make do and mend for tougher times

SDG31000

Grrrrrrrrrr I just pressed the wrong button and lost my post.

Mrs Chip Add me to the list of those who are no good at meal planning. The best I can do is to remember to get stuff out of the freezer in the morning for dinner that night. Tonight was going to be pizza, but then I picked up a YS lamb joint yesterday and cooked a chicken. So lamb tonight and chicken leftovers tomorrow.

I love the cookies and can honestly say that I can make some of those designs. I hate housework, my sewing is terrible and I have black thumbs so am allowed to be good at something crafty. I might have a go at the owl ones as my friend's daughter loves owls.

The cupboard of DOOM!! is now tidier and the contents of numerous boxes have been condensed down into two large plastic crates. I wouldn't want to move the bottom one too much but the top one can be easily lifted. I have also done some of those little jobs I kept looking at and thinking "I must move/sort/clean that" There are still a ton of them to do. I think it's a never ending battle against the forces of chaos. Does anyone want to come and organise my house? I'll pay in cake I have enough cables and computer bits around to make Kim and Aggie give up hope.
I had better go and clean the kitchen so I can make more mess in it cooking dinner.

Take care xxxxxxxxxx

P.S I forgot to say thank you to Possession I'm hoping the cake tastes as good as the macaroon I had yesterday.

MrsCD

Mrs_Chip wrote: »

I have to ice two fruit cakes this morning. I am catering for a diamond wedding celebration in a couple of weeks and also icing the cakes. Not done any royal icing for about thirty years - I hope it's like riding a bike!

Hi Mrs Chip. Hope you don't mind me popping in. I love reading about all your adventures on here
Have you tried ready to roll fondant icing? It's really easy to use, and you smooth out the wrinkles, if there are any(!) with a flat plastic gadget like a plasterer would use.

VJsmum

hi all. we are caravanning this week inWales. the glorious weather didnt realise it was supposed to be here too. tho it could be worse and in our 16 years on the trot of coming to this exact spot on this exact week - believe me, it has been a lot worse.

i have decided to be kind to myself this week, as lasst year i ran myself ragged. the kids do some volunteering on a preserved railway and i have decided not to volunteer but sit and read and do v little.

that is extending to meals so last night was spag bol made with mince and a jar. tonight is left over spag bol for me and everyone else is having pizza.

i have even <<whisper>> bought cake:eek:

looks like any decent weather is sokn to disappear for the remainder of the summer :-(

ah well - gotta go empty the loo:eek:

manchestermargo

Good for you VJsmum! You are on holiday so relax and enjoy......

Mrs_Chip

Hi Mrs CD! Please feel free to pop in, all welcome here!

That might be my plan b, but the lady who the cakes are for has quite specifically said she does not like the new fangled fondant icing . I will see how the cake is tomorrow, if it is a sticky puddle I will suggest it. I bought the plastic iron thing to do the marzipan. Can't honestly remember what I used to use, it wasn't one of those!

SGD well done on the cookies - of course you know what that means now - PICTURES!!!

Possession

Mrs_Chip wrote: »

Hi Mrs CD! Please feel free to pop in, all welcome here!

That might be my plan b, but the lady who the cakes are for has quite specifically said she does not like the new fangled fondant icing . I will see how the cake is tomorrow, if it is a sticky puddle I will suggest it. I bought the plastic iron thing to do the marzipan. Can't honestly remember what I used to use, it wasn't one of those!

SGD well done on the cookies - of course you know what that means now - PICTURES!!!

I used to just use my fingers for marzipan and fondant - to get that shiny look - but the plastic thingy does get a more even surface. Did you use the royal icing sugar or make it from scratch? If you end up making more and it's still really hot trying putting the bowl and the whisk in the fridge for a while before you make it. It's a long time since I iced a 'proper' cake with royal icing, fondant is so much more forgiving, and easier to cut, but if people don't like it, they just don't I guess.

Mrs_Chip

Right here is a prime example of the 'Food Rules' in this house:

Mr Chip 'I don't fancy salad tonight' (sun had gone in for 2 mins)
Me 'Oh why not?' (knowing why)
Him 'Does not feel like a salad night' (really means it's not sunny at this moment)
Me 'So do you want hot chicken and mash?'
Him 'No'
Me 'so what do you want then?'
Him 'Cold chicken and chips?'
Me 'But you said last night you were sick of chips!'
Him 'That was last night - plus I have made a loaf'
Me 'So, what difference does that make?'
Him 'You don't have bread with a gravy dinner'
Me 'Why not? You have it with shepherds pie?' (it's The Law, apparently!)
Him 'That's different'

So I still don't know what we will have, but I think it might involve chips :rotfl:

Dragoncry

Possession wrote: »

I used to just use my fingers for marzipan and fondant - to get that shiny look - but the plastic thingy does get a more even surface. Did you use the royal icing sugar or make it from scratch? If you end up making more and it's still really hot trying putting the bowl and the whisk in the fridge for a while before you make it. It's a long time since I iced a 'proper' cake with royal icing, fondant is so much more forgiving, and easier to cut, but if people don't like it, they just don't I guess.

