Living on next to nought - is that the key?

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening :hello:

Went the day well for you Dear Reader? Mine was OK. Bit too close and humid for comfort - makes everything quite an effort doesn't it? Oh for a break in the weather - a (non-torrential) rain storm would make all the difference - to humans, animals and plant life

mrsinvisible wrote: »

Hello, alien alert, just been told that even after today there is still more July to come!!

O BUGGA! :rotfl::rotfl:

How did the fish and chip lunch for *ladies wot lunch* go mrsinvisible? I hope you had a fab time - and lashings of mushy peas, salt and vinegar

If you are taking apart a dress to make a top and a skirt, how do you manage with the skirt waistband? Was there length in the skirt to turn it over at the top, or do you attach a contrasting/matching fabric and then wear a longer top over?

What a pity that the buses up to your neck of the woods only run hourly, otherwise I'd of hopped on and joined DGS for a plate of 'scrabble tiles' and some pasta shapes

little_sweetie wrote: »

Aw, Greying, you do make me laugh....:rotfl::rotfl:

Hmmm :think: a lot of people say that to me little_sweetie ..........:rotfl::rotfl:

Did your *wand thingy* make BIG bubbles?????

So, I got the TV guide today, and I dropped on some YS'd potatoes in Mand$, got patronised by the assistant and had to smirk at all the negative comments that were passed when another assistant wafted past informing us that, '4 self-serve tills are actually available, should you wish to use them'. So glad I am poor and that is not my full-time grocery shop of choice.......:D

I also got another notebook - my current 'copy down recipes off the internet/out of library books' notebook is FULL - and is now in a pile of 7! Must stop reading books! Still the new one is 200 pages, so it should last a while.......

I got paid a lovely compliment today - by a really genuine bloke (don't worry, his wife was two steps away and it was all above board ). Isn't it nice when folk are so *secure* in themselves that they can pay you a compliment and you know that they mean it. There's no side/act/game going on.

Dinner was a dish that I have made before, but it used up stores, filled us up and is a reasonably cheap dish - what's not to like Longer term readers of the thread may well remember me making Ash-E-Reshteh - or noodle soup before. THIS is more or less the recipe I used (mine came from a different source - a library book...... ). In the recipe, it calls for 2oz of reshteh - these are 'noodles'. Any type will do, but I believe that in the middle-east you would have a specific type of noodle specifically for the soup. I however, used a pack of 10p instant noodles from BandM, but discarded the pack of *vegetable* flavouring.......Pic of my version here;



Flatbreads as last night - neigh, I'm not a one-trickster at all And I have to say, yoghurt is the way forward

Today I am grateful for these 3 things;

expressions of gratitude - makes a nice change from 'the world owes me' & 'what's in it for me?' Be kind people, be kind

for a cooling breeze in the midday sun - mand$ foodall chiller cabinets are the best! :rotfl:

that [STRIKE]age[/STRIKE] wisdom lets far less faze you in life, slights can be shrugged off, disappointments forgotten and the valuable things in life be truly regarded

Thank you so much for popping in, reading and commenting. Mucho appreciated. As ever.

See y'all later.

Greying

satchmo1

I had a lovely surprise visit from my sister, niece and her gorgeous girls (23 months old and 11 months old). I bashed out a Spanish chicken recipe using Lidl chopped tomatoes, chicken and chorizo, onions and yellow pepper, plus Morrisns YS courgettes and endive. It was delish and the girls ate with relish.

Greying_Pilgrim

Hey Satchmo - that sounds grand! Is this in the new apartment?


If anyone is interested, I collated a few recipes that I have made (on this thread) that I thought may interest lilt - and posted it on her thread. It just occurred to me that it may help someone here too, so I thought I'd get a double-whammy out of the posting The pink text takes you to the online recipe.

Ethiopian sweet potato and lentil wat - can be made with red lentils or split yellow peas - either is delish.

Nigerian Peanut Stew

Ramja - good as a curry on its own, or as a curry plate with rice

Spicy Man-Approved Black Bean Burger - promise I didn't make the name up for this one

Bean and Chorizo Jambalaya - I use cooked, chopped up veggie sausages in this dish, and add at the end of cooking.

