It was getting tough in 2006 and the workhouse still threatens us in 2011

Rosanna 79 just do it, be positive you will not need these size clothes again.

Sometimes if I overthink something I just don't do it, sort of paralyses me. I have to do it like a bank robbery, get in get it done and get and out fast!

:grouphug: Have a hug Taurusgb. Sounds like you've been in the wars, hope things get better for you soon. Incidentally, dates are higher in fibre than figs, so if there's ever an excuse for sticky date pudding that's it.

ginnyknit wrote: »

So we need something to perk us all up and get us O/S'ing again - new superduper recipe anyone? magic wand?

I don't have a magic wand, but I do have a recipe.

"Not so cream of cauliflower soup"

half a large cauliflower chopped
1 onion chopped
1 large carrot chopped
2 pints of chicken stock
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cumin
pinch dried chilli
1 clove garlic
a stick of celery chopped (only if you like it, I find it to be like licking satans armpit)

Boil this to within an inch of its life. The next bit you can do on the hob or in the microwave, I do it in the microwave since I only have one working hob. Melt 2 tablespoons butter, add 4 tablespoons flour and stir to make a paste, add a cup of milk and whisk until smooth. Then microwave in 20 second increments whisking each time until it's thick. Add this into the soup, whizz the whole lot up.

A creamy taste, but no cream (mostly because I have no cream in the house).

I've been a bit busy to post. I applied for a couple of jobs, and didn't even get the courtesy of a reply. So I thought sod it, and applied for a volunteer position. Though we could use more money, with careful management we're managing. Yes, you guessed it, I didn't even get a reply for that one either :rotfl:. I suppose I should be more upset, but it seems par for the course around here. And as such I'm taking new measures and making things to sell on the local market. And making things stretch further! I've also set up a store on etsy (though there's nothing in it yet), and plan to get going on both blog sites and a site where you sell articles.

I refuse to let the barstewards grind me down, and will simply carve my own niche. After all, anyone who can make a small chicken do for 12 meals has a bright future ahead of her

Love to all I've missed whilst I've been lurking. Glad Supergran is on the mend GQ.

wmf wrote: »

ok, share this info:cool:. I'm going to buy a small chicken and follow your instructions verrrrrry carefully. I've heard of rubber chicken and follow it myself to an extent but this needs further investigation!! Good luck with Etsy - some lovely things on there. I could lose hours browsing! It can be a bit soul destroying not hearing about jobs, paid or otherwise, but you are indeed very resourceful - it's their loss!! Recipe looks great and I have cauli in fridge so may well have a go later today - thanks for adding it!

Well I bought the chicken last night. The first thing to do is to remove the skin and put that to one side, then you carefully slice the breast meat and put that to one side. Next you literally pick the bones clean, removing every scrap of meat. I find you have to get in there with your fingers to find every single bit, if you're squeamish you miss out! Keep the bones and skin.

Last night I used some pieces of it to make a Chicken, pesto and olive pizza (spread pesto on a pizza base, add olives, chicken and cheese), this served the 2 of us for dinner, and there's another serve in the freezer now. This morning I boiled the bones and skin to make a decent stock, that's what I used to make the soup. There's 3 portions in the freezer and 1 portion went to my upstairs neighbour. Sometimes I use the stock to make "Chickeny rice", you boil the rice up in the stock with peas, some chicken pieces and some spring onion, and that's nice too. Hubby took a chicken sandwich to lunch today.

I'm making chicken fajitas for dinner tonight frying the rest of the chicken bits and bobs with sliced onions, sliced pepper, some canellini beans, ground cumin, ground coriander, ground cardamom, chilli and paprika in wraps with some shredded cabbage (since that's the green I have in the fridge right now). That will do the 2 of us for dinner tonight, and provide 1 lunch serving for hubby.

And there's also enough sliced chicken breast meat for 2 roast dinners for us. Now, none of these meals has a vast quantity of meat in, not even the roast dinner, but they get supplemented with other items. In the case of the roast dinner we have chicken, stuffing, potatoes, peas, carrots, broccoli, gravy and sometimes a yorkshire pudding.

Other options for chicken for us are tacos and nachos, both fried with spices, grated carrot, grated courgette, onion etc. I stretch mince in the same way - I never add oats, but add grated and finely chopped veg instead. Carrots, onions and courgette tend to always be pretty cheap, and I throw in whatever else is reduced or seasonally cheap.

Hope that helps some and wasn't too long and boring.

ginnyknit wrote: »

I find it difficult to buy 'plus' sizes from charity shops, but recently found a shop full of them!

When I was a size 18/20 I could never find nice clothes in CS in those sizes. Now I have lost weight, there are plenty in those sizes, but hardly anything in 10/12....:(

Cheered me up reading about the 12-meal chicken
Had a (slightly heated) discussion with the RV when I read it out to him.. He, being from Edinburgh and all fur coat and nae knickers, would be deathly affronted if I tried that... I (coming from a Glasgow Irish mum/mining village background and much less posh) told him well that's just snobby and yer daft. :rotfl::rotfl:
At least he made my porridge before diplomatic relations were servered.