Happy Halloween!

Growing up in Wales in the early 1960s, pumpkins were unheard of...neither was Trick or Treating! Instead, we dressed as witches or ghosts and had turnips.. which were in abundance. Turnips were always on hand this time of year, basically because they were cheap, and mashed with potatoes, they make a delicious Welsh Ponchmipe!

Did anyone else carve a turnip in their childhood?

Over in the England the grandbabies have already been Trick or Treating..

Little Miss dressed in her"scary unicorn " outfit which she painstakingly made herself

Little Mr insists hes dressed as a zombie...even though he dosnt know what a zombie is..

and Little Tufty.. who dressed as an adorable baby against the wind and cold..

 and was amazingly accurate

As for me Im going to sit in the driveway with my neighbour and hand out candy to the neighbourhood children. Theres always a big turnout...and Im looking forward to seeing them all

Love and Hugs

Phoebe x

Whats For Dunner ~ Meal Plan Monday

We had a busy weekend. The monthly shop had to be done, firewood order went in and my six monthly 'Big Clean' started with a scrubbing and tidy of our pantry. I like every shelf was emptied, washed down, the new items added to the inventory, date checked and put into the food rotation. I have been doing this for years and it helps with meal planning and so that no food ever goes out of date. Added to the storage was our Thanksgiving list and extra flour and sugar rowards the Christmas baking. Its so exciting that Christmas is coming so fast.

Our food this week is all from the 1940s cookery books... except for the enchiladas that my hispanic neighbour says was her grandmothers recipe... and doing the maths.. is close enough..

Have a great week everyone... and heres this weeks dinner menu

Weekly Plan - 30th October 2023

Monday              Chicken Chop Suey

Tuesday              Green Chili Enchiladas, Loredo Rice

Wednesday         Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Cabbage

Thursday            Spaghetti and Meatballs

Friday                 Pizza

Saturday              Leftover Enchiladas and Rice

Sunday                Grandma Addi's Leftover Meatloaf Chili  

Sunday Thought ~ Ephesians 5:2

Love and Hugs

Phoebe x

Little Donkeys..

Its that time of year when we start prepping for the winter..so MrD and I took a drive into the country to buy our firewood

It wasnt long before I started seeing the familure signs that I saw last year on this trip...and I knew what it meant..

Field after unfenced field of wild donkeys...roaming free... who were quite unbothered by the passing traffic ...and gawking onlookers..

My mother loved donkeys. So much so that after her death my aunt adopted one in mums name

So mum...this post is for you...

Love and Hugs

Phoebe x

Park Yourself Prince...

Our Prince is doing really well. Hes a good lad, very spoilt and a bit of a doofus with his tongue hanging out all the time. But he's understanding commands and now walks well on the leash . We can even let him roam in the front yard, when we are with him of course, and wont run off. He loves peanut butter, playing ball, and going on walks, but hates mailmen... If he sees Amazon, UPS or Fed Ex pulling up he barks like crazy.

We are now able to leave him for a couple of hours without him going insane running around and destoying stuff. He still has anxiety and will pace for about 20 minutes until he starts to relax..and now and again he doesnt settle at all. But we have cameras atound the house so we can keep an eye on him.

So today we thought we thought it was time to introduce him to other dogs. He likes Angel, next doors little pup.. but we need to see how he interacts with larger dogs, So we took him to a local dog park. He was nervous at first and stayed close to MrD.. but he soon settled and made a few friends. 

 Hes such a good boy...

most of the time!!

Love and Hugs

Phoebe x

In The Kitchen ~ Brownie Pudding

My quest to cook the majority..if not all.. of our meals from my vast 1940s cookbook collection continues. I dont know what it is about 1940s recipes, but they are really tasty. I guess its all the herbs and spices to compensate for the lack of good quality ingredients.

Anyway this recipe has turned into one of our favourite desserts and oh my gosh its so scrummy. This indulgent, self saucing dessert from the January 1944 Better Homes and Garden Magazine is a shining example of wartime ingenuity, making a pudding so delicious whilst skimping on sugar and using no butter or eggs. 

A rich, fudgy brownie layer with a velvety chocolate sauce, that is not overly sweet and easy to put together. We loved it.

