Misc: Food – Seb Palmer

18 December 20228 February 2024

DAYS iN: Home – F-F-F-flippin’ F-F-F-freezin’!

I put all this lot on upon *entering* our home!

We just got back home, from childminding duties at my sister’s. As we occasionally do, we stayed a second night. I was exhausted after an evening shift delivering for Amazon, and then sharing a bottle of wine with Teresa and Hannah.

Amazon were taking the piss royally yesterday, on two fronts: first I arrived a few minutes late (2-3, or thereabouts) for a midday shift. The crappy Flex app then proceed to load so slowly that by the time it was up and running I’d ‘missed your [my!] slot’!

So I returned later the same day, and did an evening sesh. I try not to do these, on account of it being harder and more stressful in the dark of winter evenings/nights. And herein was the second Amazon piss-take:

Actually this was a double-barrelled piss fest: first I had an order ‘to be delivered no later than 4pm’. Yet it was the second delivery of about eight or so, and I didn’t start collecting the items, never mind delivering them, until 4pm, when my shift officially commenced!

I told the recipient that I’d have bent the laws of physics to deliver to him by 4pm, if it lay within my powers. And, if he was unhappy – fortunately he was a jovial and understanding chap, and was absolutely fine – please take it up with Amazon, and don’t blame me!

But the real piss take the second, was the sheer distances they had me travelling. I started in Cambourne, then went to Royston, then Potton, then Sandy, then home. I reckon that the fuel costs of this run will prob’ have accounted for half my earnings.

Lobster, a very hirsute, handsome and charming chap!

But my main prompt for this post was returning to our frigidarium home. Our car was plenty warm en-route home. With two of us in the the confines of a little MX5, plus the car heating, we were very cosy. The house was 8°C, according to our wall mounted central-heating doodad (thermostat/controller?).

The pic atop this post is how I got myself up to brave a trip to our littlest room! Which used to be an outside privy, when the house was built. And today feels like it still is! I was worried my bowels would refuse to open, so damn chilly was it!

I’m now enjoying that most plebeian of pleasures, a pot noodle. Pornography for the palette, granted. But warm and flavoursome. It maketh me happy!

29 August 20228 February 2024

DAYS iN: Holidays – Staycation, Day 1

The plan for today is extremely modest; lazy morning, late lunch, a trip to Huntingdon to look at antiques and walk by the river, maybe sit and read. And poss’ a movie back home with dinner, to finish.

We had booked a small cottage via AirB&B. But, for the first time ever, we had to cancel. Times are tight! And, by the looks of things, likely to get worse. We would only have bee. Just outside Norwich. So not far! But instead we’ll be home.

We’ll try and make it feel like a holiday with little day trips. Like the one we’re about to leave on now… Just finishing a moules marinierre and pancake lunch, and then orff we go!

Oh, and a literal footnote; yesterday some Brazilian flip-flops arrived. No doubt just in time for the change from summer to autumn!

Later we went for a walk along the river in Huntingdon. The sun came out here and there, and we had a picnic type snack, and sat and read in the car!

15 August 20228 February 2024

HEALTH & WELLBEiNG: FODMAP, & ‘free from’ texture/flavour pasta

My FODMAP diet is suffering from our total lack of any money. I can’t be buying expensive sourdough loaves, and non-dairy alternatives to milk (Oatly is prob’ my favourite, thus far), when the bank is bereft.

As a consequence, my diet has gotten rather patchy. I’m still avoiding wheat stuff and milk as much as poss. But I am having it with cereal at breakfast most days. Ironically it was seeking to wean myself off that routine that was where FODMAP started for me!

Anyroad, my lunch today – ‘free from’ macaroni, with two fried eggs, omelette style, grated cheese, ‘free from’ pesto, sat’n’pepper – has prompted this post. The pesto at least has a little flavour. Sure,8ts shite compared to the real McCoy. But the macaroni? What that’s free from is texture flavours, or any ability to promote joie de vivre.

It’s the food equivalent of sackcloth and ashes. Why? Surely those of us seeking alternatives to the things that upset our digestion still want food to fulfil that fundamental role, not just fueling our bodies, but bringing us pleasure!

