Sausage and mash pie

Yum yum yum! Made this plain for J and he ate it all, but added a layer of spicy baked beans between the sausage and mash for A and myself.  We'll be having this again! 

January 2014 part 3

I seem to have gone completely off crafting in the last couple of years.  Partly I think because I've wanted to be in the lounge, so haven't done anything that has been noisy or messy, and partly because the internet keeps sucking me in!

I learnt to crochet earlier this year, and have some nice yarn and a hook (with a packet of hooks somewhere out there awaiting delivery from amazon from before Christmas! ) and a book of granny square patterns so I really must have a go at that this year. I'm aiming to make a cushion cover in autumn colours, so hopefully it will be done for autumn!

I would also like to get my sewing machine out again and go on a course to give me some more confidence to use it.

If I can ever get my paper craft stuff sorted I will have another go at that, but I think that's a way off yet!

January 2014 part 2

2. Food! Always a popular topic in our house :)

I've finally decided we can not exist on completely homemade and farm shop only food. Neither are we all well and happy on a diet of ready made stuff. But there are things out there that make life easier for me when I'm working so I just need to find a happy balance.

Last year I menu planned through almost the whole year. Only when I was really busy did this fall apart, and this showed in what was in my pantry at the end of the year! A pile of jars and tins left over from when I'd bought things without actually planning to eat them.  So this year we are definitely sticking to menu planning and a shopping list. I'm also going to carry on trying new recipes from good food magazine. We found some great ones last year which I kept and laminated. (That's just reminded me to renew my good food subscription via Tesco points!)

Now the dining room is tidy and the table is accessable we are going to try and eat at the table more often. We are far too good at eating in front of the Tv!

I had great intentions of photographing and blogging tea each night but have already failed at the first hurdle. Tea eaten and not photographed! Anyway, here's the menu for the rest of this week.

Wed Bacon and cheese pasta bake
Thurs tuna and sweetcorn lasagne (due to the discovery of 6 tins of tuna in the pantry!)
Fri sausage and mash pie (good food)

I am attempting to use things up from the pantry and freezer for the next couple of weeks.

I am sure the baking will continue in 2014 . We are starting the year with Christmas leftovers- Christmas cake tray bake and mincemeat buns (both Mary Berry)
so no baking just yet.

January 2014

A reflective start to this year, looking back rather than ahead at the moment.  Need a bit of self belief!

1. Despite a lot of work tidying up the house last year, I felt by the end of 2013 that we were no further on. However, a couple of days spent tidying and sorting things out proved that the house is in a far better state than ever before.

J's room - totally blitzed in Oct half term. Now everything has a place and everything is in its place. There was even room to put away all the Christmas toys. 

Our room - all my clothes sorted, too small things packed away, still need to do the top of the dresser and the top of my wardrobe (some of which will go into the loft)

Landing - now has a bookcase which actually isn't full! Blanket chest emptied, sorted. Have an up and down basket system to stop the never ending clutter on the side.

Loft - completely sorted through and everything boxed and labelled. It is only tiny as it's a dormer bungalow. Now contains Christmas stuff, suitcases, memorabilia.

Bathroom - stayed tidy all year, even the cupboard.  Now awaiting a fresh coat of paint and a couple of things hanging on the walls.

Study. Let's not go there!!

Hall and stairs - all coats sorted, stairs clear, awaiting some things hanging on the wall.

Lounge - superficially tidy, although I am intending to go through all the drawers and cupboards this year.

Dining room - furniture moved to make better use of the room. Table clear and usable.  All drawers and cupboards sorted, as well as the display cabinet.

Kitchen - all cupboards relatively tidy still, I have one junk drawer and one breakfast bar to sort out properly and find homes for things.

Utility room - work in progress.  Awaiting garage sort out to get some stuff up the loft, but I have sorted out the shoe rack!

Downstairs loo - tidy

Garage - aaaarrrrgggghhhhh.

After that epic, I'd better make any further numbers into new posts!

An exciting discovery

I can blog from my phone!

This week's baking was jammy flapjack and ginger chilli biscuits (Sam Stern - Eat Vegetarian), biscuits for adventures (Miranda Gore-Brown - Biscuit), and a marmalade tea loaf from the Great British Bake Off calendar. Nom!

No photos because I didn't know about the app at that point!

New Year's Resolutions

1. Reading

In previous years I've challenged myself to read new books, and not keep re-reading old favourites. Since I've had my kindle, that hasn't been much of a challenge. I've got a few paper books that need reading, so the new resolution is:

* read 12 paper books

2. Exercise

I really, really need to do more, as I'm far too lazy! Aiming to have the same resoltion as last year, but actually do it this year!

* exercise 52 times

3. Food

A favourite but one that caused the most thought! I'd like to be able to go to the supermarket less but sadly we don't have local shops except for a farm shop which I already use for meat and some veg. Will have to think further about that, but in the meantime:

* cook 26 new recipes

4. Charity

Last year I didn't do very well at this, and it wasn't money stopping me, just a bad memory!

* donate 12 times to charity

5. House

Still not sorted! However, when I look back over the last few years, we start each year in a better state than the  previous one so something is working! I still need to do some serious decluttering though so am dedicating Saturday afternoon to decluttering the house, one room each month.

* at least 4 hours decluttering in each room

6. Crafts

I've got piles of half started and not started things, so I must get things done and stop wasting time online.

* 12 craft projects

7. Family

We do so many things that we sometimes lose track and don't do things as a family. I'm going to find a way of recording family things we did this year. 

and as an aside, posting to here from my galaxy tablet is an absolute nightmare and the first thing I've found that I really dislike about it. It won't upload photos either!

Sunday 4th November 2012

Prompted by Liz and Helen, here's an update on this week's baking (if not making, but I've seen something in Tesco....)

Pear and ginger loaf

This one is the second one I've made this weekend. The first was double quantity and in a 2lb tin. This one is a 1lb tin and is gluten and dairy free. I'm hoping it tastes as good as it looks! It's for school tomorrow - senses poetry, based on autumn. We also have dairy free butternut squash soup (but not gluten free as I'd used a veg oxo cube before I realised it had wheat flour in). Yes, I have lots of allergies in my class this year. 

Also made this week are apple and ginger fairings (brilliantly crunchy but should've been pear - must look out for dried pears) and Malteser biscuits (squishy and cookie like), both from Miranda Gore Browne's book, Biscuit. www.mirandagorebrowne.typepad.com (Not worked out links on the galaxy note yet!) 

Both have been popular, but the malteser ones were the favourites. 

And if I ever get to the end of the job list, there's plenty of things I want to make!