Living richly; simply and debt-freely

IWillBeFree

Hey Greying

A late come to the party but, love your diary and food pics!

Will be keeping an eye over here

IWBF x

supersaver1000

lobbyludd wrote: »

random poster alert: my kettle advice (being the daughter of a kettle aficionado) is to get one without a cup/max/min window on it - these are the weakest link in most modern electric kettles and you can measure in the amount of water you need using your tea-pot or cups + a bit more for steam. my last kettle lasted 15 years and the current one was under 10 of our british pounds and is 3 years old and going strong (aware this is the kiss of death to current kettle). the only difficulty is finding one.

Cup/max/min window - you are the weakest link - goodbye

(Althoug my MR ones died of other reasons, so I may keep weakest link :rotfl:, sorry ) SS x

joeyjimbles

Happy new kettle - you're right, we only end up purchasing these things in a hurry because the previous one has broken (like my 'fridge last Christmas). So then we often get stuck with what is available as opposed to what would be best and/or desirable. Hence my continued irritation with a 'fridge that is larger than the previous one but has fewer shelves and no meat store.
My kettle is a Dualit; wedding present from 23 years ago and still going strong. It has no viewing panel and a curly lead.

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening :hello:

Well, today has been better than yesterday and I found 5p *roadkill* :j I also got some baking powder from mrAl, so stores are 'up-to-date'

IWillBeFree - thanks and welcome. Just pitch up and pitch in

supersaver - you make me larf! :rotfl: Never saw you as a budding dominatrix.... 'tis always the quiet ones! :rotfl:

joeyjimbles - funnily enough I have just been looking at the D range, as I know that a friend has nothing but D appliances in their kitchen. But there are even concerns about them on review pages ...... leaking from the water level panel... *rollseyessmilies* I'll be forced to get meself a £125 k1tchenA1d kettle at this rate! :rotfl: Actually, I think it is quite handy to be able set the temp, that would surely contribute to extending its life - but will it really last 10yrs+ to 'better' me buying 10x£12 jobbies? :think:

Dinner this evening was salad :rotfl: No, it was not the weather for salad. It got so dark with threatening rain that you couldn't see a hand in front of your face in the kitchen We ate it with rain pelting against the window :rotfl: Good job we're both [STRIKE]old[/STRIKE] mature enough to have weathered a 'few' British *summers* :rotfl:

Anyway, I did a - new to me - version of Ensalada Rusa - or Russian Salad. I have made Russian salad before - I made Arthur P0tts-Daw$on's version last year. But this version had tofu (silken) in the dressing, rather than the more usual, cream or mayo or yoghurt. When I made it last year I used a yoghurt with a bit of mayo combo. Also, I think that the version I made tonight is much more of an amalgam of a Russian salad with a Waldorf Salad - which is ok, but I think that it would have been ok to have done the Russian Salad with the tofu dressing - not sure there was need to 'radically' alter it iyswim. Unfortunately, there is no net link for the recipe, but its a keeper for me. Tofu makes a wonderful dressing, so creamy and a good carrier of flavours.



I *think* Russian salad is usually served with boiled eggs - the other version I made was. But I need our remaining eggs for something else, so I popped some chickpeas in instead of the peas that were supposed to go in, so there was a protein element in it along with the protein rich tofu ^ version had; potatoes, green olives, grated carrot, grapes, walnuts, diced apple (saved a nice red delicious from my YS haul to give a bit of colour ), chickpeas, gherkins and the tofu dressing. I then sprinkled sunflower, pumpkin, sesame and black onion seeds over with a bit of sumac. It was all piled on top of leaves of little gem from the S6 (49p a pack of 2).

Yummy and very filling - surprising for a salad, I know.

Today I am grateful for these 3 things;

that my positivity mojo was working - encountered 2 extremely negative *energy thieves* today...................

that I only got wet, and not soaked

that I stuck to my guns with the meal-planner - salad shouldn't just be for sunshine, and we both agreed it made a nice meal

Thanks so much for popping in, reading and joining in. I do appreciate it.

