A new 'tougher' thread... and so it continues

lizzyb1812

Saw bits of the Robert Peston programme but agree that the second part should be more interesting - where do we go from here etc?

CRANKY40 - I've got an Ebeneezer too, although mine is my brother. When he was sent a giftcard he moaned about having to choose his own present :eek:

7_week_wonder

Just off to bed after a not too bad day of food preparation: 10 portions of tomato/mince stuff; 3 portions of oxtail and 8 portions of butternut squash soup.

But I wanted to pop in to say thanks Grey Queen for the laundry advice. Hankies will go in to soak in some weak bleach solution once I have a big enough pile of them. (The joke in the family is that after dad died, my big brother got his wedding ring, BiL got his gold watch - and I got his 3 dozen unused cotton hankies!!)

Also preparedathome: don't beat yourself up about your blog, it is really lovely. And there is no rush for the recipe - it just sounded interesting and I'd like to add it to my "things to try" list.

Talking of which - I've been picking up all the freebie magazines from the various supermarkets. And I reckon Mr M has by far and away the best selection of recipes in their Christmas Edition. The ginger and clementine stuffing is definitely getting tried sometime over the holidays.

Night all, hope the snow doesn't cause too much chaos.

prepareathome

Right been working on Blog and have Bakewell Tart Recipe up but copying and pasting it here

From Good Eating, Suggestions For Wartime Dishes, 2's a New Selection of Daily Telegraph, Readers Tested Recipes, The Daily Telegraph Home Cook

INGREDIENTS

1/2lb Short Crust Pastry
1 or 2 tlbs jam ( raspberry for preference)
3ozs biscuit/cake/bread crumbs
1 1/2oz sugar
1 1/2 ozs marg/butter
1 egg /reconstituted egg
Almond Essence.

Recipe from same book for Short Crust Pastry

INGREDIENTS

1/2lb Flour ( doesn't state but I used Plain flour)
2ozs Cooking Fat ( I just used marg)
1/2 tsp Baking Powder

Sieve flour with baking powder. Put fat into the middle of the flour and cut it quickly with a knife. Rub fat into flour as finely as possible till mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Follow the Golden Rule* of Pastry making and use as little cold water as possible, keeping the dough as dry as you can, smooth but stiff. Kneed lightly till it leaves sides of the bowl quite clean. Roll out.

Not sure what they mean by Golden Rule of Pastry Making, cannot find anything written in book about it.



Now I had almonds in so I ground some and put them in instead of the biscuit/cake/bread crumbs. Not in wartime so they can be bought easily, and not to expensive, but if I didn't have them in I most likely would not have bought them.

Line shallow tin or small tartlet tins with short crust pastry ( in book they just say short pastry but I presume it means short crust so made that). Cover this with a fine layer of jam. Spread smoothly with mixture as follows/

Cream fat and sugar, add biscuit/cake/bread crumbs ( or as I did ground almonds ), egg and almond essence to flavour well. If mixture is to stiff add a little milk.

Put into hot oven, reducing heat after 10 mins. Hot = Gas 7/450F/220 - my working out for last temp as doesn't give it in the book only first two.

Ready when top layer is golden brown - but I always put a sewer into baking and if it comes out clean its cooked through.

I found this made a massive tart .

gardenia101

mardatha wrote: »

I just want somebody who is peeling onions holding the potato slice in teeth and wearing goggles to post a pic please.

You see - this is why it crossed my mind that that "tip" was actually a wind up :rotfl: & now I shall be paranoid that someone will lurk by my window & catch me in the act, potato slice in mouth. They'll have a jolly long wait...

grandma247

Growing winter squash
I found this site quite a while ago but forgot about it. The info and photos are very helpful and even courgettes benefit from being grown under cover.

I remember tinned sausage rolls. They were very greasy but better than nothing.

gardenia English onions tend to be stronger than Spanish or Dutch ones.

I will have to catch up tomorrow as there are still four pages to read.
Plan is working to get stuff done in the house with dd and partner. We now have wall paper on the stairs,hall and landing.
they will come later in the week to paint it.

bloomerang72

GreyQueen wrote: »

or socking away frozen veggies

GQ - Does this save on freezer bags???!:D Or is this your way of recycling the socks with holes in?

Desperate_Housewife_2-2

up early this morning as couldnt sleep, kept thinking that if I got up I could stick a washload in while its still economy 7 time lol! Nice to have an early cuppas before everyone gets up and its chaos. I'm sat with my little doggy having a cuddle and a quick surf to see if there are any bargains going on hukd.

Thanks for the bakewell tart recipe, I've filed it away for when I have loads of breadcrumbs, we eat them all so never have any these days. I'll have to strategically plan the xmas stuffing...

