The Garden Fence - proper Old Style support and chat!

MingVase

Yaaay Polly - step stools! I need one and was trying to think what they were called but couldn't. I will get one for the kitchen - the cupboards in this house are far too high for me.

I never ever let any of my three scatter stuff on their bedroom floors, I cannot abide mess like that, there's no need for it. Training them was easy - anything found on the floor went into the wash basket and then was carefully pushed to the bottom and forgotten about. So they knew that anything left around was destined to vanish for a long time.

Does anybody still do dumplings or doughballs? I got some Atora and want to try them, my mum used to make them.

Floss

I do Mar, lid on if you like them soft, or off if you like the tops crispy 😉

burtha

morning all , 
dumplings sound nice .. I got a new oven yesterday . its simple but wonderful,  plan on baking tomorrow to test it , lemon cake .

currently still in bed , coffee and frog . 

thousand things to do when we get up , most nice though so it's not to bad . 

I'm blowing magic glitter in everyone's direction now ....... 
enjoy your weekend everyone x 

pollyanna_26

MingVase said:

Yaaay Polly - step stools! I need one and was trying to think what they were called but couldn't. I will get one for the kitchen - the cupboards in this house are far too high for me.

I never ever let any of my three scatter stuff on their bedroom floors, I cannot abide mess like that, there's no need for it. Training them was easy - anything found on the floor went into the wash basket and then was carefully pushed to the bottom and forgotten about. So they knew that anything left around was destined to vanish for a long time.

Does anybody still do dumplings or doughballs? I got some Atora and want to try them, my mum used to make them.

I'm surprised the Bekvam step stools are still available. It's at least 10 years since I did the big shop at the blue and yellow shed.

Noticed apart from natural wood they're available in White or Black too now. I spent hours undercoating and painting my two white.

Big river site also selling them but Ik*a are cheaper. Haven't checked delivery cost from there so no idea how it compares if there is free prime delivery.

Be careful only you could be a precious vase and breakable. They are very stable though.

I just follow the instructions on the Atora packet but add a fair bit of white pepper and loads of chopped flat leaved parsley. It grows like a weed here and I use my little Kenwood chopper to finely chop loads of it and then freeze so it's available all year round. Lamb casserole with parsley dumplings is my favourite meal.

I use the vegetarian Atora. That geoes back to two vegetarian dds but I do prefer it. I always stock up on it because over the years before Brexit etc it was something hard to find if supermarkets were having supply issues. Plenty of the normal version but not the vegetarian one.

Your mention of doughballs has reminded me mum and aunties used to call dumplings doughboys. Wonder if it was a regional thing with different versions.

MingVase

Re climbing on steps, you're right. I am a very precious vase indeed.

I'll make the husband  do it..

MrsCD

https://kweenbee.com/how-to-knit-fingerless-gloves-with-owls/
This is the link Polly, for the owl fingerless gloves. I made mine in the round but there is a flat knitted pattern as well. 
DD makes dumplings in her slow cooker on top of the mince and onions, then portions out for meals during the week. I prefer the vegetarian Atora too.

pollyanna_26

Thanks for the link MrsCD, The owls are lovely and she has a lot of my yarn stash so plenty of colours to choose from. I 've downloaded the free pattern .

Brain wasn;t focusing when I read gloves ,

. We've both knitted a fair number of that type  quick and easy so she can knit her own,Back to the football and thanks again.

pollyx

pollyanna_26

MingVase said:

Re climbing on steps, you're right. I am a very precious vase indeed.

I'll make the husband  do it..

Do not force the RV to climb the steps! The poor man nust have the patience of Job living with your various identities You may be better seeing if you can train Beeglie to climb up and knock things out of the cupboards for you to catch. However I doubt she'll soil her dainty paws on basic tasks

Going back to dumplings I know you're fond of. Lamb Still remember your How do I cook this Lamb Joint? post on Christmas day

a few years ago.. Adding the dumplings later

I add sliced carrots, chopped onions and sprigs of fresh rosemary to my lamb casserile and some garlic and gravy adding the dumplings later with the lid off..Now you are having success with growing Rosemary in your new home that would make a nice meal once it's prepped you can lesave it to cook 

Don't know if you like Parsleywhich I add chopped to the dumplings. That flat leaved Organic french parsley I bought from Jekka Mc Vicar when she used to have a stall at the big flower shows . I did buy the seeds later online but it has been the gift that keeps on giving and most of the year is growing.

