Shirley's Halloween Mini Journal - October 2018

The Junk Journal Cover Page Halloween Design Challenge

Shirley Greaves has designed an excellent cover page for our Halloween week. Well done Shirley. Has anyone else got one to show? Entries in today please.

Chicken with Plums and Bacon

Sometimes I develop a craving for a dish with a combination of sweet and savory flavors, like meat, chicken or fish with fruit. This recipe is a twist to Coq au vin, Chicken with Plum and Bacon. it is great for entertaining because it is a one-pot dish and very tasty.
I use drumsticks or thighs instead of breast meat for richer flavor. I serve it white plain rice and it was absolutely delicious.

Ingredients
(4 servings)
* 8 chicken thighs or drumsticks or a mix of both , bone in and skin on
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 4 bacon slices, back or streaky, but preferably smoked, cut into small pieces
* 1 onion, finely chopped
* 2 garlic cloves, sliced
* Zest and juice of 1 orange
* 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 bay leaf
* 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
* 1/2 cup red wine or more, most certainly 1 too enjoy while cooking!!!
* Salt and pepper
* 1 tablespoon honey
* 4 fresh red plums or apricots
Directions
1. In a large pot heat the olive oil, add the bacon and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes or until crispy. Remove and set aside.
2. Rub the chicken with salt and pepper and to the pot. Saute for about 3 minutes on each side or until brown. Remove from the pot and set aside with the bacon.
3. Add the onions to the pot and cook for about 5 minutes or until translucent, add more olive oil if necessary. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the red wine and with a wooden spoon scrape the bottom of the pot.
4. Add the chicken, bacon and remaining ingredients to the pot. Cook over medium- low heat for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or place in crockpot on low for 5 hours or until the chicken is cooked and the sauce has thicken. Add more chicken stock if necessary. Serve warm over white rice with a nice selection of green veg.

Terri’s latest junk journal

Terri has completed this beautiful journal as a present for her daughter. Love is!

Deb's Junk Journal 22nd Oct. 2018

Halloween Junk Journal Page event

Sharon's Halloween Design for a junk journal page, above.

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Terri's Junk Journal page, above

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We have an event for Halloween Design a junk journal page with a Halloween theme.
These two pictures show Lesley's page, which I think is excellent.

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Stella's Junk Journal Page for Halloween.

Happy Mail 22nd October 2018

Desiree to Stella

Desiree's Gratitude Journal

Desiree's gratitude junk journal.

Bedfordshire Clangers

So what's in the pot? Can you guess?

This is a recipe very local... It's called Bedfordshire Clangers.

Here they are cooking............

Two little beauties boiling in their muslin parcels.

 

 

Every 40 minutes I have to top up the water, so I set the alarm so I don't forget. Don't want the puddings to go dry.

 

 

 

 

After 2 hours boiling, I take them out of the pan, using the string rope so I don't burn my fingers and set them aside to cool a bit.

 

Where the string meets in the middle, the pudding will divide naturally. So I will have four puddings all together or two for greedy people. Traditionally there would be meat at one end and jam at the other but I have only meat and onion in mine today. The idea was that you started up one end with the meat, gravy added and then you worked your way down to the jam end which you would eat with custard.

I served mine with mashed swede this time. My son and I love mashed swede with butter in.

 

 

 

It's advisable to open the dumpling up as soon as possible to let the steam out so it can cool down a bit. We like to pour HP sauce over it. American equivalent would be steak sauce but it's not the same. HP sauce is available in Fresh Market.

 

After all that cooking and eating, it's time for a mug of tea to wash it all down and maybe a snooze.

 

This is a recipe from Oma's Kitchen.

 

The main ingredients are as follows:

1 lb of self raising flour

8 ozs of suet

cold water to make the dough

a pinch of salt

one onion, chopped

a packet of lardons, added to the onion

some fresh herbs to taste

Method:

Make up the dough by adding the suet to the flour in a large bowl. Add the water until the dough is pliable (you can roll it out)

Roll out four circles.

Cook the onions and add the lardons.

Put herbs in with the ingredients, either in the meat or in the pastry.

Put the mixture in the centre of the circle and close the dumpling up.

Roll it into the muslin square.

Hint: If you flour the muslin square first, it will seal the dumpling as soon as you lower it into the boiling water.

When you have the dumplings tied up, leave one end of string dangling so you can grab it later on and lower the dumplings into the water.

Get it back to boiling and put the lid on, half cock.

Keep the water topped up and the pot boiling for two hours.

Good luck if you want to try it.

It's not for the squeamish and it is very high in cholesterol BUT

it is very delicious!

Oma

 

Happy Mail 16th October 2018

Sueann to Stella

Our Ivy Pocket Junk Journal Page Challenge - 14th October 2018

This was our challenge:

Yesterday, 30th September, was the start of the Celtic tree month of Ivy. Ivy is a climber and relies for its existence on clinging to a wall or a tree. With tiny tendrils of roots, it makes its way slowly upwards and around until it has a firm hold of its host. Likewise we, as people, depend on each other for our existence. No matter how much we want to do it alone, there will come a time when we need others. The challenge is to design a junk journal page, complete with a pocket, using the theme of ivy. Your design should describe our need for others and the satisfaction brought to each of us through our dependence on other people.

Liz's Ivy Pocket Page

The silk flower represents my family circle,

The ivy represents growth and lives entwined,

The tag in the pocket has an image of soldiers marching which represent the struggles and battles we endure on life's path and

The butterflies represent freedom from fears and beautiful things that occur even in our troubled times.

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Melissa's Ivy Pocket Page

The vines are the many friendships that grow and the leaves are the friends i know very well. It's great to have friends that care and people helping one another

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Stella's Ivy Pocket Page

Getting to Know You from The King and I

Having a penpal is all about getting to know each other. It is also about finding out about another part of the country or world where that penpal lives. In our crafting community, we also share our love of junk journalling, making the world a better place, page by page.

It is fun to share our love of creating things and gifting our surplus ephemera etc. with each other.

Happy Mail 11th October 2018

Nicholette to Kazia.

Our Members have been busy this week already!

 Catherine's Junk Journal

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Melissa's Boho Junk Journal