#I made the lamb! and the potatoes and the cauliflower!

[pepsinister]

happy eastaturday 😌

lamb & assorted sundries

[mariacallous]

Looking for a Shabbat dinner centerpiece or a hearty midweek meal? Picture cubes of eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, tomatoes and potatoes cooked together to create that special harmony only veggies that grew together in the sun achieve. You’re thinking of ratatouille, right? But what I have in mind is a heartier dish from Romania and Bulgaria called ghiveci or guvech.

Romanian ghiveci and Bulgarian guvech are indeed very similar to the famous ratatouille, but being peasant’s food, they’re more rustic and substantial. The veggies for guvech are cut into large, uneven chunks, and can be cooked all together at once, while for ratatouille, each component is fried separately before they are combined. This makes guvech preparation much easier, and allows for creative improvisations; you can easily add any vegetables in season. Besides the mandatory eggplant, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes and potatoes, green beans or okra are common. Guvech is seasoned very simply with salt, black pepper and occasionally paprika, to let the produce shine. The Bulgarian version is cooked with fatty meat, while most Romanian versions are vegan.

“In Bulgaria, guvech used to be cooked in a clay pot called gyuveche,” Etti Ben Yosef, a Bulgarian Jew who lives in Israel, told me. “The stew was cooked in the oven for many hours at low temperature.” 

But these days, when Ben Yosef makes guvech for Shabbat dinner, she uses a pressure cooker to precook the beef short ribs before adding them to the vegetables. Then, she cooks the entire stew on the stove for a long time, putting it in the oven for the final hour to give it a nice crust. She feels lucky to share the recipe with her adult children. “I keep the tradition so the kids will remember,” she said.

Guvech’s origins can be traced to the Ottoman Empire that ruled the Balkan region for hundreds of years. The original Turkish dish, called güveç, is cooked in a wide, clay dish by the same name. It’s very similar to the Bulgarian guvech and includes chicken, lamb or beef. There are many other variations of the dish throughout the Balkans. Bosnian Đuveč or djuvec is the name of a clay pot as well as a veggie casserole that’s cooked with rice; Greek giouvetsi is also cooked with rice. In Romania, the eggplant-tomato version is considered summer ghiveci, while winter ghiveci is prepared with carrots, cabbage, cauliflower and mushrooms. 

Bulgarian Sephardi Jews and Romanian Ashkenazi Jews brought guvech to Israel (where it’s pronounced “ghe-vech”) and made the dish widely popular. No wonder, given that eggplant and tomatoes are so beloved in Israel and are of such high quality. Early Israeli versions can be found in Molly Bar David’s “Folkloric Cookbook” from 1964. The first version includes 14 different vegetables (including celery root and cauliflower) and meat. The second version is for Romanian ghiveci that’s baked with a whole fish on top.

The vegetarian Romanian version is probably most common in Israel nowadays. And although it is  traditionally served over rice, I like to serve it on another Romanian staple, mamaliga. It’s the definition of comfort food. 

This recipe is the Bulgarian version of guvech that includes meat. You can make the recipe vegetarian by simply omitting the meat. The rest of the ingredients and instructions stay the same.

Notes:

It is recommended, and easy, to add any seasonal vegetables to the basic guvech. Consider adding: 1 lb butternut squash or sweet potato, cut into ½-inch dice; ½ lb whole okra, stems removed; or ½ lb green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces.

You can cook the meat, if using, up to two days in advance. Store the cooked meat in the fridge with the cooking liquid. Before using, remove from the fridge and discard the fat on the top of the pot (the fat will be solid and white in color). 

Guvech keeps in the fridge for up to four days.

[themrsmunson]

Joseph Quinn cooks you a roast dinner- fluff

This is completely deranged but someone put it in my head and if I don't get it out I will cry. Introducing my thoughts on Joseph Quinn cooking you a roast dinner.

First up he's been nagging you for ages to let him cook for you. He's ridiculously proud of his roast dinner and can't wait to show off his skills for you.

When you get there he won't let you help, insists on you sitting down with a drink and the TV control while he cracks on.

He's wearing his baggy jeans with a plain black tshirt and he's got a teatowel over his shoulder. He looks fit obviously.

He's cooked a simple chicken but he's done all that fancy shit with olive oil, lemon and herbs so it's smell amazing.

He's done roast potatoes from scratch, in goose fat, with garlic and thyme. He's done that thing of shaking them up so they have loads of crispy bits.

His mash is made with butter and cream with lots of pepper so it's like little mouthfuls of heaven.

He's made a cauliflower and brocolli cheese bake with 4 types of cheese.

He's done some boiled carrots but he's cut them julienne style so they look fancy as fuck.

He's roasted a butternut squash with orange juice and honey.

It's not Christmas but yes indeed this man has made pigs in blankets. What a legend.

Yorkshire puddings? Man made them himself! Even got a minor burn in the process. He may be a Southern lad but he gets Northern points for this.

He's done some marrowfat peas because he knows you are just a scally girl at heart. He won't eat them though because he has standards. He's cooked some petits pois for himself.

Gravy from scratch obviously. 3 gravy boats worth.

He's laid the table and put your favourite playlist on.

You're not eating lamb but he's brought out the mint sauce because he knows you like it on your roasties (see scally notes above).

For pudding he's made jam rolypoly and he's bought the fancy posh custard. He could make it himself but honestly who can be arsed?

Obviously after this you fuck but that's for another post.

[smute]

if this is a symptom of anything other than being a sexy bitch in tune with the seasons dont tell me but ever since the temperature dropped below 20°C (its 22 rn but i choose to ignore it) ive been craving fennel like nobody's business and i'm just so happy that fennel exists shes delicious shes aromatic shes so fragrant and shes gorgeous too roasted grilled braised fried as a salad she can do it all and she gets along withe everybody chicken steak lamb shrimp fish clams squash garlic orange celery mushrooms lemon carrots cauliflower zucchini tomatoes grapes nuts pasta potatoes rice OMG have you ever made fennel risotto do it now while i think of more ingredients to list

[batnbreakfast]

Just finished hosting the first traditional Christmas dinner with friends since 2019.

Radicchio and chicory salad with pomegranate, roasted pine nuts, blood orange slices, and a blood orange & maple syrup dressing

Pork loin and lamb filet with duck fat roasted potatoes, cauliflower cheese gratin, sticky cider carrots, and a port wine & pepper sauce

Panna cotta ice-cream with stripes of dark chocolate sauce, caramelised almond crunch, and a slice of chocolate & cherry panettone

Also: Wine. Lots of wine.

