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As I sit here Andy is expertly making an indoor log fire. I've just put the dinner on and we're all relaxing to the smells of burning wood after a day at Salcombe (incidentally in my top five places in this country). I love being in Devon. We're staying in Slapton Sands for the week in Andy's brother's holiday home which is something we come and do a few times a year if we get the chance. We wake up every day to the glorious views of the rolling green west country hills, I usually go for a jog down to the beach and back (snigger- I've done it three times EVER), and then we potter or go out for long strolls, usually in the direction of cosy pubs. The days last forever here. If we were in Brighton it would already be next Monday and Sadie would be back at school. As it is it's only Wednesday because we are in peaceful Devonshire, living a simple life. I should probably be doing it properly this calm down time, and stop using the internet. When we first arrived it was out of action so we managed a night email/facebook free. It was annoying but really liberating. We played Scrabble and read books. When we got back online I got straight back onto the facebook like a starved bear and the inevitable had happened and I'd been contacted by an old BF. This must happen on Facebook all the time. This is one of the reasons I resisted signing up to the evil lure of it in the first place, but curiousity has obviously got the better of me. Anyway- Mr Stand and Deliver had given me a poke, as they call it, so I poked him back (well it would be rude not to) and now we are messaging; catching up on what we've been up to these last 10 years. All very strange but it's nice to catch up with old faces. That's the whole point isn't it?
Here's how I did my meal last night which Andy really enjoyed (so much so he said "welcome aboard" in a Lesley Philips voice) so I'll share it with you readers .....
Cathy's Red Onion Dauphinois Potatoes
3 red onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
750g potatoes, sliced really thin, skin left on
small tubs of single and double cream
grated cheddar cheese
Butter (about 50g)
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 200. Melt butter and cook onions and garlic until soft. Mix together the two tubs of cream and then stir in seasoning. Layer a casserole dish first with the sliced potatoes, then some onion mix and then pour on 1/4 of cream. Repeat this 2or 3 times and then sprinkle on grated cheese. Cook for 1-1.5hours.
We're looking forward to two more slow days of countryside living. Do excuse the long blogs but that's what happens when time slows down....
Soundtrack: not sure but all I am listening to now is Strawberry Shortcake singing 'How do you make a friendship cake?'
