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

Popperwell

My biggest decision of late is there are three foods I used to enjoy but have not purchased for years and just when I think I may, I decide not to. Beef and corned beef probably because of the scare over beef. The other though I did not have it often was liver which would be tasty with bacon and possibly onion gravy.

I have known me buy the corned beef and then change my mind...

Otherwise I'll eat just about anything!

[Deleted User]

You're a good 'un young FUDDLE and I'm so very pleased your littlie came out smiling and having had a lovely day with all her friends. It is all due to you being brave enough to speak out in spite of being shy, that takes real courage and nerve and I'm extremely proud of you - Have a virtual box of chocs for stepping up to the mark for her, she will make you just as proud of her one day with you for a Mum just you see - Hugs Lyn and Docky xxx.

Popperwell

See the talk at the parents meeting did some good...:)

Well done and good to see your daughter so happy!

ginnyknit

Smileyt, petrol pumps do look scary especially to small ladies like us! Can you apply for jobs online? do they count towards your total, cos you can just sit and apply for anything that way to satisfy the bu**ers.

PAH Happy Birthday hunny, have a good day :beer:

I have been thinking long and hard about saving as usual and realised its not just money, I need to save my own energy. Almost everyday I chop and fry an onion (in that flora light stuff) for our evening meal and am getting flipping fed up with it. So I have fried off half a big bag of onions and when they are cold I will freeze them in bags in portions - DOH how dumb am I some days Its so much easier, I tried a couple of bags the other day and they worked well. Last night I chopped a load of veggies added the oinon, sauted the lot for a few mins and added some whoopised cream fraiche, bacon bits I had pre-cooked at brekkie salt and pepper and topped off some pasta with it - it was delicious and cheap.

Now I have a ham shank bubbling in the Sc and 2lb of mince gently frying for a big batch of chilli. Alls quiet in Ginnyland as DS has gone out for tea and OH has gone fishing with his unofficial carer friend. Have just downloaded a pretty cardigan pattern which cost me 66p and am off to knit. Thats after I have finished chopping up an old duvet cover and sheet to crochet a couple of bathmats and some cleaning cloths - edges for mats worn bits for cleaning cloths - Oooh I do have an exciting life :rotfl:

grandma247

an extract from a news letter I get from here
Cook two simultaneous meals in one crockpot

As a family of two adults who cook often with a large crockpot, we regularly find ourselves with a heap of leftovers. So, instead of filling it with enough food for one meal several times over, we now take two oven bags and divide our meat between both bags. We add different flavourings to each bag then arrange them both in the slow cooker and cook on low for eight hours. I have just made Chicken Korma in one bag and Mediterranean Chicken with olives in the other bag. The conflicting smells are surprisingly delightful and the final result is two deliciously different meals cooked using the same amount of power to cook one. We freeze any leftovers to use for a later meal.
Contributed by: Linda P


I have also in the past put together all the ingredient for a casserole in a plastic bag to freeze so when I need it I just dump it in the slow cooker out of the bag , add the liquid and anything else it might need then leave it to cook.

EDIT i have just been scrolling down the newsletter and there are some lovely recipes. have a look at it online with the link above.

Mrs_Chip

I bulk bought two lots of cooking bags last year (Fleabay ) as they seemed to have rocketed in the shops. I got two sizes, a medium bag and a larger bag that takes a biggish chicken. I find they keep the meat moist (with lots of yummy stock) and the oven clean. I used one of the smaller bags the other day to cook rhubarb in the oven whilst cooking a chook in a bigger bag, the bags squeeze into odd spaces, so was able to cook two things in my tiny tabletop oven. Good idea to use them in the slow cooker!

Well done on your school victory Fuddle!

And :mad::mad::mad: for those battling the bureautw*ts !

Popperwell

Bookmarked that site and I will look into cooking bags...always ready to learn new ideas...

RAS

To all those with panic attacks - you are human.