🍷 🦇

I made it. *collapses onto the couch*

Hope you all had a fab first (not so) silent night-day! Or an inspired constantly writing due to deadlines day. 😅

[thessalian]

Thess vs Being an Adult

I have done Adulting. I am kind of fed up with Adulting now.

Took out the garbage and recycling - always a struggle, but I did it. That meant I just missed my bus to the big supermarket. A bunch of asshole teenagers turned up at the bus stop maybe three minutes before the next bus arrived and shoved past me (me with my cane, who’d been waiting fifteen minutes in the approaching 30C heat before they got there) to get on the bus first. At least I got a seat, though a couple of said asshole teenagers colonised the other bit of priority seating and wouldn’t move even when people far less able to stand got on the bus.

One day I am going to say something to that particular species of asshole who takes priority seating when there are other seats available just because they don’t feel like walking to those seats, and if I’m lucky I’ll just get punched.

Anyway, one of these days I will remember that my carry capacity is not what it used to be. I picked up lamb, cauliflower, and tomato for lamb dopiaza and aloo gobi. I picked up minced beef (which I did manage to get on Reduced To Clear prices, so maybe there was a bit of karmic reward for the bullshit I went through earlier in the day) and pre-made mashed potato for cottage pie. I picked up cocoa powder, powdered milk, and little marshmallows so I could make more hot chocolate mix. I picked up red onions because everything I’ve made in the last week has involved red onions and I ran out. I even remembered that I was running low on mouthwash and picked up some of that.

If this is starting to sound like a lot ... yeah, it is. Also remember the bit above about the bus. That kind of shit is probably easy when you have a car and only have to carry stuff from driveway to kitchen; not so much when you have to go to the bus stop, wait for the bus, get on the bus, find a way to keep your shopping unobtrusive so others can sit if they need to but still be able to get out of your seat without tripping over your own bags, get off the bus, and then walk uphill to block of flats and then still have to get into the actual flat. But I keep forgetting that I do not handle that kind of weight very well anymore and I suffered for it. Still, I did need this stuff. Plus, inexpensive minced beef.

Still wasn’t done when I got home, either. After some juggling to put stuff away, I ate a healthy lunch. Then I made hot chocolate mix. And then, I boiled up some brine for more refrigerator dill pickles (I’ve run out and I want to make this before the cucumbers I bought last big shop go off). That needs to cool before I do much else cookery-wise, but I had a late lunch so late dinner is probably fine. Also I have Reese’s Pieces.

That’s the thing. ‘Adulting’ means doing all those things we have to do to keep a functional home - chores, bills, job(s) to pay for it all - but being an adult means knowing that so long as all that gets done, I can spend the evening playing video games and eating Reese’s Pieces in effectively pyjamas if I want to.

Therefore, as per the tag, I am a motherfucking adult.

[millycooks]

Made my parents and me roast lamb for dinner with roast pumpkin and potatoes, steamed brussel sprouts, cauliflower and broccoli cheese, and gravy

Mum and dad also have peas, I don't like peas

[icleanedthisplate]

Dine-Out Meals of May 2023, Ranked (Part 1)

I ranked the following based on taste alone. I made no consideration for ambiance or the general dining experience or whatever. I included meals I got to go. I included food trucks, catered meals, and fast food.

I haven't confirmed, but I believe this is the most restaurant meals I've ever eaten in a single month, mostly due to time spent on the road. So many meals that I've apparently hit the character limit for Tumblr. I'll have to break it up into two posts. This is the top 20 meals; the next post will be the rest. The top four meals will be in consideration for best of the year

Should you be interested in the pictures or reading the few words I had to say about each meal, click on the home page and scroll down or see the archives.

Sauerkraut Balls, Sauerbraten, Cherry Strudel. Edelweiss. Colorado Springs, Colorado. 5.18.2023.

Filet Mignon w/Brussels Sprouts and Horseradish Mashed Potatoes, Donut Bread Pudding w/Espresso Ice Cream. Packard’s. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 5.25.2023.

AB Tuna Pizza (shared), Hot Mess Roll, Brother From Another Mother Roll, Pop Rockin’ (sampled), Apple Harumaki. Akira Back. Delray Beach, Florida. 5.11.2023.

Vichyssoise Soup, Choppy Chop Salad w/Salmon. Gary Rack’s Farmhouse Kitchen. Delray Beach, Florida. 5.12.2023.

Chopped Salmon Salad. Samantha’s Tap Room. Little Rock, Arkansas. 5.22.2023.

Chopped Salmon Salad. Samantha’s Tap Room. Little Rock, Arkansas. 5.1.2023.

Watermelon Gazpacho, Citrus & Gorgonzola Salad. Range. Denver, Colorado. 5.17.2023.

Rotary Club Lunch (Chicken, Salmon, Asparagus, Fruit Salad, Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup?). 42 Bar & Table (Catering). Little Rock, Arkansas. 5.29.2023.

Salmon Skin Roll, Dragon Roll, Drunken Noodles. Sen Thai Asian Bistro. St. Louis, Missouri. 5.6.2023.

Rotary Club Lunch (Chicken, Squash Casserole, Pineapple Bread Pudding?). 42 Bar & Table (Catering). Little Rock, Arkansas. 5.2.2023.

General Cho’s Chinese Chicken Soup Dumplings, Spicy Tuna Roll, Stir-fried Malaysian Noodles w/Tofu. ChoLon Modern Asian (Central Park). Denver, Colorado. 5.17.2023.

Chicken, Vegetables, Rice, Cake. Balli’s Terrace Catering. Harlingen, Texas. 5.16.2023.

Baleada Con Todo w/Cauliflower Chorizo. El Sur Street Food Co. Little Rock, Arkansas. 5.13.2023.

Three Fold Salad w/Chicken. Three Fold Noodles + Dumpling Co. Little Rock, Arkansas. 5.15.2023.

Beef Liver & Onions w/Corn, Pinto Beans, Tomato-Cucumber Salad, Mashed Potatoes, Pineapple Cake. South Park Diner. Clarksville, Arkansas. 5.26.2023.

Onion Pakora, Bendi Masala, Chilli Garlic Naan, Chef’s Signature Lamb Curry (Shared All). Desi Flavors. Tampa, Florida. 5.9.2023.

Blue Crab Wonton Nachos, The Spread (Kim Chi Quesadillas, Chicharrónes w/Hummus, French Fries w/Lump Crab, and Smoked Salmon Crostini), Tuna Poke Niçoise. (Shared all.) Ciao Baci. Little Rock, Arkansas. 5.15.2023.

Stuffed Flounder w/Broccoli, Salad. Mike’s Grill. Bartow, Florida. 5.10.2023.

