That feeling when you are braced for a drawn out and infuriating customer service experience, but your problem is solved without any hassle within 2 mins of an online chat. Now I feel like I have the whole day free!
This week I checked out cuisine from Liechtenstein, and came across kasknopfle or spaetzle. I more or less followed this recipe for a veganised version. The texture of the batter was surprisingly compliant. I used a chopping board and bench scraper to make strips to drop into the boiling water. The main mistake was making them far far too big. But they nonetheless cooked quickly and tasted fine. I layered the dumplings/pasta with grated not-cheese. In lieu of dried onions to top with, I used the tops of home-grown onions, which caramelised a bit in the oven, and baked it all together. I would have just eaten that alone, but I was feeding my brother too who has greater quantity and diversity requirements for his evening meal, so I served it with breaded chicken-of-the-woods from my freezer (the closest thing I could think of to thematically appropriate schnitzel) and steamed broccoli from the garden. There were plenty of leftovers, and they reheated well for a substantive lunch.
Kasknopfle, Liechtenstein: food I've never eaten
One day I'd love to visit Laos, and making kanom krok made me even more keen. They are small coconut pancakes, vegan without any modifications, also commonly found as street food in Thailand. I made the pancake batter up ahead of time and left it in the fridge for a couple of hours. It seemed quite thin. I combined coconut milk (the thickest parts from a can that had separated in the fridge) with rice flour, desiccated coconut, some leftover cooked rice, and brown sugar in the blender. For the filling, I whisked coconut milk (again, the thick part) with a little white sugar and cornstarch. Lacking a proper kanom krok pan, I made do with a muffin tin and the oven on high. I heated the tin to melt coconut oil in each one first, then poured the batter in. It sizzled. Baking these until they had a small skin on top took about 7 minutes. I pulled them out, added the filling, topped with sweetcorn and spring onion, and put them back in for another 12 minutes or so. I could/should have probably cooked them slightly longer to make the edges crispier. They were delicious, if a little soggy or droopy. I waited just long enough for the tin to cool enough to hold it with a tea towel before removing them with a spoon. They came out surprisingly easily and had more structural integrity than they looked like they should. I got eighteen in total out of the mix, and most of the first twelve were eaten before the second batch were done. An eater-of-eggs who tried them swore they would have passed as eggy desserts without question. They were easy and quick to make, and so so good, I'll definitely be making them again.
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Quiche was on the menu at the Community Kitchen this week, so I swooped in to make a vegan one with gram flour as well. I also used aging mincemeat for tarts, plus jelly with the rest of the fruit cocktail. At home I baked seedy bread, and a victoria sponge with homemade raspberry compote, and coconut cream. Dusted with coconut flour, instead of icing sugar, and only uses coconut sugar inside. It's a bit denser than ideal, though not solid. I might have a go with margarine (instead of oil) next time.
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Carob and hazelnut cake. Perfect texture! Used my usual coffee cake recipe but subbed in carob.
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Coffee, almond and sour cherry cake at Community Kitchen. Carob nut muffins for hiking.
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A few hours in Buckhaven, helping CLEAR out with a plant and local produce sale and gardens open day. Then a walk through the woods to admire the bluebells. Found a few dryad's saddle, but not a lot and nothing else.
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Day 1 of a walk to Dundee: Dysart to Falkland Hill.
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Day 2 of a walk to Dundee: Falkland Hill Pitmedden Forest.
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Day 3 of a walk to Dundee: Pitmedden Forest to Balmerino.
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Day 4 of a walk to Dundee: Balmerino to Dundee.
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Cellophane addition to my bathroom light to change the moooood.
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More dryad's saddle on the Early Warning Tree. But either someone had taken most of the new baby fruits, or the slugs had had a mega party. Kind of hard to tell, but I'm sure they were taken too young. A few survived under the nettles at the back of the log (until I got to them).
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A few large dryads in the nearby woods. Some already too old. Not all within reach. More than enough for dinner.
