Weekend Cooking – Burns Night!

Posted on January 21, 2012 by Julie Goucher
As this is the last Weekend before 25th January, I thought that I would write about Burns Night. Last year I wrote a guest post over at Geneabloggers last year about Burns Night, explaining how it is celebrated, the poems and with what foods. I have also mentioned previously about a typical meal, in which the essential ingredients are Haggis, Potato and Suede or as they call it north of the border neep!
Haggis can be found in most super markets here in the UK. They are usually found on the fresh meat counters and can be frozen. I routinely have at least two in the freezer. They do need defrosting before cooking.
Haggis can be cooked on the hob, in a pan of boiled water. As soon as the water boils reduce the heat and add the Haggis, with the water simmering it takes around an hour. Haggis can also be cooked in the oven, remove from the plastic casing and wrap in tin foil. Place the Haggis into an oven proof dish with a little water and cook, usually for around an hour. If you cook via the microwave, I usually remove the outer plastic and skin, and don’t forget the metal clips at the ends! Cut the Haggis into small segments and cook on full power. Length of time will vary depending on your microwave. 
Picture of ready cooked Haggis.

Haggis Pie
Cook Suede and Potatoes
Haggis cooked for about 3 minutes in the microwave (mine is 900w)
Cut Haggis into sections and place in bottom of a dish, I use a Lasagna dish
Mash Suede and place on top of Haggis
Mash potato and place on top of Suede.
Place in Oven for (mine is fan assisted) so 20 minutes until nice and brown.
Wee Beestie!

Cook Haggis and break into bits with a fork.

Serve on a bed of mashed potato and mashed suede (neep)
cover with cheese sauce and a light dusting of black pepper to taste

Master Chef Tom's Burns NightA nice, informative and easy to read book about a Burns Night Supper is Master Chef Tom’s Burns Night

Robert Burns 1759 – 1796

And just to finish off, here is a picture of the man himself!

Weekend Cooking is hosted by BethFishReads

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Master Chef Tom’s Burns Night by Tom Bridge

Posted on January 21, 2012 by Julie Goucher
Master Chef Tom's Burns Night

A great and easy to read book. It starts off with some details of the very first Burns Supper in 1801. Over the following 200 years the celebration of Burns Night is known the world over.

The book explains that Haggis is a cooked product and simply needs to be reheated, which can be done by steaming, boiling, oven heat and microwave.

Also provided is a traditional Burns Supper menu, which is hyper linked to photos or the recipe. There is some brief history to background of the dishes, the ingredients, the cooking method and chef’s tips.

The book then finishes with a typical Burns Supper programme. Starting with Grace, Entrance of the Haggis, The Immortal Memory address, Toast to the Lassies and the subsequent reply, Tam O’Shanter, Music, Songs and Poems and then the closing address.

All in all, a nice little book with a mixture of the history of the event, recipes with photos and proceedings.

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Sepia Saturday 109 – Dolls!

Posted on January 21, 2012 by Julie Goucher
I thought I might struggle to find a suitable photo in the collection of photographs I have here, but as luck would have it!  
This is a photo of my Mum’s 1st Cousin Janet Downes taken in Guildford Surrey circa 1945
My Mum has a wonderful bridesmaid doll which she was given as a present for Christmas when she was 10 years old. There are no old photos of the doll and I have managed to get a recent photograph taken. You can read about the doll HERE

Taking part in Sepia Saturday
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Shamley Green Post Office Circa 1908

Posted on January 21, 2012 by Julie Goucher
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52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy – Week 3 – Free Online Genealogy Tools

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Julie Goucher
 Week 3– Free Online Genealogy Tools – Free online genealogy tools are like gifts from above. Which one are you most thankful for? How has it helped your family history experience?

Challenge from Sunday 15th January 2012 – Saturday 21st January 2012

There are so many free on line genealogical tools, all provided by some very generous people within the genealogical community. Here are several of my favourite ones.

The Geelong and District Database is simply phenomenal. Over a million records, all provided free by fellow researchers. A real genealogical treasure, especially when I reside across the pond. Even if you do not have ancestors in the area go and have a look at the facilities.It is nothing short of fantastic! 


