What Makes A Good Yorkshire Pudding?

 

With yesterday being such a long day, we really should have set the alarm this morning!

Teen Two is usually up early no matter what the day or what the day before was like...he clearly is starting to turn into a regular Teen as he too slept in!

Our usual leisurely cup of tea and ginger biccie was  not so leisurely!

 

 

I always pop in to my Recycled Teenager next door around 8am...it was 7.50am....no time to be showered and dressed....I quickly threw some clothes on over my PJ's and nipped next door....no doubt looking more asleep than awake!

 

 

Being out all day yesterday, meant today was catch up day with the washing.

Sadly it wasn't a bright sunny day, so the washing line didn't get used....how thankful I am for the tumble dryer.

 

 

 

Being Sunday, you know by now it was a roast for lunch.

 

 

 

 

Every week we have Yorkshire pudding...no matter the meat ( they are traditionally eaten with beef)

Even though I make them every week...the same way...some weeks they turn out better than others.

I forgot to take a picture, so have borrowed this one...however...everyone agreed, they were perfect today!

The only difference in the ingredients was I added a bit of water as the mixture felt a bit too thick.

My late neighbour always used 100% water...no milk at all, some people use all milk or half and half.

Maybe I will try her method one day and see how they turn out.

My Yorkshire Pudding ingredients are:

 

150ml milk

2 oz plain flour

I egg

dash of salt.

 

I know, I know... I am mixing imperial and metric measurements...its a long story...but it generally works out ok!

 

Grandma's Yorkshire's are made using a ramekin dish and uses equal quantities of egg, milk and flour.

Any cup/pot/dish will do, its the equal quantities that is important here.

With the extra egg mixture these make for really big Yorkshires....Mmmmmm!

 

Yorkshire puddings are an integral part of our family life and are a great British tradition, but they are of course really a great Yorkshire tradition, made and eaten very differently to how we are mostly familiar with.

My late grandmother always made one big Yorkshire pudding in a large roasting dish...she never measured anything  out and it mostly turned out scrummy.

When we visit friends in the US, they often ask me to make Yorkshire's and feel very excited about a real British woman making real Yorkshires for them!

I always remind them I may be British but I am not from Yorkshire...they are the real experts!

 

 

 

There was no "after dinner Scrabble" today!

I know.... a break from tradition!

What is the world coming too!

By the time I had cleared up the kitchen, done a chore of two, returned to the living room...hubby and Grandma were sound asleep!

It gave me the opportunity to catch up on one or two other bits and pieces before they woke up in time for tea!

 

 

Tomorrow starts the last week of school before the Christmas break...I want to get as much done as I can so I can enjoy the time with the Teens.

I am not as ahead of the game as I would like to be, every year it happens...I make all sorts of promises to myself that next year will be better....so here I go again...next year I WILL be more organised!

Take A Walk Through London With Us

 

Today we went to London.

Always an exciting and vibrant place to be in...but you need to pace yourself and be well organised if you are to fit in all you want to see.

We parked the car at Hampton Court and took the train in to Waterloo...where our London adventure begins....

 

 

...we hadn't even left the station when we saw more Santa's in one place than we have ever seen before...all on bicycles!

 

 

We walked over the Golden Jubilee Bridge, taking time to admire Cleopatra's Needle...

 

 

...it has a very interesting history,  but for us the most interesting part, was learning from Hubby, inside a time capsule, placed in the front part of the pedestal when it was erected in 1878, amongst other things, are copies of the Bible in several languages and John 3 v 16 in 215 languages.

 

 

We had not walked very far, having crossed the Thames, when we came across this statue...

 

 

 

...it is of Robert Raikes who was the founder of Sunday School's.

Having spent many years as Sunday school teachers ourselves, it was fascinating to learn how we have got to where we are today.

Our job is much easier than Robert Raikes...but the gospel message we share with them is the same and found in that verse we had just learnt was inside Cleopatra's Needle.

 

 

As we continued our walk, we passed some stunning wreaths...

 

 

....huge wreaths...on doors so huge they need two!

 

 

And the doors just seemed to get bigger!

 

 

Our first port of call was Covent Garden.

The giant mistletoe decorations were beautiful...as was the music from the string quartet.

 

 

There is always something new to see at Covent Garden, so many artisans and crafters.

These new loos were a first for me!

They looked very posh indeed!

 

Whittards is always a pleasure to visit....we sampled some white chocolate tea....interesting...but not sure it really works!

 

 

Street entertainers are always popular with the Teens...

 

 

...and of course this Lego train, complete with steam was a big hit with Teen Two...

 

 

...it really was an amazing piece of work.

 

 

There are many interesting shops around Covent Garden... including this new stationery store,

Kikki K

 

 

For lunch we had booked a reservation at our favourite pizza house, Fire and Stone and of course we had our usual game of Uno whilst waiting for the pizza's to be cooked.

