APPLE, LENTIL AND BACON SOUP

Good Morning to you,

Recently, I have heard it said, that people are running to the hills, waving their arms in the air, because there are very few, Cos lettuces, left on our supermarket shelves.

.... actually, I'm only joking about 'people running to the hills'.

Although, there are some folk who are really upset by the lack of Cos lettuce available to us this winter.

I have to say, I was surprised to learn, that as a result of this, a certain supermarket had decided to limit  the amount of lettuce people could buy. Do you know, I really don't remember this happening before.

There has always been a plentiful supply of lettuce, as each year we import them from Spain, but during last year's growing season,  Spain experienced some very unseasonal weather.... it seems they had far too much rain, which has ruined this year's crop of lettuce. So rather than being plentiful, this winter, there is a scarcity of Cos lettuce. 

I had noticed when I returned from Chicago, that Cos lettuce had rocketed in price.  What had previously cost 56p was now costing £1.57p. I did not know the reason at the time, but as a canny shopper, I decided I was not going to buy lettuce, at the newly inflated price. I would much prefer to keep the money in my purse.

The way I see it is, salad produce, during the winter time, is a luxury and not a necessity.  Yes it's nice to enjoy a salad during the winter, but if salad produce is not available, then I will eat something else.

It seems we have become so used to eating what we want, when we want. That when produce is not available, people get very upset.

I decided to speak to Phyllis, my mother, about the problem to see what her reaction was.

She said, she really didn't know what all the fuss was about, because when she was a young married wife, lettuce wasn't available to buy during the winter months, so she never thought she was missing out. Phyllis also said, she felt we should revert to seasonal eating, which I have to say, I totally agree with, as eating fruits and vegetables which are in season, is much more of a pleasure, because they have not travelled far. She also added, that it was cheaper on the purse to buy seasonal food, because seasonal foods tended to be cheaper.

Phyllis carried on to say, that she remembered as a child, picking walnuts, apples and plums, with her brothers and sisters, from the trees in the family garden. She said that they were always so excited, to experience that first juicy bite, of the new seasonal fruit.

.... and isn't that what seasonal eating is all about. The anticipation of fruits and vegetables coming into season. When we lived in Cyprus, the fruits and vegetables were always full of flavour, because we ate seasonally. We knew in late October, early November, the fig tree would be ready to yield its fruit and I was always beyond excited to eat that first fig.

I admit, I have become a little lax since I returned to England.  I do buy a lot of seasonal food, but I also buy unseasonal foods such as mangoes and avocado which have travelled for miles, only to find, when eaten, I am disappointed with the flavour. When we ate mangoes in India, oh my goodness, the flavour was out of this world, I really enjoyed each bite, but invariably, I find, only 1 out of 5 mangoes, which I buy here in England, will taste anything like the mangoes I ate in India.

So I thought I would ask Phyllis if she had any idea as to what was in season at the moment, as I was curious to see if she could remember.  I really shouldn't have doubted her, because she named the following,

Parsnips, Swede, Brussels Sprouts, Carrots, Savoy Cabbage, White Cabbage, Cauliflower, Leeks, Onions, Potatoes and Turnips.

She said she always buys the fruits and vegetables which are in season.  Yes, she does buy salad in the winter, but that is because it is available and a good price.

Maybe, like Phyllis, it is time we did the same and returned to seasonal eating.

What do you think?

.... and there is nothing more seasonal, when it is cold, than,

a nice bowl of warming soup, such as this Apple, Lentil and Bacon Soup.

I had a few odds and ends which I needed to use up so I decided, as I often do, with odds an ends, to turn them into a soup.

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

a track from the Mike Wheeler Band album, Turn Up.  

A Blind Man Can See

Do you remember I mentioned last week that we had been to The House of Blues in Chicago, to watch the Mike Wheeler Band and how marvellous they were.

If you enjoy listening to blues music, then there are many Utube clips of the Mike Wheeler Band for you to enjoy.

.... and Edith, this is especially for you, because I know how much you love Blues Music.

INGREDIENTS

YOU WILL NEED

TO MAKE

APPLE, LENTIL AND BACON SOUP

Serves 4

150g red split lentils

1 large tart, eating apple such as a Granny Smith

2 slices of bacon

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 large onion

3 large carrots

1 litre of chicken stock

1 bay leaf

Freshly ground black pepper

HOW TO 

MAKE

APPLE, LENTIL AND BACON SOUP

~ Finely chop the onion.

