Looking Back to Spring Planting

Way back in October, on a gorgeous sunny day, I planted my Spring bulbs.

I was very excited, as I had a new tool which made it much easier.

All you have to do is stick it in the ground, to the depth required by whatever bulb you're planting, as above, then lift it out.

Then you pop the bulb in the hole you've just made...

...and release the earth from your tool (I don't know what it's called!) by squeezing the sides of the handle together.

Simple...until you cut one of your bulbs in half by plunging your tool into a piece of earth with a bulb already in it.  I solved this problem by drawing a circle, marking the place where I put my first bulb, then working around the circle...clever, me!

I have to digress here and say that I was thrilled to bits, when planting my Sprng bulbs, to note that my Colour-magic Geraniums, my Salvia and my Nicotiana, which I'd grown from seed over the Summer and then planted out, were all alive and well (albeit nibbled by slugs, in the case of the Nicotiana).

I hope they survive the Winter...and speaking of which, guess what I saw yesterday?  Snow receeding and bulbs poking their little heads out of the frozen earth...it did my heart good.

Weight Watchers: the Twenty-sixth Week

Sigh.  These are trying times...snow and a meeting in York meant that I did NO exercise at all last week (well, apart from a ten-mile walk on Saturday, but it's still al lot less than I'm used to).  I did manage to weigh in at 9st 0lbs which is my goal weight, but I think that this was an anomalous result resulting from weighing in before I ate lunch, which I don't usually do.  So I have pended any celebrations until this week's weigh in which I'll do after lunch as usual.

However, there are better times ahead...the sun has shining and the snow is thawing!  I'm looking forward to being on my bike tomorrow, and it's not long 'til Thursday when hopefully there will be celebrations...fingers crossed!

BBC Good Food Recipe Review: Thai Pork and Peanut Curry

I fancied a change this week, and I had a nice piece of Tesco Finest pork fillet in the freezer which I'd picked up from the reduced section the other week, so this recipe was perfect for bringing a bit of Eastern exoticism to my mid-Winter menu. 

With the advantage of being, essentially, an exotic stew.  And as you know, stews are my kind of cooking. 

First, the tweaks.  Naturally, I added some more vegetables - as well as being a bit addicted to vegetables this is a good Weight Watchers trick to reduce the number of points in a recipe (the vegetables bulk whatever you're making out, so the same number of points are spread over more portions, thus reducing the number of points in each portion).  The recipe said baby corm it, so I picked up one of those packs of baby carrots and green beans and added them at the same time as the recipe said to add the baby corn.  I steamed the carrots for 20 minutes first so they weren't hard in the final dish.  I also reduced the amount of peanut butter to reduce the number of Weight Watchers points.  The recipe said 4 tablespoons, I used 6 teaspoons (which is half of 4 tablespoons).  I was a little concerned that the final dish wouldn't taste peanutty but I can testify that it tasted WONDERFULLY peanutty. 

In fact, I should say at this point that I LOVED this dish.  It's incredibly easy and absolutely delicious - it tastes really exotic and exciting and so gorgeous that I scraped the pan out with a spatula and ate every bit of the sauce after I'd finished portioning it out into freezer tubs.  There are top notes of coriander, lime and peanut, sweetness from the coconut milk and sugar and a beautiful deep warmth from the curry paste.  Speaking of freezer tubs, the recipe is specifically for freezing, and I would say that if you're making it to eat straight away, don't add the half a tin of water after the coconut milk.  But do if you're freezing, as freezing and thawing seems to reduce the sauce, which is a good thing as it intensifies the flavour.

Next, the recipe - as I say, incredibly easy.  The first step was to fry coriander stalks and spring onions in a couple of teaspoons of oil - I used sunflower.  They looked and smelt so fresh and pretty!

Then everything else went in, and it cooked for 15 minutes or so.

Easy as anything!

 

Weight Watchers: the Twenty-fifth Week

I predicted a weight loss of 1lb this week.  There were three reasons for this.  Firstly, I ate more extravagant meals than usual.  There was my splendiferous Congregation treat, a Sunday dinner featuring this delicious butter-and-cheese laden dish, the office post-Christmas lunch (a pasta treat, courtesy of the venerable De Medici's in Durham) and a lunch with a friend in one of the Colleges - a rather good aubergine and butternut squash curry which I was impressed by.  Secondly, due to the snow, I've done hardly any exercise (although I did manage to get to a really good Body Tone class).  Thirdly, we've had sub-zero-temperatures this week and they've made me hungry!   Noticeably more hungry than usual, although given the fact that I spend most of my time sitting in a centrally headed house or office I couldn't really eat any more than usual (unfortunately).  Anyway, I was right!  9st 2lbs - only 2lbs to go 'til goal weight!

Snow...

...snow antidote: porridge with maple syrup, kiwi fruit, blueberries and pomegranate seeds!

Winter in the Garden

The world looks like this at the moment.

This is the road between Littletown and the next village.

But in the garden the birds need feeding more than ever...

...and under the snow the winter jasmine is flowering.

