My Washing Machine Valentine

All hail my washing machine which was delivered between 7.20 and p.20 arriving at 8.30 which was just ticketty boo as for the past month, my previous machine was starting to give up the ghost. I think it was stressed to the eyeballs due to washing numerous football and rugby kits over the years . And horror of horrors I had to buy this machine , you see I may love comping but I can't win everything. It was taking all the day to do one wash and Mr T was getting a bit alarmed at the lack of pants . With the decrepit  washing machine we had to turn the spin speed down by a quarter ( as the machine was beginning to sound like an asthmatic hamster). Also we had to set it to drain , a big nightmare and then woo or woo betide it shrunk Mr T's wool jumper into a action man size ( insert laugh ) never did like that jumper anyway it looked like a cat having a argument with a red fluffy cushion.


Ooh dear oh dear "

And to add to this stress I brought my husband a valentine card 

" To my Dear Wife "

aaaawh l'amour

Least I brought myself some tulips  saving myself money over priced Valentine flowers ~ with a voucher I hasten to add ( The voucher was From Orcgard - Tesco)

Ideal Sausage Recipes Perfect for Spring

Perfect recipes for the ultimate romantic night in this Valentine's day and also as Spring I promise you is round the corner.  There are a few recipes rom Debbie and Andrew's sausages that you could try. I decided to give the "Give A Fig Salad Recipe " a whirl. It was very quick and easy to do and ready in no time at all.

Give A Fig Salad

Give A Fig Sausage Salad

Ingredients 1 pack of debbie&andrew’s Perfect Pork Sausages 8 figs, quartered 2 red onions, peeled and quartered 200g feta Balsamic glaze Olive oil 200g bag mixed leaf salad

Method 1. Preheat your oven to 180°C. Place onions in a roasting dish and lather in salt, pepper and olive oil. Bake for 20 minutes until soft and golden. 2. Chop the debbie&andrew’s Perfect Cumberland Sausages into thick slices on the diagonal and in a non stick large fry pan, fry off over a medium/high heat until lovely and golden. Set aside. 3. Assemble your salad by layering salad leaves, red onion, sausages and figs. Season with salt and pepper. Finish with a generous drizzle of olive oil, balsamic glaze and crumbled feta.

And the sweetness of the figs balance beautifully the saltiness of the feta .

Perfectly Paired Pies

Ingredients 2 packs debbie&andrew’s Perfect Pork Sausages, chopped into chunks 1tbs olive oil 1tsp butter 2 leeks, washed and sliced 2 green apples (Granny Smith or Bramley), cored and diced 250ml apple cider 2tbs plain flour (for a Gluten Free alternative, try Udi's All Purpose Flour Mix) 250ml chicken stock 100ml double cream 2tbs wholegrain mustard 1 egg - beaten 2 sheets of puff pastry (or Gluten Free alternative) 2tbs pumpkin seeds

Method 1. Preheat oven to 200°C. 2. In a large heavy based saucepan over a medium high heat, fry off the leeks, sausages and apples in the olive oil and butter for about 10 minutes until golden brown. Stir in the flour and cook out for a further 2 minutes. 3. Add the cider and reduce down to half. Add the stock, mustard and double cream and reduce until lovely and thick. Cool. 4. Divide your filling between 6 small pie dishes, 5. On a floured bench top, cut out 6 pieces of pastry just larger than the small pie dishes/cups. Lay over the top of the pie dishes, using a fork tightly press the edges. 6. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds. 7. Bake for 20-25 minutes until lovely and golden. Serve hot!

 
Their sausages are available in Asda, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s and Tesco. Prices range in store . I found mine in Sainsburys and they were priced £2.00 so £1.50 with the voucher 

This post is in collaboration with Debbie and Andrew's Sausages ~ The recipes are theirs. The bottom photo of the pie is there  but the pictures of the Give A Fig Salad are mine.

The Expectation Of Self Bucket List

The Expectation of self is quite a hard challenge at times , I'm quite a free flowing free thinking person . I agree to social situations then quite frankly I don't want to go , I'd rather go off cycling if I'm honest on my bicycle and ding my bell , I'm probably a modern day hermit . Being yourself is a hard expectation and wanting to be social yet shying away from it is a a balancing act , and I was very good at indivisible   gymnastics at school . 

