Nice People Thread Number 11 - A Treasury of Nice People

Generali

Spirit wrote: »

That looks delicious. I want a slice.:)

Or two.

It was gone within a few minutes of coming out of the oven.

I'm going to have a go at 'cold proving' a loaf, something that's ready to go in the oven in the morning. Perhaps I'll do that tonight.

I want to get bread sorted. Bacon can wait for another day.

Spirit_2

SingleSue wrote: »

Applied for a job today in a local shop.

It's a very different area to which I have ever worked in but what the hey, change is as good as a rest as they say.

Hope this goes well for you. You have good transferable communication skills, are used to helping people, you provide a service to others through your other forum responsibilities . A new direction in retail may be just what you need.

I remember Nikkster has posted about family who have moved to retail and happily stayed there.

You have described needing to use a wheelchair on a day out and not being able to go places when yours was out of action. What have you got in mind about how you will manage your mobility/health or is it a sitting down job?.

lostinrates

]I keep meaning to write a family cookbook. Just some stuff about what I make and why I make it as I do.

If I'm having radiotherapy I might have some time on my hands to do it. Something like that would be good to send the kids out into the world with.

. My mother says this to me sometimes, that she'll do it. She makes some things I struggle to reproduce perfectly and that, because they taste of home I'd like to get to taste like hers than better IYSWIM. Her pate is one of them.

Because we're ( maternal side ) such mongrels and travel was in the very nature of how she got here, and then her work, our lives, our food has always been very 'mixed' and not fusion so much as 'oh, that works together'! Her family had had little experience of cooking to feed themselves daily type cooking, but had odd interests. One great aunt liked
Candy making, indeed, could ONLY candy make.

If you write a book gen for your family I could pretend to be related.


I'm STILL in bed. DH has done animals and brought me a caffetiere on a tray. I was going to make him nice breakfast...feel pipped to the post.

In a minute we'll sit and plan weekend food. We both know we don't want an Easter meal or anything elaborate this weekend. I have a feeling DH is going to want to barbecue something. I want fruit very, vry badly but its been making me unwell again. ( thinks ruefully about the plum I ate two days ago) so I might try cooking some fruit and see if I can tolerate that.

Generali

lostinrates wrote: »

In a minute we'll sit and plan weekend food. We both know we don't want an Easter meal or anything elaborate this weekend. I have a feeling DH is going to want to barbecue something. I want fruit very, vry badly but its been making me unwell again. ( thinks ruefully about the plum I ate two days ago) so I might try cooking some fruit and see if I can tolerate that.

A butterflied lamb leg, studded with garlic and rosemary, BBQs amazingly and definitely brings out the inner caveman.

It doesn't take that long to cook. You do need to bung some salt on the BBQ to keep the fat flames down a bit.

Asparagus splashed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil is great on the barbie too. Bit early for English sparrow's grass I suppose...?

Chicken risotto for dinner tonight. Unfortunately I've run out of proper stock so it'll be made from cubes. I only make stock from carcasses normally but I might grab a kg of wings tomorrow to use for stock. I can mollify Mrs Generali by marinating some of them and BBQing/roasting them for her brekkie.

Spirit_2

DD has just come in form doing the chooks and bunnies.

She scared a pheasant out of my raised bed.:mad: The bed has 6ft netting round it. They must be landing like golfers gettinga hole in one and taking off like helicopters.

I suppose it is revenge for OH shooting them in season. They know we cannot touch them now.

I can ask OH to tie the top of the net closed so it makes a tent, but this will make it difficult for me tp then fold the net back so I can access the bed.

Amongst NP I am sure we have the design skills to outwit a pheasant. All ideas welcome. I may be posting on the green fingered board at this rate.

Generali

Spirit wrote: »

DD has just come in form doing the chooks and bunnies.

She scared a pheasant out of my raised bed.:mad: The bed has 6ft netting round it. They must be landing like golfers gettinga hole in one and taking off like helicopters.

I suppose it is revenge for OH shooting them in season. They know we cannot touch them now.

I can ask OH to tie the top of the net closed so it makes a tent, but this will make it difficult for me tp then fold the net back so I can access the bed.

Amongst NP I am sure we have the design skills to outwit a pheasant. All ideas welcome. I may be posting on the green fingered board at this rate.

At the local garden centre, run by our RHS, they make a frame of vertical and horizontal pieces of wood to form a box and cover that with chicken wire/netting depending on what's being grown inside.

