Making Good Use

Home Cooking

P is away for a couple of days at a law conference in Wales so I've taken the opportunity to cook myself one of my favourite meals of all time.  It's a very simple dish that consists of layers of mashed potato, hard-boiled egg and fresh sliced tomatoes in a cheese sauce. It doesn't have a name that I'm aware of but it was something that Mum used to cook for us when we were younger and I've always loved it.  There is something of the 'nursery food' about it but it is extremely tasty, cheap to make and is very comforting to eat.  Sadly, P thinks its revolting - hence why I have to wait until he is away to cook it. 

It worked out very well for me today as I happened to have all the ingredients to hand anyway and it gave me a good opportunity to use up a fairly substantial amount of sprouting potatoes - and that's despite keeping them out of the light in a black cotton bag.  Once I'd cut out all the sprouting bits and peeled them they looked fine and the ensuing large amount of peelings went into the compost bin anyway. 

As it was such a favourite dish of mine as a child it got me thinking about the other foods I used to love when I was younger - and rarely eat now.  My Mum was, and still is, a fantastic cook.  There's something about her cooking that is just far more tasty than anything I ever seem to produce.  I know she also used to make us fish cakes with a fresh tomato sauce over them and I have tried to make fish cakes myself but they never seem to be as nice.  As for the fresh sieved tomato sauce, I have to confess I've never tried doing that - it seems a bit too much like hard work to me - so I stick with the Heinz (or Aldi's equivalent) ketchup.  Her Sunday roasts were so nice - I don't think I've ever had crackling to beat what I used to get at home.  And when we had roast beef the dripping was stored in a cup in the fridge and we'd then have that on bread with tons of black pepper for tea - absolutely yum.

We often had vanilla ice cream to follow with a dark chocolate sauce.  This sauce was made from melted down Bourneville dark chocolate and was soooo nice - it used to form a really hard shell around the ice cream that I loved to crack with my spoon.  When the 'exotic' Arctic Roll came out in the early 1970's we sometimes had that for Sunday dessert with a homemade toffee sauce.  Oh my goodness but that toffee sauce was gorgeous.

Even simple things like tomato sandwiches were much more tasty when made by my Mum - why is it that Mum's just have that ability to make all food taste wonderful? 

I'd love to hear what your favourite dishes were as a child?

Probably Summer's Last Hurrah

Today the temperatures here are forecast to get into the high-20s (26 / 27 degrees) and already, before noon, it's pretty darn hot in the garden.  Naturally, I'm in tune with it being so hot today and have started knitting myself a new scarf for the winter and we've got a warming chicken casserole for our evening meal!!  Hmm, that's not very well organised now is it?  Luckily, the really warm temperatures are only forecast for today with tomorrow onwards being a much more seasonal 21 / 22 degrees.  I suspect today will be probably be this summer's last hurrah.

I know many parts of the UK have had yet another mediocre summer (and that's a typical British understatement,) with a lot of rain and low temperatures, so I'll just whisper this - here in SE Essex we've actually had quite a good summer.  We only had a couple of days where the mercury was above 30 (which is a blessed relief for me) but really for the past few months the temperatures have been around the 22 / 24 mark - just nice - with little rain and a fair amount of sunny blue skies.  And in the summer, in the UK, who can ask for better than that?

Years ago I loved the sun and the hotter the weather the more I loved it.  I still have the fondest memories of the summer of 1976 where the temperature rarely got below 30 for two months or more.  Then it was my idea of heaven, now it would be my idea of hell.  Of course, in 1976 I'd just turned 16, just finished my 'O' Levels and had nothing better to do all day than lie in the sun getting the best tan I have ever had in my life.  Funny how our tastes change as we get older and we have to do an awful lot more every day!

And still the plums are hanging in their droves from the plum tree.  I packed two large Kilner jars with plums preserved in port at the weekend and am seriously considering whether to make yet more plum jam (although a shortage of jam jars is hindering this plan a tad.)   I'll start picking more plums again tomorrow and see how many I can distribute between the neighbours before I decide what'll be the best course of action.  I certainly don't want to waste such a wonderful crop.

Thrifted Pillowcases

At the car boot sale yesterday there were a couple of young studenty-types who had masses and masses of not-quite-vintage but definitely-not-recently-manufactured pillowcases, still pristine in their wrappers.  It transpired (from a bit of judicious eaves-dropping on my part) that they were selling off a lot of one of their grandmother's things. 

There were tons of bits and bobs and I bought two aprons on my first visit to their stall.  I did a further circuit of the car boot sale but the lure of those still-packaged pillowcases kept calling to me.  Eventually I went back and had another rummage through their stuff.  In the end I only bought two lots of pillowcases as most of them were 'vintage' Woolworths circa 1980 and were heavy on the polyester content.

This first pair I bought with the idea of actually using them on the bed as I really liked their cheerful, folksy, blue and white faux cross-stitch pattern.  However, when I unpacked them I realised the fabric was a bit too 'harsh' for my liking so these two are destined to be made into a couple of pillowcase totes.

