Preparing for winter II

Mad4camping

rolo-polo1965 wrote: »

Thanks for this. How do you open freeze your bacon? Sorry if i am acting a bit thick here!

Hi sorry for late answer.

In my freezer I have a fast freezer slim draw. So on some grease proof paper I space out the items carefully so as they don't touch then i cover it with a sheet of grease proof paper again, if i'm lucky I can do two layers. After a couple of hours or over night I then just pop them off in to a zip lock or tub and its all loose then when I come to use it, no waste from defrosting to much..I use this method for everything from berries to veg.. hope this helps you

Mad4camping

Tink_04 wrote: »

Hi can I just ask what medicines people are stocking up on and also what tinned food?

beechems blackcurrant flu stuff = DH doesnt like lemon
paracetamol
ibubrofen
echinacea effervescent
vit c effervescent = for the DC 6+9 first few weeks back at school
Arnica tabs for any nasty falls as well as the cream
general first aid stuff

Tinned fish in olive oil, tom sauce, mustard sauce..etc we love it on Jacket spuds and rice
Tuna
Baked beans
Tin Toms
custard
blocks of jelly

All other pulses in dried form saves on tin space....

the list is endless....:eek: and nowhere near enough space

Mad4camping

annie123 wrote: »

have polenta, recipe please:D

Me to please..... :):):)

Mad4camping

Confuzzled wrote: »

happy to oblige!

this makes a slightly sweet cornbread/corn muffin. don't think it doesn't go well with savoury food because it's slightly sweet, quite the opposite! these are particularly lovely with chilli or soups and stews with cumin in them mmmm they also make lovely breakfast muffins/slices when lightly warmed (sprinkle with a bit of water if warming in the microwave) then buttered whilst warm mmm

AMISH CORNBREAD RECIPE

1 cup cornmeal (or polenta, fine or coarse grind)
1 cup flour (i use self rising for a lighter texture)
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg beaten
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
butter or bacon drippings to grease pan

mix all dry ingredients in one bowl, mix all wet in another then combine well, batter should be thick and come off in large glops. if the mixture seems too stiff (ie you have to shove it off the spoon with another spoon) add more milk in small amounts and stir until the proper consistency is achieved, do not add too much liquid this ruins the cornbread

for muffins:
fill each greased muffin tin (i use silicone muffin liners, no need to grease) no more than 2/3rds full, these rise up and will spill over the top if you fill more than that. bake at 200C/400F for approximately 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned on top and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

for a loaf or round:
i prefer to use a cast iron skillet, i grease with butter then pour the mixture in to about half full. cook at 200C/400F for 20-35 minutes dependent on size of the pan and relative thickness of batter, again if a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean it's done. if at all possible place another skillet or oven proof container with water on the shelf below the cornbread, this makes for a moister cornbread (not necessary for muffins).


i've taken to making these most often in the silcone muffin liners now as it's less messy and cooks faster but you can also cook them in the cast iron skillet (preferred) or glass bakeware, i would never recommend more than 3/4 inch thickness of uncooked batter though or you might have issues cooking it all the way through before burning the top. tastes best served warm with butter mmm but also great with soups and stews either tossed in, dunked in or buttered and eaten on the side. my daughter eats these for breakfast plain!

:A:A:A these look great :drool::drool:
I will be making these asap.. I will let you know. Thanks again

Confuzzled

Mad4camping wrote: »

:A:A:A these look great :drool::drool:
I will be making these asap.. I will let you know. Thanks again

i hope you like them, i'm a huge cornbread fan and the first time i made them for my daughter she went mad for them, so much so that i have to bake smaller batches than normal (i'd normally treble that batch and freeze the extras) because if i cooked them she'd eat them til they were gone :eek:

i plan to make some next time she goes to her grans and bury them in the freezer :rotfl:

CH27

Sunnyday wrote: »

Aw ta! I Wish that you did :A
It would also be nice to have someone local to chat to as everyone else thinks that i`m crackers what with all the winter prep etc





SD

That would be fab.
Everyone thinks i'm crackers too:D

SpikyHedgehog

Managed to catch up... I know it's getting colder, I'm sitting here in a jumper and DS2 has been in the garden and came in with a chilly face. He's wearing a fleece over his T-shirt for the first time in ages. It's my birthday tomorrow so I'm waiting to see if I get any money before ordering trousers from Craghoppers - they'lll be ideal for the trek to school and standing at the bus stop before getting to work...

