It’s been a pretty mixed week – a fair bit of rain and lots of mud all of which seems to cling to Daisy when she comes home from her walks. Thank goodness for the new, outdoor mixer tap! We’ve also had some lovely periods with sunshine with clouds scudding across the skies, all the while remaining very mild. As for me it’s a case, once again, of good day, bad day, good day, bad day, etc. It seems that I will need to seek a second opinion – Dr Google assured me that my sciatic symptoms would disappear after four to six weeks. Sadly, that has turned out not to be the case. I’m afraid my lovely, magnificent carer is getting just about as fed up as I am!
Continue reading “17 March 2024”Author: Greg
17 March 2024 – Amusements
A sailor came home from a year-long deployment only to find his wife with a new born baby. Furious, he was determined to track down the father to extract revenge.
“Was it my friend Sam?” he demanded.
“No!” his weeping wife replied.
“Was it my friend Jim then?” he asked.
“NO!” she said even more upset.
“Well, which one of my no-good friends did this then?” he yelled.
“Don’t you think I have any friends of my own?” she screamed.
10 March 2024
Same old, same old. Good days, bad days. Only two more days for Dr Google’s prognosis that most people’s symptoms disappear in 4 to 6 weeks. So, on Tuesday I’ll be as right as rain!
Continue reading “10 March 2024”10 March 2024 – Amusements
They say there’s more chance of dying on the way to buy a lottery ticket than actually winning. That’s why I always send my wife.
Win-Win.
3 March 2024
Good day, bad day, bad day, good day, bad, bad, bad, day, etc. And so it goes on. Dr Google only has about another week for his prognosis to be accurate. To be fair though, he/she did say “most people’s symptoms” disappear after four to six weeks. I’m not holding my breath. I have an appointment with a consultant at the end of this week so we’ll see where that takes us.
Continue reading “3 March 2024”3 March 2024 – Amusements
A salesman telephoned a household and a four-year-old answered.
Salesman: May I speak to your mother?
Child: She is not here.
Salesman: Well, is anyone else there?
Child: My sister
Salesman: O.K., fine. May I speak to her?
Child: I guess so.
There was a long silence on the other phone. Then:
Child: Hello?
Salesman: It’s you. I thought you were going to call your sister.
Child: I did. The trouble is: I can’t get her out of the playpen.
Continue reading “3 March 2024 – Amusements”Creamy Gnocchi with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
This Creamy Gnocchi Recipe is the ultimate comfort food. Made with store-bought gnocchi and a few simple ingredients this tasty, creamy dish can be on the table in under 30 minutes. Great for a quick and easy weeknight dinner!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium brown onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic very finely chopped or put through a garlic press
- 1 heaped tsp dried oregano
- 10 pieces of sundried tomatoes thinly sliced
- 30 g / 2 tbsps of butter I use salted butter
- 1 x 500 g / 17.6 oz pack of gnocchi
- 300 ml / 1 ¼ cups of vegetable stock made with 1 stock cube and 300ml of freshly boiled water
- 150 ml / ¾ of a cup of double cream (heavy cream)
- 60 g / 2 cups of fresh baby spinach
- 50 g / ½ a cup of Grana Padano cheese finely grated
- 2 – 3 tbsps toasted pine nuts optional
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper + more for serving
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet or saute pan. Add the chopped onion along with a small pinch of sea salt. Cook over low to medium heat for about 15 minutes or until the onions are translucent and springy.
- Next, add 1 heaped teaspoon of dried oregano and 3 finely chopped cloves of garlic. Then add the sliced sun-dried tomatoes and cook for a minute.
- Now, add 30g of butter to the pan then add all the gnocchi. Break up any gnocchi that has stuck together. Toss the gnocchi in the butter adn the onion and sundried tomatoes. Let the gnocchi cook for a minute or two so that it absorbs all the flavours that are in the pan. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Next, pour in the stock. Stir well, catching any pieces that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Then pour in the cream, and stir it into the stock. Simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes stirring often.
- Once the sauce has reduced and thickened add the spinach. Stir in the baby spinach, it should wilt very quickly.
Once the spinach has wilted remove the pan from the heat, then stir in the grated cheese. Once the cheese has melted into the sauce the dish is ready to be served.
Top with toasted pine nut, if using, extra grated cheese and some freshly ground black pepper.
Notes
- Cooking gnocchi – You do not need to cook the gnocchi before adding it, the gnocchi will cook in the sauce.
- Storage/reheating/freezing – If you have any leftovers you should store them in an airtight container in the fridge and use them within two days. The sauce for this recipe thickens once it cools so you will need to add more cream or stock to the dish if you want to reheat it It is best reheated on the hob. This dish is best made fresh and does not freeze well. The cream has a tendency to split or go grainy so I do not recommend freezing this dish.
25 February 2024
Good day, bad day, even worse day, better day, not bad day, bad day, etc. I think the sciatica pain is a case of peaks and troughs – some days I think there is definitely an improvement and other days I think this is worse than ever! Still, on the whole, I think we are making gradual progress and perhaps Dr Google’s prediction of four to six weeks will turn out to be about right. Fingers crossed.
Continue reading “25 February 2024”25 February 2024 – Amusements
The wife and I were sitting around the breakfast table one lazy Sunday morning.
I said to her, “If I were to die suddenly, I want you to immediately sell all my stuff.”
“Now why would you want me to do something like that?” she asked.
“I figure that you would eventually remarry and I don’t want some scumbag using my stuff.”
She looked at me and said: “What makes you think I’d marry another scumbag?”
18 February 2024
We’ve had quite a few nice days with some reasonably bright and clear skies and Spring-like temperatures. In mid-February. What’s that about? Lady Penelope was even out pruning roses the other day. Me? I’m still more or less confined to quarters with the sciatica pain. Small improvements – it seems to go from “not bad” to “unbelievably bad” to “not too bad” before reverting to “brutal” again. Nights are the worst, of course. There seems to be no position in which I can get comfortable.
Continue reading “18 February 2024”