Living on next to nought - is that the key?

mrsinvisible

Thanks Starnac, cursive, it is. Anyhow, the cards got written and FN was well pleased with them. Thank you for the recipe link, GP it looks a lot easier, may give it a go on Monday with one of your scrummy looking curries.
Lord, it is cold and windy here (nothing to do with tummy gases). The washing dried super quick, and has joined mount ironmore, for tomorrow. Now l am going to harvest some potatoes and beans for my tea, and water the tomatoes.

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening :hello:

Dear Reader, how's your weekend been? Mine has been *wowsersfullon* We worked hard and then we got to play hard

starnac - I must admit, I am a little surprised that handwriting is still taught at all..... I was having a conversation with someone a little while back, and albeit their grandchild was growing up in another 'western' country - but they were bemoaning the fact that handwriting/book reading was being replaced wholesale by learning on a tablet......

rtandon - one of these [STRIKE]days[/STRIKE] years, I will have a kitchen large enough to fit a kitchen table into, and you can pull a chair up to it anytime you like In the meantime, can you make do with the dining table, or manage with a tray on your lap???

supersaver - all research is good research But my, don't time fly.........

little_sweetie - it's ace that your DGC love eating lunch at nana's. Keep up the good work!

Busymumofthreeplusdog - YES. Always.

beanie - any improvement?

Igamogam - is your hols whizzing?

Hopefuljoy - I hope that you are back into the swing of things and back to BST Mind, how can I be [STRIKE]blamed[/STRIKE] credited with you not using the microwave? I still have one, and use it regularly - mostly for defrosting, I have to say, but I'd be lost without it - particularly in the winter. In fact, stuff wouldn't defrost for days with how cold this house is :rotfl:

mrsinvisible - are we on the count down for the wedding now? Will it all be done and dusted by this time next week?

All of yesterday was spent working. I had to tackle the 'shed of oooom' - otherwise known as the outdoorcrappilestoragecentre....:rotfl: To illustrate how little I wanted to do this, I even managed to procrastinate by varnishing skirting boards! :rotfl: Still, by the end of the day, I had achieved both - I did the varnishing myself, got all the [STRIKE]carp[/STRIKE] treasure out of the shed by myself and sorted it into keep/don't keep, swept out the shed and was 1/4 of the way through putting the 'keeps' stuff back when DP returned to help By evening, we both ached in places we didn't know we had...... :rotfl:

Today, we celebrated by getting up super early and going for a 12 mile circular bike ride with a breakfast picnic :j This evening, we both ache in places that we didn't know we had...... :rotfl: DP also took a load of stuff to the recycling centre (in the car, not by bike ), so the 'shed of ooom' is free of the junk and has become a useable space :j Our bikes fit in there again now

I didn't venture anywhere near any shops, so have updated my siggie figgie by 2 NSD's :j

I'm a little behind with keeping you updated on what we had for us teas........

Friday was a simple cheese and tomato pizza and wedges - they were the last of the potatoes I got YS'd from mands weeks ago - luckily we've had lovely tatties off the gardening parental in the interim :j Pic here;



Last night, I have to say a big HURRAH! for the freezer. Exhaustion had set in, so to be able to defrost portions of Yotam Otttolenghi's two potato vindaloo, was great :j We had basmati rice and steamed runner beans to accompany, as someone kindly donated us a big bundle Pic here;



Then tonight, we were pretty stuffed from brekkie (veggie sausage HM bread baps with HP sauce ) and a buffet lunch, so we settled on portions of Scheherezade casserole (made and frozen at the start of the month), the potato salad from the meat-free Monday cookbook and Diana Henry's Lebanese Runner Beans. Picture here;



I wasn't overly impressed with the beans as they were cooking until I put the mint in at the end. It seemed to utterly transform the dish, and I would make it again. Also, you'll see in the recipe, she's used green beans. In the recipe in her book, she stipulates runner beans.........

Today I am grateful for these 3 things;

for getting a job *done* - go Team Greying :j

for being able to get out into the countryside, for the peace and quiet, for the abundant wildlife and for a few hours precious, quality time spent with DP - :j

for HM *readi-meals* - :j YAY for freezers :j

Thank you so very much for popping in, reading and commenting. I greatly appreciate reading your posts

See y'all later.

Greying

Busymumofthreeplusdog

Oh coincidently there was shed clearing going on here too and now we can a bike out without having to take out the other 5! I was the one who turned up just as the keepers stuff was going back in......
Sadly though our pileofcarp is still sitting beside the shed awaiting the dump trip

liltdiddylilt

Hi Greying. Popping in to say I am reading but not posting at the minute! Finding myself a bit stretched for time, haven't even 'done' my own diary in yonks. Hence a post at 11:20pm.

