The Homemade Heart

unexpected journeys

'The Hobbit' is a cherished book for me. I have several copies of it; a hardback in a slipcase, like this, and an annotated copy like this, as well as a paperback copy, plus a small pocket hardback that I have temporarily misplaced, as well as access to Isaac's rather magnificent hardback slipcased collection of The Hobbit and Lord of The Rings, which he received a few years ago at Christmas. Obviously that is several more copies than strictly required for the purpose of reading a story, no matter how enjoyable, but I do take great pleasure in reading the same words in different editions, to see where a favourite phrase or paragraph sits on the page in a particular hardback or paperback.
Whilst my journeys this summer have not involved gold-hungry dwarves, fire breathing dragons, or flights on the back of giant eagles, they have in their own way been as unexpected as Bilbo's, and have the added piquancy of not being fictional.  

unexpected journey: by train
In the Spring, I bought a ticket to see James Taylor at BST in Hyde Park, on July 15th. As a bonus, Bonnie Rait was playing with James, and it was also Paul Simon's last UK gig as part of his final tour.  The day at the festival was to be wrapped within four or five days of solo pottering around London, a long cherished ambition of mine. The hotel was booked, plans involving the Persephone Bookshop, Liberty of London, Fortnum and Mason and the Foundling Museum were made, as well as booking tickets to the ABBA exhibition at the Southbank Centre, and I began to feel very excited. 
Then some unexpected, hefty domestic expenses in early June left us reeling, and my London plan came crashing down in pieces. The money earmarked for my trip had to be diverted elsewhere. Swallowing my disappointment, I cancelled the hotel, and packed away the new dresses and sandals I had bought for my London wanderings, as well as my day dreams of drifting round London at my own pace, with no-one to please but myself, for a few days.
However, the day before I had originally been due to leave, Derek unexpectedly suggested that I go anyway, but with some modifications to my original trip. I still had my BST ticket (non refundable, non transferable),  and if I went for three days, not five, stayed here, not here, and generally took it easy with expenses, then it was do-able. I found myself, therefore, in the style of Bilbo running out of his Hobbit Hole without a pocket handkerchief, sitting on a train to London, not quite sure what I had thrown in my bag, checking I was not still wearing my apron, did not have toast crumbs round my mouth, double checking I had brought my BST ticket and wondering if I had left anything remotely resembling dinners, or clean clothes, for the family for the next few days.
And yes, I had an absolutely wonderful time.

unexpected journey: with camera
Last year, Jacob fell in love with Andrea, and he fell hard. This is entirely understandable, as she is the sweetest, funniest, kindest, most adorable girl you could ever imagine. He decided, sensibly, to ask her to marry him, and laid his plans for a very simple, sincere, and beautiful proposal. He asked me, unexpectedly, the day before the momentous event, if I would be there to take photographs. I was honoured, and extremely excited, and instantly said yes.
Hence, on the morning of the proposal, when Jacob and Andrea were driving to a pretty Inn outside Edinburgh for what Andrea thought was to be an overnight stay, I was driving there too, ahead of them. I parked behind a wall, and searched for a vantage point, from where I could discreetly take up position in the hotel gardens after they had gone inside to book in. I found myself lurking in some overgrown bushes opposite the Inn; camera in hand, hoping with some sincerity that nobody would approach and ask me just exactly what I was doing.
That day I learned how hard it is to take photographs when tears of happiness are running unchecked down your face. Jacob proposed, with a ring he designed and commissioned, as unique as the lovely girl I now proudly regard as my daughter. And of course, she did say yes.

unexpected journey: to health
If you are a long time reader of my blog (and if you are, thank you), you may remember that Isaac has had a tough time with his health over the past few years. I am extremely happy to report that we have finally had a diagnosis, and since then, life has improved for my boy.
What has been rather unexpected is the fulsome blossoming of his personality in the face of better health. He has energy, enthusiasm, and stamina. His natural wit and humour has come to the fore, and his calm wisdom and counsel are overtly clear. There are very few people whose advice I would seek, but Isaac is one of them. He is wise beyond his years, and has a clear, logical, yet kind way of looking at the world that is truly beautiful.

unexpected journey: in the wee small hours
Nobody wants to receive a message at 11pm on a Sunday evening saying 'Jacob has had a fall, we are in A+E', however that was my experience some three weeks ago.
Taut with tension, I threw a few essentials in a bag and set off for Aberdeen, arriving in the wee small hours of the morning, to find Jacob, lovingly and capably supported by Andrea, on a trolley in A+E. He had no sensation, movement or control from the waist down. He had slipped that afternoon, coming down the steps from his house, 'sober and undistracted' as he put it in his scholarly way, and was clearly in a bad way. An MRI revealed herniated discs in his lumbar spine, which were impinging on his spinal cord. This is a red flag situation, requiring emergency surgical intervention, if the patient is not to be left permanently disabled. With a nursing background, I had an inkling of how serious the situation was, but fortunately, at that time, Jacob was unaware of the severity of the situation.
His consultant ('Call me Tosh') was outstandingly capable, and he and Jacob had an immediate rapport, which made the following hours marginally more bearable. Jacob was taken away to theatre, with Andrea by his side in to the anaesthetic room (it will take me a long time to forget watching his trolley being wheeled away down the ward; my darling boy waving, saying, 'Don't worry mum, I'll be fine'). 
Many hours later, around 1am, he came back to the ward. Surgery was successful.
I will skip forward the gruelling days in hospital, as they are too painful to dwell on, however Jacob was amazing, and despite terrible pain, and life altering surgery, he faced his fears and challenges with courage and dignity, and walked out, 10 days later on two crutches, flanked by Andrea on one side, and me on the other. Pale, a bit clammy, but resolute; on his feet, and on his way.
The nursing and medical staff were almost without exception, cheerful, kind, and accommodating, but it was a hard time.
I was away from home for two and a half weeks, a truly unexpected journey.  Andrea never left Jacob's side; her devotion was complete; what a test of their love, and how well they came through it.

