Hodge Podge Back in the saddle

I’m back. My fingers are just about healed and I can function again, hurray!

Trouble is last week I strained my knee working on the wall in the kitchen and had to use a stick for a while, it makes me go a little slower but I won’t give up.

This last Saturday we had a big drive on the kitchen. Kitchen units were put in and work tops were fitted, it makes me happy just to look at it, I certainly feel a smile creep to my lips when I look at it and even though it isn’t fully finished it’s functional and I have enough room to serve all our meals at once without having to do penny numbers. It’s wonderful, soon I will be papering the kitchen and then painting it, I’m excited to think that we have come so far and it will be finally done.

For the first time in a long time I feel we are winning in the battle to save this house from total dereliction. It’s been both a physical and mental struggle for all of us and I’m really glad it’s nearly over, there have been times when it seemed there was no light at the end of the tunnel, that the light had gone out and we were losing, but last Saturday as I said put us squarely on track. And I’m now more motivated than ever to carry on.

Meanwhile I’m going to potter on with the next job in between everything else we all get to do in a day. I’m using my slow cooker tonight to give me more time up until it’s served, I will only have to cook the rice, allowing me a lot more time to hang paper or do more filling or sanding or whatever needs to be done next.

Our family recipe for chilli is below and can also be cooked on the stove top if you so desire. 1lb hamburger

1 bunch of scallions chopped or cut with scissors

1 jar of Passata or 1 tin of tomatoes chopped with juice, even pasta sauce in a pinch would do or a can of condensed tomatoes soup

1 teaspoon of sugar

1 tin of ready cooked red kidney beans and or mixed beans

4 pieces of garlic peeled and chopped or 1-2 teaspoons of dried garlic granules

3 stock cubes

1 pint of water

½ a bunch of celery, chopped

1-2 tablespoons of curry powder depending on taste or how hot you like it.

Method

Place all ingredients in the slow cooker ( I don’t brown my meat before hand) Stir to combine. Place on lid, walk away and come back to stir occasionally.

I cook mine until I feel it’s cooked properly through and sometimes our evening meal can be delayed for one reason or another so it’s another good thing that it can’t spoil if there’s enough liquid in the slow cooker, sometimes it’s cooked for anywhere from 4 to 6 hours on high. I serve it with rice as I said and sometimes Bombay potatoes or a baked potato.

(A Bombay potato is roasted with curry on it, I just stir some curry paste or powder into some canola oil, season it with salt then cover the potatoes with it, bake them in the oven until soft inside and just put them on the side of the dish when I serve up).

Just the thing for another cold night, comfort food unless you don’t like curry or spicy food.

In which case, you could just omit the curry in the chilli and on the potatoes, just as tasty.

Enjoy.