How to Get Through The Tough Times The Old Style Way.

jackieglasgow

carrot cake muffins please IOIWE and a recipe too if you don't mind

Charis

It feels good to be back on the OS thread. I've missed a lot of the usual posters. I've been a bit spooked tonight. Where I live it's so quiet that you can hear a gnat's eyelash drop, especially at night. I'm on my own here and have some music playing quietly on the laptop. The only other sound is the whirr of the warm air heating, whose sounds I know intimately. About half an hour ago there was a 'bang' from behind me, it sounded like something being thrown at the wall in my son's recently vacated room. It didn't worry me at first because it's a noise that, when I heard it previously, I assumed was him - but he recently moved away. I've looked everywhere but can find nothing to account for the sound. When I went in the room, in spite of having the heating on all day and the vent open in that room, it is ice cold :eek: I can't sense anything malevolent in there though, and I won't dwell on it, or I won't sleep.

Does anyone know what kind of grater I should use on Parmesan? I got a chunk of it with my online food shop, having specified I wanted the ready grated, but didn't notice until the driver had gone. I know it's a hard cheese and normally looks much finer than cheddar when grated, but I've always taken the easier option, or grated some cheddar instead.

Butterfly_Brain

We have spoken about this and there is one company down here that manufactures windows so if by a miracle the car gets through the MOT we will start doing one at a time - only trouble doing it this way is that you have to have the building inspector out at some cost every time and our council is one of the dearest on everything in the country - for example BIL's dad just died and they want £2000 for a burial plot :eek: That's a tory council for you :mad:

kidcat

Calamari - am so craving it at the moment - any ideas where to buy reasonably?

Greying_Pilgrim

kidcat wrote: »

Thanks jackie and Mse andrea too

I'll second, third and fourth that sentiment! How lovely to be back legitimately in OS! Lavandula has started a good topic on 'living the simple life in an OS way' too on the OS board and the threads will compliment each other nicely, and lead to lots of help and support for those that obviously are in need.

Just to prove that you can have fun on the cheap, we today thoroughly enjoyed a 'free' concert given locally by a group of talented 'tweenage and teenage' piano students. I know this age group normally only gets bad press, but I think we here know that the vast majority of these young people are talented and have so much to give to and show the world - messy bedrooms and grunts aside <ahem>. But for a group of youngsters (12 to 14yrs) to be able to stand up in front of a group of (predominantely) adults and say what they are going to play and then play virtually without fault is just amazing . There was a 'retiring' collection, and we gladly contributed, so not quite 'free' but for the standard of playing.....

Anyway, got to go and finish off some HM soup (veg, lentil and tomato) for a 'picnic' tomorrow. To be teamed up with some HM cherry sponge (cherries from a near neighbour's tree picked - with their permission - back in the summer) and some other 'frugal' bites.

Greying

mardatha

I'm the same BB, we will all lose DLA for sure. To me it makes the difference between scraping by in misery, and having that wee tiny bit spare for things. I usually spend it on good meat from Costco which I suppose is a waste really.
I am wondering if we should buy "things" we need or just hang onto the money... things like freezers or raised beds or steamers , that will help this new old life style LOL

kidcat

Charis - I use a potato peeler - but then again I prefer nice shavings of parmesan

ifonlyitwaseasier

jackieglasgow wrote: »

carrot cake muffins please IOIWE and a recipe too if you don't mind

okies will dig it out for you, it's just my carrot cake in muffin cases tho :P

Carrot cake
2 cups sugar (by cups i mean that i use metal measuring cups)
4 eggs
1 and a half cups sunflower or veg oil
3 cups grated carrot
3 cups SR flour
2 tsp cinnamon (or a big shake of it)
1tsp salt
half a cup of chopped walnuts (i leave these out)
half a cup of rasins (i up this to 1 cup to account for the missing walnuts)

beat the sugar, eggs and oil til smooth and light.
combine flour, cinnamon and salt.
add to the wet mix and stir.
add the carrots and raisins (and walnuts if using) and stir thoroughly.
pour into either a large lined loaf tin, or muffin cases.
if in the tin bake at gas4-5/elec 180(fan170) and bake for 45-60mins
for the muffins, same temp and bake for 35-45 mins or till golden and a toothpick comes out clean when tested into one

Cream Cheese Frosting
8oz of cream cheese
1tsp of vanilla essence
2 tbsp marg/softened butter
5 cups sifted icing sugar

combine everything BUT the icing sugar
once well mixed add the sugar half a cup at a time
ice the cake once its cold and enjoy

jackieglasgow

Charis I have a hand held fine grater, but any grater with small holes does fine. I also have a tiny grater which came in a hot chocolate mug one year at Christmas which does the job really well

That's OK IOIWE I am on the hunt for the perfect carrot cake for my sister's wedding cake, and am triying out any recipes I come across as well as making up my own as I go along. Thanks

ChocClare

Charis wrote: »

It feels good to be back on the OS thread. I've missed a lot of the usual posters. I've been a bit spooked tonight. Where I live it's so quiet that you can hear a gnat's eyelash drop, especially at night. I'm on my own here and have some music playing quietly on the laptop. The only other sound is the whirr of the warm air heating, whose sounds I know intimately. About half an hour ago there was a 'bang' from behind me, it sounded like something being thrown at the wall in my son's recently vacated room. It didn't worry me at first because it's a noise that, when I heard it previously, I assumed was him - but he recently moved away. I've looked everywhere but can find nothing to account for the sound. When I went in the room, in spite of having the heating on all day and the vent open in that room, it is ice cold :eek: I can't sense anything malevolent in there though, and I won't dwell on it, or I won't sleep.

Does anyone know what kind of grater I should use on Parmesan? I got a chunk of it with my online food shop, having specified I wanted the ready grated, but didn't notice until the driver had gone. I know it's a hard cheese and normally looks much finer than cheddar when grated, but I've always taken the easier option, or grated some cheddar instead.

It wasn't something "blowing" in the sytem was it? I know whenever DH was away abroad I used to end up sleeping with a knife on the bedside table (not sure what I thought I was going to do with it :rotfl:) because our silent house was NOT silent at all. I just didn't notice how much it creaked until he was away...

For parmesan, I always use a nutmeg grater or the fine grater on the normal grater. Except when I use the potato peeler for "shavings". Mmmmmmmmmmm .

But the fine grater makes it last longer *slaps self*

Mmmmmmm, shavings....

Oh, and IOIWE - either sounds delish. Muffins are more filling though...