The second pair, which are older, boxed and pure cotton, I bought for selling on ebay.  However, having had a look at what such pretty pillowcases fetch on ebay (not very much), I've decided to hang onto them and use those on the bed instead.  They're really fresh and pretty looking with embroidered edges and a fine crochet border as well. 

Of course, now I'm kicking myself and wishing I'd bought a lot more of the pillowcases (they were only 50p each) and I could have made a lot more pillowcase totes from those as well!!  He (or she) who hesitates, etc etc.

Random Musings

Lots of random thoughts today - and none of it relates to anything else at all really.

- Very pleased I decided to price up the Rooibos tea-bags in the health food shop before I went into Somerfield as they were £4.29 for 80 in the health food shop and only £2.00 in Somerfield.  Granted the Somerfield ones were by Tetley and not the beautifully and nostalgically packaged 'Tick Tock Tea' but at less than half price the Tetley ones won hands down.

- Actually found some 'roadkill money' again today (must be the first time since about February).  A whole 1p.  That brings my running total for this year to 5p!!

- The evening meal will be salad again today.  Salad that consists of home-grown salad leaves, home-grown cucumber and home-grown tomatoes - delicious.  I want to use up the salad leaves still in pots ASAP as I don't want any left outside when the first frosts arrive.  It was so nippy yesterday evening I fear a frost could be much sooner than expected. 

Flushed with my growing success this year I'm already hatching plans about what to grow next summer and, more importantly, what containers I can grow the stuff in.  I know there is an old metal bucket and a manky old aluminium jam pan in the shed, both of which will look great as planters next summer.  I'll just have to ask my next-door neighbour if he'd mind drilling a few holes in the bottom of each one with his power drill, otherwise any crops could get a bit water-logged.

- I'm wondering about trying to bottle the rest of the plums in a Kilner jar - well soused in port.  Anyone got any experience of bottling fruit in alcohol?  It's just a thought at the moment but the idea of some really nice boozy plums in the depths of winter quite appeals.

- Having made a reasonable job of hemming a pair of P's suit trousers (and, no doubt, saving a few ££s into the bargain), I've now been given another pair to mend - this time one of the leg seams has come apart!!  Exactly how energetic does it get working in an office each day?  And whilst on a roll with making do and mending, I'd better get one of my pairs of jeans mended too.  Inexplicably one of the seams near the zip has completely come apart - lord knows how / when that happened.

- And if you're wondering about the Union Jack photo at the top of the post, it's part of a Queen's Coronation head scarf I bought for 50p in the charity shop the other day.  I was hoping to re-sell it on ebay but on closer inspection the scarf is a bit moth-eaten, so now I'm thinking perhaps I can do something with the Union Jack bits as Union Jack motifs seem to be very popular at the moment. 

Irritations

Today has been one of those days that is filled with -thankfully minor - irritations.  It started off with a problem with the remote control on the TV, I couldn't switch the telly off.  So, I had to heave my pyjama'd self off the settee and actually switch the flippin' thing off manually.  I mean, really!!  Then I worried about being able to switch it on again so I fiddled around, switched it on to BBC1 and switched if off again at the set.  Ah, I thought, sorted for lunchtime viewing whilst eating my lunch.  Wrong!!  The TV switched on alright at lunchtime but there was no sound (well, only through the headphones) and the remote control refused to work anything at all.  B*ggerations!  I felt a right prat eating my lunch wearing HUGE headphones.  I fear I know where the problem arose - yesterday evening P was heard muttering about sticky remote controls (that'll be me and the plum jam no doubt) and disappeared into the kitchen to clean it.  I suspect rather too much water was used and the remote is now water-logged.  Hopefully, he can sort it when he gets home.

So a bit later on I thought I'd just log on to the internet and see what was happening in blogland.  Now I wasn't totally surprised to find the internet wouldn't connect as I'd seen a few Virgin Media vans parked in the road and had an idea they were fiddling with the telephone junction-box thingy at the end of the road.  So out I go in the pouring rain to ask if what they were doing could be having any affect on my internet access.  The answer, of course, was an emphatic 'no.'  Oddly enough, when they'd disappeared about an hour later the internet miraculously started working again - hmm, what a coincidence.

Having sold two books on Amazon yesterday (it's a red-letter event just to sell one these days so I was very pleased) I had to go to the post office to post them off.  Whilst I'm at it, I thought, I'll pop one pair of P's suit trousers into the dry cleaners for mending as the hem has totally come down on one leg (what does that man do during his working hours?)  Naturellement, the dry cleaners / menders is closed for two weeks for their annual holiday.  How selfish can you get, taking a holiday when there is an urgent repair needed on work trousers?!  It serves me right really as I'm quite capable of sewing up the hem myself, I just didn't fancy doing it, now I'm going to have to.  But I'll wait until the light is a bit better than it is today - excuses, excuses!

On a more positive note, I've just made a second batch of plum jam which seemed to go alright.  Finger's crossed it'll be as tasty as the first lot.

