Veggi Growing

MY VEGGIE GARDEN

I have never grown veggies before but decided to give it a try as my friend was growing them in her garden. Although I have a garden I decided to grow them on my patio in tubs. I had a plastic greenhouse which disintegrated so I used a set of shelves, which I covered in the plastic from the greenhouse. With this I have been able to grow tomatoes.

GORGEOUS TOMS

I have never grown any veggies before but as my friend was doing the self suffiencey bit I thought I'd give it a go. She gave me the cuttings off her tomato plants and we placed them in soil and hoped for the best. I now have 10 plants, with the majority having lovely fruits

I also planted out some runner beans seeds in a tub and strung a net across my purgola. The beans grew really fast and covered the netting in no time. I have had lots of lovely runner beans and I have more growing.

The runner beans were such a success that I decided to grow some more. I went to the recycling centre and found a deep box which I have utilised to grow the beans in. They have not produced fruits yet but they have the flowers on, so I expect to have some fruits soon.

Horrible few months

We have had a torrid few months so I have not had the heart to blog......

In March my OH was diagnosed with prostate cancer, which turned our world upside down. Shortly afterwards we were told that my BIL, Jimmys', cancer was terminal and on Monday 16th August he lost his brave fight against this awful disease. Jimmy was a lovely man and his death has left a big hole in many peoples lives.

My Health has been up and down in the last few months but now I hope to be on the better side so I intend to continue where I left off.

SOME GOOD NEWS

On the 23 May 2010 we had a new grandaughter. Her name is Laura, Susan, Sheila and I am very proud of her and all my grandchildren. We have been blessed.

St Patricks Day in Dublin

I haven't managed to do anything crafty for the last few weeks but you find this interesting?


We went to Dublin to see the St Patricks Day parade and came across something that may be of interest to all chicken keepers. Firstly we came across these giant eggs being chased by chefs who were the worst for wear.

But I think that the eggs were getting the better of the chefs as they chased the chefs rather than the other way around.

This was followed by a group of ladies with huge feathers, who teased the audience with them.

And they were followed by the biggest CHICKEN I have ever seen. You could get some frugal meals with this big bird......

WEEK 7

MAKING PICCALLILI

YUM YUM........

This is my first attempt at making yummy piccallili but I consulted Delia Smith (UK tv cook) who gave a really easy recipe from Delia Online where her How To Cook books are presented for all to share.

I and Holiday Boy, love this sweet mustard relish, but the down side is we have to wait 3 months to sample it. No one I made earlier here.

So just as Delia said, I broke cauliflower into small florets and chunk chopped onions which were placed in a bowl. I did the same to cucumber and placed that in the second bowl. Both had a salt bath and were left for a few hours for the excess fluids to seep from them.

The basis of the sauce is vinegar and the veggies are boiled and then simmered in the vinegar. After 8 minutes the cucumbers, sugar and garlic are added and the mixture is then returned to the boil and simmered for a further 5 minutes. When they are ready the veggies are drained and the vinegar mixture is reserved. Mean while the tumeric, mustard powder and flour are mixed into a smooth paste with vinegar and water and the hot reserved vinegar is mixed into the mustared mix. The mustard sauce is brought to the boile for a few minutes whisking all the time. When thick it is added to the veggies and stirred well.
The jars are prepaired and the piccallili is spooned into each jar. Looks good enough to eat but has to be hidden for the next 3 months. I can't wait to try it. Yum Yum.......

WEEK 7

NEW PLANTS

Today I spent some time tidying up my rockery. There are bulbs just peeping their heads out of the ground ready to turn their faces to a lovely spring sun. There is no warmth in the ground, so I am suprised that they want to come out to play!!!!

Plants are donning their spring colours, preparing for the spring sunshine. The weather gave us a taste of that today, although it was cold, the sun shone and tried to warm the ground. It has been a beautiful day, the best for a long time. I hope it continues...........


These are the new plants I bought today, tete e tete daffodills and flag iris. They are lovely flowers and very strong, so soon I hope to have a colourful display on my rockery. I also put in a row of crocosmia, multi coloured, between my purgola and fence. They should offer a lovely display, their heads nodding in the afternoon sun. I can't wait. I just have to be carefull that the field mice don't steal them!!!

Well, I stole my friends idea and thought I would try to grow potatoes on my patio. However, I think i'll need to buy better containers, which I will do within the next few weeks. In the meantime, we'll try it this way..........

I look forward to be able to plant out a new herb container garden in the near future. Although I have a large garden, I couldn't maintain it if I turned it over to growing veggies and my gardener would have a fit. He does my garden because I find it difficult, but patio containers seem a really good idea.

