Christmas Blog

Good afternoon Morning (was going to post yesterday) and a “Happy Holidays” to my readers.

I hope that year as gone well for you and next year will be better.

So lets face it tomorrow is going to be one of the most stressful days of the year, especially of those who have chosen to cook on the day and not prep the day before.

After working in hospitality and catering for over 10 years I know how import prep is and even I fall behind now that I have two children running around all day.

So now might be the time to put the kettle on and sit down and run though my check list and see if it helps.

1. Tea is important, you always have time for tea!
2. STOP! Washing the clothes. If you have not done it by now leave it until after Christmas. There is nothing worse than the smell of damp laundry. So put all the dirty clothes in the laundry basket with an air freshener, put the iron away and the clothes that I dry.
3. Find out your clothes for the morning.
4. Put the washing machine on WITHOUT any thing in it, possible white vinegar, disinfectant or glucagon just to give it a clean and a fresh smell for when your guest are here.
5. Now have a cup of tea!
6. Make a list of now many people you think that you will be cooking for towmarrow and decide when is the best time to start cooking and preparing. REMEMBER the fresher the better and “IF in doubt throw it out!”
7. Check that you have enough tables, chairs and remind people to bring a chair with them IF you need one do not feel embarrassed to ask for help if you need chairs, cups plates, etc.
8. Think about using paper plates and plastic cups IF they can be recycled on the day.
9. Clean as you go! Start with the kitchen and then the bathroom. They are a MUST!
10. Have a cup of tea.
11. If you are cooking from frozen with meat reed the instructions so that you cook it correctly to avoid food poisoning, the same when mixing any cooked and uncooked food., Meat, fish, dairy.
12. Check who is eating what, NO you are NOT running a cafe BUT some people may have special dietary requirements or allergies so if cooking from scratch be careful and if from a box/packet keep the information to hand.

I can not think of any thing else a part from, keep places that MUST be off limits to children or pets closed off where ever possible.

Do not forget to wash your hands!

Have any area that is for children to play in and adults can talk if possible.

It is OK to ask people to take their shoes off at the door.

DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE

HAVE FUN!

PS Practice safe SEX or make sure you have one more seat next year!

PPS any thing that I have for sale will be on E bay by Boxing Day.

November 2016

I can not believe that another year as almost most passed me by and what have I done?

To be honest I have not really done what I would have liked due to unforeseen circumstances.

This year I have done any baking this year like I planed too.

What I did do was use the Elderflower Syrup that I did make last year on the Painted Lady Narrow Boat in some of the dishes that I did cook.

I also made my sons birthday cake for this fist birthday, I will also be making a Yule Log next month for my sons nursery.  This is something that they are going to then sell and give the money to their chosen charity.

I am hoping next year to be more "on the ball" and am looking at trying to plan the year if |I can so that I can cook more and learn to make jam.

I would also want to look at using Himalayan Balsam to make some dishes in the kitchen.; after reading an article in the Towpath Paper I would like to try out a few things that the flower can be used for including pressing the flower for card making.

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/canal-and-river-wildlife/the-rogues-gallery/himalayan-balsam

http://www.wildplantforager.com/blog/edible-weed-how-to-eat-himalayan-balsam-flower-and-use-the-stem-as-a-straw

About is the Christening Cake that I decorated for my son's Christening on the 6th November 2016.

Bryndly's Birthday Cake that I made for his first birthday.

summer 2016

At this moment in time the summer holidays have not gone how I would have liked them too.

Although I have spent every day with my children I have had an endless amount of meeting to attend and appointments.

This meant that I have not been able to do any thing "fun" with the children and staying at "home" seams to be all that we have done on a daily basis.

On occasions I have taken them to town and given them Ice Cream and Chocolate Cake.  I have also continued to take Callan Dancing and to visit the family.

But when it as come to my own "personal time" nothing seams to have been achieved.

I am hoping to review my book over the next couple of weeks and try to get the first 200 pages completed.

What will I cook tonight? 1st July The Battle of the Somme.

1st July 2016 "The Battle of The Somme"

Today is the First Time that I have boggled since moving house with my children and becoming a "Full-Time" "Single Mum".

But what dose that really mean?

I have not really cooked in over 4 months and used nature to inspire my cooking with the swans poking there heads onto my kitchen for a few tiny morales.

When I look over the last years of my life before my 33rd Birthday on 4th July 2016 I think of how much my children miss there farther.

And then I think of all of those people who lost there their fathers and prayed for them to home.

My children's father does not live with us and it is not because he his in the armed forces fighting for Queen and Country.  It is because we currently  live in a world where people are encouraged to be "single parents".

For almost three years we tried to stay together and raise our children as a couple BUT over the last 4 months I have done so on my own.

This is due to not being able to raise my children no a narrow boat which was their home due to the way that we where being unfairly treated by Canal and River Trust.

