I'm Making Roman Blinds. What a slog ! Quick Preview.

This is not my first attempt.  I've made a couple of roman blinds before.  Now, they were for separate rooms, for small windows, in a country cottage.
The ones I am making now are for our sitting room, with 6 large windows, so they have to be a bit decent and straight. 
Gosh, I didn't want to do this job - it was not in my freshening-up plan for the sitting room - but the old ones had shrunk so much after washing them that there was no other option.

I just wanted to post these pictures here, to give myself a pat on the back.  Please don't hold back, you can all give me a pat on the back and give me the motivation to finish the sodding blinds.

Yep, still need to finish the hem, but that is no work at all.

Also, I have a striped pelmet in mind to tie in with the rest of the new scheme.

Hey, and I pre-shrunk the fabric !

Thanks for giving me a pat on the back.
Patricia xxx...x

So, we went to Ireland

... at the end of February , for 3 nights/4 days.  If you want to be in the Southwest of Ireland and your plane lands in Dublin, that of course means you have to drive a long way by rental car to where you want to be.  Sneem, Co Kerry, in our case.
It gave us 2 full days to visit only some of our  friends and have a jolly knees up. We also went to have a look at some properties, nothing definite as yet.  We'll keep our eyes peeled.

We arrived back home on the Monday night.  Tired, but happy to have seen some of the friends. 
Tuesday, took down the roman blinds in the sittingroom, sneezed and sneezed some more -- very dusty -- washed and air-dried them.  Took out the off-white emulsion and started painting the walls.
Bert was due in hospital for surgery on his foot on the 15th March and I wanted everything freshened up for his revalidation at home, you see.
But something went wrong ! On Thursday 3rd I came down with shivers, fever, achey bones ..... flu.  Don't really know how, but I managed to finish the painting and ironed a few of the roman blinds, only to come to the conclusion that they had shrunk.... a lot, in the width.
Oh, I might as well fall to pieces right now and die a slow death of flu. I felt anxious, needed to be in top form to take care of Bert when he had his surgery.  On Monday the 14 th, Bert decided to call the doctor as the fever was still rampant (39.8 C)
Decision was made to phone the surgeon and postpone Bert's op (that is now on the 3rd May).  I got some much needed sleep and rest, Bert finally realised that I also needed food - yes, my stomach thought that my throat had been cut, many times.  I got some echinecea, antibiotics (yes, I know, but desperate times...)
By Wednesday, the fever went, but I still felt weak 
Now I'm back in the land of recovering flu sufferers.  Bert went to Ikea to buy fabric for new roman blinds and that is what I am about to start with, filled with trepidation, but I suppose it will look much beter than the shrunken ones.

Murphy's Law, sod's law, I don'tknow.  What do you think ?

Thanks for reading
Patricia xxx...x

Natural Garden Fences & Devides

Our house is set in a 3000 sqm garden, surrounded by woodland mainly. Needless to say that come autumn we have leaves galore to rake. 
Now, we are not the sort of people that would love living with a regimented, pristine and super tidy garden. 
We like using what nature gives us for free and things that don' t look out of place in this setting.
These are just a few of the examples what is possible.

In the pictures above you can see how we made cilinders from wire mesh, which we can fill with leaves or other garden clippings. It is not that it will compost very quickly, but it will compact together nicely and break down over a longer period of time and it can be filled up again in the next year.

We have several of these babies dotted around the property and they make a great winter home for hibernating hedgehogs, little field mice, shrews and even toads or frogs.

Above you can see our wall of branches and twigs. There  were some spruce trees standing there, getting too big for their boots, which we cut down, but left a height of 150/200 cm trunks. In between the trunks we stacked loads of branches and twigs from clearing the woodland.

Another lovely home for wildlife.

Now in the picture that follows you can notice a project that is still very much a work in progress. 

We made 3 terraces next to the house, where there was just a slope before. Bert erected the retaining walls with plywood (not my ideal) and I used the stems of young trees that needed thinning and slotted them in place behind the uprights that Bert placed in front of the walls.
On these terraces I can now start planting shrubs and flowers and even vegetables. 
Once finished it will look great, don't you think ?

Thank you for reading.

Patricia xxx...x

Chicken Pie, an ode to British Cuisine

Yes, I am the biggest fan of British cooking and here is the recipe for my chicken pie, covered with yet again, mashed potatoes.
Normally, it would be topped off with pastry (flaky, shortcrust or puff), but I didn't fancy making any, due to many other jobs that needed doing about the house.