an unexpected journey: with needle and thread
If you are a long time reader of this blog (and, again, thank you if you are), you will know that I took up quilting about three years ago, writing about my first attempt at making a quilt here. Since then, I have made many quilts, some of which I have written about on the blog, but many which have been made without fanfare or photograph. Some are in use at home, some have been given away as gifts, all have been a joy to make, and my love affair with quilting is pretty strongly established.
In my last post, I mentioned that creatively I was 'almost' fulfilled. Amongst other things, I wished to become properly proficient at quilt making; learn more techniques, and possibly gain some sort of qualification. Browsing through options, I unexpectedly found what seems the perfect online City and Guilds course in Patchwork and Quilting, and after much discussion with Derek, and a bit of piggy-bank emptying, I enrolled on 3rd September on the C&G course 'Level Three Patchwork and Quilting', which is provided by the School of Stitched Textiles.
I am excited, and nervous, but also determined and committed. I'm not sure where my course will lead but I know I will work hard and do the best job I can. 

an unexpected journey: back to blogging
My final unexpected journey, as summer wheels steadily towards autumn, is back here to the blog. I hope, and intend, to be writing again more regularly again. Thank you for still being here.

mulling over

As I write, it is a warm day at the end of May. The dog is lying, panting, on the floor at my feet, occasionally opening a lazy eye to check all is well before snuffling back down into summer dreams of baby rabbits and cool walks in the wood.
I have been mulling over this blog for such a long time now, so uncertain how to proceed.
Sitting here today, it feels natural, and good, to type these words; there is no difficulty, and so much to tell, yet for so long I have not been inspired to write.....

Isaac has left school, and starts at Music Academy in August. He is well, and thriving, and the joy of that is in itself a reason to celebrate every day.
Jacob is thriving; he is in Thailand, on holiday with his adorable girl friend, and has finished 1st year of uni. The changes for him this year have been monumental, and all positive, another reason to rejoice.
The boys are older, more independent; their lives have changed, and mine also, in response.

I am quilting and sewing, and finding such creative satisfaction in doing so; creatively I am almost fulfilled, though there is lots more I want to do.

Life is busy, the boys are moving forwards, I am seeing a time on the distant horizon when they will both be pretty much independent.  In many ways I have much more time than I did when they were younger, though Mother Nature abhors a vacuum, and so my days seem more full and hectic than ever.

So where does regular writing for this dear blog of mine fit, in the changed pattern of my days?
Simple answer is I don't know..........

Until I decide what to do, I am closing for the summer season.I hope to be back, but I need time to think, and refresh my ideas, and perhaps blog with a slightly different emphasis, or try a new format.
Thank you for reading my blog, and for your friendship, it has been a gift.

I will still be on Instagram, and the blog will still be here, but for now it's 'Au Reservoir' as my fictional heroine, Lucia would say, twinkling off down the cobbled street with silken scarf trailing, hat tilted just so, to protect her porcelain complexion from the sun; her mind buzzing with a million plans for the summer, as is mine......

 

 

Cookery Calendar Challenge '18 - May

Welcome to the Cookery Calendar Challenge for May 2018. 
The Cookery Calendar Challenge is my monthly challenge to choose and make two new recipes from one recipe book, and share them on my blog.
Everyone is very  welcome to join me; you will find a summary of the Challenge at the end of this post, and any other details you need can be found on the Cookery Calendar Challenge page.   

My chosen recipe book for this month was Fortnum and Mason The Cookbook.
This book is a visual delight; it is beautifully made, the paper is thick, smooth and luxurious, and it is liberally decorated with original illustrations by Edward Bawden, which make it a joy to look through.

The book is divided into chapters covering Breakfast; Morning Tea (yes, a whole chapter devoted to morning tea), Lunch, Ice Cream (yes, a whole chapter devoted to Ice Cream), Afternoon Tea, Savouries, Puddings, Supper, Cocktails.... It is essentially an epicurean meander through the day of a privately educated lady or gentleman of refined tasted who has never quite escaped the Nursery. I love it.
The recipes have been gathered and edited by Tom Parker Bowles , as opposed to any of the chefs actually producing the meals and delights at Fortnum and Mason, so there is slightly disconnected feel about the writing. It is well enough written, but Tom is admiringly recounting the recipes of others, rather than describing recipes he has developed himself. This is not a criticism, merely an observation.

My first selected dish was Fish Pie. I love a fish pie; the fish is always cooked through, removing any nervousness about undercooking, and the béchamel sauce takes on the flavour of the fish so nicely. Topped with mashed potato and cooked until slightly crispy on top, if you throw in a handful or two of peas, or sweetcorn, it is a complete dinner.  Tom (writing on behalf of the F and M chefs) recommends fine green beans cut in half, but give me some good old Birds Eye frozen peas every time. He also adds some parmesan to the mashed potato on top, which is a delicious addition I will adopt forthwith.

There's a slight problem with Fish Pie in our house- I'm the only person who knows they like it. Derek always says he doesn't like it, so will only deign to eat it about once a year. He always enjoys it when he does, but then immediately resorts to not liking it again, until next time. Timing is everything when it comes to Fish Pie and Derek. We should really have an annual Fish Pie Day, then at least I could look forward to it.
Jacob, being at University in another city, wasn't home for dinner, and Isaac was out with his wee friends on Fish Pie night (they are all 16 now, but I still think of them as his 'wee friends'). I tentatively presented the fish pie to Derek, saying in encouraging tones 'This is from the Fortnum and Mason book you gave me for Christmas', which I thought was rather clever of me, as he couldn't very well criticise it without damning his own choice of gift.
I needn't have worried, as the pie really was delicious, and Derek ate it without complaint. Equally without compliment, but considering his Fish Pie aversion, that's pretty good going, and with that, Fish Pie night was over for another year.

 (Unrelated illustration, but it made me laugh. Looks like Derek and me, we always wear evening dress at dinner......)