~ Place the olive oil into a medium sized saucepan.

~ Add the chopped onions.

~ Cook until translucent.

~ Whilst the onions are cooking, peel and chop

    the carrots into chunks. 

    (Don't worry if the chunks are not uniform

     in size as we will blitz

 the soup when it has cooked.)

~ Peel and core the apple and cut into chunks. 

~  When the onions are translucent, add the

~  carrots

~  apple

~  lentils

~  chicken stock

and

~ the bay leaf.

~  Half cover the saucepan with a lid,

 and bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 40-45 minutes, or until the carrots, apples and the lentils are cooked.

~  10 minutes before the end of the cooking time, place the bacon under a grill and cook until the bacon is crispy.  

~   Cut into pieces. I use scissors for this as I find it makes the job a lot easier.

~   When the soup has cooked, remove the bay leaf.

~   Using a hand held blitzer, carefully blitz the soup whilst it is still in the saucepan.  Be very careful when doing this, as the soup will be extremely hot.

~  Ladle the soup into a bowl and add a sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper.

~  Add the previously cut strips of bacon

and

Enjoy.

Soups are a wonderful, money saving meal and they are so healthy.

You will have noticed that I did not add any salt.  The reason for this was, the bacon contains salt and also I had used 2 stock cubes, which already contain salt, so no extra salt was needed.

I would recommend that you do a taste test, as you might find you prefer extra salt.

Also, just as an added thought, if you find the soup is becoming too thick, whilst it is simmering, then please don't worry, just add some water to thin the soup a little.

Now, I feel sure you are wondering who Edith is, well let me tell you. Edith writes the blog,

Iris Under My Tree

Pop over and say hello, as I feel sure she would love to meet you.

Take care and I will catch up with you next Thursday.

This week I will be joining,

Mary From The Boondocks for Inspiration Friday

and

Linda from Life and Linda for Dishing It & Digging It Link Party

As Always,  

CHICAGO ~ THE WINDY CITY ~ PART 2

Good Evening to you,

I still feel a tingle of excitement, when I think about our recent visit to Chicago.

.... and one of the things, which really stands out for me, is the variety of food which was on offer.

Now I have spoken to you about the fabulous restaurant, Etaly, but now, I would like to share with you, a restaurant, with the most wonderful name,

Goddess and the Baker. When we walked through the doors we were immediately hit by the relaxed atmosphere. Natasha mentioned, that it was a really busy restaurant, and that we were lucky, because it was the lull, before the evening rush. I have to say, after an afternoon of shopping, Natasha and I were grateful for the peace and quiet, which Goddess and The Baker provided.

.... and you will not be surprised to learn, that our food of choice, was cake.

Yes, it had to be cake.  Sometimes only cake will do and what better way to end the day, than with a slice of the most deliciously, moist, carrot cake and a flat white coffee, which incidentally was the best flat white coffee I have ever tasted. It suited my palate perfectly.

Yes, I admit this is a large slice of cake... and yes, under normal circumstances, I freely admit, I could have eaten the whole slice, but on this occasion, I was very happy to share with my lovely daughter.... the cake was delicious.

.... and look at our surroundings.  Do you know something, in the 1970's, I had a curved lamp very similar to the one in the photograph, the only difference was, my lamp shade was oval.... vintage certainly has returned, and in a very stylish way.

Now if you have been visiting Ivy, Phyllis and Me! for a while, you will know about my love of music. There is not one style which I love more than another, I am open to all forms of music. So when Natasha told me that there was a Blues club in Chicago, that we must visit, I was thrilled to pieces.

.... but not any old Blues club,

it was only The House of Blues... as you can see George was very relaxed, sitting between Elwood and Jake. He even wore a matching hat.... actually this is George's favourite hat.

Whereas,

I, look like, I really don't know what to do with myself.... maybe I should have worn a hat.

The music certainly did not disappoint, as the Mike Wheeler Band were brilliant.  They sang the most amazing version of 'Dear Prudence'.

Oh and I have to tell you, I discovered a new dessert, whilst at the House of Blues.... I told you we ate a lot of food.

Coconut Cream pie.  I adore the flavour of coconut and I have to tell you, I adored this pie. I have decided that this is a pie I am going to learn how to make.... I think I will have to increase my steps from 10,000 a day to 15,000 a day, just to ward off the excess weight.