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A week of sunrises, blue skies, and nice walks. Some big waves in the mornings. A longer-than-usual visit from Stagecoach.
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Early starts, but most day snot as early as I'd like. Did catch a couple of sunrises though.
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A lift to Edinburgh with K for a visit to the Scottish Vegan Festival. I bought many treats. Then an afternoon and night with K, M and Lowenna. Before heading back into Edinburgh for a train down south... by way of a long chat with a Cat's Protection charity man who persuaded me to sponsor a moggy.
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Dinner at the Wee Buddha with Co-op colleagues in Edinburgh. I've always wanted to eat here, and it lived up to expectations!
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Homemade onion- and garlic-free falafel for J.
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Beach walkies. Max was getting in the way of mowing the lawn so we put the seedling-protector over him. He was happy. Wagging for a new ball access challenge.
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Khichdi (mung bean dal, rice, tomato, spices), an Indian dish I picked up from Vipassana kitchen. Spaetzle (veganised with semolina and spelt flour instead of egg), baked with not-cheese and onion, served with breaded chicken-of-the-woods and greens, from Leichtenstein, Germany, Switzerland and thereabouts. Kanom krok, sweet/savoury coconut mini pancakes from Laos or Thailand.
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My upstairs neighbour left me a bag of massive cabbage leaves, so what else is there to do but make stuffed cabbage rolls? I've eaten the like in Czech Republic, Ukraine, Poland, and doubtless other places in Eastern Europe too. I didn't follow any particular recipe, but made the rice filling with brown and black lentils, onion and goji berries, and the sauce from onion, tomato and carrot. After blanching and stuffing the cabbage leaves, I simmered them in the sauce for about an hour. Delicioius! In a further burst of inspiration, I made matcha and white chocolate cookies, and they came out perfect. I have been seeking this cookie texture my whole life. I hope I can replicate it with other flavours. Also pictured: lunch with Kama vegan bakes pies and homemade pickled tomatoes.
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Homemade ravioli stuffed with smoked cashew cheese (from Kama Vegan Bakes) were a success! Tried to adapt my perfect stuffed matcha cookies to use peanut butter and be stuffed with compote, but they were way too soft, and should have baked longer. Also bread.
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Matcha and chocolate cookies at the Community Kitchen. Only vegan margarine available was in 10g sachets.. we make do..
A boatload of dryad's saddle. Found a chicken of the woods that is not ready yet. Plus a too-old ring of St George (finally) and other unidentified things.
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Planted out tomatoes, cucumber and dwarf french beans in the footpath garden. Some things are sprouting in places I do not remember planting them. Also more aubergines have come up, some very belated sweet peppers, and a whole load of long slim chillis.
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A wee chilli harvest. Many long peppers are growing. Planted out brussels sprouts and romanesco in the garden. Potted up aubergine, sweet peppers and yet more celery. Planted sunflowers and rockery plants in the footpath garden. Look at the flower on the salsify we have been neglecting!
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2.5 hour each way trip on a bus full of football fans, was worth it to hang out with J and F in Glasgow and get tasty lunch at Mono, doughnuts at Tantrum, and fancy half price hot chocolate from Hotel Chocolat.
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Max time, a couple of walks into town (coffee at Black Cat Cafe), braw days and grey days.
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R and I had a mushroom pie competition, impartially adjudicated by Dave. We presented two entries each. Competition was fierce, but I won. My homemade pastry tipped it. R got more points for presentation; his fillings were basic dryad's saddle and onion, and dryad's saddle with split peas. My "forager's pie" (the winner) was a dryad's saddle and black lentils spiced mince (Cornish-pasty-esque); and my "winner winner chicken dinner" pie was chicken-of-the-woods chunks and sweetcorn in a creamy dryad's saddle gravy with thyme and rosemary.