This macaroni, as utterly bland as it is, is at least not totally revolting. Several free-from pastas I’ve tried were, frankly, inedible. Inedible food? Deliberately manufactured as a ‘healthy alternative’!!! That’s got to rank as one of modern humanity’s greatest follies!?

Just stepped outside the front door. Inside I’m sweating buckets. It’s unbearably close and hooomid! Chester is still AWOL. I’ve been out looking and calling for him. When I stepped out front just now, the weather looks and feels like it’s changing. Rain was forecast for today. But has slipped over to tomorrow. At least on my iPhone weather app.

Got the fan on full, and I’m more or less naked! My naturist side is very much in the ascendant these days. Leastways within the four walls that are our home. It’s because I’m always sooo g’damn hot! I associate this with my current meds…

23 July 20228 February 2024

FOOD: Satay #2!

Teresa liked my previous satay so much she asked me to do it again! That’s nice. I’ll take that!

But I didn’t have quite the same ingredients to hand this time. We did, however, have chicken. So in that respect I was truer to the orig’ recipe. But in several others, I wasn’t.

We still had carrots, broccoli, pak choi and green beans. But we had no beansprouts or bamboo. Gluten-free soy, peanut butter and ginger, etc, made up the home-made satay. And the whole thing was finished with sesame seeds, ginger and chilli flakes.

I put in twice as much of the latter this time. As previously we couldn’t really taste it!

Chester likes to daydream in this planting box!

We ate dinner outside, in the muggy heat of a summer evening. Chester was chilling in the greenhouse, whilst we quaffed first Portuguese then Spanish red wines. Nice!

This satay recipe is a good ‘un; easy and very tasty. A one pan (wok) wonder, if desired. That is, one pan if using noodles. But two if, like us today, you go with rice.

20 July 20228 February 2024

FOOD: Satay Stir-Fry

I’m still doing the FODMAP diet thing. Which means I’m cooking a lot more than previously. Trying to make sure I get a good diet, and yet avoid FODMAP triggers is quite demanding! Recent food shops have required more thought than usual.

I cooked this turkey and veg’ (chicken in the orig’ recipe; but I had turkey on hand!) satay stir-fry on wednesday. The picture above is my leftovers lunch, the following day. That following day, the 21st, we had a Chinese take-away – quite poss’ not entirely FODMAP? – as a treat, celebrating the sixth anniversary of moving in to our March home!

Chicken & Veg Satay:

Ingredients
* 1 tbsp olive oil
* 2 carrots, peeled and cut into batons
* ½ head broccoli, chopped pw 400g/14oz chicken breast (turkey for us!), cut into strips
* 2 pak choi, shredded
* 225g tin bamboo shoots
* 150g/5½oz beansprouts 
* 1 tsp grated fresh root ginger
* 300g/10½oz rice noodles
* 1 lime, wedges, to serve
* 4 tsp sesame seeds, to serve
Sauce
* 4 tbsp gluten-free light soy sauce
* 1 tbsp tamarind (didn’t use this!)
* 2 tbsp peanut butter
* pinch chilli flakes
* 2 tsp sesame oil

Method
1. Heat the oil in a wok or large wide pan over a medium–high heat. Add the carrots, broccoli and green beans and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes. 
2. Add the chicken and stir-fry for 3–4 minutes. Add the pak choi, bamboo shoots, beansprouts and ginger and continue to stir-fry for another 2–3 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Add the noodles and cook for 3 minutes, then drain. Add the noodles to the wok and stir through.
4. Whisk all of the sauce ingredients together in a bowl, along with 4 tablespoons water. Add to the wok and stir to mix.
5. Serve immediately, with a wedge of lime and a sprinkling of sesame seeds.

10 July 20228 February 2024

MiSC/FOOD: Baked Cabbage, at Hannah’s!

Yesterday we visited my sister, Hannah, in her new home in Northstowe. I cooked a baked cabbage recipe I found (above) via YouTube, for us. Einfache Rezepte, the name of the channel posting the video, is German for Simple Recipes.

It was Wimbledon Ladies’ Singles Final day as well. I was rooting for Rybakina, of Kazakhstan. And she won, beating Ons Jabeur of Tunisia. Yay!

