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

[Deleted User]

MAR - when I make stew/casserole I chop up any veg I'm using into reasonable sized pieces and melt either some dripping/butter in a heavy pan (I use a le creuset casserole) and pop in the veg stir it about to coat it and reduce the heat to lowest possible on hob. Pop on lid and 'sweat' for 10 mins. Take out the veg and keep it warm. Cut the meat into 1" pieces and put some plain flour and seasoning in a plastic bag, pop in meat by the handful and shake it up to coat it. Pop a bit more fat in the casserole turn up the heat a bit and fry the meat a few pieces at a time until it is sealed and doesn't look red any more. Don't put it all in at once as it doesn't brown properly if you do that. Take out the sealed meat and keep it warm with the veg. If you are using wine, pour it into the pan and scrape the brown sediment off the bottom with a spoon and bubble it for a minute of so. Add back the meat and veg and any herbs, bay leaves, spices you are using along with enough stock to cover it all. Bring it to the simmer, turn down the heat to very low, put the lid back on and cook it for 2 - 2 and a half hours, stirring it once in a while and adding a bit more stock if it gets too thick. When it is done season it to your liking. If you are making dumplings add these in 25 minutes before the end of cooking time. You can cook most meats like this, and the cheapest cuts usually have the best flavour. Cheers Lyn x.

fuddle

meme30 wrote: »

Fuddle:- I know you are somewhere in the North-East. If you can get to Chester-le-Street on Friday mornings there is a small market on with about three material stalls. At least two of them have lots of material for £1 a metre. Really good quality and lots of choice. Lining is always £1 a metre too.

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I used to work in Chester-Le-Street In the precinct, the service 'shop' beginning with S and has a sun as it's logo. I'm born and bread yon side of Chester - an old mining village beginning with S

I live about 30 miles away now and haven't been to C for at least 10 years but given the chance (my nearest Boyes and itching to get there) i'll make it a Friday. Thanks for that.

Pooky

MAR - I'm a chuck it all in the SC and leave it to work kinda gal. All the veg/meat/barley etc goes in at the same time with herbs/seasoning then I add a good splosh of wine and a couple of spoons of jellified HM stock. I'll add a cup of boiling water to get it all started and leave it on low for 6/8 hours. A teaspoon of cornflour mixed with a bit of cold water will get added before I put dumplings in to thicken things up. Dumplings in for the last 45mins and jobs done. Turnout perfect every time.

VJsmum

Pooky wrote: »

MAR - I'm a chuck it all in the SC and leave it to work kinda gal. All the veg/meat/barley etc goes in at the same time with herbs/seasoning then I add a good splosh of wine and a couple of spoons of jellified HM stock. I'll add a cup of boiling water to get it all started and leave it on low for 6/8 hours. A teaspoon of cornflour mixed with a bit of cold water will get added before I put dumplings in to thicken things up. Dumplings in for the last 45mins and jobs done. Turnout perfect every time.

Whenever I do that the meat is always a bit "dry" and tasteless. i find it better if i leave it for only 4 hours on low. Anyone know what i might be doing wrong? I don't brown it off first - would that make a difference?

Caught up on most of my emails - one major one to do in which I will be breaking a zillion university rules, but there you go.

I need to catch up on some laundry and think about packing for Montreal. :j As well as writing the presentation i will be delivering when I am there :eek:

poor me - so busy because I am going to Montreal :rotfl:

ginnyknit

Guess its stew for tea now here :rotfl: I dont like wine in food but basically do what everyone says, fry everything off chuck in a casserole or SC and cook ling time, reduce liquid and add thickener. My last shepherds pie had loads of barley and lentils in so was thick anyway.

Fuddle, I have started lining my curtains with cheap cream fleece from Ikea as it doesnt need hemming. You can just cut it a little smaller than your curtains and even pin it with safety pins to the curtain. You cant see the pins from outside as the edges of the window cover them. In fact I use fleece instead of felt, quilt padding, back baby bibs with it as it soaks up dribble - almost anything gets fleeced :rotfl: I use Ikea as its near me but theres cheap fleeces in most supermarkets.

DGS is snoozing in the living room, Dd found out his sleep problems are caused by the juice he drinks ! Robinsons seems to be best and he is sleeping much better, thank goodness, the hours she works leave her knackered.

Byatt

ginnyknit wrote: »

Guess its stew for tea now here :rotfl: I dont like wine in food but basically do what everyone says, fry everything off chuck in a casserole or SC and cook ling time, reduce liquid and add thickener. My last shepherds pie had loads of barley and lentils in so was thick anyway.

