Thank Heavens For James Martin

My mum was born in Bradford, so it has always irked me somewhat that I have trouble making Yorkshire Puddings.

 

 

Toad-in-the-hole ...nice sausages, shame about the stodge! Etc etc...

 

A 3-egg mix, Trex rather than cooking oil, (my bottle of aforementioned oil, oh, about 18 months out of date!), and these take my taste buds right back to being a kid and the Sunday Lunch.

 

2015? I'm cracking it already!

Zxx

PS James Martin is a Yorkshire man and a chef!



& Modern

 

Our Christmas pressie from one of Mr Bs' past "angels", Chlo-Ro.

 

A pretty bauble found last year at Homesense.

 

Ditto the owl; but I daren't take him out of his case to hang on the tree, so this year he's on the window sill.

 

So, Christmas Eve tomorrow. Nearly done everything. Fresh produce and turkey crown to get tomorrow and my fave stuffing to make - sausage meat, prune and sherry. Oh yummy!

And mustn't forget to whip up some brandy butter.

Then ...done!

 (Or, is that all done in?!)

Zxx 

 



Stir Up Sunday, er no, Mix It Monday

Oh my goodness; what a palaver!

 

 

Got Mr B to 'shake' the festive mix bag of fruit and nuts from Aldi for a mini version of Stir Up Sunday as I hadn't measured out the ingredients to make my Christmas cake yesterday.

 

 

It was a bit of a shame I hadn't checked my cupboards because come yesterday I only had about a third of the dried fruit that I needed!

Arrgh!

 

Had a look through my large recipe collection in the hope of finding something I could do to salvage what I had already measured out.

Step up a print-out from Kirstie & Phils' Chrimbo programme, which was along the lines of x amount of dried fruit of any type and so forth, so that I could get the wet/dry/fat mix OK.

A very large amount of cherries, the remains of the mixed peel, some old dried apricots and even older crystallised ginger and 'hey presto' enough mixture to make a cake!

 



 

This was the final piece of last years. It was the Marion Keyes recipe, which, although very nice, was much too sweet for me.

What's the betting that this years' cake is the best ever and I won't ever be able to replicate it???

 

Zxx

Holiday On A Plate

So, a week in Plymouth, been and gone. As always, much too quickly! Especially when I didn't get down there earlier in the year when the railway line has disappeared into the sea overnight at Dawlish!

 

 

Better weather than had been forecasted meant that a couple of these were consumed at the café on The Hoe at the end of our road.

 

 

This cute little fella was a logo maybe, on the alarm box of the building next to the café.

 I do like a penguin!

 

 

Freshly cooked haddock at the other end of the road.

 Bloody lovely!

 

 

Mr West Hoe Fryer himself in the black T-shirt. Always calls out 'Hello Ballet' when we come in! Which this week was three times!!!

 

More fish, this time smoked mackerel and spring onion doorsteps at The Boathouse, down at The Barbican. 

 

OMG! I wore a skirt! By the steps at The Barbican, from whence The Mayflower set sail.

 

 

Christmas lunch in a sandwich box, at the café in Dunelm. Going there was 'my treat' for the last 2-3 years, until I found out they had opened a store at home. It's good, but not the same and old habits die hard.

 

 

Sorry about the picture quality of these shots from The Walrus; dark interiors and the flash just about kills the colour, but you'll get the gist!

 

This was a proper roast beef Sunday lunch. Mr B got double mashed swede as I really don't like it, but the rest of the meal was perfect.

 



 Liver and bacon for a teatime meal. Again, totally yummy.

 

The pub has new owners and I wish them well. They deserve it!

And they have the pinkest ladies loos I have ever seen!

 

Thank goodness I tend to walk quite a lot when I am in Plymouth...otherwise I think I would have to be rolled all the way home to Northampton!

Zxx



I Was A Chiquito Virgin

Lucky for us there's a smorgasbord of places to eat at across the road from the hotel. We wandered over aiming for Frankie & Bennys'  but waivered and wandered into Chiquitos' instead.

 

I'm really not into 'exotic' cuisine and have never been here before.

