Time to mend and make do, beg, borrow and barter.

Toni'sfriend

Speaking of tartiflette (potato, cheese, lardon onion and cream dish) im making my own for tea. 29 cents for a tattie, 37 for an onion, its likely a wee bit cheaper than out (€22ish), but it will be gorgeous. Minus the lardons, its *almost* healthy

I love tartiflette. Only ever had it in Paris. Care to share the recipe (pretty please)?
Your holiday sounds fantastic. How long are you there for?
I can understand that you'd rather be with your Mum when she's having her treatment so, as Cheery Daff says, maybe a blessing in disguise that it,e been postponed. I hope it all goes well when it goes ahead.

Cheery_Daff

Ooh, air bnb sounds an interesting option! And your front bedroom would suit very nicely keep us updated

Yep, last one in old house - even if this one falls through we'll be moving out *somewhere* even if we have to rent temporarily. But hopefully it won't fall through and we will soon be the proud owners of 11 acres of mud :eek: :rotfl: we're planning exciting things with willow

You've got me wanting pancakes now

troglodyte

Hope you are having a great time with all that snow! And well done on the MSE food planning, that sounds super organised and well worth it. Hope all your helpers are holding the fort back home with your Mum and the mutts.
Thought of you because, on your recommendation, I asked for some Ruby Beauty raspberries for Xmas and have just planted them - it's very mild here at the moment. I'm hoping they will thrive and produce some tasty fruit without taking over the place. And hoping our fruit cage is enough to protect them from the voracious deer!

starnac

Boo to getting bonus which was then taken away. Hopefully Cheery is right and yours is twice as big!!

Pippilongstocking

Cheery_Daff wrote: »

Ooh, air bnb sounds an interesting option! And your front bedroom would suit very nicely keep us updated

Yep, last one in old house - even if this one falls through we'll be moving out *somewhere* even if we have to rent temporarily. But hopefully it won't fall through and we will soon be the proud owners of 11 acres of mud :eek: :rotfl: we're planning exciting things with willow

You've got me wanting pancakes now

Fingers crossed cheery for houses and pancakes and good things. Ah thank you for the kind words - we've free'd up the garage space at the side and are looking at showers/baths to put in there as there is a loo already its probably an easy conversion - with it being at front o' hoose - with the front door it could even be self contained with a tiny we jiggle about - being so near the home of the wee white balls - its a serious option and never mind the expenses the now - would do nicely to top up my non-existent (but I have started it pension).

troglodyte wrote: »

Hope you are having a great time with all that snow! And well done on the MSE food planning, that sounds super organised and well worth it. Hope all your helpers are holding the fort back home with your Mum and the mutts.
Thought of you because, on your recommendation, I asked for some Ruby Beauty raspberries for Xmas and have just planted them - it's very mild here at the moment. I'm hoping they will thrive and produce some tasty fruit without taking over the place. And hoping our fruit cage is enough to protect them from the voracious deer!

Congrats on your new raspberries I hope they fair you well. I'm really enjoying mine. Its a wee ruby superstar. Food wise away we did OK, I think being off exaggerates our home habits - if I have food organised at home it staves off takeaways/eating out - which I know is a more relaxed affair on holiday - but sometimes I think we 'eat out' on the hill (and at the wrong bits of the hill IYSWIM - much more expensive at the top - less so at the bottom but equally tasty, often half the price) so this year we've eaten nicely and cooked the bulk of our grub - with French ingredients it be hard not to enjoy it at home or oot. Thank you. Curiously I'm so over paying CHF13 for a cheese and ham baguette - when I can buy one in the wee tiny bakery for e1,80 and add me own filling - we've been doing that on the hill but not dans la hairyplaneport. So this year we sussed that bit too - although I think we experimented last year and all decided it wasn't too mangled after going through security.

We also had bottles of water on the bus - whihc rather than ditching (yes I am that silly) - we emptied and refilled the other side saving likely a gazillion CHF for the same water.

