THE VERDICT.........

My free-range chicken sausages were AMAZING!!!! Everyone loved them and I have to say that I will definately be eating my own sausages from now on.

I MADE SAUSAGES

Funny thing though, I don't eat sausages!   I haven't eaten a sausage for about 20 years I think, mainly because I don't eat meat 99% of the time, but also because of what goes into them.

I decided to purchase a sausage making machine so I could make them the way I wanted and as the rest of my family love a good sausage, well why not!

 

With my first attempt today I made chicken and herb sausages, we haven't eaten them yet, maybe lunch tomorrow.

The kids and hubby are thinking up new recipes to try out so I think I will be a busy little sausage maker in the coming months.

PICKLING GARLIC

After my bumper crop of garlic this season I wondered if I could possibly get through it all in a year without it sprouting so I decided to pickle some.

 

I used Pam Corbin's recipe from Preserves but replaced the saffron with a pinch of tumeric for the colour.

500g newer garlic
15 peppercorns
5 bay leaves
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup sugar pinch of saffron threads

Sterilize your jars and lids.  Submerge all of the garlic in hot water, and keep it in for about 20 seconds.  Remove, and the garlic will slide right out of its skins.
Put the vinegar, sugar and saffron into a pan. Bring the mixture to a boil then take off heat. Pack the garlic cloves into the sterilized jars, adding a bay leaf and peppercorns as you go. Pour the hot vinegar over the garlic, and top with the lid and band. If the vinegar is hot enough, the jar should seal (the center of the lid will suck down) within a couple of hours. If it doesn’t seal, you can also process in a hot water bath for ten minutes, or store in the refrigerator. Use within a year.

 

They look so pretty in their little jars.

2013 A HEALTHIER ME

 

I tell you what, if I could put into action all of the thoughts that continuely run around my head about health, fitness etc, I would be one amazing girl.

Last year I swear I woke up nearly every morning thinking something has to change, but there was so much to change that through the course of the day it got too overwhelming and I'd give up.   This year I am concentrating on one change at a time.

 Last week I joined Weight Watchers online again to try and get my weight down before I have to buy bigger clothes.  I feel frumpy, I've had some great ideas about how I was going to lose weight but nothing seems to stick.  I like weight Watchers, I don't like artifical sweetners however so I would rather stick to natural sweetners and have less and I will never go back to fake butter.   I do firmly believe in eating as cleanly as possible and am incorporating my way of eating into their plan and that so far is working out quite well for me.   For me it takes the stress out of planning and eating and as I'm a bit of a control freak (so everyone says) and I plan pretty much everything, I'm perfectly happy to track points and obsess over good food.   I  know I shouldn't be as obsessive about my weight, I don't have a lot to lose but I feel horrible inside and out, I want to love myself a little more and I find it hard to like myself when I'm overweight.   That effects people around me so I need to change.

Exercise will come back to me. At the minute I'm concentrating on eating well and doing minimal exercise.  I love exercise but I'm taking a break as I'm having a few leg issues.

Many of you may know about "one little word". I started having a word 2 years ago, 2011 was vitality, 2012 was calm and 2013 is balance.