So if you have a favourite recipe for Coconut Cream pie, I would very much appreciate a copy.

We also enjoyed walking, which is just as well considering the amount of food we ate.  Often we found ourselves walking along the river.

We found the river to be fascinating, because one day, it appeared to have steam rising from the water,

and another day, it was so cold, that there was ice floating on the river. Such a contrast.

Of all the wonderful things we experienced in Chicago, I think the number one thing, was meeting up with old friends again.

I mentioned last week that Kim, flew to Chicago, to catch up with us, but we also caught up with the lovely 'Sugarhill Gang' who drove 8 hours to be with us.... such a long way.

It was so lovely seeing the Sugarhill Gang again, as the last time I saw them, was when I took Phyllis to Atlanta to celebrate her 80th birthday.

.... and my, how the children had grown.  They are the most adorable children.

It was wonderful spending time together again, it was so natural, it did not feel like it had been 6 years since we had last seen each other. 

.... and the lovely 'B' surprised us with a tin of peppermint bark, which we absolutely love, and a beautifully tied bag, filled with the most deliciously sweet walnuts.... which I have to tell you, have long since been eaten.  Each year, 'B' takes the time, to create the delicious coating for these walnuts, then they are deep fried and cooled. I have to tell you they are scrumptious.

I knew that these walnuts, were a huge hit, with friends, who were lucky enough to receive them at Christmas time, but I didn't know that one year, there was great disappointment, when 'B' decided not to make them for Christmas.

Long story short, 'B's' friends, persuaded her, that Christmas would not be Christmas, if each person did not receive their supply of Christmas walnuts.  Much to everyone's relief, 'B' relented and each year these precious walnuts are made and given as gifts once again.

Christmas had been restored.

Our visit was full of wonderful places to visit, but the one which we all loved, including the Sugarhill children,  was to be found at the Millennium Park.... the Cloud Gate Sculpture, also, locally known, as The Bean,

On first seeing it, the Bean really takes you by surprise, as it is so unexpected. It has the most wonderful reflective surface, which allows visitors to create fun photographs. Can you see the reflection of the buildings.  When you look at the sculpture, there are no joins, it appears to be seamless.

Once we had our fill of the Bean, we watched,

the Ice Skaters having fun.  It has been years since I have put on a pair of skates. Part of me wanted to give it a go, and part of me was not sure.  To be honest, I was a little worried about falling down, so I decided it would be as much fun, watching everyone else skate.

.... and then it was time to eat.  Can you see a pattern emerging here.

.... and we knew exactly where to go, a place the children would love.

From Natasha's apartment, we could see a little frog on the roof of a building, which we came to know as Cha Cha.... and as the name suggests, a perfect place for the children.

The Rain Forest Cafe certainly lived up to expectations. We felt like we were sitting inside a tropical rain forest, with animals at every turn.  There was even the sound of a thunderstorm overhead. Little 'B' was a little uncertain at first, because the crack of thunder, took her by surprise, but once the thunderstorm was explained, she settled and did not seem to notice the sound of the ever present thunderstorm.

Before I go, I have to tell you about another new drink I discovered, and one which will certainly be replacing my Christmas sherry.

Eggnog.  I love the words 'spiked' written on the label. I felt that I was drinking something illegal. I have to say, I really wasn't expecting to like eggnog, because I had likened it to our English Advocaat, which I don't like,  but oh, I was so wrong. I have to say thank you, to Jolly G Boots, from Kentucky, because I love their Eggnog.  I am certainly hoping I can source it here in England, in time for next Christmas.... I'll let you know.

.... there is just one more thing I have to tell you, then I really must go.

Much to our surprise, when we flew back to England, we were upgraded to first class.  We couldn't believe it.  As you can imagine, we were over the moon. We boarded the aircraft and we were directed up the stairs, yes up the stairs and we were seated in the most wonderful seats.  The food we were served was fabulous, and you don't hear those words everyday concerning airline food.

So to which ever 'flying fairy', who so kindly, upgraded us, I thank you.... and I also thank the British Airways staff, who were so kind and who made our trip home so special.

Now I really must go, as it's time to cook supper. 

Take care and I will catch up with you next Thursday.

This week I will be joining,

Linda for Dishing It & Digging It Link Party

As always,

CHICAGO ~ THE WINDY CITY

Good Afternoon to you,

Chicago, Chicago, that toddlin' town,

Chicago, Chicago, I will show you around.

