Pork Pies

One of the things that I miss most about living in the US rather than the UK is food and drink.  Not that anything is necessarily better over there: but there are options that cannot be found in this country, or are hard to find.
For example, we've recently managed to find places to buy crumpets (at much less than four times the price we'd pay in the UK), and I've persuaded a brewer friend that making British style bitter is a fun thing to do (and he's produced some wonderful beer for me).
Pork pies, though, are unknown here.  So this afternoon, I embarked on a journey of at least two steps.  I made hot water pastry, I filled tins with pastry and pork, and once they were cooked, I poured pork stock into the pies to gel into aspic.

No, it wasn't a success.  I was worried about the pastry, but it turned out to actually be really good.
But the filling wasn't the nice, jelly-wrapped gentle pork goodness I'd hoped for.

But at least I'm batting .333 (to put it in a US perspective).  All I need to do is fix the rest:-)

Yours, in failing, inspired to fix the issues,
N

Playing with ancestry

I've been enjoying playing with Geni.com for a few years now: Boo's particularly delighted that it claims (with several dubious links) that she's Cleopatra's 63rd great grand-daughter.  She likely is, just not from the path they claim!

My favourite find so far is perhaps that I'm related to Jim Callahan, former prime minister of the UK.
How, you ask?  Oh, let me tell you:
Rt Hon Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, KG is my 6th great aunt's second great niece's husband's son's wife's first cousin's husband's great niece's ex-husband's great nephew's wife's grandfather.

Yours, Feeling connected,
N

And it's not just Boo!

This week, Skibo has been following in his sister's footsteps.  He's  currently in the kitchen making waffles.  Independently.  Well, largely independent: he's come through to ask where the salt is (and then, finding several different types, to ask which sort to use).
He's making a mess, and he's yet to learn how to clean up all his bowls and jugs and spoons and whisks, but that will come with time. 
The big thing is that he's cooking!

Yours, celebrating this new thing in the New Year,
N