PHYLLIS IS TRAVELLING NORTH

Good morning to you,

Yesterday I was busy tidying the garden,  attacking weeds  and deadheading plants and generally giving the garden a good "wash and brush up" ready for Phyllis' visit. I wanted to be sure everything was spic and span before she arrives on Tuesday. Phyllis is going to spend two weeks with us which   I'm really looking forward to, and I wanted the garden to look nice so that on sunny days we could  sit  and enjoy the garden. 

If you were to visit our garden, you would find a clash of colours.  I love subtle colours, such as blues, pinks and whites, but  George loves vibrant colours like reds, oranges and yellows. So our garden is a garden of two halves, which sometimes cross over and mix with each other, like our marriage really, as we are as different as chalk and cheese and sometimes we clash, but we also meld together beautifully!

 What a gorgeous plant, this Astilbe stands very tall, about 4 feet and it looks so light and feathery!

One of my favourites is Hidcote Lavender. When the flowers are dry, I use them to make lavender bags to put in my linen drawers.  Ivy used to do the same and there is nothing like freshly washed and ironed cotton sheets with the delicate smell of lavender to send you to sleep.

This little lady is  Doris. She is a modern Pink and she flowers continuously throughout the summer and the added bonus is, her perfume is beautiful.

Now for one of George's favourites, Yellow Loose strife. As you can see  by the colour of the flowers, this plant shines even on a dull day. This plant just gives and gives as every two years it has to be divided, so we can share the spare plants with family and friends.

Now I appreciate these are runner beans, but this is the first year I have grown them and I'm thrilled to see they are doing so well, I just hope the rest of the summer is warm enough for the beans to develop.

This is a beautiful little Campanula, her flowering is prolific and such a beautiful shade of blue.

And here we have Osteospermum, the flowers open and close with the sun, so are best positioned where they can catch the sun all day.

This  Amethyst  Trailing Geranium usually flowers continuously, but not this year I'm afraid, we just haven't had the sunshine.  I was first introduced to these beauties whilst living in Germany. The  balconies were overflowing with  geraniums, such a beautiful sight.

Heavenly white Cosmos in the foreground with large Daisies in the background. There's nothing more to say.... perfection!

I love these Garnet Penstemons as they don't need staking they stand tall and proud all by themselves.

Isn't this fuchsia beautiful. When I bought the plant the label read "Dollar Princess", but this fuschia certainly isn't , but I don't mind, when the flowers bloomed they  were a lovely surprise

Now here is a plant that says "Look at Me!" This Monbretia is just starting to open it's buds, it's a very vibrant plant, and again another which spreads so easily.

I hope you have enjoyed looking at a small part of  our garden. Our garden isn't large, it's just enough for us to look after and a garden we don't have to worry about when we are away travelling.

 

My idea of paradise, is sitting in a warm sunny garden, the flowers swaying in a gentle breeze, the bees buzzing around the flowers and me, well, just relaxing reading a book.

Paradise isn't about money, to me it really is about "stopping and enjoying  the moment".

What is your idea of paradise?

Take care and I'll see you later in the week.

Best Wishes,

Daphne xxx

PLUM AND NECTARINE CRUMBLE

Good Morning to you,

Yesterday, I decided to pop into town and visit  The Grainger Market,  to see what seasonal fruit was on offer. At one fruit and vegetable stall they were selling nectarines and plums really cheaply, so I bought some and decided to make a Plum and Nectarine Crumble to share with you.

I think any sort of crumble, whether it is made with apples or other fruit can be thought of as winter food.  Yes, when it is served hot with custard, it certainly is warming, but I like mine, just warm, served with ice cream or yes that old favourite of mine mascarpone cheese, sweetened with a little icing sugar.

I know crumble is laidened with calories, but it's ok to enjoy food as long as you don't go over the top! 

Note to self: remember DO NOT have seconds!

