Preparing for Winter V

Kaylataste

Heating has officially gone on now,so it’s time to be even more frugal to pay for it!

Elisheba

I think I might put mine on for a while tonight.  It bitter and hard to keep feet and hands warm when sitting down.  I just hate seeing the smart meter creeping up though!

Toonie

Our is coming on for a couple hours each day, partly as our house is not well insulated (and unfortunately we can't do much to sort that out at present), though I don't have it on in the day when it's just me at home. Layers, warm drinks and food, and moving around (where possible) keep me warm.

I've now dug out the warmer fleece jumpers and have gone through my sock drawer as I've realised as I bought lots of socks at the same time, they are all starting to get holes in (I don't mind mixing and matching those that don't have holes). Time to buy some new socks I think.

summertime_2

Spent last week &  will this week trying to  finishing off my Winter prep.
it a long list but jobs now done automatic each year.

* garden all tidied  for Winter. we made new 'lasange' compost containers and sowed/ planted winter salad for greenhouse. Parsley, chives, mint pots moved into greenhouse for cutting few leaves over winter  for soups/salads. They will be covered with cut down milk jugs to give extra protection in greenhouse.
* hubby dug up rest of potato plot, sorted large ones for baked potatoes storage for over winter.
* emptied old potato leaf cages and started new ones from fallen leaves.
*finished planting supermarket garlic and shallots for next year harvest.
* wellies and snow shovel ready as we have a long drive and will get snowed in if bad winter.,
* hubby will check radiators all working, he will check and clean outside guttering of leaves plus any other  of his winter prep jobs.

*this week got all my winter clothes down from loft including old thick tights l wear under leggings. Summer clothes packed and put away in loft apart from longsleeve tshirts and strap tshirt that l layer under winter jumpers.
*  got all my wool down from loft to start craft of making more house socks/booties from recycled wool plus making more crochet house head warmers and fingerless hand warmers while working on computor during the day.
* finished new outdoor/shopping beanie hat, but turned out too tight, so will have to look for new free pattern on  Ravelry
* put new crochet blanket on bed,under quilt,  Spare quilt under bottom bed sheet is put on...makes bed very warm and cozy. l  slowly make a new bed blanket every year ( from again recycled  wool jumpers ) crochet over the summer as l watch tv. All November  l will finish off sofa blanket, again new one every yr from recyled wool  l unpick, from  jumpers from thrift shop/car boots..  This one is Navy granny squares with snowflake motifs.
* finishing off today new Snowman draught excluder for front door.  Again recyled wool.Will now start to make more for living room, bedroom and backdoor..all with different faces. Again pattern free on Ravelry, Very easy to make as watching tv.

* my large slow cooker now being used daily in rotation, one day stews, next day cake or fruit puds (using fruit frozen from harvest during the year for winter use.) Next day soups from veg harvest from garden ie leeks, onions carrots, potatoes or courgettes or winter lettuce soups plus, herbs etc.
we very rarely now put gas oven on as only 2 of us to cook for and slow cooker on all day actually warms room up. Meal is cooking slowly all day , then ready for dinner at 5.30pm. We close all the curtains at sunset ie 5pm at moment, light our living room candles and have a cozy hot meal all ready at 5.30. Heating is only put on (if needed) for hour in morning to wash and layer dress if really cold , ie warm tights, hm house socks,  pull on legging from Primark, strap t shirt, long sleeve t shirt plus Autumn or Winter jumper or  cardigan. Heating will be put on if needed in a cold winter. im usually so warm with this lot on, ll take off some of the layers lol. Hubby is always moving all day and usually only wears his jeans and teashirt. if hes cold he put on his warm fleece sweatshirt.

*   long expiry food storage & winter freezer stock +cold and flu Med cabinet will be checked this month. We are elderly so lwe dont want to worry about having to go out if we get snow for food or cold/flu meds.

*we try to get all Winter prep jobs done in Oct/Nov as most of all the garden work is all finished. Then we are left with that  lovely cozy feeling that we have done as much as we can to  prepare for any bad weather and l can settle down to my crafting and watching my favorite DVDs  and tv. Hubby has stocked up with train jigsaws, model making kits and sci fi books he loves now he.s retired. But to be honest he never settles down to do these till late afternoon as hes always moving and doing jobs around house/garden.

Si_Clist

summertime_2 said:

..my large slow cooker now being used daily in rotation, one day stews, next day cake or fruit puds ...

Oooooooooooooh now that's stopped me in my tracks.  I didn't know you can make cake or a pud in a slow cooker.  My present repertoire only runs to chicken casserole, pork apple 'n' onion or my patent Bean Bungit so it's high time I diversified.

Anybody care to take pity on a poor ignorant bloke and point him towards a website that will tell all about making cakes and puds in a slow cooker?  Proper cakes and puds, mind - not artyfarty ones    

Primrose

No, I didn,t know you could makes cakes in a slow cooker either!  We don,t have one but my husband who enjoys cooking makes fruit cake, tea bread and coconut cakes in our Panasonic automatic breadmaker.   I thought the baking process would have required a higher oven temperature than it produces but they've come out perfect every time.

Wraithlady

BBCgoodfood.com have quite a few pudding recipes for the slow cooker.

A lot of sites are American but a quick Google can help to translate the measurements

Si_Clist

Wraithlady said:

BBCgoodfood.com have quite a few pudding recipes for the slow cooker.

Well, it must be me.  All I could find was slow cooker bread, slow cooker sticky toffee pudding which needs a shedful of ingredients and probably works out at 873 calories a mouthful, and slow cooker fudge!

I was thinking more like a slow-cooker version of apple pie/crumble/whatever or spotted !!!!!! or carrot cake: you know, stuff that my mother would have recognised as a pud or a cake, made from things like flour, marg, eggs, fruit and suchlike but without need of putting the oven on

Nargleblast

I have just found Bakingqueen74.co.uk. Lots of cake and dessert recipes including Victoria sandwich, rice pud, apple crumble, sponge puds, choc fudge cake, upside down cake - all done in a slow cooker. Worth a look.

Nargleblast

You can also cook a jam or syrup sponge pud in the slowcooker. Grease a Pyrex bowl, put jam or syrup in the bottom, put sponge mix on top. Cover bowl with foil. Put bowl in slow cooker and put hot water around bowl. Switch slowcooker on. Don't know how many hours it takes  but not too many I think. It's years since I made a pud that way but I remember it turning out ok.