Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

My friend roasted some veg in a casserole dish and then poured cheese sauce on it with grated cheese on top. She served it with jacket potatoe.
Makes a change from making soup with the less than fresh veg.

Hiya All

Just a quick word tonite cos I really need to g to bed!!

When I left my ex husband I had very little - just what could fit into a couple of my friends cars. I built up my tool 'stash' from second hand shops and car boots. Very often the old tools are MUCH stronger and better made. Beware some car boot stalls though - they 'buy in' cheap imports which are actually dangerous!! But, locally, there is one stall which is run by people who live in sheltered housing for those with extreme learning difficulties (to the point where even as adults, they cannot live on their own). BTW I hope I have used the latest politically correct term here - I mean no offence to anyone. They take old tools and restore them in workshops and the sell them on. The place is run by a charity with a bit of government help - they also run a bakery and small holding which sells its produce. I always try to support them first.

Often Second hand shops get given tools/ sets of knitting needles/sewing kits but they are not always allowed (due to Elf and Safety) by their charities to display them. Make friends with the shop manager and tell them that you are 'on the look out' for such stuff and, as they are mostly loathe to waste anything themselves - they will often put stuff aside for you. How do I know? I used to do this job (and I loved it!) - we had 9 charity shops in the town and we would all do this - better a sale than a waste!!

Hope this helps, Miami, especially since you are just starting up on your own.

All apple cake gone now!!! Need to make another one!!
Night folks!

Good Morning Everyone,

I have to endorse what lynplantinum says about older tools being better and also add that I think that principle extends across many areas. ie furniture and household goods in general.

I came back to the UK just under two years ago with hardly anything - come on folks, I'd had an invitation to live on a yacht in the Caribbean so had sold the majority of my stuff and given loads of things away in gay abandon. Let me just say it didn't work out, it lasted all of 3 months- I'll leave the rest for my autobiography and at the age of 66 I started all over again. Most of my things are old or antique with lots of exuberant charity shops and car boot finds (I used to be an antiques dealer). Even if I had more than my state pension I really wouldn't want most of the over-priced new household goods that are around. I try and buy some little thing for the house most weeks.

Sorry, rant over. Here's a super recipe that was George Washington's mother's, great to give as a present as it keeps, just wrap it in foil and stick a big bow on it. Not exactly basic because of the spices you'll need, but spices last forever and you don't need much of them. It must be a day of waffling, Cheerfulness, so I'll shut up and write the recipe,

Mary Ball Washington's Gingerbread 1784

Half a cup butter, half a cup dark brown moist sugar, half cup treacle, half a cup golden syrup, 3 cups plain flour sifted with a teaspoon cream of tartar, a cup of sultanas or raisins, half a cup of warm milk, 2 tablespoons powdered ginger, one and a half teaspoons cinnamon, one and a half teaspoons mace, one and a half teaspoons nutmeg, 3 eggs well beaten, juice and rind of a large orange, a teaspoonful of bicarbonate soda, dissolved in 2 tablespoonsful of warm water.

Cream butter, add sugar and beat well. Add syrups, milk and spices, mix very well. Mix cream of tartar with flower and then add alternately with beaten egg to the butter/sugar mixture. Add orange juice and grated rind and dissolved soda and raisins. Bake in a moderate oven (350) for 45-50 mins in well-greased baking pans about 12x9x3 inches.

I'm a moderately good cook, but not a baker, but this is fantastic and turns out well every time.

Right, I've no more excuses, I have loads to do today - have a good one, everyone.

Viv x

carolinerunner wrote: »

Hi all,
Have been lurking but had a Q:
Vhalla, that gingerbread sounds gorgeous, can I ask:
2 tins or 1? roughly how deep would it be?
how big is a cup?! Tea cup? or some particular size?! I never know the answer to this one!

Tia

I have a set of measuring cups now (courtesy of a CS) but I used to use this and it's quite good
allrecipes.com_howto_cup-to-gram-conversions_

Sorry 'cos I am new I can't post the exact link - replace the underscores with forward slash and you should get there - failing that, g**gle it