I love this time of year when winter becomes a memory and we welcome the new spring. The plants have new buds on them, a taste of lovely things to come. I have many roses in my garden and I look forward to their lovely colours, from yellows to deep oranges and tender pinks to deep, blood reds.

My garden brings my mum and grandmother to mind. They loved carnation pinks and I have two plants in my garden which should soon produce those lovely, fragrant flowers.

This winter has seemed very long and we have been unable to do anything in the garden. I now look forward to long, warm days (I wish) sitting in the garden, enjoying the sights, smells and sounds of spring and summer...........perhaps (LOL)

mmmm......Lasagne

PROJECT 5.1

As a continuation of my batch cooking, and my introduction to pasta making, I decided to batch bake lasagne, to make life easier for Holiday Boy, while I am at work.

So I started by cooking my veggies, which were onions, green and red peppers, garlic and sun dried tomatoes, in a little olive oil. To this I added Italian seasoning and allowed it to cook until the onions became clear. When the veggies were ready I fried off my mincemeat, and then returned the veggies. I finished it all off with tomato passata.


I made lasagne sheets and layered the mince and lasagne with a home made white sauce, which was made from butter, flour, warm milk and seasoning. On the final layer I placed extra mature chedder cheese.


I popped it into the oven until golden brown........looks good enough to eat.....In the background is L's veggie pie to be finished later.


When the lasagne cooled I portioned it up into 8 delish portions, ready for the freezer and I look forward to eating this lovely creation for my evening meal, with a lovely side salad mmmmmm....

Project 5 ~ Pasta.....Play Dough for Adults....

RAVIOLI

Today I learnt all about Pasta Making.....Play Dough for Adults.....which is great fun. I always thought pasta came from supermarkets wrapped in unopenable plastic bags, which had to be cooked for 5...11....or 12 minutes depending on the manufacturers. So for todays project I have been initiated (and a myth smashed) to where pasta really comes from.......

My friend L, the expert in all things kitchen related, initiated me in the fine art of pasta making. First the flour was weighed and placed on the table (no bowls for L, she's a real chef!!). The eggs and extra virgin olive oil were beaten together and then added to the flour. The mixture was combined and then came the fun bit...the kneading. It sure gives the old bingo wings a workout.

Once kneaded within an inch of its life, the dough was left to rest for about half an hour to allow the gluton to do its' thing. Then the fun bit....
Not only is the pasta pulled and rubbed to within an inch of its' life, it's also stretched until it becomes paper thin. This is the fun bit because you get to use the machine. We made a brie and red onion filling for the ravioli and placed a second layer of pasta on top. A cake cutter stands in for a ravioli cutter....
And low and behold, gorgeous ravioli which takes only 8 minutes in salted boiling water. Fresh pasta beats the shop bought stuff hands down.......
Just to finish off this batch we made salmon and spinach.........mmmm....gorgeous. I know what I'm having for mothers day.....

Pickling Virgin..............

Project 4

After helping Dreamer last time to make bread and butter pickles, Holiday Boy enjoyed them so much, so I decided to make a batch of my own. This is my first atempt at preserving, but, with help from Dreamer, I had my initiation in the preserving department. We prepared the veggies (hard work but fun) and salted them. They need to stand for at least 2 hours to allow the excess fluid to bleed from the veggies.
After the 2 hours the veggies were washed under running water to remove the salt. Vinegar, spices and sugar were brought to the boil in a large saucepan and the veggies were added and allowed to boil until the onions become slightly transparent. In the meantime............... we washed and steralised jars and lids and then came the messy bit...........filling the jars.
And at last Holiday Boy will have a supply of bread and butter pickles. My masterpiece....shame he wants to eat them all................

Chaos no longer reigns!!!!!

Project 3

I went to see Dreamer at her cottage and this weekend we decided to recycle some old and unloved sweet tins to make valuable storage containers.

We used hammerite white paint to cover the tins as the paint required no priming. They paint covered smoothly and as the paint had been left over from a previous job about the cottage, it cost nothing. The tins were freebies from friends. The paint needed overnight to dry.
This is my tin which will come in very handy to help me sort out the chaos in my cupboards. I have a multitude of ideas to take home from this visit to enable me to make room.
To enable us to know what was in each tin, Dreamer came up with a brilliant idea of painting an area on the tin where we could use chalk to lable the contents. This was achieved by masking off an area with masking tape and painting with blackboard paint. This is very quick drying and after a short while we were able to paint a second coating.
The finished article, ready to accept my items. I like this idea and already have good ideas about what I can do to help with the massive storage problem that I have in my home.

Busy Sunday Afternoon

Project 2

I have a friend who introduced me to this project and I came to the conclusion that I would like to get involved in it.

