Goodness, but I was in a proper fuggy bog over the weekend. I started off on Saturday morning all energy and cheerfulness, caught up in planning my Grand Pickly Cook Up and having a girly catch up chat with Darling Daughter, but come lunchtime I was slipping into full zombie mood. So I parked myself on the sofa in front of a couple of films and knitted my way through the grumps. One of the films was ‘The First Wives’ Club’ with Diane Keaton, Bette Midler and Goldie Hawn. It’s a good film and I love Goldie Hawn. She’s one of my Top Five Gals of All Time. Such a babe. Anyway, I made the best of a miserable mood, had an early night, and decided Sunday would be different.
And it was. Just about. I did loads of writing, including the first 1600 words of this year’s Christmas Story. I avoided cooking, save for knocking up some scrambled egg at lunchtime and an apple crumble for dinner. Yup, forget the first course - straight to pudding on a Sunday evening. Such a renegade, eh? Did some more knitting. Made a shopping list. Chatted to a friend on the phone, or rather, she chatted and I listened. I’ve been watching the series ‘Us’ which is on Sunday’s at 9.p.m, and have seen two of the four episodes but last night I really couldn’t be bothered with it any more. I didn’t care enough about any of the characters to want to know what happens to them. They can all drown in the Venice canals, I really am NOT ‘bovvered.’
This morning I launched into The Grand Pickly Cook Up! Dashed to the shops first thing to grab the contents of my shopping list, then set about measuring, chopping, grating, mixing, stirring and cooking in an epic session which lasted a nudge short of four hours. Forget going to the gym for muscle building exercises - just make a batch of carrot jam!
This is the mixture for the plum and apple mincemeat. It has to sit overnight before being sozzled in brandy and spending two and three quarter hours baking in the oven tomorrow morning. But it already smells pretty amazing.
And here is the carrot jam...
I halved the recipe, mostly because I would have expired from carrotitis if I’d had to grate three and a half pounds of carrots PLUS two pound of onions. I think five jars is ample for our requirements, though, and I can always make some more because it’s a very easy recipe, if somewhat time consuming. Strictly speaking, it is a carrot, orange and ginger jam. I tried a little teaspoon of it, you know, for research purposes, and blimey - it’s good stuff! If that doesn’t keep the Winter germs at bay, I don’t know what will. It will also encourage veggie-phobe Andy to eat something healthy. Anyway, it is cooling in the kitchen and then has to be stored for a month before we can crack one open and try it properly.
Onion marmalade next. And then red chilli jam.
Keeping busy - that’s the answer to climbing out a fuggy bog!
Comments
Carrot jam, now that sounds interesting. I regularly get unwanted bags of carrots from school and there is only so much carrot soup we can eat. Did you find the recipe online, may I ask?
Hx
KJ
Absolutely right, KJ! Sometimes we spend so much time looking after other people we forget to look after ourselves. And, even worse, we find it difficult to give ourselves permission to occasionally put ourselves first.