My next foray in to the Fortnum and Mason book was one evening when Jacob was home for a few days with his lovely girlfriend, A, of whom we are all inordinately fond. Jacob likes onions; he actually loves almost all foods, but one of his favourite flavours is onions. I quite often roast red onions as an accompaniment to various dinners, and if I make sausages and onion gravy for him, it has to be heavily populated with onions to meet his approval.
I decided to make Baked Onion with Courgette from the F and M book, the plan being I would have that as my Veggie dinner, and everybody else would have some roast chicken alongside.

Each onion is peeled, the top is sliced off, the root is left intact. The onions are roasted for about 50 minutes with some seasoning, butter and a little water.
The difficulty comes after the onion is cooked, and the recipe directs that the insides are then scooped out, and combined with breadcrumbs, parmesan, garlic, then all stuffed back in and baked again.
I was in a hurry, so didn't leave the onions until cold to scoop out the insides, but even so it proved almost impossible to remove the inside of the onion, as it remained firmly attached to the root. The inner layers slipped around unpleasantly on the horizontal axis of the onion, but the insides remain stubbornly within, and I began to feel like a desperate Ophthalmic Surgeon attempting Enucleation Surgery. In the end I resorted to brute force (I can only hope that an Ophthalmic Surgeon would have more patience) and hacked in to the onion with a sharp knife to remove the innards, cobbling it back together for the second bake in the oven.. After all that palaver, the flavour was only ok, and provided a fairly bland dinner for me, and an unremarkable accompaniment for everyone else, so essentially not worth the trouble.

Overall, I really like this book. It is more of an over achieving coffee table book rather than a fully functioning recipe book, and is so beautiful that I was nervous of spotting or spilling ingredients on it whilst I used it, but it is sumptuous, and quite funny somehow, with its recipes for Scrambled Eggs with Lobster Bisque, or Cucumber with Mint Cream Cheese sandwiches, or a hundred other examples of almost impossibly posh and expensive, yet simple recipes.
However it has plenty of good, reliable and delicious looking recipes too, and some lovely baking. My intention is to photocopy some recipes and use the photocopied sheets rather than risk spoiling this book. Not the sort of treatment that could be rolled out for all recipe books, but well worth it for this one. After all, who could feel anything other than affection bordering on love for a book offering, for example, a recipe for  Ice Cream Floats for the Young at Heart, But Old of Age.


My selected book for next month is 'Take One Pot' by Georgina Fuggle. I have had this book for ages, several years I think, and have no clear recollection of where I bought it. I have looked through it extensively but have not yet cooked from it, so it is high time  I did so.

If you joined me last month, thank you. If you are wondering whether to take part in the challenge this month, I hope you decide to. Through the Cookery Calendar Challenge I have discovered some dishes that are now firm favourites in our house (as well as some I will never make again!), and I now make better use of my recipe books than before. It is an ongoing project, so it is never too late to join, and everyone is very welcome. Here's how to take part:

Select a cookery book from your shelf, and cook two new recipes from it over the course of the month. The recipes can be for anything: main meal, pudding, a cake or bake, a preserve, anything at all which is a recipe that is new to you. At the beginning of the following month, blog about it. That's all there is to it, describing the book, and recipes you have used, and announce your chosen cookery book for the month ahead. Add your post to the linky on my blog, to allow others to see what you have made.
If you haven't taken a photograph of the dish, don't worry, you can still describe it, and let everyone know how it worked out. Similarly, you are welcome to share a recipe if you wish, but there is no pressure to do so. This project is more about the process of reconnecting with your cookery book collection, than about recipe sharing or food photography.
I would appreciate a link back to this Cookery Calendar Challenge post in your post.
There is also a Cookery Calendar Challenge badge to display on your blog too, if you like (just copy and paste the code on to your dashboard). You can also join via Instagram using hashtag #cookerycalendarchallenge (you will find me on Instagram @penny.homemadeheart )
All this information is also on the Cookery Calendar Challenge page, should you wish to check anything in more detail, or of course you are welcome to message me also. 

An InLinkz Link-up

Cookery Calendar Challenge '18- April

Welcome to the Cookery Calendar Challenge for April 2018. 
The Cookery Calendar Challenge is my monthly challenge to choose and make two new recipes from one recipe book, and share them on my blog.
Everyone is very  welcome to join me; you will find a summary of the Challenge at the end of this post, and any other details you need can be found on the Cookery Calendar Challenge page.    

My chosen book for March was 'Feast' by Sabrina Ghayour; this book an impulse buy in Waitrose on a dark and rainy day at the end of February. The cover, with its vibrant Paisley pattern, and of course the title 'Feasts' (note the plural, how sumptuous) made me think of easy relaxed meals on warm days, and I momentarily, uncharacteristically, yearned for summer.
There is a bright and welcoming Introduction from Sabrina, and thereafter the book is divided into 8 chapters, from 'Breakfast and Brunch' through to 'Vegetarian Feasts', 'Special Occasions' and 'Comfort Food'.
Scattered throughout the book are many enticing photographs of tables laden with colourful dishes, and each chapter page also has a charming line drawing of foods relevant to the recipes within.
My first selected recipe was Eastern Prawn Linguine. This is in the 'Quick Fix Feasts' chapter and true to its promise it was a very quick dish to make and serve.
Garlic is thinly sliced and cooked for a few minutes in hot oil, then set aside to infuse the oil with garlic flavour. Once the oil is suitably infused (it was a cursory 20 seconds in my kitchen, but perhaps longer in yours), the prawns are added and cooked until pink.
Meantime, cook the linguine as usual, and once cooked, drain, reserving a couple of ladlesful of the cooking water (I can honestly say this is the first time I have ever actually followed that instruction in a recipe, pasta waster having, to my mind, a close affinity with dish water: both are necessary, but should surely be tipped down the sink straight after use?)
Return the drained pasta to the pan, throw in the prawns and garlic oil, and the reserved pasta water, then grate in the zest of two lemons, pul biber chilli flakes (mine were just common or garden supermarket chilli flakes), some crumbled chunks of Feta, torn basil leaves and salt and pepper.

