The Pros and Cons of Winter (Blogmas Day 3)

At the time of writing I am sat on the sofa in my living room, which just so happens to have a proper fire in it.

Not a gas fire, or an electric fire or even a wood burning stove (as lively as they are) but a proper, in the grate, needs a big hearth and a rug incase it spits, fire.

 

This is how I know winter has arrived generally because we have to get the chimney sweep out in order that we can light the thing without filling the room with smoke and the coal man comes and fills up the coal hole in the garage. Winter has arrived and it it just marvellous.

 

But it's not all toasty fires is it? At the time of writing I also have really rather badly chapped lips, despite liberal applications of lip balm. Only a small thing yes, but the constant stinging is starting to irritate me now and I would be much happier if it just shoved right off and left me to enjoy the flamey goodness in peace.

 

So, I thought I would do a little list of the pros and cons of winter. It is by no way comprehensive and certainly isn't in any particular order just as they occur to me. At this stage, I have just as little idea as you do as to what they are going to be. Let's find out together shall we?

 

Pros of Winter

1. Soup: Oh yes. Soup. I know you can have soup any time of the year, gazpacho for instance is designed for the summer months, but I am talking about proper hearty soups that warm not only the body but the spirit too. Those sort of soups you don't crack out until the temperature drops and boy are they worth waiting for.
2. Hot Chocolate: In particular Christmas hot chocolates from cafés. Normally, I am not a fan of buying over priced drinks out and about because I am a bit cheap and I know I have access to free drinks either at home or at work. But at Christmas, there are exciting flavours and cute cups to be had. Who can resist!?
3. Cosy PJs: Is there a better excuse for new PJs than the fact that it's getting chillier? I am also including onesies and twosies in this because I LOVE THEM! If I could, I would spend the majority of my time in my nightwear. The choice of cute and fun designs is endless and they are just so much comfort than 'Human Clothes' (As my friend Rose has taken to calling regular outfits).
4. Movie nights (and days!): With the weather getting colder, you have the perfect excuse to stay in, curl up under a blanket and watch a good film, comedy dvd or do a box set marathon. Settle in and get comfy because you don't need to go out really do you?
5. Getting in from the cold: If you've managed to work the timer on your central heating so the house is already warm when you get in (you knew you would have to venture out eventually) it feels like you being defrosted. It is pure bliss to shake off the chill and melt away into point 4 above.

 

Cons of Winter

1. Layers upon layers upon layers : After establishing that coming in from the cold is great, sadly it does require that you go out in it first. And for me, that means layers! I get cold very easily and I do not like being cold which means I complain a lot if I am. This means I have to layer up during winter to the point of feeling like the Michelin Man. I will wear tights, leggings and socks under my jeans. Which I will then cove with winter boots. And while this stops me being cold, it also stops me being able to bend my knees.
2. It's SO DARK: Obvious but true. Winter means it's dark. Which makes me feel a bit fed up. Although I have to admit I have made it pretty far in without getting too down in the dumps this year which I feel is an achievement. But spending all the daylight hours at work is never a fun way to pass the time.
3. Shoppers: With winter comes Christmas (you wondered when that was coming didn't you?) but with Christmas comes Christmas shoppers. And Christmas shoppers clog up the town centre when I am trying to take my lunch break. My 1 hour of being out in actual sunlight per day. Get out of my way and let me have my vitamin D time in peace.
4. Christmas Shopping: In particular when you don't know what to get the person in question. I love giving presents, I really enjoy it, but I want to do it well and that can be hard when you have NO idea what to get someone. Give me a clue please?
5. Being ill: Everyone is ill in winter so even if you're not actually poorly yourself you are trying yo avoid getting one big or another. I commute. On a jam packed tin box of germs. And then I go to work in an office dealing with members of the public. Who are full of germs. And my co-workers come in from other locations where they have interacted with other groups of germ-tastic people. I'm not trying to be mean about the people on my train or the people I work with. We are all full of germs, myself included. It's just a wonder I'm not coughing up my own lungs for a greater percentage of the year.

 

I am pleased to report that I found coming up with the Pros list much easier than the Cons which is surely a good thing. I know there are many more for each category so please feel free to share your favourites and hates of this chillier seasons.

 

Love Charlotte xx

A pumpkin is for life, not just for Halloween.

Well, for the general Autumn/Winter season at any rate.

 

Hello.

Much to my annoyance last year, as soon as Halloween was over, the pumpkins disappeared from the supermarkets. It was almost like they aren't actually a vegetable, just a decorative item or fun filled half term pass-time.

 

This just isn't true.

 

I only really found out I liked pumpkin last year so I was all set to make up for a lot of missed pumpkin opportunities. But I couldn't because they were more scarce than chicken teeth. There's a high quality, old fashioned saying for you! And they are conspicuous by their absence again this year. Disappointing.

 

Pumpkin is delicious. Roasted up it's super tasty. I imagine it also makes a good mash or maybe as a gratin? I am open to suggestions. I am currently in love with pumpkin and chorizo soup. It's super tasty and sooo easy to make. And it saddens me that pumpkins are just thrown away, not to be eaten. What a waste.

 

By all means, carve a pumpkin! I carved mine. It was a good time. If you're interested here is what I did:

Not very traditional I grant you, but I highly recommend taking a power drill to a pumpkin. Very good fun.

 

But before I could do that. I had to do all the prep:

 

I decided to cut the bottom off rather than the top, again breaking with tradition. It's easier to deal with the candle situation and it adds a bit of stability.

Then came the less pleasant part, scooping out the seeds. A mixture of hands and a metal spoon seems to be the best way of doing this.

Finally, it was time to get the flesh out. I used a teaspoon as it was a the only thing that fit in the cavity. And I scraped. And scraped. And scraped. And approximately one lifetime later I had managed to get enough pumpkin out.

1.3 KILOGRAMS OF PUMPKIN!

Oh yes. Bargain.

 

So what do you do with over a kilogram of pumpkin? Make soup of course! Just like I said above.

First fry up the chorizo. Then take out of the pan and fry up the onions.

Chuck the pumpkin in and cook that for a bit until it starts to soften.

Add stock and simmer for half an hour or so.

 

I am well aware none of the above pictures look that appealing. And to be brutally honest, the finished product is a strange sludgy brown colour. But boy is it scrumptious! All you do is blend it to the desire consistency and chuck the chorizo back in!

In total I made 10 portions of soup. At around 50p a soup! And I had a nice time to boot. (I am all about the funny phrases today).

 

So there it is. Pumpkin soup and an autumnal decoration. It is a multifunctional food that should be available AFTER Halloween please.

 

Love Charlotte xx

 

 

Ps. I was so bothered by the disappearing pumpkins that I found myself in this Twitter conversation:

Thanks Sainsburys. I shall look forward to next year.