And Another Bargain Bag

I found another great bag at a bargain price at the car boot sale on Sunday.  This time a much smaller and more upmarket one.

For one whole English pound I got this rather nice Boden bag.  It's not huge but it is a good size for fitting in quite a few bits and bobs (I never seem to be able to travel light these days.)  It was the Liberty-style floral print that first drew my eye to the bag and I was very pleased when I saw the 'Boden' label inside as their products are lovely quality.  I'm not sure if the handles are leather or not but they've got a nice 'feel' when you hold them whatever they're made from.  I got a few other bits and pieces at the boot sale too - 20p shower gel for me, a few 'Ben 10' tops for my nephew and even a couple of bits and bobs for my sister - but it was the bag which was really my find of the day and I came away feeling very pleased with myself.

Little Things

A couple of very small projects have been completed recently.  First up, a little cloth pouch for P to keep his tie in on the way to and from work.  He has to wear a shirt and tie (and a suit) for his work but hates the tie and only puts it on just before he gets to work and takes it off again immediately he leaves.  For the past few years he's been putting his ties in a very manky old carrier bag in his briefcase but now he's got a custom made little pouch to keep them in.

Made from an offcut of denim which I've had so long that I've no idea where it came from, fastened with some of the trim I bought earlier in the year

and lined with a bit of the check shirt from the charity shop which turned out to be too frayed on the collar and cuffs to wear.  It's not the neatest sewing job I've ever done - I had a bit of trouble with the trim - but it's definitely an improvement on a ratty old Boots carrier bag.  P seems to like it anyway.

And for myself, there was the addition of a couple of buttons to a very plain black top.  The top was one of a few I got for 50p each at the car boot sale a couple of months ago but which I hadn't worn because the fabric was a bit too thick when the weather was really warm.  Things have cooled down a tad now and I really like the style of the top - nice and long over jeans - but the funereal black was a bit too much for me so I added a couple of flower-shaped buttons to the pockets. 

I know they're only a tiny detail but they seem to alleviate the tedium of plain black just nicely, and the colour goes well with the washed-out charity shop jeans I wear this top with.

Jam

Yesterday, I finally bit the bullet and got to it with making some plum jam.  Thanks to my Mum giving me LOTS of help via the 'phone I found it quite an easy thing to do and was really really pleased with the results.  4.4 lbs of fruit and 4.4 lbs of sugar (pesky stuff is in 1kg packets so I had to slightly metricate my imperial measurements) gave me eight jars of jam.  I think six of the jars are 1 lb jars and two of them are 12 oz ones.  There was also a bit of jam left in the pan so I filled a small jar as the 'tester' pot.  It was lovely this morning on fresh baked bread for breakfast.

Now I've just got to write some labels for the jars in my bestest handwriting (I tried to print the darned things on the computer and couldn't find the correct label size!!) and then I reckon there are still enough plums on the tree to make at least another eight jars of jam - yum!

Big Bag - Small Price

Amid the flurry of toy buying at last Sunday's car boot, I did manage to find a few bargains for myself, including this ginormous waterproof bag.

It's a huge great brute measuring 21 inches high, 12 inches wide and 10 inches deep.  It's got a good deep zipped pocket on the front and a smaller purse-type bag inside which is attached to the main bag by a clip and cord - useful for locating it in the depths of this giant.  The orange and pink stripes are really bright and zingy and I can imagine the bag getting a lot of use on wet autumn days (which, very sadly, are not too far away I guess.)   The price - the tiny sum of 20p.  I was very pleased.  Although not quite as pleased as my Mum was yesterday when she found one of these bucket bags by Cath Kidston in a charity shop.  OK, it did cost her a tad more than my 20p but it was still a fabulous bargain. 

Staycation

I may have not been away from home but I've had a lovely week with my nephew and my sister, doing all sorts of things that I never normally do when I'm not having a 'staycation'.  The sun has shone pretty much all the time and we're all A LOT browner than we were last Thursday (thank heavens for the extremely ancient bottle of sun-tan lotion found in the bathroom cabinet otherwise there would have been some very nasty sunburn!)

There have been visits to the seaside, to amusement arcades, to the local swimming pool and 'Adventure Island'.  Lots of sandwiches eaten at lunchtimes, ice creams, a barbecue and a lovely evening meal at a country pub.

The mini goalpost in the garden proved an enormous success with both six-year-old nephew and somewhat older Uncle P, as did the 75p foam swords from Somerfield.  The £2.00 scooter from the local car boot sale also turned out to be a wonderful buy - despite the fact that the handle-bars refused to budge from their lowest position.

My sister has gone back home with a 'new' pair of sandals that I'd had put away in a box for at least ten years - nice to know someone can finally get to wear them, and a suitcase full of DN's 'new' toys from the car boot sale.  For a boy who was adamant he didn't want to get up and go there on Sunday morning he certainly managed to come home with an awful lot of new 'stuff.'

Yup, when the sun is shining and you've got such great company to enjoy things with, you sure can't beat a 'staycation.'