The Tougher Thread continues.....

Pink.

GreyQueen wrote: »

It may be silly but I am totally made up over it. Got it a bit too late in the day to use it today, and have my family up tomorrow for an allotment sesh, weather permitting, so the SC will have it's inaugural outing on Wednesday.

I was thinking of a brisket beef joint......nomnomnom. Any tips from experienced SC users would be most welcome.

Gosh, I feel like a proper grown-up now I own a slow cooker..........

Not even slightly silly! I'm excited for you...I remember when I cooked my first meal in mine. And the first time we went out for the day and came home to a cooked meal with next to no effort from me. Brisket is lovely in the slow cooker! This thread might help:

What would you do with Beef Brisket in a slow cooker?

I still haven't felt the need to put the central heating on yet other than to heat water, but is such a dull, windy, miserable, cold, wet day here that I have lit the fire for the first time since last winter. It's cheered the place up completely and was appreciated by dd who has just come in out of the rain and will definitely be appreciated by both boys who are playing rugby until after 6.30pm this evening...poor souls! I have hm fish pie ready to go into the oven and think we might treat ourselves to tea by the fire tonight.

Pink

Draagonfly

GreyQueen wrote: »

I was thinking of a brisket beef joint......nomnomnom. Any tips from experienced SC users would be most welcome.

Gosh, I feel like a proper grown-up now I own a slow cooker..........:j all appliances tend to acquire stupid nicknames in my life and I feel that this one should be Gollum.:rotfl:

I did slow-cooker pot-roast brisket for the 1st time yesterday GQ I followed these instructions (I've summarised in some places lol) from The Slow Cooker Recipe Book by Catherine Atkinson) that I have:

Serves 4-6

1.2kg/2 1.2 lb rolled brisket
25g/1oz/2tbsp beef dripping or white veg fat
2 onions, cut into 8 wedges
2 carrots, quartered
2 sticks celery, cut into 5cm/2 inch lengths
2 bay leaves
300ml/1/2 pint near boiling beef stock
salt & black pepper

Season meat well. heat the fat in a large, heavy pan until hot. Add the meat & turn frequently using wooden spoons (do not use anything sharp like forks). Once browned all round remove & pop on a plate.

Pour away some fat, add the veg & cook for a few mins until lightly browned, don't darken them too much or the stock will turn bitter.

Arrange the veg in a single layer on the bottom of the SC, sit the meat on top & pour any plate juices over.

Pour the stock into the browning pan stir in sediment. Pour this over the meat/veg. It should barely cover the veg.

Cover with the lid & cook for 4 hrs on high & then turn down to low for 2-3 hours. Baste & turn a couple of times, again avoid using sharp implements.

Lift the meat out onto a warmed plate & cover with foil, leaving to rest for at least 15 mins.

Remove the veg & set aside, you can either serve with the meat or use for soup.

Skim any excess fat from the stock, transfer to a pan & thicken with a little cornflour slurry, simmer to allow the cornflour to cook out.

Slice meat & enjoy.

Mine turned out fabulously :j

GreyQueen

cat_smith wrote: »

No not silly at all. My husbands comment when he read GQ's post about her precious was that that was me!

So tell us GQ - what's the plan? Have you got any SC cookery books or are you going to add lib? All I can say is don't do Mardatha's cauliflower :rotfl::rotfl:

Ad lib, methinks, why break the habit of a lifetime? I shall peruse the threads and possibly head library-wards to borrow a basic SC cookery book, just so I get the general principles into my thick skull. Is there a particular book which peeps find esp friendly? I like casserole-y type things, chili, curry preferably but not exclusively including animals. I particularly like beef but it it gets really tough those pesky squirrels better watch out........:rotfl:

Checking out for the day as t'internet goes down at 4 pm so thanks for your lovely encouragement; so valued to meet with people who know just how exciting an SC can be..........:rotfl:

See you tomorrow and wrap up; temp is dropping ruddy fast here for some reason. If it was 2 months on I'd suspect S N O W.:eek:

CRANKY40

mardatha wrote: »

I cant get a$$ in gear at all re the C word. is anybody else ignoring it as well?

Oh yes...the time of year when we put up a fake tree, the cats go to live in the aforementioned tree, and the whole thing falls over at least once a day. I can hardly wait :eek:

I did ask the elf the other day if we really had to put the tree up, but he's six and quite used to my foibles so he just gave me one of his looks and said "Of course mum, the cats's love it."

kidcat

Cranky - I know that so well, even our rabbit goes nuts for the tree and she hates the outdoors!!

I have also decided to kick into gear and am getting a list ready - I am planning on going to join Costco on Thursday when Oh is off work (car needs tyres and Costco are so much cheaper its worth the membership fee for us) and will be having a good hunt around checking prices first - then I think its going to be a mad dash to get myself organised with the aim of finishing by Dec 1st this year to have time to enjoy all the little things without worry.