Hi, long time lurker just popping out to say...

I used to work in a professional bakery and we made all the celebration cakes for a chain of bakery shops. If the cake is square you don't need any gadgets to get the marzipan flush, we used sq cake boards, one either side to gently smooth and rub the surface flat. This gives nice edges and you do 2 sides at once. Remember to leave the marzipan to set before the first layer of royal icing or it will bleed through. Think a couple of days minimum before icing.
Then it's 2 or 3 thin layers till you are happy with the finish.
Of course we had a temp controlled room for this and air-drying cabinets if we had to rush the process a bit.

The edges for the icing are all in the skill using a palette knife and an icing scraper. Very handy for a baker Oh and a turn-table.

Would love to see the finished cakes too Mrs Chip :T Good luck.

DC xx

monnagran

Good Heavens. I've been trying to catch up on posts over the weekend, but you lot can type faster than I read - and I'm a speed reader!

Re: people living in garden sheds. I live in a manse (vicarage) and have it on the best authority that a previous incumbent and his wife used to move into the shed for the summer and do B&B in the house to shore up his inadequate stipend.

Popperwell: I think fuddle has a point. You are probably immersing yourself in shopping and preparing for whatever might be coming, to keep yourself busy. Nothing wrong with that, we all have different ways of dealing with great changes in our lives. Eventually you will probably find other activities that you enjoy and that will take up your time. We all have a great support group here and you have done so much to help other people that I know you have a lot to give and a lot of understanding about vulnerable people. You might find that your journey takes unexpected and possibly joyous turns if you you make yourself open to opportunities when they arise. Does that make sense? It's a bit deep. even for me, and I wrote it!

GreyQueen: So glad your liver is in good nick. Mine too is a beautiful thing, so sad that no-one can see it. Perhaps another Tshirt, 'I have a beautiful liver.' It might blind people to all the shortcomings about my appearance.

We spent a steamy Saturday afternoon turning our dining room into a store room with all our stores neatly arranged on tables and in plastic crates. It looks fabulous and VERY organised. A new sensation for me. Of course it is mostly for the Drop-in but I have a good amount of bread flour and am building up reserves of tinned stuff, sugar, oil and ordinary flour so I should be able to look after everyone at home and out of it.

Talking of the Drop- in, we had a man in last night who literally had just the clothes he stood up in. He had been to the council last week and had asked the little Hitler at the reception desk where he could get some help. the short answer was 'nowhere'. He asked what he was to do and shoulders were shrugged. He told the receptionist which town he had walked from, 10 miles away, and asked where he should go. He was told to walk back where he'd come from, and so he did - 10 miles back in the searing heat. We were appalled. He only had water to drink from public toilets.

We looked after him and one of the other clients offered him a bed on his sofa for a couple of nights until he managed to get something sorted. So we sent him off with a bag of food, a sleeping bag, some spare clothes, soap and razors, toothbrush and toothpaste and he couldn't get over people's kindness. I didn't ask him what had happened to get him in this state - we make it a policy not to ask questions - but I really wanted to take him home and mother him. If I did it just once though I'd want to do it for them all.

I'd like 10 minutes alone with the pen-pusher though.

OK. Type slower will you or I may never catch up again.

Possession

Monnagran that's awful, poor man. Thank goodness for people like you.

I have just discovered that DS(10) and his friend crossed a lock yesterday on their own by the canal. They were geocaching with DH, he had to stop to do something with DD and they were allowed to go to the next cache, but were ages, he had to deposit DD and go look for them. DS's friend had been a bit too eager and gone to his favourite one (it was all new to DS). They didn't admit to crossing the lock though, have just got it out of him by accident. Makes me feel quite sick to think what could have happened, though obviously it didn't.
So much for his burgeoning independence we were trying to foster, he's forbidden from going anywhere near the canal without an adult. His friend has a lot more independence but I suspect that will be nipped in the bud for a while too. Bless him he did try and take all the blame yesterday though (before we knew the worst of it!).