2021 - 52 weeks of doing something different

Not quite steam cleaner territory but we bought a battery hoover a while back which makes a huge difference to the weekly sweep through AND we can charge it from the solar panels rather than the mains! I'll have to look out for steam cleaners too.

This week I've been trying to cook new dishes rather than just doing the same ones. When we have friends to eat I cook new stuff but obviously that hasn't been a thing for a while.

Saturday was a new recipe for a baked cheesecake where you seperate the eggs and whisk the whites before foldng back into the yolk, sugar, flour, cheese mix. The base was made from a dough used for making Cornish Fairings. Loved the base, the cheesecake itself didn't seem anything different from a normal non-whisked baked one!

Monday I used a recipe from Denis Cotter, an Irish chef who creates fabulous imaginative vegetarian dishes. Pan fried small globe artichokes with lemon and thyme. Really tasty, although the artichoke prep is always fiddly. Delicious.

Yesterday I did a take on toad in the hole or clafoutis, whole roasted and caramelised onions are then baked in a thyme flavoured batter. Not sure anout this - a bit too 'eggy' for my taste.

Not quite steam cleaner territory but we bought a battery hoover a while back which makes a huge difference to the weekly sweep through AND we can charge it from the solar panels rather than the mains! I'll have to look out for steam cleaners too.

This week I've been trying to cook new dishes rather than just doing the same ones. When we have friends to eat I cook new stuff but obviously that hasn't been a thing for a while.

This is the steam cleaner I just got. 
https://www.kaercher.com/uk/home-garden/...oUQAvD_BwE

Love it.

This weeks something new has to be repeated in 3 days time   . I’ve taken my first COVID test.  A very unpleasant experience. But being a responsible member of the community/ human race , it had to be done.

My new thing this week is I bought myself a new tablet. Not opened it up yet but will do it when I've got a few hours spare and figure how to transfer all my junk from one to another. I think that might cover the new things for a few weeks to come.

What are you going from/to Jen?

What are you going from/to Jen?

From a 5 yr old Samsung Tab A 6 to another Samsung Tab A 7. I needed more storage and opted for 4G capability to future proof it. Switching should be a piece of cake (so they say)

My something new is reading an old book that I haven't read for years.
"Three men in a Boat" by Jerome K Jerome. (who would give their son such a repetitive name?).
I have fond memories of this book from my days in Junior school (not sure how old I was but less than 11). My Class teacher, Mr Amos, used to read us chapters from the book  and I was enthralled by it. Still remember the struggle to open a tin of pineapple chunks without a tin opener!
I've read the book once since schooldays but, its time for a re-read.
Despite being written over 120 years ago, its still as relevant now as it must have been then. Great fun and a chapter at bedtime sends me to sleep with a smile on my lips

My something new-ish this week is inspired by the book I'm still reading!
Rummaging around in the back of the cupboard I found a tin of pineapple slices (not chunks). They've been there years, can't remember what made me buy them so I decided to find a tin opener and eat them - trying to open them with any other implement would probably have landed me in A&E. I also found a tin of evaporated milk so I've had a Sunday afternoon tea ...........on a Tuesday.

I probably won't rush out to buy another tin of either but I enjoyed them in a "wind the clock back" way!!

My something new this week was something I will probably only ever do once.
In normal times we would have attended a Naturalisation Ceremony where you get a handshake, a chance to sing the Marseillaise, and a folder containing a copy of the décret granting you citizenship, an acte de naissance and a welcoming letter from the president amongst other things, but today we were just handed the folder by a fonctionnaire without even a félicitations!
Oh well, it marks the end of a process begun in April 2018.
Vive la france, vive la république!

My latest Newish thing to do is Cooking Red Quinoa. Never cooked any colour Quinoa before but, as I had 2 packets of Red from Hodmedod's and only one of mixed colours, I chose Red!!!
It looked a bit odd after cooking, like germinating seeds with white shoots coming out of dark husks but it didn't put me off.
It was easier to cook than rice and there wasn't a hint of stickiness - but a pleasant crunchy texture.
Shamelessly copied my post on the "What's to eat" thread to remind me of what I actually did!

Invented recipe!
Red Quinoa (Hodmedods - grown in Somerset)
Chopped up an Elephant Garlic clove. a sprouting onion, some mushrooms and basil - cooked that lot in a little oil.
Stirred in some cooked Quinoa and a beaten egg, shaped them into burger-ish shapes and crisped them up in the frying pan

Really nice - will definitely make them again ............and, its my something new I've done this week as I've never cooked Red Quinoa before.

Citizen PP! Congratulations.