Recipe Rush

After a rather lazy weekend in terms of non cooking - it's time to turn the heat up! Well indoors anyway! As outside it's rather bitterly cold and the poor chickens are having to hide around the side of the house or what I more affectionately call "behind the bike sheds".

Anyway back to the heat. Monday saw me frantically preparing a soup before the craft group turned up.

Having some broccoli and leeks that needed using this seemed the ideal soup to make. I didn't bother with the salmon cakes. But oh boy what a stink came from the kitchen - I guess from the broccoli. Not a good recipe to have chosen when you have invited friends around for a pleasant evening. To me it smelt like ............. well perhaps I shouldn't repeat what I thought! The taste was alright but I don't think I shall be making this in a hurry again.

It certainly came out green.

During the craft evening someone suggested I started with the prep for the next meal whilst they were there. So kind of them - as it saved me having to stand at the kitchen sink late into the night.

The hardest bit of this meal was preparing the rather large squash - always find it rather difficult to peel and often opt to roast it, diced with its skin still attached for this very reason.

This book was given to me from one of my smoking clients whom I used to do home visits to. He had very little money but was always trying to give me something. How often in life have I experienced the generosity of those who have hardly enough cash to live off.














This book called for me to get out my ancient slow cooker. Have had it since we got married in 1978. It has been used but probably not as much as it should have been used.

Having prepared the recipe it says to cook it on low for 7 hours so I decided to leave it on overnight.

Tasting this dish at 6am isn't very nice! Everything inside of you rebels and just screams out where's my tea and porridge? Well it was no where near cooked the beef was still chewy / horrid. So knowing that I would be out all day till 6pm at work I decide to be brave and just leave the cooker on! Well it was definitely tender by the time I got home and very tasty - good decision. The squash was a little overcooked but not that bad. Certainly had plenty of dinner and spare to freeze for another day.

This is what is left!

19 books used. 108 books to go. 293 days to go.