 

 

Each pizza is named after a city around the world.

Today I went for Casablana which had very unusual toppings...butternut squash, red onions, pine nuts, dried apricots, courgettes and minted yogurt.

It was very tasty indeed!

 

 

After lunch we had a mooch round the London Transport Museum shop.

It was very much a Hubby shop and he was delighted to add a model of the new London bus to his very large collection of model vehicles.

 

 

Our next stop was one of the main reasons for visiting the Capital...to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Teen Two has been eager to see it for a couple of years, so we have finally ticked that one off his wish list.

It was brilliant, very true to the film we are all familiar with, with brilliant effects.

The one minor disappointment was the songs were different, apart from "World of your Imagination"

I love the Oompa Loopa song and was surprised it wasn't part of the show, however, everything was brilliant, and the child actors amazing.

 

 

Our final adventure for the day, was to see the Christmas lights of Oxford Street

 

 

We had looked forward to seeing the Selfridges displays, but they were not so interesting for us, based on astrological subjects and more mannequin based than last year.

 

 

 

A walk around the Food hall is a must...and how about these for eclairs...only £5.50 each!

 

 

These giant meringues took the Teens eye, and at £1.99 each they were more within our budget!

Teen One chose a strawberry one and Teen Two chocolate.

There were many other amazing counters, but we would be here all day if I uploaded them all!

 

 

Back outside, the smell of chestnuts roasting really made it feel seasonal...

 

 

...and carols played on steel drums  made for a very upbeat Christmassy feel!

 

 

We are all so familiar with the John Lewis Christmas ad, it was rather heartwarming to see their window display.

 

 

As we made our way back to the Underground, at almost every turn there were amazing light displays....

 

 

....finally we reached the Underground....weary worn and tired, as my nan used to say.

Our feet had done us proud but they were in need of a rest now.

Days out to London start early and of course end pretty late, and no matter how much we fit in, one always feels we haven't even scratched the surface!

I hope you have enjoyed your walk through London with us, and maybe feel inspired to visit yourself one day!

 

 

The Snowball!

 

Well today has been dedicated to last minute preparations for our Carol Service.

Bearing in mind we are a very small congregation...just over a dozen, we are used to seeing more empty seats than used ones.

Tonight was completely different.

We put out over 80 seats and had standing room only by the start of the service!

It was wonderful to see so many people out and makes all the hard work worth it.

As you can see...this is "The Snowball!"

A simple, hand made item, nothing techy or flashy about it...and yet the joy this has brought to hundreds of children over the years is amazing.

The snowball was made by my late father in law a few decades ago...and really needs pensioning off, but I think the kids would be miss it so much, we daren't!

Needless to say, with much excitement the children all rushed forward to play "tug of war" with the handles....what a big wow factor as well when all the presents poured out!

Noise levels rose to a ridiculous level...but if kid's cant make a racquet at this time of year when can they!

All of our little ones remembered their Bible verse and sign language as well as all the songs.

We sing a song about Daniel, part way through they have to roar like a lion...I told them to really go for it....boy did they go for it!
How the parents and grandparents laughed though!

So....with all the clearing up now down, its time for a little unwind before planning our day for tomorrow...we are off to London for a West End Show and to see the Christmas lights.....good job we aren't worn out....not!

Oh For A Quiet Night In!

 

 

Today, being Thursday was of course Mother and Toddlers at church.

Before everyone arrived, I had the job of filling a giant paper mache snowball with all the presents for Friday Club.

I forgot to take my camera...hopefully I will remember to take it tomorrow.

It's quite a task threading up the ball at the end....tomorrow at the end of the Carol Service the children will all clamber over each other to have a "tug of war" at pulling the snowball apart...watching all those presents cascade out is rather magical...especially for the newbies.

 

 

No matter how many or how few children we have on a Thursday...the mess is more or less the same!

By the time I had cleared up, sorted out the seating for the Carol Service and got home...I was ready for a rest....

 

 

...but of course Thursday's are not rest days for me by a long chalk!

I had time for a cuppa and a bit of sit down before heading next door for the cleaning.

 

 

Just as I was thinking about finishing up and heading home to get dinner ready, and then have a rest before starting with the piano/footy run, I had a call from school....Teen Two had another migraine...would I come and collect him.

 

 

So back in the car it was and over to collect the poorly lad.

Having brought him home, I would say it was more of a headache than a migraine...having seen him with a migraine, which is very upsetting, I think this wasn't really on that level.

He is now home and tucked up in bed, and I am having five minutes to myself with a cuppa.

 

 

I am hoping that tonight I can grab my knitting needles and get cracking...or should that be clicking... to make that Santa hat.....last night was just too hectic ferrying hubby and Teen Two around.

Oh for a quiet night in!

 

Knitting Orders From Teen Two!

 

This time last year, our dear Mrs Recycled Teenager next door passed away.

Shortly before her short illness, knowing Teen Two's love of soft toys, she passed on part of her large collection.