~ Fred Fisher

Yes, that is where I have been for our Christmas holidays.... Chicago. We spent the most wonderful 3 weeks with Natasha and her lovely husband.

.... and what an amazing time we had.

We arrived at O'Hare International Airport, a little tired, but ever so excited.  When we saw Natasha, we hugged and cried and hugged, it was so lovely seeing her again. 

We made our way to the exit and when the doors opened the cold air hit us.  Natasha had warned us that Chicago was very cold, during winter time, but nothing prepared me for how cold it actually was.  George however, felt more confident about dealing with the cold temperature, because years ago, he had been winter climbing in Norway, but even the cold of Norway did not prepare him for the windy city. Having said that, we soon adjusted, as we had very warm coats, scarves, gloves and hats.  George took to wearing ear muffs, as he noticed many men wore them, to keep their ears warm. They have been transported back to Newcastle where he wears them on a daily basis.   

We waited only a few minutes, before our taxi arrived. The suitcases were  loaded into the back of the car then George walked around the car to get into, what he thought, was the passenger side, only to discover,  he had sat himself in the drivers seat by mistake.  The driver laughed and asked why he had sat in the drivers seat. George explained that we lived in England and told the driver our steering wheels were on the opposite side of the car and without thinking, he automatically went to, what he thought, was the passenger's seat. Once we stopped laughing and George had removed himself from the drivers seat, we headed home to Natasha's warm apartment.

I have so much to tell you, but I think the first thing I will say, is,

if you get the opportunity to see the musical Hamilton, then do take it. When Kim, Natasha's lovely friend, who has since become our friend as well, heard that George and I were visiting Natasha, she decided to book a flight  to Chicago to see us. We spent a lovely few days with her.... and you'll never guess what she did, she only bought Natasha and I tickets to see the musical Hamilton. I had heard that this was the 'must see' musical of the moment, but never imagined I would see it in Chicago, so you can imagine my surprise when Natasha told me about our wonderful Christmas treat.  I was overwhelmed by Kim's kindness. The three of us spent a wonderful evening together, catching up with each others news.

To be honest, I was not sure what to expect from the musical, because I could not see how the 738 page book,

would translate into a musical, but with the talent  of Lin-Manuel Miranda, the book has been transformed into a must see musical.  I had started to read the book Alexander Hamilton, here at home, but had only managed the first 60 pages, so I decided to take it with me to Chicago, thinking I could read more pages before I went to see the musical Hamilton, but with the excitement of being in Chicago and seeing Natasha and her husband, I never read a page. So as I mentioned, I really, had no idea what to expect from the musical. 

.... but the reviews are right, it was amazing. All the actors were so talented.  Alexander Hamilton was played by Miguel Cervantes and he was brilliant. Whilst all the cast were wonderful, I have to say King George played by Alexander Gemignani was superb. 

On the Friday before Christmas Day, we went to the Chicago Christingle Market. I was so looking forward to the market and I was not disappointed.  

.... we had a wonderful time,

we drank mulled wine, from these small 2016 commemorative steins. These are now safely packed away, ready to be brought out and enjoyed next Christmas.

We saw some exquisite hand carved German Christmas decorations, and I drew a gasp of breath when I saw,

this stunning Christmas windmill.  You see years ago, I had discovered the exact Christmas windmill at a car boot sale, for the princely sum of £5.  I used it Christmas after Christmas and I loved it, but you know how it is, when you move, some things just have to go and this is one of the items I gave away. Can you see the price tag, $416.95.... I couldn't believe it. Both Natasha and I were bowled over by the price, not that the intricate Christmas windmill wasn't worth the money, because it certainly was, but by the fact that I had given away such an expensive item. I just have to comfort myself with the fact that each Christmas, the person who now owns my beautiful windmill, is having as much pleasure from it, as I did.

.... oh yes, and I had my very first pretzel at the Christingle Market. Being the sweet tooth I am, I opted for a cheesecake filling, where as George, chose a pretzel filled with feta cheese and spinach.  We halved our pretzels and shared with each other.  Feta and cheese as the main course, which was as delicious, and the cheesecake pretzel for dessert, followed by a warming drink of mulled wine.

Although the Christingle Market was very crowded, everyone was patient and so friendly.

I have to tell you, there was a lot of food eaten during our stay in  Chicago. We visited so many wonderful restaurants, that I decided to look up the number of restaurants in Chicago.... I guessed maybe a thousand, and I thought I was over estimating, but no, there are over 8,000 restaurants in Chicago.... amazing.

Christmas Eve, was very special, as we went to 

The Goodman Theatre to see 'A Christmas Carol'.

Do you have favourite Christmas films, which you love to watch. I certainly do, and one such film, which I never tire of, is the 1951 film, 'A Christmas Carol' with Alistair Sim playing the part of Ebeneezer Scrooge.  It seems that people in Chicago also love 'A Christmas Carol', because the Goodman Theatre have been producing the classic Charles Dickens story for over 40 years.

After the theatre, we were peckish, so Natasha suggested we went for a meal at Eataly.  You may know of Mario Batali, but he has not reached my radar, until that is, Christmas Eve.

The place was bustling, there were so many people down stairs, shopping, whilst we went up stairs to eat. There are so many different areas to eat, but tables cannot be booked at Eataly, it is a first come, first served basis, which can make finding a table quite difficult.... yes the restaurant is that popular. We walked around and around, in the hope that someone was ready to leave their table. We were just about to give up and look for another restaurant, when George noticed 4 ladies, who looked like they were ready to move.  Now I wouldn't have asked, but George did, and we were so pleased to discover they had enjoyed their meal and were ready to leave. We sat ourselves at the table, which unfortunately for me, was a high table and I had to  negotiate myself onto a high stool.  This was fine for everyone, but me, because I am only 5ft 2inches, so with George's help, I managed to, somewhat inelegantly, seat myself on the stool. I then discovered there was no where to rest my feet, so my legs were left dangling, but I have to say, that did not stop me enjoying the food, because the food was exquisite. We had antipasti to start and the bread which accompanied the very special olive oil was wonderful.  We followed the antipasti with the most delicious pizza.... and yes there was a knife and fork available.... which was perfect for me, because you know how I love to use a knife and fork rather than my fingers.

Whilst at Eataly, I discovered a new drink.... a Mimosa.  Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am a lover of champagne, I do not drink a lot of alcohol, but champagne, I will never pass up.  When I looked up the recipe, it seems that a Mimosa is made with champagne and orange juice, which I know as a Bucks Fizz.  The Mimosa I was offered, was made with champagne and peach snaps.... maybe it is not authentic, I really don't know, but I loved the subtle peach flavour.

I have to tell you there is so much more I have to share with you, but I think I had better stop for now and tell you more next week.  Can you feel the excitement in my words.... I do hope so, because I had such a wonderful time.  

I have more friends and places to share with you, but for now, I think I will close and write those immortal words, from those old Saturday morning movies,

.... to be continued next week.

So take care and I will see you next week.


This week I will be joining,

Lou Lou Girls Fabulous Party

As always,

A REVIEW OF 2016

Happy New Year to you,

I am sorry, I'm a little late, in wishing you a Happy New Year, but I do have a very good reason. We have been away on holiday and only returned home last Wednesday. I have to tell you, it has taken us all week to recover from jet lag. For days we were waking in the early hours of the morning feeling really hungry,  we didn't know whether it was breakfast, lunch or supper time. 

Now as  you know, I love every aspect of Christmas, but this year, December felt a little off kilter, because I had nothing to organise.  Yes I had bought our Christmas gifts, but  there was no Christmas food to prepare, no Christmas decorations to put up and no Christmas tree to decorate.

.... but I have to tell you, although the run up to Christmas felt strange, Christmas itself was amazing and I had the most wonderful 3 week holiday.  

Christmas Day was such a treat, as we went to a restaurant for our Christmas meal. I wore my favourite dress, I put on my favourite pair of shoes and I felt like a million dollars. You see, these days, I rarely have a reason to dress up, so when the opportunity does presents itself, I make sure I savour every moment. 

At the restaurant, there was an amazing range of food to choose from, with each dish being truly exceptional, but the one thing which surprised me, was seeing sprouts on the menu.... this made George very happy as he loves sprouts.

I think, maybe it is time I stop waxing lyrical, because I feel I might give the game away.  I am going to keep you in suspense until next week, because I need just a little more time to organise my photographs, but what I will tell you, is, we did not visit warmer climes, oh no, the place we visited was even colder than the North East of England. In fact the temperatures have been known to be as low as -20C... now that is cold. It makes our North East winters seem almost tropical.

