The lasagne! The aroma is totally gorgeous.

Today.

I have to go to Hospital for a MRI scan  to see how the tumour is progressing ( hopefully not growing  at all .) after almost a year of treatments, I am down to bi monthly visits ,which is far better  and they give me the medication via an injection ,rather then ditzy all day having an infusion through my veins.

When I return I have lunch to do for my two sons  who will then go off to watch Bristol City play football, at present they are top of  their league! 

We are having a Parma ham and porcini mushroom lasagne, which I prepared yesterday. 

I made a thick white sauce,and then loosened it with the water from the soaked dried porcini mushrooms,plus I used dried morelles   ,and wood ear mushrooms as well.

Then layer of lasagne, then some Parma ham, then grated cheese,( should have been pecorino ,but there wasn't say to be had,so I used Manchego and Parmesan instead. Build up the layers ,and finish with the grated cheese.  Will try and put up a picture providing it isn't wolfed down  too fast for  me to wrestle with the camera.

End of the month,and it seems I have done very little

Maybe it's because I have been giving all my energies to getting back as I was on 24 th September, when I fell and broke my foot. 

 This  has been a nightmare,as I have  had to employ carers again ,and move around the house 

in  the wheelchair.  However, after 5 weeks of bashing into the walls  ( newly decorated) and taking off  layers of paint, I am now walking very carefully with a stick again. The foot hurts a lot, but I am assured it will be less painful as time  goes  by.  I feel I am living on a snakes and ladders board!

When I manage something worth putting on the blog, I assure you all I will do it.

Wonderful vegetarian dish.

Of potato, brown mushrooms, spinach.

First I cut the potatoes to roughly the same size as the cut mushrooms, and boiled them for 10 minutes, then I drained them,added a little butter,and put in the mushrooms. After 5 minutes, I added the spinach, stirred it round till the spinach had wilted,and poured over a small bowlful of very creamy leek and potato soup.added some ground black pepper, and turned the whole mix until it was thoroughly coated in the sauce. It is out of focus ,sorry about that!

Absolutely delicious none the less.

Absolute disaster!

Last Tuesday I fell at a friend's home, walking up the drive to the car,  my foot felt painful, but since I could stand, I felt there was just soft tissue damage. 

However the following day, it was so painful to walk on that  I went to A & E, where they discovered I have hairline cracks on 2 metatarsals.  The upshot is that I must be non weight bearing  for the next month, am back in the wheelchair,back  with the Carers, and won't be doing much cooking as I can't stand!

Just when it seemed I was getting my life back again....... Full of ups and big downs. 

Marathon Sunday cooking.photos first,,then what everything is! First I made a tea loaf, then some cheese pastry tartlets ,which I have filled three if them with Caramelised onions, then some fork biscuits,very easy ,and finally a ginger and chocolate cake.The pastry was made with chilli,mustard powder,and some Zatar( thanks Yotam!)

First 

Today's salad , tomato,chilli, red onion chickpeas and Feta., with masses of basil and mint.Plus some blackberry liquor made last night.

Apologies for the out of focus photo.

 The salad has chopped red and orange tomatoes , marinated with olive oil and lemon juice, the red onion and chill are chopped finely. Then the herbs (lots of basil and mont ) are added when you want to eat, and the Feta cheese scattered on the top. With the remaining chickpeas, I made some hummus, but everyone knows what that looks like  the only difference was that I put lime juice instead of lemon juice. It is just so Moreish......

The Creme de Mûres,  I took some  very overripe blackberries , slowly simmered them, and added sugar to taste, then about a wine glass full of red wine,plus a small shot of Brandy ,I simmered it till it had

reduced and thickened slightly ,then bottled it. 

It has made 250mls, not much,but a little will go a long way.  Now of course, the bottle is  the  first picture instead of the salad.. Must remember to ask my grandchildren how to rectify this!