A YEAR IN PHOTOS, 2015 - WEEK 1

For the past 5 years I have done Project 365, taking a photo a day as a way of documenting my life and using it as a way of trying to improve my photography. But I never found a way of sharing these. The plan to print photos for each year and to make them into a book never happened and over the past couple of years I got out of the habit of organising the downloads into files.  It has now become a mammoth task and as I felt overwhelmed and did not want to add to this dilemma I decided not to continue Project 365 this year. 

But there was also reluctance to stop, as this collection of photos are something I value and enjoy.  What to do??!  Then I came across Joy's post. She has decided to share a weekly round up of her daily photos.

And I thought 'What a great idea!' 

I never stopped the routine of taking daily photos but more recently
the photos lacked sparkle, it became a mundane routine. I wanted a sense of purpose, to DO with them once I'd taken them! I still plan to print the photos and to make year books, and maybe this will motivate me enough to organise my computer downloads into albums and to do that.  At the very least it will encourage me to organise my photos on a regular basis and to stop these adding to my list of 'things to do'.  So I am looking forward rather than backwards and plan to share a weekly round up of my 2015 photos starting here:


Day 1.  HAPPY NEW YEAR!!  We usually celebrate with Jules Holland on TV and this year was no different.

Day 2.  I have started the year by walking each day.  The berries on the hedge attracted a large flock of redwings and I saw them two consecutive days, sadly they were gone after that.

 
Day 3.  Today it rained.  I didn't want to carry my camera so I took photos on my mobile phone, the poor light and rain made it difficult. I had barely noticed this stream other times as it is barely a trickle. Not this time, good thing I wore my wellies and good waterproofing.  

 

Day 4.  While recovering from a virus I have spent lots of time watching art journal video tutorials.  Today I decided to make a couple of journals using canvas for the cover and watercolour paper for the pages. One for me and one for a friend.

Day 5. I spent the day with friends, each with our silhouette cameos and lap tops set up so that we could share ideas and learn together.  At one time I would have taken a photo of us to record the day - the fact I didn't makes me realise that Project 365 has stopped playing such a focus in my life.  Time to change that!  I will start to look afresh at photo opportunities because I remember how much I used to enjoy looking at things from that perspective.
I did however take a photo of a book binding.  I liked how this is constructed and will be using this idea.

Day 6.  One of the things I did on my silhouette yesterday was to design the text for an anniversary card.  I love making my own designs rather than downloading ready made files, and I made this by writing the words into a frame. I angled each letter individually so there was slight overlap and then 'welded' them so they would be attached. After cutting the frame I put it onto a background and outlined each letter in pen. Card made! 



Day 7.  I love cooking and trying new recipes and this Moroccan style fish is from one of my favourite chefs, Nigel Slater.  The cod loin was marinated in lemon juice, olive oil and spices, then coated in flour and gently fried.  Mmmm... we'll be having that again as it was quick and simple but delicious!  

So that's my first week in photos.  Thanks to Joy for inspiring me and I look forward to sharing more next week.
Have you any routines or ideas you are trying or putting back into place? Do let me know!

IT'S DOUGH EASY!!!

I once used to make my own bread but recent attempts have failed leaving me disheartened.  So when I saw a local class I booked up and this morning I had a wonderful time!  The class was run by Ann Hood who some of you might know from the tv Masterchef programme. Her relaxed style made every one feel at ease and I knew from the outset that I was going to have fun!

 
I wasn't quite sure how we would make bread in the 2.5 hrs that we were there... in my experience just the making can take that long without baking time! But I was told we would be making traditional bread, brioche, focaccia and walnut bread. Really?! Now that sounded even more of a challenge!!  But guess what?  We didn't just make one type of each, we made:
 
Traditional bread
Garlic tear 'n share
Bread sticks (3 varieties) some rolled in lemon zest - some with seseame seeds - some brushed with honey & sprinkled with pieces of walnut
Foccacia with finely chopped rosemary added to the dough for flavour and after baking brushed with olive oil, topped with cracked pepper, sea salt, and more finely chopped rosemary
Small rolls flavoured with chill flakes and brushed with crushed ginger infused in oil
Walnut bread which we dipped into a coffee sauce (try it before you knock it!!)
and
Brioche - individual chocolate chip ones with a chocolate sauce - and a plaited orange zest loaf
We also made a Balsamic and Oil dip to go with the bread sticks and the chocolate and coffee sauces.

Who would have thought this was possible in the time given?! 
But it was.....

 

 

And not only that... I also learnt so many tips and techniques! I now know that I can freeze fresh chilli's and ginger and use them as I need. I know about flour and yeast, how to get crusty bread and more importantly a light texture. This class has really boosted my confidence and de-mystified bread making.  