Southern Fried Chicken Salad, Cherry Fried Pie w/Vanilla Ice Cream. Boomarang Diner. Checotah, Oklahoma. 5.24.2023.

Poblano. Rosa Mexican Kitchen. Thornton, Colorado. 5.18.2023.

[spooniechef]

Aloo Gobi (1-2 spoons)

I waited awhile on posting the aloo gobi recipe because I wanted to find all the shortcuts I could before posting it. I found the basis for this recipe on the Cooking With Manali website; it’s generally speaking a 2-spoon recipe, but I’ve since found some shortcuts to the process that make it a little easier, with a lot less faff. It goes nicely with the lamb dopiaza I posted the recipe for awhile back, and also with tandoori chicken, the recipe for which I will post later. So here we go - for the record, this is 100% vegan, so it’s a nice main dish if you’re vegetarian or vegan, and is a nice side dish if you’re not, since it combines the starch and veg portions of your meal, so that leaves one less thing to cook.

Here’s what you’ll need:

2 potatoes, sliced or cubed

1 cauliflower, cut into smallish florets

1 onion, chopped

2 tomatoes, chopped

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1.5 teaspoons ginger-garlic paste

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon red chilli powder

1/4 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon ground coriander

First note is that all of the spices are pretty much to taste. I used a half-teaspoon each of garam masala and red chilli powder, because I do tend to like it a little spicy, but most Indian recipes leave a lot of wiggle room for how spicy you like them.

Here’s what you do:

In a pan with maybe 2 tablespoons of oil, add your cauliflower and cook on medium heat for two minutes or so. Then add the potato, turn the heat to medium low, and cook that for 5-7 minutes or until the cauliflower starts to brown in places

Put the potato and cauliflower onto a plate with a paper towel to get the excess oil; set aside

In the same pan, add a little bit more oil and add the cumin seeds; heat until they start to crackle

Add the onion and cook until translucent (2-3 minutes); then add the garlic-ginger paste and heat until the scent of raw ginger dies down a bit

Add the tomato and cook for another 2 minutes or so until the tomato is slightly soft, then add all the rest of the spices and stir; cover the pan and let that heat for 2-3 minutes

Add the potatoes and cauliflower to the spice mix and stir until the potatoes and cauliflower are covered with the spice mix; cover again and heat, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender without being soggy

It sounds more complicated than it is, and honestly, the worst part of it is the preparatory chopping. Here are the places where I made things slightly easier on myself:

The original recipe called for the garam masala to be added separately to the other spices, halfway through the last cooking phase, but adding them all at once is easier and more convenient and doesn’t seem to ruin anything, so that’s the bit I wrote down.

Cutting a cauliflower into florets is fiddly and annoying, but I found a trick while looking at my head of cauliflower this evening. You know that thing where if you bash the butt end of your head of lettuce with the heel of your hand or the counter or something, the core comes right out and leaves you without having to rip the lettuce leaves off one by one? Well, it works for cauliflower too. Just give the butt end a good hard smack against the counter and while you may have to cut a few of the larger florets in halves or quarters, it’s still better than cutting all of them off the core in terms of time and effort. Just keep in mind that there will be some debris in the form of tiny floret-fragments, so be prepared for a bit of clean-up.

A mandoline is definitely your friend for this kind of thing; just quarter your tomatoes and onion and stick the quarters in the mandoline. When you no longer have to chop two tomatoes and an onion, and you don’t have to do much cutting with the cauliflower, that saves more spoon for peeling and cubing your potato.

Speaking of which, cube the potato relatively small, or if you prefer larger chunks, put the potato cubes in at the same time as the cauliflower. Otherwise you’ll end up with either underdone potato or overdone cauliflower, depending on where you took it.

All of the above should take the effort needed for this one from two spoons down to one, but I admit I may be slightly biased because I succeeded at potato soup the other day and that involved peeling two and a half pounds of potatoes (so something a little over a kilo) so after that, two potatoes seems a little less onerous. Then again, I managed to make the aloo gobi with these tips and tricks during a really bad pain day (not really to do with the peeling a kilo of potatoes) so I figure if I can make the aloo gobi during this level of ow, it’s probably a one-spoon recipe.

I may include the recipe for the soup later this month, because honestly it’s just the peeling and chopping of the potatoes that’s a bugger. That along with tandoori chicken (which I tried today and I don’t think needs any particular adjustment to make it easier), Japanese curry, and probably lasagne with the bonus of my take on my family’s meat sauce recipe.

[hiheat]

Chef’s Table restaurant review - Edison NJ

Chef's Table Indian/Pan Asian Restaurant Edison, NJ https://www.ourchefstable.com/

We walked into Chef's Table in Edison on a Saturday evening in October 2022 at 7PM with no dinner reservations. Frankly, with the profusion of excellent Indian cuisine in north Edison, NJ, my expectations were set fairly low. Also, based on the online reviews, I was prepared for spotty service and uneven food, given the normal Saturday night rush. 

However, my personal takeaway: Everything was excellent and we'll definitely be going back hoping for a similar experience! Here are the details:

The restaurant was busy but we were seated promptly. Interior atmosphere was warm and inviting, although there was a definite draft from the door every time it was opened (perhaps the vestibule needs to be heated?). (No trace remained of the brick-oven pizzeria that used to occupy this building.)

Our server brought out chutneys (mint and tamarind), and tiny little cracker-shaped "papadum". I wasn't a fan of the crackers, tbh. They had neither the flavor or the texture of traditional lentil-based papad, but my partner did enjoy them. *shrug* from me. I liked both chutneys, however. (I later learned that the traditional papadum were on the menu and will explicitly order them next time.)

For appetizers, we ordered Cauliflower in Sweet chili sauce (Chilli Garlic Gobhi Dry), Tandoori Chicken thighs (Nawabi Tandoori Murgh), and Samosas. Both the chicken and cauliflower came out quickly, but the samosas required a bit of a wait.

The cauliflower was coated in a delightfully crispy coating in a sticky sweet sauce with really good flavor all around. Good balance of acid and sweet, with a hint of chili. They could have used a pinch of additional salt and heat, but that might just be personal preference. That didn’t stop us from scraping the dish clean after the cauliflower was gone.

The tandoori chicken was a double portion of the chicken thigh and the first wing section (drumettes) both on the bone. They were cooked well, and the traditional yogurt coating was flavorful. Meat was falling off the bone but still had a good resilience to it.

Despite the wait for the three samosas, we were really happy with what we eventually received. The Samosa pastry and filling were definitely house-made, not frozen. Filling was finely ground, with fresh herbs and peas mixed into the potato mash, and the pastry was light and tender.