This dish was pretty much the sum of its parts, but was extremely tasty, and quick to make. I had been in a slight flap because Jacob was coming home for dinner that night with his lovely girlfriend, and, as entirely befits his stage in life as a 1st Year Uni student, was not sure what time they would arrive, so this dish was pretty much ideal for that situation, as it was a fifteen minute job to make, but was flavoursome, light, and suitable for serving with salad and warm breads (a child of the '70's can't hide when it comes to food presentation).

Well mannered remarks greeted this dish (I sense the influence of a guest at our kitchen table...)

'Mmm, thanks Mum, nice' (Jacob)
'Not really my type of thing but I'll eat it' (Isaac)
'Yes its fine' (Derek)
'Delicious, thank you, I am enjoying it' (Jacob's delightful girlfriend)

My second selected dish was Yogurt and Harissa Marinated Chicken, from the 'Lighter Feasts' chapter.
I like making a marinade; it does most of the work for you and can be done in advance. It is one of those activities that makes me feel competent and in control of my domestic life, and God knows there are few enough of those. 
Greek yogurt, fresh coriander, garlic, rose harissa (thank you Waitrose), lime zest and juice, olive oil, and salt, are whizzed in a food processor, and poured thickly over the chicken.

This rests in the fridge for 30 minutes, or overnight. Or for a week in my case, as it wasn't eaten the night I had planned it for, and as the days passed by I was uncomfortably aware of the longest running marinade of all time happening in my fridge. I eventually cooked off the chicken and gave Derek a hefty portion for dinner with cous cous and roasted veg; made his dinner with one of the breasts chopped into a tomato and veg pasta sauce the next night, and used the several remaining breasts sliced for his lunchtime sandwiches for the next couple of days.
Derek had by now forgotten a time in his life when he had eaten anything other than Yogurt and Harissa Marinated Chicken, and so the final chicken breast was thrown, with some regret, in to the food recycling bin.
He said it was 'ok', but whether that was because it really was only ok, or that he was just having a reaction to having eaten it for the best part of a week, it is hard to tell. Either way, I will wait for some time before cooking it again...

Overall, I really liked this book. The recipes fit the chapters they are included in; the flavours are rich, the colours are bright. There are several gorgeous looking cakes and bakes, as well as many other recipes I would like to try, so this one's a Keeper.

My selected book for April is Fortnum and Mason, The Cook Book, given to me by Derek at Christmas. I an a devoted fan of F&M and was simply thrilled to unwrap this beautiful tome on Christmas morning. I have looked through it extensively, and just can't wait to make two new recipes from it in the coming month.

If you joined me last month, thank you. If you are wondering whether to take part in the challenge this month, I do hope you do. Through the Cookery Calendar Challenge I have discovered some dishes that are now firm favourites in our house (as well as some I will never make again!), and I now make better use of my recipe books than before. It is an ongoing project, so it is never too late to join, and everyone is very welcome. Here's what to do:

The first week of every month, select a cookery book from your shelf, and cook two new recipes from it. The recipes can be for anything: main meal, a cake or bake, a preserve, anything at all which is a recipe that is new to you.
If you haven't taken a photograph of the dish, don't worry, you can still describe it, and let everyone know how it worked out. Similarly, you are welcome to share a recipe if you wish, but there is no pressure to do so. This project is more about the process of reconnecting with your cookery book collection, than about recipe sharing or food photography.
At the beginning of the following month, blog about the book and recipes you have used, and announce your chosen cookery book for the month ahead. Add your post to the linky on my blog, to allow others to see what you have made.
I would appreciate a link back to this Cookery Calendar Challenge post in your post.
There is also a Cookery Calendar Challenge badge to display on your blog too, if you like (just copy and paste the code on to your dashboard). You can also join via Instagram using hashtag #cookerycalendarchallenge (you will find me on Instagram @penny.homemadeheart )
All this information is also on the Cookery Calendar Challenge page, should you wish to check anything in more detail, or of course you are welcome to message me also.

 

An InLinkz Link-up

Cookery Calendar Challenge '18- March

Welcome to the Cookery Calendar Challenge for March 2018.
As the name suggests, the Cookery Calendar Challenge is my monthly challenge to choose and make two new recipes, and share them on my blog.
Everyone is very  welcome to join me; you will find a summary of the Challenge at the end of this post, and any other details you need can be found on the Cookery Calendar Challenge page.

My chosen book for February was Dorset Cereals Breakfast Book. I picked up this book up in our local garden centre a couple of years ago, and have enjoyed making quite a few dishes from it. This time round, Isaac helped me choose two new recipes to try.

My first selected recipe was Baked Egg Baguettes.
Isaac and I had this for our tea one evening when Derek was out. We had high hopes, it sounded simple, savoury, and delicious. Finely chopped bacon is fried off until crispy (we used Quorn bacon), then mixed with eggs, double cream, grated gruyere, sliced spring onion, and seasoning. This mixture is then poured into the baguettes, from which a 'V' has been cut, to contain the mixture, and the dish is baked in the oven until fully cooked through.



As you can see from the finished dish, cutting a 'V' into the baguettes was a demand too far for my knife skills, but even if I had managed, I think the mixture would still have run over the top of the bread and poured into the baking dish.
This meal contained some of my favourite ingredients: eggs, cheese, cream and bread, but unfortunately neither Isaac or I enjoyed it. The flavours somehow did not make a harmonious whole; the spring onions were a bit overwhelming, and the cream and cheese together made the dish sickly, or 'glaggy' as we say in our house! Sadly this was a definite thumbs down from both of us, and a big red 'X' for 'Epic Fail' on the family food scoring system!

The second recipe I selected was Peanut Butter Energy Bars.
Butter, soft brown sugar, peanut butter and honey are melted together over a low heat, then poured over porridge oats and muesli, and this mixture is baked for 30-40 minutes until golden.

