Its tough, it will get better and guess what its freezing brrrrr!

lil_me

Yes you can freeze milk, it will seperate usually when it freezes but gets back to normal. I only freeze in plastic, I decant any glass ones. Defrost in the sink or a dish so doesn't get everywhere wet. What I find very useful is freezing some in icecube trays for tea/coffee, always got some in emergencies for a cuppa. I pop them out into a bag once frozen to reuse the tray. Also handy for baking emergencies as I run out of powdered at most untimely moments. I use a cube still frozen in tea and it gets it to drinkable temperature for me

gailey_2

Lindy_-_Loo wrote: »

Gailey how do you do all that baking with 2 kids around? Or do I just have high maintenance boys?!

Tomorrow I want to do basic shortbread and either twinks, gold digger bic (from cbeebies I can cook) or flapjack. Along with all the ironong I've got Im not sure I will achieve this.

Its so cold here, Mum admitted before that she didnt meet up with us today as it was too cold for her and the had alot of hail yesterday that turned to ice - I just thought she didnt want to come to the soft play. We live 6 or 7 miles apart yet we had no hail or snow

Well maybe I was bit ambitous yesterday in my plans and some has rolled over today.

last night made about 25 twinks and 25 gingerbread biscuits.

But neither were total sucess anyone work out where i gone wrong.

With the twinks hubby says they too chunky and have gone really hard for his teeth so maybe dipping biscuits I guess?
Where did I go wrong followed the original twinks recipie, added half teaspoon bicarb only variation was out 2tablespoons golden syrup instead of 1.Should i make smaller balls and increase the bicarb maybe?

The gingerbread was good food recipie website had good ratings.
Said bake for 10-12mins think some slightly overdone.
added ginger and cinnamon.
Biggest issue I had was dough just too stick so had to dust with a lot of flour and some look too floury..

Should i try different recipie next time?
could be my tempramental oven had it on at 180.

Hubby managed to make spag bolmso having leftovers for lunch today.

The soaking in water got the labels off the jars.
So trying to do cherry brandy today as cherries been in fridge overnight should be defrosted enough.

Have to do mincemeat today as want it ready to make chutney but think need more jars.
With the mince pies do i bake just 5min short of given time then do i bakle from frozen or defrost pies then bake?
Sorry if this seems like silly question just think batch baking be best bet could do with couple more trays.

yesterday hubby was off so that helped.
Today hes in work and kids are bored and making mess:eek:
Had to drag them out over garage this morning was freezing but need cash as brought a wheely bug for youngest as main present for 20quid they normally 50 most of her pressies are 2nd hand but guess at 15months she wont know that.

still have no idea what to put in babys stocking nearly finished eldests at least.

So annoyed managed top wreck another blanket as baby keeps kicking blanket off, got caught under buggy wheels and made ahole 2nd blanket that happened too think I could patch it up but will look rubbish.

Really find it hard to get motivate when so cold. my eldests driving me potty today and being demanding.
she loved helping me cook yesterday.

Cant belive shopping gone up so much just over a month.
Im wondering if its general rises in commodity or supermarkets trying to milk their profits even further over december as they know people shop more.

Did see front page of one of sunday papers saying retailers slashing their prices and bargains to be had but guessing thats more related to non foods before vat goes up rather than essentials like food.

Really need to shop around for dec grocery shop hubby gets paid on 15th but not sure how to spead it.

was thinking meat-from butcher may place order friday.
lidls for fruit and veg.
co-op weekly for reductions and offers only.
Ours opens boxing day and new years got lots bargains last year.
will no doubt go sainsburys as thats where we get mil weekly shop and nearest.
Also farmfoods for milk and bread.
unsure what to budget for december grocery budget.
fed up of buying far too much.
do wnat few chocs and treaty things but hoping if i get cooking can keep costs down by making

hm stuffing
hm sausage rolls-sausage meat seems pricey is it best to cut open sausages and squeeze meat out?
homemade pizzas
homemade quiches
homemade cakes
mince pies
biscuits.
pigs in blankets for eldests and hubby.

Right best go see what mess kids have made.

Hippeechiq

Really pleased to hear that your DGS is improving Flowertotmum - must be such a relief for you all :grouphug:

Sorry to hear your children are unwell Kidcat, hope they pick up soon

It's bitterly, bitterly cold here (although we have no snow), and I desperately don't want a huge gas bill.

Last year, when we had two wages coming in, we used to have it on at 20ºC from 6:30am-9am & 4:45pm-9:45pm. My daughter, who isn't working at the moment because of her illness, had a Halogen Heater for during the day when it became to cold for her, but that accidentally got broken.