BBC Good Food Recipe Review: Baked Rabbit and Chorizo Rice

One of my many brilliant Christmas presents was a subscription to BBC Good Food magazine (from my Dad).  I use the website an awful lot, and getting the magazine is even better.  For a start, it's like getting a Christmas present every month, and it gives you an excuse to try out lovely new, seasonal recipes every month.  I've already tried out three recipes from the January issue but this is the only one I took photos of: Baked Rabbit and Chorizo Rice.

Now, the first thing I have to say is that I tweaked this recipe.  These days I always tweak recipes...I think it's part of getting more confident in the kitchen, and it's also fun.  My first tweak, however, was one I'd rather not have made, and it was that I substituted chicken drumsticks and thighs for rabbit.  This wasn't out of preference, as I love cooking with game, and would always choose it over farmed meat.  I find it tastier, it's very lean and the animal has led a natural life in the wild.  However, Tesco's didn't oblige, and as it was New Year's Eve I couldn't face trekking into town to visit Teesdale Game and Poultry in the Indoor Market (actually well worth a visit on any other occasion).  My second tweak was a matter of preference: I added three peppers to the recipe.  It just didn't have enough vegetables for me.  I think that the peppers really improved the dish - they upped the Spanish flavour and also set off the richness of the chorizo nicely. 

The first stage of this very easy recipe was to marinate the meat in olive oil, white wine and thyme.  I was very happy to use thyme from my garden, which I'd grown myself from seed.

The second stage was to fry everything up in a big pot and the final stage was to add stock and simmer for a couple of hours -  my kind of cooking!  The addition of saffron with the stock was an important part of the finished dish, as it gave a really exotic taste and a lovely depth.  There was just one final tweak - the recipe said to add the frozen peas and stir just before serving, but I cooked them for five minutes or so - didn't fancy raw peas in the final dish!

In conclusion I would really recommend this recipe - it was very easy, but tasted as if it was difficult.  The peas, tomatoes and saffron gave it a lovely colour, and the oil in the chorizo gave it that lovely red sheen.  It was a real party dish - we had it on New Year's Eve and it felt really celebratory and exotic. 

Weight Watchers: the Twenty-fourth Week

9st 3lbs!  And VERY pleased about it - that's what I was at the start of December before my various festive holidays and celebrations started.  It's not taken long at all to get back on track after my indulgences (which I have to reiterate were absolutely wonderful and worth every point!).  I was helping out at Congregation on weigh-day, which was a very happy coincidence.  Congregation - graduation - is my favourite event of the academic year, not least because if you help out you get free food from the Cathedral Cafe.  I don't think there's anywhere else in Durham - apart from at home - where you can get such good, solid home-made food, and I would strongly recommend it to anyone visiting Durham, particularly on a cold Winter's day.  Having found out that I'd lost three pounds I promptly celebrated by treating myself to pork casserole with sage dumplings and chocolate and date cake.  And both were AMAZING.  The pork casserole was tasty and hearty and the dumplings were just unbelievable - slightly crunchy on top from being cooked in the oven, fluffy on the inside, as light as a feather and so, so tasty.  Words fail me.  The chocolate cake was very good too.  Chocolate cake in cafes can often be dry, even when it's homemade, and it can also be too sickly-sweet.  The dates and a taste of cinammon in this one gave it a lovely depth, and made the very sweet and very choclatey icing welcome rather than too much, and I suspect it was made with yoghurt as it was very moist.  Full marks!

I'm pleased with the exercise I've done this week too.  The first full week back at work has been really tiring - and we think there's something wrong with our lights, as a lot of us are getting bad headaches - so I've taken it a bit easy, but to say how tired I've been I've done a lot, if that makes sense.  I'm most pleased that I ran 5K on Sunday - I'm loving running at the moment.  I also went to one Body Tone class which was a real achievement (and I'm still stiff and sore so it must have been effective!).  Two a week is a bit ambitious at the moment but definitely something I'm going to work towards.  Onwards and upwards!

Picture is from here.

Weight Watchers: the Twenty-second and Twenty-third Weeks

Well, I am very pleased with myself.  I ate exactly what I wanted on the 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th and 29th (and I wanted a LOT of chocolate, wine, pre-dinner nibbles and puddings!) and then went back to my normal routine.  When I weighed in on returning home on the 29th I was 9st 7lbs and when I weighed in this Thursday I was 9st 6lbs.  Result!

Here are my fitness goals for 2013: get to goal weight, go to two Body Tone classes a week (I did one not long before Christmas and loved it), train for a 10k (maybe...haven't decided yet, but will definitely keep running 'cos I'm really enjoying it).  Bring it on!

Christmas 2012

I have had the most delightful of Christmasses.  There were beautiful cards and lovely, thoughtful and generous pressies from friends and family...

...beautiful flowers from my godson William (and his Mummy and Daddy)...

...festive wearing of hats...

...MUCH eating, drinking and being merry at Mum and Dad's...

...adventures in cooking on the Rayburn (which is hiding just out of the picture)...



...and much much relaxation - I do have some photos of me, my Mum and my Dad all enjoying coffee and delicious biscotti baked by my lovely friend Jen in our dressing gowns at 11.45am but in the interests of decency I have not posted these!

I also went on some lovely walks with Alastair, went for a few runs, enjoyed time with Alastair's mam and step-dad and generally had a wonderful time - I couldn't have asked for a better Christmas!  Merry Christmas everyone, and a Happy New Year!