A lull in the rain meant that we were able to pop out to do some last minute errands before the bad weather closes in again (this evening am told),I scuttled of to post a few cards through letter boxes and then hurried back to my nice warm kitchen.
Just after twelve the Christmas meats arrived from our Grimsby butcher and we unpacked the box together, its really far more exciting than flogging around the supermarket as I believe I have mentioned before. Everything was up to the usual standard and the boys stowed the turkey in the fridge while I put the gammon to steep overnight in cold water to reduce the saltiness.
Finding a large enough receptacle for this task is always difficult,my largest Maslin pan is a little too small but as only the end remains above the water it makes do. Tomorrow this will be served hot with creamy mashed potato,diced winter vegetables and onion sauce. Cooking such a huge piece of meat ensures a moist and juicy gammon which is delicious hot or cold and as the meat is cooked it can be frozen afterwards in steaks,slices or chunks. This size of joint will provide about twelve separate meals for three people between now and the end of February so I am sure that you will agree it was well worth the cost of £35.00.
While we are tucking in to our dinner tomorrow we shall be looking forward to all the lovely soups(made from the boiling stock), the steaks at least 9,the pasta dishes and the pies made with chunks of meat carved off the bone and of course the sandwiches,cold or toasted. It is nice to be able to treat the family while still keeping costs down and there is nothing more spectacular than serving up a whole gammon on the bone steaming hot and golden brown with caramelised sugar,marmalade or maple syrup as a glaze.
My son has spent the day writing ,Pa has filled all the bird food containers,a job which takes quite a time, as for me ,I gave myself a day off cooking and our meal this evening was a selection of cheeses,pates and salad served of course with crusty bread,granary toast and crackers. The mince pies I made yesterday finished the meal,there were only just enough left as a steady stream of visitors munches their way through shortbread,mince pies and stained glass cookies.
Later we had fun with some tiny remote controlled helicopters, a gift to my son several years ago, they are very resilient and great fun especially in the dark as the light up with multi coloured LEDS.
The feline pheromone diffuser seems to have done the tick, Twiggy is a lot less umpty these days and has stopped worrying about Moth, the new cat so that is a great relief all round.
Standing in the kitchen with a cup of coffee this evening I suddenly felt incredibly fortunate,the warmth,the lights and the pretty decorations together with having my family at home made me realise just how lucky I am, and my new little calico cat ,with a home of her own at last seemed to agree purring like a small engine as she sat beside me on the settle. Home is all that matters after all.
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