Yesterday was a travel day.

The day started off with the usual travel prep of getting in the supplies for mum and the furballs. I usually use that shopping trip to pick up bits and pieces for Nath and me too.

Once back home and the shopping put away it’s time to start getting the stuff together for my visit. Clothes, games, food, and gadgets. I hope I have packed everything as it goes into the car. There is a calm acceptance of the fact I know I will have forgotten something.

All packed it is time to say my farewells to the two apex predators and mum. I left Nico in charge.

Three hours driving south with the latest Jack Reacher novel keeping me company. I managed to avoid the potential traffic queues at the expected spots on the M25 and M3.

While Nathan was out babysitting his niece for an hour I decided to make tea after repairing the hole in the bag in my copy of Splendor Duel.

Earlier whilst I was shopping I had an idea for a dish to cook for us and had bought the ingredients. It was time to see how that idea worked out.

I chopped up an onion and softened it in the pan. Added chopped chorizo to release the paprika infused oil from it. Then a good squeeze of tomato paste, salt, pepper, mixed herbs, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and onion powder were added. After a minute I added two cans of chopped tomatoes. Followed by drained cans of beans (pinto,black,black eye,cannellini,kidney, and butter), sliced cottage sausage (a Central European pork sausage), a splash of Worcestershire sauce, a pinch of sugar, and some vegetable stock.

I don’t know what you’d call this. It was kinda like a casserole/stew. I wasn’t following a recipe. I was just making it up as I went.

I was pretty happy with how it turned out. The balance was about right. I thought that there would be a strong almost overpowering taste of tomato. But there wasn’t.

The aim was to create something hearty, and healthy. I think I achieved that. Although you could argue the sausage and chorizo aren’t that healthy.

I served it with some sliced tiger bread. Ideally a fresh french stitch or tiger baton would have been used. But I used what was at hand.

Nath isn’t a big fan of beans. But he did enjoy it.

There was plenty left for the next day, and to freeze.

Afterwards as I sleeved LotR Duel for Middle Earth Nath played on his Xbox.

Yes no board games got played. But I’d done some needed game “admin” so things were ready for the next day.