After our apps were cleared, we received a tray of fresh veggies with plastic wrap still on it. While we appreciated the COVID precautions with uncooked food that was obviously prepared and stored in a chiller, the plastic wrap served at the table was a little unclassy for my taste. Despite the fact that this was obviously prepared well in advance (the beets had stained the red onion, for example) everything still tasted fresh and crispy, so only a minor complaint here, and a reasonable accommodation to keep the food moving along with limited staff.

As this was our first time visiting, Mrs. Heat and I ordered four entreés, with full intent to take quite a bit home and share with the Embers.

Vegetable Manchurian - good texture and flavor, generous portion. Really liked the texture of the "veggie balls", and the sauce was really deep and intense.

Butter chicken - very tender meat with a mild sauce, could have used a bit more protein, as you may be able to tell from the photo. Chicken is the least expensive protein commercially available today – there's no excuse to skimp on this. Other than that, a good dish overall. Would order again, especially with more chicken!

Stuffed paneer (Khumani Bhare Kofte) - exactly as described and very tasty. This was a new dish for us, and we were surprised that there was literally dried fruits and plums stuffed inside the paneer. No idea how they did that, but it made for an extremely flavorful bite. A winner indeed!

Lamb (Gosht Rismisa) - falling apart boneless meat. Good gravy - one of the dishes you want to soak up in naan or rice well after the protein was gone. And the protein in this dish was plentiful, in contrast to the scant butter chicken protein (and inexplicable, given their relative wholesale prices!)

We were so pleased with the meal that we stayed for dessert - ditching our plans to bug off to Mithaas and its panoply of indian desserts.

We saw other patrons order the Kulfi, served in a smoking ceramic bowl and couldn't help but order it, along with traditional Rasmalai. 

The Rasmalai had a delicious strong flavor, and was both creamy and  tasty. I literally licked the bowl - hopefully when no one was looking.

The Kulfi Falooda (served with noodles), although somewhat bland, was served in a unique ceramic vessel with smoking dry ice. Worth the experience, once. 

As we were waiting for the check, we saw a number of other dishes served to other patrons that looked spectacular. Looking on their website, (https://www.ourchefstable.com/online-ordering/) I've identified possible items to order next time, based mainly on how dramatic they appear! :

Gol Gappe

Mini Veg Spring Rolls

Shrimp Tempura

Chadni Seekh

Great photos and presentations on the site, btw. You should look at this page even if you're going to eat so you know in advance what to expect.

The service was – while not exceptional – fairly typical of Indian restaurants not in Manhattan, and really quite good for post-COVID staffing challenges. Obviously, they're suffering from the same foodservice shortages that we're seeing industry-wide, but Chef's Table is handling it gracefully. Our server was cordial and helpful throughout, and responded from across the floor to eye contact and a smile. We saw additional servers and bussers as necessary, mostly to deliver food and take away dirties. Timing could have been tighter, but again, at primetime on a Saturday night, I was happy with how well they kept up with the rush. I would suggest at least one more main server and one more busser for the Friday/Saturday night 5-9 shift.

My summary here was that this was a very good experience for an Indian/PanAsian restaurant, and a standout even in North Edison, NJ. Several dishes were surprising, and all were at least "very good" in my opinion. My few tweaks could easily be incorporated by an attentive manager and head chef; I hope they take them to heart.

I'm excited to visit again, and may add Chef's Table into our regular Indian food rotation. Incidentally, almost none of the food made it home to the little Heatlings. We returned home with two small takeaway containers and very full belles. Next time, they'll have to come along. 🙂

Remember to check out my HiHeat blog on Tumblr for more Restaurant Reviews and home recipes.

Thanks for reading and Happy Eating!

[mariacallous]

Looking for a Shabbat dinner centerpiece or a hearty midweek meal? Picture cubes of eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, tomatoes and potatoes cooked together to create that special harmony only veggies that grew together in the sun achieve. You’re thinking of ratatouille, right? But what I have in mind is a heartier dish from Romania and Bulgaria called ghiveci or guvech.

Romanian ghiveci and Bulgarian guvech are indeed very similar to the famous ratatouille, but being peasant’s food, they’re more rustic and substantial. The veggies for guvech are cut into large, uneven chunks, and can be cooked all together at once, while for ratatouille, each component is fried separately before they are combined. This makes guvech preparation much easier, and allows for creative improvisations; you can easily add any vegetables in season. Besides the mandatory eggplant, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes and potatoes, green beans or okra are common. Guvech is seasoned very simply with salt, black pepper and occasionally paprika, to let the produce shine. The Bulgarian version is cooked with fatty meat, while most Romanian versions are vegan.

“In Bulgaria, guvech used to be cooked in a clay pot called gyuveche,” Etti Ben Yosef, a Bulgarian Jew who lives in Israel, told me. “The stew was cooked in the oven for many hours at low temperature.” 

But these days, when Ben Yosef makes guvech for Shabbat dinner, she uses a pressure cooker to precook the beef short ribs before adding them to the vegetables. Then, she cooks the entire stew on the stove for a long time, putting it in the oven for the final hour to give it a nice crust. She feels lucky to share the recipe with her adult children. “I keep the tradition so the kids will remember,” she said.

Guvech’s origins can be traced to the Ottoman Empire that ruled the Balkan region for hundreds of years. The original Turkish dish, called g��veç, is cooked in a wide, clay dish by the same name. It’s very similar to the Bulgarian guvech and includes chicken, lamb or beef. There are many other variations of the dish throughout the Balkans. Bosnian Đuveč or djuvec is the name of a clay pot as well as a veggie casserole that’s cooked with rice; Greek giouvetsi is also cooked with rice. In Romania, the eggplant-tomato version is considered summer ghiveci, while winter ghiveci is prepared with carrots, cabbage, cauliflower and mushrooms. 

Bulgarian Sephardi Jews and Romanian Ashkenazi Jews brought guvech to Israel (where it’s pronounced “ghe-vech”) and made the dish widely popular. No wonder, given that eggplant and tomatoes are so beloved in Israel and are of such high quality. Early Israeli versions can be found in Molly Bar David’s “Folkloric Cookbook” from 1964. The first version includes 14 different vegetables (including celery root and cauliflower) and meat. The second version is for Romanian ghiveci that’s baked with a whole fish on top.

The vegetarian Romanian version is probably most common in Israel nowadays. And although it is  traditionally served over rice, I like to serve it on another Romanian staple, mamaliga. It’s the definition of comfort food. 

This recipe is the Bulgarian version of guvech that includes meat. You can make the recipe vegetarian by simply omitting the meat. The rest of the ingredients and instructions stay the same.

