5.02.2023 Juggling priorities and Sunday Dinner! 😢

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 Sunday 5th 33F. Snowfall expected all morning. Now updated to show variations of wetness. Wind speeds modest but doing a complete somersault [in direction] over the course of the day. Up at 6.20. I was wide awake. So I decided to get up anyway. 

 7.45 Only slowly becoming light enough to see outside. The stove is lit but sulking. Due to slightly damp logs. So it dies down every time I try to close the air supply. 14C/57F in the lounge. 64F/18C upstairs.

 I [foolishly] bought a stove windmill to better distribute the heat. It has zero effect on a candle flame beyond a couple of inches from the fan! At least it doesn't consume any electricity and is slightly amusing.

 I keep wanting to rearrange the kitchen again. The fridge is still slightly too far behind the open, front hall door. I could rehang the door to open against the airing cupboard. Or even against the wall in the front hall. Instead of opening into the kitchen. It means a lot of work and neither option is a perfect solution anyway. I can't just remove the door completely because it is important to be able to close off the lounge and front hall. When I really need to retain the heat from the stove during very cold weather.  

 Moving the fridge to the left would make it much easier to access. That would push the dresser base across the doorway to the rear entrance hall. All the painting and building materials are still on the kitchen floor. Such activities have come to a complete standstill in the dark of winter.  I became depressed and completely lost my inspiration.

It was often too dark to see what I was doing. Even bright, artificial light isn't the same. Recent sunshine emphasizes the poor cosmetic state of most of the walls. Insulation and new plasterboard would help. Major work again. Where do I start?

  8.10 Just as I decided to go for a walk. The first flakes of snow are crossing almost horizontally. I really should go anyway. It's not as if I will suffer in my winter clothing. Far from it.  

The IKEA storage stand in bamboo. Posed in the front hall.

 9.15  Back from my walk. Morning coffee over. The snow came to nothing. Just a few flakes on the cold, southerly wind. I wore my GripGrab, "Aviator" [medieval] cycling cap. Which was fine until I used the hood on my jacket. The cap promptly slid down over my eyes every time. It was one or the other. Not both. I left the jacket hood down. A few birds about but mostly distant or hiding. Typically light, Sunday traffic. 

 10.15. Everything is coated in thin snow.

 11.45 Still snowing but not settling so well. It must be wetter. I have decided to rebuild another of my wife's IKEA plant stands. For storage in the kitchen. I was already using one of these tall stands for my boots and shoes. With a little shuffling to the left there was room for the stand in the corner beside the fridge. Which also meant easier access to the fridge. Because it was more exposed beyond the open, hall door.

 I can then lighten the load on the shelving above the fridge. Which has been the "larder" for tinned goods for years. This will make the storage all but invisible but still easily accessible when needed. 

 The problem is matching the original IKEA screw size. I have searched amongst my collection but found very few which matched. No idea what happened to the originals after months of tidying. Which probably means a trip into town. Though probably not today. 

 I should go tomorrow when all the shops are open. Unless I get really bored and go to the big shed DIY discount stores. There isn't enough snow to cause problems on the roads.

 13.30 Lunch over. The snow has vanished. My plan to make a traditional British Sunday dinner has been postponed until this evening. 

 17.30. +2C/36F. I drove to town and bought some screws. The rack is now firmly assembled and in place. It can't move anyway. Because it is stuck between the wall and the fridge. The produce is actually more accessible than reaching up to the top shelf. 

 With the wall shelves now all but clear they can be used for displaying some of my wife's ornaments. Without the risk of anything being knocked down. The wall ought to be stripped and painted first. To give a more suitable background.

 My first attempt at Sunday Dinner was not a disaster but a great disappointment. It started well with the potatoes simmering long enough to be easily stabbed with a fork. 

 Meanwhile I had the vegetables prepared in assorted  saucepans. The Internet said they all needed 10 minutes simmering after coming to the boil. So these were started at 15 minutes after the potatoes boiled and were turned down. I intended to give the potatoes half an hour.

 I added the frozen peas to the Brussels sprouts after the spouts had boiled. To save needing another saucepan and their need for a shorter boil. I should have used more heat to overcome the chilling effect of the peas but both were just acceptable. I made far too many carrots and they weren't quite soft enough.

 I had already decided I didn't have an hour for the chicken to bake in the mini oven. So I diced and fried the chicken as usual. Somehow I managed to cook the chicken for too long or probably just too hot. It was tough and almost crisp on the outside. I have done much better than this on numerous occasions. 

 The worst problem was the gravy. I had no idea how much I needed. So I used a heaped teaspoon full of Bisto to make the paste in a small cup. Then managed to drown in it in far too much cold water. 

 I had added the oil from the frying pan to the saucepan to add flavour. The result was brown, with greasy globules, but watery and tasteless. It spoiled the meal. I gave the gravy plenty of time to come to the boil but it never thickened despite my stirring. 

 My wife used to let me stir the gravy sometimes. While she attended to other tasks. Stirring was my only practice at cooking. I had no idea how it arrived in that state in the saucepan. Before I was called to help. I had no need to. My wife did all the cooking.

 In summary: Too many potatoes and carrots. Both slightly under-cooked. Peas and sprouts about right for quantity but also marginally under-cooked. 

 The chicken was certainly over-cooked. I am constantly aware of the dangers of food poisoning from under-cooked chicken. I should make an attempt at baking the chicken breast in the oven. So I can add a couple of potatoes alongside to roast them. For that I will need to buy a roasting pan.  One which will fit in the mini-oven.

The gravy was literally like water. I have a huge box of Bisto gravy powder. So it owes me practically nothing. I could practice making gravy, on its own and simply discard the failures. Until I have perfected the quantities and process required for a one person meal. 

 I ate the whole plate full but wished it had been my wife's cooking perfection. Not my own, amateur dramatics.

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