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

kidcat

lostinrates wrote: »

that's interesting. I would have assumed the sugar would melt caramalise and stick!


I love my cookbooks...both my own notes (subdivided into folders for sweet/ veg/ meat/holidays) I'd love to be skilled enough to make a system where I could store them on a disc or whatever findable by ingredient for gluts, holidays for appropriate but new ideas, and other points of reference...but I can't!

ginnyknit, I would have thought a Genoise sponge

It doesnt - maybe cos its icing sugar??


Last time I made a sponge cake I just used a basic victoria sponge recipe, was much harder to ice though. Obviously you will need the dowels to support any decorations, two tiers etc but I use them now even on a fruit cake.

ginnyknit

Thank you guys, genoise looks the right kind of cake, I always made fruit cakes but they will be too expensive and the wedding is soon - basically I am rescuing Dd's friend who is a bit lost with all the plans. I enjoy making favours etc and have done lots of cakes but that was years ago. Its going to be a simple cake with pastel coloured icing. I knew you would all have the right cake for me :T:T:T

Larumbelle

charlies-aunt wrote: »

I never use greaseproof paper for cake tin if you rub the inside over with a bit of margarine and then add a teaspoon of flour to the inside if the tin and shake it round so it coats the margarine, cakes never stick and slide out like magic

I never use greaseproof, but I never use flour either. My own weird tip is to grease with a different type of fat to the one you are cooking with - so if you use butter, grease with oil, and vice versa. For some reason this seems to work better than using the same kind of fat.

My cookbook / recipe journal / whatever is an A4 page-per-day diary that someone at work discarded unused the following year. It seemed like a shame to let it go to waste. I covered it with nice paper so it looks pretty. Inside you can see all the dates but I don't really care, all that says is that 'the owner is thrifty' and I wear that like a badge of honour! Every now and then I get a pang and wish I was one of those superior types who has searchable databases on the computer. But frankly I don't have a computer in the kitchen with me and I don't mealplan sat at a desk. So my old diary is perfect for me. Recipes only get added once I've tried and tested them, and although I've got pricings pencilled for some of the recipes they don't get updated enough to be useful, lets face it prices change too quickly these days.

Winchelsea

When I was at DS's on Mon he offloaded a few things in my directon - having a turnout as he has to move house soon. I acquired some A4 folders, one of which has the see-through document sleeves - I thought - RECIPES!!

Also the glass plate from an old microwave (will find a use for it), a stack of A4 lined paper and various other bits. Never say no is my motto - people might not offer again if you do!

mardatha

I want to try nettle fertiliser too when my nettles come through. All I've got are daffodils just coming into bud now, and forget-me-nots starting to appear.

kidcat

Winchelsea wrote: »

When I was at DS's on Mon he offloaded a few things in my directon - having a turnout as he has to move house soon. I acquired some A4 folders, one of which has the see-through document sleeves - I thought - RECIPES!!

Also the glass plate from an old microwave (will find a use for it), a stack of A4 lined paper and various other bits. Never say no is my motto - people might not offer again if you do!

Having previously broken a microwave plate - and subsequently having to buy a new microwave as a new plate cost more - I have two plates from our last two broken microwaves in the cupboard, even my mum kept hers when her microwave blew up - and she never keeps anything like that. Sometimes someone on freecycle will offer the plate and I smile - always wondering if they end up regretting giving it away later.

Now i need some advice here - I want to buy a bottle of champagne for when we move but dont want to spend a fortune but have no idea what to look for (I personally prefer lambrusco - got no wine palate at all!!) so does anyone have suggestions for a not too expensive nice bottle ?

Pitlanepiglet

Kidkat, do you really want champagne? Personally I'd buy something like Sansbury's Taste the Difference Cava - usually around £6.99 a bottle - I love champagne but cava tastes good to me - the cork goes pop and it looks fizzy!

ginnyknit

mardatha wrote: »

I want to try nettle fertiliser too when my nettles come through. All I've got are daffodils just coming into bud now, and forget-me-nots starting to appear.

I was watching Alys Fowler and she threw the nettles out of the fertiliser onto the garden, Im guessing you dig them in - waste not want not:) I know it stinks when you make it though and remember it was very unpleasant when I used it years ago but will suffer as I don't want to buy anything this year. We never have a shortage of nettle here :rotfl:thank goodness I found a use for them. Im getting quite excited at the thought of all the veg we will have, and I havent bought any seeds either - I assure you I have enough!

kidcat

Pitlanepiglet wrote: »

Kidkat, do you really want champagne? Personally I'd buy something like Sansbury's Taste the Difference Cava - usually around £6.99 a bottle - I love champagne but cava tastes good to me - the cork goes pop and it looks fizzy!

Brilliant - I knew someone would have a suggestion, I tried asking my uncle (worked in pub trade) he suggested something that turned out to be £50 a bottle!!!! The advantage is that with Sainsburys I may well have enough nectar points too!! Thanks

jackieglasgow

Aldi have a nice Sekt too which is the German equivalent of Cava.