Butternut Squash Risotto

I really can't believe that I haven't shared this recipe before because it has to be one of my favourites, especially this time of year.

I love the taste and the textures and, if I've had a stressful day, there's no better therapy than standing over a big pan of risotto slowly stiring in the stock :) A real bonus to this recipe is that it's SYN free with Slimming World.

Here's what you need:

1 large leek, 200g of lean bacon, 4 garlic gloves, 250g risotto rice, 400g butternut squash, 850ml chicken stock.

Chop up all of the ingredients:

Stir fry, using Fry Light spray, the leek and bacon for 3-4 minutes:

Add the garlic, rice and butternut squash and fry for a further 2-3 minutes:

Add the stock a ladle full at a time until it is all absorbed and the rice is cooked to your liking, this takes about 20-25 minutes:

And then serve:

I always say this is autumn in a bowl and, after writing this post, I'm so pleased I've got some ready for my lunch today :)

I hope I've inspired you to try a winter warmer on this cold day.

Thanks for stopping by
Jo xx

Why Do We Do It?

I was on one of my Facebook groups the other day when a woman posted the following: "I'm leaving the group, I share loads of photos of the things I make and nobody bothers to like or comment on them and I've had enough!"

Now the last time I saw behaviour like that it was down the sweetie aisle in the supermarket and the culprit was a toddler and not a grown woman!  I did wonder if she threw tantrums like that in real life or just saved them for the online community :)

Unfortunately I've been seeing more and more posts like this and it got me questioning why we do things like share photos of things we've made or run a blog. 

Why do I read blogs was an easy question to answer, I read them because I'm nosey and love a peak at other people's lives, I love the inspiration I get from them and I'm almost certain that the people on the blogs I do visit would never stop just because they don't get comments.

For 12 years my dad lived with a dwindling memory and then no memory at all because of Alzheimer's.  I know that if the same fate should befall me then my memories and the stories I want future generations to hear will all be right here on my blog, in my words.

At the moment my chief photo bomber, AKA Maddie, doesn't really appreciate all of my stories but I know there will come a time when she'll be grateful that I wrote them all down, at least I hope she will.

I have many of my dad's stories in my head and maybe I should share some of them, especially the amazing photos he took when illegally flying too low over London before I was born!

I share my recipes and creations in the hope that someone will be inspired to give them a try, just like the blogs I read inspire me to give things a go.

I share my stories to create a bit more space in my brain for more memories, to stop my "mind palace" becoming full :)

If I don't get any comments on my blog am I going to stop doing it? No way! If someone comments on something I've said or done then it's just a bonus.

So when I ask myself the question "why do I do it?" the answer is easy:

I think most of the people who visit my blog and whose blogs I read will same the same thing but I have to ask the question.....

....why do you do it?

Thanks for stopping by
Jo xx

Week Forty Four

Another week has whizzed by!  Here are the highlights of week forty four:

The clocks changed on Sunday so I got to see the sunset from my office window:

Alfie was snuggly, as usual :)

The weather has been amazing for October and I was actually wearing summer clothes!

My Tuesday walk is now in darkness so I made sure I could be seen, safety first :)

And getting this Fitbit award for walking 500 miles since July makes it all worth while!

Another week and another dirty pudding :)

And more cuddles with my boy, he really thinks he's a lap dog!

Our Halloween tradition is to watch Hocus Pocus, such a great film.

I got the shock of my life when I got to Paul's on Friday.  He asked me to make a brew and when I opened the cupboard this was waiting for me.  A gorgeous bracelet and charm to congratulate me on losing 5 stone!

I managed to cast on three Christmas presents at the weekend:

And Paul's sister, Frances, gave me an amazing gift.  A whole bag of sheep's wool straight from the sheep!  This is the first harvest from the sheep so it was removed by hand and not shears.  Now I need to have a look and see what I can make with it.

I got caught up with another three weeks of Project Life:

And spent some time with this pretty girl:

October has come to an end and, looking back it was a good one:

Now it's time to enjoy November.

Have a good week and thanks for stopping by
Jo xx

Lazy Soup

This year I treated myself to a soup maker and it really has made a difference to my diet.