Ingredients  This was plenty for at least 4 portions

• 3 chicken filets
• 2 ltr organic chicken stock
• 4 carrots, peeled and chopped into large chunks
• Florets of 1/2 brocolli and 1/3 cauliflower
• Frozen peas, 200 grs
• Butter 100 grs
• Flour 100 grs
• Tarragon, 1 tbsp
• 2 tbsp sour cream
• Seasoning to taste (salt, black pepper and nutmeg)

Preparation

• Put the chicken filets in a pan and cover with stock.
• Bring to the boil and cook for 2 minutes.
• Reduce heat and simmer for another 8 minutes.
• Take them out with slotted spoon and set aside.
• Bring the remaining stock back to the boil and add the carrots, cook al dente, drain and repeat with the cauliflower and brocolli.
• Cut the chicken in chunks of 2 cm, arrange in an oven proof dish.
• Add the vegetables and lastly the still frozen peas.
• The stock will be used for the sauce. At this point, while it is still hot, add the tarragon to the liquid.
• In a pan, melt the butter and stirr in the flour.
• Add  part of the stock and reduce heat.  Keep stirring to prevent lumps.
• Keep adding the stock and if the sauce gets too thick, you could add some extra milk or water.
• Bring to bubbling point for at least one minute and keep on stirrrrring.
• Stirr in the sourcream, season to taste.
• Distribute over the chicken and vegetables.
• After it has cooled down slightly, top off with a layer of mashed potatoes.
• Bake in the oven ( preheated 200 ° C) for 35 to 40 minutes approx.

Enjoy !
Patricia xxx...x

Pan-fried Cod, Mashed Potatoes, Sauteed Leeks and a Wannabe Beurre Blanc Sauce

Sharp flavours that make my taste buds tingle.
I used homegrown leeks, the size of spring onions, but that didn't take away from the taste.

ingredients for the leeks and sauce. (serves 2)

• 6 of the finest leeks (or 2 of a normal size)
• 30 gr butter
• 100 ml chicken stock
• 1 or 2 tbsp capers
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Seasoning : salt,black pepper and nutmeg

preparation

• Clean the leeks and slice in rings
• Sautee in a little of the butter
• Add the chicken stock and simmer for another minute or so.
• Scoop the leeks out of the stock (or drain them in a colander)
• Reduce te stock a bit more
• Add the lemon juice and capers.
• Take it off the heat and stirr in the rest of the cold butter, bit by bit.
• Add seasoning to taste

For the fish

• Use cod or other white fish filets from a sustainable source (+/-200 gr per person
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• Vegetable oil (I used Olive oil) and yet another knob of butter.

• Dry the fish thoroughly and coat with the flour.
• Season with salt and pepper
• In a pan heat the oil with the butter.
• Pan fry the fish for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side,depending on the thickness.

Scoop some mashed potatoes on your plate

Arrange the fish on top (that is something my husband will never understand)

The leeks (that you kept warm) can also be arranged in a delicate manner (or not)

Scoop some (a lot) of the sauce over the fish and let it drip onto the leeks.

Finish off with a good few turns of the pepper mill.

Let the taste buds tingle

Patricia xxx...x

A Springlike Day

After busying myself with some bookkeeping  this morning, I just had to join the dogs out in the garden and sniff the crisp springlike air.

Now, what mischief can we get into ?

Don't ask, it's just a piece of an old blanket.

Nice new hairstyle you've got going there, Sam.

And then I spotted the wood pigeons up in a nest in the tree.  Surely, that is way too early ?

Patricia xxx...x

Scorzoneras or Black Salsify

It conjures up sweet memories of childhood.
My parents owned a shop of electrical appliances in the sixties and first part of the seventies. Behind the shop was my father's workshop where he did repairs, and going through the hallway at the back of the house was a large kitchen, which was my mother's domain.
It was there that she used to prepare the scorzoneras, while I often sat in the sittingroom upstairs, already hooked on TV.  No, I wasn't hooked on TV, there was no broadcasting around the clock as there is today and my father wouldn't have allowed it.  Probably I was just playing with my dolls, reading or drawing. 
Anyway, I digress.
I remember the almost, coal black roots that my mother peeled, to uncover a lovely, ivory coloured spear.  Her hands became very sticky and black (or that is how I remembered it) and I had a fascination for this vegetable, because of it.

She cut them into 3 cm pieces, cooked them in boiling water and served them with a bechamel sauce, seasoned with freshly grated nutmeg, pepper and some salt.
I loved their nutty flavour.
They must have gone out of fashion as time went by, because you could hardly find them in their fresh state at the grocer's or supermarkets anymore.  Unless, you went for the jarred version . 
It's what I usually do, to my shame. I have jars of scorzoneras in my pantry, as an emergency standby.
Now, I have thought of having them in the garden, but they have a long growing season and consequently occupy their space for good part of the year. I am about to order seeds and I'll make some  space to home these lovely winter vegeables.
Luck would have it that since living not far from my cousin, she and her husband sometimes supply us with homegrown produce and a while back she gave me some fresh scorzoneras.  Lovely.