Marinaded thick wedges of dryad's saddle in homemade BBQ sauce, then stuck them in the oven for an hour. Result: tasty mushroom steaks! Served with sweet potato mash, and homegrown sprouting broccoli.
A quick detour through some woods on the way to Perth and.... spent the rest of the afternoon there. Just a few agates. Canny tell ya where.
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Checked into a room bigger than my flat, including a bathroom with ceiling arches, and a view over Wortley Hall's fantastic grounds. Day one of the CoGM, with some team building and strategic thinking, lunch with aggressive ducks, plus a long walk through the fields in the afternoon.
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A sunset walk in the hills around Wortley. Definitely no getting lost, confrontations with cows, or strange men burning logs. Found an inkycap, and left it to go splat to make some mushroom art, before redistributing it in the Wortley Hall grounds. The next day, clear skies for sunrise, and I had front row seats. Into Sheffield for a fantastic brunch at South Street Kitchen. And then the train ride home.
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It's the time of year again for a long hike. This time, through the middle of Fife to the north coast, then along the coastal path to the Tay bridge, and over to Dundee. I had thought if we were at the bridge with enough time and energy, we might continue round to St Andrew's from the other direction instead, but that was not to be. We had way points, but not a route plan, and figured it out as we went along. The result was less direct than it could have been. The weather was primarily great, and although my walking boots rebelled and were causing pain by the end of the first day, it was still a fab trek. Loading... Distance: mi — Duration: — Pace: /mi — Avg HR: bpm — Elevation: + ft, - ft (net: ft) The quality of the photos is atrocious; my camera is now completely out of focus on the right hand side. Day 1: Dysart to Falkland Hill I was absolutely convinced we could get to Pillars of Hercules by tea time, but after 12 and a half miles of walking we had barely even made it to the Lomond Hills. We followed Queen Mary's Road from Wemyss to Balgonie, went through Markinch and skirted around the east and north of Glenrothes via a little detour through Balbirnie Park, and stopped to fill up our water bottles at the Pitcairn Center, before heading towards the Lomond Hills and pitching camp at the corner of some woods, away from the main trail at the foot of East Lomond. This was all familiar territory, and we were perhaps overconfident in terms of ground we could cover, and did lots of unfocussed zigzagging. At some point Max picked up an empty plastic bottle and decided this is much better than a ball for fetch. See all photos from day 1. Day 2: Falkland Hill to Pitmedden Forest We walked between East and West Lomond, along the lime kiln trail, and into the back of the Falkland Estate. We finally got to Pillars of Hercules, in time for a spectacularly disappointing not-sausage sandwich. But a nice coffee, and some communing with a friendly robin. The accessible footpaths were not giving us a lot of options north of Falkland, and we took an indirect route to Auchtermuchty via Strathmiglio. We almost had to detour all the way to Dunshalt, but cut through a field instead. On the way into Auchtermuchty we passed through the grounds of a big fancy house, which were very nice. In Auchtermuchty itself, we looked around the high street and old buildings, said hello to friendly locals, and then I stuck my head into the one cafe in town thinking - after the Pillars disappointment - that maybe they'd have one vegan cake, for a treat. A treat! Almost all of the cakes were vegan, and there was a range of about twenty options. They had vegan cream and marshmallows for a hot chocolate, and vegan dog treats (handmade in East Wemyss!). They took a picture of Max doing 'nose' for their facebook page. Even though he was wet and muddy, and slobbered the treat all over the floor, they made him welcome. We stayed for a while, enjoying the fab treats and lovely atmosphere. The cafe - the Old Barn - is also (was originally) a furniture upcycling shop. Definitely recommend if you're in the area.. or even worth going out of the way for. Out of Auchtermuchty and into Pitmedden Forest we went. We've been here before, but took a route through the