As The Workhouse Approaches....How To Do Everything To Avoid It, the Old Style Way

ChocClare

ginnyknit wrote: »

Ahh well another O/S day done and dusted - ginger cake just came out of the BM

Ginger cake, you say? In the BM, you claim?

This sounds like Something Which Would Interest Me Very Much. Do you have a recipe at all???

elona

Youngest DD has gone to open day at Sheffield University with DH - only got one ticket or I would have gone too.

I made the mistake of going shopping two days running in city centres and wearing shoes that rubbed my feet, instead of Clark's sandals. I now have blisters that bleed around the side of the heel of one foot :eek: The fact that my feet and legs are prone to fluid retention does not help.

Managed to get Compeed and hope that will help the foot heal. Got desperate and ordered Hush Puppy sandals from amazon ( expensive but saved about £15 as the sale was on.) Ecstatic at stuff we got for DDs - bag at new look for £10 instead of £30 which will hold her laptop for work! Smart trousers from Tall section for £8 instead of £28! Lingerie at Boyses for £5 a set instead of about £20 and a load of cosmetic goodies as well.

Just noticed La senza have online sale so ordered two bras for a fiver each - one should have been £22 and the other about £16 so chuffed (just hope size is right!)

Yesterday was even more successful as middle DD has special occassion coming up and wanted a knock out outfit. We schlepped around what felt like all of Leeds ( me limping and puffing in the heat) and after three or four large shops and no success had nearly given up.

I then coaxed her into Frasers and her sister helped her grab stuff to try on. She looked so good in about three outfits I insisted she let me and her dad treat her to two dresses. One was reduced from £60 to £25 which was good but the other was a Karen Millan which had originally been around £240 and finally reduced to around £40 and looks as if it was made for her.

Promised myself to hold fire on bargains for a week or so but as there is a catalogue sale next Saturday doubt if I can resist.

Anyone looking for glass storage jars could try amazon - I got some for £2.25 each with free postage and just saw the same jars in a local shop for £4.99! A few more jars arrived today so need to fill them and stash them in cupboard before family gets back.

Home made sausage and onion pie is in the fridge for tonight so spent hours tidying some of the study (DH just piles stuff in heaps on top of my bookcase and it looks awful).

Hug to all

ginnyknit

Been to hospital with OH, no waiting!!!!! saw consultant- who had a no nonsense approach and a sense of humour - camera in and out, tests done, meds issued and off we jolly well went :T Its all to treat an old problem with his waterworks which is adding to his stress but hopefully these tablets will ease it. OH came out in pain but feeling a tad more positive. We then ate our picnic in the car and came home. He is now snoring peacefully.

Unixgirluk, I have been doing a lot of dying ever since they brought out machine dyes. Black clothes do wash out a lot don't they? The jacket is (unbeleivably) pale green that I had for a wedding but its a fab fit, comfy and works in all weathers so I really don't want to lose it - however I have a dark green dye loitering under the sink so I might just dye it then bind it. I also dye OH's jeans as they come up really well.

Chocclare, recipe as requested - goodness I am efficient today :rotfl:

Ginger cake in BM

150ml milk
1 egg
3 tbls oil
2 tbls treacle
2 tbls syrup

whisk all wet ingredients together and put in Bm first

add
100gms sugar
pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla
2.5 tsp ginger
225 gms Plain flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarb

cook on cake or quick and light.

I always scrape the pan with a spatula before baking so you dont get powdery edges - when it comes out of the Bm it gets a sticky top and is very moreish. I got the recipe off MSE I think

ifonlyitwaseasier

afternoon all,

had a lovely lunch out with friends who wouldn't let me chip in and then splurged a weee bit too much in an american store near here, got a mega pack of Old Bay seasoning as i love it and it is fab for perking up meats

also decided to get this book as i know it'll be sad but the ending is definitely joyful

haven't done much OS today apart from relax

westlothianlass

Afternoon all,
Well it's been a shock to the system but the weather up here has been delightful for a couple of days. With the result that i have been able to do enough washing that i can see the bottom of my washing basket woohoo (days like this don't happen very often:)).

ON a OS note had a bit of dodgy tum so have been drinking home made mint tea and i think it's definately made a difference, so i'm less of a grumpy moo now:D, must remember in the future as faffed about with over the counter stuff earlier in the day before i remembered to try it.

Sitting here bracing myself from a phonecall from the garage as my car needs a few bits and pieces to pass its MOT so heres hoping it isn't so horendous i have to weep into my mint tea.

Hope you are all having a grand day wherever you are and the sunshine sprinkles some good cheer on you.
x

lizzyb1812

So THAT's where my sunshine went :rotfl:Been wet, wet, wet today until about 2pm then just cloudy and breezy.