I'm now looking after her, and we both really feel the cold. We've been managing so far having it on for the odd 30 minutes here, and an hour there - until yesterday, when I had it on for 3 x 45 minute periods during the day, and then 2 x 1 hour periods in the evening.

I'd like to have it on more if I could, but I don't know which way of running the heating is the most cost effective.

So I was wondering if any of you knows which uses less gas:-

a) Putting heating on at 20ºC for an hour at a time 4 times a day
OR
b) Putting heating on at 20ºC, and then keep it running at that for for two 2 hour periods a day
OR
c) Have it running solid from say 8:30am - 8:30pm at 16-18ºC?

Or if none of the above 3 what the most cost effective way of having your heating on is please?

Pitlanepiglet

'Tis quite festive here, all white outside still and we've in full scale cleaning mode (Dad went out!), so we've been doing a full clean of the living room with Christmas carols on the CD player and mulled wine to keep us going! :j

grandma247

Gailey the recipe for hobnobs is very close to one I have used for years. If the mix is too wet it will spread so just add a bit more flour. Possibly a small handful, I can't be more accurate as I just go by the feel.
With the gingerbread men you could try letting the mix cool a little before rolling.
Also make sure you only put exactly a tablespoon measure in and not a heaped one.

grandma247

hippichiq I find the last one is the cheapest way to go. The other day when it was freezing cold and we had not had the heating on overnight it took from 8am till 1pm to get to 16C(I have no idea what it started at but it was bitter) It then took till 4pm to get to 18C and the thermostat was on at 22c.It cost me £5 that day.
I left it on low after that at about 15C at night and 17C during the day till after lunch then 19C for the rest of the evening turning it back down before bed. It costs me around £3 for the 24 hours.

It may depend on the type of heating you have. Ours is a combi boiler on the wall.

We also wear winter clothes as I told the kids we don't live in the bahamas and I am not heating the house for them to wear summer stuff.

ifonlyitwaseasier

Hippeechiq wrote: »

Really pleased to hear that your DGS is improving Flowertotmum - must be such a relief for you all :grouphug:

Sorry to hear your children are unwell Kidcat, hope they pick up soon

It's bitterly, bitterly cold here (although we have no snow), and I desperately don't want a huge gas bill.

Last year, when we had two wages coming in, we used to have it on at 20ºC from 6:30am-9am & 4:45pm-9:45pm. My daughter, who isn't working at the moment because of her illness, had a Halogen Heater for during the day when it became to cold for her, but that accidentally got broken.

I'm now looking after her, and we both really feel the cold. We've been managing so far having it on for the odd 30 minutes here, and an hour there - until yesterday, when I had it on for 3 x 45 minute periods during the day, and then 2 x 1 hour periods in the evening.

I'd like to have it on more if I could, but I don't know which way of running the heating is the most cost effective.

So I was wondering if any of you knows which uses less gas:-

a) Putting heating on at 20ºC for an hour at a time 4 times a day
OR
b) Putting heating on at 20ºC, and then keep it running at that for for two 2 hour periods a day
OR
c) Have it running solid from say 8:30am - 8:30pm at 16-18ºC?

Or if none of the above 3 what the most cost effective way of having your heating on is please?

iirc having it on lower constantly should be better as it doesn't work as hard to get up to temp each time

freezing here and heating is on, open fire lit, only problem is the pc has no heating near it!!!!!!!!!! lol i look llike the michelin man with all the layers i have on atm

kidcat

Gailey - i use honey rather than syrup in my Twinks - as we had run out of syrup one day but h ad honey in so went with that, I would only use the exact measure as stated though and no more, and as someone has already said let the gingerbread mix sit and relax before cutting and again before cooking. Twinks - i use a small ball sized amount well spaced out and squash slightly with a fork, they then spread out nicely into large biscuits.

bluebag

Good to hear sam is on the road to recovery, thing with littlies they go down hard but usually recover equally as quickly. So scary when it's yours tho.

Hope everyone is keeping as toasty as you can afford, it's really bitter here and water has been frozen all day in the garden, made the mistake of putting some washing out in the hope it might warm up a little and 'lighten' it, just took the board stiff frozen wahing in and put it in the dryer ...drat it!

Twinx.........mmmm, might get off here and go make some.

herbily

lil_me wrote: »

Dollydaydream as a now almost ex smoker I've always carried something to put ends in. Be it a bag, box or a purpose made cigarette stub pouch (think they are called stubbies) I got from the council officer selling them.

Something friends of mine used to use (er, at school, where getting caught with a cig was a hanging offence) was a small tin, the sort you get boiled sweets in, with a lid, and when they'd finished a ciggie they would stub it out in the tin and you could just put the tin in your pocket afterwards.