Fuddle, I have started lining my curtains with cheap cream fleece from Ikea as it doesnt need hemming. You can just cut it a little smaller than your curtains and even pin it with safety pins to the curtain. You cant see the pins from outside as the edges of the window cover them. In fact I use fleece instead of felt, quilt padding, back baby bibs with it as it soaks up dribble - almost anything gets fleeced :rotfl: I use Ikea as its near me but theres cheap fleeces in most supermarkets.

DGS is snoozing in the living room, Dd found out his sleep problems are caused by the juice he drinks ! Robinsons seems to be best and he is sleeping much better, thank goodness, the hours she works leave her knackered.

Thank you for that brilliant idea about fleece, I have been looking at my curtains and wondering what to do as I don't have a sewing machine and no money for the material, but have plenty of fleece! :A:T

Evie74_2

Thank you Ginnyknit for the tip about fleece - do you buy it by the metre or do you just cut up throws/blankets? We don't have an Ikea nearby (it's more of a day trip than a case of popping in) but I could be persuaded to make the journey...!

Evie xx

mcculloch29

Caroline-Encore wrote: »

Hope you enjoy Spirit of Punchbowl Farm when it comes - I only read that as an Armada paperback so am looking forward to reading the unabridged edition

Spirit of Punchbowl Farm is my absolute favourite of the Punchbowl books that I've read, I've missed a couple - and like you, I have only read the abridged Armada editions. I still have Fire in the Punchbowl (Armada edition acquired as an adult) and Black Hunting Whip -an Armada one that somehow stayed with me and missed my mother's sort out of my possessions to give to my niece.

Possession wrote: »

I adored reading and I would have so loved all the fantastic books there are now. Luckily after 15 years or so of free books I've collected enough of the best for my kids to have the kind of library I would have killed for. Needless to say they don't appreciate it.
The £9 Travelodge room wasn't as dire as TripAdvisor had led me to expect either.

Perhaps they will appreciate it, one day. My parents were Estonian and Latvian, Dad was a book reader as his English was absolutely perfect, Mum's wasn't quite so she stuck to magazines. Luckily for me they encouraged reading, I used Fairwater (Cardiff) library from the age of 7 and shamelessly borrowed DB's & DSis's books

Trip Advisor has told me that several very reasonable places I've stayed in have been hellish pit-holes. Fortunately others have pointed out that expecting 5-star standards at £9 a night is not realistic.

fuddle wrote: »

I used to work in Chester-Le-Street In the precinct, the service 'shop' beginning with S and has a sun as it's logo. I'm born and bread yon side of Chester - an old mining village beginning with S

I live about 30 miles away now and haven't been to C for at least 10 years but given the chance (my nearest Boyes and itching to get there) i'll make it a Friday. Thanks for that.

Yay for Boyes! We have one in our town centre. I don't sew but some fantastic material for friends who do, to make me things, has come from there. Not to mention all sorts of useful paraphenalia and DIY fixings for the house.

Wilkinson's are now next door and they have taken over a little bit, but it's still a great place to get 'stuff'. The only place I can buy borax substitute for laundry gloop, for example, or old fashioned enamel cookware. I'm supping my tea atm from a huge china mug as I like big mugs and cups.
Most of mine have come from Boyes - and cheaper than Wilko's too.

fuddle

Byatt wrote: »

Thank you for that brilliant idea about fleece, I have been looking at my curtains and wondering what to do as I don't have a sewing machine and no money for the material, but have plenty of fleece! :A:T

You could tack (or fabric glue?) velcro on curtains and fleece to attach and pull them apart when it's warmer.

Fleece is my best friend

Possession

mcculloch29 wrote: »

Perhaps they will appreciate it, one day. My parents were Estonian and Latvian, Dad was a book reader as his English was absolutely perfect, Mum's wasn't quite so she stuck to magazines. Luckily for me they encouraged reading, I used Fairwater (Cardiff) library from the age of 7 and shamelessly borrowed DB's & DSis's books

Trip Advisor has told me that several very reasonable places I've stayed in have been hellish pit-holes. Fortunately others have pointed out that expecting 5-star standards at £9 a night is not realistic.

Exactly! It wasn't exactly the Hilton but it was fine.
I was upstairs sorting out the washing so I did a rough count of the children's books up there. I stopped at a 1000. I guess that means they have quite a lot of books - all of those are age 7+ as I've given away the younger ones, and apart from DS's old favourites like Beast Quest and Astrosaurs, and DD's fairies books, none of which are going to qualify as classics, they are all great books as those are the only ones I requested/kept. So no pruning can be done. DS loves reading and DD is getting there so I'm sure there's a chance they will be properly appreciated.