Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

misstara

Jackie, that's so disappointing about the afternoon tea, hope DD complains. I've got a hen weekend coming up in the next couple of months and we are going for afternoon tea at a posh hotel in Edinburgh - £27 each. It's a ridiculous price for sandwiches and cakes plus then we are going out for fancy meal in the evening :eek: I dread to think how much the weekend will cost altogether.

Anyway back to MMMing - tea tonight was toad in the hole made with some YS sausages I found in the freezer, can't mind buying them so not sure how long they've been sitting there. I also found some cinnamon and raisin muffins which I have taken out for breakfast tomorrow.

My colleague showed me how to do purl stitch yesterday so have been practicing my knitting this afternoon

carolbee

Oh what a shame Jackie, hope your DD complains and gets a refund. What a lovely idea to do for you anyway, you sound a smashing mum and nan and I'm sure all your family really appreciate all you do for them.

meritaten

How disappointing Jackie - for you and DD. one of the pleasures of a 'posh afternoon tea' is the sheer range of cake and sandwiches you should be able to choose from - and eat as much as you want!


DIL has just brought up a batch of Ava's baby cardis and matinee jackets I knitted for her. well outgrown now. so over the next few days I will be removing buttons and unpicking them. obviously I cant make bigger cardies from them, but the colours will mix beautifully (mostly) and I could make stripey jumpers next autumn for her. and plenty of hats!

vodkawitch1

Jackie that`s really bad hope your daughter does complain.

good_advice

Good morning money savers
20.3C in our cold facing north front room. What a difference it makes to the cold winter days.

Been up a wile now. Had breakfast, washing on line, danced with Dyson downstairs. I think the golden lab is losing her winter coat. lots of dog hair on the floor.
Next is to do some cutting back of plants and dead heading some daffodils in the back garden.

Washing now dry and my pink winter bed cover is now on the line.

I have cleaned and decluttered the small utility room.
A black bag of stuff went out.
Washed around with stardrops.
Grouped more things into plastic boxes. = dog stuff, cleaning and car stuff.

Used a glass orange squeezer on x2 oranges. Refreshing drink.
Anyone else still have the glass thing for oranges and lemons?

Prinzessilein

Morning...quite bright but cool today.


Jackie - COMPLAIN!!!!!....It was supposed to be a lovely treat (for which a sizeable amount was paid) ...you were disappointed...let them know!


I need some wool to knit the last of my OCC hats....I have cream and Mum says she might have something that I can use as the second colour...I will also look for more scraplets of wool for the handpuppets which I want to do.


Misstara - well done on learning purl...with knit and purl you can combine to do EVERY pattern! (okay so you also need various types of increasing and decreasing!)....I was a late starter with knitting (taught myself from a book a couple of years ago) but it is one of the best things I ever did!


With the warmer weather (possibly!) making its all-too-fleeting appearance (I actually appreciate the fact it won't last!...I love spring and autumn is my favourite season...but summer?meh, too hot!)...I was thinking about my Oma (Granny) and the Aladdin's Cave she had in her cellar....it was so beautiful to my eyes! Row after row of jars filled with preserved fruit and veg - they really did look almost jewel-like with the variety of bright colours!.....There is nothing like a simple meal of cold meat and cheese with homemade bread and a selection of home-made pickles!...especially of there is a glass of beer to wash it down with!....Living in England I don't see anywhere near the same assortment of pickled veg...onions, yes! and maybe some beetroot or red cabbage (sacrilege in my eyes! red cabbage gets braised with apple and served as a main veg!) and that's as far as it seems to go!....my favourites were always green beans - mmmm I love preserved beams! and crunchy sour pickled cauliflower is good! And gherkins in dill!..and Mum can't get enough pickled celeriac!.....Oh there is one other pickle I love in England...Piccalilli! great on a sandwich with a thick slice of ham! ....


Time to stop drooling and get on with the day!...floors in kitchen and bathroom to be washed this morning.


Have a good day all!

vhalla1478

Morning All,

Not so warm today here, but it should hopefully improve later.

Jacky, just reiterating what everyone has said about complaining. I mentioned a little while ago that I had had a disappointing delivery of (farm) fruit and vegetables; I complained and they have just now delivered a free abundance of items. Not only does this make up for the 'bad' items, it also means that when I order in the future, they will know not to fob me off with anything second-rate. The English are not very good at complaining or bargaining!

Prinzess, if you like home-made pickles, I am more than happy to post some recipes; I only like home made so it's no problem.

Must get on with some cooking and baking now I have this glut of fruit and vegetables.

Have a good day, All. Speak later.

Viv xx

cheerfulness4

OOh I love pickle recipes, too. And you deserved that thank you, Viv. We all appreciate your efforts, as I'm sure we love everyones that has some to share.

