High Tea At Little Morton Hall

If you're wondering what life is like when your child has flown the nest to university and you're rattling round the house then I have a few answers for you one is going slipper shopping and believe me that is complicated in itself. I don't think slipper shopping could be complicated but it is there is slippers with memory foam slippers without memory food and so the choice goes on.

Footloose and fancy free and with the teenager at university I decided me and Mr T should get out though it seems if I want the DIY doing then I can keep running out on little jaunts boooo. I do love myself having a go at DIY though Mr T does worry he will have to redo himself but trust me I am getting better. Trouble is with DiY once you spot one thing then you notice another and the one usually noticing is me and I promise I am not causing the DIY issues .. well mostly not.

Little Morton Hall is a beautiful National Trust property not far from Derby it is in Cheshire and it really is the place of dreams with a beautiful moat running round it and it is the archetypical chocolate box black and white timber framed building. little Morton hall does have some scaffolding around it at the moment but that shouldn't  round for look and the elegant lady of a building does have to look her best . I promise you I don't have scaffolding and I even let my husband take my picture at Little Morton Hall without tilting my head not quite sure why I tilt my head in pictures but I do and I am trying to be more confident.




At Little Morton Hall there is a exhibition on what the Tudors thought of sleep there is even a dream library in the grounds where you can describe and file your dreams how magical is that !

 You can explore the hall on your own or take one of the free tours that the National Trust run. Little Morton Hall is really stuck in time and the misfortunes of the Mortons is the fortunes of the National trust now and this has kept the hall as if it was still in the Tudor times.

I do like a photo through a window it has such a unique enchanting quality to it .

You can always have a little tea at National Trust properties and in particular I think the High tea you can have at Little Morton Hall is exquisite value at £9.50 and for that you get sandwiches ,accompanying relish, some salad, shortbread and a choice of cake and of course tea. The size of the cake is huge and trust me you'll not need anything else to eat after you've had this.

What Was Instant Moment Of Happiness Today ?

What makes you happy in a moment be it a person or a picture or otherwise , for me it is a multitude of people and items and whatnots that can make me happy. I mean take the ever so humble cup of tea ( tea isn't really humble but tea is humble in the fact that it doesn't blow it's own trumpet )

Today what made me happy was leaves tree and sky , but I wasn’t walking underneath them but oh I I wished I was.I was a passenger in a car stuck in a queue of traffic nothing particularly remarkable but oh the sky tree leaves and light that particular moment in time.

Collecting things is not just reserved to things it is also moments and this was one of them , my husband questioned why I was taking an upwards photograph of the trees , leaves and sky. And I told him

The reason as I’ve just told you the reason because if the that moment in time when the leaves , trees and sky was just perfect with the line that was just oh so magical. 

Why Not Get An Electric Pressure Cooker From Pressure King

Why not get an electric pressure cooker ?


You could get an ordinary pressure cooker , they are good I am told from those who can actually operate them , but alas I can not operate an ordinary on the stove pressure cooker as the last time I did entered in disaster and a repaint of the kitchen ceiling. Yes I was the one that plastered the kitchen ceiling with potatoes about 25 years ago and since then I have not been near a pressure cooker. So with the advent of a lot of cooking programs I decided to buy an electric pressure cooker from Pressure King I choose the bigger model but there is a smaller one available if you so wish.



There are plenty of electronic pressure cooker on the market some of which are very expensive , luckily the Pressure King nestles nicely in the market at at affordable price , there are 3 sizes. There is a 3 litre one  £44.99 or a 5 litre one £59.99 or the largest size with is 6 litres £99.99  we opted for the mid sized size as the 5 litre one came with 12 options.

The Pressure King comes with a nice look cook booklet and Mr T followed the chicken paella recipe and I watched for afar checking in every so often. I have to admit I was still a little scared due to my previous experience of the ones you put on the stove, but my fears were soon eased away when I saw the beautiful meal that it created with no fuss what so ever. And I am going to be brave and have a go myself another day , I think it is really like have a chef in your kitchen that produces Michelin quality meals.


SO Mr T and I do reccomned that you get one and this recommendation is without strings if you click through and buy one then I don't get a penny ~ boo buy I will have a warm glow that I have converted someone to the wonders of Power King and the electronic Pressure cooker!

Sweet And Spicy Pork (Hong Shao Rou)

I had quite a few pork chops in the fridge and I was trying to figure out what do with them , Pork can be a tricky meat at the best of times . If you over cook it then it can taste like the soul of a shoe that's got a hole in the soul but get it right then it is like heaven in a raindrop.

Ingredients

Pork slices ( I used chops and sliced them up ) enough for around 4 people
A few sliced ginger pieces ( you can use already sliced ginger )
A red onion chopped
A red pepper chopped
Chilli flakes
1 teaspoon Chinese 5 Spice
2 Tablespoons rice winevinrgar
About 4 tablespoon of brown sugar
2 teaspoons of ginger

Method 

1. Cut the pork into strips or cubes depending on what type of pork you have, trim off the fat.

2. In A large work bring the water to boil.Add the ginger, onions ,chilli and pork, Bring back to the boil and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from the wok and pat dry on kitchen roll when cool enough to handle . Discard water and content from wok.

3. Add vegetable oil to a hot wok and add your pork pics . Stir fry till brown on all sides. Remove from the wok and drain on paper towel, set aside.

4.  To your wok add the brown sugar and cook over medium heat until the sugar melts and bubbles. Quickly add the hot water to the wok and stir to mix thoroughly. Add the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, Chinese Five Spice, ground ginger, red pepper , chilli lakes and the pork pieces back to the wok and stir. Stir to coat the pork. Cover and simmer on low for 35 minutes.

5. Remove lid and allow the sauce to cook and thicken for at least 10 minutes. Serve with either steamed rices or noodles. Top if you wish wish either chopped chives or spring onions.

Should I Take Myself more Seriously

I was thinking as one often does whether I should take myself more seriously , I mean I can be very serious but that's just my makeup I am a mixed bag you could say . It 's very much with me of getting the coffee revel but you know what the hell I am an individual with a very very quirky sense of humour.

I think my humour helps me feel a sense of myself as I struggle with situations a lot of the time and wear a mask. By wearing a mask I don't actually mean a mask like a bank robber or the like. I mean a mask I might wear depending to the social situation I'm in. It takes a lot to know me and to understand my humour some people understand me right away and that quite frankly is a bonus , I want to say ,”Bruce Bonus “. I’m not awfully keen on using the telephone but I do , the other day I was dealing with some financial issues and the chap said “ Bare with me “ and I said “I hope not as he might eat you “

And then there was when I was tweeting BT over my slow slow broadband speed with them asking me how slow it was

“It’s slower than an Asthmatic snail stuck at traffic lights “ I said 

But you know what I like my quirky nature , it’s me through and through .

How I act and how I am helps me cope with otherwise difficult situations so no I’m not going to take myself more seriously , could I care less wether or not this has an impact on my popularity ~ no

I’m not here to be popular : I’m just here to be me