I know you don't like Celery but when I was growing up my mum used to buy Pot Herbs from the greengrocer. A miture of chopped veg they put in mixed bags. Mum used to put them in soups and stews but there was one thing I could never identify. A few years ago I discovered it was Wild Celery Leaf really good in salads , soups .stews and sauces.       i tracked it down online at Jekka's herbs and it's a lot less faf than celery. I only buy celery for Gary Rhodes soup which has been a staple here for years. Lots of peeling and chopping but keeps a good week or so in the fridge or can be frozen. I use those part baked rols cooked and buttered and it's a good filling meal with lots of veg and barley.

The kenwood chopper I mentioned is very good for herb chopping amd really good for Arthritis , Fibro etc.

I did a Jekka order yesterday .Johnson's seeds are selling hers now.I have a lot of established herbs in the garden. As prices rise and shortages happen it makes sense to grow as much as possible . The various mints make a good variation from tea. Rosemary makes a lovely Christmas wreath for the front door at Christmas  with ribbons and baubles . I use the big strong silver paperclips  to secure the baubles . That's the only useful tip I picked up from Sarah Beeny's Christmas series. It means they're secure however strong the wind/ My eldest dd in Yorkshire sent me lovely pictures of the wooden arch outside her cottage doorway. Rosemary foraged as it grows over her wall in the back garden from the allotmens behind. Baubles and ribbons.          very beautiful and Christmassy.

She made the right choice leaving her career of decades  living in different countries in

high pressure roles. Being a self employed gardener , garden designer and a role with the RHS  was a shock when she handed her notice in. She hated flower shows and garden centres so it came as a shock when she told me she;d resigned. I doubt it would have happened without the Pandemic. It was all her stores from Scotland  to Preston opening then closing during lockdowns  and many arguments with Wee Nicola until she handed in her notice probably the best thing she ever did.

pollyx

 

MingVase

I could eat lamb casserole 3 times a day every day - pity it's so dear. Our local butcher has started keeping mutton, I'll try that next. Used to enjoy a mutton pie. I don't like parsley Polly it just sticks in yur teeth and doesn't taste nice.

I use a fish slice to hoik stuff down from the top of the kitchen cupboards, might try and train Beegles on it.

I think it might be a good time to know about herbs and growing food now...

pollyanna_26

Well I am shocked. Youngest dd used to say every time I went in to the kitchen ManU scored a goal. I didn't go into the kitchen but decided to ignore the match after the recent debacles  and check the result later.

Oh my goodness Christano Ronaldo with the 59th Hat Trick of his career. Had to watch that on Match of the day. Meanwhile Captain Harry Maguire most expensive player ever scored an own goal. He used to be good in his early days but needs to go now.

I buy stewing lamb Mar. Like a number of businesses here the current butcher is the latest of generations of the one family. Dairy and Fishmonger  are the same.

The meat has always been lovely and he can tell me where it came from, Having been a customer since the 70s he doesn't charge me full price. Once we decided none of us liked turkey or chicken he's boned out legs of Lamb for Christmas and other times.

The bones go in the roasting tin and add flavour and it's easy slicing the meat. I don't eat a lot of meat but like the Aberdeen Angus Beef he sells it's woth the price when I do, He can tell me which farm it's from. I freeze lamb and beef stews  in portions adding dumplings when I use them or a sliced or mashed potato topping. I go heavy on veg so it doesn't cost too much.

I've copied the M&S meals I sometimes buy on special offers and frozen them in single portions. Beef ,carrots and mash and Lamb in redcurrant sauce wth veg and colcannon mash and others sometimes freezing them for a quick meal.

Make fish cakes with undyed Scottish smoked haddock  eat some and freeze the rest.

Also buy his lambs liver for various meals.

It's how I cooked when the children were growing up including homemade fish fingers and soups.

I've always grown veg , herbs and fruit and that has helped a lot.

Apart from a weakness for chocolate ,  trifles some cream cakes  and scones with jam and clotted cream - I picked that habit up in Devon years ago.

I eat healthily no takeaways apart from very rare good quality  fish and chipsf from our award winning chip shop.

I don't drink alcohol,order takeaways or smoke so eating well is within budget

McDs ,Greggs and others would have gone out of business if they relied on me.

My weight is fine stable through adulthood and my mum and dad taught me how to cook from scratch and I enjoy it especially using home grown friut, veg and herbs. The little girl learning how to grow on the allotments is with me still.

Years ago looking at the cost of a few herbs in supermarkets I couldn't believe the prices. They had the growers in their power  underpaying them.

Same with meat, veg.eggs etc. Some people don't have space or the means to grow but any who do it's an asset especially as prices go up.

pollyx