Black Bean Ragout

African Black-Eyed Bean Salad



Greying

satchmo1

We aren't yet moving in to the new place, as we're remodelling the kitchen and installing double glazing. Can't decide if we'll do the bathroom now or later. DH has been like a different man, he's so smiley and enthusiastic. DS2 is coming along tomorrow to help remove kitchen tiles and transport the old kitchen units to the tip.

liltdiddylilt

Hello GP!

Thank you so much for your post on my thread and the corresponding one above. I am very grateful to both you & Supersaver (my fingers just called her SuperDave, she won't be pleased...) for the time spent. The recipes look fab and I really enjoyed cooking up a storm earlier for my work lunches. I am also repeating food, 3 batches of spicy red lentil and tomato soup are coming with me for work lunches. I am not yet at the flatbread making stage so a slice of warburtons shall have to suffice. At the weekend I shall dedicate real time to this! The next 3 days see me in a haze of walking, work, walking, jellytot, dinner, sleeping!

Isn't it wonderful to be paid a compliment which is not aimed at getting something from you. I find them a rare occurrence from men anyway :rotfl:

Yet again your dinner looks fab. I do the same thing with the 10p packs of noodles, and make them into dinners for jellytot. She loves noodles. And spaghetti.. and anything she can stick to things and make a mess with...

Enjoy your evening!! xx

supersaver1000

Lol. :rotfl:

SuperDave. :rotfl:

Is that like super ted (for those that are old enough to remember super ted)

btw. I'm not sure what possessed me to call myself supersaver all those years ago - super spender more like - apparently I can't change it ever though so I'd better try and live up to it. X

Or become superDave.

Pippilongstocking

supersaver1000 wrote: »

Lol. :rotfl:

Or become superDave.

I think you should.

mind on I have a fondness for that name

Thanks for the links to the recipes - I predict your book will be full before the end of the year........just saying.

Have a great day dear hearts and hopefully not too sticky either.

mrsinvisible

morning, just waiting to take dgs to summer school, so a quick visit. Greying re the skirt, yes, there was length to turn it in at the top, with 1'' wide elastic attached so there is room for growth ! but there was enough fabric from the taken in sides to have made a proper waistband, so I kept it in case the first way l did it doesn't sit right IYSWIM. There are zips aplenty in the bits bag if l have to do that.
Your dinner, as always looks yum, but I was not envious, this time, as l was full to the gun'als of F&C and muuuushy peas. (no comments about blowing bubbles please).
Satch, the chicken chorizo sounds lovely too, might try that one tonight.
I need to defrost the freezer today, and fave cous is coming to try on her outfit for her daughters wedding. She is a 'well endowed Reubenesque' type, so we have ordered 'squeeze you in suits' in various styles and sizes, so we are in for a hilarious/hysterical morning, bubbles, oops, TMI xxxxx

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening :hello:

Lawks! I am an old fossil, not only do I remember Super Ted but I can make Play Away references on MWC's thread too...... :rotfl:

satchmo - how has day one of the kitchen re-furb gone? At least you have a fully functioning kitchen at the rental apartment with a working kettle

lilt - I look forward to hearing all about your culinary adventures

supersaver - I almost didn't recognise you writing in that deep voice - are you sure you haven't morphed into;

SUPERDAVE - defender of pennies, protector of pounds

(^^voiced in cinematic trailer tones....... )

already??? :rotfl:

Pippi - lovely to see ya And considering you've never met me, you seem to know me awfully well...... :think: :rotfl: I predict a full notebook by Chrimbo too

mrsinvisible - did you stop giggling long enough to get on with the fitting? Hope you've had a great time with your cousin

Well, today has been OK. At one point, when it was very sunny, I was musing on my thought about July, in fact, being one continuous 'groundhog day', connived by an alien life-force to distract the UK whilst they spirit all our liquorice allsorts orf to a planet, far, far away..... when it struck me, that if the weather changed, when it *officially* became August, then there may well be some merit in my theory of a 7 week July. Dear Reader, I have just seen the weather forecast......._pale_........ :rotfl:I was right :rotfl::rotfl:

I grabbed a NSD. Hardly anything to get too excited about, as I have no money

I have more or less finished my meal plan for August, and the bulk of the shopping list is done. I seem to be buying less and less from Ald* - which given how crowded it has become of late, is probably a good thing. It has also occurred to me why I'm finding it increasingly difficult to manage on our budget, despite putting it up to £100 for the 2 of us last month. We all know that supermercados have been *shrinking* package sizes for yonks. But it has started to impact on my shopping bag now. Originally, I couldn't care if crisp packets shrank, or jam pots shrank to less than 1lb (in old money). But now the frozen veg is only coming in 750g bags, when they used to be 1kg. Cheese regularly used to be on offer in 500g packs, unless you look carefully, you are now paying the same price for 350g.......:( There is just not the same amount of food coming into the house