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Postcard Friendship Friday – Old Tangley, Wonersh Circa 1908

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Julie Goucher
Part of my Guildford & District Collection

Submitted as part of Postcard Friendship Friday hosted by The Best Hearts are Crunchy 

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Lord’s Hill, Shamley Green, Circa 1917

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Julie Goucher
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Wonersh Mill House Circa 1910

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Julie Goucher
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Family History Writing Challenge – Reflections on the 2011 Challenge

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Julie Goucher

I did take the 28 days pledge, the one that made last February the month for the Family History Writing Challenge. When I wrote the introductory post I talked about a set of notebooks that I had written over the last 20 years, written from visits to my Great Aunts and other relatives.

It occurs to me that I have not once looked at the notebooks that I mentioned in my 2011 introduction. The posts that have been written have been done so from my memory, recollections and my computer programme. I could not possibly remember all those dates!
The posts were made in an almost logical fashion. I started with my Grandmother and steadily worked backwards. There were the odd deviation and separate posting, written as the fancy took me!
By being able to write several thousand words without the notebooks makes me wonder what else there is to post. Actually the word count sits at 11,557 excluding the introductory post, which was 253 words and this post of somewhere in the region of 200 words. There are lots and lots and lots….you get the picture? What information do we each store in our memories? Things that will overtime be lost. Even my own Mum failed to remember something that she herself told me a few years ago.
I have an idea of what to do with the data collected and written about during February 2011. I also plan to add to those initial 28 a selection of other posts written during the year. I then plan to publish. Depending on how and what I write for the challenge this year they may, or may not be included.
What are your plans for the contents of the 2011 writing challenge?
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Family History Writing Challenge 2012

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Julie Goucher

Lynn Palermo over at The Armchair Genealogist blog has issued the Family History Writing Challenge and I’ve decided to accept. Here’s the details from Lyn’s page.

The Family History Writing Challenge
Feb 1st-29th
A 29-Day Commitment to Writing Your Family History

The What, When, Where and How of it All

Why should I sign up?
To actively participate in an opportunity to write your family history, without having to worry about quality. The key to writing is to write. Stop procrastinating; finally commit pen to paper or fingers to key board. Those family facts, finally assemble them into a format someone will read.

Whom Do I Write About?
A single ancestor, a surname, a branch of your tree, you pick.
You select the ancestor or ancestors, the timeframe, just keep in mind who you feel most prepared to write about in terms of research and interest.

How Much Do I Need to Write?
You pick the amount 250, 500, 1000 words a day whatever you can work into your schedule.
Do the math.
250 words x 28 days = 7000 words, you would be well on your way!
500 words x 28 days = 14,000 words, this would be an incredible start!
1000 words x 28 days = 28,000 words, you would be a hero!

Where Do I Write?
Write on your computer, ipad, typewriter, longhand (tough to do word count). Write in your office, at the kitchen table, the local coffee shop, the lawn chair (if your someplace sunny- lucky you), or beside a roaring fire (that would be me).

What If It’s Not Good Enough?
This exercise is not about quality. Very few of us can sit down and shoot out a masterpiece on the first draft. Newsbreak….. most of us take a half dozen passes at it before it is worthy of anyone else’s eyes. This is about making a start. There will be plenty of time to edit your masterpiece later, committing to the word count is a huge step to making it happen.

When Does it Begin?
The Family History Writing Challenge begins Feb 1st to February 29th. I am asking you to commit 29 days of writing your family history, in the hopes that you will get a running start and you will never look back.

Where Do I Sign Up?
Right here, leave your pledge in comments or link to your own blog post, no goal is official until you have written it down and shared it. Once you verbalize, you become more committed. If you prefer to keep it to yourself that’s ok too. However, keep checking back or sign up through email, throughout the month, I will offer numerous posts to help keep you focused, offer you some tips for your writing and help you stay on track and reach your goals. At the end of the month, you can share how you did again here, or on your own blog.

What is stopping you from starting your writing? Let me know, and I will try to help you overcome those obstacles. Meanwhile, you have the next 2 days to get yourself organized to start writing.

Write your family history in 29 days, are you ready to take the challenge?

I’ve signed up again this year. The commitment is to again write 250 words each day because even though many of my posts run longer than that, 250 words is easy enough to do and doesn’t put too much pressure on me. So, where to start? I am going to reflect over the posts for 2011, and see if there is anything that I would especially like to follow. Otherwise, I may be a bit more random this year. Who knows!

How about you? Take the challenge! It might be the impetus you need to get some of that family history written that you’ve wanted to start! 

Follow The Family History Writing Challenge Blog HERE and to take part sign up HERE

Twitter tag – #FHWC

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