Still have to walk the dog in the morning even in the rain so I cheered myself by choosing a route that I knew had cherry plum trees on it - if anyone saw an apparently mad woman with a dog and a plastic bag and an umbrella picking cherry plums in the rain, that was me:)

Worth it though, about 2lbs in weight after picking out some yucky ones. I've already stewed them and frozen them in single servings to have with yoghurt, ice-cream, pancakes, etc.

The rain meant that outside jobs have been put off and that meant that paperwork mountain had to be conquered. Now feel very virtuous and my desk is clear of stuff. :A

And I'm trying to stay virtuous and have NOT copied that ginger cake recipe (not yet anyway :rotfl:)

I'm doing the Grocery Challenge this month and have totted up that I've spent £29-75 so far :T I set what some would say was a fairly high budget of £150 but it was important to me that I didn't fail or I'd just not bother again. Have been using things up as well, hence the low spend to date - and I haven't felt in the least deprived. The real challenge will come further down the line when petfood needs to be bought and the freezer has slimmed down.

I'm much more active now than I was a few months ago and seem to want to snack which is something I never used to do. Any ideas for non-sweet snacks - don't mind preparation but would rather not use the oven.

Have a good evening all - looking forward to reading your news

Lizzy

ChocClare

ginnyknit wrote: »

Been to hospital with OH, no waiting!!!!! saw consultant- who had a no nonsense approach and a sense of humour - camera in and out, tests done, meds issued and off we jolly well went :T Its all to treat an old problem with his waterworks which is adding to his stress but hopefully these tablets will ease it. OH came out in pain but feeling a tad more positive. We then ate our picnic in the car and came home. He is now snoring peacefully.

Unixgirluk, I have been doing a lot of dying ever since they brought out machine dyes. Black clothes do wash out a lot don't they? The jacket is (unbeleivably) pale green that I had for a wedding but its a fab fit, comfy and works in all weathers so I really don't want to lose it - however I have a dark green dye loitering under the sink so I might just dye it then bind it. I also dye OH's jeans as they come up really well.

Chocclare, recipe as requested - goodness I am efficient today :rotfl:

Ginger cake in BM

150ml milk
1 egg
3 tbls oil
2 tbls treacle
2 tbls syrup

whisk all wet ingredients together and put in Bm first

add
100gms sugar
pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla
2.5 tsp ginger
225 gms Plain flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarb

cook on cake or quick and light.

I always scrape the pan with a spatula before baking so you dont get powdery edges - when it comes out of the Bm it gets a sticky top and is very moreish. I got the recipe off MSE I think

Thanks very much GK: I shall put that on now and that way it will be ready and waiting for me to nibble with my coffee later while I'm watching Torchwood. I hope

Just bought new scales which revealed the true horror so perhaps should not be eating ginger cake at all but life is short and then we die so I'm going to anyway.

Just got home from work and DD made me a cup of tea. I sat down for a quick look at emails etc and promptly fell asleep. I KNOW the answer is to do more exercise as I have so much more energy when I exercise regularly (and I can eat as much cake as a I like, more to the point), but I just can't be bothered. Do the words Vicious Circle spring to mind?

College reunion on Saturday - one girl emailed that she thought she'd better get on the exercise bike before we all met up again :eek:. The way I look at it, of the people I was at college with, many are successful business people: one is a film star, one is herself a broadcaster and also the partner of a very famous screenwriter/ film maker. Someone has to eat biscuits and make the others feel better about themselves

elona

Lizzye

How about home made microwave popcorn? Cheese muffins made in microwave?

Managed to limp to shops and get stuff for youngest tomorrow and also some change for her bus etc. Study looks better and two loads of washing has been hung outside. I even hoovered the hall and stairs.

Yellow stickered fish is baking in the oven as well as a couple of gammon steaks on special offer. Salad and coleslaw is ready as side dish.

DD and DH just arrived earlier than expected and not hungry yet so will just have to play things by ear re cooking. If necessary things can go in fridge once cooled and eaten later or tomorrow.

ceridwen

Speaking of popcorn - flush from my first-ever success with it the other day (ie doing it the conventional method of bit of oil and a saucepan) - I wonder if there is some less fattening way I can do it please. One that doesnt involve microwaves - as I havent got one - or one of those gadget things specially for popcorn on the other hand (as I dont want one). Well - you never know...someone might know of a fourth way (shades of science fiction-y stuff creeping in again - who knows the Fourth Way?:rotfl:). Its okay - I've not gone ape-!!!! - I'm getting myself psyched up to actually sit and watch a tv programme tonight - episode of Torchwood coming up, as per reminder....

On another food-related query - at last...we are starting to get lift-off with those peanut sprouts - so how long do they have to be before I can tuck in and try 'em? I'm sorta supposing they are going to have to be/get to be quite long before I use them (say 4" or so in length???). Does that sound about right?

claudiac_2

Can I ask some quick advice please? Can you freeze *lora spread etc? Just been in the corner shop and they are selling off loads of lard, etc at 20p a tub.
Thanks