INGREDIENTS

180g/6oz unsalted butter, cut into cubes

350g/12 oz plain flour

225g/8 oz Demerara sugar

1 kg/ 2 lbs plums and nectarines,

  stoned and cut into bite size pieces

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons of cornflour

juice of half a lemon

METHOD

Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4

Butter a large dish and place on a baking sheet

Place the chopped nectarines and plums into a large bowl. Add 4 oz demerara sugar. Before you do, check to see how tart your plums are, you might need to reduce the sugar, mine were very tart so I added the whole 4oz. Add lemon juice, cornflour and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and  mix. You can see from the photograph that the cornflour wasn't  thoroughly mixed, so I continued stirring until it was fully incorporated.

Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.

Place the sieved flour,  rest of the salt and cinnamon into a bowl and mix.

Add the diced butter and rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Stir in the remaining sugar.

Cover the fruit with the crumb mixture and press down lightly

Looks like someone has stuck their finger in the pie!
No it wasn't George, it's  a piece of brown sugar.

Bake for approximately 45 minutes until golden brown.

Your kitchen will smell wonderful whilst the crumble is cooking.  George was watching the Olympics whilst I was baking the crumble and kept coming into the kitchen to ask  it was ready, as the smell of the cooking was making him feel hungry. It has to be said, George didn't wait for the crumble to cool, he enjoyed a huge bowlful whilst watching the Olympics.  When I went in to see him, he had a really satisfied look on his face!

I hope you enjoy making this crumble. Remember you can reduce the ingredients to make a smaller crumble.

See you later in the week, until then take care.

Best Wishes

Daphne xxx



YORK CITY

Good morning Everyone,

On Friday, I spent the day with my friend Gloria. We decided to enjoy a day trip to the City of York.

As a "Southern Softie" I packed a jacket, in case it turned cold, umbrella in case it rained, water in case we were thirsty, bananas in case we were peckish and I wore good sturdy shoes, warm trousers and a jumper!  Gloria wore beautiful cotton trousers,  a tee-shirt, summer shoes and a light crochet jacket in case it turned cold..... yes Gloria is from the frozen north of England and is used to the cold and I am from the much milder south of England and I "feel"the cold!

We travelled by train and arrived  at York Railway Station.  We headed out of the station and started our adventure.

York is a beautiful walled city which was founded in 71AD by the Romans. It is a fascinating city with so much history and so many beautiful buildings.

The Black Swan Inn

The Black Swan stands in Peasholme Green, named because the area used to be a water meadow and used for growing peas.  The building is timber framed and the front is plastered and white washed.

By all accounts, the Black Swan is haunted!  There are a number of ghosts, and one regular ghost is a workman, who wears a bowler hat.  He fidgets and tuts, as if he is waiting for someone.  He then gradually fades away when he is being watched, or is known to walk from room to room appearing to look for someone!

The East Lodge

We crossed the River Ouse  to get to the centre of York. I took these photos whilst standing on the Lendal Bridge, which is an iron bridge built over the River Ouse.

As you can see from the photos, it was quite a cloudy day, but that didn't diminish our excitement.

This is a photo of one of the toll houses which was close to Lendal Bridge.

With Map in hand and asking a few lovely people for directions we made our way to the centre of York.

Where we found Gert & Henry's.  Gert & Henry's Restaurant is housed in a Tudor Building in the centre of Newgate Market. I love the address..... 4 Jubbergate, isn't that just a quaint address. 

It is such a busy area that it is impossible to take photos without passers-by being included, but  that adds to the charm of the photo I think.

So many beautiful flowers for sale, we did not buy any I'm afraid, as they would have wilted by the time we reached home. So I took photos instead.

I love the   blue colour  of the irises they look so vibrant  and the chrysanthemums look positively autumnal.

After lunch, we made our way to the Quilting Museum. The museum  housed quilts from across Europe, with countries exhibiting two quilts each.  Believe me there were some crackers, it was a joy to be able to view them. The frustrating thing was we were unable to touch the quilts, but they were so tactile that you wanted to touch them.  I do understand why we couldn't, but it didn't stop me wanting to.  I'm afraid we were unable to take photos inside the Museum, so I'm unable to share with  you the superb work which was on show and we were so busy chatting about the quilts when we left the museum, that I forgot to take photos of the museum itself.  Sorry I was enjoying the moment.