woods which was new; one that skirts around several hills. The woods were full of downed trees from recent storms. Ancient things with huge roots which had hoisted enormous clumps of soil up into the air, and sometimes nearby fences to boot. We camped under the conifers, out of sight of the well-used track. Our longest day, at 17.9 miles. See all photos from day 2. Day 3: Pitmedden Forest to Balmerino The next stop was Newburgh, which would signify us finally reaching the banks of the Tay, and the Fife Coastal Path at last. In fact, Newburgh is the very start of the Fife Coastal Path, and I was determined to find the beginning of it. I backed up along the coast until I ran out of signs, but saw nothing of any significance. But later discovered I should have gone inland a bit, for the true start. Maybe next time. Or, close enough. After Newburgh the coastal path goes inland. On OpenStreetMap it looks like there is a trail running right along the coast, but being somewhat time constrained and not sure exactly how accurate that was, we stuck to the signposted route. I expect to return in future to attempt the very coastal trail though. We passed along the edge of fields with lovely views over the Tay, and regular alternating between drizzly grey and warm blue skies. After Glenduckie we veered from the official path and took a shortcut through the woods alongside Norman's Law. Again, lots of downed trees. We stopped to look around a very old and overgrown churchyard at Creich. I really wanted to camp closer to the coast, so we pressed on despite being pretty much ready to stop. We finally turned into a narrow strip of trees off the main path, and pitched the tent in a quiet spot, after a total of 14.4 miles. See all photos from day 3. Day 4: Balmerino to Dundee Almost as soon as we got to the wood that runs along the edge of the Tay we found a far more perfect spot for a campsite. Next time! We lingered over an hour there; Max systematically destroying every one in a giant pile of sticks, and R scouring the beach for agates. Our next stop was Balmerino village, which is super lovely! I'd move there. We looked around the grounds of the Abby, which includes a giant and stunningly gnarly 400 year old chestnut tree. The path leads shortly to Kirton of Balmerino, and then, after longer than it feels like it should, to Wormit and Woodhaven. The weather continued to change between extremes at short notice. We passed under the rail bridge, and along the beach a way before realising we had only sheer cliffs and crashing waves in front of us; but instead of turning back to find the proper path, we dug through the undergrowth to scramble up and alledgedly disused stairway and through some spiky bushes and over a 5 foot high brick wall, to the road. It was still far to walk, mostly through the town streets, to get to the pedestrian bridge at Newport-on-Tay. A storm cloud passed over us as we crossed the bridge, and soaked us. The bridge is infinitely long when you're on foot. Max was thoroughly unimpressed by the loud traffic on either side, and positively tore my arm off with the lead, forcing me to walk at a hitherto unforeseen pace to make it to the other side. At last, Dundee! 12 miles on the final day. The sun promptly came back out. I made a beeline for Rad Apples but found it closed. So we summoned just enough energy to head across town to Loco Rita's, where Max was welcomed despite, once again, being wet and muddy, and we ate great vegan tacos on a comfy sofa. Then we conked out for the hour and a half bus ride home. See all photos from day 4.
Finished The Vampire Lestat, started Queen of the Damned (but already, totally different voice, not so into it). Caught up on Co-op admin and governance stuff. Gave away loads of excess seedlings on Freegle and to Greener Kirkcaldy. Made many cookies at the Community Kitchen, and dal, and ravioli, jam stuffed peanut cookies, falafel, and hazelnut carob cake at home. Self-seeded nasturtiums, chard and mysterious other things continue to sprout in the footpath garden. Jalapenos sprouted on my windowsill. Tried St George's mushrooms for the first time, courtesy of Veg Man. Went to an amazing talk in Aberdour by Debora Kayembe, in support of Aberdour Refugee Resettlement and Support. Had a fab day in Glasgow with F and J. Nice weather. Went out for a mushroom walk, and found lots of dryad's saddle, baby chicken of the woods, and a too-old ring of St George..
