The OS Doorstep - a helpful and supportive thread in these tough times

sugarpuss27

Oh Yes, there will be soldiers.......... I am 5 again! Nothing wrong with that...or is there?
Monnogran - I echo Mrslurch sentiments. Although difficult to deal with at the moment this is an endorsement that your commitment to others really does make a difference. He left this world knowing someone cared. That's some gift.

Popperwell

I may risk a Euro ticket tonight:)

Just had a bowl of salad, opened a small can of tuna and tomato herb dressing I happened to have in the cupboard. Best before Nov 2011...it was fine.Thinking of a fruit salad soon with yogurt or...ice cream before I go out.

I aso have some clothes to dry in the Tumble drier, need a shave and general tidy up.

GreyQueen

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

GQ you can make the egyptian soup Melokhia with common mallow leaves, I've got recipe if you want it? I've always known the round mallow seed heads as 'cheeses'! Cheers Lyn xxx.

Yes please. I mightn't make it for a while but I would like to add it to my Recipes Folder.

nuatha wrote: »

I wouldn't keep the whole slab out in summer. What I do do, is keep a portion of the slab in a covered butter dish and that lives on the worktop and the rest in the fridge. (In winter I just put a whole block in the butter dish) I top up the butter dish at night, so its had a chance to soften by morning for making sandwiches..

That's exactly what I do, as it takes me quite a bit of time to get thru a chunk of butter.

I find the various spreads and margarines unspeakably vile. I'm content to eat my bread nekkid and if I was recommended to avoid butter in favour of spreads, that's exactly what I would do. I only think the manufacturers get away with the vileness because so many people haven't eaten butter in years and have forgotten how good it tastes.

I have a plain oblong Pyrex butter dish. They turn up pretty frequently in the charity shops and I have seen them at the bootfairs for about 50p. We used to have two in my childhood home, so we could do that business somebody mentioned about having the new lot on the go while you finished up the old.

Happy birthday Pooky and roll on the improvements to Fluffy Kitten.

Am preparing a random meal from entirely YS ingredients; the second half of a Tosspots Finest filo-pastry-chicken-and-leek-thingummy-wotsit, cost 66p and has done 2 meals, with steamed carrots (one of 6 portions from the 15p/ kilo bag) with half of the microwavable 17p pkt of mashed spuds. Have the filo bomb and the tatties in the bain marie part of my steamer set and the carrots in the bit below.

I am approaching cooking from the eat-to-live end of the spectrum, y'see.

Right, I have tea, food it on the stove, all is right with the world.

Well, my hair needs trimming but will have to go another week, and the housework needs doing, but my personal satisfaction levels are sky-high.

PS I always envisage my innards as dark red, with purplish and greyish bits, looking rather like what you'd find inside any other animal. I have been thoroughly scanned over the years (disappointingly in black and white) and have even watched an abdominal surgery on "tv" in real time with only a morphine pump for distraction. Fascinating - but not in colour.

Expect you have to go private to get colour pix of your innards. I was joking with the surgeon that some of my neighbours would be beyond jealous if they knew I had morphine....... the lady surgeon had a floral-printed lead suit protecting her vital organs from the radiography bits of the procedure.

Imagine, floral lead suits, whodathunkit?

sugarpuss27

Hi GreyQueen
Floral lead suits....... are you sure it wasn't the morphine.....?

[Deleted User]

Hokay GQ

Melokhia soup made with common mallow.

recipe is for 4 but with big appetites!!!

3 pints of good chicken stock
800g of Common Mallow leaves (young ones, old ones get tough!)
2 - 3 tablespoons of oil, olive for preference
4 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon ground coriander seed
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt to taste

wash the mallow leaves and chop them as finely as you can (food processor is good but not as far as a puree).Bring the stock to the boil and add the chopped leaves then simmer for 10 minutes. In a frying pan heat the oil and fry the crushed garlic and some salt until it starts to look golden then add the spices, mix until it is a paste over a gentle heat then add this to the soup in the pan. Stir it well and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Serve with bread or over rice.

