Falling Behind

Apologies for the lack of blog posts so far this year, it's been a little bit manic since the 1st and we seem to have been here there and everywhere. It was lovely visiting family over the New Year weekend and we had a good catch up with everyone. Both of us are very tired though; Jack only got Christmas Day and Boxing Day off and has been back at work ever since with the exception of this past weekend because we were visiting family. It's very busy at their work this time of year now that next season's Formula 1 cars are being designed and built - lots of new parts for Jack to make.

I really enjoyed the break over Christmas, actually managed to get some proper sleep and loved being able to take Barry for long walks in the day light! He loved being centre of attention at the New Years party Jack's parents held at their house and then he loved all of the walks along the beach when we got to my Parents on New Years Day, we even met a Grey Seal (more about that when I get around to blogging properly).

My New Years outlook of "put your positive pants on!" is being seriously tested now that I'm back at work; a staff member left just before Christmas and their work has been added to my list of duties "for the meantime.." so my smiley positive persona is slipping just a little as I try and get everything done, though I promise I am trying my hardest not to let everything get the better of me (not this early into the year!).

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...

More blog posts to follow when I have time; I've got some lovely photos from our time back in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk and want to hopefully reveal a few of my crochet project plans for 2016. We also had a lot of laughs playing the game 'Heads Up' with my parents, brother and his girlfriend - it's an app you can download on your phone or ipad and provides lots of entertainment! I'm very proud of my mum who has taken up loom knitting since Christmas! She's going to make me a bobble hat out of some reflective wool she's got - perfect for my night time dog walks!

Have a good day everyone!

Em x

Wishing Everyone A Happy And Healthy New Year!

I've not been able to get near a computer for a couple of days as we're now with family, but one thing I've really been grateful for in the past few months is discovering the world of blogging! I was totally new to it and your kind comments have meant a lot to me. I really feel part of the blogging community now and really enjoy browsing through all of your blog posts.

Just a quick pic of our NYE walk today in the Cambridgeshire Fens, Happy New Year from Barry!

It's obviously therefore very important that I say thank you to you all for showing me the ways of the blogging world and I feel very lucky to have met such lovely interesting people through the power of blogs. I wish all of you and your loved ones a very happy and healthy new year! I hope 2016 brings you lots of the things you aspire to and lots of fun along the way too.

Lots of love,

Em x

28th December: My Favourite Photos of 2015

As with any past year, I realise that I take A LOT of photos, but I'm not going to apologise for that because I think it's quite a nice addiction!

As usual, my photos mainly consist of food, flowers and 'cute things' which just so happen to include an addition to our family who came along back in March, our handsome puppy Barry!

 My three babies; Barry, Squirt & Lola

 

  

Remembering lovely holidays this year in France 

 

 

Gardening and decorating in our very own first home!

 

 Bringing a new member into our family; Barry our handsome Jack Russell Terrier!

 

 Having some great days out and exploring the countryside with our dog

 

 Spending time with my wonderful family xx

 Doing lots of cooking, baking and eating!

 

Adding to my hobbies by learning new ones; crochet!

 

 

 And finally, I don't know where I'd be without these two. They are my world, they make me smile when I'm feeling low and they're always always there for me. I love Jack with all my heart and having Barry by our side this year has brought us lots of happiness :-)

 

Looking forward to the photos I'll be taking in 2016!

 

Em x

27th December: Making Meals With Christmas Leftovers

Today I've been quite productive; I popped to the supermarket to get some bargain vegetables for soups etc. and then popped into Newbury to have a wander around the sales. Finally, I spent the rest of today cooking to use up Christmas leftovers.

Turkey, Ham & Leek Pie
This pie is so tasty and my favourite way to use up Christmas turkey leftovers. To make it extra easy (after the stress of cooking Christmas dinner), I buy ready-made puff pastry and I make this filling using the mighty can of condensed chicken soup - the way my mum has always taught me. If you've never used this then you should! It's great for making creamy sauces for pastas and pies.

Ingredients:
Leftover cooked ham, cubed
Leftover cooked turkey, cubed
100ml Double cream
250ml Chicken stock
1 Can condensed chicken soup
3 Tbsp white wine vinegar
2 Leeks, chopped
2 Small white onions, diced
Ground black pepper
Pinch of salt
15g Butter
Ready made puff pastry
1 Egg, beaten

Method:

• Melt butter in a deep saucepan/stock pot, add onions and sweat briefly before adding the turkey and ham. Add the white wine vinegar and allow to simmer.
• Pour the condensed soup into a bowl, add a can's worth of cold water and pop into the microwave for 3 minutes before stirring and adding to the meat and onion mix.
• Add the chicken stock, seasoning and double cream and stir gently. Reduce the heat and allow to bubble gently for 10 minutes. Add the leeks near to the end or they'll cook down to nothing. I usually add these 5 minutes before removing this from the heat and then allow the filling to cool before adding to your pie dish.
• Once cool, cover with pastry, cut two small air holes, decorate if you feel like it with the pastry off-cuts, brush with the beaten egg and then cook in the oven at 200 degrees for 20 minutes or until the pastry is puffed and golden.

Oriental Turkey & Sweetcorn Soup
Usually I make this soup with leftover roast chicken but turkey works too. It's one of my favourite soups and on the odd occasion that we have a Chinese takeaway I always order this. Making it at home is very easy though, not to mention cheap.

