Bank Holiday, AKA Rain started Play

All is well and right with the world, it is Bank Holiday Monday, it is August and it has been raining most of the day.

I am not depressed, tired but not depressed. I have been playing in the kitchen for most of the day.

I halved the Victoria plums, removed the stones and cooked them down with a chopped lemon and an apple, just to add a little pectin as they were fairly ripe. I poured the result into a jelly bag and let it drip for an hour.

I usually drip berry fruit overnight but stone fruit gives up its juice quite freely, plus I wanted the pulp to be juicy.

4 jars of jelly and the taster, I will try this later in the week. I did scrape a spoonfull out of the jelly pan and it was lovely warm.

Then it was the turn of the damsons, again I added an apple and a lemon, this time I want a fairly firm set. I like this rich flavoured jelly with meat, it is great with spicy sausage and roast lamb.

5 jars and the tester, I would normally make at least 3 batches of both these but this year I have to buy the fruit and I will concentrate on using as much free fruit as I can get.

I pressed the pulp from both batches through a sieve, measured it and added sugar, cooked down it till thick and gloopy and got this.

3 jars of jampurelly, thanks to DC at Frugal in Norfolk who shared this idea last year. This makes a really robust flavoured jammy preserve with a smooth consistency. DC adds grated apple and spices to hers, I do sometimes but this batch is as it comes.

I have just watched a DVD, Jack Ryan Shadow Recruit, and thoroughly enjoyed it even with Keira Knightley playing the part of the wife to be. I read all of Tom Clancy,s books and have seen the other films ages ago. This thing of making prequels is not always a good idea but in this case it worked.

Francesca and her dad are in the kitchen washing up, I cooked a simple meal for dinner. Chicken breast fillets egged and dipped into a seasoned breadcrumb mix and baked at 180 for 45 minutes, at the same time I cooked a tray of paprika potato wedges for Fran and some halved new potatoes tossed in olive oil with sea salt and black pepper. We had blackberry puree crumble and custard for pudding. I just simmered the blackberries, with a little sugar, in their own juices and rubbed them through a sieve. Fran hates pips and I am not overly keen on them and this way we get all the fruit with no bits stuck in our teeth.

I just have to take Ben out once more, hopefully we will not get wet, and then I have some hand sewing to do.

Reasons to be grateful.

1.  A pleasant meal with company.

2.  No washing up.

3.  Lots of preserves tucked away with very little effort.

4.  Ben being cuddly all day.

5.  It has been much warmer today.

I am off now as the rain has stopped and I do not want to miss the dry interval.

                TTFN                                                   Pam