With that list of gorgeous ingredients, it is hardly surprising that these earned a resounding double green tick*
They are sweet, with a slight glaze on the outside, created by the cooked honey. They have a satisfying 'give' in the middle, courtesy of the porridge oats. They are nubbly and nutty, thanks to the muesli and (be still my beating heart) the crunchy peanut butter, and a good pinch of salt prevents them from being overly sugary.
They are also supremely speedy to make; 5 minutes prep at most, and although I have only made them as per the original recipe book so far, I can imagine them lending themselves to all sorts of lovely additions such as dessicated coconut; raisins, flaked almonds, dried apricots.....
These are a  joyous addition to my baking repertoire, and I suspect they might be to yours too; here is the recipe.

Ingredients: 
125g unsalted butter
150g soft light brown sugar
125g crunchy peanut butter
75g runny honey
150g porridge oats
150g muesli (I used Jordans 'Simply Granola')
good pinch of salt

Method:
Preheat oven to Gas 3/160c
Grease and line a 20cm/8" square baking tin.
Put butter, sugar, peanut butter and honey in a heavy bottomed saucepan over a low heat and stir until melted and well combined.
Weigh oats, muesli and salt into a bowl and combine briefly, before adding the peanut butter mixture. Mix thoroughly.
Scrape into baking tin and smooth the top with the back of a spoon.
Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden in the centre, and golden brown at the edges.
Cool completely in tin, then turn out and cut into squares.



n.b. The original recipe includes the finely grated zest of an orange and a lemon, and some extra runny honey for glazing. They also keep well for 5-7 days in an airtight tin.

On to my selected recipe book for this month, which is 'Feasts' by Sabrina Ghayour.
I have used one of Sabrina's books before for a Cookery Calendar Challenge with unhappy results, but this one was on offer at Waitrose, and the cover is beautiful, some of the recipes look delicious, and, well,  I'm just a sucker for a new recipe book so it somehow jumped in to my trolley and came home with me.

If you are wondering whether to take part in this challenge, I do hope you decide to join me. Through the Cookery Calendar Challenge I have discovered some dishes that are now firm favourites in our house (as well as some I will never make again!), and I now make better use of my recipe books than before. It is an ongoing project, so it is never too late to join, and everyone is very welcome. Here's what to do:

The first week of every month, select a cookery book from your shelf, and cook two new recipes from it. The recipes can be for anything: main meal, a cake or bake, a preserve, anything at all which is a recipe that is new to you.
If you haven't taken a photograph of the dish, don't worry, you can still describe it, and let everyone know how it worked out. Similarly, you are welcome to share a recipe if you wish, but there is no pressure to do so. This project is more about the process of reconnecting with your cookery book collection, than about recipe sharing or food photography.
At the beginning of the following month, blog about the book and recipes you have used, and announce your chosen cookery book for the month ahead. Add your post to the linky on my blog, to allow others to see what you have made.
I would appreciate a link back to this Cookery Calendar Challenge post in your post.
There is also a Cookery Calendar Challenge badge to display on your blog too, if you like (just copy and paste the code on to your dashboard). You can also join via Instagram using hashtag #cookerycalendarchallenge (you will find me on Instagram @penny.homemadeheart )
All this information is also on the Cookery Calendar Challenge page, should you wish to check anything in more detail, or of course you are welcome to message me also.

(* double green tick = 'Yum, new favourite'.)

An InLinkz Link-up

Cookery Calendar Challenge '18. February

Welcome back to the Cookery Calendar Challenge. After a break of a few months, the Cookery Calendar Challenge is back for 2018, and this time anything goes, meals, cakes, bakes, and preserves, are included.
Everyone is welcome, and if you would like to join this month, you will find all the details you need on the Cookery Calendar Challenge page.

As the Cookery Calendar Challenge has been absent for a few months, I do not have any new recipes to share from last month, so will instead announce my chosen book for February, which is The Breakfast Book by Dorset Cereals. I have cooked from this book several times in the past, but recently Isaac and I have looked through it together and have earmarked a few nice looking recipes to try.

I do hope you decide to join me this month, and if you do, it couldn't be easier.
This is an ongoing project, so it is never too late to get involved, and everyone is very welcome. 

The challenge is simple: the first week of every month, select a cookery book from your shelf, and cook two new recipes from it. The recipes can be for anything: main meal, a cake or bake, a preserve, anything at all which uses a recipe that is new to you.
If you haven't taken a photograph of the dish, don't worry, you can still describe it, and let everyone know how it worked out. Similarly, you are welcome to share a recipe if you wish, but there is no pressure to do so. This project is more about the process of reconnecting with your cookery book collection, than about recipe sharing or food photography.
At the beginning of the following month, blog about the book and recipes you have used, and announce your chosen cookery book for the month ahead. Add your post to the linky on my blog, to allow others to see what you have made.
I would appreciate a link back to this Cookery Calendar Challenge post in your post. 
There is also a Cookery Calendar Challenge badge to display on your blog too, if you like (just copy and paste the code on to your dashboard). You can also join via Instagram using hashtag #cookerycalendarchallenge (you will find me on Instagram @penny.homemadeheart ) 
All this information is also on the Cookery Calendar Challenge page, should you wish to check anything in more detail, or of course you are welcome to message me also.

An InLinkz Link-up

it's a new dawn, it's a new day....

 
I don't subscribe to the tendency in Blogland to declare wistfully that September is really the start of the new year, with that back to school feeling; new jotters, new shoes, good intentions etc.
To me, the new year starts firmly on January 1st. Hogmanay is over, the Christmas tree is still droopily, defiantly standing, and dust has gathered where the house hasn't been properly cleaned for weeks. The sideboard is hosting a remarkable array of sticky necked bottles of port; colourful foreign liqueurs, and exotic gins. The fridge is clogged with bottles of wine, of vastly varying quality. Eating chocolates before breakfast has become the lazy norm, and half a pound of blue cheese smeared onto some thick, crumbly oatcakes has become the supper of choice, eaten half reclined in a favourite chair, whilst catching up with a bit of Christmas viewing. So far, so festive (at least in our house).