Ingredients:
100g Cooked turkey/chicken, shredded
900ml Chicken stock
2 Slices of fresh ginger
2 Garlic cloves, halved
Can of creamed corn
1 Tbsp Chinese rice wine/Dry Sherry
1 Tbsp light soy sauce
Pinch of salt
2 Eggs, beaten

Method:

• Put the stock in a large saucepan/stock pot with the ginger and garlic and bring to the boil over a high heat. Reduce the heat and leave bubbling for a further 5 minutes.
• Remove the ginger and garlic, add the cooked turkey, creamed corn, rice wine, salt and light soy sauce. Stir occasionally over a medium heat for a further 5 minutes.
• Turn back up to a high heat to bring to the boil once more, then gradually pour in the beaten eggs while using a chopstick to stir to create threads. Reduce the heat and cook for a final 5-7 minutes. 

This soup is very easy to make and really tasty and filling thanks to the protein from the turkey and egg. I love the threads of egg in the soup and the chopsticks are best for creating these. I only had dark soy sauce in the cupboard so my soup has turned much darker, so make sure you don't put too much soy sauce in.

I've made plenty of soup to last me the next few lunch times at home, we had pie for dinner tonight and the remaining filling I've frozen for another meal. There's enough turkey leftover for a stir fry tomorrow and so we've done really well from our Christmas leftovers and I'm just glad we haven't wasted anything (cold pigs in blankets are so tasty too!). Any veg left in the fridge I'm going to cook into a nice soup to freeze until I'm back at work and then it can be used for my lunch.

I'm trying to get myself organised and savvy for 2016; lots of New Years Resolutions written down, budgets set and lots of fun planned for next year too. I wonder just how fast 2016 will go considering how quickly this year has flown past. Let's not wish next Christmas too quickly!

Em x

26th December: Ten Mile Boxing Day Jaunt

Hello everyone!

I do hope you've all had a lovely Christmas Day and Boxing day and are feeling suitably relaxed and full of lovely Christmas food! Firstly I have to also say how saddened I am for all the people who have had to deal with the flooding and other after-effects of this terrible wet weather we've had. It hasn't affected us down here but I really feel for those who have had their Christmas ruined by flooding.

Yesterday we decided to get the map out and explore some new walking routes around here. So far we've ventured south towards Newbury on our walks to take in villages such as Beedon and Stanmore, but we wanted to see more of the Ridgeway. This time we headed along a different by-way out of our village, East Ilsley and walked to West Ilsley. The by-way brought you in through a lovely small wood and then past many paddocks with Thoroughbred youngsters. I know Mick Channon's racing yard is situated in West Ilsley so these horses could have something to do with him. They were gorgeous anyway and very inquisitive. Barry, ever the wimp, wasn't too keen to meet these tall animals but Jack forced him up to the fence for a sniff anyway and he soon gave their soft noses a lick. I loved being near horses again, I really miss being around them and I'm determined to get back into riding next year.

 

 

We popped through West Ilsley and up onto the Ridgeway where it was very windy. Thankfully the weather was dry during our walk but very muddy which made the going even tougher. Barry loved it though; muddy puddles, various wildlife to try and sniff out and we met lots of other dogs and walkers too. There was some lovely views along the Ridgeway and I really can't wait to explore more next year (in the sunshine too!). We walked down past the gallops in East Ilsley where we usually join the Ridgeway and instead carried on right down into the next village, Compton.

Once into Compton we carried onto some other footpaths and by-ways, through some lovely forests and back towards East Ilsley.

Barry loves a stick!

 

In all, we walked ten miles and our achey legs prove that today! We got home, showered and de-mudded and then all snoozed for the rest of the afternoon before enjoying cold meats and pickles. It certainly felt good to go for a long walk and I enjoyed exploring new routes.

 

 

 

Em x

24th December: Christmas Eve

Today was the first day of my Christmas holiday and I'm very much looking forward to the break from work. I started the day off with a lie-in, followed by a brisk walk with Barry in between the torrential downpours. I've had a good tidy, listened to Christmas songs and I'm now in the Christmas spirit (with Christmas cocktail in hand!).

Balancing a treat and a big Santa hat!

 

I made some more sausage rolls and they've almost all gone already!

 

 

 

We're now about to snuggle down to watch a film before Father Christmas arrives. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas, I hope Santa brings you lots of goodies and you have a lovely time with your loved ones.

 

Em x

22nd December: Collecting The Turkey & Poorly Pup

Christmas really is just around the corner; the traffic on the roads in Newbury is crazy during the day with everyone rushing to do some last minute Christmas shopping. I'm so glad I'm all sorted already with that!

I'm full of cold as of yesterday which is just typical with Christmas fast approaching! Trying my best to shake it off before Christmas arrives. It meant I had a terrible night's sleep last night but was also a blessing in that I was up a decent time to drive to the local farm shop to pick up our pre-ordered turkey crown. The queue in the farm shop was phenomenal considering how early in the morning it was but I suppose everyone has the same idea to collect it first thing before the day has started. It's now tucked up in our fridge ready for Christmas, it weighs 4kg so it'll provide plenty of meat for the two of us on Christmas day and also provide me with lots of leftover meat for cold meat dinners, pies, pastas and soups.

I've got to take Barry to the Vets tonight; he's had an upset tummy for almost a week now and despite feeding him plain boiled chicken and rice for the last couple of days he's been sick overnight and on a couple of other occasions, so best to get him checked out. He seems happy in himself and eating/playing well but for peace of mind I'm taking him in now that it's gone on for a week. Knowing Barry, he's probably eaten something he shouldn't have and it's upset his tummy - Jack was chasing him around the garden the other morning because Barry had found a dead decomposing frog, so it could even be that! What is it with dogs and dead things?! I'll let you know how it goes. Just the two of us again tonight anyway as Jack is off to Ally Pally to watch the darts, so once we're home from the Vets I'll be snuggling up with the dog for the evening before an early night to hopefully shift this cold!

 

Have a good day!

 

Em x