GADO GADO

It's been years and years since I've made gado gado.  Actually, I think it's probably been 20 years, crikey!  Anyhoo... we got a hankering for it for some bizarre reason.  

I went to the supermarket during 'the lockdown' but couldn't find peanut butter ... it's just not a thing here.  It's not like the shelves were cleaned out of it but they just don't do peanut butter.  

I did, however, buy a packet of peanuts.  I found a traditional gado gado recipe which uses roasted peanuts which I pounded into a rough sauce  (adding garlic, tamarind, fresh red Thai chillies (bought from an asian grocer and frozen for months, still good), fish sauce, palm sugar and lime juice with my pestle and mortar.  It was so scrum.  Vegetarian and utterly scrum for it.  

Beef Pie

Andy made this from scratch.  He made the pastry, he slow-cooked the beef for the filling, blind baked the bottom so it was not soggy.  It was so damn delicious.   Homemade beef pie is what we should all be doing right now (if we are lucky enough to have access to a kitchen and access to ingredients without an abusive/poverty-driven/ abuse driven household.  Anyway, if we are lucky enough,  homemade beef pie sets the world straight if just for one night.  Thank you babe 💕 

Ditch the bra......

We are in our 10^th day of the official lockdown here.  We can go out…sort of.  I have to keep my runs within 1km on our house and carry a self signed form with the time and date I leave the house.  

Only one of us can go out for shopping or for anything at any time. We can go to the closest food store only.   For essential needs (i.e. if the Gendarmerie pulled me up they could check my shopping and deem it unnecessary).  If I had my hideous rib injury, which has only just now recovered during Andy’s broken ankle we’d be pretty fucked because we rely on each other so much here in normal circumstance let alone unusual circumstance.  

Sooo Andy had some new ways to repurpose my discarded bra...... says it all 😊

  

The Toll

I am more concerned about the emotional rather than physical toll this thing is taking.  Unless there is a fact-based scenario (which the WHO should be able to generate right now)  what happens to people under serious financial stress?   Surely we can do better than this?   The WHO needs to start adding up suicide rates from lack of financial stability and depression from the impact, including isolation and the toll that takes.  Imagine being in the grimmest hour financially as a business owner, you've already been sick for weeks, months even years wondering how to make ends meet and trying to support the kids and then this hits. What are people to do? They are too small to have a big fall back like a bank when all debts are ultimately written off.  😖

WTF???

So, we are all technically in lockdown here in France starting last night ( Saturday 14 March).

My Joey and dad have had to cancel their trip here.  It was the only thing they could do considering the circumstances but it's just been so vague.  They have rebooked direct to MAN (via DXB) which should be OK.  The UK is announcing long term self-isolation for those over 70, however, these are for Brits to try and manage the public health (NHS).  That doesn't affect my ma and pa.  But it is concerning none the less.  We, as little peeps - the public are left scraching our heads.  What the fuck do we do?

On a tiny note, Andy and I  have prepaid for the Porsche to be picked up from here early Monday morning 16 March for a service in Dijon. This service has been booked for months,  delayed with Andy's broken ankle because we need both of us to be able to drive in order to collect it and drive it back.  We can't drive it there because .... well it needs transporting.    So what do we do?  We have prepaid the guy to come and pick the car up from here to transport it to Dijon first thing Monday.  Last night there was a random announcement everything is closed baring essential services, food, and pharmacies.  

So,  the service centre in Porche Dijon will likely be closed tomorrow.  But there is no advice on the Porsche website.  We have no idea what to do with that.  We are paying 400euro for the collection and delivery of the frigging car -pick up from Signeville early tomorrow (Monday) morning.

This is a minor but when the government announces something major on a Saturday night it leaves us all wondering WTF???  AND Andy is over 60 so he is advised to remain at home.  Well, he has to be anyway because of his ankle but seriously?

Jeez. This should be handled far better than it is.  We aren't really affected by the scheme of things.  Imagine those that are truly affected.  What a complete governmental disaster.  And it is not just France who has mishandled this whole situation.  There is no clear dialogue.  Can't the WHO step in and be leaders?

Pisses me off.  Big time.  And don't even ask about Trump right now.  What an utter joke.

I just hope this whole fiasco is a role play as to how to do it better next time round.

Yummy roasted chicken and turkey with spice and brine

Yummmmmmmm roasted pre-salted chicken leg.  Served with a vindaloo and potato curry sauce, salad and rice.  That chicken was very very delicious.  It looks so plain on the plate but was indescribably delicious.  

Then the next night we cooked Turkey.  Brined in salt and sugar overnight to season the turkey thigh throughout.

Simply with roasted apple, sage, onion and potato.  Sauteed red cabbage and lettuce.  Yum scrum.  It's interesting playing around with brine solutions vs just simply salting for a couple of days. Not sure what's best but what I do know is that anyhow you do it, ensure any meat has been thoroughly dried off and left uncovered in the fridge for a day or 2 for that delicious crispyness.

A Gorgeous Winters’ Evening

It was still as a still thing, not a breath of wind, so we decided a fire was in order.

Andy popped loads of wood in the outside firepit and viola!

We had a fabulous night snuggled up in our blankets around the fire, talking and listening to music.  The best thing was that Andy was able to get some wood and light the fire after his broken ankle.  He's still soooo sore but he can at least get about a tiny bit more.

Good Evening Signeville, you are a delight.

We love this wee spot