make do and mend for tougher times

prepareathome

smileyt wrote: »

Thanks especially to GQ and Bonnie-bumpkins for the sympathy about the interview. I haven't heard so am assuming I haven't got the job but hey, I'm philosophical about it. I have developed a relationship (no, not that kind of relationship!) with one of my referees a bit further as she has been very supportive, so that's a good thing to come out of the experience.


I've been promising myself a long, hot bath all week so I'm going for it right now! As my nerves and tension have now calmed down after the interview I can start to focus on normality again - unfortunately this means I will be cleaning the house tomorrow as it is a tip :rotfl:.

Couldn't find my phone earlier. Turns out it was on the sofa - underneath Bruno! He was lying on it and had managed to ring someone back. I'm expecting the police any moment for a complaint about heavy breathing .... Bruno's snoring :rotfl:!

Don't give up hope yet, some places take a week to make up their minds and they might have been interviewing right up till Friday so not decide to Monday at very least.....

I hope you had a lovely bath and enjoyed every moment of it.

Bruno obviously felt he was not going to have your attention taken off him by you talking on the phone so hid it from you:rotfl: Crafty boy.

prepareathome

[IMG][/img] war time cookery by prepareathomeearth, on Flickr

I forgot when I was at the museum on Wednesday I bought this booklet, it has 34 recipes in it, cost £1 and also a leaflet with recipes on it for 75p which was dear in comparison. I think I have all the recipes in my wartime cookbooks but like to buy something when I go to places and these I felt at least are useful. They also had the Digging for Victory book but I already have it and paid half the price they were asking. They had Digging for Victory notebooks but all they were was the cover of the book on the outside and blank pages inside and wanted £5:eek: and was on a thin A5 size book. I did not buy it, I thought it might have contained info from the book inside, a total rip off.

From the booklet:

1. Keep a vegetable stock-pot with the water from celery, leeks,
onions, carrots, potatoes, greens and other vegetables.

Never throw these liquids down the sink; they contain valuable
minerals and vitamins, and partly help to make up deficiency in
rationed foods.

2. Use the liquid from the boiled vegetables to dilute tinned soups.

2. When serving soup and vegetables at the same meal, cook the
vegetables in the soup.

3. Steam root vegetables.

4. Cook potatoes in their jackets.

5. Save all the fat from cooking meat; refine it and use it for
other cooking purposes.

6. Cook meals as far as possible with one ' "unit" of heat, e.g. in
one large steamer on a low fire or single gas ring you may cook:
a meat roll, steamed jacket potatoes, boiled or steamed suet
pudding; or in one oven you may cook; baked meat, casserole
of mixed vegetables, fruit pie or pastry, scones.

Introduce into the menu as often as possible the following foods:

Meat - Tripe, cow-heel, ox-tail, liver, kidney, hearts, tongues,
rabbits, calves' and sheep's head, fresh bones.

Fats - Olive Oil, vitaminised margarine, dripping suet, nuts, fat from
boiled mutton and beef, oily fishes ( such as herrings, sprats,
bloaters), cheese.

Cereals - Wholemeal flour, semolina, barley, oatmeal, macaroni,
rice.

Vegetables - Carrots, swedes, beets, celery, parsnips, onions,
leeks, turnip-tops, spring greens, tinned spinach, dried
pulse vegetables and raw salad vegetables in season.

Fruits - Tomatoes, figs, dates, raisins, prunes, dried apricots,
currents and citrous fruits.

Fish - Kippers, herrings, bloaters, cod and herring roes, sardines,
sprats, mackerel, tinned salmon.

If you want I will post some recipes from the booklet and from my books on wartime cookery - or if the forum not the place will put them on my blog/website and post a link to it in my profile instead of my dairy.

Hugs, Love and healing xxxxxxx

fuddle

Really interesting pah. I'd love to read some recipes, whereever you would like to post them.

I'm having difficulty with my bread making. It just doesn't rise very much. I have been using a recipe from bakingmad and thought to look on http://www.bacheldremill.co.uk/ as I'm using their flour. It seems I need to knock it back etc. Will try their recipe later his afternoon.

