Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

vulpix

O Jan what a shame,i doubt i will be able to tempt Mr v to drive further.

Flags laid,some gravel given away,passerby offered to give me some plants.

We now have a hole in the bedroom ceiling ready for the loft hatch.Builder tells me there is no/not enough insulation up there.Will have to sort that.I have also dug out a broken drainpipe in the front.Needs some more excavating on that one.

Having an early night,have got a sore throat.Vx

vhalla1478

As promised; this is absolutely delicious, easy and foolproof - my sort of recipe!

Moroccan Lemon Chicken

4 unwaxed lemons, 1.5 kg corn-fed or free range chicken with giblets, 2 onions, bayleaf, tsp black peppercorns, 3 tbsp. chopped flat leaf parsley, tbsp. olive oil, tsp finely chopped fresh root ginger, pinch of cinnamon, 3 tbsp. finely chopped coriander leaves, salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Preheat the oven to 220degrees/gas7. Grate tbsp. zest from the lemons and pare off 2-3 strips of rind. Quarter two of the other lemons.

Trim the giblets, removing any gall taint and put in a small pan with one of the onions, the bay leaf, peppercorns, the strips of lemon rind and any stalks from the parsley. cover with water, bring to the boil and simmer gently for about an hour. Strain.

Finely chop the remaining onion. Heat the oil in a saut! pan over a moderate heat and saut! it briefly together with the grated lemon zest, ginger, cinnamon ansd seasonings, until the onion is soft.

Transfer to a bowl and mix in most of the herbs. Stuff the chicken with the mixture and the lemon quarters, squashing them lightly as you insert them.

Place the chicken in a roasting pan, breast downwards. Add just enough water to cover the base and cook for about 50-60 minutes, turning over halfway through and basting regularly, until well browned all over and the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced.

Transfer the chicken to a warmed serving plate, tipping it so that any liquid inside the bird drains back into the pan. Garnish with one of the remaining lemons, cut into wedges and the remaining herbs.

Deglaze the roasting pan with the juice from the last of the lemons, scraping up any sediment with a wooden spoon, and boil briefly to reduce to a sticky liquid. Add the giblet stock and boil to reduce to a sauce-like consistency. Adjust the seasoning and serve this sauce separately, adding any juices that run from the chicken during carving.

It's really tasty and lifts chicken from the run of the mill.

Have a great evening, Folks.

Viv xx

Lynplatinum

Evening all!

Well am proud of myself today I have finally gotten around to doing the letter reclaiming bank account fees (available on/findable from the tabs at the top of Martin's site). I am claiming as I was definitely mis-sold!!! £15 a month since 2008 - daft not to do this before but have been too busy one way and another - but if I get it it will be £1500 aprox (inc interest!) Finding all the bank statements from that far back was a task and a half (where does all that flippin dust come from!!!)

Also put my tumble dryer for sale advert in local shop window for £160 (its the condensing sort and virtually new - I only used it for the year my boys came back home - drying stuff for 3 adults was just not feasable but I have only used it twice (honestly!) since! Ergo Im selling it! If you live within striking distance of Milton Keynes.....


Also spent time with BT and got my e-mail back (yet again - it takes an hour each time!!) !! Also did some bill paying stuff and made a SWorld frittata with salad for lunch and some beans on toast for tea because I just was not very hungry!! And did my yoga and did my half hour of gardening!:D

So have been busy and 'earning' hopefully :-) tomorrow somat weird will happen :rotfl:

meritaten - be careful that you are scrapbooking photos in a lignin and acid free paper book and using the correct glue otherwise the photos will de nature and loose colour and fade over time - I ve done scrapbooking for 8 years and I will give you a link to a site that sells these if you pm me (you can get the stuff from a couple of big shops too which I will let you know as well). Sorry if you already know this but I hope this is helpful info for folk.
Take care all. BTW NSD today :j

Caterina

Hello, wise people!

I have only just bought a second hand dehydrator, a round Andrew James, and the inside is all sticky. Is it ok to put the parts in the dishwasher? Thank you.

dND

Caterina wrote: »

Hello, wise people!

I have only just bought a second hand dehydrator, a round Andrew James, and the inside is all sticky. Is it ok to put the parts in the dishwasher? Thank you.