 

 

 

When I brought the toys out last week...it prompted Teen Two to put in a knitting order...

 

 

 

...a Santa hat for his Minecraft pig!

This afternoon I dug deep into my yarn stash and found just what I needed!

Tonight I will start creating the pattern.

 

 

This morning I drove to Chichester which is a beautiful town, with plenty of independent shops.

This morning it was beautiful, with the bright blue skies, sun streaming down...a little chilly yes, but it wouldn't seem right to hear carols in the warmth!

The local school choir were a joy to hear and added to the festive atmosphere.

There was a local craft market in town, which was a happy coincidence for my visit.

 

 

I generally make this trip with a friend, but she wasn't able to make it last week, this week or next week...so I decided to go alone.

Not so much fun, and certainly no fun having coffee alone....I wasn't going to bother, but as I walked past Starbucks, I glanced in, just wondering how busy it was, but with no real intentions of going in ( although I was craving their fruit tea bread!)

Just as I glanced in I could see someone waving frantically at me...well...I wasn't sure it was me, the sun was so bright it was hard to see who it was, but after moving out of the sun I could see it was my sister in law!

We haven't seen each other since Christmas and she lives 30 miles away so I really wasn't expecting to bump into her!

Well that did it...I now had some company so could indulge in that yummy toasted treat and a gingerbread latte!

I was doubly pleased to see her as I needed her advice.

Her daughter is 21 in a few weeks and I had seen something on one of the craft stalls that took my eye, but I wasn't sure if it was her daughter's "thing."

Having described it to her, she felt it would be perfect, so after our catch up I went back to the stallholder....

 

 

...and was delighted to see these adorable little bunnies were still for sale.

All the items are "one of a kind" and there had been plenty of customers buying up the stock earlier.

Our niece has been nicknamed Bunny since she was born, so these silver enamel ear rings seemed the perfect present to celebrate her 21st with.

 

 

Last night I thought I would make Moussaka for a change.

Teen Two isn't keen on aubergine, but does love lasagne, so I did a bit of  "Greece meets Italy."

Using lamb mince and chopped onion, I left them to cook gently in the slow cooker.

Added some tomato puree to thicken, then using lasagne sheets, layered two lots of pasta and meat, then on the top layer added thinly sliced aubergine.

Covered the aubergines with cheese sauce which had two beaten eggs added to it.

It was very tasty and Teen Two managed to eat most of the aubergine.

It's worth experimenting sometimes isn't it!

 

 

 

Changing My Perceptions

 

 

It seems whenever I receive flowers... I get another lot soon after!

What it is to be doubly blessed aye!

My friend brought these in last night, as a thank you for having Little Missy.

I don't know what the name of the flower at the front is...it looks like a cross between a cabbage and a rose and is smooth and furry almost to feel.

So my front room has this beautiful bouquet in...

 

 

 

...and then my neighbour's son brought this is...he certainly keeps me well stocked with pretty plants throughout the year!

 

 

After some household chores, I headed in to town, with one of the goals to get hubby a Christmas jumper for work.

I saw this reduced in Primark and hope it will fit...if not...Teen Two has got his eye on it!

I am most surprised, I would have thought he would hate anything like this...just shows, you never can tell!

On the way to town, just outside the supermarket where I had parked, a Big Issue seller was standing, very close to the narrow exit.

He looked middle eastern, unshaven and around 60.

I must confess to feeling a little intimidated by his "Big Issue Ma'am" call as I walked by, and its hard not to feel like a millionaire as one walks past someone who very obviously did not spend the night in a warm cosy home and have the luxury of a bath and clean clothes in the morning...not to mention be off on a mini shopping spree.

As I walked into town I almost dreaded returning to the car park, knowing I would have to pass him again and feel guilty for the blessings I have in my life.

However....that is not what happened at all....as I was walking back, just ahead of me were a couple of, what can only be described as louts...loud and foul mouthed...and yes...in hoodies!

As they walked passed the man he said "Big Issue sir?" to which one of the louts went into what can only be described as a hateful tirade of racial abuse.

It was so shocking I felt so sorry for this poor man who had done nothing other than try and earn himself a few pounds...the honest way.

I gave him a smile as I walked passed and said "just ignore them, they are fools," but felt I needed to show my sympathy in a more practical way.

I have  never bought a copy of the Big Issue and knew little about it, although had a vague idea the vendors laid out the money themselves for the magazine and then sold them for a small profit.

I am wary about giving money away on the street...one never knows what the money will go on...so I decided I would go to the bakery and buy him a small treat.

When I returned he was very grateful and I think if he is there next time, I will acutally  buy a copy of the magazine.

Of course it would be lovely to help all of the sellers out there, and having read a bit more about the charity, I will think twice before passing them by.

As for that feeling of intimidation....well today's experience has certainly changed my perceptions.

How intimidated must that poor man have felt?