BUSY BUSY MORNING

Really pleased to see one of the double busys I'd lifted last Autumn is in flower.

So far there's no sign of the dreaded Red Spider Mite that can cause problems when the air is dry during the winter with the central heating on.

I thought I'd better use some more of Elsie's Muffin Mix that was sitting in the fridge; Manda & co have managed to demolish the last batch! I'm one of those people who loves a slice of cheese with a rich fruit cake and so I wondered how the mix would taste if I added some grated cheese to it; the mix does contain brown sugar but I think, due to the use of the wholemeal flour, it doesn't taste sickly sweet so was prepared to have a bash. The smelled lovely while they were cooking and just before I took them out of the oven I sprinkled a little extra grated cheese on top. They taste really nice.....the very slight sweetness with the cheese is a good combination. I guess if you were making the mixture from scratch the sugar could be omitted but I don't think I'd worry about that....much more versatile with the sugar in. I'm finding it really useful have the mix pre-prepared and just using what you want at a time.

When we popped to the Co-Op yesterday they had packs of pork loin chops on offer (Buy 1 get 1 free) so I'd bought a couple of packs; one to use and one to freeze. I thought I'd make some Poor Man's Schnitzel with them. I had some staling bread so blitzed up some breadcrumbs...........what would I do without my blitzer-cum-puree gadget......if any one every does one of those TAG things "5 Household Items You Couldn't Do Without" then I'm up for it ...how's that for an idea Claire?...................I gave the chops a good malleting, dipped in seasoned beaten egg, coated with breadcrumbs, a quick fry to seal and colour the outside then popped them in the oven while the muffins were finishing cooking (just to make sure they were cooked right through). A nice pepper sauce over them, some peas, grilled tomatoes and mushrooms and a few chips.........yummy...making myself feel hungry now!

You may think.."SIX!! how much do Mick and Ruth eat???"...well they are equally nice cold with salad and I have been known to warm them up slightly in the microwave and pop them into a Bap.........so there's actually enough for 2 or 3 days....depending how hungry we are!