Homemade Broccoli and Stilton soup.

Just made from scratch. No recipe.

I used

A tablespoon full of olive oil

Half a small red onion, chopped

Half a courgette, grated (zucchini)

A teaspoon of lazy garlic

About a third of a head of Brocolli, chopped finely

A heaped teaspoon of flour

About a 1/4 pint of cream

About a 1/4 pint of water

About 1/4 pint of milk

About 1/2 to 2/3 of a cup of crumbled Stilton.

A slice of brown bread.

Salt and pepper to taste

Prep time and cooking took 25 to 30 minutes.

Makes enough for a large bowl of soup.

Method

Put the oil in pan on low heat. Add the lazy garlic and chopped onion.

Cook on a low heat to soften the onions. Stir gently to stop anything sticking or burning.

Add the grated courgette and simmer for a bit while stirring until the mixture cooks. When the courgette softens add the Brocolli and about 1/4 pint of water to cover the contents.

Continue to simmer on a low heat while the vegetables cook.

Meanwhile mix about a teaspoon of flour and 1/4  pint of milk and 1/4 pint  of double  cream into a paste. Pour off some of the liquid from the pan into a cup and let it cool slightly.

At this stage add the Stilton to the pan and allow it to melt gently.

Then slowly add the the liquid to the flour mix. Once it’s mixed and is a smooth liquid you can pour it into the pan of cooked veg and Stilton.

Simmer till the soup thickens and looks creamy. Add salt and pepper at this stage. It means it’s flavoured without getting absorbed into the veg so is healthier, less sodium.

Serve in a large bowl with a slice of brown bread or whatever you prefer.

It was tasty and warm. Just right for a tasty meal on a cold evening. The cream makes it smooth and works well with the Stilton without it splitting. I enjoyed it.

Christmas dinner on boxing day.

Just started cooking at midnight, so Christmas day is over. Felt a bit weepy. The sweet potato and sprouts are on. I’ve got some pigs in blankets, a few stuffing balls and some potato fritters in the airfryer. I’m going to do a chicken thigh that’s already cooked in the microwave along with some swede mash. And gravy. It sounds like a lot but I’m only doing small portions.

Might save it for tomorrow (today).

Food

I took this photo a few days ago and have no idea where it was at and who I was with! How can I have forgotten? I honestly don’t remember and you take a picture because the food is so nice. I don’t even remember what flavour it was!

It’s quite presentable, and I’m sure it was tasty, but after the last few days of problems and activity the whole thing has completely gone….

You know, the whole Internet is full of images of food. I guess you could save a lot of wasted space by not posting pictures of it!

Treats don’t last

Yummy chocolate cherry treats don’t last long and if I keep buying them, then they are no longer treats!

Only eight in the box, everyone tasty and sweet. With that sharp cherry tang.

I’d buy them every week, but they are not good for me. I swore not to eat as much sugar, but I think I’m addicted to it!

Only savoury treats now? I don’t know, the temptation is too great. Definitely wrapped in red for danger.

If you get to have a treat, enjoy.

Cherry cheescake

And a chocolate dot

When I promised to cut down

On sugary foods

I didn’t notice this cheese cake

Lingering just

Out of sight

The chocolate dot

Sat on the counter

Looking for a companion

To contrast with the cherry swirls

Give me strength

Never to return

To this cafe

On pain

Of chilli sauce

Poured on my dessert!

Shopping trolley

I just went shopping and they have changed the trolleys. They used to be shallow so that you didn’t reach down too far into them. The new ones are small, but deeper. If you want to get shopping out of it you have to reach down into it. Because I have Parkinsons I feel like I’m tipping forward and in danger of falling into the trolley.

If I use a basket I have to use a walking stick and it’s hard to put things into  the basket without finding somewhere to put the stick down. Sometimes I hang it off shelves. Also the weight of the basket seems more everytime I shop.

I know this is a first world dilemma and I should be grateful to have supermarkets. I just feel frustrated that even when disabled people are catered for the company can change it’s mind and make things worse. I just want people to recognise the problems we can face.

Apples

There’s a glut of apples at the moment. People are bringing boxes and bags of them to give away.

Red, golden, yellow, green. Cookers and eaters, full of sugar and fibre. Crisp and juicy. I like them stewed with custard.

And you can’t beat an apple pie or crumble, just the mouth watering and warming dessert for this time of year. Sitting watching the rain and wind blowing horizontally past the windows, I want that bowl of flavour!

Crumpets

I used to toast these on the bars of the gas fire when I was a child. We used a fork hooked on by it’s prongs to the horizontal bars in front of the white ceramic blocks that the flames came up through.

Toasting the bottom of the crumpet first, then the top. It would get really hot and the butter would melt all the way down into the bubbled tubes of the crumpet. Delicious x

(not to be confused with English Muffins)