As my old teacher (well not that old but quite a while ago) explained humans are hard-wired to panic. The Stone Age person who heard a twig snap and thought "oh bunny rabbit" rarely survived to pass on their genes. And that was long after we had learned to respond very rapidly to any "threat."

So panicking is normal; the important thing is to accept that it happens and allow yourself to find ways of finding a route to a place (mental or physical) that feels safe.

Then give yourself time to let the adrenaline levels and other physical symptons (oxygen, blood acidity etc) return to normal before putting yourself in a position where it might happen again. Personally I avoid coffee and sweet stuff but try and get a hot drink and sit down for a little while.

prepareathome

Right at long last I have caught up.

Thank you all for your lovely birthday wishes - sorry didn't say so before but when I posted earlier I had not reached them.

Hubby unknown to me booked today off so he could take me out where ever I wanted to go, lovely of him but unfortunately I need a few days to mentally conquer the body so can do anything like that. I was woken around 12.40am due to acid reflux that would just not settle so back of throat was on fire and eventually fell asleep around 5pm ( after going to bed handy around 10pm as so tired from weekend) so didn't get up till 10am this morning and felt urg. I feel awful but all I can think of is the money we have lost with him being off - not taken a days holiday just off unpaid as next week he is on holiday for the week and so only basic holiday pay so makes month not a good one money wise anyway but don't want to say anything to him, but you would think by now he would know no use springing something on me, it just never works these days...........to manage the weekend I for past two weeks have gone over and over in my mind a dozen or more times a day how I will manage to be ok for that weekend, mind over matter and I can do it, then have to pay for it. I know I sound an ungrateful B

Mind you just as well didn't go off for day as just as we were getting ready to nip out around 2ish our nephew and niece in law ( the one who had to come away from the press in London) popped over with their daughter to wish me happy birthday and bring me some flowers and cards, so would have missed them and that would have been a shame.

We only went to a charity shop that we went to once years ago in a small village that sells everything and we bought then a beautiful basket weave set of drawers - the type that still sells for £25 - for £2 then plus some other things. Wanted to go back there for years so today we did and I bought ( total waste of money I fully admit) a beautiful jug and bowl - the type used to get washed in the morning. I have small ones on each bathroom window ledge but this is a full size one patterned with old roses, will upload photo later, and paid £9.99 for it, but it is to me anyway a thing of beauty. Hubby picked up a book or two but that was it for our purchases. Then just popped to Mr S for some shopping and home - decided just could not justify us going out for a meal after buying the jug and bowl. Would rather keep the money towards adding to store cupboard.

I know would not have got it if hubby had worked, but even if he just did a morning would have been ok.......yep I am ungrateful

Hubby bought me a Guzmania plant which is really beautiful, won't see the children and grandchildren now till weekend.

Fuddle I found taking sips of water helped me a lot, the act of actually drinking the water helped me stop panicking. I got into such a habit of taking water with me that I still do now, never go anywhere without a bottle of water. Its deplacement therapy but it works. Also lavender oil diluted rubbed into pulse stops would stop a panic within 10 mins - I actually found it so good I went and studied aromatherapy so use oils for all sorts now as can make my own for self, friends and family...........Well done girl you are doing wonderful

Right going to whip some cream - I wanted a cream sponge for my cake - daft with only hubby and me but oh I love cream prefer that to chocolate but not in mood to bake but no cream sponges left at MR S and couldn't be bothered going elsewhere so just bought Madeira cakes and double cream so will slice it and put cream inside.

Again thank you all so much

Hugs, Love and healing xxxxxxxxxxx

Pooky

What a fantastic idea! I shall pick up some oven bags tomorrow.

I brought a halogen oven today - I love it already. Baked an amazing loaf of bread in it and then popped sausages and potatoes in for tea...the roasties were fab!

Thanks to our solar panels our electricity bill was only £19 for the last quarter, if I can reduce that by using the halogen oven instead of having to wait half an hour for the main oven to come to temperature then I will be very :j