Copley's of York

I took a photo of this building because it looked so quaint and I thought it would house  an antique or curios shop, but in fact it was an Estate Agents.  Do you know even MacDonald's was housed in a beautiful old building, the best looking MacDonald's building in the world I think!

St Sampson's Church

This is St Sampson's Church.  This church is first mentioned in 1154.  It's lower part was damaged in 1644 by cannon balls and the church was largely rebuilt in 1818.

St Andrew's Evangelical Church

St Andrew's Evangelical Church was closed in 1559 as a result of an Act of Parliament.  The church has had quite a diverse history as it became a stable, school and a brothel before it reverted back to being a church.

The windows are quite beautiful.

and finally as we headed back to the railway station, we came across this  fine fellow.  The statue is of George Leeman. 

George Leeman was a successful lawyer and politician who lived from 1809 - 1882.

So with weary feet we headed home.  We both had a fabulous time and I think we will head back next year to see the what else York has to offer, as I know there is so much more!

I hope you enjoyed the tour around York as much as we did.

See you later in the week. Take care until then.

Best Wishes,

Daphne xxx

OREGANO

Good Morning to you,

At the moment, I have an enormous amount of oregano growing in my herb garden.  I really didn't expect such a bumper crop, as the sun has been practically none existent this year, but grow it has!

So, now is the time to think ahead and dry  some of the oregano, ready to use in heartwarming meals when the days are shorter and colder.

I cut the stems of half the bush to dry, then I continue using the fresh oregano during the rest of the summer months. 

It is such an easy process and the smell, well, the only word I  can use is divine!

What can you see peeking through the oregano bush?

It's our lovely stone statue!  The urn is filled with water each day and the birds sit on the rim and enjoy a drink, whilst we enjoy the spectacle from the kitchen window.

Now to business.  Cut 6 stems of oregano, or more if you have a large plant growing. I graduate the cutting, as I don't have space to hang lots of oregano, so once this oregano is dry, I will cut some more and so on and so on until I have the dried amount I want.

Tie  a couple of stems together with garden twine. Continue until all three sets of stems are tied together, then hang them to dry in a warm place.

Then after 10 - 14 days your stems of oregano will look like this. Not very pretty I know, but you've heard the saying "looks can be deceiving" and my, is this picture deceiving, as the aroma of the dried oregano is delicious.

Just a word of warning, make sure your leaves are dried and crispy looking, as if there is a hint of moisture left in the leaves, when you place them into jars, the oregano will become mouldy. 

You have a choice,

you can strip the leaves from the stems and they will look like this!

Then you can store them in small jars ready to use whenever you need oregano.

OR

you can place the stems into a large kiln jar  and keep the jar in a cool, dark, place until you are ready to strip the leaves and use.  They can be stored for at least 6 months.

Which ever you decide you will have an abundance of oregano to last you through the winter months.

Enjoy yourself doing this, to my mind there is nothing more gratifying than gathering produce from your garden. The produce is practically free, apart from giving time and effort, whether it is just a little oregano or a bumper crop of tomatoes, but the feeling of achievement is tremendous. So go ahead, buy some seeds, plant them and reap the benefits!

Take care, enjoy the rest of your week and I will see you on Sunday.

Best Wishes

Daphne xxx

LASAGNE

Good Morning to you,

There are so many recipes for Lasagne,  I wasn't sure I should include my version, but then I realised, that is what it is, my version, of a well known dish.

Some would say Lasagne is "old hat" and very 70's, this may be so, but what does that matter.  If a dish is tasty and enjoyable, then fashion doesn't come into it.

As a home cook I  adapt recipes, to include a little more of "this" and a little less of "that", to cater to my  families tastes. Isn't that what home cooking is all about! 

I have cooked this recipe for years, but do you know I "just" cook it, ( I can hear Natasha whispering in my ear, "Mum you don't "just", it takes knowledge and experience"), but all you mums out there will know what I mean.   I don't weigh and measure, I make it without thinking, but for you I have sat down and weighed and recorded the ingredients.  So without further ado this is my version of Lasagne.

