I am such an idiot.

Today ,as I can't get out due to the snow, I thought I would make some flapjacks.
Plenty of Muesli and porridge oats, and some dried fruits as well.
Everything was going according to plan,and I was just putting the mix into a tray,when Mike,my Physiotherapist arrived.
Since I wanted to UT the flapjacks not the oven,I decided to scatter one pumpkin seeds over the top, but I took out Kalonji seeds,BLACK ONION SEEDS INSTEAD.
Too late,as I couldn't scrape them off,so it will be interesting to see if anyone notices a strange flavour. You can clearly see the seeds.

Saturday evening.

Four friends for a meal this evening, and we had....to begin with ,two bottles of Prosecco,with various nibbles, and then
Asparagus Risotto,with a wolf Blass Chardonnay,then Venison Casserole, found the recipe online Della's "venison with pickled walnuts." The meat was marinated in Guinness and Oloroso Sherry (the recipe said Port,but I didn't have any ) for almost two days,
and then cooked with garlic, onions and herbs,using the marinade as the liquid. Cooked in a low oven for almost three and a half hours. With that ,we had red Cabbage, broccoli and Anya potatoes,which I love, their knobbly shape and interesting shapes me a contrast to the pieces of meat.
As Delia said , it was unctuous and utterly delicious.

As one of the group is a Vegetarian, I made her some stuffed Courgettes,with aubergine, peppers ,tomatoes and capers,with some. Bread crumbs to bind it together,and some Dukkah scattered over .they were baked in the oven with a little tomato sauce.
To drink ,two bottles of 2005 Minervois from the Langedoc .
The cheeses were made by some gorgeous Guava jelly( similar to Membrillo) but given to me by a friend recently returned from Cuba.
Finally there was a Creme Brûlée ,with Clementines and Raspberries underneath the custard..
With that we drank a half bottle of Muscat de Beaumes de Venise, absolutely delicious. I also made some dates in coffee and cardamom,with some little walnut biscuits and Greek Yoghurt.
Now I see what we ate, I realise there were a awful lot of walnuts......
By midnight I was knackered.
A lot of clearing up still to be done.
And I made nine pots of marmalade in the morning,or rather I had to reboil some that I had made the night before which hadn't set,as I was trying to cut down on the amount of sugar
Finally,and I almost forgot, but my football crazy family were here for lunch as well.

Cherry and Polenta cake.my first posting for this new year.

Made for friends who I will be visiting this afternoon.
With apologies for the lateness of this Debbie,but I didn't forget .
Cake made from a recipe in Sainsburys Magazine.
Made with polenta, ground almonds,cherry compote and all the usual stuff .

Some of the nibbles

Cheese and parsnip gougeres, spiced nuts, salmon crackers and THREE different types of cheese biscuits

Christmas Eve!

Here is the Yule log in all it's glory,rather huge as I have used double the amount as we are so many.
In the oven is a sticky toffee pudding,and the sauce is ready to be heated .
What will we have beforehand for nibbles? A choice of salmon crackers (marinated salmon strips wrapped in filo pastry),parsnip and cheese gougeres,spiced nuts, figs with goat's cheese wrapped in Parma Ham? Tess will make the choice, and then there is more ( and different ) for tomorrow.

Weekend cooking.

Why haven't I any pictures? Because almost everything cooked has either gone off to the family,been frozen or been eaten.and what have I to show for it all?
Burns on my finger, getting a cake out of the oven, and the biggest bruise you have ever seen on my leg, from walking into the door of the oven,which has a very sharp corner.
I made loads of cheese biscuits. Now frozen
A coffee and walnut cake with American frosting,eaten yesterday with the family.
A savoury cake, with sundried tomatoes, capers and basil as well as cheese in the mix.very good for an aperitif with a drink. Frozen, and waiting for Christmas.
Dan Leopardi's Pistachio and orange Stollen,wrapped and put away for nearer Christmas.
An Amaretti and apple tart,which went to the family and was eaten last night.
Then a chocolate and fruit cake,so heavy with fruit that it will have to be eaten with a spoon.
I think I shall serve it as a new version of Christmas Pudding
That just about covers it, I am exhausted
.

Just to let you now that I have not been slacking.

A very busy weekend with guests who arrived on Thursday
So we had......
Smoked mackerel pâté ,pork with prunes in a cream sauce,celeriac and potato mash and sliced leeks. Some cheese .
Friday saw a salad of spinach, blue cheese ,pears and avocado for lunch,
and in the evening I made a Fish soup with home made Rouille, then Game casserole with Carrot and parsnip mash and green beans, followed by Clementine and orange jelly with mango topping and the Almond Tuilles , cheese ,all English a Stilton,a very tasty Cheddar and some Goat's cheese , plus of course, copious glasses of wine ,both red and white
We had home made croissants for breakfast, then Saturday lunch with some of the family here as well was a simple dish of leeks wrapped in ham in a cheese sauce .
Sunday I cooked blueberry pancakes for breakfast, and then in the evening ( with more guests) we ate a crayfish salad with a spicy red cabbage and carrot slaw and thinly sliced apple ,followed by a mushroom risotto with truffle oil,and. Some rocket scattered over the top, which I have to say, was delicious. I made some ciabatta,which was enormous,must have put too much yeast as it almost hit the top of the oven.
The fridge is filled with little containers of leftovers...now all I have to do is eat them, and NOT throw any away.