I'm learning. Martins how to travel MSE sytle and a few other sites for more green travel.

Also stumbled across this blog by Treading my own path which I liked the practicality off - not really specifically for travel but more for living a bit more mindfully and waste free. Worth a read.

Hope your holibubs have been ace me dear Troggy!

starnac wrote: »

Boo to getting bonus which was then taken away. Hopefully Cheery is right and yours is twice as big!!

Well its unlikely but I did get a huge aplogy and I will be politely having words, I've worked really hard last year and if I wasn't entitled to a bonus due to contract changes, that's one thing and it sucks but if I am and I didn't get it as I didn't have an appraisal (something that was mentioned before I went off) then they can bluddy well appraise me and show me the money. I work my little floral booty off (and rightly so) and if the business changes are at fault, that's not a reflection of my work ethic.

I'll stop now - hope your travels have went well Starnac. Ours involved (planned) avalanches, road closures - late buses - and 4 hour delays on flights waiting for folks stuck (safely) behind avalanches.

Its amazing how well the continental europe manage to move around with metres of snow - but a snowflake halts play here! :rotfl::rotfl:

Good morning world. Welcome back to the land of crazy rain I say.

Pippilongstocking

Toni'sfriend wrote: »

I love tartiflette. Only ever had it in Paris. Care to share the recipe (pretty please)?
Your holiday sounds fantastic. How long are you there for?
I can understand that you'd rather be with your Mum when she's having her treatment so, as Cheery Daff says, maybe a blessing in disguise that it,e been postponed. I hope it all goes well when it goes ahead.

Dear Toni-schum - glad to oblige - I have to say I have a 'recipe' but to be honest we don't really follow it - which I know is nae use - but I'm a bit of a freestyle cook.

Official tartiflette recipe from chalet child here.

However - I have to say once home I do find this QUITE RICH (something about the lack of alpine air and the lack of 40km skiing done that day to devour it) so do a DIY version of it.

Basically I treat tartiflette as french version of bubble and squeak or stovies or colcannon - its essentially a traditional leftover dish in my opinion or a tasty OMG what can we have to eat we're freezing and we've only got tatties in. The specific addition of Reblouchon cheese was in the 80's to promote - erm Reblouchon cheese :rotfl: clever wee French cheese ambassadors........ cheeky wee link here

Food nerd and potato lover me, never.

At home - I tend to use

Potatoes (cooked or uncooked) sliced thinly and adjust the cooking time.
Onions, leeks, shallots or spring onions - basically an onion of some description
Milk alone or if I have it a combo of milk and creme freche or milk and cream cheese
A wee tot of garlic but not essential, I like smoked garlic but anything will do.
Ham, bacon or leftover meat like sausage (but not essential, I often do my tartiflette sans bacon)
Optional - Cheese for topping, anything that melts well - but not cheddar I find it a bit too strong a flavour. (again optional, as the original dish didn't have anything if just a smattering of cheese on it)

Slice onions thinly and fry off in bit garlic (if wanted) and bacon/sausage/ham (if wanted) - not essential to add anything aside onions at this point.

Slice potatoes thinly - cooked or uncooked - cooked you have to be careful not to add to quickly or they'll mush-i-mify

Add any combo of milk/creme freche/cream cheese or cream to the mix of onions and once mixed, add potatoes.

YOu can add wine at this stage if you like, but I'm not keen on wine in food and its not essential unless you like a wee skoosh of it. I think wine should be in glasses or bottles NOT in food.

Raw tatties takes anything up to about 20 mins, cooked just combine the mix.

Top with cheese if required - I often don't bother but sometimes do - I'm a fickle creature.

Put mix into an oven proof dish and bake until golden and bubbly.

If its cooked tatties this takes a few mins and best under grill. If tatties are raw best in oven 180ish for about 20-30 mins.

Serve with bread (essential) and salad (optional)



There you go the worst recipe in the universe. I spoke to a lady in france about it and she called it a peasants dish with no real recipe but was always welcomed.

