Crock Pot Cooking

Hello Friends!

A while back I decided to buy a Crock Pot. I'd owned one when I lived in America and loved it. I used it for all sorts of savoury dishes, but also used it as a hot punch bowl for my Spiced Apple Cider and even as a simmering potpourri pot using fresh herbs and spices!

So, for a while now I've been hankering after a good old fashioned rice pudding and with the weather taking it's turn for the worse and getting more and more wintry by the day, I decided to make one today ~ in the Crock Pot, of course. Now, rice pudding isn't exactly rocket science and is a very easy recipe, but oh! how much easier it is in the Crock Pot!

With the winds blowing wildly outside the cottage today and with a hankering to increase the hygge, it was the perfect day to make this childhood comfort food as a pudding for later on.

I weighed out the ingredients and just tipped them all into the Crock Pot which I then turned to high for about three hours. I kept an eye on it as I've not done a rice pudding in the Crock Pot before, and it did need fairly regular stirring but there was none of that lifting a heavy dish in and out of the oven, it was right there on the counter top making life so much easier.

I had a late lunch today, and the pudding was ready to be eaten with a dollop of strawberry jam after lunch ~~~

Just weigh out your ingredients, I'm sure everyone has the recipe, but just in case, these are the measurements I used

200 gr pudding rice {be sure to use short grain pudding rice}
1 litre milk {I used semi skimmed}
1 small can condensed milk {or increase your milk by 200 ml}
50 gr unsalted butter
30 gr soft brown sugar {any sugar will be fine}
{nutmeg, cinnamon, or other spices may be added to taste, if desired and you can always melt a little chocolate in, or add some chopped dried fruits, such as craisins, apricots, or sultanas}

Tip all ingredients into your Crock Pot and turn on. Cook for about 3 hours on high, or 5~6 hours on low, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking and checking to see if pudding is cooked.

I forgot to take a photo of the cooked pudding in the pot, but here it is, served up, thick and creamy, with a dollop of strawberry jam. If you like a thinner pudding, just add more milk ~~~

I don't know why, but this is one of the most delicious rice puddings I have ever eaten!

Meanwhile, back in the garden ~~~

My osteospermus just haven't got the message yet that the weather is turning rapidly and they really should not still be flowering ~~~ I bought these earlier in the year and put them into a growbag  meaning to move them to a permanent location during the summer. The best laid plans, as they say, and the move never happened so they are still in the growbag and I really must get them into the soil before we get the very bad weather that they say is coming.  Here they are, full of lovely strong new shoots coming from around the bases, and a few blooms still insisting on flowering for some autumn colour!

There are three different colours, but this purple one is my favourite of all ~~~

They are still not particularly big, but very sturdy and healthy, so I really must get them in the ground this coming week, even if I just bury them wholesale in the bag until spring to protect the roots.

Here are a few pictures of the skies over the cottage in the last week ~~~
I am always amazed and in total awe at the diversity and beauty of the universe ~~~

an early rose gold sunrise through a rain spotted window pane ~~~

a jewel coloured palette of a mauve and golden sunset ~~~

and I had hoped to capture the November Super Moon, but we were, as so often happens, scuppered by cloud cover, so here is one of our beautiful moon taken a few days before the perigee ~~~

Until next time ~~~
~~~Deborah

Chilly Autumn Days

Hello Friends!

October flew so quickly by and how can it be November already?

(c) Susan Branch 2016 Wall Calendar

The clocks have fallen back an hour on both sides of The Pond, and the days are noticeably shorter; that blissful autumn nip has turned into the chilly days that herald winter, and ere long the gentle breezes will whip the fallen leaves about our feet as we quicken our pace on afternoon walks; wrapped up well in cosy layers we scurry home to warm up by the fireside, sipping mugs of steaming hot chocolate as we thaw from traipsing along the country lanes in the cold. It is time for crumpets toasted and dripping with butter, slathered with strawberry jam for tea ~~~

Tonight, there was an amazing sunset, a true renaissance sky, I rushed outside

~~~every cloud has a silver lining~~~

moments either way and I would have missed it all together ~~~ so inspirational and calming ~~~ 

Countless are the times I've taken this walk and visited this rocky outcrop near the cottage, and countless are the times I've seen this view, but I never tire of it, nor do I tire from sitting or standing gazing out across the fields to the ocean that lies beyond, and one of the many offshore islands that sit along the coast ~~~ there is always something new to see, with the slow turning of the days as each season takes it's turn to shine ~~~

Look! Poldark's horse in a nearby field ~~~ well, of course, it isn't really Poldark's horse, but we can dream he is somewhere nearby, right? This lovely mare is {apparently} called Henrietta, or Holly for short. She's a little beauty, don't you think?