After Hogmanay is over, and 1st January has arrived (a date that seemed impossibly distant this time last week), an uneasy awareness creeps in round the back of your neck, and you start to see Real Life hove into view on the horizon. You realise it's half past one and you have been meaning to shower since 9am, and instead sat down with some tea and buttered toast and a few After Eights, and are now witlessly watching '101 Dalmations' on your own. 
Dim recollections of alarm clocks and school uniforms begin to gather behind the temples, and you look around your shattered sitting room, and in to your kitchen, where the fairy lights, strung with Nigella-esque intentions at the beginning of December, now limply illuminate a clutter of dishes from last nights dinner (turkey stroganoff with the last of the roast parsnips), and Christmas cards that never quite made it to the artful display strung along the sitting room wall, are now silted up with the discarded toys from Christmas crackers, some left over wrapping paper, and a pair of reading glasses you have never seen before.
With a surprising stab of something like relief,  you realise that the time has come to bring New Year order to the Post Festive chaos. You jump in the shower, and come out bellowing the familiar war cry 'Black Bin Bags, and Plenty of Hot Water'.

Much as I adore Christmas, I equally relish the Great Clean Up of January 1st (or 2nd). Down come the tree and decorations, out comes the hoover, cloths, scrubbers, and hot soapy water. Drips of candle wax are chiselled off the mantelpiece, ropey Christmas drinks are returned to the cupboard (or discreetly emptied down the sink), furniture is pushed back into position, everyday crockery is returned to the kitchen dresser, and everything is given a wash or polish before being put back in its usual place. Christmas crockery (most of mine is from here,  with some of this for Christmas main course and cheese plates) is carefully stacked away until the first of December next year, always with a silent but heartfelt hope that we will all be here, and all be well next year to once again gather round the table. 
There are usually several trips to the Municipal Recycling Centre with paper and packaging (now there's a gold standard for knocking the last of the festive spirit out of a person). 

With Isaac's encouragement I have made a couple of New Year Resolutions for 2018: to go to my Yoga class faithfully, and get back to writing my blog. Isaac has a quietly insistent manner which is extremely effective in shaming you in to what you have always known you should be doing. He is so true and pure himself, that he brings up the standards of those around him. I mentioned Isaac, briefly in my last post, and for those kind enough to wonder how he is, he is now improving, thankfully, day by day.

I have other plans for the year too; we are planning a desperately needed but low cost refurb of our family sitting room. Our floor needs replaced, which will absorb much of our budget, so I will do what I can with regards to curtains, and cushions, and painting our shabby bookcases etc. I am in love with the  Farrow and Ball paint chart (the actual chart itself is beautiful, never mind the colours), and I am nervously viewing 'upcycling' tutorials on You Tube. I will post photographs of my progress  if I can bear to.

I have lots of quilting plans for 2018 too, and am currently saving hard for a new sewing machine. I adore mine, but it is rather small, and basic, and I would like a more robust model for the projects I have in mind.
In my never ending battle with clutter, I am going to try hard not to allow it to accumulate this year (so hard!), and have already culled my extensive collection of magazine back-numbers. Very hard to discard all those beautiful images and words into the recycling, but of course I feel better for having done it. I have now designated a shallow basket for magazines, which will be emptied on a monthly basis, rather than stacking back numbers for that mythical future day when I have time to re-read them. The fact that I have been subscribing to several magazines for almost thirty years and have never read a back number yet is something which my brain seems unable to compute.
I intend to resurrect the Cookery Calendar Challenge, and will restart that on 1st of February. I am toying with the idea of including cakes and bakes this time, as well as meals ( let me know if you think that is a good idea).

So ends my New Year ramble, thank you for sticking with it, and with me, during my lengthy absence last year. Like a convalescent patient, it is taking me a little time to find my feet again with the blog, but to paraphrase the great Nina Simone, it's a new year, and I am feeling good. (Here's Nina, saying it so much better than I).
 

teetering

What's going on?
My blog has been teetering on the brink of extinction in recent months....
My last Cookery Calendar Challenge did not materialise (though I am still cooking)
My quilt posts dried up (though I am still quilting)
My book posts failed to materialise (though I am still reading)
My seasonal posts have not been written (though I am still noting and enjoying the changing seasons)
My annual Dalmally Show post has never been composed (though it was a good year for prizes and cups)
My Christmas crafts and recipes have not been shared (though preparations are well underway)

 

Why?
The lure of Instagram (easy, colourful, quick, communicative)
The less you blog....the less you blog (losing the habit)
The difficulty of knowing how to restart (feeling mildly embarrassed)
The nagging question 'Do I still want to do this?' (still having doubts)
 

But....
The main reason I have not been around is a change in our lives which I have been focussed on adapting to, and it has taken time: Jacob has left home to go to University, and my little nest is half empty. One of my baby birds has flown, and is joyfully spreading his wings as a fledgling adult. A very large baby bird, at 6' 4" with size 12 feet, but my baby bird nevertheless.
This is, of course, what we bring our children up to do, and I am truly happy and proud that my dear boy is forging ahead with his characteristic single minded energy and commitment, calmly taking this new situation in his stride. He is loving university life, keeping in touch with us, and staying true to himself, and I can't ask for more than that.

 

However....
How to get used to the empty bedroom; the un-raided fridge, the clean bathroom, the lack of dirty dishes in the sitting room, the loft ladders no longer dominating our narrow hallway (Jacob had a man-cave in the loft, and I had grown used to daily negotiating my way past the wooden loft ladders).
How to get used to not seeing him, cuddling him, talking to him every day, going in to his room at night to say goodnight, tell him that I love him, and go to bed knowing my wee family was all under one roof.
In the end, it comes down to a hefty dose of self discipline. I haven't sent him to war, and I haven't sent him to sea, so I can cope, and I am coping, and will cope. 

