December favourites

This post is a bit late owing to my inability to remember that a monthly favourites post needs writing up, well - monthly. 

December was a busy month work wise, and with Christmas as well it seemed to go by in the blink of an eye. But, there was still time for favourites - some old, some new and some... somewhere in between. 

Tea - I drink a lot of tea. More than I care to admit, especially if I'm working from home. My sister and her husband got M and I drinking Yorkshire Tea for hard water, it really does seem to work with the horridly hard water we have in London. 

Russett apples - I love Russetts, as soon as I see them in the shops I put them in my basket. One of the most oft heard complaints from me as we go around the supermarket is that there are no good apples. I hate the imported, pappy, flavourless apples that seem to be so popular these days. Most of the year I eat Cox's but can't wait for the crispy balance of sweet and tart that is a russett. To me, they're real apples. And no, I can't believe I've written a paragraph praising an apple either. What was even better was that these were from Sainsbury's Basics range - proof again that this range is such good value. 

Amaretto - last month I talked about spiking my hot chocolate with this liquer and this month I've been mixing it up with Gluwhein (from Aldi - I love their German Christmas treats) as a festive treat. 

My mum (not photographed) - while I was doing my "Don't panic it's just a roast" Christmas posts, she was there reminding me of things that I'd forgotten over the course of year, and giving me hints and tips to include - she really was a favourite last month! 

Pulses - split peas, cannellini beans, lentils... you name it. In the name of making sure that Christmas wasn't too costly I've been bulking our meals out so that I can use less meat and more vegetables without M feeling deprived of protein. 

So that's it. December favourites from the pantry. An oddly unfestive round up from me. Was there anything you enjoyed cooking or cooking with last month? 

November favourites

Last month's October favourites post seems to have been relatively popular so I thought I'd do another to let you know what I've been enjoying cooking with, using and making in the pantry this month.

November's been a funny month - busy on the Guiding front, cold - oh so cold - and somewhat stressful. But nonetheless there has been plenty of time for pottering, baking and whatnot.

Hot chocolate - the temperature drops and suddenly the extra calories are but something to be dismissed. I am quite fussy, it has to be either drinking chocolate that you make with milk or proper cocoa. And it has to be Green & Black's. All the way. As it's an evening only treat it's spiked with amaretto. I try to kid myself that as it's made with skimmed milk it's not too bad for me. Try to kid myself you'll note.

Eggs - well not eggs themselves, but omlettes. Again I don't know if it's the cold weather, but on a few occasions this month when I've been doing the dance of the bare cupboards, I've found myself reaching for 2 eggs, a knob of butter, splash of milk, salt, pepper, some elderly mushrooms and the heel of cheese that languishes at the back of the fridge

Couch to 5km - this month has seen my progress continue to build and the only thing holding me back is time. Leaving home at 7am and not getting home until after Brownies/ Guides or working away all week aren't particularly conducive to fitting in a run. This week I've taken my kit away to Poole with me, but am still a bit wobbly about running in the dark (and without headphones it seems).

Nigella's Kitchen - I got this book for Christmas last year and I've not really cooked from it, so I've deliberately pushed myself to pick a couple of recipes this month. I suspect my New year's resolution will be to cook a new recipe  from a cookbook each week.

Cake spice - or sweet, mixed spice. I'm actually out of this at the moment, but it's my go-to spice when I want to spice a cake or bake at this time of year. All at once it tastes of Christmas, winter and autumn depending on what it's paired with and it's earthy sweetness has something about it which says 'home' to me.

And finally, my nutmeg grater, passed on to me from Mark's mum. I think I'm right in saying it was actually her Mum's, and I love it. I use nutmeg a lot in cooking at this point in the year and the grater and the spice make me smile each time I use it.

So what about your favourites this month?