I prepared them very simple by peeling, boiling for 10 minutes or so till al dente, then sautee in a knob of butter, dress with a splash of lemon juice, seasoning and chopped fresh parsley.

Sit them in cold water with some lemon juice when peeled, they will discolour otherwise.

How wonderfully tasty

Thank you for reading.
Patricia xxx...x

Evelyn's Balloons

It was early in the week that I spotted some balloons high up in one of the oak trees at the edge of our property.

This afternoon, while adding a bit of height to our fence to keep our escape-artiste, Millie, at home, I found the postal card lying in the long grass.

Birthday Balloons from a girl, named Evelyn, who lives in Karben.  I looked it up and it is a small town near Frankfurt in Germany.
The card will be send back to Evelyn and I will write down the link to this post, so she can see her balloons once more.

I found this such a feel-good story that I thought of sharing this with you.

Patricia xxx...x

You can take a peek in my cupboard

To any Domestic Goddess, my home must look like a tip.  
Frankly, these days I just cannot, for the life of me, get a grip on the mess that is invading our space.
I say invading, but it has been here for just over two years (it moved in at the same time we did) and it has been plotting this coup,  from the basement of the house upward, all this time.
How does one start on a Herculean task ?
It keeps me occupied......thinking about a strategy to fight back, but it also paralyses me and I lose sight of what I should tackle first.  So, I make lists.  At least then it is out of my head for a couple of days. That's when I start hearing the bulging noice of clutter, plotting again.

I have never been good with laundry, much to Bert's despair, and mine, because let's face it, after the wardrobe is empty, with just two lonesome items of clothing left, then the choice of what you'll wear that day is pretty grim.
Oh, I will have washed a couple of loads, but that would be left in the laundry basket, nicely folded..... crumpled, more likely. 
Yes, my mother has told me many times that I should keep the laundry under controle and get into a routine, and fold it straight away, when it comes out of the tumble dryer or of the washing line. It makes it easier to iron, that I also should keep on top off. Then when everything is folded and ironed it should be put in the wardrobes pronto. 
Well, I know what I should do, but at the ripe old age of 48 it's never going to happen, is it ?

Or maybe it will.  Never have I been the proud owner of a proper wardrobe or dressing that is suitable for modern day life. I love our antique wardrobe, it is beautiful, so is the dresser with mirror,  but only a small percentage of our clothing fits in there and it just isn't very practical.
We have recently decorated the bedroom and landing, I might even post some pictures at a later stage. Off the landing there is to one side a rather small (think 'very' small) storage space under the sloping ceiling - well that is where our miniature dressing room is being made.  We can just about stand upright, if we don't venture to far in, but it will work with careful planning.
The antique wardrobe and it's cousin, the dresser, will still be used, albeit in a different way.
And the laundry ? I made a start and will continue to take pleasure and also a bit of pride in ironing, folding and putting everything in it's proper place.

The sensible thing to do now is slay one dragon at a time, tidy one room at a time, tackle one thing at a time.


Now would you like to take a peek in my cupboard ?  It has been surprisingly tidy for a long long time.

Thanks for reading
Patricia xxx...x

Homemade Crusty Baguette

For 2 baguettes of 350 gr. each
Preheat oven to 240°C - 220°C (fan) and bake for 25 to 30 minutes
This bread should be eaten on the same day, preferably still warm with a knob of salted butter.

ingredients

• 15 gr fresh yeast (or equivalent in dried yeast)
• 40 ml tepid water
• 500 gr strong white flour
• 270  ml tepid water
• 10 gr salt

preparation

• In a small bowl mix yeast with the 40 ml of tepid water and set aside for 20 minutes.
• In the bowl of  your food mixer, add the flour that you bring together with some of the water (the amount of water can be rectified at a later stage as it depends on how much or little moisture your flour contains)
• Add the yeast mixture.
• Knead well for a couple of minutes, adding more water when needed.
• Add the salt and knead for another 10 minutes
• The dough should be pliable, but not stick to the hands.

• Leave to prove, in the bowl, covered with a clean kitchen towel for about 45 minutes.

• When the dough has doubled in size, put it on the flour-dusted worktop.
• With the ball of your hand, gently press it out into a sheet of 1 to 2 cm thickness.



• Lift one corner and roll the dough onto itself diagonally, to a sausage or baguette shape
• Place seam side down on a baking tray that you lined with baking paper.

