Saturday Morning

Today I have mostly been...

making jam and chutney.......

And I think I have finally sussed the setting point thing - my blackberry and apple jam is the perfect consistency!!!!

I also made the easiest marmalade ever, courtesy of Nigella as was the chilli jam....and beetroot and orange chutney, which no doubt will only get eaten by me lol!!

ooh and Cath finally sent me her latest catalogue and she sent one to my lovely husband, clever lady!! I have helped him out by circling one or 2 things, I'm such a good wife :)

We have been away from home so much the past couple of months it was lovely just to potter, I wore my Grandmas pinny and I even cleaned and sewed.

I wish I could be this motivated all week, if I was I could probably run the country!!!

Domestic Goddess

Thank you for all the spa well wishing. I had a wonderful indulgent weekend, which was over all too soon. It was very tiring having to do nothing, although the cocktails we drank may have added to the drowsiness!!
I came back refreshed and revitalised. Monday morning saw me up with the larks (well bloody great seagulls who are tormenting us with a chorus on the roof every morning at the mo!!) and I had baked, washed, hung out, tidied up all before I would usually have been dressed :)
The boys were then taken to a new park, and home for lunch all without the relaxation fading.....then afternoon came and they all argued and woke the baby and I got grumpy!!
But it was good whilst it lasted.
I am continuing the motivated mummy thing - homemade rolls for the picnic in the park yesterday...homemade biccies in the jar today....all the washing is up to date and the ironing is too...almost!!

The little boys went to bed very early tonight, grandparents wore them out on the beach, so I decided to do something with the cherries off the tree in the garden. I picked them all yesterday as they were feeling very soft and I didn't want them to rot on the tree.

(Sadly.....I forgot to take pics....well I thought I had but they have disappeared!!)

We chose a morello cherry, but they were still a bit sour to eat, and we don't really do desserts unless we have guests so I got out my preserving pan........(well mums old pressure cooker base!!!) and made jam.

Because according to saint nigella, "this is what you should do with any fruit you come across that is perhaps too sour to eat - the sourness aids the setting." Ok she was speaking about greengages but I think she meant the principle to be applied across the whole fruit family!!!

There was only 12oz so I have just got 1 jar out of them but it wasn't a chore. Jam and Chutney making is my favourite of all domestic goddess chores. There is something so satisfying about cooking to hoard!! I was always taken by Laura Ingalls Wilders descriptions in Little House of ma's storecupboard, with things salted and preserved for winter, I'm sure its stayed with me and thats why I get my kicks filling my little cupboard up :)

Cherry Jam ( with bad sun glare!) pictured with last months chutney making results - the red onion one was made because I had a glut of over purchased onions in the cupboard, and the plum and apple because I had plums I needed to use. I don't make huge quantities at a time so its quick and can be done whilst I cook tea!!

I don't follow a recipe as such for chutney, I glance to check the fruit to vinegar/sugar ratio's but apart from that I wing it....spiced apple and plum is a sweetish chutney flavoured with cinnamon, the red onion has garlic in.

Next up is grapefruit and ginger marmalade to use the grapefruits in my fridge bought because I was dieting (ha!) and beetroot chutney with the beetroots I have grown in the garden that are ready to go!

We have another weekend away this week.....then I hope things will calm down a bit and I can take the cover off my sewing machine and get out thrifting again. Haven't bought any vintage embroidered fabric for ages!!!

Autumn Fruit Crumble

The power of marketing!

Yesterdays walk didn't bring the yield of berries I hoped for, so when we got home we had to improvise for the crumble (or pie if you are 3!).
I stewed the berries with 2 manky apples that were hiding in the bottom of the fruit bowl and some plums and a cinnamon stick. Then I found a tin of blackcurrants in the cupboard (why did I buy them?? What was I going to use them for??), they were dated June 08 but I thought I'd live dangerously and whack them in anyway!

My glamorous assistant made the crumble mix.

Et voila...

Autumn Crumble for daddy.