Pet Hates

1. Flimsy plastic forks.
2. News reporters needlessly being on location.
3. People who eat with their mouth open.
4. The brown felty fuzz on conference pears.
5. Dessicated coconut.
6. Hypocrisy.
7. Badly plucked eyebrows.
8. People who deliberately drive the wrong way round one-way systems.
9. Bad pub food.
10. Comparisons between cats and dogs.

Date Bars & Zumba

So the date bars turned out pretty well - sweet (but not too sweet) and sticky (but you get to keep your teeth). They are quite crumbly and messy but tasty-good, plus they keep well and are also freezable.

Tried out Zumba on Monday in a small class of all ages and all sizes and came out feeling on top of the world. I forget how much I like dancing. I wouldn't quite say it had a party atmosphere. There were about 10 of us spread across a dull blue school gym which felt very empty. However, it was good fun, and despite feeling slightly mortified (if mortified is a thing you can feel slightly) at all the pelvic action, I am already looking forward to next week. I have also found new respect for Shakira.

Food

Been trying out a few new recipes this week.

First up, Cuban Chicken with Rice and Beans from Economy Gastronomy. I went in with high hopes for this one, having visited Cuba a couple of years ago and going mad for rice and beans/peas. In particular, the meal we had in scorching hot Trinidad, just off Plaza Mayor in a place aptly described as "slickly restored colonial mansion invaded every lunchtime by tour groups" (pic above), was surprisingly tasty.

So this recipe included lardons, red onion and green peppers. I'm not sure that's usual, but I certainly didn't object. Some well-crisped chicken which I should have marinaded for longer was nestled in among the other ingredients and a covered in chicken stock. Second mistake - I used a cube. These cubes normally do me proud in risotto, but I think what this recipe really wanted was some very fine, very tasty homemade stock because I just felt the whole thing tasted a little bland. The chicken was plumb and juicy, the rice was fine, but it just wasn't the same (though to be fair it was probably never going to be). That said, it went down very well with my partner in crime and I would cook it again. Next time I'll marinade longer, make some stock at home and perhaps even buy dried black beans and soak them instead of canned.

The next recipe I tried was from the same book - Macaroni Cheese with Artichoke Hearts and Bacon, also written by Allegra McEvedy who I really admire. Now I am not one for messing with mac and cheese. No mushrooms, no ham, no tomatoes or chilli or tuna or mustard, and certainly no fucking ketchup. No! I am a macaroni cheese purist!

...Or at least I was.

I raised an unsurprised eyebrow at wholegrain mustard and nutmeg; scoffed at the bacon, the artichokes, the garlic; and breathed a deep sorry sign at the tomatoes and herbs. But I was wrong. This is the macaroni cheese to end all macaroni cheeses. It is just so very tasty and I urge you to try it. Especially if you are a skeptic.

And finally, fresh out of the oven is the third recipe I tried this week, from the ever-so-sweet (and ever so slightly sickly), Rachel Allen. From her book, Bake, I have just put together Date Bars. The recipe was very quick and very simple and if the smell is anything to go by, very tasty.

Tenuous Top 10: New Things I Have Done Fairly Recently

In reverse order, my top ten new things I have done fairly recently are as follows:-

10. Taken Mr Focus for an MOT. Can you guess what kind of car he is?
9. Seen We Will Rock You. I was shocked, not rocked! Shagaleo Gigolo indeed!
8. Eaten a pink grapefruit. As of today and quite possibly my first one ever.
7. Organised food for 17. Not 17 gerbils, but 17 real human beings. Hard work, but worth it.
6. Made and eaten my own Christmas Pudding. See picture above. Moist and tasty.
5. Ski-ing. Not technically new, but my skills suggest that is the case.
4. Learned how to knit. Just about.
3. Perfected carnitas. A few attempts and I think I have cracked it.
2. Been on honeymoon. As you might expect - a most excellent thing.
1. Got married. Hopefully this will only ever occur once and I highly, highly recommend it.

Overkill

The distilleries I have visited:-

Aberlour, Balvenie, Benromach, Cardhu, Cragganmore, Dallas Dhu, Dalwhinnie, Glenfarclas, Glenfiddich, Clynelish, Dalmore, Edradour, Glenmorangie, Glen Ord, Oban, Old Pultney, Royal Lochnagar, Ardbeg, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Kilchoman, Arran, Highland Park, Talisker, Tobermorey and Glenkinchie. 30 distilleries. That is too many.

Edradour is my favourite. See picture above.

All a bit Woolly

This is where I stayed recently in the Alps. It is a brilliant, brilliant place. Anyway...

I think I may have caught the knitting bug. It only started 2 days ago, but I am already trying to find patterns and lusting after yarns (and buttons too for some reason - I do like a good button). I was gifted with the means to start my quickly accelerating obsession on Saturday, by my very generous mother in-law. My better half meanwhile, was gifted with a 2000 piece jigsaw and now has his own jigsawy problems. The two fixations complement each other pretty well actually, and keep us away from our other addiction - the humble public house. Not bad for the bank balance either, which is seeing hard times.

Anyway, I began to knit fairly randomly, casting on a random amount of stitches (let's say between 20 and 30). Random. This took me about an hour. I don't think I'm a natural. Or maybe the self-patterning yarn confused me in it's fury of yellow, orange, turquoise and white. An interesting combination. Still it was free and it got me going. Several rows later my "square" got wider and wider and grew holes and got tangled. Several rows later again, a pattern emerged from the chaos that went before and then I became a very happy person indeed. Like finding that piece of jigsaw with a hairy chest and a tiny part of a flag on it.

Tenuous Top 5: Hot Liquid Things

In reverse order, my top five hot liquid things are as follows:-

5. Gravy. It's very tasty and meaty.
4. Baths. Cleansing, relaxing and they smell nice.
3. Hot Toddy. Whisky, honey and lemon heaven.
2. Lava. Scary but cool, though at 700 °C to 1,200 °C it is hot, hot, hot!
1. Tea. Tea is just more drinkable than lava and it makes you feel good.

Didn't make the list - geyzers and hot springs, coffee, hot water bottles, hot chocolate and curry sauce.