I always used to make soup in a pan and then transfer it to a blender blah, blah, blah.  But now I have this beauty and soup making isn't a chore anymore.

I used a casserole pack of veg, salt & pepper, a vegetable stock cube, some herbs and some water:

I filled the soup maker to the first line with the veg:

Added seasoning, herbs and stock cube:

Filled it to the second line with water;

And switched it on.  As you can see, it has settings for smooth, chunky and juice:

Just a mere 21 minutes later I had lovely, tasty, fresh soup.  It makes enough for 3 big bowl fulls:

Less mess and a lot less washing up.  Of course you don't have to be as lazy as me, you could prep your own veg and not buy ready done :)

If you've been thinking about getting a soup maker then I would highly recommend it.

Happy Halloween - me and Maddie will be watching Hocus Pocus tonight :)

Thanks for stopping by
Jo xx

Eating Out - Sprinkles

An amazing place has opened up just a five minute walk from Paul's, it's amazing and it's dangerous!

Let me tell you all about Sprinkles:

It sells the best ice creams in the most fantastic and weird flavours as well as waffles and crepes.

This waffle was covered in brownie pieces, fudge sauce, banana, nuts and ice cream and you may or may not be surprised to hear that I just couldn't manage it all!

I think we are trying to work our way through the menu and boy are we enjoying doing it!  Their cherry ice cream is to die for :)

Paul never has any trouble finishing his!

When Paul's sister, Frances, came over and said she'd like to go there we were both out of the door and on our way to Sprinkles before she'd finished her sentence :)

And she enjoyed it just as much as we do.

Here is one of their massive crepes but look at all of that healthy fruit piled on top, OK it is covered in maple syrup and ice cream :)

Sprinkles is open from 7 in the morning (yes indeed, ice cream for breakfast) until 11 at night and it is almost always packed.

Now here's a little plea from me to Paul - can we go there at the weekend darling because I think it's been far too long since our last visit xxx

I hope the pictures didn't make you too hungry :)

Thanks for stopping by
Jo xx

Week Forty Three

I still have lots of stories from the summer to tell but I really wanted to get back to my weekly round up posts too.  So here's week 43....that means there are just over 8 weeks until Christmas!

My week started with a trip to the garage to have the car serviced, MOT'd and finally cleaned:

It was also the week I started blogging again and I can't believe how happy it's made me to be back, here's me with the chief photo bomber!

I had lots of cuddles with my boy:

And watched my first Christmas film, I really couldn't wait any longer :)

I witnessed a crash while out on my walk, all because the drivers didn't have the patience to let the fire engine on an emergency go first!

Alfie was very naughty and found a massive stick in the garden, I always get scared when he has a stick in his mouth and starts running:

I'm' still with Slimming World and my progress has been great but I'll do a whole post on that soon. Am I still have dirty pudding after I've weighed in? Of course I am :)

I had a very rare weekend at home so my friend, Sarah, came over on Friday night and bought Chinese with her....and a bottle of cider :)

Then we settled down in our usual spots on the sofa to watch Gogglebox:

On Saturday I got a few jobs out of the way early and because the weather was so nice I managed to cut the grass, hopefully for the last time this year!

And then I tackled this mess.  I'm sure everyone has that one area/cupboard/drawer in their home that really needs a sort out.  Mine is my hallway and I've been telling myself for ages that it needs a good tidy, it's been such a dumping ground.

After a couple of hours!!!! of hard work I'm pleased to say it's looking much better:

So I rewarded myself with this:

As the clocks went back and we gained an hour on Sunday I decided to have breakfast in bed :)

Then my day was free to do some Project Life catch up, I'm currently on week 32 and I'm loving getting back in to filling my album again:

Then on Sunday I met up with my family to toast my Dad who died 7 years ago, I had his favourite tipple, a Jack Daniels....cheers Dad xxx

And I finished the weekend off by knitting a Christmas present while the boy dozed on my lap :)

Now I'm ready to rock this week like a boss!

Have a great week and thanks for stopping by
Jo xx