The Meat Sauce

3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 - 3 cloves of garlic (depends on your taste buds)

1 carrot - chopped into 3 chunks

1 celery stalk - cut into 4 chunks

900g/ 2lb of lean minced beef

300 ml / 1/2  pint  of red wine

125 ml / 4fl oz   of milk

1 x 425 g/ 14oz  of tin tomatoes, chopped

1 teaspoon of sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano

(dried if you don't have fresh)

Salt and Pepper

THE CHEESE SAUCE

700 ml/1 1/4 pint of milk

75g / 3 oz  butter

75g / 3 oz  flour

Salt and Pepper

Grated Nutmeg

75g /3 oz  grated Parmesan Cheese

or

Grana Padona Cheese

75g /3 oz  grated Mature Cheddar Cheese

METHOD

Pre-heat oven 180C / 350F / Gas Mark 4

1 rectangle dish 12" x 10" (smaller if you prefer more layers to the  lasagne)

15 (approx) of dried lasagne sheets

Cooking time 45 minutes

Put olive oil into the pan, along with chopped onions and cook until golden in colour.

 Remove onions from the pan and set aside.

Using the same pan, brown the beef.  Stir every so often to make sure all the beef is browned.

Add the red wine and bring the mixture to the boil.  Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the wine has evaporated.  It is the flavour you want and not the alcohol content.

Add the garlic, oregano and the onions which were set aside and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the milk to the mixture and stir.  Continue cooking until the milk has been absorbed.

Add the chopped tomatoes and 1 1/2 pints of water, or stock if preferred.

Add the celery and carrot.  They have been cut into chunks as it is the flavour of the celery and carrot we want.  At the end of the cooking time they will be removed.  

Add 1 teaspoon of sugar, this cuts through the acidity of the tomatoes.

Season with salt and pepper.

Place a lid on the pan and reduce the heat to a simmer.  Cook for 45 minutes.

When cooked check the seasoning, if more salt is required add now.

CHEESE SAUCE

Melt the butter in a pan.

Add the flour and stir.  Cook over a gentle heat for 2 minutes to make sure the flour is cooked.

Add the milk, yes all of it, it won't be lumpy as long as you whisk continuously.  Add the grated nutmeg and salt then whisk until thick and glossy.

Add the Cheddar Cheese and  Parmesan Cheese, or  Grana Padona Cheese. Whisk until melted. I find taking the sauce off the heat , adding the cheese and whisking allows the cheese to melt, without the sauce catching on the bottom of the pan. Set aside.

LAYERING THE LASAGNE

Place a little meat sauce in the base of the dish.

Place lasagne sheets on top, try to cover most of the base of the dish.

Cover the lasagne sheets with meat sauce.

Continue layering with lasagne sheets and meat sauce.  You might need to do a little patchwork, as the lasagne sheets don't fit exactly.

The final layer will be lasagne sheets.

Place the dish onto a baking sheet, this will make it easier to take to the oven when filled with the cheese sauce.

Add the cheese sauce over the top of the lasagne sheets.

Bake for approximately 45 minutes, I usually check after 40 to make sure the Lasagne is golden in colour.

Due to the lighting the lasagne looks darker than it actually was......honestly!

Do try this recipe, as I know it will become one of your family favourites.  Cook it the way I have shown you, then  next time you make it,  you can adjust the taste to suit you and your family. Please let me know how you get on with this dish as I would love to hear.

Apologies to my American friends, I need to familiarise myself more with American weights to be sure I give you the correct amount, as I find it confusing ie weight of meat in cups is different to weight of flour in cups.  I will master this I promise.

Just a thought, this Lasagne freezes well.   Cook the same amount as I have and then cut it into portions  and freeze for days when you are too busy to cook.  If you decide to do this, make a little extra meat sauce and freeze in portion sizes, just enough to add moisture to your lasagne when you cook in the oven. 

See you Wednesday, take care until then.

Best Wishes,

Daphne xxx