make do and mend for tougher times

elona

I ordered stuff from AF last Friday - it was tracked as unsigned for - damaged - on Tuesday. Then noted as attempted delivery but no signature - damaged and disposed of at leeds!

I e mailed AF pointing out there has always been someone home and there had been no attempt to deliver package at all, far less anyone here refusing the thing.

I got an e mail today saying they would replace the order but still very disappointed in the courier. I am tempted by the hair products but now don't dare order anything from AF till it feels safe.

Nipping out to shops for loaf and any YS bits . Did four loads of washing as was fool enough to believe forecast and it is really overcast and grey.

Making chicken and veg stir fry with noodles tonight and DH ecstatic with two course lunch ( home made quiche and then chicken and mushroom pie.)


Kittie

Will there actually be anything resembling summer? Even a week or so of pleasant sunshine would be such a relief.

Hugs to all

fuddle

The lady at the library couldn't explain the costs, saying it was just the rules. It's normally 35p to reserve a book. I just can't fathom it.

Thanks for the info on Jeyes fluid. It's over £3 in the Coop, I have just seen it, but will pop back down later so I can get the job done tomorrow.

Thank you for suggesting defrosting meat in cold water. That is really useful to me.

Edited to add: my electric mixer has just packed up. I've always had an electric whisk and it's heavily used. Can I do without? Would a hand whisk make yorkshires, steamed puddings etc

Popperwell

fuddle wrote: »

The lady at the library couldn't explain the costs, saying it was just the rules. It's normally 35p to reserve a book. I just can't fathom it.

Thanks for the info on Jeyes fluid. It's over £3 in the Coop, I have just seen it, but will pop back down later so I can get the job done tomorrow.

Thank you for suggesting defrosting meat in cold water. That is really useful to me.

Edited to add: my electric mixer has just packed up. I've always had an electric whisk and it's heavily used. Can I do without? Would a hand whisk make yorkshires, steamed puddings etc

I suspect it can be done by hand but it will be hard going for some jobs, yorkshires etc...probably not so bad...some cheap electric mixers at Wilkinsons and the like but was it more like a processor?*

35p for a reserved book sounds more how I remember the cost of books when reserving them at a library...

I see you've answered that...yes a hamd whisk would do. I have a processor that is a electric and one that works by hand with a wind up handle...that's quite easy...

[Deleted User]

FUDDLE - I ran for years with only a hand whisk, not an electric one but a me powered one! You can make anything with them, if anything the yorkshires turn out better and the cakes lighter. The only thing that is really hard work is meringue and royal icing - they need real muscle power and endurance - but how often do we make them? Cheers Lyn xx.

p.s wish you could smell my kitchen, I've just made a big jar of pesto with home grown basil, rocket and parsley - oooohhhh divine!!!!!

GreyQueen

fuddle wrote: »

NEWS :rotfl: you know my trolley? Well my friend has a bad back but needs some shopping at the coop. She's asked me to take trolley (it needs a name! what should I call her?) so she doesn't have to carry it. Now that's a result

Awww, what a cute pup!

How about Dolly or Polly for the trolley?

fuddle wrote: »

Edited to add: my electric mixer has just packed up. I've always had an electric whisk and it's heavily used. Can I do without? Would a hand whisk make yorkshires, steamed puddings etc

I've never known anyone inc me to make Yorkshires any other way than by beating the batter with a wooden spoon and they always rise crazy-well.

I ran some errands, came in and rang the folks before putting kettle on. Had a comfort break and there was SuperGran at the front door with 40 mins of chat about who had been rowing with whom in the Towers whilst I was out at work. Lawdy lawdy, it's like a bad day at playgroup with alcohol and drugs thrown in for good measure..............:rotfl:

Am now about to pod yesterday's pea harvest and am awarding myself the evening off from anything remotely like chores as I am a tired little bunny and need to restore myself for a busy day [STRIKE]slug-slaughtering [/STRIKE]I meant, gardening, tomorrow.

I am planning to stop reacting to their depredations and take the battle to them. I shall venture into the long grass, booted and suited and gloved and be-knifed and commit acts of short but extreme violence on their persons.

Cackling will be optional.....................

Popperwell

The chicken that was in the slow oven is cooked and this time was ready in 4 hours(though done at high heat)moist as ever and I suspect it could have fallen apart but I managed to get it out intact...

Now I wonder if I could cook it in less time than 4 hours? At least I can use the bones this time to make a stock as they still seem to be there...

Will have to try and remember how I do that again...