Hi Caterina, If you can't get hold of the manual for it and check whether it is dishwasher proof, I wouldn't. It could warp the trays and then the air wouldn't circulate properly. I think it would be better to hand wash with hot water and detergent. It's probably been oiled to make fruit leathers - which are scrummy, doesn't get stored for long when I make them :rotfl:

dND

Talking of dehydrators, if anyone is visiting France, Le Parfait jars are about half the price here than they are in the UK. - And that was before the Euro dropped against the pound. I've not checked out new seal prices yet.

[Deleted User]

Hi vulpix as I'm due to go on holiday this weekend I will have to wait until I come home to have a go at the peas dish.But looking at the end result it looked as though they were the tiny petit point ones cooked in butter and with crispy bacony bits and tiny diced shallots and shredded mint thrown in as well.Fairly easy to do I would think ,but my what a lovely combination.I was daft not to have asked when I was in the restaraunt.The meal was basically between two of us five small/medium size portions for sharing of delicious Italian food.Rather similar to spanish Tapas but larger portions :)The pudding was similar,half a dozen smaller portions of the main dessert menu on a platter for sharing.One of the nicest meals I've eaten for a long time.Plus the added bonus of watching the great and the good feeding and overhearing some of their conversations .I hear one very smartly dress lady say in a piercing voice
'My deah, the very thought that I even knew where the kitchen was,that's what we pay other people to find ' !!!!

DGS Danny and I daren't look at each other or we would have collapsed into giggles :):) Quite an interesting dining experience,its a different world for some folk
JackieO xxx

vulpix

Thanks Jackie,I honestly have no clue how some people live.I cannot imagine not having the pleasure of doing my own cooking,and gardening,and decorating.My problem is that I just don't have enough hours in the day.Well there are it's just that i am so much slower these days!

My son worked at a country fair a couple of weeks ago and overheard a couple of 18 yearolds who were HAVING to work there before their gap yar on Daddy's orders."oh your deer are Roe,ours are Red,both Suffolk and Yorkshire estates."!!!!!!!!

Off shopping today,might treat myself to a large garden fork.Seem to have lost mine,grrr and it was my Grandads,so would have been 100 ish.
Adeeeeeeeeeee for food,brother and family visiting Sat,friends from Nottingham Sun (might do the Moroccan chicken).Craft club this afternoon.A possibility of some digging later.
Well don Lyn,I put things off like that then it is so simple when you actually get on with it.

Have a lovely day everyone.Vx

FairyPrincessk

Morning all,

I think I'd go crazy (ok, crazier ) if I didn't have my household pottering about. If you don't cook, clean, decorate, garden etc. what do you DO with yourself? I mean, I also like to read, knit, sew etc. but you can only do that for so long. I suppose my work is more flexible than most in that I work the hours I need to, mostly when I want to, but still! OH and I have had those conversations about "If we came into millions would you..." He says he wouldn't have any household help as it would feel weird. I think I would, but only because I'd want to take over an old property with bigger gardens and would need the help to keep it up. I think I'd want a mint/creeping thyme/cammomile lawn and a full kitchen garden. Of course, unless we've some long-lost wealthy relative neither of us knows about we won't be faced with such a dilemma.:rotfl:

I had a bit of an odd day yesterday and didn't feel as if I got much done although I look at my list and see the only thing I didn't get to was knitting. I've woken up with a headache today so will take it all slowly.

It is time to do another batch of mint--Lynn spearmint is my favourite for tea! What a bargain! I'm not a fan of the Moroccan mint as I don't enjoy green tea, although I suspect OH would like it. Do mint plants further south produce leaves all winter? I'm trying to remember what they did in the warmer climates I've lived in before. Here they all die back for the winter and always seem slow to re-appear in spring.

Last night's tea was fish in panko, pasta pesto, green beans and broccoli. I did extra of the pasta and veg so we'll add in some sort of protein and maybe some olives and have pasta salad for lunch and then I think OH is making something adventurous for tea tonight.

[Deleted User]

I've never really had much luck growing mint down here but I had a thriving patch in Kent when we lived there. I think mint does die back down here too but I'm hoping to get these new plants into a big pot to overwinter in the polytunnel this year so I might, just might be lucky enough to keep them growing on and have access to fresh mint in the colder months. I'll let you know how I get on with it.