Call me a peasant, I love it.

Pippilongstocking

So we've a houseful who all arrived when we just got in - I've raided the freezer, and we've a nice feast about to happen for hogmany.

Last night was freezer chinese chicken curry and chips - all scoffed, and the leftovers are now frozen - this lot are like a pack of wolves - 500g rice scoffed like it was pixie dust.

Tonight - verdict is out so far - we're playing it by ear not sure as wee mrs mammy's birthday lunch has to be decided, so its likely picky bits and some logs on the fire and some NY telly. Cheap night in.

Jamies Slow Roast Pork - NY Day prob will check veggies in fridge should have enough.

Steak pie and sticky toffee for 2nd when all the rest of the family descend. Think we're lunching with 10+ and need to get ahead. The dates for the sticky toffee are cooked and were frozen - need make a sponge and sauce, might go to HB or somewhere to get cheaper sugar for that. Beef brisket (reduced) is out of freezer for chunking up and making this, can do HM pastry but might go a bit crazy and do shop bought. I used the last of the reduced for the sausage rolls.

Interesting discussions here about adding sausages to steak pie. ERM, naw?

3rd we are both either back at work, or getting ready to go back to work - we're not officially back til the 4th, but I'm now treatment-ting it on the 5th so I may do the 3rd to make up for a missed day, although I'm on rota for the weekend, so I'm in on Sunday.

Might be better to use the 3rd to get stuff sorted here and start for proper on the 4th, I've plenty TOIL and struggled to use my holidays this past year. Will re do meal plan once we shake the house loose of pesky visitors

So that's the hogmany meal plan sorted, may even induldge in some shortbread making.

Wee TRG's mammy is diabetic so I promised I'd try and make her tiffin with all the reduced sugar options for her to take home.

Wee neice is here too - so we'll likely be making some pancakes or crepes and maybe baking to mess about. Home grown fun.

Spends over holidays were completely on track (HUZZAH) - we put across money on the international card thigmy - and I transferred £10.71 back into the bank this morning.

I also bought back some of our duty free allowance for my bro, whilst I'm totally anti-smoking, if it helps him to make his pennies go further seems churlish not to have offered to help him. He does tonnes for me. Hes offered me some money to 'look after' to clear my OD and reduce the interest on it. My bro has NO DEBT, and good savings, he's big on using cash, which freaks me out, so he's maybe looking to shovel some of it my way until I can pay off the OD myself. Its a very kind offer, which I am considering tbh. It would help a fair bit in the short term. Although I know the old addage of never a borrower or a lender be.

Right need to shake a tail feather and stop haivering nonsense.....and make a list.

Have had visitors to get a few bits - they're happy to contribute and its helping my budget. Its hard to ask for help, but we're all in this together.

Picked up the younger pup late last night - swapped dog sitting for a wee few alpine treats. He's happy to be home. Heading over to pick up pup elder today, see my wee maw, drop off a cosy cosy blanket for her to snuggle under as she's very cold these days - so will get a few bits when in the big smoke retreaving mutt.

redofromstart

Sausages into nice steak pie :eek:
If you have any leftover Stilton it's nice tucked just under the lid.

Thanks for the recipe, one of those lovely dishes that never turns out the same way twice. On my to try list to use up the last few potatoes.

troglodyte

Hope you have a lovely Hogmanay! All quiet here; in the pre-Xmas period we were too below par to make any party plans and then we found that most of the friends we usually invite round had already made other plans - and they didn't invite us!! Trying not to feel hard-done-by; it'll be a chance for an early night as a treat and then tomorrow I will be fresh to crack on in the garden!
Thanks for the links and tips, will investigate. Cutting down on plastic packaging is very appealing but so difficult!

starnac

Treading my own path is a good one to read. Plastic packaging is my downfall I have to be honest. I've made so many changes and we are plastic free in a lot of areas but food is my main downfall.

Happy New Year to all.

Pippi I wish you the best 2018 that it can be and remember you've got loads of friends who are only a text away xxx