I was not disappointed. 

yay...booze on the way

 Our server, Jade, was really helpful and a joy to talk to. A jug of Long Island Iced Tea was ordered...slurrrp!

 

I didn't stray into unknown territory and stuck to steak! Mr B had a burger with 'fajita' (?) vegetables. We stuffed ourselves with desserts too; a banana wrap-py thing and I had churros. OMG - I had a churro years ago when we were at Southsea Show or the like and loved it. Never seen them since! Which, is probably a good thing! I mean...how many calories???

 

They played fab music too. There was Gloria Estafan and the like but also some real 'old style' salsa music.

I did take classes some years back; how I didn't (a) get up and dance or (b) get massive indigestion I really don't know.

 Just a really lovely way to spend Mr Bs' night off on Saturday.

Zxx

A Grin Without A Cat

 Oh, hurrah!

still smiling

Managed to bite down so hard on my bite guard on Saturday night that I broke a piece off it! Which then entailed another visit to the dentist.

The original one was made by the Max-Fac dept at the hospital; but having phoned them they said to contact my own dentist.

I have no idea what flavour the crisps were...other than disgusting!

 It was so much more fun going with Mr B.

 Lunch at the Park Café.

He had plum tomato and basil soup...in a warm French bread roll and I had a Coronation chicken sarnie. Yummy!

 

 

Mr B photographed this little beauty.

 

She was buzzing around the pond where we see the 2 cats.

Only one this time...Marmite went into a rescue place as she was pregnant; after 24 hours labour she had 6 kittens, which sadly all died.

(Yes, I cried!).

 'Cat' as he seems to be called, (who's not the father, as he's been 'done'), was rehomed to a house a couple of roads away; then escaped and made his way back to the park!! But there is someone lined up to take him when the office closes in September, who comes in at 7am every morning to feed him a sachet, just to build up some rapport, so hopefully that'll work out fine. And I am so pleased to report that his mange has practically cleared up and his legs are much better too. Didn't get a photo yesterday, as he got all comfy on my lap and then he shot off when he heard the office door being unlocked, which equalled FOOD!



'Cat' on the left, Marmite on my lap



I do love a dental visit

And we get the chance to go back again next week to collect my new guard.
Oh, hurrah!
 (yippee)
Zxx

 



A Couple Of Old Toms

So pleased I spied this on the way out of one of the areas in Hopkinson21!

 

 

Even more pleased that Mr B bought him! He has a 'thing' for Tom & Jerry. He was tucked away in a dark spot behind an electric guitar in one of the units at this fab vintage shop.

But he looks so at home on the swing seat in our garden.

Sure he's smiling!

"Thomas!!!!!"

 

The other Tom is residing in the fridge.

A present for Mr B from one of his work colleagues from Buxton, when they were working there the other week.

"It's very strong" was all I got on asking him about it. He chose to try it there because the poster featured a tom cat logo!


Robinson's Old Tom



 



My 'Bloody Brigadoon' Moment

At a guess, most of you would have seen "Four Weddings and a Funeral"?

And you remember the bit at the Scottish wedding, where Simon Callow arrives in the room where everyone is dressed in tartan and dancing Scottish reels?

Well, I had 'that' moment the last night we were in Nottingham. Can you guess where I'm going?

Sitting in The Cross Keys, a very old pub, eating our very yummy dinner when who walks in but Robin Hood!

 

 It's Robin Hood, bloody Robin Hood!

(and a German camera crew) 



Yes, it's Robin Hood, just having a pint of ale

I nearly choked on my crayfish and avocado salad!

 

 

All tooled up and ready to go...

 

 

...robbing from the rich, to give to the poor 

  

All together now, you know what's coming...couldn't get this theme tune out of my head!
One of my greatest childhood programmes.
 

Ice Ice Baby

Continuing on the home made front...

 

 

The best dessert in the world (probably)

 

 

Strawberry ice cream.

 

Made in the second of my 'new birthday toys', an ice cream maker from Aldi.

Bloomin' lovely!

Z xx

A Bun In The Oven (edited version)

Well, technically a loaf.

