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Sunday 9 November 2014

REMEMBRANCE DAY ~ 9TH NOVEMBER 2014

Good Morning to you,





'Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there.
I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle Autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush.
I am the swift uplifting rush
of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there.
I did not die.

Mary Elizabeth Fry
1932

There really are not enough words, to say thank you, to all the brave men and women, from across the world, who lost their lives, so that we can enjoy the freedom we have today.

..... but we can remember and we must always remember their sacrifice.

George and I will never, ever, forget friends and family, who lost their lives in conflicts across the world.

They will always have our gratitude, 

and

they will always live on, 

in our hearts.




to you and your family,






Wednesday 5 November 2014

TURKEY SOUP WITH PEARL BARLEY

Good Afternoon to you,


As you know, I have lived in Cyprus at various times in my life and I have a very strong affinity with the island.

The time I am going to be talking about is when I was about 6 years old and we lived in a place called Famagusta.  In those days, we, as children, were always able to play outdoors safely because everyone in the street, knew each other, so there was never a problem.

Now I had a friend, who lived along the road from us, and to reach my friends house, I had to walk past a bungalow whose owners had chickens running freely around  the garden.... chickens.... they were no problem, but they also kept a turkey, which also roamed freely around the garden.

Now, as you know, turkeys are much larger than chickens, but I never worried about the turkey, that is until one day, as I walked past the bungalow, the turkey noticed me.  The turkey raised it's head, stared at me and then made a gobbling sound, and with that, started walking and then ended up running towards me..... I think my 'flight or fight' intuition kicked in, because on seeing the turkey running towards me, I ran as fast as I could towards my friends house, and when I arrived, I  looked behind me, to see the turkey was still chasing  me. Luckily my friend had a garden gate and so I was able to run into the garden and close the gate.

So you can imagine, the next time I walked by the bungalow, I was very cautious, I thought I was practically tiptoeing past the bungalow, but no, on that occasion and every subsequent occasion, each time I reached the bungalow, the turkey would see me, and off we would go..... turkey seeing me..... me running....and the turkey chasing me. This went on for quite a while, until one day, suddenly the turkey was not there, it had disappeared. At the time I was so pleased, but being a little girl I only felt relief, I did not realise why the turkey had disappeared...... probably just as well, because even though the turkey frightened the life out of me, I would have been sad to know it had probably been added to a pot for the family meal. 

So every time I roast a turkey, which is usually only at Christmas time, I think about the turkey who terrorised me for so many months, all those years ago.

Now, as I say, I usually only cook turkey at Christmas time, but recently the butcher had some joints of turkey, at a very reasonable price, so I bought one, and made,


this turkey soup with pearl barley and chunky vegetables.  A really hearty, winter's soup..... perfect for Bonfire Night.  

So it's on with the pinnie and the music I am listening to is,


the wonderful soothing voice of Norah Jones.  This is such a lovely album, listen to and enjoy, 

'Sunrise'

'What Am I To You'

and

'Don't Miss You At All'

So whilst I am listening to, 'In the Morning' I will organise my ingredients.

INGREDIENTS
TO 
MAKE
TURKEY SOUP
WITH
PEARL BARLEY

The evening before you are ready to make the
soup.
Place the broth mix in a large bowl
and
cover with water.
Allow the broth mix to
soak overnight.

The following day,
drain the water from the broth mix
and set aside until ready to use.

200g broth mix
250g  turkey joint
8 small waxy potatoes
1 large onion
4 large carrots
2 large parsnips
1 240g tin of tomatoes
2 litres of turkey stock
2 tablespoons of olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper


HOW TO MAKE
TURKEY SOUP 
WITH 
PEARL BARLEY

Cook the turkey joint
in plenty of stock
and
when cooked, place the turkey meat 
on a plate
and
reserve the turkey stock.

Whilst the turkey is cooking,


wash and drain the soaked
broth mix
and
set aside for the moment.


Slice the onions.


Place the olive oil
into
a
large pan
and 
add the onions.


Cook until golden brown.

While the onions are cooking,


peel and chop
 the 
carrots
into chunks.


Peel and chop
the
parsnips 
into chunks.


Peel and chop
the 
potatoes
into chunks.

When the onions are golden in colour,
add the
chopped carrots,
the
chopped parsnips,
and
the
chopped potatoes.


Add
 the 
tomatoes,


the
turkey stock
and
the

broth mix.


Add
half a teaspoon of 
sea salt
and
half a teaspoon of
freshly ground black pepper.

Stir the ingredients.

