Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

Morning all and welcome to kittym. Yesterday I made my soup and also the gingerbread for OHs birthday. It looks and smells lovely but have resisted having a taste (so far), we'll have it later.

I went shopping yesterday and got another wee present for OH - £4 reduced from £11. I also got a present for SIL - £6.60 reduced from £22 so really pleased with my bargains. I got a couple of things from £land for making cards and have made cards for them both.

I didn't get much else done yesterday as I spent all afternoon watching rugby. Scotland game today so probably won't get much done this afternoon either.

Many thanks for your kind remarks, savingqueen. I now have to put my money where my mouth is as I've just found out I've got three lots of visitors in the next 2-3 days! The man in my life will be over this evening and I know he would take me out to dinner tonight, but it doesn't seem fair as he has to drive for over three hours to get here; I'm not sure either whether he's here for a few hours or what yet. Then tomorrow lunchtime two of my dearest friends are over; I can't really put them off as they both have businesses to run and I've been dusting their Christmas presents for the last couple of months. On top of that (talk about London buses) my friend and her daughter arrive back from Australia tomorrow night....

So, this is the plan of action - feta cheese and peppers starter, prawns with chilli, ginger and garlic, and fruit with cream for the romantic meal (I don't have to provide the champagne). Lunch tomorrow can be home made soup and bread with hot meat loaf for a main course, although we may all go out if there are four of us and I'll do something with pasta for my friend as I've no idea what time she's arriving yet. It will be interesting to see how well I do for the rest of the week as I want to save my budget for fruit, vegetables and milk for next weekend.

At least I've managed to do my rug quota this morning and the house is clean and tidy. I just need to go and do something about myself! I've assembled ingredients together for each of the meals to save my getting into a flap and will post another recipe when I'm totally prepared later this afternoon. Now what am I going to wear?!!

Viv xx

Just popping out of lurkdom to say that you are all very insperational. I love to knit and crochet and am trying to teach myself to sew as my body shape makes it very hard to get clothes to fit so like to be able to change them to fit.

Cheerfulness please look up on you tube life lines for your cardigan as they make life so much easier when doing lace and dealing with so many stitches.

Vhalla thanks for the recipes and I will one day get my recipes organised.

Great panic! I couldn't get on the thread for some unknown reason. Just putting this post on to see if it works.

What was that I said about not flapping today? First I couldn't post a reply and it took ages to sort it out, then I pulled all my loose recipes on top of myself; but anyway, I found the one I wanted for you tonight.

By the way, I didn't know what to call my fella when I mentioned him here. When you get above a certain age, 'boyfriend' sounds juvenile, he's not my partner because we don't live together and 'lover' gives a bit too much information and sounds like he's a married man (which he isn't). Just thought I'd clear that up.

Baked Gammon

Just as good with cheaper boiling bacon; serve with jacket potatoes and peas or a green salad.

This is generally part of my contribution to the Christmas food, because it keeps and stretches to feed the five thousand, but it's lovely anytime of the year.

Baked Gammon

Piece of gammon or boiling bacon, a few dried apricots, an onion studded with 2 cloves, a carrot, a bay leaf, vinegar, cloves, molasses or brown sugar, mustard

Soak the gammon and dried apricots separately overnight in cold water. Drain the meat and put it in a pan of fresh cold water with the onion, carrot and bay leaf. Bring very slowly to the boil over a low heat. Keep the water only faintly simmering and cook for roughly 20 minutes per 450grams, stopping a little short of the full time allowance, as the joint will be finished off in the oven. If you don't want to bake it straightaway, leave the meat to cool in the cooking water -this keeps it moist and tender.

While the gammon is cooking, drain the apricots and cook in a little water with 1 tbsp. vinegar and a clove or two. Drain when soft and reserve the water.

To bake the gammon, remove it from the water and strip off the rind with a sharp knife, leaving most of the fat on the meat. Score a lattice pattern on the fat with the point of a knife and stick a clove into the middle of each pane of fat. Mix some molasses/brown sugar, vinegar and mustard together - the amount varies with the size of your joint, but the proportions are roughly a tbsp. molasses/sugar to 2 tsp vinegar and a tsp mustard.

Put the gammon in the roasting tin and spoon the mixture over it, scooping it out of the tin and repeating the process until the fat is brown and sticky. Surround the meat with apricots and bake in the oven at 180 degree/gas mark4 for about 30 minutes, basting once or twice with the juices in the pan, supplemented with a little apricot water if necessary.

To serve transfer the joint to a large plate, surrounded by the apricots. Dilute the juice left in the roasting tin with a little more apricot water, heat and serve as gravy.

Have to go and fix my face, have a great evening, Folks.

Viv xx