But how did we make so many kinds of bread in so short time? Well, Ann has developed her own technique and she warned us it was controversial.  And it is!  Forget traditional bread making with hours for proving, knocking back, kneading and more proving. Her method is revolutionary and as they say, the proof was in the eating. Luckily I took lots of notes so I should remember most of what I learnt and the recipes will be emailed later so that I can try them at home. I also popped into Tesco on my way to buy some fresh yeast. A whole block for 0.01p! I'm ready and raring to go...

So a big thank you to Ann for showing me how easy it is to make bread and to adapt recipes. I'm so glad that I discovered this class and booked it. If you want to learn some of her tips Ann has just had her first book published.  I do not get commission for mentioning it, nor have I looked through a copy, but if it is anything as good as her class it comes highly recommended. 


Ann runs the Smart School of Cookery.     Classes are held in London and the South East and I  shall be
looking out for more to attend.

Thanks for popping by. I'll be posting again   soon about my recent sausage making experience.

There is a resurgence in my kitchen!
     

Jamie's 30 Minute Meal Challenge

When I bought Jamie Oliver's new cookbook last year, Jamie's 30 Minute Meals, B & I agreed that we would pick one menu at regular intervals and put it to the test.
And so today we did just that.
B does cook. But anything with too many pots and pans and he feels out his depth. Which is why we thought trying recipes in this book might be fun and something we could do together.
And so we chopped and fried, and crushed and stirred. And though there were two of us in the kitchen it is fair to say that I could easily have done the preparation and cooking on my own.
B too. Though he might have taken a little longer than the 30 minutes just because he is not as confident as me.

And the result?















A perfect meal in 30 minutes. I'd certainly cook the potatoes like this again. We simply cut them into pieces and put them into a large mircowave bowl with seasoning and half a lemon. Cover with cling film and cook on high for 17 minutes. Remove the lemon, and crush the potatoes adding a teaspoon of whole grain mustard before gently stirring in. Lovely!

In the same time we also made dessert. A tin of peach halves in natural juice, heated gently with a cinnamon stick so that the juice thickens. Remove cinnamon stick and pour over custard.

To serve Jamie broke a shortbread biscuit on top but we served the biscuit whole. Just preference.

Simple and good.

The book wasn't written as a 30 minute challenge, but seeing if this was achieveable made it fun! We certainly didn't dash around the kitchen, or feel under pressure. Okay, I like cooking and I am confident, which helps. But even though these were new recipes and new ideas we were trying, it was straight forward and fun to do. Incase you are wondering, we did not prepare the ingredients in advance, simply had everything laid out to hand.

B seemed to enjoy it too. The meal got a thumbs up from both of us and we will certainly use the book again. I think home cooked food is so much nicer than shop bought, and this proved that even when you are in a hurry it can be done in 30 mins.

Have you got this book, or used it?

Who is you favourite chef or writer of cook books?

I have several Jamie Oliver books. But one of my favourites is by Nigel Slater. I love his calm way of talking and cooking, and as for his writing.... just brilliant. He has a magic way of using words and I especially like his book 'Tender'. You will no doubt hear more about this book once my allotment starts producing again, and it is this book I turn to for ways of using my glut of beetroot or tomatoes. Just thinking about it makes me think of summer and chopping in the kitchen. Happy days!

Hope you had a good Sunday. What have you been up to?

In a Pickle....

No squash in this pickle, but I found a wonderful way of using other vegetables from the allotment. I have always been wary of making Piccalilli as I was never sure if the sauce would be as good as the Barton brand we love. However, I decided to give it a try and made my own adaptions after looking through recipies. Delia Smith can take credit for the sauce recipe, but I added green tomatos since we have so many as well as cucumber. runner beans, and onion from the allotment. I just had to buy a cauliflower as it wouldn't seem like Picalilli without. Result - lovely crunchy vegetables and the most delicious sauce imaginable! I may not be buying Bartons in future!
I also made some pickled beetroot and onion and cucumber pickles. I just love the chopping and preparation, so soothing and satisfying. And at the end of the day, with my jars lined up, I get a warm glow of pleasure.
By the way, I found a useful way of pouring thick pickle into jars. I thoroughly washed an empty 1 litre plastic milk carton, and cut off the base. I filled it with the pickle (lid on!) and the heat of the pickle made it pliable, so I could easily pour into the jar with very little mess. This worked much better than a funnel or anything I have tried before, so I thought I would share this idea.
I should wait for 3 months before trying the Picalilli, but I think this might be too long! At least it will be ready for Christmas and I may make more jars as gifts.

RICH PICKINGS

Today's harvest from the allotment. I have added a tea spoon to give perspective. The largest courgettes weigh nearly 7.5lb (3.5kg) and I am scratching my head wondering how to use them all. Last year I made some lovely spicey courgette chutney, marrow & ginger wine and jam, and ratatouille. Moira has suggested a courgette cake, and I use them in every day cooking. But with so many to use, I'd love some new ideas and recipes please. Feel welcome to post here and I'll let you know how many ways I find of using squash!