• Cover with clean kitchen towel and leave to rise for 30 minutes to 1 hour (this depends, obviously, on the room temperature)
• Make two cuts into the bread diagonally of approx 0,5 cm deep


• Bake for 30 minutes

Fish and Chips, Tartare Sauce and Mushy Peas

I sometimes forget  that we once ran a Fish and Chips shop in Ireland (for about three months, ahum)
How did that come about ?
Well, there was this chippy in our village that only opened during the summer months as the owner was a teacher and lived in Dublin, so he would spend his holidays in Sneem, frying up bucket loads of fish.
We came to an agreement that we would keep it open during the winter on the weekends (Friday, Saturday and Sunday).  We were full of good intentions and I would make lovely fresh foods.  He warned me, did John, that most people would not appreciate good food when they stumbled out of the pub after closing time.  How right was he !
There would be a trickle of appreciative punters coming early on in the evenings, but between 11 pm and 1 am it was mahem.
Sorry to say this, good people of Sneem, but when you're drunk, you suck.  
I'll leave it at that, because we are hoping to return one day ;-) and it was an experience that I don't regret.
Anyway, we soon figured out that it wasn't the most fulfilling job in the world.  We washed the pots, drained the fryers, locked the door and returned the keys.

Recipes

Fish in Beer Batter

ingredients

• 4 x 175 gr fish filet (haddock, cod, halibut... from a sustainable source)
• 2 tbsp corn flour
• 225 gr self raising flour
• 1 tsp paprika powder
• 250 ml cold beer
• 100 ml cold water
• 2 liters vegetable oil (I use sunflower oil) It might seem like a waste of oil, but when cooled, I drain and store it for later use - just label it ie. 'fishy oil'

preparation

• Prepare the batter by sieving the self raising flour and paprika into a bowl.
• Pour in the water and beer.
• Mix well and put in the fridge for half an hour.
• Pour the oil in a deep cooking pot (or use deep-fat fryer) and heat to about 180° c (I have a special frying pot for the hob, that I keep for frying anything but chips) I check the heat of the oil by dropping in a small piece of bread, when it starts to colour golden brown, I know it is hot enough.
• Dry the fish filets thoroughly with kitchen paper and cover with the corn flour.  Shake of the excess.
• Then dip the fish into the batter (that you have stirred a little after its rest in the fridge).
• Carefully sink the fish into the hot oil and fry until golden brown. You may have to turn it halfway through the cooking time, so that it colours nicely on both sides.
• Scoop out the fish with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.

Chips
We love a good quantity of chips, because we are greedy, so the amount of potatoes you use is entirely up to you.
I double fry them, we all do in Belgium.  The first fry you can do well in advance, so you can let the chips cool down completely, gives better results (apparently), but it is not a necessity.
Use floury potatoes, they brown nicely and don't go limp like their waxy relative.  Now, when I am in the mood for chips, any old potato will do.

ingredients

• 2 large potatoes per  person
• vegetable oil (I use sunflower oil - about 3 liters in my deep fat fryer)
• sea salt

preparation

• Heat the oil in the fryer to 120° c
• Peel the potatoes and wash them in  cold water.
• Dry them well in a clean kitchen towel.
• First cut them in 1 cm thick sliced and then cut them into chips - work lengthways for longer ones. I cut them in the towel and dry them very well
• Put a good handfull of chips into  the frying basket. Fry them for about 5 minutes. Don't overload  or they will be soggy from the word go.
• When they become more transluscent, lift them out and drain on kitchen paper in a tray. Spread them out to speed up the cooling process.
• Do the rest of the potaoes the same way.
• For the second frying, heat the oil to 195° c.
• Cook the chips in somewhat larger batches than the frist time.  They will only need a minute till they are golden.
• Drain them again on kitchen paper and add salt straight away. Serve.

Mushy Peas
No, this isn't a recipe for a sluggish grey - green mush, neither is it going to turn out electric green.  Just a fresh tasting, slightly sweet and minty dollop of peas.
This was originally made with dried peas, which are always a good pantry item to have as they are full of goodness.... but I used frozen - it is quicker.

ingredients

• 400 gr frozen garden peas
• 1 knob of butter
• a good few mint leaves ( you can cheat and use a tsp of mint sauce, but hey ho,  only if you don't have fresh mint at hand)
• Salt and black pepper

preparation

• On the hob, melt the butter in a pan.
• Pour in the frozen peas
• Leave to simmer on a low heat, with lid on until tender, stirring occasionally.
• Take a spoonful of peas out and set aside.
• Use a handheld blender to puree the peas, add seasoning and the chopped mint.  Stirr in the whole peas.
• They can be reheated just before serving.

Tartare Sauce
Lots of recipes around, and even I have many variations.  This is the recipe of a very basic tartare sauce.

ingredients

• 2 large gherkins
• 1 small onion, peeled
• 1 tbsp capers
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tbsp mayonnaise

preparation

• finely chop the gherkins and onions  (or grate them - don't be a wuss) and chop the capers
• mix into the mayonnaise together with the parsley. 

How easy was that !