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbs cooking oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/2 cup boiling water

• Grease an 8x8x2 in. baking pan; set aside. 
• In a medium bowl stir together the flour, granulated sugar, the 2 Tbsp cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. 
• Stir in the milk, oil, and vanilla. 
• Stir in the nuts, if using.
• Pour batter into prepared baking pan. 
• In a small bowl stir together the brown sugar and the 1/4 c. cocoa powder
• Stir in the boiling water. 
• Slowly pour water mixture over batter.
• Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes. 
• Cool on a wire rack for 45 to 60 minutes. 
• Serve warm. 
• Spoon cake into dessert bowls; spoon sauce over cake. 
• If desired, serve with vanilla ice cream.

Cosy Scene on a Rainy Day..

Love and Hugs

Phoebe x

A Walk In The Park

Im feeling so much better...

and am at last able to get outside in the fresh air...

enjoy the sunshine..

and marvel at the beautiful Fall colours

Love and Hugs

Phoebe x

Whats for Dinner ~ Meal Plan Monday

Good Morning from the Blue House

Yes its been a few weeks since I posted so let me explain. Basically I have had a couple of rough weeks of illness.. First I got the flu ... then just when I thought that was over and done with..I tested positive for covid. I must say..the flu was worse. So with self isolating life has been very uneventful and I didnt want to bore you all more than usual..

Anyway...apart from an irritating cough, life should get back to "normal" and I should have more to say. With Thanksgiving just around the corner...and Chrismas just 62 days away (sorryyyy)...I should have no excuse 

This weeks menu is includes dishes made from leftovers. Mashed potatoes, vegetables, stuffing, rice and chicken are all repurposed into new meals. Great for the budget, and clearing out the fridge.

Have a great week everyone... and heres this weeks dinner menu

Weekly Plan - 23rd October 2023

Monday              Pork Chops, Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Carrots and Cabbage (leftovers)

Tuesday               Chili, Cornbread (leftovers)

Wednesday         Jambalya (leftovers)

Thursday            Irish Italian Spaghetti

Friday                 Pizza

Saturday             Chicken Fillet Sandwiches

Sunday                Leftover Chili with Mac and Cheese

Down With The Sickness...

Sickness has hit the Blue House..

and MrD and I are down with a bad case of flu...

including the stomach kind

and he's very grateful as I started first and gave it to him

We both feel pretty dreadful but misery loves company

Hopefully we will be feeling better by Monday

Love Hugs and Sniffles
Phoebe x

Just Chillin....

Every girl likes to relax with a good book...

 Even when shes eight months old...

Love and Hugs

Phoebe x

Whats for Dinner ~ Meal Plan Monday

This morning definitely feels like Autumn has arrived. Its much cooler...and I still have the sniffles. My goodness they are lingering this time.

MrD and I have spent the weekend looking for a new doctor. For months we have been disputing a bill for mammogram that I had last November.. which should have been covered by our medical insurance provided by MrDs employers. Finally the rep got back to us on Friday and informed us that the doctor, and oncologist we have been using since moving to the Blue House are outside our network  area.. even though they have been paying our bills for two years. They will let this bill slide, but we need to find a new doctor asap... which is a real shame as I really love and trust the ones I have now. So it means.. the nearest GP will be about 50 miles away..which with the traffic we will encounter... well over an hours drive. I guess we will just have to stay healthy...

This weeks meal plan reflects the changing season and is a bit more warmng and filling. Homemade soups are definitely back the menu.. both for lunches and dinners. I decided to make meatloaf this week basically because I found a hand written recipe in the box I got from MrDs mother. It apperently dates back to 1947 and uses leftover meatloaf. its an interesting one.

So nothing else much is planned for the week...except MrD wants to change the muffler on the old truck... so that on Saturday we can go collect a load of logs ready for our winter fires. And I want to finish stitiching the grandchildrens Christmas gifts... Almost done!

Have a great week everyone... and heres this weeks dinner menu

Weekly Plan - 2nd October 2023

Monday              Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Glazed Carrots

Tuesday               Leftover Meatloaf Chili

Wednesday         Suasages, Loaded Baked Potatoes, Baked Beans

Thursday            Chicken Cackle Pasta, Garlic Bread

Friday                 Pizza

Saturday             Spicy Turkey Burgers

Sunday                Homemade Butternut Squash Soup and Toasted Sandwiches

Sunday Thought ~ Psalm 139 9:10

 Love and Hugs

Phoebe x