Sorry to hear about the redundancies, it seems that everyone is taking a hit these days, I am soooo glad I joined MSE years ago as we battened down the hatches then as we felt a storm coming, OH is part time now and he is knackered doing the hours as its so busy and it gets harder as you get older as you dont have all the youth and optimistic energy we used to have!

Its cold here with ice on the windows, forecast is cold for the rest of the week. I am trying to not go to supermarkets next week and just shop local at the veg shop to save a few bob. Luckily got stocked up at lidl at the weekend with the voucher so tinned up now.

Going to bake some bread later in the remoska, its paid for itself since I got it as I do 3 batches a week (thats 9 loaves and 24 baps a week) which lasts us the week for packed lunches and bread, it costs about £3-£4 a week including energy as flour is only 68p a bag from lidl so a massive saving.

Rubber chicken planned for the beginning of the week, starting with soup tonight with everything in it, pearl barley lentils, pasta etc, we just have that with some bread and if we want something later then I can make a rice pud as I have some flaked rice in and it only takes 10 mins in a pan.

Keep warm everyone,

VJsmum

I too am up early as i needed to ensure that the invaders left. Poor kids (niece and nephew) got dragged out of bed at 6.00 to do the 2 hour drive to school. THose kids are amazing with what they've put up with over their little lives.

Anyway my day will comprise putting the house back into some semblance of order, catching up on the washing and a trip into town. Lunch with the girls is in order today as an early christmas "thang".

We have another guest tonight but only for dinner - so chicken and apricot casserole has already been started (soaking apricots - can't do this in SC as the chicken seems to disintegrate!).

I should be doing some marking, :whistle:but avoidance tactics are working well at the moment.

prepareathome

Greyqueen, I cannot see you not loving the BM instead of kneading the dough ( mind you when you are in a bad mood kneading bread is a great way to use the anger :rotfl::rotfl: I wouldn't be without mine I started with a basic model and worked up to the all singing all dancing one I have now but any BM is a good one as far as I am concerned, have fun with it.

Desperate Housewife I think you have given me what we can have tonight for dinner - soup with everything , I to serve it with bread ( HM of course) we usually have this at least once a week as lovely and filling, just different soup. If it really gets cold here then I do, do soup every night as a starter but temp gone up to 3 here so no ice never mind snow, and although we have yellow alert for snow its not actually forecast for today or any day this week.

I actually bought a couple of sledges so the grandkids could play in the back garden with them in the snow ( its a very small steep garden perfect for sledging) but beginning to wonder if they will get used, I wonder if they would float with all the rain we are having might be more useful as boats :rotfl:

Jeepers what has got into the binmen, they have just emptied my rubbish bin at 7am, in all the years I have lived here I have never known them come earlier than 7.30am and I am not at the beginning of the round, so they must have started at 6am, although they work between 7am and 4pm. Maybe they feel Met Office has got it wrong and we will get snow or is it council have to make more cuts this year and they want to show they are hard workers so none of their jobs will be cut, as most unusual, I must check out local news sites and keep my ear to the ground, something has to be up.

Today I have to take a teasmade back to Argos as it has started spitting hot water out sideways instead of going straight down into cup and am wondering if I dare ask would they let me exchange it for a car starter - I have two teasmades as bought one each for me and hubby but he doesn't want his, so now using his - I want to buy a car starter, for car yes but the one I want has a powerpoint for ordinary plug in it so if powercut happened could plug something into it as well as using the 12v powerpoint, but cannot really afford it now. Dare I be cheeky and ask them. Teasmade is only 4 months old so they have to either fix it or replace it and I have always found Argos just give you a new one even if you have to take it back under the extra cover and its nearly 3 years old, they are great that way, but to change for something else I do not know. If I feel brave enough when we take it back this afternoon I will ask, if not will just come home with a second teasmade, I suppose I could sell it as bought the extra cover for both teasmades so will have one for next 3 years at least. The fact the Car Starter I want is £15 dearer than the teasmade is something that might make them agree to change it. I know some people wouldn't think twice about asking but I have never been that type of person. They won't be happy as I seem to have recycled the boxes for both the teasmades and they told me once before they do like you to take things back in the box, oh well if don't get Car Starter today will have to get it later.

Right going to make another cup of tea, want to take some paracetamol as have a bit of a headache and like taking them with tea rather than water, the heat makes it easier for me to swallow them and forgot to take them with the cup of tea I have just had, made on said teasmade.

Stay safe and warm my friends

prepareathome

VJsmum wrote: »

I

I should be doing some marking, :whistle:but avoidance tactics are working well at the moment.

Marking wouldn't be your least favourite activity at the moment would it now go on admit it you really love it, that feeling of power when you mark things as wrong :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: