This is my original blog for all our non-caravanning trips since 2009 and more recently posts about coming to terms with being single again having been widowed in 2018. And anything else too really!

My caravanning blog is (Get Your) Legs Down and all our trips in the caravan are there. My grog blog is The Ale Archive where I list every beer I’ve ever tried.

Monday 30 November 2020

Chicken Casserole | 28/11/20

600g diced chicken breast, coated with flour and salt and pepper.
400g carrots, peeled and chopped.
250g chestnut mushrooms, quartered and fried.
3 sticks celery, chopped and fried.
Cup of frozen chopped onions, fried.
1 veg stock cube and approx pint/quarter of boiling water.

Cooked on Low for 4 hours.

Cup of frozen peas, dumplings and approx 250g of cooked gammon added.

Cooked on High with lid off for 1 hour.
Under high grill for approx 10 mins.

Made 4 very healthy portions. First taste - superb, maybe a little more juice next time.


Tuesday 17 November 2020

17/11/20 | Sausage Casserole

  • 6 ‘Country’ sausages - David Shoebridge - browned in f/pan
  • 400g tin baked beans
  • 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 350g potatoes, halved and sliced
  • 1 tbsp worcester sauce
  • 2 tsp Herbes de Provence
  • 1 l/s veg stock cube
  • 100ml boiling water for above
  • Low & slow for 8 hrs.

Results/Comments

20201117_184757

3 x 475g portions approx.

Tuesday 10 November 2020

Carrot & coriander soup | 10/11/20

  • 600g carrots
  • 2 red onions
  • 1 med potato
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • pint oxo l/s veg stock

Made three portions @ 500g approx.

Tomato & Basil soup | 10/11/20

  • 500g passata
  • red onion
  • 2 sticks celery
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • 2 med potatoes
  • 400g tin chopped tomatoes - sieved
  • 2 tbps basil
  • pint garlic/herb stock

Made 5+ portions. Reduce toms next time and maybe a spud.

Tasted superb. Aim for four bigger portions next time.

Sweet Potato & Lentil soup | 10/11/20

  • 600g peeled sweet pots
  • large onion
  • 100g red lentils, rinsed
  • 1tsp garlic paste
  • 1/2 tsp hot chilli powder
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 1 tbsp tomato puree
  • 2 pints stock with 2 l/s veg oxo cubes

20201110_122704

Made 4 x 500g portions. Reduce water content next time.

Sweet Potato Soup 10/11/20

  • 470g sweet potato peeled
  • 280g carrots
  • large onion
  • 2 tsp garlic paste
  • 1.5 pint of oxo l/s veg stock

Made 4 x 400g portions.

20201110_115355

Leek & Potato Soup | 09/11/20

  • 400g Leeks
  • 265g spuds
  • Low salt veg Oxo cube
  • 1.5 pint boiling water

Made 3 x 500g portions. Aim for 4 x 400g next time.

Sunday 8 November 2020

Beef Stew & Dumplings 07/11/20

Stew

  • 1 .75 lb stewing beef partially fat trimmed (Shoebridge butchers)
  • 300g closed cup chestnut mushrooms, chopped and fried
  • 1 large onion, chopped and fried
  • 2 sticks of celery
  • 3 medium carrots
  • 1 tsp garlic paste
  • 5 tsp Worcester sauce
  • 2 x low salt beef Oxo/pint boiling water

6 hours on low + 45 mins on high with dumplings, last 20 mins open then 6 mins under grill.

Dumplings

  • 240g pack of Atora veg suet
  • 515g SR flour
  • 6 tsp parsley
  • 15 tbps cold water

Freeze, separated on GP paper for at least 2 hours, can then be boxed up and frozen/used as required.

Results/Comments

4 dumplings added - divided into 4 portions - around 500g per portion.

Dumplings very good. Just should have put more than one in each portion! Meat - ok, just one chewy bit but no better or worse than anything else tbh. Mushrooms - rather firm and chewy. Either didn't fry them for long enough or just a different brand - Sainsburys.

Reduce Worcester sauce a tad and perhaps reduce to 200g/250g mushrooms.