Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

vhalla1478 wrote: »

Cancel what I said about Spring being here; I just looked up from the computer and it's snowing!!

Viv xx

It's still spring on its way.
The olduns around here used to call it
A lambing storm.

In the North we say:
divint cast a cloot
Until May is oot

If you need a translation:
Don't discard a layer of clothing
Until the end of May.

Morning!


Spring is certainly a little way off here!....No snow but it is bloomin' freezing!


Still...that means it is good weather for a nice hot soup or stew/casserole....all of which can be made cheaply so save on the pennies!


I love dumplings with stew...I find you can cut costs by having less meat if you have a few hearty dumplings in the stew!


So...three quick dumpling ideas to share:


Simple Dumplings:
Mix 4 tablespoons of self-raising flour with a teaspoon of salt...add a little water and mix into a pliable dough...flour your hands and then form the dough into small balls...pop into your stew...


Potato Dumplings:
Boil 500g potatoes in their skin...peel whilst hot and mash them or sieve them...stir in 1 1/2 tspn salt and 150g cornflour...heat 1/8 litre of milk until VERY hot (important to have the milk hot!) ..stir the milk into the potato mix....leave until the mix has cooled down and thickened...when it is lukewarm and reasonably thick add 1 1/2 tspn baking powder and mix it...with floured hands form into balls and add to your stew.....(a little extra that we do 'back home' in Germany...toast or fry a a slice of bread...cut into croutons - rub with garlic if liked....when you form the dumplings push a crouton into the middle of each for a crunchy 'surprise')


Semolina Dumplings:
In a pan, boil 3/4 litre milk , 2og butter and a good pinch of salt....take the pot of the heat and onto it drizzle 250g semolina...now stir!...stir stir stir!...keep stirring and don't stop!...eventually you will have a large smooth lump...transfer to a dish and mix in 2 eggs....cover and leave until cold....flour your hands and form the dough into balls and add to your stew....


in each case the dumplings are ready when they rise to the top.....should easily make enough for four people...but I always make too much of the potato and semolina types...they are DELICIOUS when cut into slices and fried the next day!


oh...and the potato and semolina ones are not as 'light' as the standard sort...but they are wonderfully good nonetheless!

misstara, I just about choked on my tea laughing at the thought of soup and banana loaf - unusual combination! Sorry, I'm forever reading things the wrong way.

jinny, we call hawthorn 'may', and the rhyme refers to waiting until the hawthorn blossoms. It's probably about May time too.

greentiger wrote: »

misstara, I just about choked on my tea laughing at the thought of soup and banana loaf - unusual combination! Sorry, I'm forever reading things the wrong way.

jinny, we call hawthorn 'may', and the rhyme refers to waiting until the hawthorn blossoms. It's probably about May time too.

Yes that's right we call hawthorn May too
I remember picking the lovely blossom to give to my grannie and she was horrified I'd brought it in the house
As it was considered unlucky to do so.
She was very superstitious and my mother went mad with her for
Teaching me them too.
I still salute single magpies tho lol

Hello All

Still reading avidly but havent posted for a bit as nothing v interesting to add!

Prinzessilein thankyou for the dumpling recipies im going to try the potato dumplings when I next cook a stew in the slow cooker.

I too had a snigger at the soup and banana loaf

On the mending side I have sewn four underwired bras whose wires had poked through and become uncomfortable. They had been in the wash basket so long I had forgotten them.

I have sorted a pile of jeans, trousers and jodphurs that all need minor repairs and I am trying to get round to bringing them back into use.

I have a horse rug which my horse decided to rip when travelling in the trailer the other day. It s made of fleece so I am going to try and patch the holes and mend the rip so it can continue being used; new one would cost £40++ although I would only buy SH (would still be £15+ with p&p from Fleabay!)

Today I spent a forune!!:D well for me it was! Went to A*da and they had loads of t shirts, sweatshirts and odd pair of joggers reduced to £1,£2 and £4. I stocked up for both my boys as they havent had new for ages. I will sort their current clothes, CS anything good enough and add anything else to the huge laundry basket holding all the old t shirts, odd socks, tatty clothes etc that I have been hoarding. My aim is to go through it all cutting rags for the house and workshop, sorting old t shirts so that I can make a plaited rug and salvaging any buttons etc before recycling anything I can not find a use for. I seem to empty this basket about once a year ( probably not but it feels like it!) it sits in the corner of the utility room collecting odds and sods for months, once full I have to tackle it!!:rotfl:

We had a sign of spring over the weekend, twin lambs born, not a total surprise on a farm you would think until you add in the expected date we are due to start lambing!!

5th April!!:D