Making things

Categories: uncategorized, life-in-general

Date: 05 September 2010 12:58:26

I really love surfing blogs - I follow links from one person's blog to another to another: clicking on names that take my fancy, or finding people who love thrifting, or re-making and reusing things. I wish I was like that, but somehow it never quite works for me...Of course, I also love looking at recipe blogs and finding new ways of serving old favourites, or just drooling over the delicious looking cakes and cookies that have been photographed.

One thing I do wonder though is do these people take photographs of every dish that they make?! "Here's the delicious pot roast I made for dinner." Photo of said delicious pot roast,nestling, untouched, in a very beautiful (or attractively rustic) dish. But how do you know it's delicious enough to take a photo of BEFORE you eat it?!

I made a pasta bake that turned out to be much yummier than I'd thought it was going to be last night. But I didn't take a photo of it...And if I had, it would have been in the old, slightly crusty pyrex dish that I got free at the local supermarket. Not a gorgeous shabby-chic French brocante dish, picked up at the local vide grenier...

Still - what I have been doing is making jams and chutneys. I'm not very good at taking delightfully sharp photos (and nor are my jams in prettily-covered-in-gingham-hats jars. ) But here is my effort at a photo:

I picked the blackberries yesterday, and plan to freeze them until I have enough to make a good batch of blackberry jam. I didn't get as many as I might have done, as I was wearing the wrong trousers (no, not these Wrong Trousers: but cropped trousers that didn't protect me from nettles.) and so I gave up after about 45 minutes.

The jams on show are plum jam, (thanks to Daniele and Paul's generosity) plum chutney (ditto), greengage and lemon jam (it should have been just greengage, but it wasn't setting. I added too much lemon juice in an attempt to make it set, but it failed. I ended up with very lemony, runny greengage jam) and rhubarb and raspberry jam (also thank you to D&P for the fruits of their garden!)

And the recipe for the pasta bake, in case anyone wants to try it. For two greedy people, or three normal people:

Soften 1 onion, two large mushrooms, half a red pepper and a courgette (all diced) in olive oil.

Add about 100g of skinned, diced chorizo (strength to taste. We used extra fort)

Add 1/2 a jar of vegetable pasta sauce (or home made tomato sauce if you have some)

Add two large handfuls of frozen spinach. Mix until it's melted.

Add several splashes of tabasco sauce, if you like it spicy.

Add as much cooked (al dente) pasta as you think you'll want

Mix together and put in an ovenproof bowl. Think about aesthetics, should you wish to photograph it.

Sprinkle grated cheese on top (and breadcrumbs too, should you feel so inclined)

Cook at about 180° for about half an hour.