Notes:

It is recommended, and easy, to add any seasonal vegetables to the basic guvech. Consider adding: 1 lb butternut squash or sweet potato, cut into ½-inch dice; ½ lb whole okra, stems removed; or ½ lb green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces.

You can cook the meat, if using, up to two days in advance. Store the cooked meat in the fridge with the cooking liquid. Before using, remove from the fridge and discard the fat on the top of the pot (the fat will be solid and white in color). 

Guvech keeps in the fridge for up to four days.

[laurainthemiddleeast]

Aqaba

After a three hour drive, we arrived in Aqaba late last night. The hotels we are staying at are all massive, opulent buildings you can easily get lost in, and perhaps because it is off season, mostly empty. This, coupled with extremely obliging and friendly hotel staff, is giving us serious Wes Anderson/ Grand Budapest Hotel vibes wherever we stay.

We immediately threw our stuff in the hotel room and headed out for dinner. The restaurant was called Suzana, and lived up to its recommendations. We had a falafel salad, these pastries stuffed with akkawi cheese and mint, delicious fried cauliflower with lemon and garlic, and lamb kofta/potatoes cooked in tahini. Thank god my PPI was in my carryon 😅.

We woke up early and had breakfast at the hotel. They had this strawberry “juice” (which was actually just thick puréed strawberries) that I could have drunk by the gallon. It was probably not wise to have eaten such a giant breakfast before scuba diving, but hind sight is 20/20. It was both of our first times diving, and we loved it! We both lied on the medical forms just a tad, but all’s well that ends well. The coral reefs were so close to the shore of the Red Sea, that we just walked in from the beach - no boat necessary. The origin of the red sea’s name has a couple of theories. Red representing “south” for the Greeks, the colour of a specific algae that blooms there, or being named after a group that lived on the shores. The Red Sea was also created by a tectonic split, and the volcanic activity at the bottom keeps it reasonably warm. It was 21 degrees today! Nevertheless they gave us wetsuits, and it was a very comfortable experience.

The coral was beautiful and there were so many fish! There were tons of anemones and clownfish, and my favourite was these neon purple jewel fairy basslets (aka Red Sea goldfish). There was also an old submerged tank that had begun to be colonized with coral! The guide did a full on photo shoot of us which was actually kind of hilarious. All in all a great start to the day!

In the afternoon we tried to visit a beautiful mosque in Aqaba. It’s one of only two mosques in Jordan that tourists can visit. Unfortunately, like many things in Jordan, there is little to no information on any website, and the information that is there, is wrong 😂. A lot of our experiences here so far have been a tad bit different than advertised, but we’re more okay with it and having a great time! We spent some time in the afternoon sun by the pool and beach (with more strawberry juice) and then headed to the airport to finally be reunited with our bags!

What I would have thought would be a simple process was actually quite a hilarious adventure. The first 8 people I spoke to seemed convinced I wanted to fly to Amman and tried to usher me onto a plane before it left. It has also come to our attention that it may or may not be rude to just start a conversation with a question or ask here. Every person asks us a brief history of how we came to be here, what we’re doing, what our job is, etc before we proceed with anything else, no matter how simple our question is.

I was then put into a small office to wait for another man, and true to Jordanian hospitality I was offered tea, cigarettes and Jordanian coffee (made with cardamom). They taught me a few Arabic questions, asked me a lot about my life, and finally, though I was starting to lose hope, we got our bags. Small plug for AirTags, which is the only way he found the bags in the end. It would be the ONLY time Joelle has ever checked a bag that we lose our luggage. I will never live this down.

Next Stop: Wadi Rum

[ofcloudsandstars]

Quick things to do to celebrate Imbolc

Okay since my Yule post was popular I made an Imbolc one since most of us are still going to be locked down lol.

1. Clean and Cleanse your space I know BOO right?? But this is the holiday for cleaning and cleansing. (Even if you hate doing this, this is like the one time a year you have a reason to do it). Time for deep cleaning!!  You know that layer of snowy dust behind your bookshelf? Time to open windows and tackle every corner. Scrub off that spot of dirt you have been putting off scrubbing. Time to steam and vacuum your carpets. Wash your bedsheets and add rosemary or juniper oil to the soap. Smoke cleanse your room with Juniper (or Rosemary). Sweep out old energy, old habits, unwanted spirits. Throw out things that do not spark joy. The time is upon us!

2. Bath Magic Along with cleansing your space, it's also the time to cleanse yourself! This is the day to have a ritual bath, the type that looks instagram worthy where you have a bunch of candles and you sit in a hot tub full of colorful soap very pleased and covered in bubbles. If you don't have a tub you can make a special scrub to anoint your entire body with and rinse it off in a shower. This is the time for face masks, feet soaks, those things you glue on your nose to painfully peel off later and fill you with a sense of relief/disgust of what was dwelling in your pores all this time, skin exfoliants, bath jellies and body creams.

Tip: I like to celebrate the eves of sabbats, so I tend to do the cleaning and cleansing stuff the evening before so there’s less of an overwhelming pressure to do everything at once. Especially since cleaning can get draining sometimes. On the day is usually spellwork, nature walks and feasting.

3. Candle Magic This is the sabbat for candles. Not just to look at how pretty they are burning on your altar rejoicing that the winter days are probably like 1 hour longer than before, but to set intentions for your dreams and aspirations!! First take a moment to meditate and ground yourself, then focus on your goals or anything you would really like to accomplish this year, big or small. When you visualizing it coming to be, then light your candle! This is also a great time for candle scrying. You can read your candle flame which can dance fiery omens of the obstacles ahead of you. Here is a helpful but general page for candle scrying.

4. Burning Bayleaves and Barrier Breaking Often when our candle spells keep going out or we receive omens that the obstacles before us are a little more difficult than anticipated, then it's time for Barrier Breaking! Write down anything you feel is holding you back on a small piece of paper. Make sure to get a fire proof dish ready. With that paper think about the obstacles before you or anything holding you back and visualize the sensation of those obstacles coming undone or you being free from it's chains. Make sure you hold on to that feeling as you light it on fire with your spell candle then set it aside on the fire dish to burn completely.

Sometimes this step may call for shadow work as the obstacles that can be holding us back isn't external but internal issues. You can divine with tarot cards to figure out the nature of this obstacle if you aren't aware of it consciously.

Lastly, Burning Bayleaves helps with wishes. You can burn them to help overcome obstacles or to bring luck and set intentions in your life. Just write what you need on the leaves, burn it with your spell candle and set it aside on the dish. Beware as some bayleaves have natural oil in them so they can ignite in a fiery whoosh!! That is usually good luck and shows that your intentions will have no problem being manifested, however, if you are not in the most fire safe area I would not recommend this activity. If you are comfortable doing fire magic and have a safe set up then you can partake in this tradition.