Piadina's are fab and I would eat them every day if it wasn't a bit of a bad idea just as I start to lose some of the weight I gained through not eating very 'efficiently' shall we say :rotfl:

Dinners looking amazing as always. Would appreciate it if you could point me in the direction of what to do with some massive cooking apples sat on my side, procured from a woman at works mum! I want to make an apple pie but can I for the life of me find out a method?!

Hope you are well. Well done on your procrastinating meaning 2 jobs got done. I have also been clearing out! DD's bedroom is no longer a walk in toy factory full of 'bits' of toys. Although I have lost a heart shaped thingummy from one and it is driving me mad!

Night night!! xx

in_need_of_direction

Hi lilt. I'm not good with apple pie but do make an apple and onion chutney with cooking apples. Just a thought

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning :hello:

ha - Busymumofthreeplusdog - If it had been me turning up when the 'keep' pile would have gone back in, then we'd still be as full up..... :rotfl:Half a tub of trade emulsion? oooh, that'll come in handy..... Yep, and you look inside and it's all separated out, and no amount of stirring will get it to come back together again without huge lumps..... :rotfl: I had to be ruthless, and I really kinda liked it :rotfl: Even DP commented on how much, given that we've got 'nowt' has gone off the premises, either to the recycling centre or charity shops (in total, not just outta the shed).

lilt - I am carp at pastry! Rarely make the stuff. If I do, it is Nigella's processor ruff puff. For a pie you'd need shortcrust. I'd look to saint Delia or Mary Berry for a recipe. I'm too 'hot' for pastry, and over work it. DP has lovely cold hands, but faddles about with it too much, so the result is over-worked too! :rotfl: I must admit, I always make apple crumble - all the appleyness, without half the faff, and no soggy bottom! If you want 'deep-dish' always pre cook your apples to get a pulp, if you want speed, just cut the apples up, and they cook down. I always use Nigella's crumble topping - 90g of butter/marg, 120g of plain flour (although N uses Self-raising) and 3 tablespoons of Demerara sugar (or caster if you live in this household ). Rub the fat into the flour (or pulse in a processor) and then stir in your sugar. Tops a small/medium size crumble - 20 mins at about 160 - 180 degrees (depends on your oven 'hotness') or until a nice light biscuity shade of 'doneness'. Apply to face with ice-cream or custard - your choice And BRAVO :T to your mum's friend, for gifting such bounty :j:D

INOD - good call. Plenty of uses for gifted cookers, eh?

Here we go again. Start of the week

I won't aim for a NSD today, as we're out of a couple of non-food household 'bits' so I need to try to pick them up today.

Dinner this evening is currently a mystery, to be solved in the next 5 mins We had tonight's dinner last night IYSWIM, so currently there is a vaccum where a solution should be..... :rotfl:

Right, I really must shift a tail feather. Although I creak, and still ache in places a gal shouldn't mention.... :rotfl:

Thanks for popping in, reading and commenting. If anyone has a fail-safe pastry recipe, could you please post/link for lilt. Ta muchly

See y'all later.

Greying

mrsinvisible

I make shortcrust pastry like my mam did, 8oz plain flour, 2oz lard, 2oz marg, (block, not soft) rub it in with fingertips it will look like breadcrumbs, 4tablespoons of cold water, mix with round bladed knife, it will make small lumps. use fingertips to 'bring' the lumps together and roll out on a floured board. Enough for 1 large and 1 small pie.
I keep all the fats and water in the fridge till l need them.
Bake at mark 7 or equivalent or 6 if using fan oven.
I have been known to cheat and use processer to 'rub in' but not to mix with the water, as it makes the paste too stretchy and tough.
Wedding is 12 days away, all excited now.
My shed needs attention, too,

---

any offers?
Need coffee, byeee xxxxx

mothernerd

Another crumble fan here. I have a version that uses porridge oats and muesli - will hunt for it (good for my diet and my cholesterol).

liltdiddylilt

Thanks for the pastry and crumble tips guys! I am a crumble girl myself too usually but these apples are begging for a 'PIEEEE' after all the pies that were discussed at work!

MrsInvisible - I will try your mams method. Mums cooking is always the best I like the oats and muesli idea too!!

Thanks as always what a thread of collective wonder this is!

muddywhitechicken

oo apple crumble :drool:

I always bash half a packet of gingernuts with a rolling pin and add to my crumble mixture