1 . I'd like to go on the Orient Express and have a posh lunch , drink nice wine .. have a cup of tea ~,wear a dress and not look like Tammy Mallett has got dressed in the dark . I can't possibly commit to wearing a shoe with a heel and I end up looking like Dustin Hoffman from Tootsie.

2. Have tea at the Ritz , couldn't care less if someone has to sell their lung to get me an over priced cucumber sandwich , I know that I'll savour the moment. 

3 . Have a book nook , with a hig ~  backed reading chair you can snuggle in and hid away from the world .

4. Punt in Cambridge  ~ someone else would have to punt and good company with a gin picnic . Of course Oxford as well I would love to immerse myself in the Ashmolean..

5 . A sigh seeing tour of England , stopping in nice country pubs with a jaunt on a rather jolly steam train.

6. A meander round Convent garden and I'd love to go round the Brick Lane area   .

7. Theatre trip , pre evening tipple and a meal and lollop back to a rather nice hotel see wish number 2

8. A nice game of chess ~ that I actually win.

9. A photography walk in the countryside perhaps Devon,  I've been there or the Cotswolds I would love to go there and meander round the antique shops.

10. Treat myself to fresh flowers .. Oh and a soup maker for valentines . I'm not much one for Valentines unless  1,2,3,4,5,6 9 and 10 are involved .

Happy Sort Of Chinese New Year

We can all feel a bit on Saturday where we rather be cocooned up in our duvet ..

"Life's a noodle dish just waiting to be created "

Claire quote February 7th 2016 

This was a dish created about using up left overs I had a  1 .kg roasting joined which I has slow cooked till it was easy to pull apart , we had some for tea with chips ( bit naughty ) Then some was designated into sandwiches the next day but there was still a little bit let over and no one could face face any more in sandwiches. So whilst my son was at another party ( swear I had a social life once ) I decided to stir fry the rest with some Udon noodles . I had never used used Udon noodles before and I was pleasantly surprised at the change , I shall be using them again for sure.

Chewy and soft, these thick wheat noodles are best when you can find them fresh. Dried Udon is still good, but the texture is more dense. Udon has a neutral flavor, so they make a good choice for strongly-flavoured dishes and I used a splash of stock I had left over from the slow cooked beef. I added in some plum sauce and some stir fry vegetables as well . It really is a quick dish.

Now I have a proper wok life is so much easier .... 


I know udon noodles are Japanese before anyone corrects me ..

Cheer Up It Might Not Happen

Depression doesn't leave you well it doesn't for you , and it's jolly not helpful for people to say

" Cheer up it might not happen "

Well it blooming well just has with you saying that .


But to have a little lift of something in times of adversity can for me make all the difference to my mental health and well being  I choose to be tablet free and that is my choice and my choice alone and I really will not explain my reasonings to anyone anymore or indeed have them tell me

"The tablets will help you'll be on the road to recovery "


I am a gentle person I will apologise for my coat being on a chair and people sitting either side of it ... ( for example in my staff room )


I no longer expect everyone to like me ~ though secretly it would be nice but I realise I am better of with the natural holistic people who don't have hair that looks like it is permanently styled. ( but fair play to you if you do have the ultimate hair ) 


I love people who can switch my mood ~ that is very important to me and again a life saver. You see words really are a saviour but can also be a curse ( so please use your words for good , words are a gift that shouldn't be misused they are a treasure for all to behold and marvel at )

Self care is very important ~ giving myself something nice to focus on mostly likely to be tea ( I am trying to avoid the cake ) 

I'm adding Rocky Road to this list as from last Friday ! very welcome after the week from hell, many folks had it worse than I ( which I dislike ) .

Always tea , I love my tea and it does calm me and I'm always refilling my tea levels .

So quite simply depression isn't a one size fits all condition , it's unseen yet seen in my demeanour or my body language ~ a mixed bag. Depression isn't a competitive sport to see who is worse or who can do it with more flair , not all us with depression get on would you believe and that can add to the social nightmare .

I'm an over thinker .... 

I can't judge humour very well and will open ask " you are joking ?"  and reading faces is hard too ! 

I dislike too much noise ~ but the clinking of a tea spoon in a cup soothes me .

I find it very difficult to follow a thread of a conversation and I usually jump about the place.

If I like you , you'll know it ... 

I am not a hugger.

But I'll hug in my mind a kind kind soul.