Hannah is working full time at a local garden centre shop. So cooking a meal for her seemed like a nice little gesture! Hopefully giving her a little time out.

We prepped all the ingredients at home the evening before, and took all the necessary stuff, including three nice new small Pyrex dishes to cook individual servings in. Ali and Sofi had their preferred and usual pizzas!

Teresa also took a few bits and bobs garden wise: some pots, and some seeds to plant. It was nice seeing her and Sofi plant a few seeds.

Their cats are very sweet. Lobster’s a bug and very hairy boy! And loves cuddling up, and rolling onto his back to have his belly stroked. And what a belly it is! Sushi, white and short haired, is blind, and tiptoes about cautiously, his head cocked a bit, occasionally bumping into things. The poor little sweetheart!

Not a great pic. But at least we’re all in it!

I realise many folks, myself included, aren’t too keen on photos of ourselves splashed on’ the web. But I hope Teresa and Hannah and the girls won’t mind my sharing this? It’s nice to have a record of our getting together!

3 July 20228 February 2024

FAMiLY: Tea & Cakes at Anglesey Abbey

Me, Malcolm, mum and Sofi, Anglesey Abbey.

Today I met up with my Mum, Malcolm, her husband, and Sofi, my sister’s younger daughter, so my niece. We met for tea, cakes and a walk at Anglesey Abbey. And very nice it was too.

It was, I believe, in celebration of mum’s recent birthday. Teresa couldn’t make it, as she wasn’t feeling well. So I was flying solo.

It was a little touch and go as to whether I’d make it, as I had more work to do on the MX5. And for a while it looked like I might not have the tools to get it all back together in time!

After a brief walk around the grounds, under sunshine and lots of ‘little fluffy clouds’, it was very pleasant. And then tea and cakes, or rather coffee, cake, ice cream and ale (between us all, not just me!). Lovely!

To my great relief mum liked our gifts, which were a bit off our normal beaten track. The card and flowers were quite normal. And earrings aren’t an altogether unusual gift for a lady.

But the big bird sculpture!? We weren’t sure how that’d go over. Luckily mum loves it. Phew! Nice family times.

6 April 202222 January 2023

MiSC: Lunch! Oh, and more digging, etc.

I was talking to a long term pal I haven’t seen in way too long last night – hi Tim! – who mentioned that his son was getting into fine dining. I’ve seen some of Sam’s posts on FB, on foodie stuff. And the food, indeed, the whole experience, looks great!

Tragically, as things currently stand, we have neither the funds nor the connections – for starters March, where we live, is not known for its epicurean eateries – to mange in that manner. At least not at present.

But I have been indulging in eating out more than my wallet can really stretch to, as a reward to myself for the labouring work I’ve been doing in house and garden. Or is it just out of laziness!?

Plans for the current Easter break include putting in the form-work for the concrete shed base (aka drum bunker ceiling/roof). And that in turn entailed finishing the excavation I’d already mostly got done out in the ‘back yard’, as our former colonial cousins have it.

At this stage that mostly involves removing a large thick tree root, and levelling the earth as best I can. I did both today. Hacking the root out with a tiny ace was hard work! I had a larger axe. But leaving that out in all weathers has proven unwise; the head came orff recently, in an alarming manner.

Raked, sifted for stones/roots, and levelled.

With the big root gone, I used a large spirit levels to see how flat the whole thing is. To my great surprise and happiness, it’s a lot better than I thought it’d be. It’s definitely not calm lagoon flat. But it’s probably not too far off workable.

But back to matters edible… I was tempted to go to the local pub for an all day breakfast, or – as Count Arthur would be pleased to hear – what they’ve taken to calling all day brunch. But I resisted this beckoning, and instead cooked up what you see at the top of this post.

I’m pretty sure supermarket bacon suppliers put water in their bacon. Which I find really irksome. it changes how it cooks. Anyway, butter was employed liberally, and everything cooked together – introduced at timely moments, natch’ – and came out proper tasty.

So, please feel free to rate my plate. Washed down with a coffee, I was mighty pleased with myself!