Welcome February, a short month but I consider it the gateway to Spring. Whilst the weather is often a mixed bag, the evenings are starting to lighten and the spring flowers are starting to appear.
This week I planted my sweet peas, always the first thing that I plant and a must have in my garden. As I told you last week I have designed a garden planner and this week it went live on Amazon and I am waiting for my author’s copy to arrive. I cannot wait to start filling it in and planning the year ahead. Even if no one buys one I will have my own paperback copy ☺️
Last week I told you about the Supper Club I am starting, we have organised who is doing what now and I am doing the main dish which will be Venison and Stout Pies. As the theme was UK seasonal produce I thought I should use seasonal meat too. I will be doing a practice run this week but I’m sure it will be yummy. I will let you know how it turns out and give you the recipe.
Venison is only available at certain times of the year October to February and can be found in stores during those times. It’s a relatively low fat red meat and is suited to being marinated and slow cooked.
I made the Brussel sprout, gnocchi and bacon dish this week and can definitely recommend it. It was quick to make and very tasty. To be honest you would hardly know there were sprouts in the dish as the flavours combined. So maybe a good dish to give to those who are not really fans of sprouts 😄
After my birthday party spread I have been asked to cater my friends afternoon wedding party and as my profiteroles did not turn out that well I decided to make some to see if I could perfect them. I think where I went wrong last time was not having the oven hot enough, well whatever it was, this time it all worked perfectly. They rose and dried out and stayed crispy. I filled them with Bailey’s cream and covered them with dark chocolate.
Apparently you can freeze the unfilled profiteroles for up to three months which would help with the catering. I am going to freeze a filled one to see how that is when defrosted as I have bought frozen eclairs and they have been ok . The choux pastry is a little soft but the taste is good. I will let you know which way is the best.
Georgina my eldest daughter and I popped into Okehampton on Friday for a wander around and a spot of lunch. I found a gorgeous large bowl ideal for filling with yummy salads in one of the charity shops. I love a bargain!
I am hoping to get out in the garden and start doing some clearing up after the winter storms and maybe get the pressure washer out to clean down the patio which is looking decidedly dirty at the moment and also the sleeper steps are rather slippery so will also need a clean.
Have a lovely week whatever you are doing and I will catch you up with my life next week.
Stepping Into Sixty and Out Of The Comfort Zone 