Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

sashanut

Hi all :j


Just a quick pop in for now to wish all the people going to the 'meet' today a happy time - wish I was going too! Hopefully if we have another further north I will be able to get to it. Hasn't been a good week & just now a filling has come out at the front, have fancy wedding next week too arrggg....

iamsalt

Have a wonderful time today ladies. I shall wave as I go past on the train home from work later
S x

GrannyKate

Feeling virtuous this morning after a spending day yesterday - all essentials except for things for grandchildren.
Emptied last of bulb pots out to dry on garden table - will repot in Autumn or find space in garden. Soil reused to move other items to bigger pots.
DW unloaded and refilled. Washing out on line although rather dull here.
YS free range chicken salad last night - bones and skin boiled up with veggies to make 2 pots of chicken stock. Sorted through veg drawer the night before and made 3 pots of veg stock. Have been through small freezer in kitchen and identified items to use up. YS Liver and bacon casserole made up into 2x2 meals in slow cooker last night and frozen this morning.
GS5 for tea and sleepover tonight so will do fish and chips from freezer. Off to daughters for weekend so keeping to diet will be hard. I can have a couple of my 5 a month glasses of wine.
Need to read books on unread pile but also continue to download freebies to iPad.

villagelife

Have a good meet. Enjoy yourselves.

Yesterday I donated a carrier bag of books - loads more to donate but do it a bagful at a time when I catch the bus to work.
DS2 made tea - a stir fry made with LO chicken and veg coming to the end of their life!

Need to list more on eBay today so help with declutter.

silvasava

Thinking of you all at the 'meet' weather looks good! Waiting to hear how it all went

MyHappinessProject

Enjoy your meet up today Ladies...hope have a lovely time. Any good ideas that come up_ please share them here! Have fun

fuddle

I suspect a meet full of giggles and hilarity enjoy it!


My youngest's school has taken to selling ice creams after school. A good idea for raising school funds and much needed with the stuffy temps we have at the minute but I have 2 children and should I purchase daily it will cost me £10 a week. I'm not doing that.


I haven't bought, and won't buy on principle (same as I don't buy from world book day book fairs - my children acquire books when we decide, not when it's fashionable or 'in' to do it, just my opinion on it) but I won't have the girls missing out so last night I got out the lolly moulds, filled the jug with juice, had them chop strawbs and grapes and set them away making their own lollies for tonight. There's more excitement about these lollies than the thought of having one from school so hopefully I have got them onside.


I am going to look at handmade ice cream ideas and buy some cones for next week.( can they be made I wonder?!) I'll try to keep the momentum up till the end of term.


Any other ideas?


I also made mini cheesecakes last night. I filled the ramekins with crushed digestives and melted butter mix. Mixed own brand soft cheese with a bit cream and icing sugar, plopped on the top and served with a sliced piece if strawb. They were a huge hit and very cheap (aside from the cream. Cream is more than butter!)


We did get into a conversation about what buttermilk was. Eldest seemed to have a fair idea but it got it going down the realms of making butter. They would like to see buttermilk and make something with it so we'll make some butter and buttermilk in the coming days.


Any ideas of something yummy I could make with buttermilk?


I am really pleased with how my girls are quietly picking up on these things. I've said it before, I was brought up on powdered mashed potato and hotdogs. Not because we were poor growing up but because my Mam had no interest in gaining my grandma's skills because it was the beginning of the quick, easy, fast food, ready made, just heat up era.


I have had to learn by trying, reading and talking about it on the forum so if I can pass the skills down to them then they will have it should they need it. Hopefully it won't be needed, but a way of life. We'll see what route they go down but I suspect I'll be always on the periphery, whispering

FairyPrincessk

Morning all,

Just wanted to pop in with some ideas for Fuddle.

Buttermilk is still used regularly in American cooking--I often struggle to find it here so tend to buy double and freeze. Things to make with it:

American Butermilk Pancakes (these should be thick and fluffy--add in soft fruit-blueberries are classic, banana is also popular).
Buttermilk Biscuits (closer to a scone, but not sweet. Eaten at breakfast with jam or with gravy, similar in concept to yorkshire puds and gravy)
Buttermilk batter--usually used on chicken which is then fried but can also be used on fish
There are also some salad dressings made from it depending on how much your experiment yields.

For the lollies you can also try freezing fruit yogurt--good for if it is about to go past its best.

GrannyKate

Like the sound of those mini cheesecakes, Fuddle, and I have a packet of out of date digestives so I may try.

misstara

Hope everyone has a lovely time at the meet today, beautiful day for it

Went to meet my sister for a coffee this morning which was lovely. She gave me some eggs and GF cake, both of which will be put to good use . I've also been to the supermarket and spent £8.57, will need a couple of things throughout the week but hopefully not much.