6. Cleansing ALL of your magical tools As this sabbat feels like a gentle awakening and fresh start, you can lay out all of your magical tools and give them a serious cleanse. You can play a cleansing frequency on youtube which could help or ring bells over to disperse any energy hanging on. If you have a smoke bundle or incense you can clease with that and bless your items.

7. Play some Music! Listening to music always helps to set the mood of the day. Here is a playlist for this sabbat!

8. Make a Feast So for a Feast for 1 it's usually just like a festive dish with a side of veggies and a nice dessert. Think about what you'd like as your main dish. For this sabbat I’ve always made an Imbolc Shepards Pie recipe. Reasons being is that I lived someplace where this time of the year was blizzard season though we were halfway done with Winter. So the pie represented the top being the potato mashed "snow" and the meat/beans layer underneath was spicy and represented the earth stirring. (Plus its cute that it's called Shepards pie cause there is a sheep/lamb theme going on but I digress..) Anyway I moved to England and this time of year feels like... very early Spring.. Like it's not really spring spring but it's like.. early pre-spring. (Seasons here in this climate are weird haha but the sabbats make sense here since the traditions were founded in this climate). So the symbolism of the Shepards Pie is a bit lost. However there are a lot of other options such as Cauliflower or Celeriac soup with cheese (or cheese less if you are vegan), winter onion soup, if you are a meat eater than lamb and sage stew (I feel like stews are a big theme here but it fits as it's winter and there is that 'fire in the belly' symbolism that fits with getting sustenance and warmth from a chalice-bowl object). Side dish can be roasted parsnips or stuffed white cabbage (it depends on the main dish). Dessert depends on if you are into cake or tarts but I always either have cheesecake or a milk sponge cake like tres leches. If you live in a snowy area a dessert I used to make would be a warm brownie with vanilla icecream as it's like "snow melt" on earth with life stirring within. Etc.

I know with lockdown and such no one is going to be seeing anyone extra in their lives anytime soon and no one may have the energy to cook a lot, but here is a list of recipes with a feast mood board to check out for ideas.

Have a lovely luminous Imbolc!!

[questioning-recovery]

Shepherds pie! Now edited to include recipe as requested.

The original recipe is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAG3S55D9C4 and comes in at a whopping 572 calories per serving as is.

Here are the switches I made to get it down to 337 calories:

1lb of lamb

I halved the amount of cooking wine to 6oz

2tbsp of flour vs 1/4 cup

brummel and brown margarine vs butter

1/4 cup 2% milk (maybe less, instead I save my potato water and use that as a low calorie replacement for most of the liquid.)

1 cup peas vs 10oz

1oz vs 2oz of cheese, and I used a vegan cheese

1 yolk instead of 2

Used closer to 1 and 1/2lbs potato

I also did half liquid aminos and half Worcestershire to save on some sodium, but that's more my cardiophobia vs any flavor or calorie saving reason.

With my swaps I found that the simmering/thickening part of the recipe took closer to 15 minutes vs the 30 in the original recipe. If you don't have mustard powder, dijon mustard will work great here. You’re going to want that tangyness from something, using some ketchup would also work to get some vinegary notes. Despite being a smaller shepherds pie I found that for the baking stage, to get the golden color, it still took the full 30 minutes.

You could take this further and make it a mere 268 calories if you use my swaps and use this recipe for the mash: https://vegangela.com/2012/12/21/mashed-cauliflower-with-roasted-garlic-chives/ 

And, if you wanted, you could get that down even further to around 210 calories if you use the cauli mash recipe, my swaps plus switching lamb for ground turkey. 

If you were to go this route, I'd almost quadruple all spices and use more Worcestershire as well since ground turkey is quite bland and tends to need a lot more spices to help it along. I would also definitely use stock for the simmering part (which I've included in the 210 calorie count, assuming you use 1.5 cups of beef stock for 44 calories/8 servings, equaling +5 calories per serving) of the recipe vs water. Preferably a beef stock to help impart some meatier flavor.

[siriuslyblackblog]

Professor 》 Remus Lupin (18+)

《 (4) 》

If it's easier for you to read on Wattpad, tap here! Please don't forget to vote or leave a comment❤

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Rose spent the whole day preparing for the task. Or that's what she was telling her roommates and the twins. In reality, she was thinking about the man. The man who looked so good in that white shirt with his sleeves rolled up. Something nobody knew about her is that she had a wild imagination. Her roommates and twins saw her as a distant but shy person. In reality, she spent many nights touching herself and keeping her mouth shut. But she would rarely bring herself release. There was nobody to fill out those fantasises. Now she finally had someone. Right now, her mind was filled with her professor taking that shirt off and revealing his body. She wondered how skilled his tongue was. She always wanted to feel so much more than just her fingers down there. She wanted to feel his tongue. Oh, how good that would feel. She needed professor Lupin so bad that her clit was aching.

Rose slowly worked her fingers on her clit, driving herself to an orgasm for what seemed like an eternity. She simply couldn't reach it. Her other hand held onto the headboard and her had was thrown back. It felt good, but not good enough. Her clit was now so sensitive that each touch became painful. It wasn't pleasure anymore. It was just pain and frustration. Her body was covered in sweat, her hair was sticking to her face and her mouth was dry. Rose finally moved her fingers from her clit and relaxed her body on the bed, letting out a frustrated huff. She couldn't do it.

Looking out through the window, she noticed that the sun was already setting. Her roommates will be back any minute and she was still laying naked on the bed. She put on her clothes, then picked new ones and headed towards the showers. As the cold water relaxed her tense muscles and washed off her sweat, she started thinking. She caught her roommates pleasuring themselves many times during the night, and they all seemed to reach their orgasm fast. So why couldn't Rose do it? Her fingers slid down to try one more time, but pain took over her body and she immediately pulled them away. That's it for today, she thought.

Casting a spell to dry her hair and dress up, she gathered her books and made her way towards her new favorite classroom. A big sigh fell from her lips and she closed her eyes. She was finally going to be alone with him. But what did she expect? He won't jump on her as soon as he sees her. She wasn't dressed the way he seemed to like. Even though it was only September, the rainy days made most students pull out their jumpers. At least her stomach was hidden under the white shirt and the grey jumper. She decided to wear the robe today too. It was buttoned up so that her legs were hidden too. It was quite cold and she didn't want to play with her health. Not tonight while it was raining and the sky was lighting up every few seconds.

