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

maryb

I never measure or weigh ingredients for white sauce. I start with about a heaped tablespoon of butter and melt that in a pan. Then I add flour slowly, just enough that it all comes together and I can still just about stir it but it's quite thick. Add about a cupful of milk a dollop at a time and stir like mad until it mixes smoothly. Then heat up until it thickens,. At this stage it will probably be too thick but you can add more milk without making it lumpy once it has thickened, just stir very well. It's better than finding your sauce is too thin. I do make it quite runny for lasagne as the dry pasta absorbs the extra moisture in cooking whereas if I'm mixing cooked pasta into the sauce I make it a bit thicker as the moisture clinging to the pasta shapes tends to thin it down

maryb

Is the Christmas Club some way of saving for Christmas? In which case she is putting away £600 over the year which isn't hugely over the top. She could probably do Christmas for less but teenagers do need things bought for them at intervals and it may as well be for Christmas. And I wonder if the guitar lessons are £100 a term rather than a month? That does sound a lot if it is each month and guitar is one of those instruments you can teach yourself once you have got to a certain level.

prepareathome

Oh Madartha, sending you extra soft hugs, my friend whose name is same as yours ( first) funnily enough suffers from that - she is having acupuncture and so far not had an attack since she started it about 6 months ago.

love xxxxxxxxxxxx

BitterAndTwisted

maryb wrote: »

I never measure or weigh ingredients for white sauce.

No, nor do I. My rule-of-thumb is the same volume of plain flour (I've never used cornflour) to butter. Add enough liquid to get the thickness you want but it has to be added VERY gradually to avoid the hellish and embarrassing lumpiness. Mine sometimes gets lumpy through sheer impatience, a very bad trait in a cook.

My dear sister is renowned for her lumpy sauces, so she's given up and lets her daughter make it now. I believe she even managed to make it lumpy using a packet-mix and a whisk, poor girl. She hates cooking and it shows.

BitterAndTwisted

maryb wrote: »

Is the Christmas Club some way of saving for Christmas?

Yes, I think it must be. In Germany my cousins do a similar thing, except the interest earned at the bank paid for a really decent party for all the savers, plus tombola prizes

In which case she is putting away £600 over the year which isn't hugely over the top.

Do you really think so? It seems like a huge amount to me. *confession coming up* I don't have kids, so I suppose that means I know absolutely nothing about it. But that's never stopped me from having an opinion about things before and I'm now too old for a-changing......

short_bird

I've arrived at the conclusion that I'll never be a lot of use at baked goods - especially the sweet stuff - so will be having a clear out of the space under the cooker.

I think it's better to have cakes stored at Wa!trose or any one of the 3 cake shops on the high street.

Anybody else going to the supermarket while the England match is on?:D

BitterAndTwisted

I recommend that you persist. The value of the pure satisfaction of making something good with your own hands can't be got from a shop, even if your efforts wouldn't ever win a beauty-contest. I know some of mine wouldn't....

fuddle

BitterandTwisted, I do have kids and I'm with you. You can do Christmas so much more cheaply than anywhere near £600. When you're really hard up you have to.

My slow cooker is 'out for delivery'. I dare place a bet that it arrives while I'm on the school run.

Also some news of sorts, my friend is thinking of renting out her house as she's emigrating. It's just over the road from me now and much nicer and smaller. I've shown an interest as the heating costs would come right down living in that property. I'll just have to wait and see and hope. It's out of my hands.

silvasava

All you cornflour devotees (I always use it - never any lumps) the best place to buy it is at your local Chinese or Asian store - its much cheaper than the branded stuff & larger packs too

meme30

White sauce...Melt butter, add 3/4 pt cold milk, add heaped dsp flour. Whisk while milk heats up, it will not go lumpy! :j Add black pepper and fresh grated nutmeg. If you like a 'wet' lasagne pre cook lasagne sheets in boiling water. Add a drop of oil to water to stop sheets sticking together. If you use uncooked sheets they will absorb all the juice out of the bolognese sauce.

We found out yesterday that DD is having another girl! Lovely news. and DSiL is not too disappointed at not having a boy. I know he would have liked a son, but their both of the 'Don't care as long of the baby is ok' disposition. I think he will just have to teach his girls to play cricket! Grandma can now look in the sales for girls things. Have already fallen for a pink vest with an attatched tutu! :rotfl:
Well, a girl's got to have something OTT for Christmas Day! doesn't she?!!

http://www.next.co.uk/g372630s1----This one .... Just realised it looks like my avatar!!

Fuddle:- will cross my fingers for you:)