I would also like to try making crumpets and muffins too.

Hundreds of UK flood defence schemes unbuilt due to budget cuts There's cuts and there's cuts IMO. For me, flooding poses a massive problem and sees ordinary, every day people displaced. Flooding causes so much anguish and not to mention public health and safety, especially rat displacement. I despair sometimes.

prepareathome

Anything to save money these days and pay bigger salaries to the top officials that to me is why they do this, only so much money available so its the top people take a cut or don't have annual increase or bonus and things get done or the pay out the big bucks and nothing gets done properly. Then of course money has to be found to clear up the mess after flooding. They don't care about ordinary people only how many noughts there are on their bank account.

I was sorting my tins and for a change writing down exactly what I have, less than I thought of some things and came across my vacumn sealer which I had totally forgot I had bought. I bought it from a on-line friend who was trying to earn some money selling them. I didn't open it for a few months when I got it as went through a bad patch and when I did found the instructions were in foreign language - which one has gone from my head at the moment - and pictures were useless. I had left it so long I didn't like to ask the woman how to use it then so it got stuck in cupboard, but have been looking on you tube and will take it out of its box later and see if I can work it going by the videos I have watched. Could save me so much space in the freezer especially if I get the dehydrator up and running ok. I found the place where I bought the dehydrator sells the plastic for them. I didn't realise they were so dear, I only paid £15 for mine.

You are doing so well with your bread making. Yes you need to let it rise, then knock it back then let it rise again. If you every feel anxious or panicky then kneading bread is a great way to let out the feelings, I don't think you can pound bread to much.

Hugs, Love and healing xxxx

fuddle

I felt myself getting worked up in the coffee shop yesterday pah I was overwhelmed by all the coffees and didn't know what to say. I'm getting ridiculous. Anyway, I remembered what was said about an elastic band round my wrist. I didn't have one but started hitting my wrists together... bizarrely, it distracted me out of it - if not making me look completely stupid lol. I have found a forum full of people who have anxiety and panic attacks so I'm perusing there for support and ideas. I will beat this, or at least deal with it.

mardatha

Prepping sites opened my eyes and I dont find them scarey at all, just really interesting. I believe in looking after yourself, not in sitting waiting for the govt - or council or whoever- to do things for you...people like farmers for instance have everything on hand to fix stuff. Old people, like my dad, were always prepared for emergencies and be able to cope. I like that.
Just learning that you can buy stuff to purify water, hexi tablets to cook on when you have nothing else, where to buy solar security lights/headlights so you can see your way to the coalbox in a powercut without struggling to carry a bloody torch as well is all very handy!
Somebody was talking about butterflies and buddleia - mine isnt even OUT yet, and my lilac is just coming out now!!

Popperwell

Fuddle sometimes even someone without panic attacks or anxiety can be affected. And there can be too much choice.

As for the bread there are lots of good sites and videos but I bet it's what has been suggested, it needs knocking back a little more...

I did find a video by the Baker Boys on Channel 4's player but there are some good recipe's on the good old BBC website...some of the websites I used have been lost when my pc was repaired.

Popperwell

Mardatha,
Must look for those water purifing tablets...something else for my store room...A site I visited suggested adding bleach to water but it was a little more complicated than that...that would be dangerous if the rest of the advice was not followed...The site was genuine and meant for the residents of San Francisco.

mardatha

I think you buy them on Amazon, I always meant to get them but haven't yet EEK

Possession

fuddle wrote: »

I felt myself getting worked up in the coffee shop yesterday pah I was overwhelmed by all the coffees and didn't know what to say. I'm getting ridiculous. Anyway, I remembered what was said about an elastic band round my wrist. I didn't have one but started hitting my wrists together... bizarrely, it distracted me out of it - if not making me look completely stupid lol. I have found a forum full of people who have anxiety and panic attacks so I'm perusing there for support and ideas. I will beat this, or at least deal with it.

That's great you managed to pull yourself out of it. And you're doing absolutely the right thing by tackling it as panic attacks have a tendancy to spread and you don't want them encroaching into any other areas of your life. You CAN do it.