Merlin, she hated thunder. Every time the hallways and her room lit up, she would wince. It was truly beautiful to watch, but her ears were sensitive and she disliked the sounds of it. That's why she begged the twins to leave her out of any pranks that involved fireworks, firecrackers or anything similar that makes loud noises and explodes. After making fun of her and receiving a few shoulder hits, they finally made a promise. Speaking of pranks, the chocolate was now forgotten deep in her drawer. She didn't want that kind of trouble with the new professor. She needed to impress him.

Roseanne entered the classroom with a smile on her face, ready to greet her professor. Her smile faded once she realised nobody was in the classroom. The room lit up once again, making her squeeze the books against her chest as she waited for the loud noise to pass. She sat down in the place where Nancy would usually sit: right in front of him. Like usual, she placed her books in the corner of the desk and took her quill. It was old and barely functioning, but she didn't have money for more. She couldn't tell her parents that she needed it. She just got it. How was she supposed to tell them that Draco Malfoy stole it from her and convinced everyone that she was actually the one to steal from him? The Malfoys and Periculums were already in a complicated... let's all it friendship. They didn't need more drama. Besides, she would still suffer awful words from Mr Malfoy and his son. Although, Narcissa and Dottie grew up together and were almost like sisters, Lucius and Vernon were enemies since day one of schooling. Vernon was just as spoiled as Lucius and the fight about popularity was still active, just with less violence and more words.

Dottie and Vernon were very young when they got married. Dottie came from a rich family and was the perfect fit for Vernon. Her hair was similar to Narcissa's. Her poliosis didn't just make her hair different. She also had different eye colours, making her stunning. That's mostly what made boys approach her when she was younger. She was always showered with presents, but she still kept her humble side. That's what she wanted for her daughter too. Both of them.

Yes, both. There were two. Roseanne and Leta. Leta was the older sister. The daughter they made a mistake with. Vernon spoiled her, showered her with love and presents and Leta grew up to be rude to her mother. Dottie didn't want to let her child drown in the materialistic world and lose herself. She wanted her to learn true values such as friendship and love. Vernon was always against Dottie's mindset and continued to make every Leta's wish come true. When Roseanne was born, the older sister was blinded by jealousy. She hated the younger one, continously hit her when nobody was watching and kept saying mean words to her. Even though the baby couldn't understand her, Leta felt better when she let out all her anger. Roseanne grew up in her mother's shadow and Leta continued to take whatever was given to her. On Leta's eighteenth birthday, Vernon gave her a single present. It was a wand. A special powerful wand and Merlin knew where the man got it. It was gold with a diamond handle, shining and almost blinding even in dimmed rooms. A few days later, it was Rose's birthday. Rose got a big cake, her own big room and a pet, her beautiful barn owl Eris. She also got a single necklace from her mother. It was a silver necklace with an owl pendant. The owl had two rubies instead of normal eyes. Scared that she might lose it, she attached the pendant to her bracelet and hid it under the sleeves.

One night, Rose heard screams and loud thuds. Outside of her window, she could see Leta on her knees, crying her soul out and holding onto Vernon's leg. The black haired man pushed his daughter away, then entered the Manor with an angry look on his face. Dottie stayed behind, wiping off the tears and placing a kiss on Leta's forehead. Then, she pulled out her wand and cast a spell through tears. In a second, Leta was gone. No, she couldn't have killed her. Her body would still be there. The sister simply vanished. Rose never really had a good relationship with her sister, but she often thought about her. Leta was somewhere alone, without a family. Was it her decision to stay away or she couldn't find the way back? Rose also noticed the big change in her parent's behaviour. They became cold and distant. They were very strict with Rose, allowed her to eat just twice a day and with limited amounts of food, which is why she used all the chances she had to eat properly at Hogwarts. Lamb and potatoes were much more appealing than carrots and cauliflower.

Her thoughts were interrupted when something soft touched her leg, making her jump. She pulled out her wand, ready to cast a spell at whatever just touched her. The creature moved towards her and Rose could finally recognise the brown ears. Coco had escaped and followed her to the classroom because she was scared of the thunder. Usually it was Dell who took care of her, but she must've had plans with Fred.

"Coco!" The girl whispered as she tried to get her pet. "Bad girl. What are you doing here?"

The small creature escaped her hands, then started hopping towards the stairs which led to professor Lupin's room. Rose gasped in horror and rushed up the stairs, trying to grab the brown ball of fluff. Coco was faster than her and reached the top immediately. Rose tried the tongue clicking sounds to call her, even pulled out a few leftover treats. But the bunny only looked back at her once, then disappeared inside the room. The door wasn't fully closed. It was opened just enough for the pet to get inside. Rose sighed in defeat, then carefully and quietly climbed up. Professor Lupin still wasn't around and she hoped he wouldn't be until she got her naughty pet out.

The brown haired girl gulped as she finally reached the door. She crawled on the floor, careful not to make any loud noises. She still had the treats in her hand, hoping that the bunny would smell them and get back. Sometimes she just wished she never got it. Coco often liked to sneak into the kitchen and steal vegetables. Once they found her in the fridge, laying on her back and just staring in front of her. She had eaten so much that she couldn't move. Rose could yell as much as she wanted, but Coco got it her way. It was late now. The damage was done. The animal was smarter than you'd think. Never underestimate them.

"Coco, I'm going to leave you here and pretend I don't know you. I'll find a different bunny. A good bunny. Not a bad girl like you."

The words and the treats seemed to have worked because Coco was back at the entrance again. Rose was still on the floor, her hands in front of her as she held the delicious treats for Coco. The bunny was soon in her hands, drowning in the sweet taste and wiggling her ears. Rose finally sighed with relief, then gave her a few pets.

"You're in big trouble, little one," she said with a smile. As much as the pet got on her nerves, she adored it. Rose pushed herself off the ground so that she was kneeling. She was still waiting for the bunny to finish eating so she could hide him under her robes during this class. Just as she was finished and Rose got ready to get up, the door opened. Professor Lupin stood in front of her, his eyebrow raised in amusement.

"May I know what you are doing, Miss Periculum?"

Rose felt her body freeze. She slowly raised her head, her eyes meeting the soft hazel ones. She couldn't move or speak. She could only watch. Her professor wore a white shirt which wasn't properly buttoned up, his hair was a bit wet and his chest was slowly rising and falling. A small smile was on his lips as he watched his student struggle to form a sentence. He looked like a hot mess. He looked incredibly good. She wanted him so bad. She wanted to pull those wet strands of hair, make him sweat and make him want her at every time of the day. She wanted him to be obsessed with her just like she was becoming obsessed with him.

