It felt like a while since I'd read any of the Alexander McCall Smith books on my shelf, so I decided to pick up the next in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series in the new year.Blue Shoes and Happiness follows the similar formula of the others in the series, but after a bit of a break it felt great to catch up with Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi. Mma Makutsi found herself a fiancé in the previous book and this one sees her getting used to being a woman who is going to be married. When Mr Phuti Radiphuti asks her if his wife to be is a feminist ... read more
Archives for January 2009
Italian-style beef stew
Last night's dinner was a perfect meal for a cold winter evening - with a slight Mediterranean edge.Italian-style beef stew is a recipe that we've used a few times before from another book that we have in the 101 range: 101 Meals for Two. As I really don't like them I leave out the olives, but the mix of beef, yellow pepper and rosemary combined with the feta that we sprinkle on top makes it irresistible. I served it last night with some simple mashed potato (sadly not made as expertly as 21st Century Housewife makes hers) but tasty all the same.Sunday ... read more
Chaos
Ae we really only ten days into 2009? Last weekend I remember feeling so organised for going into the new year; now I'm not too sure. So much seems to have happened in these last ten days that I'm not even sure where to start. Sorry there are no photos to accompany my words - I've just not had time to take my camera out of my handbag all week.I went back to work on Monday and was expecting a quiet week before starting all the regular meetings etc next week. Someone else obviously thought differently. I feel like I've been on a treadmill that's been getting faster and faster ... read more
The Outcast – Sadie Jones
My first finished read of 2009 was Sadie Jones' The Outcast. I picked up a copy of this before Christmas based on a recommendation from my friend P. She was blown away by it. I wasn't.Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy it, but just not as much as I was expecting to. The book is set in the 1950s in the South of England and centres around Lewis Aldridge. We visit Lewis at various different times in his life and gain a painful insight into the hurt and confusion that he suffers due to events around him. The book looks at how suffering like this was covered up in ... read more
Pretty storage
Looking round the shops before Christmas there seemed to be quite a few nice storage containers out there - all of which I could instantly think of a use for. This is the one that I was lucky enough to receive as a gift though, from my wonderful sister H.From the fantastic Cath Kidston, this contained a wide selection of cotton sewing threads, but the sizing is perfect for skeins of embroidery thread. I have many in my collection and I'm already picturing a lovely evening sorting them and storing them away neatly. At the moment though it's just sat on my desk so that I can look ... read more
Bacon and Tomato Cobbler
A freezing cold day on which we both went back to work called for a good home cooked meal this evening, and I think that's exactly what we had. Once again I called upon one of my favourite, every day, cook books; 101 Cheap Eats. This book, and its partner 101 Simple Suppers, is a key part of after work cooking in our house. Both provide some fantastic simple and tasty recipes that are generally easy enough to do after a day at work and provide us with a good hearty meal.Tonight's dinner was bacon and tomato cobbler. Incredibly simple, especially using my Kenwood to make ... read more
New year snow
Getting up early to go back to work today, I looked out of the bedroom window to be greeted with a light dusting of snow! I know it's been bitterly cold, but I wasn't at all aware that snow was forecast. What a nice surprise. ... read more
Last day of holidays
Mr C and I are back to work properly tomorrow (that bit between Christmas and new year didn't really count) so today has really felt like the last day of the holidays.It's been a pretty day though with lots done. The decorations and tree have come down and been packed away for next year. As a result our living room now feels so much larger again. I tried to use up the last of the mincemeat by making a final batch of mince pies. The jar managed to defeat me though and somehow I've still got more left! Honestly, the jar has started reminding me of Mary Poppins' bag!A batch of ... read more
Finding fenugreek
Mr C and I decided to do another dish from the M&S curry bible that I bought him for Christmas this weekend after the success of the butter chicken. He chose the lamb with cinnamon-scented fenugreek sauce. This just left us with one, rather major question: what is fenugreek and where can you buy it in St Albans.Wikipedia's fenugreek entry helped us to answer the first question. It seems that you can get either fenugreek leaves, which are used as a herb, or fenugreek seeds, which are a spice. For something that I'd never heard of before it seems to have a huge ... read more
Jane Austen’s sock
After a morning and early afternoon viewing houses and shopping for a few bits and pieces in town it was lovely to be able to curl up later this afternoon and have some me time.Back in early December I recorded the tv adaptation of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park on our magic box and this afternoon I curled up with my knitting to watch Billie Piper's interpretation of Fannie Price. Now I have to admit to having not yet read this particular book so my views are very much of it as a stand alone piece of TV drama, rather than a version of the original ... read more