Piccalilli is a favourite of mine as well, Prinzess, and Gherkins will dill are pure nectar to me. I even save the vinegar to sprinkle on salads when the gherkins have gone. Love it as much as Balsamic.

I've been tending my indoor plants today. Cutting off any dead leaves and making sure they are all feed and healthy. I've been so negligent of them in the past and they weren't cheap!

Washing is on the line but its quite overcast again today and no wind blowing. I'm still going to wash my bathroom set and hang that out. The days are long after all.

I've been decluttering my bedroom and sent a lot of things off to the charity shop this morning. Its time to get this house properly organised and not hang onto too many things if I don't think I'll ever make use of them.
The house is beginning to breathe again.

The freezer must be defrosted at the end of this month but its full of bready & bakery items mainly at the mo so those must be made use of these final 2 weeks of the month.
May really will begin a new season properly for us foodwise. We eat very differently in the summer months.

Viv, I was going to say that Juicy Orange Chicken you gave us is absolutely delicious cold in a salad. We had to have our tea on the go so I took some in a box with rice & green salad and it marvellous.
That will become one of our new summer dishes for sure. :drool:

vhalla1478

Hello Again, Everyone,

Just digesting lunch and crossing fingers that the sunshine will come out for an hour or so, so that I can move some herbs.

I'm pleased you enjoyed the 'Orange Chicken' cold, Cheerfulness. The 'Hot Meat Loaf' recipe is also nice cold, if that's not a contradiction in terms.

Here's some more to get your teeth into (literally).

This one is really economical and can also be sliced for a picnic.

Lemony Salmon Loaf with Cucumber Sauce - serves 4-6

115 grams fresh white breadcrumbs, 150ml milk, 2 beaten eggs, 75 grams chopped celery, 400 gram tin of salmon, grated rind and juice of a lemon, lemon slices to garnish.

For the sauce

Cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped, 25 grams butter, rind and juice of half a lemon, egg yolk, salt and ground black pepper to taste, tbsp. plain flour.

Put the breadcrumbs in a large bowl, pour in the milk and add the beaten egg. Mix well to combine, then leave to stand for 10 minutes. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees/gas 4. Grease a 450 gram loaf tin with butter.

Drain and flake the salmon, add to the breadcrumb mixture with the chopped celery, grated lemon rind and juice. Season to taste. Stir the mixture until evenly blended. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for an hour until a skewer inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out clean. Leave the loaf in the tin to cool slightly.

Make the sauce. Place the cucumber pieces in a small pan, cover with cold water and simmer until just tender. Using a slotted spoon, remove the cucumber and set it aside. Pour the cooking liquid into a measuring jug. Add enough water to make up the liquid to 300ml. Melt the butter in a small pan. Stir in the flour using a wooden spoon. Cook, stirring constantly for a minute, then gradually add the reserved cooking liquid stirring until it boils and thickens. Add the lemon and juice to the pan, then stir in the cooked cucumber. Beat the egg yolk in a separate container and stir in a little of the hot sauce. Pour into the pan and heat gently, without boiling, until the sauce thickens a little more. Season to taste.

Using a spatula, loosen the salmon loaf from the sides of the tin and invert it onto a serving dish. garnish the loaf with lemon slices. Serve warm or cold in slices with the warm cucumber sauce on the side.

Lime Pickle - makes 225 grams

12 limes, halved and deseeded, 115 grams salt, 70 grams chilli powder, 25 grams mustard powder, 25 grams ground fenugreek, tbsp. ground turmeric,15 grams yellow mustard seeds, crushed, 300ml mustard oil, half tsp asafoetida.

Cut each lime half into 4 pieces and pack them into a large sterilised jar, sprinkling over the salt at the same time. cover and leave to stand in a warm place for 10-14 days or until the limes have turned brown and softened.

Mix the chilli powder, mustard powder, fenugreek and turmeric together in a small bowl and add to the jar of limes. Stir to mix, then recover and leave to stand for 2 days.

Transfer the lime mixture to a heatproof bowl. Heat the mustard oil in a heavy based frying pan. Add the mustard seeds and asafoetida to the pan and cook, stirring constantly until the oil is very hot and just beginning to smoke.

Pour the oil and spices over the limes and mix well. Cover and leave to cool. When cool, pack into a sterilised jar, seal and store in a sunny place for a week before serving.

Well the sun is sulking still but think I'll get outside a do a little bit. Have a nice afternoon, Everyone.

Viv xx

nursemaggie

Jackie my entire neighbourhood must have heard my sharp intake of breath at the price of that afternoon tea. I don't know how they dare charge that much for so little.