Preparing for winter III

singlestep

MaxSusie, thank you for the reminder about matches/lighters. I'm at no risk of running out of candles due to lack of ability to walk past a certain stall selling the scented ones without buying some when shopping - now have to avoid it!

rising from the ashes, your dog and your blanket are both lovely. I miss having a dog.

I'm no closer to deciding what to cook when I have my visitors. I have instead completed 2 hours of work I'd had to bring home, did shopping for mum and myself, did my ironing for the week ahead, made some spinach soup, and started washing and freshening winter clothes.

My freezer now has ten frozen portions of soup, eight portions of various meals, three portions of tomato sauce, some steak, stewing steak, mince and chicken, some frozen part-baked rolls, frozen veg and a couple of frozen convenience stand-bys (fish, chips). And ice cream. And no more space. It's a small freezer for a small kitchen. I don't live somewhere remote like some of you, but it takes me up to 90 minutes to get home on a good day so it's nice to not have to worry about shopping.

NualaBuala

Kathy - "Kathy's Kickasserole" - I love it! I think instant oatmeal is the same as Ready Brek (not sure if you have that brand) but I could be mistaken. The oats are ground finely so don't need cooking, just add hot milk or whatever. Mmm, haven't had that since I was a child, yummy!

rising_from_the_ashes wrote: »

Here goes.... just for you!

Sorry about the dog - he's settled in his evening snoozing place!:D

There's about another foot hanging over the back of the sofa....

Oh that is FAB! :T:T:T It must have taken ages as it is huge!!! You are going to be snug as bug in a (very large) rug! And your dog is beautiful too - he will be a nice hot water bottle I'm sure!

Good to know moving furnture helps - it is going to feel weird but worth it if it's warmer!

rising_from_the_ashes

Thanks .... I'm quite pleased at how it's turned out - not perfect, but not too bad for a 1st try;).

It's kept me sane being housebound for the past 2 weeks after op ..... not sure what I'm going to do for the next 2!:eek:

Yes, Mr Ben is quite a good hot water bottle but tends to hog the sofa a bit! He's absolutely ancient but still a bit of a munchkin given the opportunity.

Wee cat on my knee just now so that's lovely and warm, big cat's not a "lap cat" but does tend to snuggle in on the bed at night so I tend to have a furr-babe hot water bottle where-ever I am! (well, they have to earn their keep somehow!:))

Must go and get on - just realised the time:eek:. DM visiting tomorrow and just stuck 2 banana loafs in the oven, one for me and one for her to take away with her.....

lizzyb1812

Lovely throw rising, and even lovelier doggie . My cat is not a lap cat but my pup is a cuddler - he's going to be as big as Ben so I'll be toasty next winter if not this one!

singlestep - you've got 2 weeks to practice so breathe How about something out of Delia's Cheat book - lots of the ingredients are bought pre-prepared so the cooking is more of an assembly job. Don't try to cater for fussy eaters - that's their problem (unless it's genuine allergies) - just make sure there are plenty of side dishes and bread so if the main course does not appeal then no-one goes hungry

My grandma taught my grandad to cook in his late 70s so he would be OK when she was gone - he turned out to be a passable cook despite never having cooked a thing in his life until then - so there's hope for everyone!

singlestep

lizzyb1812 Thanks for the advice. I think I'm going to have to do something like that. My ex was a chef and, over a period of years, much time was invested in trying to teach me how to cook but to little avail sometimes even when he stood over me! I always get flustered or distracted or add too much seasoning/spices (not that some of my visitors will eat spicy food).

On the plus side, I'm actually quite good at telling others how to cook things :rotfl: I'll make a decision this week and practice next weekend. Might mean eating the ice cream in my freezer to make space. It's a tough life...

NualaBuala

rising_from_the_ashes wrote: »

Thanks .... I'm quite pleased at how it's turned out - not perfect, but not too bad for a 1st try;).

It's kept me sane being housebound for the past 2 weeks after op ..... not sure what I'm going to do for the next 2!:eek:

Yes, Mr Ben is quite a good hot water bottle but tends to hog the sofa a bit! He's absolutely ancient but still a bit of a munchkin given the opportunity.

Wee cat on my knee just now so that's lovely and warm, big cat's not a "lap cat" but does tend to snuggle in on the bed at night so I tend to have a furr-babe hot water bottle where-ever I am! (well, they have to earn their keep somehow!:))

Must go and get on - just realised the time:eek:. DM visiting tomorrow and just stuck 2 banana loafs in the oven, one for me and one for her to take away with her.....

Wow - can't believe you made it in only 2 weeks! More and more impressive! If you've got the bug you will find no end of things to make (everyone will want something handmade for Christmas) so the next 2 weeks could be choc full of knitting. Sorry to hear you had an op - hope all went well and you're on the road to recovery.

kmiller4

NualaBuala wrote: »

Kathy - "Kathy's Kickasserole" - I love it! I think instant oatmeal is the same as Ready Brek (not sure if you have that brand) but I could be mistaken. The oats are ground finely so don't need cooking, just add hot milk or whatever. Mmm, haven't had that since I was a child, yummy!

Thanks Nuala. Can someone please explain what porridge is then? I'm assuming its a hot cereal-- what grain is used then? Oats, wheat, rice? Maybe something else?

We do not have Ready Brek here. There are several brands of instant oatmeal (most notably Quaker) and it comes in many flavors. My fav is cinnamon and spice. OH likes the one with raisins (sultanas) and spice.

Rising--love the throw! Wish I could knit like that:)

SuziQ

Not sure what I'm going to do this year as it's the first year since I've been diagnosed as Lactose intolerant .....

Rising I avoid lactose due a digestive problem, and I buy 'Arla' lactosefree milk. I buy the fresh and keep a few litre cartons of the long life for emergencies. I prefer skimmed but they only do the semi or full fat, however it tastes nice. It's not the cheapest milk, however Asda and Tesco have both had offers on it fairly regularly so I stock up then.

ChasingButterflies

kmiller4 wrote: »

Can someone please explain what porridge is then? I'm assuming its a hot cereal-- what grain is used then? Oats, wheat, rice? Maybe something else?

We do not have Ready Brek here. There are several brands of instant oatmeal (most notably Quaker) and it comes in many flavors. My fav is cinnamon and spice. OH likes the one with raisins (sultanas) and spice.

Hi, yes porridge is made from oats, Ready Brek is a kids version that the oats are ground down (so that it isn't so lumpy) I just found a box and it is 60% wholegrain rolled oats and 38% wholegrain oat flour (the rest of the ingredients are vitamins that are added) Yes it is a hot cereal made with milk, depending on preference sometimes with salt or sugar added.

*slinks back out of thread*

Sunflower1227

kmiller4 wrote: »

Thanks Nuala. Can someone please explain what porridge is then? I'm assuming its a hot cereal-- what grain is used then? Oats, wheat, rice? Maybe something else?

We do not have Ready Brek here. There are several brands of instant oatmeal (most notably Quaker) and it comes in many flavors. My fav is cinnamon and spice. OH likes the one with raisins (sultanas) and spice.

Rising--love the throw! Wish I could knit like that:)

Hi have a quick look at this, it will give you an idea of what porridge is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porridge

HTHs