Place a lid on the pan
and
Bring the soup to the boil
then
reduce to a simmer 
and 
cook for
45 minutes
or 
until the broth mix is thoroughly cooked.

Before serving
check for seasoning
and add a little more
if necessary.

When the turkey joint is cooked,
dice into bite sized pieces.


Decide on the dish
you wish to use,
and
ladle the chunky soup
into the
soup dish.

Add
as much, or as little turkey meat
as you want
and
Enjoy.


I guarantee, that this soup is so filling you will not need any bread to mop up the soup.

If you are not sure what a broth mix is, here in England, it is a mixture of pearl barley (which is delicious), lentils, yellow split peas, green split peas and marrowfat peas, but if these are not available to you, this soup works very well with just pearl barley.

Also the potatoes I used are waxy potatoes, because I did not want the potatoes falling apart in the soup, I wanted them to retain their shape.

You will also notice, that the vegetables are cut much larger than I normally do, because adding chunky vegetables adds a certain 'something' to the soup and as George says, he likes a soup he can 'get his teeth into'.

This is such a healthy soup and each year, at this time of year, we always try to eat healthily, before  the indulgence of Christmas arrives.  This way, we find we really look forward to, and enjoy the richer Christmas foods.

How about you, do you have any healthy pre-Christmas food traditions?

Take care and I will see you on Sunday.

This week I will be joining,

and
Natasha in Oz for Say G'Day Saturday
and
21 Rosemary Lane for Share Your Style






Sunday 2 November 2014

CHRISTMAS GIFTS ~ A GIFT OF TEA

Good Afternoon to you,


On Friday, I was shopping in Newcastle, when quite by accident, I came across the perfect pair of slippers.

The funny thing is, you can guarantee, if I was looking for a pair of slippers to buy, I would not find the right slippers, so to find a pair, without really looking, was a treat.

As I said, I did not go shopping for a pair of slippers, even though my old slippers were looking a little sorry for themselves.... comfy, but a little past their sell by date. I came across my lovely new slippers when I was looking for some Molton Brown hand wash, which, incidentally, I forgot to buy, as I was so pleased with my purchase,  I simply walked out of the shop.

The first thing I did when I arrived home, was, unwrap the slippers, take off my shoes and pop the slippers on my feet..... oh the joy of putting my tired feet inside my brand new pair of slippers, it was sheer pleasure.

.... they are so soft and fluffy inside and my feet are as warm as toast.

The second thing I did was, put the kettle on, to make a cup of tea.

..... and as I was making my cup of tea, my thoughts drifted towards a friend of mine who adores, good strong tea and in that moment, I knew just what  I was going to do.


I am going to give my friend a Christmas gift of a good quality black tea,  along with a gorgeous cup and saucer, which I know will make her so very happy.

So it's on with the pinnie and the music I am listening to is,


the album, Mercury Falling by Sting.  When I listen to Sting's words, he reminds me of  a medieval minstrel, as his songs always tell a story.

Listen to,

I Hung My Head,
and
I Was Brought To My Senses
and
I'm So Happy, I Can't Stop Crying

and you will see what I mean.

So whilst I am listening to 'All Four Seasons' I will organise the items I will  need..... bit of a cheek really to say organise, as there is very little to organise.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED
TO 
MAKE A 
CHRISTMAS GIFT 
OF TEA

Choose a good quality
tea.


I chose a
black Indian tea, 
with
hints of,


root ginger,


cloves,


and
cardamom.


You will need a small
cellophane bag

and


a funnel.


Place the funnel
inside the
cellophane bag
and 
carefully pour the black tea
into the bag.

The aroma is wonderful.

Gather the top of the bag together
and secure the bag
with a small rubber band.


Choose a colourful
ribbon.
I just love this ribbon,
'Everything Stops For Tea'


and tie a bow
to cover the rubber band.

Now whilst I was doing this,
I thought,
about another close friend
who enjoys tea.

For this friend, I am going to add
a tea strainer
to her gift
or
maybe


I will give both of my friends
and beautiful cup and saucer,
some black tea
and
tea strainer.

Yes, 
I feel sure,
this will be the perfect gift,
for both of my friends.



I just need to look
for  two lovely
cups and saucers,
like my Italian Spode,
which is not a difficulty for me
as it is
always fun to see what I can find.

Do you have a friend  who would love a Christmas gift of tea?

As for me, I decided to put my feet up and enjoy a cup of tea. I was very happy as I was wearing my new slippers. Would you like to take a peek?


aahh..... the simple pleasures are the best.

Take care and I will see you on Wednesday.

This week I will be joining,


and









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