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/?gclid=CNyXsaGx0s0CFRYTGwod6SUAgA

But today I do not think about this I think about those that gave their lives in the hope of a better future.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-36674451

In Nuneaton at 17.00 there will be a service for those that died on this day.  Those Miners from my Home Town Nuneaton.

https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/node/161639

http://www.nuneaton-news.co.uk/forgotten-heroes-remembered/story-28837557-detail/story.html

Sadly I will be unable to make it due to picking up my son from Nursery  at 17.30 and having to use public transport to do so.

The information about the event should hopefully be displayed on Nuneaton Memories Page on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=nuneaton%20memories

To night I will probable cook fish and chips, this is due to it being a "traditional" meal of Great Britain.

Once I have got organised I will try to get back to my "Towpath Cooking"  I have just started to prepare the Elderflower to make home made wines and tinchers.  This is what I miss about living on the boat being able to just wake up in the morning and steep out side my front door and be any where in the UK.

Being able to see the sun rise and sunset over the water and hear the song of bird call fill the air.

Women Who Run With The Wolves

Women Who Run With The Wolves: Contacting the Power..., Estes, Clarissa Pink.

http://www.clarissapinkolaestes.com/ 

I have this book for sale a classic addition on Amazon the book retails at £9.09p

Like any book that I own it as been read at some point by the owner and this previous owner highlighted parts of the book which were personal to her. 

Quotes 

 

If you are looking at buying this book, please click on the link below.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Women-Who-Run-With-The-Wolves-Contacting-the-Power-Estes-Clarissa-Pink-/252285476359 

 

Time to say goodbye

This week I have been going though all iof my belongings again and have now desided to get rid of some of my books  that I have had stored for a number of years and no longer use.  Those that are behold disrepair and damaged I will use as "winter fuel"  or upcylce into art work. 

I will be putting them on line sometime this week.

Cook Book

Over the last couple of months I hi am have been thinking long and hard about what I would put into my cook book.  I am happy with the title that I have chosen and still want it to include things that are seasonal and you can pick up from the Towpath with in the UK.

I also want to include other items that would have been eaten and consumed by Traditional Boating Families up until 1940.  This would have been around the time when people would have been forced to live in houses and trading upon the Canal Network started to decline due to Road and ultimately cars being invented.

I also would like to had some modern twists to my cook book, now that any thing can be purchased (at a price) and with the amount of items of food still being imported into the UK; anything is posible.

However I want this to be a pratical cook book, one were you could quite easily go into your local "Superstore" and pick up the item.  Or use the suppliers direct that I am looking at recommending.

So where do I start first?

Well Spring is on the way; and with S[ring comes Easter, so maybe I will start there.

For sale

 

 I have got some White Elderberries for sale that I  found last Autumn when foraging.

 

British-WHITE-Fruiting-Elderberry-Sambucus-Nigra-100-Seeds-Uncommon-Variety-/252121377844

IWA Himalayan Balsam Campaign Highlights

Himalayan Balsam Kill it, Cook it, Eat it? What would you do?

Himalayan Balsam

I have added some useful links about this invasive plant that flourishes all around the UK.

 current-control-methods

 gov.uk/guidance/prevent-the-spread-of-harmful-invasive-and-non-native-pla

Himalayan-Balsam-seed-curry-recipe 

wildplantforager.com 

www.theotherandyhamilton.com 

Dave-Hamilton 

riverseverncustodians.co.uk 

uk/news/science/himalayan-balsam-call-the-marines-it-s-an-alien-plant-invasion-8723024.html 

 Information about what Canal and River Trust and the Inland Water Ways Association are doing to help?

canalrivertrust.org.uk himalayan-balsam 

www.waterways.org.uk 

What can you do, to help?

https://www.waterways.org.uk/news_campaigns/campaigns/himalayan_balsam/himalayan_balsam_work_parties 

https://www.waterways.org.uk/news_campaigns/campaigns/himalayan_balsam/organising_a_himalayan_balsam_work_party 

For more information please view my Himalayan Balsam Page or follow my blog of further updates.

Happy New Year 2016

Good Morning and a Happy New Year 2016 to everyone.  

I hope that your New Year is full of  FUN in the Kitchen and that some of my use tips and advice that I provide help you to think of a different way of cooking and what you could use.

This Christmas I did not cook.  I spent Christmas Day with my loved ones who cooked for me.  I was so happy to have a day off from cooking and to just be able to put my feet up and enjoy and family home cooked meal.

This for Christmas we had Chicken and not Turkey but I did not mind, it was nice to have a change and a "Break form the Norm."

This week so far I have focused on only cooking stews with winter vegetables and meat from local butchers and selected stores that we use on our travels.

This is some thing that I will probably continue to do until about March.

WE still have some Elderberry Syrup on broad the NB Painted Lady that we made in September 2015 and some Home Made Wine which we made from Elder Flower/Elder Berry, and Rose hips with other added ingredient like Ginger.

WE have now had one Home-made wine bottled for Callan and Byrndly's 18th Birthday's with the help of their grandfather Mr Rayman Baxter.

I can not wait to start foraging again and making more "Towpath Culinary Delights" this Year. 

I hope you enjoy reading my Blog.

Any Questions, please contact me.