Raspberry Vodka and Smoked Mackerel Pate

Today, I have been wandering around the house trying to figure out a way to change things around. I have mentioned before that I get bored with things very easily because in the past, I have been used to moving around on a regular basis, usually every 2-3 years. When we bought this house 11 years ago, the moving stopped and for the most part I like the security of having my own house but I do sometimes still miss the packing up and the moving to pastures new, the de-cluttering and the feeling of staring a fresh chapter. I kind-of know what I want to do and I know that there are definitely things I need to get rid of ..... the piano for one. I have never liked it, no one has ever played it and in fact, the only thing it's ever been used for is displaying photo, gathering dust and putting junk on. The trouble is, it will cost me money to get it taken away so I need to come up with a way to get rid of it for free. I even tried to give it away and no one wanted it!! Anyway, while I have been thinking about where to put things and how to get rid of the dreaded piano, I have been trying to keep busy by doing a bit of kitchen wizardry. I can't call it cooking because it's not actually cooking. 

Just before Christmas I wrote a blog post about some delicious raspberry vodka that a friend of mine had brought to the market for us to try. I have been meaning to have a go at making it but never seemed to get around to it so, while pondering the mysteries of furniture relocation and demolition, I whipped up a jar of raspberry vodka. 

The recipe is HERE if you want to have a go for yourself. It's basically vodka, raspberries, sugar and about 8 weeks ..... or as long as you can keep yourself from drinking it!! My raspberries were frozen and had been in the freezer for absolutely ages and I knew that once they were defrosted they would be too squishy to do very much with them so I put them into the vodka while they were still frozen, added the sugar and popped the lid on. I will give you an update when it's done.

I also made some smoked mackerel pate. Again, the simplest of recipes which takes about 5 minutes to make. Simply buy some smoked mackerel fillets, I buy ones that are smoked with lemon and parsley but you can get peppered ones or ones without any added flavours, whichever takes your fancy really. Take the fish out of the packet and remove the skin. Then, using your hands, flake the fish and feel for any bones while you're doing this. It's easier to find any stray bones in the fish if you use your hands instead of a knife or a fork. Then, simply stir in some cream cheese, the Philadelphia type of soft cheese. There are loads of different brands and types, I use one with garlic and herbs, but that's simply a personal preference and again, you can use whatever takes your fancy. 

Once it's stirred in, add a squeeze of lemon and some salt and pepper to taste and it's ready to eat. 

Now ......... where's my hammer, it's time to get rid of that hideous piano!!!

Time to Get Thrifty

Well, things have been a bit stressful this week. I visited my doctor last week and was told that I probably have ligament damage on my knee and that I need an ultrasound scan to see what's going on When I asked if I should rest my leg, he told me that light exercise is fine but if my knee is painful to just do what I can. Not helpful really when I have animals to feed and stuff to sort and a very painful swollen knee. I then got a letter from my doctor yesterday saying that he had changed his mind and referred me to an orthopaedic surgeon so I can then be referred for an MRI scan, something that, as a GP, he isn't allowed to ask for without a consultant referral. Even with copious amounts of pain killers, my knee is just not getting any better so yesterday, I made the decision to give up my stall at the market. Hopefully, it will only be for a while until I get my knee fixed but, the cold and the stress from standing all day hasn't done it any good. This means that there is no extra income coming in and that I'm going to have to get very creative with my food if I'm going to make ends meet. 

I'm not one to run from a challenge and I am very fortunate in that I do have a regular amount of money coming in each month but with no potential for any extra income, all things thrifty is about to become my new motto. So, this week, I have been shopping around for the best bargains and I have been dividing my money up into weekly segments so I know what I have to spend each week. I have also tried to put a little aside for emergencies, although this month, living might have to take precedent over saving. I managed to bag a couple of bargains on Saturday. I was in my local supermarket at 7.30pm-ish and there were lots of lovely people trotting around the shop reducing things. The lady on the bread counter was bagging up delicious crusty rolls into bags of 6 which are usually £1.25 and pricing them at 5p!!! I managed to get 5 bags and a mini baguette which was also 5p. I was thrilled to bits, I never get such decent bargains. The bread lady was encouraging me to take all the bags of bread because she said they had been so quiet that day that they had had to reduce them to 5p to get rid of them but my darned Britishness got in the way and I left 5 bags for other people. They went straight in the freezer when I got home along with some fish that I picked up for £1.00. I also bought one of their cooked chickens for £2.50 which I got a nice Sunday lunch from and yesterday, I boiled up the bones with half of a leek that had seen better days and some carrots, to make some amazingly delicious chicken stock to make some soup with.

Chicken stock bubbling away

I then removed the chicken carcass and all the icky bits of bones and chicken, added some cauliflower, broccoli and more carrots and turned it into .....

Chicken stock turned into chicken soup ...... Yummy :-)

The weather has turned bitterly cold down here in Cornwall and I have actually turned up my heating a notch from 10 degrees to 12. I don't usually turn up the heating but the cold makes my knee stiff so I have turned it up for a couple of days til things thaw out. We had a flurry of snow last night and I was hoping to wake up to a blanket of snow this morning but all I got was crunchy, icy grass and bright sunshine which has already started to melt the snow.