I put in a order at Wilkinsons to get the half price fleeces, and added an fleece for the plants in the garden and a replacement cover for my mini greenhouse, and some curtain rails... Have put up the curtain rail in my room so have lined curtains in there now, I want to cut down the blackout blind to put back up behind it to keep in the warmth. It's going to be a pain getting it up though as I don't have a drill and do have vents in the frame above the windows that I'll have to avoid.

I've been running out of steam at the moment, but went to the doctors on Thursday and got anti-depressants which is what I wanted so hope as they start to take effect that I'll have more energy for getting ready.

My freezer part of the fridge is full and I could do with a chest freezer but don't want to pay for one. I keep looking on Freegle but they go like gold-dust so I think that will have to wait till next year. I'd have to get rid of furniture and squish it into my bedroom even if I did get a little one. We're in town with a Mr T express round the corner and Mr M 5 minutes quick walk away, so the worry is the shops not getting supplies in more than my not being able to get to shops.

rising_from_the_ashes

toottifrootti wrote: »

hello everyone! I am back from my retreat and raring to get going except I have no money yet!!!:(

Welcome back! Glad you enjoyed your break.....:D

toottifrootti wrote: »

when you are storing things outside would cardbpard boxes do as a deterent to mice etc?

They would probably be ok to put tinned things in but I wouldn't put anything else in - mice can eat through cardboard (and then any other packaging inside) quite easily.

For other things in packets etc, £stretcher etc do thick plastic tubs in various sizes and for a reasonable price (I got 3 for £5 to store my dry cat food in) and these should be much more resilient to pests.

Although not always dog proof - my boy, pretty unbelievably, can break the thickest big plastic tub by ramming it several times with his head... I came home one afternoon to find the tub with his food stored in with a head sized hole in and 1/2 the contents missing!:eek:

kmiller4 wrote: »

I am glad I have so many of my winter preparations in place as we will be affected by Hurricane Irene here in central New York State. (We are about 250 miles--400km northwest of NYC).

Hi Kathy, hope you're all OK over there - the pics on the TV look awful.....

Tink_04 wrote: »

Hi can I just ask what medicines people are stocking up on and also what tinned food?

Staples
Lots of soup
Tinned veg (mushrooms, sweetcorn, tomatoes, kidney beans)
Baked beans
Pasta bake jars
Pasta sauce jars
Sauces jars for chicken
Pasta
Packets of savory rice (easy on the camping stove in an emergency)
Rice
Porridge
Crackers & R*vita (handy if you run out of bread and usually long dated)
Powdered milk
Rice pudding
Custard
Jelly
Trifle sponges
Flour (SR, P & bread)
Tea, coffee, sugar & Hot chocolate sachets!
Biccies (have to have something to cheer me up if snowed in!)
Bottled water, diluting juice & apple juice cartons
Dried Lentils & Split peas


Will be adding long life milk etc nearer the time

Medication
Prescription meds
Cold/Flu stuff
Plasters, dressings, micropore etc
Arnica cream
Antiseptic creams
Antihistamines
Painkillers

Pets
Food
Litter
Prescription meds

rising_from_the_ashes

Just back from DM & DF's - what a journey.:(

That's a terrible wind out there, my poor wee car was blowing around all over the place, there were some huge branches down on the road (a bit scary when it's on your side on a blind corner and you can't see if anything's coming - lots of horn honking!)

Came home by the main road instead (about 10 miles further but safer when it's like this).

Borrowed a big bag of sand from DF and put it in the boot which helped weigh the car down a bit for the return journey - but glad I'm home!

It's not August weather out there ..... have had my new fleecy top on all day!

ETA - just checked the road info... "Outbreaks of rain over Lothian and the Borders dying out, some surface water and spray. Possible gusts to 50mph over the A1" - it felt like it!

abwsco

I've managed to buy 32 more paracetamol, 2 more cough medicines and 24 more loo rolls today. Would have bought more cough meds and loo rolls but DH was with me and rolled his eys plus he had to carry it-lol Still no de-icer in town though - foot stompy stomp!