Monday, December 29, 2025

Boots, bowls, croquettes and mysteries

Chapter One Boots

So I retrieved the frozen boot, removed the bag of ice

which had taken on the shape of the boot interior. Next time I'll keep the ice to reuse, didn't think about this till it had thawed.

Then tried both boots on. Definite improvement, and to help preserve the new size, I rammed in an old pair of keds, which I could force in well and will be able to retrieve okay.

So far so good. I may need to treat the right one again. I may reserve the spray when it arrives to use outside in milder weather, Quinn, ty.

Chapter Two Bergamot Bowls 

So Sunday I painted them with a favorite light gold metallic acrylic, then drew with black marker.



I'm quite pleased. They look like thin walled pottery. I decided not to preserve the natural interior, since without lids, the scent would evaporate. So I painted the lot.  The top picture is nearer the actual color. 

This was a nice experience. I have two more lemons to go, and maybe I'll do the decoration differently.

Chapter Three All Purpose Croquettes and Bars 

These used up the last of the Christmas corn and one remaining potato, mixed with caramelized onions and garlic, steamed cabbage, ham dice, ground flaxseed, a bit of flour and an egg, minced parsley, mashed chickpeas.  Seasoned with salt and paprika.





And a sauce of yogurt, garlic, lemon juice. 

The tablet was open to a recipe I departed from so completely there's no point in referring to it! But it did give me the mashed chickpea idea.

The garnish is a sprig of peppermint I have growing in the kitchen, still quite aromatic despite the waning sunshine.

And later I made a batch of peanut butter granola bars because I'm tired of toast for breakfast.



Chapter Four Great Mystery Short Story Discovery 


I just found this and she's a very entertaining read, a Victorian era detective with her sidekick Ivy. It's a Sherlockian approach, deductions from clues, and really good.

Happy day everyone. I certainly had one. Make all the things.





23 comments:

  1. Ooh, I’m coming to your house! The food is enticing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's inclusive! Vegetarians can omit the ham, vegans the ham and dairy, subbing nondairy yogurt, omnivores just eat as is.

      Delete
  2. Those patties look delicious... very inventive.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Boots, bowls and bars — highly alliterative.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yummy things happening in your kitchen. Maybe mine will learn from association...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Your bergamot bowls turned out great -- love the decorative patterns you created on them! And man, those croquettes look delicious, I must say.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for the nice words! The croquettes were good. More for today. And they used up a lot of stray vegetables, always a good point.

      Delete
  6. The bergamot bowls look great. I like the painted details. Now I'm curious to know what you will use them for or will they be purely decorative.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They're artworks. You look, handle them, enjoy a visual experience. I'm pleased with them and have plans for more.

      Delete
  7. I do love a croquette whether salmon, tuna, squash, or my latest- squash and eggplant. Very nice. I used to make soy burgers by cooking soybeans and mashing them. They were pretty good.
    The little bowls are darling.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so lazy I love a meal I can eat with just a fork! And I love a sauce. So this one checks a couple of boxes. Thank you for the nice words about the bowls. They have one advantage over porcelain -- they're practically unbreakable. They've already been dropped a time or two!

      Delete
  8. The food looks delicious. I'm pretty amazed by the bowls.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aren't they fun? I really liked the process.

      Delete
  9. The bergamot bowls turned out very nicely. My husband is of Dutch heritage and loves croquettes, although his are made of meat.
    I'm glad the boots fit better now. I have the same problem with my feet, my left is larger than my right. Now I buy shoes and boots to fit my left and the right foot just has to cope:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I find that nowadays women's shoes are narrower than they used to be, even marked wide. But men's shoes haven't changed. So I buy a men's regular size 7 and it's at least as wide as a women's wide 9. It works better for me.

      Delete
  10. The bowls look lovely and those boots suggest some serious winter walking.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My winter walking isn't long but it involves mud and trees and these are waterproof boots. I keep finding shoes I thought were waterproof aren't
      Thank you for the nice words about the bowls.!

      Delete
  11. Very clever way of getting those boots the size that you want.

    ReplyDelete

Please read the comments before yours and see if your question is already answered!