Here she is, standing in the landscape ~~~

Let's take this path today, shall we?

Looking out from a higher point across the fields and moors, the hedgerows now bare of leaf but still some yellow gorse is scattered here and there ~~~

Goodness, the berries are red this year, a sign of a hard winter to follow ~~~

Follow me this way next ~~~

to find a lovely view across the bay ~~~

and out across the Shire ~~~ {I hope you will scroll right, it seemed a shame to shrink this panoramic scene to fit the screen}

there are always sheep grazing in a field somewhere nearby ~~~

Can you see the cathedral tower, peeking up from the valley where it lies hidden from marauding Vikings of days gone by?

This was the sunrise yesterday morning, Red Sky in the Morning, Shepherd's Warning ~~~ and it was, for the day turned windy and wet shortly after I took this ~~~

Finally, a happy little Robin Redbreast sitting atop my garden canes ~~~

Do you like the shorter days or do you prefer daylight until bedtime?
While I love the lighter evenings to work late in the garden, I also find something extremely comforting in closing the curtains across the windows and snuggling by the fireside as the nights draw in ~~~

Until next time ~~~
~~~Deborah xoxo

A Good Night's Sleep ~~~

Hello Friends ~~~

I don't normally talk about these things, but this is just too useful not to share and if it helps you, then who am I to keep it to myself? I may have cracked the issue of how to get a good night's sleep ~ at last!

Now, I've never been a good sleeper. I can count the number of really good nights of sleep I've had, probably in my entire life, on one hand.  Even as a child, I seldom woke up feeling fully refreshed and restored, but have learned to live with it and adjust my life accordingly as best as I can.

I know, for some, restless nights seem to arrive with the menopause and never leave, and as we get older we seem to naturally sleep less, but for me, ever since I was a child I've struggled with falling asleep at a good and proper time. I've blamed it on a lot of things too, starting with having to share a room with my Nanna and we'd talk into the wee small hours about gardening and baking, and of all things space exploration and the Universe! So, my pattern of staying awake seems to have established at quite a young age. As I moved into my teens, many a late night was spent, snuggled under a mountain of blankets, listening to Radio Luxembourg on my tiny transistor radio with a tiny earphone so nobody knew what I was up to!  Of course, getting up for school in the morning was not easy but somehow, over the years, this lack of sleep seemed to balance out by staying in bed as late as I could manage every morning. It didn't affect my schoolwork and my academic achievements were glowing to say the least, so why bother about getting sleep if you don't need it?

Years pass, and the situation continues, until I reached breaking point as the hour I was falling asleep, after tossing and turning for hours, became five a.m. Try and get up at seven o'clock in the morning on just two hours sleep day after day after day. You just cannot. Thankfully, I living in Iceland at the time and was not working and had no responsibilities as such, so I just went with it, sleeping until midday and letting my body clock adjust accordingly. Sometimes I was out walking in the twenty four hour daylight at three in the morning out of sheer boredom. Of course, that doesn't work for ever.

Over the years I've been given so much advice and help, both informal and professional. I've tried not going to bed until I'm properly tired; working out and exercise; meditation, crystals, essential oils, massage and Reiki; diet and not eating late in the evening; reading and listening to music or meditative music; keeping a note book by the bed to clear my thoughts; drinking herbal tisanes and concoctions of every sort you can think of; switching off devices and television early; light therapy; I've even tried a course of sleeping tablet {never again!} and been to a psychiatrist! Oh, and any combination you can make of the above too!  I have been told by holistic healers that my Circadian Rhythm is all out of balance, possibly as great as 30 hours rather than the 24/25 hours it should be, and that is what is to blame.

You name it, I've tried it but ~~~

NOTHING WORKS!!!

~~~ Until now ~~~ 

Are you ready for this?