Haven't made it myself but have had Melokhia in a restaurant and it's lovely, Cheers Lyn xxx.

Popperwell

I know I need surgery sooner or later:( if they don't put me out, I won't be watching:eek:I'm not helping myself putting it off...

GreyQueen

sugarpuss27 wrote: »

Hi GreyQueen
Floral lead suits....... are you sure it wasn't the morphine.....?

Nah, it was a controlled dose on a morphine pump, not enough to get high, just taking the edge off the pain.

She deffo had a floral suit, but the male surgeon had a boring old plain one. Think it was blue? Me and the lady doc were laughing about the flowers, she said as she had to have one as part of her job and they came in pretty patterns, she thought she might as well..........

Thanks for the recipe, Mrs LW. I will finish my tea and take that into protective custody via the ole cut&paste.

ginnyknit

Been for a wander round my favourite little shopping street full of CS's and picked up some craft stamps for £1 a pack. Also got ys bread at the Co-op and some jersey royals so am creating a paprika pork thingy to go with. Pork out of freezer and a little tub of double cream i stashed in there a few weeks ago. Smells yummy. Managed to donate a box of old beano's and dandy's that have been hanign around and the CS was well chuffed, I know I could put them on fleabay but the postage spoils it now.

DD arrived so DGS could play on the drive with his car and had a lovely couple of hours, she also vaccuumed my stairs for me as my Arthur-itis is playing up big time. Totally pleasant day thank goodness though OH had a few problems getting up from the camping chair and pain issues.

Got a days respite as his minder is taking him fishing tomorrow for a few hours, think I may sit in the back garden and just be - you watch it will bloomin rain :mad:

ArthriticOldThing

I have just managed to read all the posts on this thread and I loved hearing all the memories of the growing up years. I was born in 1952 in a mining town of Co Durham. As my father was a miner we were never short of coal but was only able to appreciate later the hard work my mother must have had to keep all three of us clothed and fed.
I empathise with so many of the things you have remembered like home made clothes - my mum was brilliant knitter but dressmaking was not her thing, juggling soft rubber balls for hours, playing in the streets and even farmers fields (not very far away) and the mobile shop which came round every week.
As I was always an outsize child (and still am now) I was limited to how short my mini skirt could be but have one enduring image of my sister at about 16 in very tight hot pants and those long white boots. Oh how I hated her for looking that good.
Kezlou I'm sorry to here about your Aunt. From your descriptions she sounded a remarkable lady who will be much missed.
A late Happy Birthday to you Pooky. I hope the kitten is doing better.
What a beautiful descriptive post from you Sugarpuss. I wish I had that skill as am sitting looking out across the mouth of the River Tyne at a view that would make a wonderful holiday ad - all rippling river and power boats and fishermen along the piers.
And am feeling a bit put to shame by all you elderflower cordial makers as have lived next to several bushes for 20 years and never got round to using either flowers or berries. Though we used to go BlackBerrying in the hedges beside the metro line until NEXUS closed the access.:( It was great to have hm blackberry pie at Christmas.
Think I'd better go and catch up with my dishes now - just about my least favourite job.

bunbun2

Thank yo sooooo much to all on here:j OH and I went elderflower picking this morning and it is now soaking. it smells so good.

We couldn't believe how much we found and how many trees there are - even some in the local park about 2 minutes away. There are so many not in flower yet, as for berries there will be so many!

This thread is making me see things and life in such a different way, just simple things like walking the dog.

fuddle what a lovely picture of the swan and cygnets. Enjoy your elderflower cordial.

I have a bit of a sick feeling in my stomach this evening. ds14 is having an endoscopy under general anaesthetic to look for possible coeliac. They have postponed once so I hope it goes ahead tomorrow. he has had his favourite tea of fish and chips as he can't eat after 3am