Strange Happenings

Anybody popping in will wonder what us happening to my Blog. It's in the middle of having a make over so it all looks a bit odd at the moment. Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.

Going To The Sun

My Blog will be lying dormant for the next couple of weeks as we are off on what has become our annual trip to Barbados. The weather is so cold and dark here it will be a relief to feel the heat of the sun on my skin. It is the most wonderful little island. So very worth the nine hour flight. The people are so friendly, the food is wonderful, the beaches are glorious, the sea is warm and the climate perfect. What more could a body ask for. I shall be content for someone else to do the cooking and serve my food to me for two weeks. Absolute heaven. By the time I return I hope the days will have lengthened a bit here and maybe spring will be round the corner.
Happy cooking all and I will look forward to catching up when I return with a suntan, a larger waistline and hopefully lots of energy after the rest

Keeping Tea Cosy For Breast Cancer

No you are not seeing things. These wonderful ladies from New South Wales ARE wearing tea cosies on their heads. It's all part of a drive to raise lots and lots of money for breast cancer. The idea is to knit make or create wild tea cosies which will be sold in aid of this very worthy charity.
They are members of the Country Women's Association and there are only twenty two of them so this is a huge project for them. If you would like to join in from anywhere in the world you will find the details here. Pictures of your tea cosy will be published and there is a prize too.

Come on you cooking ladies. I know you can create lots of stuff outside the kitchen too and it looks so much fun.

How Not To Brine A Turkey

I brined my turkey last Christmas for the first time. I will always brine my turkey. I have never tasted such a moist Christmas Day dinner in my life. There is no great mystery. It is the soaking of meat in a solution of water and salt. Additional flavourings like sugar and spices can also be added, but salt is what makes a brine a brine . This soaking causes the meat to gain some saltiness and flavouring while plumping it up with water so that after cooking it still contains a lot of juices. Anyhow today I lugged my 17 pound turkey home and with some pleasure got it's bath ready with the necessary salt, spices and other additions for flavour. So far so good. I had my grandchildren to stay tonight and as is the nature of young children they are interested in everything. I told my two year old Grandson about the turkey in the bath. He peered at it for quite some time and repeated 'Turkey...bath' a number of times. He toddled back into the kitchen and I was distracted at the cooker. I heard a resounding splash from the utility room followed by the words 'Turkey..........bath' I looked in to find my lovely brining turkey with the rather undesirable addition of a bar of pink soap! I don't think We'll be singing Silent Night on Thursday, more like 'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles'.

Happy Christmas

My Hundreth Post

I have only just realised that this is somewhat of an event. My poor blog has been sadly neglected this month of December. This is not because I haven't been cooking, quite the reverse. My kitchen is so cluttered with bits of this and that waiting to be made into things I don't have room to take the obligatory pictures. Perhaps next week when everything is finally put together.

I cannot think of a better way to celebrate my hundredth post than to wish all my wonderful Blogging friends and those on the Pantry the most wonderful of Christmases and sweet peace in the coming year. It has been something of a revelation to me to chat to so many of you wonderful people out there. Thank you for the joy and pleasure you have all brought me.

Spuds

The Irish obsession with the humble potato. After a winter of peeling boiling champing and chipping what can be nicer than the first new potatoes of the season boiled in their jackets tossed in butter with herbs and sea salt. Sir Walter Raleigh, British explorer and historian known for his expeditions to the Americas, first brought the potato to Ireland in 1589 from South America and planted them at his Irish estate at Myrtle Grove,Youghal, near Cork, Ireland. Legend has it that he made a gift of the potato plant to Queen Elizabeth I . The local gentry were invited to a royal banquet featuring the potato in every course. Unfortunately, the cooks, uneducated in the matter of potatoes, tossed out the lumpy-looking tubers and brought to the royal table a dish of boiled stems and leaves which, being poisonous, promptly made everyone deathly ill. The potatoes were then banned from court. There have been famines and war but the potato remains one of Ireland's treasures and when you see them on your plate with the butter melting over them could you fault it?

Oranges

This would be my normal breakfast. Banana on toast and the juice of 5 or 6 oranges. I always start the day this way so I know I am getting a good fruit intake. Occasionally I have blueberries and yoghurt too. The health benefits of oranges are huge. I started on this regime as I was very aware I did not eat enough fruit. I eat vegetables but the cooking does away with a lot of the vitamin content. After a few days I noticed the eternal tiredness that had been dogging me for a long time seemed to have gone. A little research was required.
It seems the humble orange helps reduce blood pressure, lower cholesterol and helps prevent certain cancers. It reduces inflammation in arthritis, helps prevent cardiovascular disease and may help with memory problems. Amazing. I provide you with the link given to me by Karen as there is a great deal of interesting reading. My problem is as soon as I have drunk my 500mls of orange juice the first thing I want is a mug of strong sweet freshly ground coffee. Oh well I can't get it right all the time

www.deliciousorangerecipes.com/The_Health_Benefits_Of_Oranges.html

Cheers here's health.

A Little About Eggs

While posting about Corned Beef Hash I was thinking about the lovely eggs I was using.
This to me is what Free Range Eggs are all about. I buy my eggs from this farm which is just beside me. They are fresh every day and the wee hens are as happy as can be. I hate the thought of them being crowded into cages to feed the masses. I am very fortunate to be in the position where I can buy them like this. Hottie and Violets from Violet's pantry have their own hens. How lucky they are.
We like to think Free Range Eggs that are purchased in the supermarkets are as pictured here but the reality is somwhat different
The Lion Quality Code - a high benchmark in food safety - stipulates outdoor shading and one pop-hole (exit hole) per 600 birds, open eight hours per day to allow access to the outside. But are these daytime "runs" all they're cracked up to be? Especially when for up to 16 hours a day the hens can be housed in conditions practically identical to that outlined in the "barn" system - preferable to a "caged/battery" system, but still often resulting in up to nine birds perching in every square metre. Not much room to stretch your legs. Nearly worth a run to the country keeping your eyes open for signs saying Eggs For Sale.

Lovely aren't they?