Hah! Bumhug.

So much for long winded rambling, perhaps witty, posting in the week leading up to Christmas.
Busy. Very Busy.

Still it's always nice to receive presents on someone else's birthday. Cheers, Jesus.

I am currently in the kitchen ( would it be any other way?) making an end of the year meal.
Same meal as for Mrs M's birthday.

Mrs M has had flu since boxing night so I have been attending to her and ferrying supplies of painkillers from the shops for her.

This hasn't stopped me from testing my liver to it's limits though. We did seem to receive an inordinate amount of wine this year, never mind what I bought. Damn fine it is too.

A bottle of Laphroaig too...yum!

Currently waiting for roasted butternut squash to cool so I can make gnocchi. Mmmmm getting hungry.

Mrs M bought "How to be free" by Tom Hodgkinson...it has changed her thinking processes!
Living with me and listening to my droning on seems not to have been enough.
Looks like 2008 will see a bit of positive change for both of us. Yaaaay !

A plethora of good wishes for the coming year to anyone who happens upon this murky cul de sac.

I have yet more cooking to do.

Very very busy..., no...really !

The past couple of weeks have been really busy in work. More so than any other time this year. I've only been in the office a third of the time. Lots of outside work generating more paperwork...Aarrgghh.
I like it, reminds me of how life used to be. Still, can't discuss who employs me or what I do to keep the wolves from the door (are there really wolves round here? ) and no, I'm not a peeler.

I've only just had dinner and it is 23.39 according to the laptop. Me?, I dunno what time it is.

I was helping a friend today. He and his family are upping sticks and moving to Orkney.
I have been driving a van and lifting stuff since just after midday. No lunch and dinner at 23.15.
I'm not whinging at all. I had a great day. I was a friend today, in full effect. I feel good.

Tired though. Still, I made a friend for life back in 1996 and I helped him and his family today.

Funny how life is, eh?

I don't make friends easy at all, never have. Textbook classic introvert. ( Never mind another post, that is a lifetime of analysis right there!)

Mr Orkney is someone I should have and should spend more time in the company of.
Sometimes things don't work out that way though.

I am bloody knackered.
Only Sicilian red is keeping me going right now. Damn good it is too.

What else to report....I bought a new mouse for the mac.
A Razer Pro1.6. Manny, ya have to get one, makes thon mighty mouse look wick, like.

I'll post something long winded and interesting during the coming week.

Promise.

Lentil and spinach pasta with garlic and chile

This is for Hails.

Ingredients:

Puy lentils. I cook loads of them and freeze them in bags. You could use green lentils or brown lentils but not the skinned brown ones they would cook down to mush too fast, I think. Tinned would be grand.

Spinach. I used fresh but frozen is just as good. Defrost frozen ingredients first, eh?

Onion.

Garlic.

Chile flakes/ dried chiles.

Pasta. I used conchigle as it fills with the lentils etc.

Right.

Chop up an onion finely.

Chop up a garlic clove.

Use 2 small dried chiles and chop them up. Use seeds as well.
Alternatively use a pinch or two of chile flakes.

Fry off the onion and garlic in some olive oil.

When the onion and garlic are cooked soft, add the chile and then the lentils.

Of course you have had your pasta cooking whilst doing all this.

Chop up your spinach and add to the onion pan as your pasta is very nearly ready.

Drain the pasta and add to the "sauce" when the spinach has wilted.

Add a lump of butter. (Knob is just so rude, don't you think?)

Stir so the pasta is coated in the "sauce".

Plate and EAT.

Very. Very. Tasty.

Takes no time at all to make, really as long as it takes the pasta to cook.

Not my original recipe but I have no idea where I got it from.

HOTHOTHOT

Well, £175 lighter of wallet and an hour of helping my Dad and we have a new oil burner.

I saw how easy it was to install so next time I can do it myself. I'll also be able to do minor maintenance and cleaning now.

I missed the office christmas party but I have heat now. Lots of lovely heat !

I could run around the house naked it is so warm.

Now, that is mind pollution. Hahahahaha....

I've learned something new. I like it.

I did have a wee swally last night and made a huge pot of mashed potato and had veggie bangers with it. Marvellous.

Tonight it will be my infamous leek and gruyere tart with baby boiled potatoes and spinach.

UPDATE!

Feckin' mofo.....

Ok, the oil burner was replaced but now one of the two water pumps has died. Why there is two I dunno. One should do the job.

One pump has died and now we have no heating. AAAAAAAARRRGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Big fire going, which is nice, sourcing of two water pumps will commence next week.

No point just replacing one.

FAAAAAAAAACCKKK !

Only raki can save me now.

http://www.sfakia-crete.com/sfakia-crete/raki.html

Cut and paste....I can't be arsed makin' it html.