The Simple Bare Necessities feat. Gratitude & Recipes

greenbee

Greying_Pilgrim wrote: »

We're too old for 'patter'.

Tell them that. If they try it, interrupt, explain you know what you want, you're not interested in their sales material, you'd just like a quote. If they take umbrage, that's tough - they're probably not the people you want to do the job anyway.

Frosty start here, so I've had a lie-in (well it is Saturday), a leisurely breakfast and now need to decide what of the many things on my list I'm actually going to do today. I do need to buy LL milk soon as I'm down to my last carton for yogurt-making (and my nearest supermarket doesn't stock the full fat organic that I want). I also need gardening stuff - as the seats in the car are down it might be a good time to get compost/manure/bark chip, just in case I find time to actually do some more gardening.

I have sausages so plan to use half a pumpkin and some beans to make a casserole. The other half of the pumpkin was used with spinach and butterbeans to make a curry during the week.

in_need_of_direction

Not sure if there are any next outlets near you Greying. I stopped off mid journey at one recently and, for three tinies up to age three, got two Christmas jumpers, a Christmas fleece, two long sleeved Christmas tees and a peppa pig denim Christmas dress. Total cost £19.50. I've previously purchased a 2 pack of plain tees for £2 for age 4 and various other bits and pieces for the children of nephews and nieces. It was only when I was looking there for a gift that I realised just how reasonably priced the stuff is and it washes well. Mind you, you do have to deal with it being last season!

rtandon27

...sneaking on to say that OH has officially been brought over to the dark side...

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

...asked him to pick up something easy to cook on his way home last night...

He arrived home with a bag full of yellow sticker deals!

19p spring onions, 14p bag of bean sprouts, 74p family size bowl of salad, 24p bag of rice noodles - which combined in the wok with some bargainous stir-fry sauce we already had in the stores - four servings of lovely veg heavy chinese style noodles with veg!

...and shock horror...

..not only did he cook it, he cleaned up after himself!

Let's just say that after dinner I lay down to recover from the shock!;)

[Old dogs can be taught new tricks]
[oops - did I really just type that?]

in_need_of_direction

If I were you, I'd be wondering what he was about to confess to.

maddiemay

greenbee wrote: »

Tell them that. If they try it, interrupt, explain you know what you want, you're not interested in their sales material, you'd just like a quote. If they take umbrage, that's tough - they're probably not the people you want to do the job anyway.

Frosty start here, so I've had a lie-in (well it is Saturday), a leisurely breakfast and now need to decide what of the many things on my list I'm actually going to do today. I do need to buy LL milk soon as I'm down to my last carton for yogurt-making (and my nearest supermarket doesn't stock the full fat organic that I want). I also need gardening stuff - as the seats in the car are down it might be a good time to get compost/manure/bark chip, just in case I find time to actually do some more gardening.

I have sausages so plan to use half a pumpkin and some beans to make a casserole. The other half of the pumpkin was used with spinach and butterbeans to make a curry during the week.

Greenbee, where do you shop for organic LL full fat milk please? it is time I began making yogurt for me and the dog again, but I haven't seen organic LL around here, could stock up when on an excursion somewhere if I could locate some. Obvs no good if it is from your local health food store or the like though:(

Greying_Pilgrim

maddiemay wrote: »

Greenbee, where do you shop for organic LL full fat milk please? it is time I began making yogurt for me and the dog again, but I haven't seen organic LL around here, could stock up when on an excursion somewhere if I could locate some. Obvs no good if it is from your local health food store or the like though:(

Am I being thick? I thought mrW did it - but obvs in the bigger stores, as our local don't do it either, and I would have used it for yoghurt making if I could have got hold of it.


Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

rtandon, I am well impressed with your fella!:D This is boding well for the early retirement on a budget

I am sitting in the dark trying to type this, with Baby Greying 'helping' on my knee. Being taught to type on old typewriters is suddenly proving its worth!

DH is installing the new light fitting in the kitchen. It has taken longer than expected, as the bulbs were a nightmare to put in - he ended up havingto take it off again, and put them in on the counter! Hope they don't blow every 5 minutes!

I have not yet started to make the curries for tea. I did, however, remember to put the beans on to soak - so we are ahead!

The salesman did call, Actually, he was a little bit better 'out of the office'. Getting into conversation just as he left, he began, telling us about his passion (music). His whole demeanour changed. He lit up. Isn't it crap that we have to do work that doesn't engage us, just to pay the bills and don't spend our lives doing what we love or what we would choose to do if it paid the bills.

Right, BG is bored, so i best go and do something where there is some light!