 

 

In my new bread maker!

(from Aldi)
 



 

In a little over 3 hours I should, with luck, be tucking into homemade fresh bread.

Yum!

 

Will pop up a post on finished loaf later.

 *****

14:00 EDIT...now with added bun! 

Don't know what Picasa is playing at with my text - this is the 4th attempt. I give up!

So, here is my first loaf. Pretty good I'd say. This is the medium crust setting; I just used the Quick Start recipe. It tastes a bit 'yeasty' but that may be because I didn't stop to let it cool; I think it would be good with some added flavour and seeds/nuts etc.

But for my first attempt I am well chuffed.

 Zxx

Pearl Shots - the firework



 

This is what we found in our £4.99 bargain box from Aldi. I have written a 'Post for Pearl', but now I've found a firework too! 



 

 Me and Mr B had a little party for 2 with homemade potato salad and coleslaw.

 

 

Everyones' favourite...cheese and pineapple on sticks!

(Check out my groovy salad servers too!)

Carry on Camping beakers. (That's a pound, Mr Fiddler)

Plus the obligatory mini sausage rolls from Iceland.

 

Extra fireworks enjoyed via The Saints Rugby Ground! Hurrah!

Zxx



Oaty Goodness

 

My fave 'oaty ' recipe from Lucy at Attic 24.

(And check out all her beauteous creations and colour-loveliness while you're there)

 

 

With added almond slivers and coconut shavings. Which I toasted beforehand in a skillet. Makes them so much more tasty.

 

 

A rather solid slab of flapjack!

 

 

Could find my usual recipe, which, really, I should know by heart. So, I tried one from Anthea Turner's "The Perfect Christmas" (The most pretentious video ever...worth watching for the 'curl-up-with-embarrassment' factor, but quite a nice book really!); a bargain find at TK Maxx ages ago.

 

This had shredded coconut in which is okay but with no timings given it was a bit-play-it-by-ear; I think if I'd put it into 2 baking dishes rather than the 8" one suggested, making it thinner, it would've been so much nicer. But it won't go to waste...these are the only ways you'll get me to eat porridge oats, so it's a pretty good breakfast meal!

 

I've been rather unsociable blog-wise recently. Stinky cold-type thing and feeling as though I've fallen at the third hurdle of my CBT, so not been in the best of places since coming home.

 

But...cooking, at least that's a start!

Z xx

Mr B had to scoot off to work early this morning; before breakfast had officially 'opened', but managed to get an orange juice and a couple of croissants.

 

Cue a couple of hours later and I got myself down to breakkie. Hurrah! The waffle machine was working again! (It wasn't yesterday and broke the last time we stayed here too!)

I'd been on the look-out for this Real Techniques fine liner brush for a while; they didn't stock it in my local Boots. Found it in the big Boots up here yesterday. There was a 'buy one get one 1/2 price' offer on, so I also bought the new, just out, miracle complexion sponge too. It was the last one left on the rack. Not tried these shaped sponges before...am intrigued as to how well they work. Anyone tried them?

 

Mr B brought back their duo fibre brushes from Ulta, in the USA, before they were released here in the UK. I haven't used them much as I've been wearing mainly mineral powder base since he got them and I don't find them to my liking for that. Now we are moving towards colder weather, I shall be trying them out with liquid foundations and hope they are better with that.

I think if you are younger and only need lighter coverage of any type of foundation, you will find them really nice to use, but I need something a bit more heavy duty!

Some people have mentioned that the eye brush is scratchy, but I haven't noticed that with mine.

 

*****

 



 

They do an amazing Sunday Lunch deal at the Mal, but, only fancying a sarnie, I popped down to the restaurant to see if it was possible. Did I want it in the room? After getting a bit freaked out at breakfast because it was so busy, I opted for room service and this is what was delivered!

 

Not quite a sandwich, but so totally wonderful, all the same. It just isn't the same doing a small joint of roast beef for two as having a couple of slices off a huge joint.

And, of course, eating in the room meant 2 little kitties managed to share the yumminess too!

X xx