Tag Archives: Lifestyle

Taking a walk on the Wild Side

This week we have had some glorious sunshine and it definitely is looking more like Spring with wildlife bursting forth from everywhere.

I did a couple of new walks with the dog’s and found a super place for a picnic on a hot day with its own plunge pool, although it’s a bit chilly at the moment.

Spring carpet of daffodils
Wild water

I also did my first foraging and will definitely be doing more of this during the coming months. I was told where to find wild garlic and managed to find it and pick a good amount.

The first thing I made was wild garlic and cheese scones. I found the recipe here

http://www.lavenderandleeks.co.uk/wild-garlic-and-cheese-scones/

Wild garlic and cheese scones


I have blitzed up the rest ready to make wild garlic ravioli this coming week, so check out the blog next week. It will be my first time in making pasta!

Crafting wise I ran the first North Tawton Crafty Butterflies night. We had a go at creating the sea glass jars and crocheted bunny.  It was a really fun night and there of course was cake!

Coffee and Walnut Traybake

My daughter asked me to make a hamster taming pouch. Yes there is such a thing 🤣. Basically it’s a pocket which is warm and cozy to help them feel more comfortable being held.

Hamster Pouch
Bean in his new pouch.

I also started to crochet Mollie flowers which I am hoping to make enough of to create something, not sure what at moment as will depend on how many I make.

Mollie flowers

https://littlegreen.typepad.com/romansock/2009/04/mollie-flowers-the-tutorial.html

Following on from last week’s ‘D’ it should have been ‘E’ but the only thing I could find was Elder and it is not the right time to use any part of the elder. So we move onto ‘F’ and I chose –

Fenugreek a clover-like herb native to the Mediterranean region, southern Europe, and western Asia. Its seeds, which smell and taste like maple syrup, have been used in cooking and as medicine. Fenugreek is used as an ingredient in spice blends and a flavoring agent in foods, beverages, and tobacco. Fenugreek extracts are also used in soaps and cosmetics.

I created a blend of spices to cook the chicken in which whilst mild in heat had plenty of amazing flavours. I ground together

  • Seeds from 2 cardamon
  • Half tsp tumeric, ginger and fenugreek
  • Quarter tsp cumin, garam masala

First I sauteed onions and peas in butter. Then added the chicken, I use thighs as they have more flavour, along with the ground spices, 3 cloves of chopped garlic and salt and pepper. Cook until chicken has changed colour but not cooked through. Add half a tin of chopped tomatoes and half tin coconut milk and then put in casserole dish and leave for at least 4 hours to allow flavours to be absorbed. Cook in oven for 40 mins on 180 degrees. Serve with rice.

Fenugreek Chicken Curry

The weather is beginning to improve and therefore I hope to get out in the garden more, tidy up the beds, freshen the gravel areas I created last year and plant up some hanging baskets.

Until next time, keep finding new experiences and challenges.

Chris x

Four C’s this week

Last Sunday I ventured to Plymouth to visit my youngest daughter at University. We have not seen each other in over a month, which is a long time for us. I took her bike and a number of things we could not fit in the car when she went back to Uni at the beginning of January. One of the things was a slow cooker that she got for Christmas. It will be interesting to see what type of things she will make as she is a Pescatarian and I am use to using mine for meat dishes. Although this week I did make rice pudding in mine as had rather a lot of milk.

On Tuesday my daughter messaged me to say she had a positive test for Covid. So had to cancel all plans for that day and do a test for the next few days and luckily for me all negative and no symptoms and back to normal life, she on the other hand is still stuck in her Uni studio accommodation as still testing positive.

On the crafting front I have started a macrame wall hanging for my lounge. It will be the most complicated pattern I have done so far and have had to unpick a number of times already, mainly due to tension, either doing too loosely or too tight!

The start of my wall hanging

I did my first seed swap event yesterday, which is such a great idea. I don’t have a large garden but do like to grow some vegetables but often there are so many seeds that I never use them all and end up throwing them away as they get too old.

I made up envelopes of smaller amounts of the seeds I was not going to be able to use before their expiry date. I managed to pick up some flower seeds which I will plant up nearer the end of the month. I have planted my plum tomatoes – Roma, which are now in my conservatory hopefully working hard beneath the soil. I planted these last year and they were brilliant until they got tomato blight. Fingers crossed for a good crop this year.

I made baked chocolate oats for breakfast yesterday morning from a recipe I saw on @callascleaneats  I did not add choc chips but did add a dollop of Greek yogurt and I cooked in the microwave for 3 mins rather than in the over. I have to say it was rather nice and not that sweet, which is good for me as not keen on sweet things for breakfast. I’m going to try adapting this recipe for different flavours, maybe apple and cinnamon, yum!

So after this week of covid, crafting, crops and cooking, I hope you have had a lovely week and please let me know if you got up to anything new!

Chris x