Preparing for winter IV

kboss2010

I've been away for a few weeks on an extended holiday and returned to a cold, damp-smelling flat the joys of renting! *sigh*

My prep list for Winter includes:

Book BG engineer visit as I put the heating on for the first time in ages and the boiler conked out after 2 hours - doesn't bode well for this Winter!

Biannual de-mould of all the walls (again, the joys of renting!)

Fix curtain pole in spare bedroom

Ask landlord about curtains for the living room

Bleed radiators

Clear out clutter!!

Take goose feather duvet out of Summer storage

Look out jumpers I packed away for the Summer

Alisonpennypincher

kboss2010 wrote: »

My prep list for Winter includes:

Book BG engineer visit as I put the heating on for the first time in ages and the boiler conked out after 2 hours - doesn't bode well for this Winter!

Hi, if you are renting, this should be the landlords responsibility?

bossymoo

snowbrow wrote: »

Can anyone point me in the direction of some idiot proof soup recipes please. They all seem so complicated and I'm a complete novice!

These are my 3 favourites and very simple even some cheat ingredients:

Carrot & coriander:
Sweat some chopped onion off in butter / oil
Add chopped carrots (I've used frozen for this too)
Add veg or chicken stock to cover
Simmer until veg is soft enough to blitz
When cooled add to blender with handful of fresh coriander leaf
Blitz until smooth
Return to pan, add water to get the texture you want and adjust seasoning.

Sweet potato and squash:
Cook chopped, de seeded butternut squash and chopped sweet potato in veg stock until soft (I even used prepared veg once I got in the reduced section)
When cooled add to blender and blitz until smooth
Return to pan, add water to get the texture you want and adjust seasoning, freshly ground black pepper is very good.

Chorizo and bean:
Lightly fry finely chopped chorizo and onion
Add a bit of smoked paprika, or smoky marinade rub
Add mixed beans (canned or your own soaked / boiled ones)
Cover with passata, and add ground chillies or anything else you fancy. Simmer for 20min or so
Gravy can be "browned" with bovril or a beef stock cube crumbled in.
Add more water / stock for the consistency you want.

I'm very much a "chuck it in and see" type of cook so no exact recipes I'm afraid. But veg-based soups are very forgiving. I made the chorizo and bean one today, it's very filling and very warming. I had 1 bowl and there is enough in the pan for at least 3 more.

bubblegumcola

Thanks for the ideas for curtains for winter, will have a look about and see what I can pick up. Folk looking for fleecy pjs and onesies if you've got an outlet M&S they've got all that kind of stuff in now for kids which they didn't have a couple of weeks ago. I didn't buy as my kids won't wear onesies!! I bought one for my youngest before and he point blank refused to wear it, he's obviously a bit of a traditionalist at 8 years old!!

Oh I had a thought about jazzing up the edges of fleece which I've done for a blanket as a gift before and you could do for a curtain depending on how much time you've got and how big it is and also where it is because if it's hidden behind other curtains there's probably no point. Blanket stitch round the fleece edge and crochet onto the edge of the stitch. It looks lovely when it's done. I was just learning when I started so it took me a fair while but I was really pleased with the outcome.

Liking all your soup recipes. I am rubbish at making soup as it just always ends up tasting of veg stock cubes and none of the actual veg I've put in, I'm not much of a cook, any tips?

Caterina

Use stock powder (Marigold is lovely and goes a long way) rather than cubes, it dissolves well. Or make your own stock, it is very simple, just boil onion, carrot and celery, can add a tomato for extra flavour, in salted water, then strain the veg and you have veg stock. If you have any bones/chicken carcass/meat trimmings add these too and you have meat stock.

This is what I learnt from my granny about making beef stock: if you have a piece of beef and you want a very flavoursome stock, cook it from cold water, as it will relax the meat and its juices will be released in the stock, but the meat will be less flavoured. You can use it minced to make rissoles etc.

If you want a lighter stock and a tasty piece of beef, then add it when the water is boiling, as the heat will seal up the meat and it will retain all its flavour, good to eat sliced with salsa verde (green sauce made with garlic, capers, parsley and olive oil).

I do neither now as I am vegetarian, but never forgot, I used to eat boiled meat at my granny's when I was little.

krustylouise

I too am a "throw it in and see" person when it comes to cooking. I made some carrot soup on Saturday.