I have also been very absorbed in supporting Isaac through some challenging health issues, which have been adversely affecting his well-being for a long time. We are now slowly - painfully slowly - moving forwards and hopefully life should begin to gradually (how I wish it were instantly) improve for my wonderful, creative, musical, sensitive, kind, funny, gentle boy.

So...
I have been busily assimilating the changed rhythms of home life for the last few months, and my familiar blogging subjects and themes have not felt a natural fit for what was happening, and how I was feeling.
My lead carnivore (Jacob) is eating his dinners elsewhere now, and we are eating differently at home because of this absence, hence no Cookery Calendar Challenge.
I have been sewing, and making quilts, but not taking photographs of them; it didn't seem important.
I have been reading, but not as much as I usually do.
I have been walking every day, but not taking my camera, or actively looking for 'good' photography subjects for the blog when out and about, as I previously would have.

The question is....
Is blogging still something I want to do? Is it still a happy fit with what I want to write about and can I truly write about what is currently important in my life without compromising privacy, or sounding mysterious; neither of which are acceptable?

And the answer...
I honestly don't know. I have been thinking about writing this post for several weeks, not sure what to say, or how to say it. I have been writing this blog fairly consistently since January 2014, and I guess it is natural that there will be fallow periods now and then. This evening, sitting at my desk beside the fire, the winter wind howling round the house, it feels pleasant to be writing again; rather like meeting an old friend, and realising that you have missed them.
I think there are things I would probably like to write about soon: I have a big pile of books waiting to be read, and several recommendations from recent reads. I have a Christmas quilt well underway. We are having a pre-Christmas brunch for family this weekend, and it would be nice to take photographs of the table, the food, the twinkling light from the candles. I will be planning my Christmas food gifts soon, and might make something new this year, and share the recipes....
Hmmm, I think my blog rehabilitation period may officially have begun.

 

 

(*photographs from family holiday in Northumberland this summer)

The Cookery Calendar Challenge- September

Welcome to the Cookery Calendar Challenge for September; running a little late this month, but just the same format as usual, which, if you would like to join the challenge this month, you will find on the Cookery Calendar Challenge page.

My chosen book for August was Nigel Slater's 'Real Food', a nice hardback copy bought for a song in our local branch of W.H. Smith.
Nigel Slater's writing is just fabulous, and it is for this flowing, gentle, insightful prose that I love his books. I have almost never cooked from any of the (many) Nigel Slater books I own, though I have read and been inspired by them all. His writing is poetic, but never pretentious. In Nigel Slater's books, it is ok to have a big, fat, baked potato for dinner, or a mushroom sandwich, or sausages.

Real Food is divided into chunky chapters; Potatoes; Chicken, Sausages, Garlic, Bread, Cheese, Ice Cream, and Chocolate.
In each chapter, Nigel introduces the main ingredient in his thoughtful, informal style, and then presents some suggestions, and recipes, to bring out the best in each. He advocates quality, sustainability, and provenance, but not in a hectoring fashion. He somehow inspires the reader to want to eat only the best quality produce that we can afford, and then do comparatively little to it.

In this vein, my first selected dish was baked potatoes.
I have a great fondness for baked potatoes, as they were always regarded as a winter treat when I was growing up. Not the potatoes themselves (not even in the north of Scotland, in the 1970's, was life that hard), but the baking of them. My parents ran a series of small fishing hotels in the highlands, so our ovens in the summer were used for preparing meals for the guests who stayed at the hotel. To take up oven space, and time, with some big fat spuds was not really an option in the summer. However, in the winter months, the gigantic Aga with its huge ovens was all ours, as was the massive kitchen table, which again, we couldn't really use in the summer , but in the winter months, it was this table we sat around, where did our homework, ate our meals, drew, read, argued and played with my baby brother in his high chair. During those winter months, we felt like a 'normal family', whatever our idea of that was, and Mum cooked us mince and tatties, or macaroni cheese, and lots of other homely dishes that we didn't eat in the summer. In the summer months, our dinners were a derivation of whatever was being served to the guests, or just a quick snack rustled from the larder.
In the cold winter months (and they really were cold), baked potatoes, fat, floury, roasting hot, with creamy white insides giving forth hissing clouds of steam when cut open, slathered in butter, lots of salt, and perhaps some grated cheese, made a perfect dinner.

My own dear family however, has never shared the same nostalgic feelings about baked potatoes, and there is an inevitable collective groan when they are presented for dinner.
Even with Nigel's encouraging words in my ear, the baked potato dinner was not seen in the 'enough's as good as a feast' category by the family, and as I didn't have Nigel's confidence, to serve simply with some tasty cheese and lots of butter and salt, I reverted to form, and over compensated for the plainness by providing, or rather over-providing, fillings, salads, toppings and relishes. Thus a simple, economical dinner, became a pricey, slightly wasteful dinner, with lots of little dribs and drabs of fillings left over. I bet if Nigel had been on spud duty my carnivores would have had a different attitude...

On to dish number two, and this time it was a simple roast chicken. I cook roast chicken quite a lot for the family, and this time I went for the best  (or almost the best, it was only a week night after all), and roasted it, served it with new potatoes, cut into chunks, and roasted red onions. It was rather a small chicken, as only Derek and Jacob were eating it. Being a veggie, I don't eat chicken, and Isaac doesn't really like chicken unless it is enjoying at least a nodding acquaintance with some breadcrumb coating.
I thought the little dish looked rather pretty and appetising, and the carnivores enjoyed it. I must confess I can never face retrieving every last morsel of meat from the bones of the chicken, so once the meal is over, the carcass is swiftly disposed of into the food waste bin. Though not a squeamish vegetarian, denuding a chicken carcass is beyond me.