This evening, I made a Buddha bowl for dinner. I had decided last month that I would have mung beans, avocado and cucumber available, so could make a BB out of them with some cous cous. Seemed like a good idea, particularly as the avocado seemed ripe........... It wasn't Dear Reader, I have had to compost ANOTHER avocado. That is it with me and mrm avocados. I reckon I have bought 12 this season (3 packs of 4) of which 3 have been composted 25% food wastage is NOT acceptable at Greying Towers :mad: Instead, I shall either buy my avocados from mrL, or from the green grocer, but I shall be honest and say that they haven't shifted a tail-feather and got any in stock. Verbatim mentioned that I was cooking avocado dishes in July last year - this was because the grocers had them at 8 or 10 (can't quite remember) for £1. There have been no such offers this year....... Still, last week, they were offering 4 peaches/nectarines for £1 - the little veg stall, that is so far out of the way, I keep on forgetting about it, was offering them at 5 for £1 (and I bought some peaches - they were delish ) This week, the same stock is on offer for 3 or 4 for £1 respectively..... Excuse me, have we a nectarine famine, or a peach embargo - at the height of the season????? pfft! As Rhonda Jean would say.

Anyhoo, dinner ended up being a little different to that envisaged, and I am afraid that the pic shows that I had a little bit of a pouty fit, and just sloshed the dressing on without much thought - sorry Anyway, Mung bean, cous cous and cucumber Buddha bowl;



I soaked the cous cous with a lime leaf in the water - it again, imparted a wonderful citrus vibe. Well worth it. In the bean mix there is; red onion, beans, cucumber, red pepper and some of the dressing. The dressing is a recipe I've used before, you can find it included in THIS blog post. It ended up being yum, I really love the tangy dressing so my poutiness didn't last long

What on earth can we conjour up out of the Greying Towers pantry for dinner tomorrow night? - officially the LAST DAY OF JULY :j:j:j :rotfl:

Today I am grateful for these 3 things;

for faithfulness - fed up of hearing about a colleague's lack of it

for meal-planning - not exciting, but it kinda works, in terms of focussing your shopping and avoiding food wastage..... well, for the most part......

that today, my problems amount to a *refuse to ripen properly* avocado - life ain't bad, not bad at all.........

Thank you for popping in, reading and commenting. I greatly appreciate it.

See y'all later.

Greying

Cheery_Daff

Greying_Pilgrim wrote: »

Cheery - Thank you. I am pleased that I know, as there literally would have been no other way that I would have found out. At least I just came across the obit. in the online version of the local paper - I'm not too sure that the interactiveness of the book of face is a way I would want to find out such news - devastating At least now I can think about putting together a carefully composed note to their spouse. I don't want it to re-open anything after 10 months or so.... I can also see what I can do about doing something practical towards supporting the charities that they nominated. They were very local to them, but in this day and age, it's easy to exchange currencies, so I'm sure I can get something to work.

Sorry Greying, I'm days behind the times but just wanted to respond to this if you don't mind.

It was my ex partner who'd died, and it was over a year before I found out as we had no mutual friends left. Someone had tagged a picture of him on facebook, but it wasn't him so I popped to his page to look, only to find an old message from someone I didn't know saying he'd died and when the funeral was (over a year before). I cried lots then sent her a message - turns out she is his brother's wife and was pleased to hear from someone who'd been close to him. He had quite a severe drink problem and had never been close to family when I'd known him, so I was happy to hear he'd got back in touch with them later, and was able to return some things of his that I had, including a ring his brother had given him that I'd ended up with, so that was nice.

Strangely, they'd never actually buried his ashes, not really knowing what to do with them, and they said they'd let me know when they did, but that was over a year ago now and I've not heard anything, and I'm not sure I feel right pestering them again

I'm sure the family will be grateful for you getting in touch and while it may make them a little sad, I imagine they won't have forgotton your friend anyway and this may bring back some nice memories xx

Anyway, enough pontificating from me for now, back to talking about food and SuperTed