So instead of writing about the last 3 weeks, I thought it would be nice to look back a little further and revisit 2016. I know we are supposed to look forward, but I also like to look back, because it reminds me of how much I have achieved in the past year.

So come along with me and let's remind ourselves of what we did in 2016..

After all the rich food we ate during the Christmas festivities,  our palates craved fresher flavours.  

Prawns With a Little Touch of Spice

So we made these prawns with a touch of spice. It was fun reading the words I had written, because this was the first post of 2016.  I was deciding whether or not to battle the elements and drive to my sewing group.  In the end I decided to drive, and I was so pleased I did, because we all managed to make it through the bad weather. Some friends arrived later than others, but when everyone arrived, it was so lovely catching up with each others news.

Snippets From My Week

In February George was unwell, so I needed to be around to keep an eye on him.  It was a lovely sunny day, but as you know, when the sun shines, it can highlight those places in our homes where dust has gathered a little more than we thought. So one thing lead to another, I started dusting and washing plates and kept myself very busy.  I ended the day with a cup of coffee and I put my feet up, to watch the film 'African Queen'.  All in all a good day.

Rice With Green Lentils

During March, we made  Rice with Green Lentils.  I have to say, I really enjoy this rice dish. This is where I introduced you to a 90 year old friend of ours, who has long since past. Rose was a wonderfully, eccentric lady, who loved to smoke cigars. There are people we meet in our lives, who have such an impact on us, and for me Rose was, one such person. Today, we know that cigarettes and cigars are unhealthy and we have the information to enable us to make our own choices, but remember, Rose came from a time when it was popular to smoke. It's incredible to think that people even thought that smoking was healthy.  I remember Sadie, George's mother, telling me that she started to smoke as a young woman, because the film stars of the day, looked so exotic when they smoked.  If you watch 1940's films, you can't fail to notice that most people were smoking. What I admired about Rose, was that all her life, she was a fiercely independent woman.

The Beautiful Isle of Wight

April arrived and we visited the Isle of Wight, just off the south coast of England.  We had a wonderful few days away and the weather was so very kind to us. It was a treat to see these beautiful thatched cottages.

Lemon Cheesecake

We also made this appetising lemon cheesecake. It looks very impressive, but it was so easy to make.
April was the month I decided I needed to sort out my messy kitchen drawer.  I discovered recipes from 2011 which I had cut out of newspapers and magazines. At the time I had fully intended to recreate these recipes, but I just never got around to it. Do I still have those recipes.... well yes, some I kept, I just could not bring myself to throw them all away.

Ne'er Cast a Clout Till May is Out

During May it snowed, yes you read that correctly, snow in May.  Consequently, I had to rush around the garden re-covering the lemon tree and the olive trees. We certainly did not expect snow in May, but once the snow had disappeared it was nice to see which plants were beginning to flower in the garden. It is a nice reminder of what is waiting for us, just around the corner.

During June, July and August, I had a break, because I was helping George decorate the house.

Spicy Roast Potatoes

I wrote again in September. If you have been reading Ivy, Phyllis and Me! for a while, you will certainly know about my love of potatoes.  I really don't mind how they are cooked, as I love them, any which way.... but I have to tell you, these spicy potatoes are rather good. 

Brioche Pudding

Oh my word, do you remember in October, we made this Brioche Pudding, which was so decadent, but oh so delicious. I think this was one of my favourite puddings of the year. I admit not very good for the waistline, but every now and again, it is alright to indulge just a little.

My Frilled Crochet Throw

November brought something a little different.  I had been practising my crochet skills and was thrilled with how this frilled throw turned out.  I use it often, as it is perfect for snuggling up whilst  reading a book.

Christmas Mulled Cider

Then before we knew it, December had arrived and whilst I had no Christmas preparations to complete, I could not let Christmas pass by without making something a little festive.  So I shared this Christmas mulled cider.... which received a perfect score of 10 from George.

So that is a reminder of what we did in the year 2016 and whilst it has been fun looking back, I am very excited for the year ahead.  Who knows what will happen, who knows what exciting things lay ahead for us all.... I for one cannot wait to find out.

So, as always, take good care of yourself and I will catch up with you next Thursday.

This week I will be joining,

Lou Lou Girls Fabulous Party