Then, a few months ago one of my Facebook online friends shared yet another link on how to cure insomnia by wearing bed socks to bed as a possible solution.  I sniffed at this, just another gimmick, but then, a few weeks ago it popped up from another source so I took a bit more notice and then thought I'd give it a go; it can't hurt, can it?

Guess what?  Well, you probably already worked it out where this is going ~~~ 

IT WORKED!!!

Since starting this about a month ago I've fallen asleep very quickly most nights {other than when I have had a snack too late in the evening to digest properly} and had a good night of restful restorative sleep each night. A couple of nights I've forgotten and guess what? Back to Square One with difficulty falling asleep.  I am amazed! Not only do I wake up refreshed and restored but I've got loads more energy, my mood has improved no end, and I'm a different person all together!

I've looked further into this and, apparently, it has to do with keeping your feet just a few degrees warmer than the rest of your body. Now, I know this is going to get some of you saying that you are already too hot in bed at night. I am, and I spend a lot of time with my legs hanging over the edge of the bed BUT trust me on this and try it. What's the worst that can happen? You end up kicking the socks off, right? But what if it works and you get that elusive night of good sleep ~ every night that you wear those socks?

WHAT IF???

Until next time ~~~

Deborah xoxo

Mid Autumn Catch Up

Hello Friends!

That most delicious time of year is upon my corner of the Shire once again. You know of what I speak ~~~ Autumn, my most favoured time of year, and now nearly half way through. So much has happened since I last wrote, so today I'll quickly share a few of my recent photographs as there is really far too much to recap. I can scarce believe it is a month and then some since I last journalled here ~~~ I have been sidetracked but manage today to share some photographs taken two weeks ago, although my words are sparse today ~~~

Summer passed us by again, and I know many of you are quite envious of the cooler weather that meant I have had the heating on at some point most days through July while you and your ice creams melted in the sweltering, scorching sun. Of course, I've now got the heating bill to prove it! A few weeks ago, we actually broke through the 70 degree barrier! It came as a shock to the system, three whole days in a row of 80 degrees and higher, but then we dropped back to our typical mid~60's.

The light at this time of year takes on a quality of gentle softness as the sun slips slowly lower in the sky with each passing day.  I do not get out as much as I would like, but when I do, you know my camera goes too, so here are some, quite a few, photographs I've taken when I've had the chance to go for a walk along the highways and byways surrounding my home ~~~

A well camouflaged trout in the shallows

high in the horse chestnut tree sit unripened conkers waiting to fall

the view from Pen Lan across the valley to the village

I think he might be stuck ~ he's torn up the road for sure!

So lush and verdant it almost looks like a tropical valley

down the hill and into the valley below

so little rain, the stream is nearly dry

gulls paddling on the seashore's edge

old stone cottages with traditional lime wash bask in late autumn sunshine

the cathedral tower rising up from it's hiding place in the hidden valley

a macro photo of sycamore "helicopters" with a tiny spider

a sprig of helicopters waiting to fly

horse chestnut leaf 

a magical new addition to the once ordinary railings at the Bishop's Palace

beautiful details

I love these magical mushrooms

cathedral view

a row of pretty traditional stone cottages

if the folk lore holds true, red berries signal a hard winter ahead

a calm and shady spot along the stream

sweet chestnuts fall along the wayside

I'm sure the squirrels will be along soon

looking out across the coast to the south west

a medieval chapel in ruins in an ancient field 

a tanker, like a ghost ship, sits across the misty bay

all the way down at Fulmar Cove

ruined medieval chapel

I often sit on the Welsh~American slate seat and think of my friends Across The Pond

A big old beetle scurries across the path to the cool shelter of the grassy verge

Blackberries ripen on the vines

Nature's sculptures ~ trees carved into shape by the prevailing west winds

So, dear friends, thank you for coming with me, I have enjoyed your company on our happy little stroll through the sunny byways and lanes ~ wasn't it fun? It is getting colder now each day and October is nearly spent ~ my gloves and scarves are waiting in the wings {there is always room for one more lovely scarf and pair of gloves?} Next time we'll bring along a Thermos of hot chocolate and a biscuit to nibble. My autumn decorations are up, the special favourite mugs are now in use, and hot chocolate is back on the hot drinks list in my kitchen.  I always put a tiny pinch of chilli powder in my hot chocolate, just to give it a little kick, they do compliment each other so very well.

Until next time
~~~Deborah xoxo