It's interesting actually. They reckon we should have 5 beds: soft fruit which stays in the same place and then 1 for roots, 1 for spuds, 1 for brassicas and legumes and 1 for salad veg. The final bed is for the chooks. You then rotate the last 4 beds so the chooks will move across all 4 beds in about 2 years, fertilising and aerating the soil as they go. We have a pretty long growing season for most things in Sydney. We can grow lettuce 12 months of the year. Basil grows for about 10 months.

The soil is crap but the plants love the climate. Unfortunately so do the weeds.

lostinrates

Quote:
Originally Posted by lostinrates
In a minute we'll sit and plan weekend food. We both know we don't want an Easter meal or anything elaborate this weekend. I have a feeling DH is going to want to barbecue something. I want fruit very, vry badly but its been making me unwell again. ( thinks ruefully about the plum I ate two days ago) so I might try cooking some fruit and see if I can tolerate that.
A butterflied lamb leg, studded with garlic and rosemary, BBQs amazingly and definitely brings out the inner caveman.

It doesn't take that long to cook. You do need to bung some salt on the BBQ to keep the fat flames down a bit.

Asparagus splashed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil is great on the barbie too. Bit early for English sparrow's grass I suppose...?

Chicken risotto for dinner tonight. Unfortunately I've run out of proper stock so it'll be made from cubes. I only make stock from carcasses normally but I might grab a kg of wings tomorrow to use for stock. I can mollify Mrs Generali by marinating some of them and BBQing/roasting them for her brekkie.
[/QUOTE]


I am having quoting issues this morning.

DH has amazed me , no BBQ. But gnocchi, much quicker.

We're having fish tonight, which could be grilled on the BBQ quickly, and then because weather is meant to be less nice on sun and mon, I am making lentejas zamoranas for one of the evenings and almond soup another one. All very simple main meals. I'm probably going to chuck out a cake for DH to nosh on.....torn between a honey cake I have wanted to try and an orange cake and a rhubarb one. ATM I think orange one is winning, not sure. We're trying to spend most of the time busy, so keeping things easy on the kitchen is going to be key ATM. I am meant to be on light schedule and we are just about to go and plant trees in very bad soil, so....not easy! I might be wrecked by tonight. Planning elaborate meals DH might have to cook, not fair.

Spirit_2

Generali wrote: »

A butterflied lamb leg, studded with garlic and rosemary, BBQs amazingly and definitely brings out the inner caveman.

I.

Last weekend we barbecued belly pork.

Large piece of belly pork, skin taken off, marinaded in preferred sauce, served in thick slices. We usually use bbq sauce (HM or bought), Hoisin or Plum.

The skin is cooked in the oven and served as crackling.

Not fully planned meals for the weekend yet, but have some plans based around social things.

Tonight we have friends coming over for dinner and I am making Greek Baked Fish. I bought over a kilo of Cod Loin yesterday and had it cut into four large pieces. It will be cooked in the oven with quartered new potatoes, tomatoes, onions, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and oregano. It is a Nigel Slater dish, and very easy and forgiving. DD will be home and is having the same but cooked with chicken as an alternative to fish.

To start we have HM bread with anti pasti - a mixture of meats, sun dried tomatoes, artichokes and anchovies.

No pudding planned as yet, there is a cheese board with dates and prunes.

The friends are the chap who lost his wife last year and his new partner. fells a bit strange, but we are pleased for him.
Saturday Eve we are at a wedding party , Sunday is a bon voyage lunch party for a couple who are taking a year off to sail their boat across the bay of biscay and beyond but I need to think about and dinner what to do for Monday.

Spirit_2

lostinrates wrote: »

Quote:
Originally Posted by lostinrates
I am meant to be on light schedule and plant trees in very bad soil, so....not easy!

Sounds mutually exclusive.

vivatifosi

Nikkster wrote: »

1. Some Dartington tumblers (TK Maxx) - I thought they looked nice and they sit very nicely in my hands
2. 2 sets of Le Creuset mini casserole dishes (TK Maxx, further reduced) - one green set and one purple set. Very pretty. Purchased in readiness for house buying. Have mentioned before - think Doozergirl has the purple ones.
2. A set of sugar and milk/ cream jugs (TK Maxx, further reduced) - again purchased in readiness for house buying. Shiny and pretty. I just liked them.

As its not too far away, thought I'd mention that TK Maxx has a household stuff only shop on the retail park in Watford. May be worth a trip? Can meet up for a coffee and shopping if you like.