Did tons of Co-op work/thinking about governance, cohesion, and decision making for staff welfare. Made mushroom steaks, teriyaki mushroom stir fry, and had a mushroom pie competition. Dinner at the Wee Buddha in Edinburgh with Co-op colleagues was fab. Another week of nice sunrises. Made coffee, almond and sour cherry cake, and stir fry at the Community Kitchen. Set out to walk from Dysart to Dundee. Day 1 was Dysart to the Lomond Hills, day 2 was the Lomond Hills to Pitmeddon woods and day 3 was Pitmedden to the hills outside of Balmerino.
Took the week off work! But still had loads to do. Took part in a panel for the W3C AC meeting, about sustainability and web standards. Planted chillis and potted up romanesco. Made coconut chia puddings at the Community Kitchen, peppers stuffed with lentils and mung beans with tempeh on top, and krompirusa again. Called the fire brigade for the first time ever. Fortunately nothing turned out to be on fire, but better safe than sorry.. K, M and Lowenna came to visit. Dryad's saddle season is beginning. The early warning tree is fruiting, but nothing so far anywhere else. Did clean up a load of stuff from the woods when we were out looking though. Went in the sea. Some beautiful days. Caught up on Picard.... quite disappointing tbh. Got various little DIY things done... or partly done... door thresholds in hallway, internal kitchen cupboard improvements, clocks/hooks on the walls.. Went on an adventure to [redacted] woods in Perthshire, where we discovered large quantities of amazing shiny rocks...
Caught up on Co-op stuff that I've been neglecting. A grey week, in contrast to last week, warm and cold. Finished Shadow of the Hegemon, started The Vampire Lestat. Baked vegan quiche, mincemeat tarts (still dragging out the christmas leftovers), and made jelly at the Community Kitchen. Made khichdi, a victoria sponge cake, spaetzle/knoepfle (Liechtenstein) and kanom krok (Laos). Went to the Black Cat Cafe, and discovered many exciting new things down the far end of the High St where I don't normally go.. a new veg shop and organic food store! Also got top Kirkcaldy gossip in the cafe. Harvested more dryad's saddle from the early warning tree. Potted up French beans. More aubergines sprouted, and sweet peppers, better late than never. A few nasturtiums and mystery seedlings sprouted in footpath garden. Planted out tomatoes in footpath garden. Only inkycap mushrooms are coming up in the new chilli farm, but Hungarian black peppers are ripening. Soya beans hadn't come up, and some digging around revealed they seem to have rotted. Will be contacting Johnson's.. Hung out with Max. Put yellow and pink cellophane (that I found in Furniture Plus!) in my bathroom light to make it warmer and less stark. Definite improvement. Started a series of posts on cooking experiments from countries I've never been to. In lieu of actually travelling, and inspired by worldle generating a new inspirational country every day. Went to the Scottish vegan festival in Edinburgh, spent about £100 on hot sauce and other tasty things, then stayed over with K&M and poor wee Lowenna who is recovering (well) from emergency surgery.
Long peppers sprouted! Many! Three days in Wortley Hall with ODSC! For our first almost-whole-coop IRL meeting since the beforetimes. We had a great time, got some useful strategic thinking done, went on long walks in the Yorkshire countryside, and - as is traditional - ate lots of carbs. Attended a W3C FO Council meeting. Saw the Ethical Web Principles and Privacy Principles move onto the W3C Statement Track. Looked inside some rocks. Enjoyed a day in Buckhaven for a CLEAR gardens open day and plant sale. Helped out at the stall selling locally grown and made jams, chutneys, relish, etc. Came home with two sunflowers, and two pretty rockery succulents.. Looked for dryads saddle on the way back, and found enough for a few meals, but not a ton. Planted out brussel sprouts, and many romanesco, and for some reason loads more onions. Potted up even more of the celery seedlings, with a view to giving as much away as possible, and also the aubergine and sweet peppers that sprouted late, though no idea where they're going to live yet. Someone deposited a bag of large cabbage leaves on my doorstep, so I made stuffed cabbage, Eastern Europe stylee.