We had just planned on going to get the newspaper this morning but Keith said he and Mike needed some more beer so we ended up in Tesco, which was not what I'd had planned! While we were there we decided to buy our veg for Christmas Day even though the plan was to go to Farndon Fields this afternoon with Sophie and buy it there.
We got to the store in the nick of time as it was already shaping up to be very busy! We bought our vegetables as well as a few other things we needed and escaped. The car park was almost full and I was just so glad we'd got everything we needed!
On the way home we called to see Mum and Dad who looked really well. We had a coffee with them and then went home where I had a quick shower. Sophie and I left to go to Market Harborough again at midday and took Sophie's car as it's smaller and more easier to park!
Unfortunately, the weather has been truly horrible today with drizzle, mist and grey skies. Nasty! We ran inside and were delighted to find the cafe wasn't that busy - everyone was manically buying their sprouts for the Big Day!
We enjoyed lunch (sandwich and a jacket potato) and then had a look around as Sophie wanted to get some presents for my Dad and Keith. She picked out some beers and a Christmas cake for Keith and some items to make up a little hamper for my Dad.
We then called into the Co-op at Brixworth as we needed some tissue paper but they didn't have any, so it was back home where we found some anyway!
After Sophie had wrapped her presents we made a start on a meringue as we had six egg whites left over from yesterday. I followed the Hairy Bikers' recipe which didn't call for white wine vinegar or cornflour which is what I usually add to the eggs when they have been whipped. We added sugar and put the meringue into the oven to cook before prepping all the ingredients for tonight's Nutty Chicken. That took a fair while and we used our new chopper to make a paste from chillies and tomato puree. After a bit of difficulty at first, it did the job very well!
We then had time to relax but when I took my meringue out of the oven it hadn't turned out as well as I had expected. I'd bought some chopped nuts and chocolate chips to make a Pavlova but it wouldn't come away from the greaseproof paper and it looked like it wasn't cooked through...
I put it back in the oven on a low heat for another hour, but when I took it out again it still wasn't right so I decided to make the dessert into a kind of Eton Mess, but with chocolate and nuts instead of fruit! The egg recipes weren't working out this weekend!
However, our Nutty Chicken was delicious and we cooked Jasmine rice again which really added to the flavour of the dish. This recipe would work equally well with leftover turkey! Gemma arrived after we'd eaten and I made up the dessert with the broken bits of meringue, whipped cream and the chocolate and nuts. It was still lovely!
We went to bed at the usual time but at 11.30pm we were awoken by Sophie coming into our room to say that my Mum was on the phone as my Dad had fallen over again. He had hurt his head and she said there was a lot of blood. Sophie told her to call an ambulance immediately and we dressed and drove over to the house. We found my Dad sitting up in the living room and looking OK, despite a gash to the back of his head. On the way over I'd been imagining all sorts and I was desperately hoping he wouldn't have to be in hospital over Christmas. After five minutes the ambulance arrived and we left them to look at the wound which, despite all the blood, wasn't that bad, thank goodness.
They asked if he wanted to go to hospital but he said no, and after they left he was up and walking about so that was a relief. It was a huge scare for all of us and it could have been a lot worse so we were very relieved to drive home knowing he was OK!
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