I really like 'Real Food'. Like an inspiring teacher at school, who somehow teaches you without your ever noticing, Nigel helps you make the right decisions in the kitchen and cook with calm ease, which is what we all want on a week night when we just want to feed the family decent food with not too much fuss.

My chosen book for September is 'How I Cook' by Skye Gyngell. I picked up this lovely hardback in the charity shop recently, drawn to its pleasing size, the very charming photograph of slightly tarnished silver cutlery on the front, and the double ribbon marker. Yes I really am that shallow.

If you joined me last month, thank you. If you would like to join the challenge this month, this is what to do:

The challenge is simple: the first week of every month, select a cookery book from your shelf, and cook two new recipes from it. The recipes can be for any meal. Cakes and bakes are excluded, but puddings are included. Don't worry about photographs; if you haven't taken a photograph of the dish, post a photograph of the recipe book you used. Similarly, you are welcome to share a recipe if you wish, but there is no pressure to do so. This project is more about the process of reconnecting with your cookery book collection, than about recipe sharing or food photography. At the beginning of the following month, blog about the recipes you have used, and announce your chosen cookery book for the month ahead. This is an ongoing project, it's never too late to get involved, and everyone is very welcome.
I would appreciate a link back to this Cookery Calendar Challenge post in your post. Grab the Cookery Calendar Challenge badge to display on your blog too, if you like (just copy and paste the code on to your dashboard to display). You can also join via Instagram using hashtag #cookerycalendarchallenge (you will find me on Instagram @penny.homemadeheart ) 

An InLinkz Link-up

Cookery Calendar Challenge- August

 
Welcome to the Cookery Calendar Challenge for August.  If you would like to join the challenge this month, please take a quick look at the Cookery Calendar Challenge page, which will tell you everything you need to know.

My chosen recipe book for July was Hugh Fearnley-Whitingstall's  'Light and Easy'
Here it is lurking innocently amongst a pile of other recipe books on my (overcrowded) shelf.
 
This book is very 'worthy', as I suspected, but also rather jolly too, with beautiful end papers, and delightful colour pencil illustrations throughout. However I feel these little touches are there to sweeten the pill; make no mistake, Hugh is out to elucidate, educate, and generally bang the drum.
There are 9 chapters, from Breakfast through Baking, Meat, Salad and finally, Treats. There is a lengthy introduction, where Hugh explains that we are all eating too much wheat and dairy, and encourages the reader to think more widely about alternatives, and use his book as a resource for eating more healthily. So far, so laudable.


My first selected recipe was Green Bean, Tomato and Lentil Salad. Lots of my favourite ingredients in this one; I love puy lentils, and the squeak of green beans against my teeth never fails to bring pleasure.
For this recipe, puy lentils are simmered with bay leaf and garlic, then drained and tossed with oil and a little seasoning and set aside to cool.
The green beans are briefly cooked in boiling water, rinsed and set aside, and then combined with the lentils,  halved cherry tomatoes, olives, and a simple dressing is made with oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, mustard and seasoning.

Knowing my dear family as I do, I wouldn't dream of subjecting them to this legume and veg-heavy dish, and instead made it for lunch when a friend visited. It was full of texture and flavour, and made a filling meal when served with some crusty bread (oops, sorry about the extra wheat Hugh). As we are both vegetarian, we thoroughly enjoyed this lunch, and I was full up for several hours afterwards.

My second dish was Fish and Tomato curry; another easy and very flavourful dish. A brown onion is fried off in olive oil; ginger, garlic, curry paste and cinnamon are added, and fried a little, then the mixture is loosened off with passatta and coconut milk, and seasoned with salt, pepper and sugar.
The fish is cut into smallish pieces and cooks in the sauce. The curry is served with rice, and finished with a scattering of nigella seeds and a squeeze of lime juice. Very delicious and full of flavour; the carnivores enjoyed it and awarded it a single green tick (single green tick= nice, would eat again). Hugh's suggestion of 500g of white fish feeding 3-4 people was unrealistic for my hungry family, but doubling quantities was not a problem.

Overall, I find this book hard to criticise; the recipes are all full of flavour, and, as the title suggests, 'light and easy'. I just can't escape the uneasy feeling that I am being Food Hectored, and as I can't stand being told what to do by anyone, in any walk of life, I don't think that Hugh Fearnley-Whitingstall and I are ever really destined to get along in the kitchen.
...even though the recipes are good.
...even though all the advice is scientifically sound.
...even though Hugh is no doubt one of the most well-meaning people on the planet.
...even though I would probably lose two stones if I ate solely from this book for a month (actually, there's an idea...)
For the present, Hugh will stay on my kitchen shelf, but I secretly suspect that in a recipe book cull at some point in the near future, he will probably be heading for the local charity shop. Alternatively, I could try to act like a mature adult and cook some more from this book before I make up my mind.

My chosen recipe book for August is Nigel Slater's 'Real Food'. I own quite a few Nigel Slater books, but rarely cook from them, reading them more like food-novels than recipe books. This month should change that I hope.

If you joined me last month, thank you. If you would like to join the challenge this month, this is what to do:

The challenge is simple: the first week of every month, select a cookery book from your shelf, and cook two new recipes from it. The recipes can be for any meal. Cakes and bakes are excluded, but puddings are included. Don't worry about photographs; if you haven't taken a photograph of the dish, post a photograph of the recipe book you used. Similarly, you are welcome to share a recipe if you wish, but there is no pressure to do so. This project is more about the process of reconnecting with your cookery book collection, than about recipe sharing or food photography. At the beginning of the following month, blog about the recipes you have used, and announce your chosen cookery book for the month ahead. This is an ongoing project, it's never too late to get involved, and everyone is very welcome.
I would appreciate a link back to this Cookery Calendar Challenge post in your post. Grab the Cookery Calendar Challenge badge to display on your blog too, if you like (just copy and paste the code on to your dashboard to display). You can also join via Instagram using hashtag #cookerycalendarchallenge (you will find me on Instagram @penny.homemadeheart )

An InLinkz Link-up