There was liquid to drain off but I cannot decide if that would be called "Fat" that could/should be used. What do you think? It's what has come out of the chicken into the roasting bag as it cooked...or whether if I use it it could go into the gravy? Or is stock a bit like a gravy?

At £2.15(serving 3-4 approx)it's not a bad buy and I should be able to use it in a salad, perhaps a meal(like a Sunday lunch type)and even sandwiches...so a few options...

Thanks...

mcculloch29

I think I started reading this an hour ago and I only had two days to catch up on.
Pops, I think you may live in the same town as me if you are a) Near Darlo and have to use T*sco, but catch the bus to Asd*.

If your town is currently having an Ald* built where the health centre and library used to be it IS the same one.

In which case, you may have seen me around. I work from home so am often in the town centre on my red trike. Yes, that is me.
I used to be dodging the security guards in said t.c. until they gave me permission to ride the trike, what a relief.

When my shopping trolley broke and before I had the trike I used the biggest cheapo rucksack I could buy to carry shopping.
Back in those days we had a Kwik-Save so the rucksack was often very heavy with tins and cans from there. On an evening I would see what reduced bargains I could get from Somerfield.
Those thinking of degrees...
I was 46 when I started my degree, did it part - time over 2 years as it was in adult education and I work as an adult education tutor (Year 1 was the Cert Ed. and I had that). I don't want to speculate on what would have happened if I hadn't got it, as a degree opens doors for you in my field, regardless of age.

A remarkable thing... Amazon offer me free things to test, every month under their Vine scheme. Yesterday I was speculating on how wonderful it would be to be offered a steam generator iron as ours has been in heavy use for some years.
Last night I was offered this iron!

Popperwell

mcculloch29 wrote: »

If your town is currently having an Ald* built where the health centre and library used to be it IS the same one.

In which case, you may have seen me around. I work from home so am often in the town centre on my red trike. Yes, that is me!

I did see and have a lady on a red trike pass me only a few weeks ago...could it have been?:p

Aldi is at the bottom of my street!

Of course the one time I make myself known the person may not be you and think I'm an idiot:D

Good to see you being offered free gifts especially if they let you keep them...

Even I have thought about having a bike but if they think I can manage one they'll make use it to bike miles...a couple of streets is different and maybe quicker than walking...struggling with a stick. And I may still feel [STRIKE]knackered[/STRIKE] tired afterwards...

Still debating about getting that shopping trolley and whether to have the box type or one to pull from behind me or push in front and still use the stick. As my shopping budget means I won't be buying as much but it would be handy for bulky/heavy items...

Mrs_Chip

Pops - drain off the liquid into a bowl or cup, let it get cold and put it in the fridge overnight. The fat will set on the top of jelly underneath. Now in our house this is a precious treat, we have a bit of the fat and jelly spread on toast, sprinkled with a little salt - dripping toast!

If you don't want the fat you can scrape it off, in Jewish cookery it's used for roasting potatoes, but never tried it.

The jelly is essentially chicken stock, so use it in gravy or for making soup or add to chicken casserole etc. If you are going to make stock with the bones you could add it back into that.

You chicken would probably be done in three hours, just check it like you did before, but a bit sooner! It is perfect if the chicken stays whole but the meat comes away from the bone easily.

Popperwell

Mrs_Chip wrote: »

Pops - drain off the liquid into a bowl or cup, let it get cold and put it in the fridge overnight. The fat will set on the top of jelly underneath. Now in our house this is a precious treat, we have a bit of the fat and jelly spread on toast, sprinkled with a little salt - dripping toast!

If you don't want the fat you can scrape it off, in Jewish cookery it's used for roasting potatoes, but never tried it.

The jelly is essentially chicken stock, so use it in gravy or for making soup or add to chicken casserole etc. If you are going to make stock with the bones you could add it back into that.

You chicken would probably be done in three hours, just check it like you did before, but a bit sooner! It is perfect if the chicken stays whole but the meat comes away from the bone easily.

Mrs Chip,
Your answer reminds me now of when as a child we used to have the liquid that used to come out of the beef and use it in gravy but sometimes spread it on bread. Beef is the only meat I have avoided since that scare some years ago which is a pity as I used to like a little beef(That and corned beef)I sometimes wonder if I should think about having it again...

The meat will certainly drop off the chicken carcass, if I do some extra stock from the bonesas the pot in the slow cooker cleans easily I may just pop it in like that. It might be easier than trying to use a roasting bag again...

I'll have to decide how much liquid to add in with the bones(but thanks to the help on here I am lerning such a lot)

I tend to buy roast potatoes ready done and put them in the freezer(I also cheat with the Yorkshires):o