January
I can't believe it's the middle of January already. We went back to school (and so work for me) very late this January and I seem to have lost a week somewhere along the line.
Still, dog walks are beginning to show catkins and budding daffodils and I'm beginning to feel ready for more signs of Spring just as snow is forecast for most of the UK. Good job our wood pile and kindling bins are full and I always have plenty of food in as my village is in a valley and the roads get difficult quite quickly. I hate shopping at the best of time- the thought of getting caught up in panic buying fills me with, well, panic.
I'm rubbish at New Years Resolutions but I guess you could sum up my aims this year as live lighter, be lighter.
My plastic use and landfill output goes up and down and I'd like to get into some good habits so they stay down. I want to get into a sourdough bread routine so the rest of the family don't keep buying shop bread. Getting on top of the garden should help the supply of local fruit and vegetables so less prepackaged purchases needed and should also help with my fitness levels.
I'm not going to embark on any great health regime but I'm increasing the fruit and vegetable intake for the whole family (I have told them) and I just need to stop eating as though I'm going to hibernate, tempting though that is. I've signed up with two friends to do a 30 mile (48 km) navigation/hike in December to keep motivated. Mabel is already looking reproachfully at me after a couple of 5 mile walks so she may be taking it easier this year.
I have made a delicious winter squash cake for lunchboxes (to stop said family buying doughnuts) from Vera at Grown to Cook. There's quite a lot of squash and not too much sugar so it sort of fits with the year's aims.
I used a potimarron (Uchiki Kuri) squash that I'd previously roasted in chunks so I used the skin too. It is fine but I'd probably remove the skin if I was baking for company. It is also a fairly dry squash so I actually needed to add a little water so it would puree. Vera gives variations and I'd definitely try adding some walnuts next time. I used mixed spice because that's what I had, but I'm keen to try speculaas. I think a bit more ginger would work well in it.
It actually only uses a cup of squash so you can roast a whole squash, make a dip, soup or couscous or eat some as a side and make a cake at the same time.
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| Lunchbreak at work. Empty lunchbox (Turkish bread sticks and homemade butterbean and squash dip, since you ask), looking through Steph Hafferty's lovely new cookbook, and knitting a jumper from odds and ends of yarn for Zak in time for the cold weather to the very great amusement of my colleagues. Knitting! Dog jumper! |
Still, dog walks are beginning to show catkins and budding daffodils and I'm beginning to feel ready for more signs of Spring just as snow is forecast for most of the UK. Good job our wood pile and kindling bins are full and I always have plenty of food in as my village is in a valley and the roads get difficult quite quickly. I hate shopping at the best of time- the thought of getting caught up in panic buying fills me with, well, panic.
I'm rubbish at New Years Resolutions but I guess you could sum up my aims this year as live lighter, be lighter.
My plastic use and landfill output goes up and down and I'd like to get into some good habits so they stay down. I want to get into a sourdough bread routine so the rest of the family don't keep buying shop bread. Getting on top of the garden should help the supply of local fruit and vegetables so less prepackaged purchases needed and should also help with my fitness levels.
I'm not going to embark on any great health regime but I'm increasing the fruit and vegetable intake for the whole family (I have told them) and I just need to stop eating as though I'm going to hibernate, tempting though that is. I've signed up with two friends to do a 30 mile (48 km) navigation/hike in December to keep motivated. Mabel is already looking reproachfully at me after a couple of 5 mile walks so she may be taking it easier this year.
I have made a delicious winter squash cake for lunchboxes (to stop said family buying doughnuts) from Vera at Grown to Cook. There's quite a lot of squash and not too much sugar so it sort of fits with the year's aims.
I used a potimarron (Uchiki Kuri) squash that I'd previously roasted in chunks so I used the skin too. It is fine but I'd probably remove the skin if I was baking for company. It is also a fairly dry squash so I actually needed to add a little water so it would puree. Vera gives variations and I'd definitely try adding some walnuts next time. I used mixed spice because that's what I had, but I'm keen to try speculaas. I think a bit more ginger would work well in it.
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| Winter squash cake- yum! |
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