Two Fails

   Not complete failures, just not up to my usually (low) standards. They were both the result of having time on my hands and some food item that needed using up.

   The first was a couple of jars of marmalade. In this instance I had an almost ready to expire lemon and some cranberries from the freezer. The resulting marmalade is tasty enough but has a very strange texture. I think I may have boiled it too long and the sugar began to crystallize. I don't think I like the combination of cranberries and lemon either. It was supposed to be grapefruit and lemon. The recipe came from my favourite preserving book, which I have written about before, "Preserves and Pickles" by Catherine Atkinson.

   The second attempt was prompted by a sweet potato lurking in the fridge. The recipe was for chocolate brownies - I have made them before but for some reason, the batter was just too thick. I added an egg and some milk and the resulting brownie is edible and probably quite healthy but, frankly, less than appetizing! I will eat it anyway - chocolate's chocolate after all! It had cocoa and chocolate chips in it.

   Yesterday was brilliant - sunny and well above the normal temperature - but today was much colder. Back to winter clothes. I cleaned the inside of the car of all the remnants of winter so that kept me warm while working outside. I even vacuumed and shampooed the carpets and wiped down the dashboard. It smells heavenly now!

Staying Sane by Keeping Busy

   Chilly start to the day but warmed up by the afternoon. I did my exercises this morning and had a walk down to the drug store to check the P.O. Box. This afternoon I cut the front grass (it looks so much better for being void of dandelions) and did some gardening, then sat in the sun with my book for half-an-hour. That`s about it.

   I am reading a very good book which I picked up from the Probus book exchange last year. It is `Mary, Queen of Scotland and the Isles` by Margaret George. I`m just at the part where she is tiring of Darnley and I know he is murdered in the next few chapters. Very exciting!

   

Shopping Online

  Picked up my order from Bulk Barn today, all except the yeast. Luckily I had a couple of tsps. left so was able to make a loaf this afternoon. But that will be it until I can get some more, so I will probably have to resort to store bought!

   I was quite happy with my first attempt at ordering online. They made it so easy and when I went in to pick up my order, my favourite cashier was on the checkout. She's a Newfie and calls everyone - young, old, male, female - "darlin' " or "sweetheart" and always has some funny quip.  She's a riot!

   I spent some time this afternoon digging up dandelions from the front lawn. They seem to have sprung up overnight and were very healthy looking - I had trouble getting them out and mostly didn't get the whole tap root. So, they will be back! I will dig up the rest (for now) tomorrow before I cut the grass.

Batch Cooking

   On Thursday I made a vegetarian lasagna from some (very ancient) noodles I found at the back of a cupboard. It was so good and, after two meals, the rest went in the freezer. Yesterday I used some (also very ancient) rice which I bought to make sushi years ago, and four Italian sausages, to make cabbage rolls. They were also very tasty and I will have a couple again tonight with the rest going in the freezer. 

   Both these meals are very labour intensive and I usually don't have the time or incentive to spend hours slaving in the kitchen but, with all the time in the world to kill, it was an excellent way to pass a quiet afternoon! I figure for two afternoons work and some garlic bread and a green salad, I probably have created 8 meals.  

The recipe is from "Lidia's Mastering the Art of Italian Cuisine". I used rice instead of the day-old bread.

This is the leftovers, ready for the freezer. Half the recipe made 8 cabbage rolls.