasted me 3 days (again and again and again) and so did the noodles.

Here's the tray with the ingredients for the cake. (Christmas is coming round again very quickly. ) The recipe is just a simple 12, 12, 12 combination with 2lbs of fruit and various spices.

This tray is now waiting for the fruit to be fed with whiskey, gin and rum. It's all smelling good and I think I'll keep feeding me the fruit for the next few days!

xx

hic!

Night, night

Sorted out the back garden this weekend. The runner beans were pulled up and the pods spread out in the greenhouse to dry. Beetroot was pulled up and boiled to death.

The cucumber plants were cut down and the remaining cucumbers given away with some put in the fridge for me. Tomatoes were given a hair cut and ripe ones picked.

The grape vine was trimmed slightly but now left until its leaves fall off.

The leeks have been left in for us to eat over winter.

Finally the compost bins were emptied and scattered all over the garden. We won't need any manure this year.

The garden has been put to bed.

xx

Not the kitchen window

Since the kitchen was redecorated I've not put anything on the window sill so I don't damage or scratch the paint. There is only a hanging clay pot containing an 'odd' plant. So no Kitchen Window display now.

The decoration has now transferred to the wall opposite the kitchen window. The view underneath the cupboards is always changing as was the kitchen window view.

I've used white storage boxes in the cupboards for ease of accessing all the contents. Today I took down this box ...

to help me with the making of Mum's Savoury Mince.

There are many ways of making savoury mince - this is mine using onions, garlic, carrots, courgette, mushrooms, chopped tomatoes and of course - mince.

All the ingredients at the ready here with some additions of stock, Worcester sauce, oregano and gravy granules.

The mince, garlic and onions were fried up first and then added to a pan of tinned chopped tomatoes, stock, mushrooms etc.. This concoction was boiled and simmered for about 40 minutes along with the Worcester sauce and oregano. I don't add any extra salt or pepper but I did add a glug of soy sauce.

Here's the pot ready to start cooking.

The cooked savoury mince yielded quite a few portions and 2 large containers of it have been put in the freezer for another day. Today I had my savoury mince with boiled potatoes and tomorrow I'll spice it up more with a bit of chilli powder and flakes and serve it over rice.

The compost heap took care of the peelings and kitchen roll which was used to wipe out the wok.

xx

Last of the rhubarb

I've picked the last of the rhubarb today. The remaining stalks are starting to die off. Looks like the end of the crumbles. I've made this one with the addition of brown sugar.

It makes the crumble very tasty. I also use brown sugar in the crumble topping.

The crumble is made in the ratio of 4:2:2, 4 being the flour or a mix of flour and oats, 2 being the sugar (brown in this case) and 2 being butter which was rubbed into the flour.

Forgot to take a pic of the finished crumble because we ate most of it.

xx

PS Good job I've frozen a pile of crumbles already.