the Naan's have it...

I was up early today because I had a lot to do for our meal this evening and we were going out to play pickleball, and to see Mum, which left only a short window of opportunity to have a shower and get the food sorted before Wendy and Bill and Di and Rob arrived.  I wanted to get the Naan's prepared so that all John had to do was cook them because he is the master of that!  This is about one of the only times that I like the fact we have granite work surfaces - it is fabulous for making pastry and dough but in the winter is so cold it is like a mortuary slab.  This recipe is a tad messy as it calls for the mixing to be done direct on the work surface!

After activating the yeast and mixing all the ingredients together I managed to get my dough all nice and smooth and put it to bed in the conservatory where it would be warm so that it could do its stuff and rise - normally I would not leave it for so long before cooking but they are always better freshly cooked so this was the best I could do.  Naan breads, if you can find them ready made, are expensive and actually apart from being a bit messy they are really easy to make so we prefer to do that.

We left the dough safely tucked up in bed and went down to Paphos for our regular game of pickleball.  This week no Liselotte so not much by way of rest between games and it was exceptionally hot for this time of year!!!  We had full fanage like we would need in July and we were still all dripping!!!  Still it was good fun and my foot is holding up reasonably well although I cannot believe how long it is taking.

We went back to Mum's for a well earned cuppa and a catch up on the week's events and to do any little jobs she needed.  She has a new friend.  A cat who looks not dissimilar to Boris has taken up residence outside and sits and stares at her.  I am guessing he is a boy although I didn't get a good look.  I went to take a bowl of water and some biscuits outside and he disappeared just around the side of a shrub - far enough away that I could not touch him but just stared at me and waited until I had gone back in before he gingerly made his way to the bowls for something to eat and drink.

I keep going on about how lovely November has been so far - it really has and as we made our way back home (earlier than anticipated because I realised I had not turned on the slow cookers before leaving) the sun was beginning its descent into the sea.

Driving back via Banana Bay we are treated to spectacular views all along the coast road.  Tonight was exceptional and it was so warm - it was even warm when we arrived back in Droushia.  As we walked along the path to our front gate the walls were radiating the remains of the heat they had absorbed throughout the day acting like night storage heaters they wrapped us in a warm blanket as we made our way indoors trying to avoid the cats who were ready for their tea and wrapping themselves around our legs.

My first job was to put on those pesky slow cookers - perhaps we should invest in an Alexa or something and some smart sockets so that I could have set them going remotely.  As it happens they still had a couple of hours on high and were fine.

Second job was to get the dough out of bed and onto the mortuary slab so that we could ensure we had freshly baked Naan to eat with our meal.  The first Naan is always the 'tester' as it takes a while to get the pan to the right temperature so that they cook and fluff, fluff and cook.  John has this down to a fine art so before too long we had a dozen perfectly cooked breads ready and waiting.

Wendy and Bill arrived and got themselves settled in and then very shortly afterwards in came Di and Rob.  I must thank Di for the fabulous Mary Berry pudding she brought - it was absolutely delicious.

We had a lovely evening although sadly both Wendy and I felt we were coming down with something as we developed earache and sore throats so I got out the Snips out ready to stem the tide.  The currys went down well and I was particularly pleased with the pomegranate and mint raita which was delicious.  I didn't actually get to the meat curry - the black bean was really good so that is what I stuck to.

I think a good time was had by all - it certainly seemed like it.