Remus let out a chuckle, then stepped closer towards the girl. He hated that he was enjoying the sight of her on her knees. She looked so small, so innocent and so sweet. He wondered what that bottom lip tasted like. He wanted to make both her lips plump with kisses. He also wondered how beautifully her already red face would look covered in sweat, her hair sticking to it because of certain activities. He just adored how she currently looked on her knees. Clouds of lust hovered over his mind, his sense disappearing somewhere in the back of his head. The man got so close to her now and noticed that her head was in the perfect height as his crotch.

Rose gulped, then brought her bunny closer to her chest. Her legs almost betrayed her when her professor put his hand under her chin, slowly raising her head up and making her stand up. She could feel her skin burning as he kept his hand there. His thumb moved up and gently touched her bottom lip. Merlin, that had to be the softest thing he had ever touched. Rose relaxed into his touch and looked at him completely enchanted. He allowed himself to step even closer, closing the distance between the two of them. His head was only inches away from hers and she closed her eyes, enjoying his warm breath on her lips. If only he would kiss her. If only he would press her against the nearest wall and touched her the way he knew.

"Roseanne Periculum!"

"Rose, we know what you did! Come out, now!"

The voices were loud in the hallways, making her wince and move away. Her eyes had become glossy with lust and she could barely breathe. Remus removed his hand from her face, then moved her hair aside and moved just in time. Elisaveta and Priya entered the room, followed by professor Sprout. The blonde haired girl looked furious. Her hands were squeezed in fists and she was almost flying towards Rose. Priya followed behind, her face similar to Elisaveta's. Rose stumbled backwards, hitting the chest of her professor with her back. If there wasn't two very angry people in front of her, she would be on cloud nine.

Remus stepped in front of his student just in time and held his arm out in front of her so the blonde girl wouldn't do anything. Elisaveta angrily tried to grab Roseanne again, but Remus stood in front of her with his whole body now. The brown haired girl held her bunny against her chest, fear taking over her body. Why was her House Head here and why were the girls angry?

"What seems to be the problem, Pomona?"

The lady pulled the girls back, then stood in front of the professor.

"Miss Periculum did a prank on the girls. Or so I've been told. Is that true, Rose?"

Before she could answer, Remus put his hands in his pockets and looked at the girls. "Roseanne was here for a long time. She couldn't be the one to do it."

"She did it and she knows it."

This time, Priya rushed towards her and almost got her, but was stopped by the professor again. He simply stood in front of Rose, protecting her from their angry grips and stares. Meanwhile, Rose got a clear look on his toned back. She wished she could drag her nails all over them and mark him. That way everyone would know that he was making her feel good and he belonged to her only.

Roseanne, you hopeless, horny virgin.

"That chocolate was your idea. It was the creation of you and those filthy Weasleys!"

"Oh, no."

Remus turned around towards her with a confused look on his face.

"Oh no? What does that mean, Miss Periculum?"

Rose bit her lip and looked at him apologetically. "It is the creation of the Weasleys, professor. But it wasn't meant for them. They took it from my drawer."

"Who was the chocolate for?" Remus asked, even though he knew the answer.

"You, professor."

He looked over at the blonde haired student, then back at his favorite one. She was biting her lip and nervously petting her bunny. Oh, how he wished he could be the one biting that lip. He would gently suck it, then sink his teeth into it just enough to hear her whine and beg for more.

"And what was the chocolate supposed to do to me?"

"Well, I'm not sure about that."

"Not sure?! Fireworks were coming out of my ears, nose, mouth and–"

"That's enough information, Yakusheva."

Remus was lucky that he had his back turned towards them. He let out a chuckle, knowing how the sentence would end. Seeing that Rose was still nervously looking at him, he sent her a wink and gently took the bunny from her.

"Well, Pomona, there's only one way to solve this."

"What is that, Remus?"

"I say detention. From me."

Finally, something good came out of Weasley's pranks. Remus knew what he was doing. As soon as the girls left the class, he say in his chair and placed the bunny on the desk, giving it pets.

"Have a seat, Miss Periculum. It's going to be a long night if you don't start."

"Yes, professor."

The man let out a quiet hum at her words, enjoying the way she called him. He just couldn't wait for the detention. Will she let him touch her? Will she let him show her how good she can feel? Little did he know that Rose had wilder fantasies than that about him. Fantasies about his tongue, his fingers and his...

"The task is on the blackboard. Good luck, Roseanne."

"Thank you, professor."

[abandntravels]

Small child, no wine, short walk and shopping at Jills. 28 August 2022.

Today was family roast day, Grandad had amazing piece of lamb in his freezer that made its way toJill and Davids for todays lunch - NZ lamb at that.

Day started with a walk along the river, and finally the whole route alone the Frome River walk had been cleared and there was no need to push through the bush/grass/reeds. Had a a wander back through the Graveyard and the town.

Headed to Jill and David’s at 1030, so we could help with jobs, which really meant supervising and drinking sherry for those who wanted one. Jos and Lionel where there, so a bit of playing and supervising to be done. Lionel really is a cute boy, but it hard to remember that he is only 2.5years old, as he appears older which can mean that expectations are set to high and you do have to watch him. I got to go ‘shopping’ in Jills wardrobe a few things heading to the op shop that are now heading home with me. Jills colouring and mine are similar and while I might be heavier many items of clothing are forgiving :-)

Lunch was amazing lamb, potatoes, carrots, beans and cauliflower cheese. Followed by awesome pie (might have had a piece of both apple and rhubarb) but I didn’t have any of the chocolate ice cream - so some self control.

A walk after lunch was required and we did miss the photographer at the gate, he self timer isn’t quite the same. Walking with a little person is also a different type of adventure as well. There was bit a carrying, swinging, chasing and yelling of No! But actually all in all he did very well and we had a lovely play in the playground until the two adults supervising had had enough which of course did not a line with Lionels wishes.

Tea was early as Jos had the drive back home with Lionel to face and Lionel was entering into tired mode (so was I). Tea was pate, cold meats, cheese, salad, fresh bread rolls, sausage roll and pork pie. Lots of Nick’s favourites. Followed by Pav (made by Mum), with raspberries and cream - yes I will need to double my run tomorrow - although at this point it might be a waddle. After bath time it was goodbye to Jos and Lionel and then time to sit in the comfortable chairs and put the world right over a whisky or wine. I am enjoying the range of lightly sparkling drinks that Jill and Davids Grandkids drink Elderflower and apple is my favourite so far, although the watermelon one was refreshing and a pretty pink colour.

A walk back to G&Ps for Mum and I while G&P got a ride, admittedly there was a bit of stuff to bring back including my new clothes.