Tuesday 29 April 2008

Tuesday morning




Cold & damp on the dog walk this morning so I decided to spend the morning being a domestic goddess in the kitchen.


Simple comfort food was called for so first off I prepared banana walnut muffins, a personal favourite, to go with our coffee for elevenses and then a cauliflower cheese with crispy topping dish for lunch.


Muffin recipe:


10 oz/280 g plain flour


1tsp/5ml baking powder; ditto bicarb soda; and half a tsp salt


3 large very ripe bananas, about 1lb/450g


3oz/85g granulated sugar


1 large egg, beaten with a fork


2 floz/60ml milk; 3 fl oz/90ml corn oil


3oz/85g walnuts chopped


ditto chocolate chips


Mix first 3 dry ingredients together, mash the bananas & add wet ingredients, stir until just combined. Add walnuts & choc chips.


Spoon into muffin cases & bake in pre heated oven, 400 f/200 c for 20 - 25 mins




If you have a favourite muffin recipe please share!!


bon appetit


Maggie


Thursday 24 April 2008

Creating a new potager.

When we bought this house I inherited a vegetable garden and for a number of years I've been happy just pottering around and growing salad, beans, peas, courgettes etc. in quite a slapdash manner I must say!
This Spring, however, I'm trying to be a little more structured and so have had Sean (my new gardener) create 3 long beds dissected by a pair of paths using wood pavers
Today at the weekly market in Le Molay Littry I bought the first plants to go in the new potager. 4 sorts of salad; courgettes; tomatoes; cauliflower (chou fleur, so much prettier in French); beetroot (betterave); celeri and seed potatoes.
There will also be a section with herbs: parsley; coriander; rosmarin; wild garlic; basil; sage and mint (but in pots to contain the roots which would take over the whole place if planted in the soil).
In the potting shed I already have spinach; pumpkin and runner bean seedlings sprouting and when the soil has warmed up a little more I shall plant haricort vert and for the first time haricot jeune seeds straight into the prepared beds.
My bedside reading now is a gardening magazine and I'll welcome any tips that you feel will help with mynew project.
Check back for more info and hopefully, pix of my progress over the coming weeks.