My friend lives a frugal life and I have been lucky enough to learn quite a lot from her, such as last week we made bread and butter pickles and made a mosaic.

My other half loves the pickles and I now wish to move into preserving, something which I have never done before. So to be frugal, I bought 10 curry sauces from a well known supermarket, at 5p a jar and I have spent today making beef, lamb and chicken curry meals which are now sitting in my freezer, ready to provide an tastey meal for my other half to make, ready for when I get home from work.

The jars will now be stored and used for when I am ready to preserve my vegitables next week and I am looking forward to doing them, that is if he indoors doesn't keep doing a taste test!!

The mosaic was a lovely project which I shall use in my bathroom. It is opening the door to other projects for me to explore.

My newest project has been to start crocheting a bolero which should keep me busy for a good few weeks. Watch this space!!!!

Start of the 52 Projects

Project 1

Went to stay with my friend L at her cottage and we decided to prepare some pickles for her store cupboard. The process is so easy that I have decided to make a batch for my own store cupboard. The process is:)

1 White Onion Sack
1 Red Onion Sack
4 Cucumbers
6 Peppers mixed
2 ltr Pickling Vinegar
1 pct Pickling Spice
350gr Sugar
Salt to cover vegitables

Peel and slice the vegitables thinly. Place into a bowl and cover the top with a thin layer of table salt. Leave for 2 hours

After 2 hours place vinegar, sugar and spices into a large pan and bring to the boil. Meanwhile, rinse the vegitables and drain well. When the vinegar is boiling, add the vegitables, bring back to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

Wash 12 jars and half fill with water and place into the microwave on high for 5 mins or until the water is boiling. Place on one side and keep the water in the jars until the jars are needed. Place the lids in a bowl of boiling water.

When the vegitables are ready fill the jars with vegitables and make sure they are covered with the pickling mixture. Place the lids on tight and leave on one side to cool. The lids will pop. The pickles should be fine for a year.

Second Sunday Project


We decided to have a go at making a mosaic. I used the large plane framed mirror and stuck the broken tile pieces on the surface in a random pattern, ensuring there wasn't too big a gap between each piece.
Once the tiles were on I left them to dry for a while before covering the mosaic with grout, ensuring it fills the gaps between the pieces. Once finished clean the grout off with a damp cloth and allow to dry.

Yummy cake

I have been very good with my diet and am trying a low GL way of eating to keep me feeling fuller and therefore not tempted to pick in between meals.

So as I have a sweet tooth I have developed a low GL cake which is great.

12 ozs mixed fruit
5 desertspoons low sugar sweetner
4fl ozs orange juice
3fl ozs water
1 Egg
4ozs SR flour
4ozs ground almonds

Gas Mark 6, 200c, 400f

METHOD

Put the fruit in a bowl, add the water and orange juice and sugar sweetner, and leave as long as possible. Over night is good.

Preheat the oven and line a 2lb loaf tin with greaseproof paper.

Add the egg, flour and almonds to the fruit and mix well.

Bake for 1 hour

Yum Yum

Books I Am Reading

Although I love reading I tend to go through stages, one minute loving to read the next spending time doing other things. Well I have discovered Candace Robb who writes medievil crime novels set in York in the 1400's. Robbs' main charactures are Owen Archer who was the captain of archers for an old Duke. The duke died and instead of working for the Duke of Lancaster, he becomes employed by John Thorpe the Archbishop of York and Edward 11 Chancellor.

Owen is married to Lucie Wilton who is a Master Apathicarer, the widow of Nicholas Wilton. Owen, in the first book the Apothicary Rose, believes Lucie may be a murder. After proving her inocence he eventually marries her after the death of her husband, who is a killer, who is killed himself.

The books are a really good read and I am enjoying them, although I don't have access to them all at the moment.

New Blog

I took the inspiration and decided to start a new blog about my family history. I started my family tree 10 years ago, after the birth of my first grandaughter, and it has become a monster. I have over 2000 people on my tree which is really interesting and it has been good fun if obsessive.

However, I have met new family members and likeminded people along the way........

Guess What...............

Another moan. Guess what, more snow.......

My life, at the moment, seems to be concerned with SNOW!!!!!! what a sad life I must have.

I have lots to look forward to. In Feb I will be going to my friends cottage again and when the white stuff goes, I shall be visiting my family in Hyde. Not just yet because the roads are bad due to the weather. I am looking forward to both visits.

I love the cottage because it offers an oasis of calm for me away from the rat race. Time goes so slowly there and it gives me the chance to commune with nature, figuatively speaking.