Greying X

maddiemay

Greying_Pilgrim wrote: »

Am I being thick? I thought mrW did it - but obvs in the bigger stores, as our local don't do it either, and I would have used it for yoghurt making if I could have got hold of it.


Greying X

We have a lovely new Mr W in our nearest city (23.6 miles), but it is only a smallish one, nevertheless I will search the shelves avidly on our next foray there:D Their Store finder page informs me that the nearest big'un is 32 miles. Oh I was so happy when I had a W store 7 miles both north and south:(

greenbee

maddiemay wrote: »

Greenbee, where do you shop for organic LL full fat milk please? it is time I began making yogurt for me and the dog again, but I haven't seen organic LL around here, could stock up when on an excursion somewhere if I could locate some. Obvs no good if it is from your local health food store or the like though:(

Greying_Pilgrim wrote: »

Am I being thick? I thought mrW did it - but obvs in the bigger stores, as our local don't do it either, and I would have used it for yoghurt making if I could have got hold of it.


Greying X

Either Waitrose or Sainsburys, but they don't always both have full fat. Tesco don't do it. Nor do the Coop. No idea about Morrisons. It's 'Moo' brand. When I find it I bulk-buy (I hate supermarkets). Same with rice milk.

Mysupermarket says that Ocado sell it too... so if they deliver in your area that's an option.

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning :hello:

Well, I have to say, I was rather pleased that the fireworks activity round and about was relatively modest and curtailed. I said to DH this morning, I only realised last night how relatively quiet it has been in the run up to bonfire night too. We, in common with many other places; had started to have a 2 week run up of setting off loads of fireworks, but there have been far fewer this year, and those that have been let off have been of the 'fizzy' 'poppy' variety, as opposed to the 'bang' 'boom' 'blow the slates off yer roof' variety. I wonder what has changed this year? There was an organised display locally - local rotary club? But that was quite expensive to get in. £20 for a family I think. Mind, I have no idea how much fireworks are to buy in a shop - mrL was doing a brisk trade yesterday - and there was much giggling by the staff everytime someone asked for sparklers.... ?

Tea last night was a curry plate, despite light fitting works over-running ....... do you think I can claim compensation? :rotfl: We had Sukhno Masoor, from Krishna Dutta's The Dal Cookbook. It was billed as an austerity dish, and as there are very few ingredients, I would concur, it is very thrifty! I didn't quite make it as instructed, I don't particularly like raw onion, and I hadn't got any fresh green chillis. What I did was to cook the massor dhal (brown lentils - in fact red lentils with their 'jackets' still on ) until it began to get mushy, then I pureed the onion, garlic and turmeric and stirred it in. I seasoned at the end of cooking, and having no ghee, I just stirred in a small knob of unsalted butter (too small to bother clarifying). I've not cooked dhal without frying the onions/garlic and or ginger first, so it was a departure for me. I liked the dish, it doesn't look at all attractive, but it tasted nice. I thought it even had a 'meaty' quality with the addition of the butter. It's a keeper of a recipe for me I did squeeze in a little lemon juice at the end of cooking - it helped to lift the dish, and made it even nicer. I served it with Lobia Masla and lemon steamed rice. Picture here;



I expect there are plenty of people that wouldn't eat that plate of food, due to what it looks like. I'm not one of them, and it tasted delish I caught up with the 'new' JaymeeO series last night - binge watched about 4 episodes I think. Over and again, he was emphasising the health benefits of moderate amounts of meat, fish (quality over quantity), lower levels of sugar & salt, whilst ramping up the legumes and the vegetables. I loved that he was in Sardinia and with 2 octagenarians who were cooking him lunch - and he had to stand on and watch whilst they argued over cooking methods :rotfl:Diet wise, we're perhaps on the right track, but I still don't think that it makes you immune from stress, which is still the cause of alot of dis-ease I think. And then, of course, I could just get run over by a bus..........

Oh, one tip that JO did say in one of the episodes, was that if you want 'premium' tinned tomatoes, always select the plum tomatoes (with the inference over 'chopped'). As it happens, I mistakenly picked up a tin of plum tomatoes in mrL yesterday - due to an abandoned stock cage (chris mas krap which is displayed in another aisle anyway :mad:) blocking off most of the tomato products...... They actually were easy enough to chop up with the spatula as i was making the masala.

'Bake' is on the meal-planner for tonight, but I'll change what I atually do, as the recipe I've put on is heavy on the lentils again - I'll save it for another day. We had enough lentils last night :rotfl:

Right, best shift-a-tail-feather and do some household chores.

Ta for popping by, reading and helping each other out.

Mucho appreciated. By me. Always.

Greying X