I have been sensible today and switched the CH on - I am planning on having it serviced but thought it best to use it for a few days so if anything is wrong I can get it sorted at the same time as the service, have to say so far am impressed it was only on twenty minutes and everywhere felt very warm indeed:j:j that will make a big difference at Christmas the idea of being warm without feeling guilty at the cost will indeed be a gift in itself!!

My SC is on today with a beef in ale type thing having stood outside school for an hour today trying to change a tyre I felt so cold that the idea of a SC meal was too much to resist.

Today has been a mixed bag in that my new fridge freezer was playing up and repair man arrived at 8.30 - then announced it was not repairable - cue tears and panic (we got it reduced in June) but apparently rather than refund us (which wouldnt cover the cost of a new one) they will deliver us a brand new one next week. :j
Followed by the flat tyre and not so good news at the doctors I feel wrung out - but the way I look at it, we are all here and together so things could be worse.

maryb

Igamogam wrote: »

My student DD1 persuaded me to buy the Mail on Sunday today as it has a double duvet offer in it. Through gritted teeth I bought one - wish I hadn't - offer is not that good in reality and as DD2 said - too good to be true! OK if you are a a Mail reader I guess. I shall be buying a duvet form the Marks basic range for her - excellent value I have found!

Am a bit behind with the thread so I don't know if anyone else has said this but Aldi currently have a special offer on duvets and pillows and they seem pretty good. I bought my DD a new single duvet for £7.99 (they do double and king as well) and it's winter weight 13.5 tog. Put it on yesterday and it passed the snuggle test

Margaret54

Hi everyone:) Finally caught up on all the posts:) Lovely to see new people have joined. I know you will feel very welcome here and I would just like to say to you I hope you will enjoy it. I love it myself, and am learning so much. I really do appreciate the advice and tips and the craic as well. It is pouring down here and has been since early morning, very windy and cold too. Made a lovely curry in my slow cooker so hope you enjoy using yours GreyQueen. I was so excited too when I got mine. I also made lemon drizzel cake in the oven yesterday from the Hairy Bikers cookbook and my dh and I really enjoyed some with a nice cup of tea. Will make it again for sure. Take care everyone and I am sending those who could do with one a big virtual hug.xx

HariboJunkie

Evening all :hello:

To my shame I did return to bed this morning but we had such an awful night it was necessary. I caught up with the chores this afternoon so no harm done.

Trying to source curtains for our bedroom (to match the new decor) and think I may have found exactly what I'm after on ebay for £200 less than the ones OH thought I should go ahead and buy from Laura Ashley.:j I just have to win them now.
I'm a Christmas lover. We don't go for it in a massively commercial way (I make my own decs, cards, gift wrap and alot of gifts). We love the celebration of the season and the family and I love the memories the girls will have from it all. I'm lucky enough to have lots of family and friends to share it with and count my blessings every year.

Welcome to Jo and Pooky (forgot to say hi yesterday :hello:). Sorry if I've missed anyone else.
Have fun with your new toy GQ.
Sorry to see you go Kittie. Hopefully you will have a change of heart again.

smileyt_2

Evening all!

Mrs Veg Plot, Taurusgb, hugs to you both.

Kittie, I hope you do pop back in occasionally.

Greyqueen - slowcooked squirrel :eek: bleurgh!

Welcome, de-lurkers!

RANT ALERT! RANT ALERT!

Received a letter today from JobSeekers to say they have overpaid me by £337 because my earnings were too much for five weeks over the summer. What earnings? I was unemployed on the dates they mention and I have no idea why they think I was working when I most certainly wasn't! So I have to sort that out. The knock on effect is that no housing benefit has been paid, either. And to top it all, I have just checked my timesheets for work (I have been working since the end of September) to find out that the office staff have not approved them. This means I will not get paid next week and I will be going into overdraft. I have just e-mailed them to tell them I will be expecting the company to pay any bank charges as it is their fault - I made sure I submitted my timesheets before the final deadline. :mad: To say I am a bit p*ssed off is an understatement. I am trying to stay calm but I actually feel like screaming at both JSA and work. How many incompetent people is it possible to come across in one day?

Well, I'm off to find a brick wall to bang my head against .... :rotfl:

kidcat

Ceridwen please dont read anything into the thanks thing - I havent thanked anyone for ages as I am usually using my phone and its nigh on impossible to thank, I seem to think a few others are in a similar boat.
I wasnt here at the beginning but have drawn so much wisdom from the various tough threads, and so much support and knowledge it has not only impacted my life, but my children and my wider family and friends too. Someone I know quoted back to me something I quoted from here ages ago - which made me smile. From my perspective times are still tough but knowing I am not alone in my battle givesme the strength to carry on each day. So I would like to say thank you both to kittie for inspiring us all but also to everyone who contributes each day.