K is for Kitchenalia!

All sorts of stuff has come out of the woodwork, or the kitchen cabinets over the last three years, some I've photographed, some has gone to storage, some went to charity and some went in the bin. Here's three pieces of kitchenalia which may trigger the odd nostalgia button or two?

 

I can half-remember the birthday party where these were used, and they were 'dead posh' and modern, bring plastic rather than waxed-paper/card (how times have changed!), but it has left them brittle. They did have matching Magic Roundabout paper plates and napkins/serviettes, and I think the cake was Mum's rendition of Dougal dog!

 

Every 1970's kid appreciated a curly-wurly drinking straw, didn't they? I think they did, even if they didn't admit it! I seem to recall these were Christmas stocking presents one Christmas morning, and would have been christened with milk or tea . . . possibly milk with food-dye in it, as "It's Christmas"!

Kiddy cutlery, the cat was usually mine, the snoopy was my Brother's and I think we shared the Disney knifes, depending upon who grabbed which first! I should find some kid/s to pass them on to, but all my friends' kids have grown-up and gone to collage! Maybe a hospice for kids would be a thought?

Pudding!

I know this is supposed to be a gardening blog, which sort of became a wildlife blog, but with August turning into an early autumn, giving us some quite chilly nights, a bit of stodgy British fare is just what the doctor would order if he wasn't busy picking blackberries, so I thought I'd share this with you, not least because I'm really pleased with it!

I picked up some bright yellow Mirabelles (wild plums) last time I visited my mother, and had stewed them for a couple of nights, once with cream, once with custard. As a result they were starting to loose their colour and get a bit 'jammy', I also had two rather stale current scones which looked like they'd be blue in the morning if I didn't do something with them.

Now Mim's away at the moment, looking after her Mum, and keeps asking me - on skype - if I'm eating well (cum'on guys, if you've been a bachelor for a while you'll know exactly why she's asking!!) so this is to show her I'm feeding myself up!

I sliced the scones and layered them in the bottom of the dish, added milk (Mim's already said I should have added a beaten egg...Doh!) and poured the Mirabelle 'jam' on top, however the dish was still only half full, so I mixed up some custard and poured that on, but the gaps in the scone meant most of the custard sunk through and joined the milk - I was still only half full!

A handful of raisins, two slices of buttered bread, cinnamon and brown-sugar brought it to the top of the bowl in short order though! And then half an hour in the oven at 200°, it rose like a good'en until it pushed the top off the bowl, and I took a quick photo after sprinkling with caster-sugar.

Many calories per square-inch, go, make, winters coming!!!