Travelling On

Suffolk_lass

Karmacat said:

Uber Frugal Learning
I just made the sponge cake that SL told us about, from JJ - I did 2.5 minutes in the microwave.  I confess I ate the whole "4 portion" thing - after all, it's one egg and 2oz flour, and I had a small savoury tea, so ... It was excellent, a really quick way to use up flour, but much too sweet for me, thank heavens, I could halve the sugar.  Maybe substitute dessicated coconut, with a teaspoon of the pea flour that needs using up.  

Paid sister what I owe her, £95, so everything's clear now, except for knowing how much money I'll get back for my foreign exchange.  Call it £280-£300.

Ready to roll tomorrow.

I find most things cope well with half the recipe sugar and my family do comment on the unsweetened fruit in crumbles (mostly favourable - especially if custard or ice-cream is on offer with it).

By the way, I make a double batch of crumble mix [6oz flour, 4 oz sugar, 4 oz fat, pinch of table salt (25g to the oz), rub the cold fat into the flour and salt then stir in the sugar, or whizz in a food processor] and keep it in the freezer in a ziplock bag to sprinkle on any random bits of fruit as a comfort filled pudding. You can substitute flours and oats, even granola or crushed up cereal flakes - it all works and uses up stash! My Mum sprinkles hers on a baking sheet and pops just the mix in to cook when the oven is on, so it is lovely when microwaved for a quick top up.

NB. if you keep grated cheese (esp parmesan) in the freezer, be sure to write on the bags. Don't ask how I know...

Karmacat

Thanks for that SL!  I'm not yet up to making crumble mix in advance, the reason I did your JJ recipe was that it's small quantities and very, very quick - really brilliant, in fact.  

I've downloaded everything in sight, and backed up the computer.  I'll also do a second back up for a few selected things - my writing, my accounts information, my genealogy work, things like that.

Today: 
- working on the sealant for the gap, Uber Frugal tiddle.
- if I want to sit down but brain is still active, send lava tunnel info to space group, I've written it, just need to get it out there now.
- if I *still* want to sit down  join Prolific, or get onto their waiting list at least, thats an Uber Frugal September point too.

Uber Frugal Points
Did an Asda order yesterday, for delivery in a fortnight's time: I don't know how to link it in online to the Asda Rewards App, I might actually have to phone them.  My Asda shopping App says its linked, but no rewards showing.  Complete mystery to me, though I could certainly cancel the order and rebook, given its a fortnight away.

Slow cooker: I put some beans and peas on to soak last night, when the dishwasher's finished I can get them on their 10 minute boil and get them into the slow cooker.

themadvix

Do you have a food processor KC? That’s how I make crumble - I hate rubbing fat in with a passion! Very little effort required with fp. (Probably too little - no calories burnt in the making!)

Karmacat

themadvix said:

Do you have a food processor KC? That’s how I make crumble - I hate rubbing fat in with a passion! Very little effort required with fp. (Probably too little - no calories burnt in the making!)

I don't, madvix - I *did* get one from ebay when I moved here, but I never used it in 6 years, so I got rid ... I love crumble, for sure, but with the fatigue issues I *already* had, before covid, I'd rather use methods that just require me to stir.  I do like crumble, but making it just isn't a priority, sorry.  

Slow cooker is doing its thing, red kidney beans and green split peas.

Backing up is going nicely - the big external hdd is done, I'm just doing a few secondary backups.

And ... ta-da! ... 🌈🍾🌞🎈🏆📯 I've done the sealant!  I've had an ulterior motive, of course - not only is it draught-proofing, its also big spider-proofing - there's plenty that are born inside the house, of course, but the big suckers come in during autumn, and the gaps I've been filling are huge, and both walls are areas where I see them.  **Incredibly** messy and untidy - there are radiator pipes in the way, I had to faff around, its taken every bit of energy and concentration I have, so I wasn't able to do much of the washing-up-liquid tidying, though I did do some.  In fact, I'm so happy I've done it, I wouldn't mind ripping it off next summer and doing it properly, now I sort of know how it goes.  I can't possibly express how thrilled I am - the living room has always been the coolest room in the house, and while that's very pleasant in summer, it's horrible in winter.  No longer!  I don't think 

I suspect the heavens are about to open so I'm going to just walk up and down the road till they do, as a reward.

Life is good.  

Suffolk_lass

A liquidiser or coffee grinder works for smaller quantities of crumble. Just saying...

Karmacat

Suffolk_lass said:

A liquidiser or coffee grinder works for smaller quantities of crumble. Just saying...

I don't have either, and I honestly don't want to go that route  

LadyWithAPlan

Suffolk_lass said:

A liquidiser or coffee grinder works for smaller quantities of crumble. Just saying...

Thats ggod to know as I do have a coffee grinder although I use it daily so it will need a proper clean up. Can I have the microwave cake recipe please

@Karmacat well done on the spider proofing ! You sound very prepared for this winter

Karmacat

LadyWithAPlan said:

@Karmacat well done on the spider proofing ! You sound very prepared for this winter

Thanks Lady I haven't finished with the preps yet, but I *have* gathered all the fleece pieces that I've hoarded, I need to do a bit of measuring and get the pins and do a bit of tidying up/squaring of the pieces.

I'm having a lot of trouble getting enough sleep this week - waking up *so* early - so I went to bed mid afternoon yesterday.  

Today: can't see my sister, she's not well herself, we'd been hoping to meet for half an hour or so, so I'll carry on with other stuff - setting up the curtain lining, maybe join Prolific, maybe a little bit of gardening/weeding in the front garden, the easiest bit to get to the green bin.

Karmacat

Did what I could today:
- put myself on the Prolific waiting list - as I suspected, can't get going straight away there  
- 20 minutes collecting weeds from the front garden - some of that was lopping leylandii, and my arms are shaking!  All my muscle tone has gone!
- mulling the curtain lining.  I really think these fleece bits might be a bit heavy as a lining.  I think I'll work on the middle support for the curtain rod first.

Nothing else today!  

Suffolk_lass

LadyWithAPlan said:

Suffolk_lass said:

A liquidiser or coffee grinder works for smaller quantities of crumble. Just saying...

Thats ggod to know as I do have a coffee grinder although I use it daily so it will need a proper clean up. Can I have the microwave cake recipe please

@Karmacat well done on the spider proofing ! You sound very prepared for this winter

It's in the recipes at the front of the Grocery Challenge. Here's the direct link but have a look as there are several others that are similar there. The same person posted a herby cheese bread recipe too that is in there somewhere