Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2016

mrs-moneypenny

Lovely news HOWMUCH, welcome to the world Harry

Hope all are well, just home from work need to see what I can make do with for tea. Hooping to finish a paperback tonight not hugely enjoyable but I'm plodding through it and it will go in a charity bag once I'm done.

meritaten

another wheat free recipe for you.

I decided to try making rice flour pastry (craving a corned beef pastie!). reading online, RF pastry is notoriously difficult to handle, so made a Corned Beef Hash pie instead - I also omitted the potatoes and substituted a tin of butter beans in the filling.

absolutely delish! now I haven't had normal pastry in nearly two years so checked with OH that the pie tasted ok - he agreed it was lovely! I would add more salt next time as I usually don't put any in and only used half the quantity stated! this pastry needs the full amount of salt! This pastry is extremely delicate, light and crisp and melts in the mouth (and in the fingers before it gets to mouth - finger food it isn't!) I think it would be superb for fruit pies, but would bake the bottom blind if using a 'wettish' filling.

OK

Corned Beef Hash Pie

rice flour pastry

200g of rice flour
100g of fat (butter or shortening or combination)
teaspoon of baking powder
good quarter teaspoon of salt
beaten egg
water to mix

this quantity was just enough to make a 9 inch plate pie.

rub the fat into the flour, baking powder and salt as usual. add three quarters of the egg and a couple of tablespoons of water. add more water gradually until the pastry 'comes together'. turn out and wrap in cling film and chill for about 15-20 minutes.
I didn't want to be scattering my precious rice flour over the worktop so I divided the dough in two and put one ball between two pieces of cling film and rolled it over the cling film until it formed a circle slightly larger than my greased plate. I peeled off the top layer of film then placed the plate on the pastry and slowly slid the bottom layer towards me and off the worktop, holding the pastry against the plate then flipped it over to rest on the plate.

I then rolled the other ball of dough between the sheets of film until it too was large enough to cover the plate.

I put my cold pie filling on the bottom half then covered with the other disc of pastry.sealing with some leftover beaten egg then glazing with the remaining egg.
I baked it at gas 6 for about 30 mins.

I do have a pic but will have to add it later as I have bu99ered up uploading it to photobucks.


the filling I used was sliced onion and carrots boiled 'til tender, mashed gently, then added a tin of corned beef and a tin of drained butter beans, salt and pepper and lots of Worcester sauce! you can of course use any filling you fancy!

misstara

Hello all

Still not done any mending as I can't find my sewing kit, will have another look and if I still can't find it, I'll get out the sewing machine. I picked up my bridesmaid dress today from the tailor, £25 to get it taken up a few inches :eek: however, my sewing machine skills definitely are not up to that

Tea tonight is veg stirfry and rice using up various odds of veg at the bottom of the fridge. I'm away over the weekend so did a wee shop today for stuff to keep OH going while I'm away. Not much else going on, haven't been feeling particularly great so really haven't felt up for doing anything.

Ironing to catch up on so that will be tonights task, just need to find a good film to watch while I iron.

meritaten

just popped back to say that I had about a cupful of leftover filling - I have plans for it tomorrow!
watch this space (well, not this one but further on the thread! lol).

CathA

Had a good week this week. We're doing major renovations, finally started on the lounge and we have a lot of stuff from the previous owner.

3 seater and 2 seater settee given to a friend who didn't have much furniture.
Lounge curtains given to another friend (lovely curtains but they are purple!!)
Some more furniture being picked up by the Red Cross this week.
I'm finding stuff to add to the charity shop box, gonna need a bigger box soon!

Good week so far.

iamsalt

Hi Meritaten - looking forward to the extra recipe, that first is on my to do list.
Cath - so many things going to good homes. Well done

Minimise - I have finally (after 18 months of asking OH) called the metal recycling company and asked them to remove my old car from the drive. OH kept saying that he would sort it, or put it on eBay, well I realised that was never going to happen so I have arranged it for a day I am working from home next week. It feels good to have done that so I think I will be over the moon once the car has gone.

Made do - I really fancied some spicy lentils but I found an older pack of split yellow peas so I am going to make it with those. Won't be quite the same, but I will have one less packet in the house!

Mend - a question for others. My bras are fairly expensive due to size and amount of scaffolding needed. On 2 6month old ones the underwiring has popped out despite my efforts with hand washing and care of them. Can this be repaired? I am pretty competent at sewing, and hate to retire them after such a short time, but I know darning type repair doesn't work. AAny thoughts?
Thanks
S x

meritaten

if they have poked through the casing, then perhaps a blob of fabric glue to hold the end in place. you could either sew or fabric glue another piece of fabric over the end of the wire casing to strengthen it?

meritaten

one of my families favourites was 'corned beef hash patties in batter'. I hadn't made them since the kids left home. but, that bit of leftover filling just cried out for this.

DISASTER!!!! - the Rice Flour batter just split and leaked all the filling out when deep frying them! and the batter was not nice!

I had some batter left so chopped a bit of leftover onion and mixed it in with plenty of seasoning in, then dropped spoonfuls in my now rather messy chip pan (yes - I have gone back to the old chip pan as cleaning the deep fat fryer took hours and drove me mental!).
Now these were lovely when hot! horrible cold. wont bother again - the gram flour ones are nice hot or cold.
still, yesterdays corned beef pie was still delish even cold - OH helped himself to a good slice for his tea, even though other favourite things were in fridge (just been shopping).

I haven't given up on the rice flour - I plan to try biscuits next! I haven't had anything but oatcakes in ages!
Its awful isn't it when you didn't even previously LIKE cakes biscuits and bread - now you cant have them you CRAVE them!

I am having real trouble getting pics on here - I don't know what I am doing wrong, but have followed Atrix's instructions and instructions I have found on here - and I still cant do it!

Siebrie

Siebrie wrote: »

I am using up my seed supplies. Some of the packages have a bbdate 2008 or 2014. I just put more seeds than advised in the pots. If any come up, I will count it as a success

The mangetouts did not come up at all! The sweet peas only about a quarter; ALL the salad seeds came up , cosmos seeds about half.
I'll just continue planting/sowing/emptying my seed basket.

MrsCD

Well, this week has been pretty busy. We've been sorting the garden in front of the garage that is now used as a storehouse! We had a lovely chap in to put gravel down with an underlying membrane and another chap to paint the woods under the eaves and the door on the garage, which is quite high because of the steps, and a bit too high for us to do. We've been working as labourers instead, moving stuff around for them. Not very MSE but you have to know your limitations.

Today I've been pulling more weeds out with DH's new toy. It has long teeth that you push into the ground, and when you pull it up it brings the weed up with the long tap root. We've started a wildflower patch but the dandelions and docks want to take over, so I need to keep on top of them to let the seeds grow.

Other than that, I'm making a baby blanket for DD's friend with white wool, and I'm using Lucy from attic24's easy ripple pattern. So far it's looking good.

Enjoy the dry weather while it lasts.