Monday, December 21, 2009

Phew!

Well that was a busy few days! I've missed you...you've missed me too, haven't you...what's that you say? No? You didn't realise I was gone? Oh......*bleedin' muttering mutterers*.

Today, we completed the last of the Christmas shopping and all the food shopping for the next two weeks. Woohoo! Most people were in good spirits and friendly with the occasional grumpy sod ramming trolleys into our ankles. I send them karma.....

School finishes tomorrow so we'll be able to do Christmasy things with them have lie-ins, eat cake, not comb our hair.... and plan to whisk the kids off to the cinema but only after taking them to our friend Val's house to meet up with a crowd of revellers, hellbent on celebrating the holidays. What can you do but join in?

Since we've all been really quite ill this winter, we've been eating comfort soups, stews, pies and homemade breads. We're all bright eyed and rosy cheeked, if a few pounds heavier aye, ok, not that much heavier but health comes before waistline. We're moving back this week to roast chicken, pastas, still on the soups and some lovely fresh fish before having our blowout Christmas day dinner.

At the supermarket today, I asked for a side of salmon but the fishmonger said he'd give me two as a whole salmon was costing way below usual. He beheaded the thing and filleted it for me, with the total coming to just over £7! If I had any room in the freezer, I'd buy three more.

Last week, just before going shopping, I realised we had to use up as much as we could from the fridge and the freezer, hence the creation of leftover pie:



Such a creation can be wonderful and occasionally bleuch of course; this one turned out really well except for the use of the sun-dried tomatoes...what was I thinking? We just picked them out and ate it all up.


Thinly sliced potatoes topped with some leftover white wine cream sauce from the dinner with friends. Onion confit was sprinkled over.


The sun-dried tomatoes didn't work but it didn't destroy it either. We just picked them out.


Cooked sausages were sliced and thrown in.


And another layer of potatoes before doing it all over again until a top layer of potatoes was reached. The remaining cream sauce was mixed with chicken stock and poured carefully into the dish. A mix of cheddar, mozzarella and Gruyere cheese was sprinkled on the top. It was roasted in the oven for approx. 45 minutes at a medium heat. The kids LOVED it. Without those bleedin' tomatoes of course. Normal cream...not cream sauce would be perfect too.



Messy looking but yum!

15 comments:

JudyH329 said...

Yum, this looks so good! And it doesn't sound that difficult to make either. Glad y'all are feeling better! Hope you enjoy your Christmas!

e said...

oh mmmmmmmmmmm! i wonder if this would work with haggis. ;)

Carolyn @ My Backyard Eden said...

I still have to lay out all my menus for Christmas Eve and Christmas and go shopping! I wish I was done like you! Have a Merry Christmas!

Killara girl said...

Oh you just made me so hungry. I made some pulled pork w. rice & broccoli....it was good but I'm definitely a meat & potatoe gal! Have a great sleep in...I sure will :):)

Housewife Savant said...

I love your family's Christmasy things (lie-ins, cake, and the not-combing-of-hair.)
I ALWAYS love your posts.
I hope your Christmas is the merriest!

Zuzana said...

I know I have said it a million times before, but no other "food" blog makes my mouth water like when come and visit here. Now I am hungry and I just ate.;)
xo
Zuzana

Lisa said...

Wow, it is not just the food, that picture on your blog truly symbolises you! :)

Merry Christmas and happy new year.

Beth said...

Yum! I wish I had some of this right now. Your blog always makes me hungry! ;0

Beth


Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Janice said...

Yes, this wintery weather is definitely the time for comfort food. Your pie looks just the job!

lemonologie said...

That looks lovely! I guess I need to be more creative with my leftovers - or planned-overs as we like to call them!

Helen McGinn said...

Judy, thank you. We are all well. It was really tasty when all I was going for was edible... surprisingly! x

ER, I bet this would work beautifully with haggis!

Carolyn, thank goodness, we're snowed in! Hope you get it all done easily and without trial. xx

Shelle, mmmmm...pulled pork is yum! It was a great lie in.

Housewife Savant, it's lovely to see you hon. You should see my hair now though...ugh. ;O)

Zuzana, you are too kind to me!

Ocean girl, welcome! Thank you for visiting, I love your blog...just went for a wee visit. xx

Beth, thank you so much.

Janice, too right, 'specially with all this snow, eh?

lemonologie, lol! Yeah, we have those too. x

Anonymous said...

Food shopping for the next *two weeks*! Crumbs you couldn't nip over here and do mine for me could you? I've yet to *start* on food supplies for just the next 3 days! ;)

The Vintage Kitten said...

Have a lovely Christmas! Lots of Love TVK

Claudya Martinez said...

Sounds delicious, except for the sun dried tomatoes.

Anonymous said...

feedingfiveforfifty.blogspot.com; You saved my day again.