Recent Antics

I was collared by a friend the other day who chastised me for not  having written on my blog 'since the 1st of May'! Well, consider my wrists suitably slapped. I just don't know what happened to the month of May - it has gone by so quickly. I have been 'shadowing' for the past three weeks, which basically means I have been practicing being a doctor, minus any official responsibility. It has been a welcome mix of fun and challenging, with lots of little reminders that I chose this career for good reason and that I really do love what I do. I have also been trying to spend as much time as possible with my friends as a few of them are soon to leave Sheffield for new and exciting shores. It's weird to think that people who have been so closely woven into the fabric of my life for the past six years will very soon be living elsewhere and occasionally realisation hits me with a pang of sadness and a smattering of tears. Mostly though, we are enjoying the few weeks we have left doing lots of lovely things together, such as making a croquembouche (and eating it), singing in bandstands with our choir and meeting Stormtroopers. I have also had some great opportunities to play with my new toy and though I haven't even scratched the surface of what it can do, I am loving finding out. In other news, we have a new favourite cafe - Tamper, home of the best flat whites in Sheffield and food to die for - and we are now the proud owners of beautiful Orla Kiely bedlinen. Yum. I have a few more things to share with you, but I will save those for another post. Thank you so much for all your amazing comments on my previous one. I love blogland and it's great to be back. 

Homemade Christmas Hamper: Fig & Almond Biscotti

Homemade Christmas Hamper: Spiced Fig & Cranberry Chutney

Homemade Christmas Hamper: Pickled Red Cabbage

This year, the Ginge and I are giving our families hampers full of homemade treats and local produce. I thought that it might be nice if I posted my recipes for you to use for your own Christmas enjoyment. Look out for 'Homemade Christmas Hamper' posts over the next few days. I'd love to hear if any of you are doing something similar, or if you try any of the recipes yourself. 

Pickled Red Cabbage.

This recipe is so simple, but the result is a deliciously tangy and crunchy pickle with a stunning jewel-like colour. It would make a lovely present and would taste great with leftover turkey on Boxing Day. The pickle is ready in a week and best before 12 months, as it loses its crunch over time. 

Pottering About

This weekend has been a bit of a slow one (or a 'sloe' one as I'm sure the Ginge would say). Unfortunately, I haven't been very well and the Ginge has been working nights, so I have just been bumbling around the house on my own for most of the time. I must say that I really hate it when he is on nights as I get so lonely and dislike being limited to seeing him for a rushed two hours per day. It is quite a good opportunity to get things done though. I have made sloe gin, cooked some tasty suppers and comforted myself by baking my mum's dropped scones. I didn't manage to get to any fireworks, but I poked my head out of the skylight and watched the multiple, distant displays exploding all over the city. Did you have more success with bonfire night? 

Life as we Know it

Gosh, what a couple of weeks we have had. The Ginge has started a new job in a new hospital (a bit far away for my liking) and I have just started my final year of university. It is now five years since I started at medical school, so it is very exciting to think that this time next year, I will actually be a doctor. We are both settling in very nicely and enjoying our respective challenges. I am particularly enjoying being in an environment where people outnumber pipettes. In between working, we have been doing some very lovely things. Croquet and boules in the garden in Norfolk; learning the intricacies of the former from the Ginge's dad and reminiscing over playing the latter on childhood camping holidays in France. The familiar plunk as the ball hits the ground and the elusive click of a direct hit. A walk up to Bradfield, a small village outside of Sheffield; realising that I feel at home there and dreaming of making the views and the fields my own. A wander around Sharrow and Eccleshall; finding a perfect little shop specialising in restored antiques, falling in love with our new wardrobe and chest of drawers (pictures to follow soon). Playing housewife; baking carrot muffins for breakfast, eating them hot and soft from the oven, smothered with cool yoghurt and sweet honey. Relishing in our glut of vegetables, turning them into a fresh and fragrant summer soup to be eaten in the sunshine. Helping the Ginge to recreate a childhood holiday meal, including takeaway chips collected in a saucepan; confirming that I love the silly small things that we share with each other, just as much as the big stuff. 

My First Recipe Post: Pea, Mint and Parmesan Risotto

In the Treacle-Ginge household, we believe that there is no better comfort food than risotto. I have been perfecting this recipe for the past couple of years and this is the version that we enjoy the most. It is really summery and refreshing, perhaps two words you wouldn't initially associate with a dish made entirely of rice. It is creamy and silky thanks to the parmesan, with just enough bite from the rice and sweetness from the peas, whilst the wine and the mint lift the flavour, making it less rich and completely addictive.           