Fry onions and garlic in a little butter, when going slightly brown !!! the chopped carrots and any other veg you may want (i used celery and added potato as this will thicken it up and provide a more filling soup) added 2 vegetable stock cubes and water until about an inch over the veg. Summer until veg are soft. Hand blend, then add extra water to the thickness you want and season.

Lovely and thick, full of vitamins and filling especially on cold days.

115K

It poured down all day yesterday and the water was nearly up to the back door which I hate as the dogs bring loads of puddle water back in with them.

I really need to sort out the garden as I have random stuff lying around which either needs to be put into a new shed or just got rid of in some way. I thought I would have until September to work out what to do but now Autumn seems to be coming very early!

Also now the roof needs to be cleaned after payday in early September to get that out the way.

I had to put down fleecy blankets on the sofas for the cats yesterday as they were cold and trying to get on our laps all day. The heating is staying off until October still hopefully and we will all just have to warm up with jumpers and blankets.:D

I'm making either a veg chili with rice or veggie bean fajitas as I have some leftover Mexican-style peppers and onions in the fridge. Spicy food makes me feel warmer. It was only a few weeks ago that I was eating ice cream and lollies as it was so hot to go to bed.:p

^!£$&

bossymoo wrote: »

These are my 3 favourites and very simple even some cheat ingredients:

Carrot & coriander:
Sweat some chopped onion off in butter / oil
Add chopped carrots (I've used frozen for this too)
Add veg or chicken stock to cover
Simmer until veg is soft enough to blitz
When cooled add to blender with handful of fresh coriander leaf
Blitz until smooth
Return to pan, add water to get the texture you want and adjust seasoning.

Sweet potato and squash:
Cook chopped, de seeded butternut squash and chopped sweet potato in veg stock until soft (I even used prepared veg once I got in the reduced section)
When cooled add to blender and blitz until smooth
Return to pan, add water to get the texture you want and adjust seasoning, freshly ground black pepper is very good.

Chorizo and bean:
Lightly fry finely chopped chorizo and onion
Add a bit of smoked paprika, or smoky marinade rub
Add mixed beans (canned or your own soaked / boiled ones)
Cover with passata, and add ground chillies or anything else you fancy. Simmer for 20min or so
Gravy can be "browned" with bovril or a beef stock cube crumbled in.
Add more water / stock for the consistency you want.

I'm very much a "chuck it in and see" type of cook so no exact recipes I'm afraid. But veg-based soups are very forgiving. I made the chorizo and bean one today, it's very filling and very warming. I had 1 bowl and there is enough in the pan for at least 3 more.

Thank you I am off to aldi today to get some ingredients xxx

^!£$&

Popped into wilkinsons yesterday and they had liquid/soup bags for £1.50 pack of ten they're just what I wanted you can freeze soup in portions, take to work and microwave in the bag perfect and so much cheaper than lakeland!

kboss2010

Alisonpennypincher wrote: »

Hi, if you are renting, this should be the landlords responsibility?

If only that were the case! Aberdeen is like London, rent is sky high and maintenance of cheaper properties is poor. Legally landlords don't need to provide any heating other than a plug socket in one room to plug in an electric heater. (I know, right?! I was shocked when I found this out from Shelter last year when our boiler broke for 2 weeks! That is so far from adequate in an old tenement with high ceilings it's unreal!)

Believe me, I've spent the last few years trying to get my landlord to replace the boiler but, because he has a service contract with BG, they just keep patching it up. He's also threatening to raise the rent if he does any major repairs and we can't afford to pay any more. We can't afford to move either as bf is moving back to Abdn for work soon and the cheapest one bed flat is £600 a month minimum and we need a flatmate if we move in together so we need to find a 2 bed property with an HMO licence - there aren't many of them because landlords don't bother getting them as it stops students renting their properties which means they can charge more if it's just professionals. They also cost money as, to get one, you have to maintain the property to a minimum standard which most of them don't want to. So it's lose-lose in their eyes, why would they bother?

Renting is the biggest rip off. Between me and my flatmate we're paying £750 a month just in rent for a tiny 2 bed flat. Average price for Aberdeen for the same is £850. It's a joke! I want to get out of the city but my fixed contract has just ended and I need a job. It's hard to get jobs in science that pay a living wage that aren't in oil and gas so I'm going to be stuck here I think.

My bf is living in Edinburgh, he's renting a room in a picturesque, perfectly maintained Victorian house looking out onto the water of Leith for £475 a month, all bills and council tax included. For my awful room in Aberdeen for the same it's £650.