Now, despite it being 2 minutes before GBBO starts, I'm away into the kitchen to make up falafel mix for tomorrow night's tea

See y'all later.

Greying x

joeyjimbles

I have heard similar mixed reports about Doolot's newer kettles but this is an old model, not even a cordless one. And it has a proper lifetiime guarantee that they still honour, despite newer models having the 10 year guarantee only. I had to have the element replaced several years ago and they did it foc (it did cost me postage but I got a £5 voucher in with the returned kettle). We also have their toaster - another wedding present - and it too has had the element replaced and a new knob.

I know when it was bought my MIL was aghast at the price but she now wishes she'd bought similar as she gets through at least one a year.

It was to have been cold plates in this house tonight but I gave into pressure from chilly children who've been out doing sports, and it was spaghetti with tomato and basil (frozen) sauce instead and some garlic flatbreads, recipe from JO's site. Very good - flour, yogurt, baking powder and salt - quick stir and cooked on a griddle pan.

supersaver1000

Oh Joeyjimbles, I bought a new fridge freezer to replace a noisy one to find its just as noisy and space is not adequate. Then I bought a new cooker and couldn't find a gas and electric one I liked, so I bought a whizzy electric one for almost £1k and really not that impressed. I won't change them, but have my eyes open to see what I may be to replace. X

joeyjimbles

Oh so irritating Supersaver. My cooker is great - its a range cooker and it was an enormous bargain as the place was closing down and it was a display cooker but it has one flaw that irritates on a regular basis. The knobs are plastic on metal spindles which inevitably means that at any one time at least two are in need of replacement or about to break at £4 per time. I've tried to replace them with metal ones from the same range but they cannot be made to fit so it is the plastic ones with the built-in flaw each time.

starnac

Greying I have solved all your kettle problems *takes a bow* This is the kettle that you have to have. :rotfl: You wouldn't even have to get out of bed to boil it!

Greying_Pilgrim

Good evening :hello:

ha ha ha! starnac - what are you like! A remote controlled kettle? Oh for goodness sakes, whatever next! It'll go on my short..... long-list I'm not even sure we have a Bluetooth enabled anything in the house..... got a blueray player, does that count? :rotfl: Thank you so very much for thinking of me

Well, I'm just not going to mention the cricket......
:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j


I'll just whizz through 'us tea' if that's ok, as I've got to go and make some bread dough. Oh, and I made yoghurt last night, and that turned out alright overnight, so I must amend my siggie figgie

Thursday night is Buddha bowl night. So I made some mung bean falafel last night. I used mostly mung beans, but tossed in some chickpeas as well. I didn't have any chickpea flour, so used cornmeal (polenta) instead. I shaped them, dipped them in cornmeal and then open froze them ready for tonight. I made 14 in my batch. I then also made a - new to me - recipe of 'Djerba Rice' which is a recipe that meat eaters may be interested in too, as it does use mince in the original versions of the recipe. It is also a 'all in one' dish - like the jambalaya the other evening, and I did cook it like that tonight - and it only stuck slightly...... but it did actually 'unstick' itself whilst steaming quietly as I finished off the rest of the meal. The recipe version I plumped for was THIS one, and I added in a splash of turmeric and a splash of smoked paprika too. Very simple and infinitely more nom-nomish than anything Mr BAtche1ors has ever concocted! All served with a portion of green beans and a tofu citrus dressing, and I ponced about with an Ald1 tomato, rather than dice it up and put it in the rice...... :whistle:



Today I am grateful for these 3 things;

tasty food - DP said I could make it all for him again..... :think::rotfl:

lush greenery - so many different shades, everywhere you look!

sunshine

Thanks for popping in, suggestion *technological* solutions and for being all round good eggs

See y'all later.

Greying x

starnac

You're welcome Greying. Glad I made you laugh today it does make you wonder how lazy people are though doesn't it? :think:

I've been meaning to ask for ages. Do you have a yogurt maker? Or do you make it another way? I'd love to have a go. Does it work it cheaper than shop bought? Sorry for all the questions