Happy New
Year to you all. Hope you intend to have
a fab 2017 in the kitchen and maybe the garden if you have one, although a few
pots on a window sill would suffice :-D
We started
the New Year with an old friend coming for dinner so no cooking for me again as
it was Sunday! Roast duck stuffed with clementines and a couple of halved lemons plus a bouquet
garni which made the gravy have a hint of citrus to cut through the meat. Roast tatties, carrots, broccoli from the
garden, leeks also from garden in cheese sauce and a red cabbage cooked in
apple juice and raisins. Yum!
To be honest
I’m getting rather sick of all the leftovers now and, as I don’t eat much meat
normally, I’m also getting a bit sick of meat so beginning to crave fish and veggie food, haha. So Monday was going
to be, hopefully, the last whack it all together leftover meal. In this case I
added together the remaining mashed potato from Saturday’s fish pie with the
leeks in cheese sauce and the odd bits of leftover cooked carrots and broccoli from
yesterday and heated it through in the oven until bubbling; this was served with
cold cooked ham and the remaining duck and a choice of pickles. Even after that I’ve still got cold ham left,
but, at least, it can be used up in sandwiches.
Tuesday I awoke with a chronic
stomach ache and a rash on my elbow which normally indicates I’ve eaten gluten (would
also account for stomach ache) but unless the gravy had had flour added or
stock granules which partner swears he didn’t do or the so called gluten free
crackers weren’t as gluten free as they indicated I can’t think of where the
suspicious gluten has come from. Oh well
I suffered for the day and did a much more ‘normal’ dinner of frozen bought
pies for them with mashed potato and celeriac with peas on the side and the
gravy from Sunday as there is never enough gravy in the pies. Stomach felt even more swollen afterwards
even though I, obviously, didn’t have pie, but I did pour gravy over the mash
and peas. Hmmmm, me thinks partner may be
telling a porky which I’m not too happy about, but if he does ever admit to it
it’ll be ‘but it was only a tiny bit to thicken it up’. Not the point mate. Anyway, son came down and was ecstatic to have
a ‘normal’ meal and even stated that it looked yummy!!! I have to admit, I’m definitely now craving
veg and salad and soup even more.
Luckily I’d had the aforethought to
order some sustainable trout for Wednesday night and after the past week of rich
food and leftover mishmashes I can safely say that the trout was very much
appreciated and not just by me. I wrapped it in foil with a bed of onions and a
cover of lemon slices and dill seed and then cooked in the oven for about
15mins. Was rather proud of myself as I
managed to debone the fillets of the pin bones so no-one got any; I think I can safely say that my knife
skills are obviously improving. Did a stir
fry of mushrooms, courgette, carrot, ginger, red pepper and a handful of salad
leaves plus a sorry looking and lonely Little Gem lettuce was finely sliced and
whacked in with some lime juice and tamari for flavour; the whole lot was
served up with noodles for the boys ( I just had the veg and trout). Yum!!
And my stomach is now singing songs of light and healthy food again.
Thursday was back to work so slow
cooker was back in business with a chickpea and root vegetable curry which
served us three nicely and gave me a small bowlful left for Friday so I didn’t pig out on chips which is normal Friday fare as Friday is the first day of
partner cooking. I do have to admit,
however, that his chips are homemade and he’s got the crispy chips down to a
fine art. I can never be bothered to do
chips from scratch so if I ever feel the need to do them they are frozen oven
ones which are nowhere near as nice, but a damn sight easier.
Weekend has been his shepherd’s pie
and another roast dinner as he never feels like it’s a Sunday unless there is a
roast, even in summer which I hate.
Plus we celebrated Twelfth Night by going
to a Wassailing Event at our local fort, so plenty of Morris Dancing to watch, a
Mummer’s play, storytelling, cannons being fired and raising of glasses of
cider with a shout of ‘Wassail, Drink Hail’ and a bumping into old friends.
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'Wassail; Drink Hail' |
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