Ingredients:

• 1 pint / 560ml good quality chicken / vegetable stock
• 50g peas (I use frozen because I can't grow my own yet, but fresh would be even lovelier I am sure)
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 large clove of garlic, finely chopped
• Butter
• Olive oil
• 6oz / 170g arborio rice
• A good glug of white wine
• A good sized handful of parmesan, grated, plus extra for serving
• A handful of fresh mint (from the garden, if you have it)
• Black pepper

Prep:

• Prepare your stock - either buy fresh liquid stock and heat in a pan until warm, or add to boiling water if you are using stock pots or stock cubes. 
• Melt a small amount of butter in a small frying pan and gently soften the spring onion, so that it is white and green and translucent. 
• Place the peas in a small bowl, pour in enough boiling water to just cover them and leave them to one side.

The Main Event:  

• Melt butter in a large saucepan, with a drizzle of olive oil to stop it burning. 
• Add onion and stir to coat each tiny piece with butter and allow to soften on a low heat. 
• Using the flat side of a large knife, drag the finely chopped garlic backwards and forwards on a chopping board, pressing hard to create a puree. 
• Once onions look translucent, but not brown, add the garlic puree and stir until combined. 
• Add rice to the buttery onions and stir for two minutes, to allow the grains to soak up the flavour.  
• Add a small amount of stock and stir until the rice has absorbed (this shouldn't take very long)
• Add about 1/3 of the remaining stock and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally until all of the stock has been absorbed. 
• Repeat this process until you have used all of the stock and it has all been absorbed. 
• Pour in a good glug of white wine and allow to absorb. The texture should be loose and creamy and the rice should have a bit of a bite in the middle. 

Final Touches:

• Gently stir in peas and spring onions
• Add grated parmesan and stir until well combined. This should make the risotto super creamy.
• Add the finely chopped mint and stir very gently.
• Serve in a big bowl with extra parmesan and a few flecks of black pepper and a cool glass of crisp white wine.

Yuuummmm! 

Surprise Dinner

I came home yesterday to find the table laid outside, with two cool, rose-hued glasses of my sister's sloe gin and tonic and the Ginge tending a smoking barbecue. Fish with garlic, lemon and fresh parsley, smokey, lightly-charred vegetables and a childhood-throwback Fab for pudding. What a treat! I am a very lucky girl indeed. Isn't it wonderful to have some warmer weather, more befitting of the month of June? I hope you are all enjoying it as much as we are.  

Neighbourly Gardening and a Bonza Australian Send-Off

So, this week I am fighting tooth and nail against the fear that is gradually creeping up on me, in the approach to my big deadline. Butterflies don't cover it. Right now, it is all about finding small scraps of time and little, lovely moments to add a bit of colour and fun to each day. Here are the delightful things that got me through the weekend. Homemade lemon and spelt pancakes with yoghurt, honey and blueberries. Helping our elderly nextdoor neighbour to weed and replant her garden pots; petunias, geraniums, violas and heather. Tea and lemon drizzle cake in the sunshine. Baking an Australia-shaped pavlova for my friend, who is about to jet-off for nine weeks down under. Gobbling up the entire thing with teaspoon-wielding friends. Happy treacle. 

Easter Sunday

 Big holidays, like Easter are very much seen as sacred(in the literal, rather than religious sense of the term) family time in our camp. We have lots of lovely traditions, most of which revolve around baking and eating as well as some less fattening ones such as the decoration of our easter tree. 

This year was slightly different, though no less delightful, as most of the weekend was taken up with the preparations for and celebration of the wedding of some very close family friends (more on that later), but we did manage to squeeze in a day of Eastery-loveliness on Sunday.

A scrumptious dinner in the garden.

Lamb roasted for four whole hours, with garlic, lemon, parsley and mint (fresh from the garden) and heaps of delicious homemade salads. 

I wish we could eat outside every day! 

Praline Easter Eggs - in a real egg box - for pudding!

My mum's beautiful flowers were in full-bloom...

...and there were tadpoles in the pond, growing very fat indeed! 

I couldn't resist taking a photo of the perfect summer house, my Dad built, complete with a great-grandma-special: crocheted blanket (I bet she'd love to know how in-vogue it would be now)... 

...and the tiny flowers around my favourite tree. 

We were so sad to have to leave, but made a final stop for a cup of tea in Bath... 

...not forgetting a very important slice of cake. 

Bring on the next Bank Holiday!