At my family in Hyde, I get the chance to meet up with May, who is the wife of my grandmothers' cousin. It's great meeting up with her because she can tell me lots about the family. See my Family Tree Blog.....

Had enough now...........

You know what it's like, the snow falls and we all go ahhhhh and while it's virginal and untouched we put up with it, even when it's cold. Then the time comes when we are truelly fed up with it. It's either slushy, or in our case, icy and it's no fun any longer.

You go out dressed as if you're going to the arctic, wearing your oldest and scruffiest boots, or dare I say it, wellies, because you don't want to ruin your best pair with the tide marks snow leaves. Or even worse......you end up on your rear and you look around to make sure that no one is watching and sniggering and hopefully nothing is hurt but your pride......

Well I'm at that point. It's still cold but the white stuff is just about to thaw which leaves dirty slush and water everywhere. I really don't mean to compain....much, but I will be glad to see the back end of it. It's lost it's novalty factor now.

SO......It continues!!!!!!!!!!!

Another day from snowy hell. Had problems all week with the snow. When it started on Tuesday (was it only Tuesday, it feels like weeks ago), I should have gone to work in Runcorn but due to bad weather was told to stay at home. Wednesday was the same but, on Thursday we managed to get into work. What a story..... I couldn't get the car started so I got the RAC out and they managed to start the engine but he couldn't pull me out (elf & safety). My lovely neighbour across the road dragged me out with his minibus.. bless him.... However, the car needed a new battery (more expence) so off to the garage, and they got me on the road once again. I normally get the bus if working in town but, as I live on a hill, and the road is narrow, the bus couldn't negotiate it, so I had to use the car which is not a common occurrence in town.

I finally got into work and St Helens was covered in a blanket of snow. The roads and paths hadn't been cleared so it was difficult to find anywhere safe to park as I am a disabled driver. The disabled carpark was inches deep in snow and ice.

Then came Friday.... When I arrived in work I was told to go home again as there was no water, toilet etc...you get the gyst. Our water comes through the old building nextdoor which has been empty forever, so the pipes were frozen. Not good news.....

I sit here, awaiting the text or phone call to find out what I am doing tomorrow.....

Isn't life exciting...........

WINTER WONDERLAND URG!!!!!!!!

I must say the snow looks beautiful but it is cold, cold, cold out there. All the buses have stopped, the roads are icy and the kids are off school, so it's shedfull of snowballs. Luckily enough the little darlings must have tired themselves out and are still in bed at the moment.

I have not been to work for 2 days and I am not cheering. I worry about the old people. They are the real sufferers in this, not all admittedly but those who cannot get out or who have no close family if any.

How quickly this country falls to peices when we get a heavy snowfall. I used to live in Germany and they had very heavy falls and they had to clear their paths and fronts by 7.30am. The roads were always cleared by snowploughs and everybody moving. Perhaps we need more snowploughs.

The sun is shinning and hopefully that will ease things. Watch this space!!!!!!!

Snow wow!!!!

Woke up this morning to see nothing but snow and more falling. The boss told me to stay ast home because it's pretty bad. It has been snowing all day and is very thick, perhaps about 6" deep.

I tried to get the car out but I couldn't move it, so I am going to enjoy my unoffical holiday. It looks like it may continue as the snow is forcast to continue tonight, tomorrow and Thursday.

German Christmas Markets Cruise

At the beginning of December 09 we went on a Rhine river Cruise. Our itinery included Cologne, Bonn, Boppard, Koblenz and Rhudisiem. We had a wonderful time among the Christmas markets having a gluevine and another and another!!!!!!!!

It was lovely sailing down the Rhine at 4 miles an hour soaking up the atmosphere and learning about the castles which litter the clifftops. We saw the Lorelie, which is a large cliff, which Lorelie jumped from and she is depicted sitting on a rock. I had always thought that the Lorelie was a mermaid but she isn't. Lorelie has legs and she displays them, the hussy!!!!!!!!!

Exotic Holidays!!

Well, for many years my family and I, consisting of husband and 3 sons and Gemma the dog (now deceased). We spent many years camping with a tent, then caravan and then a trailor tent. We visited many places within the UK but never went abroad, except Southern Ireland in later years where we went upmarket and stayed in a HOTEL. Oh bliss!!!!!

In 2005, when we returned fromone of these many holidays, husband had an email from old army plans, who were holding a reunion in Kluang, which is a very small town in Malaysia.

We emailed and placed ourselves on the list of attendees and planned our holiday. I personally had never gone so far and had not flown for 20+ years. We aimed to fly to Singapore for one night and then to take the train to Kluang, where we would spend 3 nights and then return to Singapore for 4 extra nights.


We loved it so much so that we have been back several times including this year.